|
|
|
LOCAL NEWS CLIPS - JANUARY 2006
Stamp celebrates actress' pioneer spirit 1/30/06 The late Hattie McDaniel was a blues singer and went on to become the first black actress to win an Oscar and an early pioneer in the civil rights movement. The African American Heritage Museum at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center held a ceremony for the unveiling of a new US postage stamp in her honor. For complete details go to: www.thedailyjournal.com
Community continues to help others 1/30/06 Buena Vista Township officials held a public hearing on the Richland Village Project. For complete details go to: www.thedailyjournal.com
Richland Village, pro and con 1/27/06
The conceptual plans for the proposed Richland Village were met with both
fierce questioning and adamant support at the project's first public hearing.
Some residents cite development worries 1/27/06 Officials unveiled the latest of the redevelopment plans for Richland Village. For complete details go to: www.thedailyjournal.com
Economic forum: No holding back growth in 2006 1/27/06 Our area has much to be proud of: the proposed motorsports park and shopping center in Millville, Richland Village in Buena Vista Township, and the commercial and residential growth in Vineland. For complete details go to: www.thedailyjournal.com
See the next phase of Richland Village this week 1/25/07 Residents who attend Thursday's special Planning Board meeting on the topic will also hear the latest plans for the economic revitalization project. For complete details go to: www.thedailyjournal.com
Township invites residents to tour mobile health van 1/25/05 A mobile health van promising weekly visits by an affordable medical and dental clinic is hosting an open house this afternoon. The van sponsored by the Southern Jersey Family Medical Centers Inc. of Hammonton will have a doctor, nurse and dentist aboard.
For complete details go to: www.thedailyjournal.com
Coal also dumped in 1962 derailment 1/23/06 Earlier this month, five cars of a 75-car CSX freight trail derailed in Milmay. In 1962 a much larger derailment triggered memories. For complete details go to: www.thedailyjournal.com
Loose trash left blowing in the wind 1/20/06 Remnants of this week's storm were everywhere. Many people in our area put out their trash the evening or night before the day of collection. While allowed in most areas it contributed to the problem of blowing trash.
For complete details go to: www.thedailyjournal.com
Dorothy man's book captures beauty of local scenic spots. Michael Hogan's uses his love of nature and his skill as a photographer to capture some of Cumberland County and South Jersey's most picturesque spots. For complete details go to: www.thedailyjournal.com
'A true example': King remembered 1/16/05 Speakers from area churches and the community spoke about King and the way he lived and dreamed. The event was held at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Newtonville. For complete details go to: www.thedailyjournal.com
New bar and grill carries on tradition 1/16/06 Former Brassie's Place has been transformed into a restaurant AJ's Pub & Grill in Richland Village. For complete details go to: www.thedailyjournal.com
NJ Transit to boost bus runs on busy route 1/13/06 NEWARK-NJ Transit will soon put some of its newest buses into service in Atlantic County and increase service on its busiest runs. The agency is rolling out the first of 20 new leased buses on Jan. 28, the same day it ramps up service on 36 heavily traveled routes. NJ Transit spokesman Dan Stessel said run frequencies will be increased to keep up with growing ridership demand. In Atlantic County, buses on the 505 line, servicing Atlantic City, Margate and Longport, will run on 12-minute schedules during the midday, shortened from the 15- to 20-minute schedules currently in place. During midday, the 553 line between Bridgeton, Millville, Vineland and Atlantic City will shift from runs every hour to runs every 30 minutes. The Atlantic City-to-Millville portion of that run will be rescheduled to reflect actual run times, Stessel said. "That one had been running behind," he said. The 551, Philadelphia-to-Marmora line will make a 6:30 a.m. run from Atlantic City to the Avandale Park and Ride facility, in Winslow Township. That run currently picks up at 6:23 a.m. Also, runs between Atlantic City and the Frank S. Farley service plaza will be reduced because of improving road conditions and travel times, Stessel said. NJ Transit reported a 3.1 percent increase in trips for the quarter that ended Sept. 30. Nearly 40 million people rode the agency's buses during that three-month period. Buses now carry more than 531,000 riders on weekdays, and demand is expected to continue growing, NJ Transit said. In November, the agency approved leasing 20 cruiser buses and buying 53 more. "The first set of those 20 leases will be put directly to use on the three Atlantic County lines," Stessel said. The remaining leased and purchased buses will be phased in over the next several months.
Buena Vista woman fined $500 for animal cruelty 1/13/06 BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP-An extra fine in an animal cruelty case was a nice thought, according to an SPCA official, although it could not be imposed. Judge William Cappuccio fined a local woman $500 Wednesday for animal cruelty that left her dog, Dumbo, in such poor shape that he had to be euthanized, according to Nancy Beall, president of the Atlantic County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Carmen Anglero was first warned about the condition of the chow chow, whose age was estimated at 7 or 8 years, Dec. 3, Beall said. The conditions did not improve. The dog was taken from her property Dec. 21, and had to be euthanized. When Anglero appeared before Cappuccio on Wednesday, she pleaded guilty. The judge tried to fine her an extra $100 for ignoring the warning, but later found out the contempt charge could not be imposed. "I'd never seen that before," Beall said of the additional charge. But she does agree with it. "I think it shows people that you can't just ignore us," she said. "That it's just so much easier to comply to begin with." Beall was especially upset that four of Anglero's children also live in the home, "and no one ever made an attempt to go out and help this poor animal." "This poor soul was a mess," she said. "After he was put to sleep, they found two dog collars embedded in the dog's fur." The dog was being kept in a pen outside. "It had a nice decent dog pen, but it didn't have a house in it," Beall said. "There was an old cushion of some kind, but it was all full of dog feces. This dog lived a terrible life." The dog could not see or hear and its hair was so matted, Beall said, that it was hard to tell if he was malnourished. It is unlikely, she added, since that wasn't listed on the medical report. Anglero was fined $500 and $33 for court costs, according to municipal court records. Anyone who wants to report a case of animal cruelty can call the county SPCA at 927-9059. Callers can remain anonymous, Beall said.
Milmay tracks inspected shortly before derailment, Conrail says 1/10/06 BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP-There were no foreseeable problems with the train tracks in Milmay that cracked and derailed four coal-carrying cars this weekend, Conrail officials said. Spokesman John Enright said the tracks are visually evaluated every two weeks, and each year a test train rides over them for inspection purposes. He said any mechanical failures must have occurred as the 75 rail cars slowly made their way toward Cape May County. "Sometimes the cold weather can cause tracks to separate," Enright said. "That was likely the problem in this instance." He said that 45 rail cars weighing more than 10,000 pounds each crossed the section of broken tracks before the four cars derailed. "If it were a severe problem, the tracks would have given out immediately," Enright said. Buena Vista Mayor Chuck Chiarello said that the tracks were siding, which are mostly used by the coal cars. "But in a pinch, the siding could also be used by the Cape May-Seashore line," he said. The line is a 15-mile stretch for passenger cars between Richland and Tuckahoe. The 600-foot stretch of damaged track would have to be replaced, Enright said. He added that the replacement could possibly be done as early as today. "It's a heavily used line for coal, and we'll be paying attention to it in the near future," he said. Township officials said there will be further investigation into what happened to the tracks. No one was injured in the derailing, which occurred late Friday night and caused major traffic blockages. Enright said the tracks are owned and maintained by Conrail, while CSX employed the workers and cleanup crews.
The state Department of Environmental Protection is taking an appropriately hard line on warning residents of Collings Lakes in Buena Vista Township that privately owned dams must be fixed to state safety standards. As massive flooding in Burlington County in 2004 showed so dramatically, when a dam bursts, it can affect more than just the homeowners who live along the lake. The Collings Lakes Civic Association is responsible for the repairs. Residents are required to pay annual maintenance fees — but many have not paid for many years and are fighting the fees in court. About $400,000 in back fees is owed by more than half the residents, but the civic association believes the cost of fixing the dams will be much higher. The association president is considering a low-interest state loan to pay the cost. A pool of money was set up for just such a purpose following the Burlington County floods. In any event, state and county taxpayers are not on the hook here — the Collings Lakes residents are. Their property values are tied to owning lakeside property. They need to figure this out soon, or the DEP will be justified in following through on its threat to drain the lakes and recoup the money from property owners.
Investigation into train derailment gets under way as workers clean up 1/9/05 A coal train derailment on Friday night nearly shut down Tuckahoe Road a full day. The incident is under investigation. For complete details go to: www.thedailyjournal.com
Coal train sheds five cars in derailment 1/7/06 According to local state and railroad officials, a coal train bound for an Atlantic City Electric power plant at Beesley Point in Cape May derailed on a siding near Milmay about 6 pm on Friday. For complete details go to: www.thedailyjournal.com
Part of train derails in Buena Vista Township 1/7/06 BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP-A train derailment caused a mess but no injuries Friday
night.
Draining lakes or fixing dams, Collings Lakes residents will have to pay something 1/6/05 BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP-Collecting $400,000 in maintenance fees owed by more than half the residents in Collings Lakes still may not be enough to fund needed dam repairs. "This is part of a larger problem that extends across the county," Atlantic County Freeholder James Curcio said. "The cost for fixing those dams is out of the reach of the civic association and any back fees that are owed." Collings Lakes Civic Association President Marx Heller said he is looking into a low-interest loan from the state Department of Environmental Protection that would cover the costs of fixing the dams. The amount of the loan could be determined by an ongoing engineering study, DEP spokeswoman Elaine Makatura said. Heller estimated that the price could be anywhere from a few hundred thousand to $1 million or $2 million. If the dams aren't fixed and continue to fall short of the New Jersey Dam Safety Standards, the community's lakes could be drained, said John Moyle, Chief of the Bureau of Dam Safety and Flood Control at the DEP. The cost of removing the fish and draining the lakes varies, Makatura. She added that the cost would be picked up by the homeowners. "Either way, if we fix the dams or if we don't, we're going to pay for something," said Heller, as he stood on the Braddock dam between Braddock and Cushman lakes Thursday. But some residents in the area are still fighting against paying the basic cost of dam maintenance. A group of homeowners known as Citizen's Voices recently filed a lawsuit in an effort to repeal a restrictive covenant in Collings Lakes, according to attorney Cris D'Arrigo. The covenant states that there is a yearly $48 - recently increased to $75 - maintenance fee for the dams' upkeep, Heller said. The association recently filed about 150 lawsuits against about 600 residents who have not paid the dues, some stretching back 20 years, Heller said. But D'Arrigo said the deterioration of the dams isn't because people aren't paying maintenance fees. He said the civic association failed to do its duty and enforce payments in the past. "Collecting money from these people now wouldn't cover the cost for repairs anyway," he said. Former civic association President James Stewart said the fees were always collected, and that it was the residents who simply refused to pay them. Stewart added that the current civic association should have kept in better touch with the DEP, though. That way, the repairs would have been known about earlier. The association did not apply for any funds from the DEP last year, Makatura said. Several real estate agents in Atlantic County said draining the lakes would dramatically reduce property values for the area, although none would speculate how much. Collings Lakes includes sections of Buena Vista Township and Folsom, as well as Monroe Township, Gloucester County.
Woman indicted in theft of fire company funds 1/6/06 BRIDGETON-Authorities released details Thursday on an indictment of a woman from the Newtonville section of Buena Vista Township who was charged with stealing money from her local fire department. A grand jury indicted Shanita Scruggs with third-degree counts of theft by deception, forgery and wrongful employment of a juvenile in a scheme that defrauded the Newtonville Fire Company of $10,000. Scruggs is accused of forging the signature of her stepfather, fire company treasurer Lamont Baker, in writing checks from the fire company's account and cashing them at a Commerce Bank in Vineland. The indictment against her, stamped Dec. 22, accuses her of using two juveniles to help her endorse and cash the checks. Fire District 3 Chief Gene Sykes informed Buena Vista Township officials of the missing money on July 25. Mayor Chuck Chiarello forwarded the matter to Atlantic County authorities. The case is being tried in Cumberland County because the checks were cashed at a Vineland bank. A trial date was not available. The incident wasn't the first time someone stole money from a Buena Vista fire district. Fire District No. 5's treasurer was convicted of stealing more than $142,000 in 1998, while two Fire District 3 commissioners stole $64,000 in 1995 before they were caught.
Problem dams spark DEP warning for Collings Lakes 1/5/06 BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP-Deteriorating dams could force the lakes in Collings Lakes to be emptied soon if they don't receive needed repairs, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection. The dams don't meet New Jersey dam safety standards, John Moyle, chief of the DEP's Bureau of Dam Safety and Flood Control, said in a letter to the Collings Lakes Civic Association. The cost would fall to the civic association if the state has to contract engineers to remove fish and drain the dams, the letter said. "In instances like this, there are trees growing on the banks, sand erosion and flooding issues," Moyle said in an interview. He did not immediately know a timeline for rehabilitating the dams. The problem with this, according to association President Marx Heller, is that some people are not paying or making arrangements to have title companies pay for dam maintenance fees. The association said that more than half the 1,041 homeowners owe about $400,000 from as far back as 20 years ago. The fees - which once were $48 per year and recently were raised to $75 - are part of a restrictive covenant to which all homeowners in Collings Lakes agree when they purchase a house, Heller said. But the collection of those fees hasn't been enforced in years, according to Cris D'Arrigo, a lawyer for Citizen's Voices, a group that refuses to pay the fees. The civic association has filed small claims lawsuits against individuals who haven't paid, Heller said. Citizen's Voices has filed suit against the civic association and is trying to remove mandated fees, D'Arrigo said. "There'll be a lawsuit for every person who hasn't paid," said Heller, adding that the association already has filed 150 suits. Citizen's Voices is concerned that current homeowners will have to pay fees accumulated by residents before them, D'Arrigo said. But according to one resident, the title company has to pay any back fees. "You show your title company how much you owe by submitting a copy of when you bought your house, and it's taken care of," said Ivars Stiebris, who noted that many title companies forget to tell residents about the fees. Stiebris said discovering this procedure was simple: "I read the contract I signed when I bought my house." Collings Lakes includes sections of Buena Vista Township and Folsom as well as of Monroe Township, Gloucester County.
Buena Vista Twp. residents wonder what will become of their church 1/4/06 BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP-It was 66 years ago that Gloria Santini made her first communion in St Joseph's Church in Richland. And it would be far from her last. She married her husband, Joseph Santini, there in 1960. She attended Mass every Sunday, even while the church was being renovated in the 1970s. Her daughter recently decided to get married there, completing a family bond that many others in the area share with the small church on Main and Sewell avenues. "That church was a part of our family's lifestyle," Santini, 75, said. The Santinis aren't the only ones who could say that. According to Father Cherubin Kerr, St. Joseph's has been serving several generations of families for the nearly 110 years of its existence - making it one of the oldest landmarks in Richland. Kerr said he's seen couples come to get married there, return to baptize their child, and later tear up as their children were married on the same altar. But even a church with so much history is still susceptible to the trends that plague every Catholic diocese nationwide: only one priest came to say one Mass a week there and attendance in the 60-seat church was dedicated, but still too low. So St. Joseph's closed in late November with a service just like any other, with a small coffee-and-cake party after the Mass. "We all just spent that time together," said Sue Barber, who's attended the church for most of her life. "That's what it really was about. Just a strong community." St. Joseph's is still waiting for the official decree that will close the church, said Andrew Walton, spokesman for the Camden Diocese. And during the wait, many people attached to the church are wondering about its future. "It'd be terrible if it were sold," Joseph Santini said. "Then who knows what would become of it." Most residents interviewed said they'd like to see another religion inhabit the church. Many people said it historically began with Presbyterian inhabitants, and Walton said it used to hold a Baptist congregation. Buena Vista Township has an idea. Mayor Chuck Chiarello is trying to secure a $125,000 grant from the Atlantic County Open Space Program to buy the church and implement it into the Richland Village redevelopment plan. The village's plans will be revealed at a Planning Board meeting later this month, Chiarello said. "It's a landmark that means a lot to many families in the area," he said. "We're going to try to keep it in the community." Walton said the diocese will soon ask Padre Pio Parish, which is composed of St. Mary and Our Lady of Pompeii churches, if they have any use for St. Joseph's. "If not, then we'll possibly look into options to sell it," he said. In the meantime, once loyal members of St. Joseph's will begin attending services at Padre Pio Parish. "It's a sad trend, these church closings, especially those that a community formed around," said Kerr. "But what else can be done?"
Unpaid dues pave way to court in Collings Lakes 1/4/06 BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP-A Collings Lakes homeowners association has recently filed multiple lawsuits against its own residents over unpaid maintenance fees that stretch back more than 20 years. A citizens' organization has filed a lawsuit in response, saying that the collection of the fees wasn't enforced for years. This issue returns to haunt residents here every 20 or so years, said leaders from both sides of the issue. It's over a $48 - recently increased to $75 - yearly fee that the Collings Lakes Civic Association bylaws state all residents have to pay to maintain lakes, streams and access roads in the area, according to association President Marx Heller. He said more than $400,000 is owed from about 643 homeowners, some of whom haven't paid since 1984. There are 1,153 homeowners in Collings Lakes, Heller said. Collings Lakes is located mainly in Buena Vista Township, but also is in Folsom and Monroe Township, Gloucester County. When the association began filing lawsuits against individuals in the area, residents in a group known as Citizens Voices hired a lawyer and filed their own suit in Atlantic County Chancery Court. The lawsuit makes two main points, according to attorney Cris D'Arrigo, of the D'Arrigio & D'Arrigio law firm in Bridgeton: The association hasn't actively collected these fees in years, and the bylaw should be removed. "Now they're placing the entire burden on the most recent homeowner," D'Arrigio said. Anyone who buys a home in Collings Lakes automatically becomes part of the association and agrees to pay the fee, Heller said. Why the fees are being pursued now is a matter of state enforcement, according to Heller. He said the Department of Environmental Protection could potentially remove the fish and drain the lake if well-needed maintenance isn't performed. When asked what would happen to the lakes if the fees no longer had to be collected, D'Arrigio said he didn't know. He pointed out that many of the residents don't even live near the lakes. "Lots of these people struggle to even afford these fees," he said. "There's no good resolution here."
Township's government focused on Richland 1/4/06 Township Committeewoman Sue Barber was sworn into her third term by Democratic U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews at the township's annual reorganization meeting. Mayor Chiarello gave his annual "State of the Township 2006" address. For complete details go to: www.thedailyjournal.com
What awaits you? Expect more revitalization, expansion 1/4/06 The Redevelopment Plan for Richland Village section of the town will be on the front burner in 2006. For complete details go to: www.thedailyjournal.com
|
Buena
Vista
Township
|
