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BVT NEWS CLIPS - JANUARY 2005
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Buena Vista man, 41, charged with child pornography, sexual assaults (The
Daily Journal, by Chris Orose, 1/29/05) |
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Buena Vista man indicted in sex assault of three girls (Press of Atlantic
City, 1/29/05) |
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Who's Who in Your Town/Buena
(Press of Atlantic City, 1/28/05) |
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Mayors seek solutions, but Codey offers only lip service (Press of
Atlantic City, by John Brand, 1/27/05) |
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Everyday people ~ A.C. artist depicts African American life, culture
(Press of Atlantic City, by Jackie O'Neal, 1/26/05) |
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Millville's
fund-raising spreads to Buena Vista (The Daily Journal, by Jason Alt,
1/24/05) |
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Buena
Vista Township: Committee OKs society's building lease (The Daily Journal,
by Miles Jackson, 1/20/05) |
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Buena
Vista Twp. Township collects tsunami funds (Press of Atlantic City,
Community Section, 1/19/05) |
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Collings
Lakes family faces animal cruelty charges (Press of Atlantic City, by
Lynda Cohen, 1/14/05) |
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Corzine gives boost to
Kelly ceremony (The Current, by Janet Garraty, 1/5/05) |
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Kelly
accepts challenge for all county residents (Atlantic County Record, by
Giselle Sotelo, 1/5/05) |
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Atlantic County
Freeholders swear in two Democrats (Press of Atlantic City, by Thomas
Barlas, 1/5/05) |
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Buena Borough, Buena
Vista swear in incumbents (The Daily Journal, by Miles Jackson, 1/4/05) |
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Joe Kelly sworn in
as Atlantic County Freeholder (Press of Atlantic City, 1/3/04) |
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Kelly accepts challenge for all Atlantic County residents ~ Just the second
from Buena Vista to earn seat on freeholder board (The Daily Journal, by
Giselle Sotelo, 1/3/05) |
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Corzine visits African
American Heritage Museum (Press of Atlantic City, 1/3/05) |
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Food a deadly enemy to boy from Collings Lakes ~ A rare disease prevents the
3-year-old from eating (Press of Atlantic City, by David Benson, 1/2/05) |
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Schools, homes and
upgrades in the works (The Daily Journal, by The Daily Journal Staff,
1/1/05) |
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Pavilion honoring
Padre Pio may become reality (The Daily Journal, by Miles Jackson, 1/1/05) |
Buena Vista man, 41, charged with child pornography, sexual assaults 1/29/05
MAYS LANDING -- A 41-year-old Buena Vista man was indicted on charges of
sexually assaulting three girls over a period of about five years and
videotaping the commission of the crimes, prosecutors announced Friday.
Andrew Johnston, 41, was indicted on charges of criminal sexual contact,
possession of child pornography, multiple counts of making child pornography,
endangering the welfare of a child and child abuse. He is being held in Atlantic
County Jail on $100,000 cash bail.
Johnston was residing at the Buena Vista Campground on Route 40 at the time
of his arrest last September. He formerly resided at Cedar Crest mobile home
park on North East Boulevard in Vineland, authorities said.
Between 1999 and 2004, Johnston sexually assaulted three girls and either
videotaped or photographed the incidents, said Atlantic County Prosecutor
Jeffrey S. Blitz. The alleged victims, now 18, 17 and 12 years old, lived in the
neighborhood near the campground, Blitz said.
State police investigated an anonymous tip that Johnston was in possession of
child pornography. On Sept. 8, police executed search warrants on Johnston's
trailer, van and storage facility. During the search, troopers seized numerous
photographs and videotapes depicting young girls in sexually suggestive poses,
and footage of girls Johnston allegedly assaulted, Blitz said.
Police said they were able to identify many of the girls in the depictions,
including those who were allegedly assaulted.
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Buena
Vista man indicted in sex assault of three girls 1/29/05
An
Atlantic County grand jury has charged a 41-year-old Buena Vista Township man
with sexually assaulting three young girls and videotaping them during the
commission of the crimes, Atlantic County Prosecutor Jeffrey S. Blitz said
Friday.
An indictment handed up Wednesday accuses Andrew Johnston of sexually assaulting
the three girls between 1999 and 2004 in Vineland, where authorities said
Johnston was living at the time, at the Cedar Crest Village Trailer Park on
North East Boulevard.
The girls were ages 13, 12 and 7 at the time the alleged crimes began and lived
in the neighborhood, Blitz said. They are now ages 18, 17 and 12.
The indictment also charges Johnston with criminal sexual contact on the oldest
girl.
Additionally, it charges Johnston with possession of child pornography, multiple
counts of making child pornography, endangering the welfare of a child and child
abuse.
The allegations came to light when State Police at the Buena Vista barracks
received an anonymous tip that Johnston, then living at the Buena Vista
Campground in Buena Vista Township, possessed child pornography, authorities
said. Detective Rick Bumbera and other members of the State Police began an
investigation.
On Sept. 8, 2004, troopers executed search warrants on Johnston's trailer, van
and a storage facility he utilized. During the search, troopers seized numerous
photographs and videotapes depicting young girls in sexually suggestive poses
and the videotapes of the girls he allegedly sexually assaulted. Johnston was
arrested following the searches, Blitz said.
Police subsequently were able to identify many of the girls, including those who
were allegedly sexually assaulted, Blitz said.
Johnston was being held in the Atlantic County jail on $100,000 cash bail
Friday.
Assistant Prosecutor Curt Baker presented the case to the grand jury, Blitz
said.
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Who's Who in Your Town/Buena
1/28/05
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Mayors seek solutions, but Codey offers only lip service 1/27/05
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Everyday people ~ A.C. artist depicts African American life, culture 1/26/05
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Millville's
fund-raising spreads to Buena Vista 1/24/05
Canister locations
Locations in Buena Vista that have donation
canisters include: Municipal Building, Richland Carpet, Richland General Store,
Orlandini Tile, Carlo's Servicecenter, Goodstuff's, The Crossings, Collings
Lakes Market, Tri-Cell, Buena Vista Country Club, Cranberry Run, Five Points
Inn, Cappuccio's Market, Minotola National Bank, Buena Tavern, Milmay Inn,
Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, Kupetz Bar and Latona Country Club.
MILLVILLE -- The city Recreation Department's drive for tsunami relief
dollars is catching on.
It spurred all students, teachers and staff members throughout one Millville
school to each donate $1 toward the relief fund.
And it inspired a neighboring municipality to start its own fund-raising
effort to benefit American Red Cross efforts.
The Recreation Department earlier this month spearheaded a campaign asking
everyone in the city to give at least $1 to help victims of the December tsunami
that killed hundreds of thousands of people and left millions homeless in
countries ringing the Indian Ocean.
Forty canisters are scattered around the city for donations. The one at the
Recreation Department has already taken in more than $1,300, said Recreation
Supervisor Elizabeth Nicke.
"This just goes to show what teamwork can do," City Commissioner Tim Shannon
said.
Buena Vista liked what Millville was doing so much that the township
government there copied the idea.
It coordinated with the Red Cross to get donation canisters set up in about
20 businesses and other high-profile places around the township.
"I thought that was a darn good idea that Millville was doing," Buena Vista
Mayor Chuck Chiarello explained.
The township's cable access channel is also running information about how
residents can donate.
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Buena
Vista Township: Committee OKs society's building lease 1/20/05
BUENA VISTA -- The building doesn't look large enough, but once finished, it
will hold dozens of railroads that will traverse rivers and mountain ranges.
The locomotives and cars, of course, will be smaller than life-sized, about
1/87th the scale of an actual train, according to the model railroaders who will
set up displays in the building at the corner of Route 40 and Fire Road in
Richland.
On Monday, the township committee approved a lease with the Patcong Society
of Model Railroaders for part of the building, said Mayor Chuck Chiarello.
The township-owned building will become the headquarters for the society and
will be open to the public.
The building also will include a welcome center and other facilities that
will be part of the Richland Village project, an effort to bring tourists to the
century-old gathering of houses and stores along a once-busy railroad crossing.
And while plans for a real train to provide tourist rides to Richland have
yet to be realized, it also will only be a matter of time before the society
brings its miniature locomotives and elaborate displays to town, said society
member G. Thomas Todd.
"We have a lot of work to do, so it might not be until next year that the
first display will be open to the public," Todd said.
The society lost its old headquarters in Egg Harbor Township last year when
the owner of the building, an older society member, had to sell it for personal
reasons, Todd said.
Although heartbroken about breaking up all the old displays, Todd said the
new 3,000-square-foot space in the Richland building will offer the society a
chance to create an entirely new landscape in miniature models.
"We'll have everything from cities and country, rivers and streams, mountains
-- you name it," Todd said.
The display will be open to the public with the society only asking for
voluntary donations, Todd said.
"It's something that runs in our blood," Todd said about the hobby. "When we
see the faces of people who come to look at our displays, that's what it's all
about for us."
"It's something that takes just about everybody back in time," he added. "It
makes us all kids again."
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Buena Vista
Twp. Township collects tsunami funds 1/19/05
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Collings
Lakes family faces animal cruelty charges 1/14/05
A
Collings Lakes family has been charged with animal cruelty after one of their
dogs was found dead in a shed on their property.
Sal and Edith Marino and their adult son, Anthony, each faces a charge of animal
cruelty in the death of the male German shepherd, according to Joanne Hill,
owner of Tri-County Animal Control. They face an additional charge in the
neglect of a young female pit bull.
Hill first met the family after a fire at their Buena Vista Township home in
December. At the time, the dogs looked healthy, except for a skin condition on
one, Hill said.
The dogs were running around the property, and Hill told them they needed a
better place for the dogs, she said. The family was not living in the home,
because the fire had made it uninhabitable.
The family then put the dogs in a shed, Hill said, which was fine.
"The shed was large and had windows that were opened," she said. "It was clean
and they had food and water there for the dogs."
There was even a couch for them to lie on.
Hill said Anthony Marino told her he was stopping by twice a day to feed the
dogs and let them out.
Then, neighbors called this past weekend to let Hill know that the dogs were
crying. They reported seeing Sal and Anthony Marino come by on Friday and
Saturday, but neither had gone back to the shed, Hill said.
The neighbors left the messages while Hill was away. Although the machine gives
directions in case of an emergency, the neighbors apparently didn't realize it
was an emergency, she said.
"On Monday it looked like no one had been there for a while," Hill said. The
shed was full of feces, there was no food or water, and the German shepherd was
dead. Hill didn't know how old he was, but said he was an adult and had some
gray in his fur.
An autopsy showed that there was no food in the dog's digestive and no stool,
meaning he had not been fed for at least three or four days, according to Hill.
The gall bladder also was bloated, showing that at least 48 hours had gone by
since the dog last ate.
The female pit bull, who is about a year old, was thin but OK, Hill said. She is
at the Atlantic County Animal Shelter in Pleasantville.
"She's a cute little dog," Hill said. "But she was very scared."
Charges have been sent to the Marinos, whom Hill says deny neglecting the dogs.
Hill wasn't sure of the fines attached to the charges.
No current listing was available for the Marinos on Thursday.
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Corzine gives boost to
Kelly ceremony 1/5/05
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Kelly accepts
challenge for all county residents 1/5/05
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Atlantic County
Freeholders swear in two Democrats 1/5/05
BRIGANTINE - Democrats were in the majority here Tuesday, at least in the number
of people sworn in to seats on the Atlantic County Board of Chosen Freeholders.
Incumbent the Rev. Lawton Nelson and newcomer Joseph Kelly took the oath of
office, marking the first time in a decade that two Democrats will sit on the
nine-member panel.
"Very nice, very nice, very nice," said Nelson, a freeholder since 1990, when
asked what it was like to have some Democratic company on the board.
Republican incumbent Sue Schilling was also sworn in during ceremonies at the
municipal building here, where she also sits as a City Council member.
The swearing-in ceremonies were attended by a number of Democrats, all happy at
making inroads on the freeholder board.
When asked if there had ever been this many Democrats gathered in City Hall in
Republican Brigantine, Schilling laughed, looked at the ceiling and said, "No
cracks yet."
Kelly, of Buena Vista Township, upset Republican incumbent John Risley for an
at-large freeholder seat. At-large candidates run county wide.
"I'll try to do the best I can for every resident in Atlantic County," he told
those in meeting room.
Actually, Tuesday's ceremony marked the second time Kelly was sworn in to his
freeholder post: He also took the oath of office Sunday so he could swear in his
wife, Theresa, to Buena Vista Township Committee on Monday.
Nelson ran unopposed for his 1st District seat. The 1st District includes
Pleasantville, most of Atlantic City and parts of Egg Harbor Township.
"I want to thank the people of the 1st District for having faith in me," he
said. "The agenda is full. We have much to do."
Schilling holds the 4th District seat. The 4th District includes Absecon,
Brigantine, Galloway Township and Port Republic.
Schilling took the oath of office while holding the Sunday school bible she used
in 1955.
She also recalled the first time she was elected to office - back in third
grade, when she served two months as class president.
"I was proud then, as I am now, of the faith that everyone has in my leadership
abilities," Schilling said.
Schilling defeated Democratic Galloway Township Councilman Ed McGee to be
returned to the 4th District seat.
In November 2003, 4th District Republicans picked Schilling over McGee, then a
member of the Republican Party, to fill the 4th Ward seat left vacant by Kirk
Conover. Conover had quit the freeholder board after being elected to the
Assembly.
McGee eventually switched to the Republican Party.
In other reorganization business, the freeholders returned Joseph Silipena as
the board's chairman.
They also voted Freeholder Steve Johnson the board vice chairman.
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Buena Borough, Buena
Vista swear in incumbents 1/4/05
The governments of Buena Borough and Buena Vista Township reorganized Monday
night with no changes in the makeup of either community's governing body.
In Buena:
Democrat Patricia Andaloro and Republican Edward Cugini Sr. were sworn in to
their third and fourth terms, respectively, on the seven-member Borough Council.
Mayor Joseph Baruffi said the council would continue work toward earning
Urban Enterprise Zone status, as well as work on expanding tax ratables in the
community. Baruffi said both Andaloro and Cugini would be put to work on the job
at hand.
"I look forward to working with both of you," Baruffi said. "I have high
expectations of you and I'm sure you will fulfill them."
Andaloro, the only Democrat on the council, said it was time to put partisan
politics aside.
"I thank the community and will serve everyone, no matter what their party
affiliation," Andaloro said. "If you need me, my telephone number is in the
book."
Andaloro and Cugini won re-election in a three-way race that left newcomer
Frank Woshnak with his first campaign defeat.
In Buena Vista:
Incumbents Peter Bylone and Michael Rivera took the oath of office after an
uncontested election.
Bylone, with 18 years of service on the committee, is the senior member of
the township's government.
He was sworn in by Joseph Kelly, a township resident who took office as an
Atlantic County Freeholder-at-large on Sunday.
Rivera was sworn into his second term in office.
The five-member committee re-elected Mayor Chuck Chiarello and Deputy Mayor
Teresa Kelly, the wife of Joseph Kelly, to their respective positions.
Joseph Kelly swore his wife into office.
During his previous term as mayor, Chiarello moved the township forward and
worked to bring new development to the community, said Atlantic County Clerk
Michael Gavin.
"Chuck is a natural leader," Gavin said. "He is creative and he's a legend as
far as hard work goes."
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Joe Kelly sworn in as
Atlantic County Freeholder 1/3/04
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Kelly accepts challenge for all Atlantic County residents ~ Just the second from
Buena Vista to earn seat on freeholder board 1/3/05
Joe Kelly
BUENA VISTA -- Almost as remarkable as Joe Kelly's swearing-in Sunday as
Atlantic County's first Democratic freeholder at large in 10 years is how he
won.
Even Assemblyman Jeff Van Drew, who attended the historic ceremony that drew
a roomful of Democratic supporters and political leaders to Buena Tavern,
admitted he was skeptical of Kelly's chances of winning. The state legislator
doubted the success Kelly would see with a platform embracing "honesty" and a
"community-minded" approach in a political era rampant with what Van Drew called
"bruising campaigns."
But in a happy acknowledgement that he had erred in his original assessment,
Van Drew was among the panel of dignitaries who gathered around Kelly to
administer the oath of office for a three-year term on the freeholder board.
"Can good people win in office? Yes they can. ... You're one of them and
we're proud of you," said Van Drew, D-1.
Kelly is one of only two Democrats on the county's nine-member freeholder
board. As a freeholder at large, the 50-year-old Collings Lakes resident will
represent all Atlantic County residents; other freeholders represent geographic
regions of the county.
Recognizing the moment's historic significance, Joe Kelly drew inspiration
for his remarks from another, more renowned feat: man's first walk on the moon.
Kelly said his ascension to the freeholder board represented "one small step for
Joe Kelly, one giant leap for Atlantic County Democrats."
Kelly wasn't the only one garnering attention at Sunday's swearing-in. U.S.
Sen. Jon Corzine, a 2005 candidate for governor, was greeted with a standing
ovation.
"When you get people who are truly committed to public service ... the public
benefits and society is a better place, and Joe is one of those people," Corzine
said.
Of the county's residents, there was no greater pride felt than in Buena
Vista, where Kelly's wife, Teresa, is deputy mayor. Joe Kelly is only the second
freeholder in modern times to hail from Buena Vista; the other was John Mahoney
of Milmay, who was elected in the 1980s.
"Need I say what an exciting day it is for Buena Vista and the residents of
Atlantic County to have Joe Kelly as an Atlantic County freeholder?" said Mayor
Chuck Chiarello, who Kelly credited for his victory.
Kelly garnered about 49,000 votes to win his new post last November. It was
his second attempt. He lost a 2003 bid for freeholder-at-large.
True to his campaign platform, Kelly said his goal is to "make the right
decisions for everybody."
"It doesn't matter if you're a Democrat or a Republican on the freeholder
board," Kelly said. "You try to make the right decisions for all the residents
of the county."
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Corzine visits African American
Heritage Musuem 1/3/05
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Food a deadly enemy to boy from Collings Lakes ~ A rare disease prevents the
3-year-old from eating 1/2/05
Food
is an American obsession.
But for a few people, food can be deadly, an enemy to the body. For them, a
single bite of any ordinary food means a hurried, worried trip to the hospital.
This year will be different for the Holloways. Jessica is sure of that. But the
past year was tough, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The holidays are supposed to be a time when relatives gather to pass steaming
plates of turkey around a table while swapping jokes and family stories. But for
the Holloway family, mealtime has a furtive, almost guilty feel to it.
Family members hide in the bedroom and eat in shifts, so as not to upset their
youngest child.
Food is deadly to 3-year-old Vinnie. He and his family struggle with what that
means on a daily basis.
His mother, though, believes in the miracles modern medical science can provide.
She sees a cure, or treatment, in Vinnie's future, maybe by the end of this
year.
* * *
Warm sunlight streamed through the front windows of the Holloway home a few days
before Christmas in Collings Lakes. Vinnie bounced around the living room trying
to get his mother to eat the piece of green candy he clutched in his tiny fist.
It was warm outside, and Jessica leaned back on the couch to avoid the sunlight
and the stale mint.
In one corner a Christmas tree twinkled, but other, more aromatic signs of the
holidays - snacks such as home-baked bread, cookies or cupcakes - were absent. A
small tray of candy was all there was within Vinnie's reach, but he wasn't
trying to eat it. "Momma's not hungry right now," Jessica said. "I'm full."
Vinnie crawled up onto the sofa, and held the candy under his mother's nose. "A
kitty will die if you don't eat this," Vinnie said, his eyes solemn and wide in
his moon-shaped face.
"A kitty?" Jessica asked.
Vinnie nodded.
Jessica sighed, and allowed her son to feed her the green mint. "Sometimes," she
said, "I think he eats through us."
Vinnie has a rare disease that affects fewer than 2 percent of the population:
eosinophilic gastroenteritis esophagitis, or EGE. It's a long and difficult
name, but the effects are easy enough to understand.
Vinnie can't eat. Food makes him sick. All food is deadly.
For the first year and a half of his life, doctors were stymied by Vinnie's
illness. They treated him for reflux, but he couldn't keep food down. "He was
projectile vomiting," Jessica said. "Everything he ate came right back up."
It wasn't until Vinnie was nearly 2 years old that doctors diagnosed him with
EGE. By that time, the disease had traveled from Vinnie's throat to his stomach.
Left untreated, it eventually would have moved into his colon.
That was when Vinnie had to stop eating. "There was no way to explain it to a
2-year-old," Jessica said. "No way for him to understand what was happening."
One day, Vinnie was eating anything he wanted. The next, no food at all.
No pears nor apples, oranges or crackers. Nothing but Neocate Junior, a
nutritionally complete, powdered medical food - essentially, a hypoallergenic
food powder that can be mixed with spring water.
"That's why there's a lot of hiding when we eat," Jessica said. "A lot of guilt,
because Vinnie can't have any food. We eat in shifts in the bedroom, because
someone has to stay with him."
While Jessica talked, Vinnie sat on the floor with a Spider-man action figure.
He was engrossed in a children's show on television. A man in a pickle costume
and woman in a potato costume danced across the screen. "Food is everywhere in
our culture," Jessica said. "It's all about eating right, and eating your
vegetables."
Dr. Philip Putnam, a specialist at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical
Center, said it isn't easy for people with EGE or other serious food allergies.
"We have first-grade teachers who insist on using M&Ms to teach kids to add and
subtract," Putnam said. "It can be extremely difficult for children to divorce
themselves from the food-centered society we live in."
That's why Jessica hopes for a cure before her son enters school. It isn't
unusual to see a 3-year-old walking around with a sippy-cup. "But I can't
imagine him going into the lunchroom in first grade, and mixing up his powder,"
Jessica said.
The stigma attached to that cup of powder and water is often more than children
or young teens can stand, and they don't drink enough to gain weight. "People
don't understand," Jessica said. "I just wish they could understand."
Understanding is hard to come by in a culture that is based on the idea of the
breaking of bread, especially when the Holloways venture beyond the confines of
their family.
Jessica said she and her husband don't cook much at home, because when the house
smells of cooking food, it depresses Vinnie.
That leaves them with the expensive alternative of eating out. They can't afford
to do it often - Vinnie's illness has left the family financially strapped. But
even when the Holloways do go out to a restaurant, the accusing stares of other
patrons and the wait staff can be unbearable.
"People stare, because we all get food, except for Vinnie," Jessica said. "Then
Vinnie walks around the table trying to smell our food. The people see you
eating, and him not, and they just look at you."
They don't know. They don't understand. Jessica realizes this and is on guard
against those folks who think just one bite won't hurt Vinnie. "People try to
give him food," she said.
Crossing guards at Halloween, Santa at Christmastime, a waiter in a restaurant.
Even one bite can set off an attack.
"A waitress thought we made a mistake, and meant to order two children's meals,"
Jessica said, one for her older son, Michael Jr., who is 6, and one for Vinnie.
"They actually put down the plate and drink in front of him before we saw it."
Vinnie took one sip of the drink and immediately vomited. "The waitress
apologized to everyone else in the restaurant, because they had to see it."
Jessica leaned forward on the couch. "I know they didn't want to see that, but
she just didn't understand how much it hurt Vinnie."
* * *
Putnam, of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, has given Jessica good
reason to be optimistic.
"Vinnie should do very well over time," the doctor said. "The practical reality
is that most kids do eventually get onto some food at some time."
The diet can be bizarre, Putnam said, and often doesn't fill a person's
nutritional needs. "They still have to supplement," he said. "But they may be
able to eat a couple of foods."
Jessica said the food combinations can be bizarre, such as bacon, marshmallows
and Sprite. But she holds onto the hope that doctors will find foods that Vinnie
can keep down. "If one day they find out Vinnie can eat grapes, I'll buy him so
many grapes," she said.
More than an eventual discovery of a food or two that Vinnie can eat is the hope
of a less invasive treatment than the massive doses of steroids Vinnie now
takes.
"We have to look ahead," Jessica said. "I have to believe they'll find a cure or
treatment."
This year, Vinnie will be one of a handful of children to take part in clinical
trials of a new drug. Putnam is hopeful.
"It has been used in adults and reduces inflammation when given," he said. "If
it works, it could potentially replace the steroids."
Jessica believes in miracles.
"It's better to focus on the possibility of a treatment," she said, "than to
think of a future with this disease."
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Schools, homes and upgrades
in the works 1/1/05
Now that 2004 is in the past, what's in store for Cumberland County in the
New Year?
The Daily Journal asked a few questions to find out what officials believe
and hope the future holds for residents:
Buena and Buena Vista
A bill to create a joint Urban Enterprise Zone, which would allow for a
50 percent reduction in sales tax, currently is under scrutiny by several
state Assembly committees. The borough and the township need a vote of the
entire state Assembly and entire state Senate before it can go to the
governor's desk for signing.
Buena Vista Township is looking to complete the first phase of its
Richland Village project, which will add new sidewalks, lighting,
landscaping and other amenities to the township's old railroad village. When
completed, the project may include a railway for tourists connecting the
village with Cape May.
Buena is hoping to convince the state Department of Environmental
Protection to drill more injection wells for water from a decontamination
plant. The DEP is overseeing the plant, which is treating groundwater
contaminated by a now-defunct dry cleaning business. The DEP also is
considering a plan to pump the treated water into a wetlands area, a plan
local residents oppose.
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Pavilion honoring Padre
Pio may become reality
Staff photo/Barbara Errickson
The temporary Padre Pio Gift Shop, (red building behind
the shrine), will be replaced by a new pavilion, housing the shop and a chapel.
The Pinelands Commission gave approval for the building and sewerage line
construction.
BUENA -- Talks among the Pinelands Commission, borough officials and the
Padre Pio Corporation may result in a final plan for building a pavilion on
Route 40 honoring the Italian saint.
Thursday's talks ended with the commission giving preliminary approval to
extend sewer lines to a 10-acre parcel of land owned by the group that wants to
build the pavilion, said Mayor Joseph Baruffi.
If accepted, the plan also would allow the township to extend sewer lines to
about seven homes in the area of Route 40 and Weymouth Road, according to the
mayor.
Without Pinelands approval, plans to build the pavilion would have to be
scrapped. The facility would need to have sewer lines because it would hold
several hundred people at one time, Baruffi said.
The preliminary approval also applies to building the pavilion on a 300-foot
strip of land donated by the Dandrea family, said commission spokesman Frances
Rappa.
"If they can't reconfigure their plans to fit in the 300-foot strip, we're
going to have to see if there's some other way to rezone the area," Rappa said.
Marie Dandrea, one of the most vocal advocates for the pavilion, said the
corporation probably would be able to work within the parameters of the 300-foot
strip.
Currently, the site is home to an open-air shrine to Padre Pio.
According to current plans, a pavilion and chapel would be built along with a
gift shop and a display of artifacts, Dandrea said.
"I've always seen a chapel on this property since I went to Italy 14 years
ago," Dandrea said. "I thank God that we're going to be able to go forward."
During that trip to Italy, Dandrea became a believer in the 20th-century
saint who has attracted a growing number of followers in recent years.
Before his death in 1968, Padre Pio lived most of his life with the
phenomenon of the stigmata, or the wounds in the hands and feet like those
suffered on the cross by Jesus.
The stigmata cannot be explained by scientific means.
Padre Pio was known as a pious, humble man who lived in poverty and heard the
confessions of thousands of people who traveled from all over the world to the
Padre's home village.
"He was a true saint who looks down upon us each and every day," Dandrea
said. "He is the power behind what we're doing here."
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