BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP - Two months after five neighboring towns learned how they might consolidate their municipal courts, two towns have chosen not to proceed and the jury is still out for one other.

Buena Vista Township first applied for money in May 2007 to study the possible courts merger with Buena Borough, Folsom, Estell Manor and Weymouth.

In July, a feasibility study estimated that the towns could jointly save $100,000.

But amid questions over the study's math and the size of the savings, Folsom and Buena officials decided not to take part. Estell Manor must decide whether to join a much smaller group.

"The study is not dead," said Buena Vista Township Mayor Chuck Chiarello. "We're probably going to end up, at the start of the year, merging our court with Weymouth."

But for the other towns, he said, the merger, which proposed combining all court staffs into one at one location, had not worked out to offer the looked-for savings.

In a letter to Chiarello dated Sept. 12, Folsom Mayor Thomas Ballistreri explained that Folsom would be holding off.

Ron Esposito, a Folsom councilman, confirmed Wednesday that the planned savings for the town were not very high.

"We were looking for, would this be efficient, and obviously would it save us money," Esposito said. "That's part of the situation."

Folsom's savings were listed in the report, drafted by consultant Jersey Professional Management, as $19,000. But Chiarello pointed out Wednesday that the findings of the study had an error.

"In calculating the expenses, they failed to include the shared costs of some bills," he said. Courts that share premises with other municipal buildings frequently share phone, electric bills, postal charges and other costs. "Those expenses were not included," Chiarello, said. "It was a flaw in how the study was done."

He said that meant the true savings were lower than listed in the study. Folsom's savings, he said, would have been about $16,000.

Buena Borough, meanwhile, had chosen to sit out the merger, Chiarello said, because it was the only town with its own police force. All of the other towns relied on State Police, Chiarello said.

"Currently, Buena's court is more profitable for them because they get to keep the fines paid," Chiarello said.

Buena Mayor Joseph Baruffi said Thursday that the merger's savings for the borough would be "slim to none."

Folsom Councilman Esposito stressed Wednesday that the town was prepared to look at other alternatives, including merging with other towns, as a way of finding savings. Chiarello, meanwhile, looks to implement a possible merger with Weymouth's court by the start of next year.

During hearings on the state budget, many smaller towns - including Buena, Folsom and Buena Vista - had much of their state aid cut.

At the time, Chiarello said, the message was that small towns had to consider sharing services, or face further aid cuts.

Chiarello said the state had helped fund part of the study - with each town chipping in $600 - but had otherwise left the towns to work out a practical plan themselves.

"They say, 'Oh, share services,'" he said. "But I would have liked to see them provide a bit more guidance."

Every shelf, every table and every corner of It's A Toy Store catches the eye. Customers can find statues of Yoda from "Star Wars," racks of superhero figurines and years of "Batman" comics.

Owners Frank and Robert Mosentoff have been collecting retro toys and comic books since they were children. But over the years, the one thing missing was an actual place in southern New Jersey to share their hobby. So Frank, 41, and Robert, 36, decided now was the time to open their own store, just a few blocks from where they grew up in the Richland section of Buena Vista Township.

Describe your business: A toy store and comic book store. We're trying to cover our bases between the really old vintage stuff and the current product lines. For the most part, a toy store is a toy store and a comic book store is a comic book store, so we're trying to be unique within the marketplace.

How did you come up with the idea for your business? The idea was spawned from the fact that after 10 years of the Internet, we realized that people do want to come back to an actual store location, a bricks and mortar location. They want the human interaction. They miss it. We are collectors, too. We encourage everyone to grab a soda and come here and hang out, talk about things that interest you. The Internet really wiped all that out. I grew up with little stores where you went to get your comic books. Now they're gone.

Why should I spend money on your product or service? You're not going to find these products everywhere ... at least not in retail. Maybe on a Web site.

What makes you better than your competitors? There's very few stores left like this. We share customers (with Cap's Comics in Millville). We share information. We sell each other products. It helps both of our businesses grow.

What is your biggest seller? Comic books - and that's really motivated from the movies. You're seeing Iron Man, Hulk, Batman all came out this summer. Kids came in and dads came in. The films feed the toys, and the toys feed the books. When I started getting into collecting, the hottest toys were (1960s) toys; now they're declining unless they're really rare or high-grade. That generation is phasing out of that nostalgia feeling. The hottest toys going are '80s toys, by far: Star Wars, Transformers and the 3-inch G.I. Joes.

What plans or changes do you have for the business? We started out to be a toy store and we had some comic books. The comic book part of the business is taking over, and now we're doing this one room over here into a comic book room. We're expanding into comic books, and ultimately, our plans are to convert our downstairs to have older records and musical instruments for sale. But that's down the road.

Do you do refunds? We have a no-hassle refund policy. If you don't like something and want to return it, you don't have to tell us why.

E-mail Erik Ortiz:

EOrtiz@pressofac.com

Store profile

Name of business: It's a Toy Store

Owners: Frank and Robert Mosentoff (brothers)

Address: 1256 Harding Highway, Richland, Buena Vista Township

Contact: 856-697-1348; itsatoystore@live.com

When it opened: June 2008

UPPER TOWNSHIP - It was the last train to Richland, and it was leaving at the station.

No, wait, it was the only train to Richland - and it wasn't going anywhere.

"Well, if you like trains, this is going to be fun,"said conductor Dave Gairo, who informed passengers that a Conrail train had right of way on the Tuckahoe tracks. "If you're only so-so about trains ..."

So it was that the second leg of the first Richland/Tuckahoe train trip of the year - already delayed from its usual summer schedule - was delayed a little more.

Not that many of the occasionally rail-crazed passengers minded.

"It's great to be back," said Paul Mulligan, of the New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers. "We've been a big supporter of this for many years."

While the engine and passenger cars date from no later than 1955, according to Cape May Seashore Lines President Tony Macrie, many of Saturday's rail-riders have been around no longer than a decade.

"We've been waiting to do it for him," Upper Township resident Donna Valenti said of her young grandson, Blake Edwards. "The children love it."

The late start on the season was due to rehabilitation work on the Richland Village train station in Buena Vista Township, Mayor Chuck Chiarello said.

"The last couple of months, we've gotten so many calls: "When's the train coming? When's the train coming?" Chiarello said. "Part of it is getting the momentum back."

The new siding next to the station - which will allow the trains to be housed in Richland starting next week - was built through a grant partly funded by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, Chiarello said. The trains themselves are run entirely by the Cape May Seashore Lines.

The station is part of the overall railroad theme that township officials are trying to develop at Richland, including the Patcong Valley Model Railroad Society nearby

Back aboard the life-size train during its unexpected delay was Ann Gairo, the conductor's wife - who is also known to moonlight as Mrs. Claus during the Cape May Seashore Lines' December schedule.

"I was hidden in the closet," Gairo said of her interest in railroading. "I didn't know how much I liked trains until I met my husband."

"A very good move," said "regular rail fan" Dottie Connell, of Mullica Township.

"This is great," Gairo summed up. "We love trains. It's the perfect day."

For three years, Cape May Seashore Lines has run a 90-minute round trip from Tuckahoe, Cape May County, to this Buena Vista Township section, attracting summer visitors but always hauling the train away at the end of the day.

Buena Vista Township Mayor Chuck Chiarello said a scheduled rehabilitation of the town's train station has been completed, allowing a late start to the season.

"These are really giant antiques," Chiarello said of the line's trains - which date from the 1940s and 1950s. "Now the train will live here and people will be able to see it up close."

Finding a couple of parts for one train has been part of the season's delay, he said. But more significant has been the town's effort to redo the station's sidings. "That cost half a million dollars, which we received through grants," he said Friday.

Since 2005, the township has joined with Cape May Seashore Line President Tony Macrie to bring a particular kind of railroad experience for visitors, along tracks which still carry freight. "It's really a step back in time," Chiarello said. "There won't be a lot of hoopla on Saturday. But what's important is that we're moving forward with this."

Trains will run twice a day Saturday from now until late December.

For more information, call 1-800-984-2055.