TIMES
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS, INC.
THE BRICK
Vol. 15 - No. 25
Inside This Week’s Edition
Business Directory ........................... 22 Classifieds ........................................ 21 Community News ......................... 8-12 Dear Joel ......................................... 25 Dr. Izzy’s Sound News..................... 16 Fun Page ......................................... 23 Inside The Law ................................ 24 Letters to the Editor ........................... 7 Wolfgang ........................................ 27
Your FREE Weekly Hometown Newspaper | Serving Brick and Lakewood Townships
Marshland Plan Would Address Mantoloking Road Area: Refuge Proposes Resiliency Projects
By Catherine Galioto BRICK – A U.S. Fish and Wildlife proposal recommends increasing the surface elevation of hundreds of acres of marshland around Mantoloking Road, by depositing dredge spoils there. The Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge proj‑ ect aims to address marshland resiliency and sea level rise. The plan, now in a public comment period through October 22, encompasses about 100 acres in Brick, but 500 acres total across the Ocean County area’s 32,000 acres of salt marsh that make up the refuge. The environmental assessment of the project warns these marshlands are filling in, and will eventually be open water within the next hundred years, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service models, and the agency’s Edwin B. Forsythe National Wild‑ life Refuge officials have presented options such as dike breaching, a new culvert and sediment enrichment throughout the Ocean County project areas that they say should slow the process. Refuge ecologists and officials discussed the project in a public meeting October 4, summarzing its 500‑plus page environmen‑ tal assessment and plan that encompasses
Toms River Veterans Parade Moves To Nov. 14
By Catherine Galioto TOMS RIVER – After a scheduling con‑ flict with November 11 when schools were off, the Toms River Veterans Day Parade will move to Monday, November 14. That’s when schools are back in session, allowing marching bands and children to participate. November 11, schools are closed for the New Jersey Education Association (Parade - See Page 6)
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–Project map courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife
–Photo by Catherine Galioto Among the 100 acres considered for a U.S. Fish and Wildlife marshland resiliency project is the area north of Mantoloking Road. Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge ecologists suggest putting a thin layer of dredge spoils there would help counter sea level rise. parcels in Brick, Berkeley, Forked River and Barnegat. “This is about what to do to increase resilience,” said Virginia Rettig, Refuge Manager for Forsythe. “When considering sea level rise, are the marshes keeping up?
We’ve identified specific areas in the Refuge for these projects. They are waterlogged areas that could eventually become open water with the current rate of sea level rise.” The Brick area of Forsythe was divided (Marsh - See Page 5)
Complaints Gro� With Tra��ic Near La�e�ood Ind�strial Par�
By Daniel Nee HOWELL – Complaints by residents along Arnold Boulevard are increasing along with traffic, and officials have pledged to look into ways to dissuade heavy commercial vehicle from using the road as an alternate route to the nearby Lakewood Industrial Park. “I have pictures of huge tractor‑trailers that can’t negotiate the corner coming off Lakewood‑Allenwood Road,” said Paul Rayberger, who lives on Arnold Boule‑ vard. “They come not only into the op‑ posite lane, but into the side of the road. I’ve seen them get close to school buses.”
With the
Howell Council members Robert Walsh and Pauline Smith both acknowledged that there have been complaints from residents along the road for years, but the increased usage of the industrial park, as well as the expansion of a nearby recy‑ cling business has spurred fresh concerns on both the volume and speed of traffic, as well as the road’s physical ability to handle large vehicles. Making matters worse: “They came around a few years ago, ground out the solid lines, and put a passing zone in,” said Rayberger. (Lakewood - See Page 6)
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October 15, 2016
Water Testing, Lot Paving Among School Projects
By Judy Smestad-Nunn BRICK – The school year was off to a good start, and the facilities are “in pretty good shape,” said Interim Superintendent Thomas Gialanella at the October 6 Board of Education meeting. Gialanella said he toured each school with facilities director, William Kolibas, and said that while there is still work to be done, the district would continue to address issues such as paving in the next budget cycle. He said that school districts have been mandated by the state to hire a consul‑ tant to test the water in each school for lead. The state has set aside $10 million for the testing which will only pay for a percentage of the testing at all New Jersey schools. “We’ll move forward doing one school at a time,” Gialanella said. “It’s a fairly involved process...we’ll see how far that $10 (million) goes. It’s an unexpected and unbudgeted expense, but it’s something we have to do to find out the condition of our water.” Governor Chris Christie ordered the testing after elevated lead levels were found in the water of several districts last year. Every school water fountain and faucet must be tested at all 3,000 schools across the state, and the testing must be complete within a year. Schools must repeat the test every six years. Special Needs Students In other news from the meeting, board member Karyn Cusanelli asked the inter‑ im superintendent why so many special needs children from Brick are placed in out‑of‑district schools. Gialanella said every school district has the same issues because some students have “very specialized needs, and it’s better for that child to educate out of district.” He said the district is trying to keep the (School - See Page 5)
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