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LOCAL NEWS CLIPS - SEPTEMBER 2009
Buena Vista raccoon had rabies (The Daily Journal, by staff reports, 9/29/09) Patricia Diamond of the Atlantic County Health Office said that a raccoon collected from a Greenbriar Avenue home in Buena Vista tested positive for rabies. For complete details go to: www.thedailyjournal.com
Newtonville teen gets probation in threats case (The Daily Journal, by staff reports, 9/29/09) A Newtonville teen was placed on one year probation for making terroristic threats against a Buena Vista resident. For complete details go to: www.thedailyjournal.com
Five reasons NJ's property tax system is failing you (The Daily Journal, by staff reports, 9/28/09)
5 Reasons: For complete details go to: www.thedailyjournal.com
VINELAND - A consulting firm conducted a drawing Thursday after 466 people applied to buy foreclosed homes rehabilitated with federal money. Triad Associates, which represents several towns in southern New Jersey, used a computer program to pull names at random from a list of people who applied for the housing lottery in Woodbine, Buena Vista Township, Bridgeton, Commercial Township and Vineland. The preliminary winners will be notified and interviewed by Triad during the next 20 days. Triad will use the home buyers' financial statements and tax returns to determine whether they qualify for a mortgage, Woodbine Mayor William Pikolycky said. Qualified home buyers are eligible for the lottery to buy foreclosed properties at reduced prices subsidized by the federal government. The home prices range from $68,000 to $170,000. Eligible applicants have incomes ranging from 50 to 120 percent of the region's median income. The people chosen Thursday - whose names were not released - will not necessarily get the discounted homes. They must be screened first to ensure they can afford the mortgage. Woodbine hopes to renovate six foreclosed homes and place families in them, Pikolycky said. Buena Vista Township hopes to renovate five homes through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, which is administered by the state Department of Community Affairs.
Sheriff's Office patrols issued 133 traffic tickets in Folsom in just five months - a huge number for a tiny borough of about 2,000 people and eight square miles. But borough officials welcome the extra attention in an area typically patrolled by a State Police barracks that covers several other rural municipalities. A drop in revenue from tickets issued by the State Police forced Folsom to make some difficult decisions. The rural borough reduced its court staff through attrition, slashed its court budget and even studied dissolving its court in favor of shared services. But an increase in Atlantic County Sheriff's Office patrols could help Folsom's municipal court generate enough revenue to cover its operating budget for the first time since 2004. And Folsom is not alone because Sheriff Frank Balles, in his first year in office, has overhauled how the Sheriff's Office manages its manpower. "I think the officers had a lot of down time during the previous administration, which for whatever reason didn't have a need, or want, to have officers out on the street," Balles said. "What we're doing is adjusting the schedules to free up officers and get them out on the street." Lt. Darren Tomasello, the Sheriff's Office's street operations commander, compared the new philosophy to those of past administrations in terms of how fire houses operate. "Most firehouses have their firemen doing things around the house while they wait to get called to a fire. They don't all drive around in the truck looking for fires," said Tomasello, a 23-year veteran of the Sheriff's Office. "We are still providing the same services that we provided before, but now we're shifting around predominantly static personnel to put more manpower on the street." Balles calls this a "common sense" approach to management, but it is an approach that has yielded more citations while using $130,000 less in overtime compared with this point last year. "We are getting a lot more work done out of the same amount of officers," Balles said. "When officers are done with their regular runs for the day, they basically go out to enforce traffic violations." Between April and August, the increased patrols netted 133 traffic citations in Folsom. If that pace continues, the borough could surpass its court budget for the first time in half a decade. "The bottom line is during the last few years, the court itself has been down in revenue and tickets. I imagine it has to do with the economy and with the State Police getting stretched thin," said Mayor Thomas Ballistreri, adding that the State Police explained to him the borough was receiving fewer tickets because the local State Police barracks is shorthanded. Capt. Gerald Lewis, a spokesman for the New Jersey State Police, said he couldn't comment on the cause of the decline in summonses because he said had not seen any of the documentation and could not speculate. Whatever the reason, Ballistreri said Folsom is pleased with the level of service it is now getting from the Sheriff's Office. "Obviously it's big for quality of life to have more of a law-enforcement presence. It definitely deters people from doing illegal things," he said. "On the other side, it also helps with getting revenue to where the court can sustain itself financially. You don't want to ship any services out, if you don't have to. All the way around, this is a winner for us." Folsom's court administrator, Catherine DeYoung, said this presence is a noticeable change. "We would see them for six weeks, and then we wouldn't see them again for six months. That's sad," DeYoung said. "But if they continue with this through the end of the year, we should be able to make our budget for the first time in years." In Buena Vista Township, Sheriff's officers accounted for fewer than 91 tickets in 2008. They already have tallied more than 160 this year, according to Court Adminstrator Mannetta Bylone. These tickets have generated $2,100 more in revenue than last year's total of $1,229, Bylone said. "And I don't know if the Sheriff's Office even knew where Buena Vista Township was prior to 2008," said Bylone, who has worked for the municipal court for 17 years. "The tickets were few and far between." Meanwhile, sheriffs in other southern New Jersey counties claim that high costs and lack of manpower prohibit them from patrolling rural municipalities. Earlier this year, the Cape May County Sheriff's Office started transporting prisoners from the municipalities to the jail. And it is regularly called on by municipalities to help with crowd control, including at Cape May's 400th anniversary and North Wildwood's Irish Festival. But Cape May County Sheriff Gary Schaffer said his office does not have the manpower to provide rural patrols on top of providing court security, prisoner transportation and other functions. Cumberland County Sheriff Bob Austino said there are no plans for his officers to patrol the county's rural areas because it is "too costly." Last year, Cumberland County Sheriff's officers helped patrol several Millville neighborhoods after a January 2007 violent crime spike hit the city. Austino's predecessor proposed rural patrols in the event that state funding for State Police patrols was cut, but that never happened. But the impact of the Atlantic County Sheriff's Office's new manpower management practices extends beyond just traffic tickets. The office is organizing seminars aimed at helping people facing foreclosure to find legitimate ways to stay in their homes. It also has used a community policing unit consisting of five bike officers and three K-9 officers. Balles said that unit has helped reduce incidents of strong-armed robbery and sexual assault along bike paths in the county, particularly Egg Harbor Township. "We're trying to change the image that we're not just the bearer of bad news," Balles said. "We are not the primary response for any town, but we do have an opportunity to make a lot of things better."
BUENA VISTA: Man stabbed in shoulder, police say (The Daily Journal, by staff reports, 9/22/09) A 23 year old Buena Vista Township man who has not been identified was taken to the South Jersey Healthcare Regional Medical Center after being stabbed in the shoulder. For complete details go to: www.thedailyjournal.com
WOODBINE - More than 300 people applied Tuesday for an unusual lottery in which the winners get mortgages for dilapidated homes that will be fixed up with federal money. Call it cash for hovels. Vineland consulting firm Triad Associates is supervising the lottery in Woodbine, Buena Vista Township in Atlantic County and Bridgeton, Commercial Township and Vineland in Cumberland County. Qualified homebuyers are eligible for the lottery to buy foreclosed properties at reduced prices subsidized by the federal government. The home prices range from $68,000 to $170,000. Eligible applicants have incomes ranging from 50 to 120 percent of the region's median income. The properties will be deed restricted to ensure they remain eligible to low-income families. The Neighborhood Stabilization Program pays to renovate the homes, many of which are dilapidated. "We estimate we will spend $50,000 to $80,000 to rehab these homes," Triad President Jerry Velazquez said. But the homebuyers will be able to make decisions about the renovations when it comes to taste and style, he said. In Woodbine, six foreclosed and vacant homes will be available. Triad is still negotiating the purchase of the foreclosures. Velazquez said applicants will be interviewed and screened for their credit-worthiness to ensure they can afford the monthly payments to avoid the same financial problems that led to many of the foreclosures during the recent mortgage crisis. "They have to be credit-worthy. The home will sell at a reduced rate. But in the end, you'll have to get a mortgage," Velazquez said. Buena Vista Township has its eyes on renovating five homes, Mayor Chuck Chiarello said. The program is good for the township because the home improvements boost the tax rolls and eliminate the blight of boarded-up homes, he said. The credit checks and interviews are designed to ensure applicants can afford the new mortgages, even with the federal subsidy. "There are a lot more safeguards than the helter-skelter federal mortgage crisis - the way people could get mortgages so recklessly before," Chiarello said. "We're looking for people who will be making a permanent homestead." A recent study in Buena Vista Township found at least two-dozen properties in foreclosure, he said. The drawings are expected to take place in October. No date has been scheduled.
Richland wastewater project is only in the study stage (The Daily Journal, Opinion, 9/10/09) Opinion on the recent article in the Daily Journal about BVT's efforts to locate a small wastewater treatment facility in Richland Village. By Mayor Chuck Chiarello For complete details go to: www.thedailyjournal.com
Candidates offer $200 reward for stolen signs (The Daily Journal, by Joseph P. Smith, 9/10/09) Campaign signs in Buena Vista Township have been stolen. Mayor Chuck Chiarello and Deputy Mayor Teresa Kelly are offer a $200 reward leading to the arrest of anyone involved in the thefts. For complete details go to: www.thedailyjournal.com
BUENA VISTA TWP. - Chuck Chiarello wants his signs back. The long-time Buena Vista Township mayor said several campaign signs featuring his name along with fellow committee member Teresa Kelly's have been stolen in less than a week since being put up. According to Chiarello, 14 signs, which cost between $5 and $7, have been pilfered so far. Some signs have been replaced, only to be stolen again, he said. Chiarello and Kelly are offering a $200 reward for information leading to the arrest of the sign.
Sewer project for Richland Village to be explored (The Daily Journal, by Joseph P. Smith, 9/8/09) After two years of discussions a feasibility study on putting a wastewater treatment plant in Richland Village is cleared to start. For complete details go to: www.thedailyjournal.com
Bank robbed on Landis Avenue (The Daily Journal, by Kristi Funderburk, 9/4/09) Two suspects robbed the Buena Vista Susquehanna Bank this morning. One suspect has been located. For complete details go to: www.thedailyjournal.com
Two suspects robbed the Buena Vista Susquehanna Bank this morning. One suspect has been located. For complete details go to: www.thedailyjournal.com
BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP - A morning bank robbery in Buena Vista Township resulted in a manhunt Thursday, complete with a helicopter and police K-9 units scouring fields and woods for a suspect. According to State Police, Aaron Johnson entered the Susquehanna Bank at the corner of Landis Avenue and Union Road at about 9:45 a.m. and announced his intent to rob the bank. As the Mays Landing resident tried to flee the scene in a vehicle, he lost control and hit a pole, according to police. Johnson then fled the scene on foot and was captured later in a wooded section of the township by a police dog. Johnson, 37, was taken into custody without further incident. Police originally believed he was working with a getaway driver, but after an extensive search of the area and preliminary interview with Johnson, an accomplice was ruled out. After the robbery, State Police, with the assistance of the Vineland Police Department, secured the bank and the abandoned vehicle and established a perimeter in the area. Johnson was apprehended less than an hour after the robbery. Police continued their search of the area for hours after the arrest, although they declined to say if there was anything in particular for which they were looking. Police said Johnson was unarmed. Police did not immediately say how much, if any, money Johnson had made off with. Johnson remains in police custody. From there, police said, he likely will be transferred to Atlantic County Jail. Bail information was unavailable.
Police arrest suspect in Buena Vista bank robbery (Press of Atlantic City, by staff reports, 9/3/09) A Mays Landing man has been arrested in connection with the robbery of a Buena Vista Township bank this morning. With the assistance of State Police K-9 personnel and a helicopter overhead, State Police were able to track Aaron Johnson, 37, through a wooded area before apprehending him. According to police, Johnson robbed the Susquehanna Bank on the corner of Landis Avenue and Union Road at approximately 9:45 a.m. Johnson fled in his car but reportedly lost control of his vehicle, crashing it. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
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Address: Buena Vista Township
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