TIMES
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS, INC.
THE MANCHESTER
Vol. 22 - No. 32
Your FREE Weekly Hometown Newspaper | Serving Lakehurst, Whiting and all of Manchester
Ser�ice Rolls O�t Allo�in� Local 911 Calls Via Te�t Messa�e
By Shawn Smith OCEAN COUNTY – Imagine an intruder breaks into your home in the middle of the night. You’re alone. You run and hide in the closet, but fear they might hear you talking if you call for help. What do you do? You can now send a text message to 911. Rolled out throughout the state in the summer, text to 911 is the newest way to reach out to emergency services if you are unable to call. While Monmouth county rolled the system out in May, Ocean county didn’t see the upgrade until September, according to Sandi Ennis, the Senior Operator for the Ocean County Sheriff’s Workplace. The system, provided by Comtech TCS, is called GEM911. When a text message comes into the call center, a notification sound alerts the operator a text message has arrived. It will continue to notify all operators until the message has been answered. As Ennis demonstrated, the operator has access to a few basic pre-set questions, such as
–Photo by Shawn Smith 911 operators desk in the call center in Ocean County, who can also dispatch text-to-911 calls. “What is the location of your emergency?” Once a response has been received, the operator has a window where they can talk to the caller and ask more specific questions. Besides a text dialogue, the
system is also equipped to track a GPS signal and show who the phone carrier is. With this information, emergency services can be dispatched, and the call center can track down a listed phone number for the
Community Art Project Served On The Rocks
By Jennifer Peacock NEW EGYPT – Should one stumble across some colorfully adorned rocks while ambling through New Egypt’s downtown—Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles rocks? A Finding Nemo rock? A rock wishing a Happy Thanksgiving?— you’ve encountered New Egypt Rocks!, where community art meets hideand-seek. The idea is simple: paint rocks and hide them around the community. When the rocks are found,
that person is asked to hide those rocks elsewhere. Participants may keep a rock they like, but they must leave another painted rock in its place. “One day I was walking with my boyfriend Ryan Sech at the wreck field to get some books from the little free library (located near the NE park at the wreck field) and we saw a rock painted with a peace sign inside the little free library,” Julia Matthews said. “I later went home and saw a page that said
subscriber, in case the person stops sending a message. The cell phone carriers will also provide emergency services with the subscriber’s address, in case a unit has to be dispatched.
‘NE Rocks!’ and my prior middle school teacher Ms. Quatrone (now Tina Bell) invited me to be an admin because I post positive and encouraging feedback to those who may be upset they did not find a rock.” That was back in August. Today, Matthews is one of four administrators of that closed Facebook group, which easily boasts more than 600 members as of press time. “Now, the page has grown, and (Project - See Page 5)
(Calls - See Page 7)
Inside This Week’s Edition Business Directory .....................29 Classifieds...................................27 Community News..................10-17 Dr. Izzy’s Sound News..................20 Fun Page.....................................28 Health....................................20-21 Inside The Law ..........................24 Letters to the Editor.......................8 Wolfgang....................................35 WWW.MICROMEDIAPUBS.COM
November 26, 2016
Borough To Set Fees For New Impound Yard
By Jennifer Peacock LAKEHURST – The borough’s impound yard is getting close to completion. Borough clerk Bernadette Dugan told The Manchester Times the site, located by the public works garage, is paved. Fencing will be installed next, followed by security cameras. The $12,500 project, approved back in September, is being funded through capital improvement funds. While tow companies charge for towing and storage, the borough is hoping to profit from storage costs. Council introduced an amendment to its towing code that outlines the cost of impound fees. That ordinance will have its second reading and adoption on December 1. Class 1 vehicles – two-axle passenger vehicles including passenger cars, light trucks, taxis and hearses, and motorcycles – will be charged $35 per day for outdoor storage and $40 for indoor storage. Part of any day will be charged for an entire day’s penalty. Class 2 vehicles – two-axle trucks such as two-axle dual-tire vehicles and two-axle tractor, wide tire vehicles – will be charged $40 per day for outside storage and $50 per day for indoor storage. (Impound - See Page 5)
‘Tis The Season: Time For Tree Lightings In Ocean County
OCEAN COUNTY – It’s the twinkle of lights after the flip of a switch, marking much holiday spirit. Check out when your town is having its tree lighting. The following is a partial listing of tree lighting ceremonies around Ocean County. Barnegat Light: November 25 at 6:30 p.m. at the boat ramp. Santa will make his way to the old borough hall to light the Christmas tree. Barnegat Township: December 3 at 5:30 p.m. at the firehouse on Birdsall Street. Bay Head: December 2 from 5 to 9 p.m., “A Starry Night: The 35th Annual Christmas Walk.” Santa will arrive for the tree lighting (Lightings - See Page 18)