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Business Directory................... 22 Classifieds................................ 21 Community News................. 9-15 Dear Joel.................................. 18 Dr. Izzy’s Sound News............. 16 Fun Page.................................. 23 Inside The Law......................... 19 Letters to the Editor.................... 7 Wolfgang................................. 27 WWW.MICROMEDIAPUBS.COM
Vol. 22 - No. 20 Your FREE Weekly Hometown Newspaper | Serving Bayville, Berkeley, Beachwood, Pine Beach, Ocean Gate and South Toms River
Time Capsule Dedicated, To Be Opened 2041
–Photos by Catherine Galioto Berkeley students helped fill the time capsule, dedicated at town hall, which would be opened in October 2041. By Catherine Galioto BERKELEY – Twenty-five years from now, what will the residents of Berkeley remember us by? It will be the year 2041, and they’ll crack open the 2016 time capsule and see all the school spirit and other goings-on. The beginning of the October council
meeting was spent welcome representatives from each school in the Berkeley School system to share some items for the time capsule. The capsule, formally dedicated this month, is a large wooden box, about 2.5 feet in each direction, and a project of the Berkeley School district.
The young students, introduced by their school administrators, shared their contributions and then ceremoniously dropped (Capule - See Page 5)
Questions Raised About Drinking Water Safety
By Jennifer Peacock and Catherine Galioto OCEAN COUNTY – He walks Manchester town hall with a cup in his hand. It’s not filled with electrolyte-infused designer water or Hawaiian volcanic water or even the water bottled in Maine. No, Manchester Public Works director Al Yodakis fills his cup from the municipal water fountains that dot town hall’s hallways. The town’s water is safe, officials said. Resident Hank Glen asked officials about a report circulating that the township’s water supply is tainted with Chromium-6, or hexavalent chromium, which the National Toxicology Program reports is carcinogenic when ingested. The report conducted by the Environmental Working Group out of Washington, D.C., with an office in Oakland, Calif., showed
that Chromium-6 is in the drinking water for more than 200 million Americans in all 50 states. The Environmental Protection Agency ordered that local water utilities test for the compound, and from 2013 to 2015 more than 60,000 water samples were taken across the country. According to EWG, 75 percent of those samples tested positive for Chromium-6. California, the place where Chromium-6 entered the national consciousness thanks to the Julia Roberts’ 2000 film Erin Brockovich, depicting the real-life battle of contamination in Hinkley, Calif., set the maximum acceptable level of the compound at 0.02 parts per billion. The EPA placed a limit of 0.1 milligrams per liter and up to 100 parts per billion for total chromium. EWG said one part per billion is about a
drop of water in an Olympic-size swimming pool. “There’s only one state that has a limit [on Chromium-6], and they set their limit at 10 parts per billion,” councilman Craig Wallis said. “So we’re even lower than them. … We’re so far below [the federal regulations], I’m not even sure why it became an issue.” Manchester’s water supply was tested between August 19, 2014 and June 16, 2015. According to EWG, the township averaged 0.99 parts per billion of the compound, with water samples showing a range of 0.0 to 0.18. Those numbers exceed what California scientists deemed negligible Chromium-6 intake but are well below what the EPA considers safe. The environmental group said the figures were provided by Manchester Township, (Water - See Page 5)
October 22, 2016
Berkeley Poised To Get $400K In New Sandy Aid
By Catherine Galioto BERKELEY – The township hopes to receive between $400,000 and $600,000 in state reimbursement of its Superstorm Sandy costs, under a program now open to local government. The state is funneling $42 million more in funding to towns impacted by Superstorm Sandy, through the FEMA Non-Federal Cost Share (“Match”) Program, Gov. Chris Christie announced recently. Berkeley has applied for its amount, about $600,000, which represents about 10 percent of the total the township spent on emergency Superstorm Sandy costs. “I’m pleased to report that the Governor recently announced a new program that will allow local government entities, such as ours, in the nine New Jersey counties most impacted by Superstorm Sandy to apply for reimbursement of the funds they used to share in the cost of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance for emergency activities undertaken during the storm’s immediate aftermath,” said Mayor Carmen Amato. Under the previous entitlements, FEMA would reimburse 90 percent of the costs, leaving towns to share in 10 percent of the cost. With Christie’s action, “this new program will now provide Local government entities, including municipalities, counties, and school districts, an opportunity to apply to be reimbursed for our 10 percent cost share,” said the mayor. The deadline for government agencies to apply was October 18. Amato discussed the application at the September 26 council meeting. “This is great news for Berkeley Township. We will aggressively pursue reimbursement of our 10 percent cost share for Superstorm Sandy,” said Amato. “As a Sandy impacted community, still struggling with the financial aftermath, any additional funding is certainly welcomed.” The money can reimburse for Sandy-related activities as debris removal and emergency protective measures, including (Aid - See Page 5)
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