Vol. 12 - No. 38
I N T HIS W EEK ’ S E DITION
THE TOMS RIVER
TIMES
MICROMEDIAPUBS.COM
Your FREE Weekly Hometown Newspaper For Toms River, Island Hights, Ortley Beach & Lavalette
Community News! Don’t miss what’s happening in your town. Pages 8-13.
Doctor Izzy Smart Phone Connectivity Page 16.
Fun Page Page 23.
Wolfgang Puck Get Acquainted With Grains Page 27.
Dear Joel Break Up To Make Up Page 25.
Dear Pharmacist New Medications To Help With Dry Eyes, etc.
Page 17.
Inside The Law Land Use Applications Page 18.
Letters To The Editor Bail Reform In New Jersey Page 6.
From Your Government Officials Page 7.
Classified Ads Page 19.
Contract Approved For Dispatchers Union
By Catherine Galioto TOMS RIVER – The tow nsh ip a nd t he unions representing emergency dispatchers have come to an agreement for a contract that includes a 2 percent maximum salar y increase and brings the contracts in line with other police bargaining units. The four-year agree-
Back Home At Last After Elevation Project
ments are between the township and its 13 dispatchers, whether police or fire dispatch. Township Council approved the agreements recently, and Township Administrator Paul Shives said he was pleased with the outcome. “This is a 24-7 operation – fire and police,” (Contract - See Page 5)
First Snowfall Totals For 2017
By Catherine Galioto The January 7 snowstorm hit parts of the area with as much as 9 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service. The NWS numbers show areas such as Lacey, Barnegat and Stafford among the most inches. Statewide, the record went to Por t Norris in Cumberland County, with 10 inches. Ahead of the storm, local offices of emergency ma nagement for Ocean County and towns such as Berkeley, Brick and Tuckerton all issued alerts, ranging from slick road conditions, to plowing notices, to asking residents to remove parked vehicles from side streets. Check out the unof-
| January 14, 2017
ficial snow total. How did your area fare? Ocean County Barnegat: 8.5 inches Berkeley: 8.2 inches Brick: 7.3 inches Jackson: 7.0 inches Lanoka Harbor: 9.0 inches Point Pleasant: 6.5 inches Pine Beach: 5.5 inches Stafford: 8.6 inches Toms River: 7.3 inches Monmouth County Belmar: 7.7 inches Colts Neck: 6.5 inches Freehold Twp: 6.0 inches Howell: 7.3 inches Long Branch: 8.0 inches Marlboro: 6.8 inches The National Weather Service said the totals are unofficial observations compiled from (Snow - See Page 19)
–Photos by Catherine Galioto John and Nancy Phander and family were able to celebrate the holidays back at home after a home elevation displaced them for 19 months. By Catherine Galioto A new pet scurrying around. A Christmas tree to hang your ornaments on. An oven to whip up a batch of cookies. Your own rout i ne, you r ow n
home. Superstorm Sandy disrupted so many of these small moments through the big impact of its destruction. So many families faced a loss of these moments
as they moved in with family, rented elsewhere and otherwise wa it e d for t he d ay they’d be back home. For the Phander family of Silverton, the day they came back
home was the week of Christmas. It meant so many things they’ve been missing about the holidays – hosting friends and family, decorating, sharing
(Family - See Page 5)
Thousands Of Homes Elevated Since Sandy By Judy Smestad-Nunn OCEAN COUNTY – Thousands of homes substantially damaged in Superstorm S a n d y h ave b e e n raised to new elevations since October 2012. Some homes were entirely swept away and into Bar negat Bay, and while others still sit boarded up years later, many
homes were elevated or are in the process of being elevated. Home Elevation Numbers We took a look at the number of permits issued for home elevations in several Ocean County towns that saw dramatic devastation from Sandy. These towns have several hu nd red or more home elevation permits issued since
Sandy. In Toms River, 1,148 home elevation permits were issued, officials there said. These neighborhoods suffered catastrophic flooding, such as Ortley Beach and Silverton in Toms River; Shore Acres and Baywood in Brick; Good Luck Point and South Seaside Park in Berkeley; and Beach Haven West and Cedar Bonnet Island in Stafford Township. By
November 2012 Governor Chris Christie estimated that the cost of Sandy-related damage in the state to be $36.8 billion. Toms River reported more than $2 billion in lost ratables. Once FEM A established new flood z one s for r e c om mended building elevations, and Sandy survivors began to (Sandy - See Page 4)
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