EVERYDAY HEROES

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By Alyssa

RICK – Local heroes who have strived to make a difference in the community were recently honored with their own “cape.”

The 9th Annual Brick Hero Awards presentation was held at the Brick High School auditorium and hosted by the Mayor’s Student Advisory. The program gives the opportunity to

Farmer’s Market, Summerfest, Park Upgrade Planned

By

Judy

Smestad-Nunn

BRICK - Dogs will be permitted at the Farmer’s Market for the first time, on a trial basis, after the Township Council’s Recreation Committee reviewed and approved the measure.

(Farmer - See acknowledge those who have made a positive impact in the community and awards them for their acts of kindness.

This year, they recognized 33 individu - als with some of the honorees consisting of teachers, students, administration, community workers, residents and more. Throughout the night, each hero was (Heroes - See Page 4)

Parkway Changes Planned

By Chris Lundy

OCEAN COUNTY - Significant changes will happen on the Garden State Parkway between miles 80 and 83 as exits are renumbered and lanes and offramps are altered.

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority, which also oversees the Parkway, put out the plan, asking for feedback from drivers.

One of the biggest changes is that there will be a “Collector-Distributor roadway.” This is a few lanes in each direction,

- See

Heroes pinned with a green superhero cape.

The first honoree of the night was former mayor John Ducey. Ducey served as mayor for nearly nine years and had announced his resignation earlier this year.

Although Ducey was not present for the ceremony, he was honored with a cape and students from the Mayor’s Student Advisory gave a speech thanking him for everything he has done for the Brick community.

“Ducey was an admirable leader of Brick and extremely involved in the student body population. He treated students as if they were professionals, asked our opinions and really considered what we had to say. This was a great opportunity for us to be treated as mature individuals and to feel like our voices were being heard in our town,” student Aidan Murphy said. “He has spent his entire career as mayor ensuring the overall success of Brick Township, as well as the wellbeing of each individual and citizen. John Ducey is an excellent example of a community leader who cares deeply for the wellbeing and productivity of their community.”

Some other honorees included Dave Panebianco, a Brick resident who dedicated his time to making repairs for churches, businesses, neighbors and locals. He has also worked with various local police and fire departments.

Panebianco is a member of the Holy Name Society of Visitation Church, American Legion and Knights of Columbus. He has donated about $15,000 to the church to have the neces- sary repairs and cleaning done. Additionally, Dave helps out each month at the church’s family gathering, the annual gift auction and presently cleaning the stained glass of the church.

Ptl. Scott Smith and K9 Echo were honored at this year’s Hero Awards for serving the Brick community for 16 years, four of which in the K9 unit. The most recent incident Ptl. Smith was involved in was the animal hoarding situation.

He was the first to arrive on scene was able to gain consented entry into the home. He was the lead operations investigator on that call and stayed on scene for about 10 hours. It was noted that he stayed well after his shift ended to ensure the safety of the animals as well as maintain proper procedure.

“K9 Patrol Officer Scott Smith, badge 231, and Echo deserve to be recognized not only for their role in shutting down the horrendous animal cruelty case, but his many years of continued service to the Township of Brick,” student Brody LaVallee stated.

Many educators and school staff were recognized at this year’s awards, one being Cindy Dornacker who is a social worker/counselor at Drum Point Elementary School. Dornacker was hired during the COVID pandemic and was nominated as a hero due to her commitment to build relationships with students, staff, and families, despite masks, social distancing, and the hybrid learning schedule.

“She has become an integral part of our team, and provides support and resources to assist anyone in need. Mrs. Dornacker has spent countless hours in supporting students with behavioral and mental health needs which have stemmed from students’ limited opportunity to develop and build social skills over the last several years,” Principal Colleen Kerr said.

The last cape given out for the evening was shared between two local environmental advocacy groups: Save Breton Woods and Save Barnegat Bay. Members from both groups worked together to stop the development of 31 acres of property that’s been dubbed Breton Woods.

They attended months and months of countless Planning Board meetings and were able to raise funds to help provide attorneys that would speak out in opposition to the proposed development.

“These individuals were undeterred by the challenging mission, which was beyond many of the participants’ experience. As a community of deeply caring and selfless individuals, members of Save Breton Woods and Save

Barnegat Bay advocated for, and ultimately helped achieve the preservation of this land, making Brick Township and our environment better,” student Emily Farrell said.

The following is a full list of the Hero Award Recipients: John G. Ducey, Susan McNamara, Bonny DiBernardo, Diane Johnson, Nick Spanola, Dave Panebianco, Brick Children’s Community Theatre (BCCT), Edward Sarluca, Ptl. Scott Smith & K9 Echo, Morgan Blann, Diana Hoogvliet, Jean Benfanti, Maryann Biernat-Oldock, Jacqueline Janik, Cassidy Haugh, Jessica O’Brien, Kim Petillion, James lannarone, Dan Newman, Geraldine Bayles, Kathleen Oehme, Barbara Favato, Patty Griggs, Dave Kuster, Cindy Dornacker, True Life Church, Nicole Pannucci, Mary Ann Jacob, Debbie Thomas, Save Breton Woods/ Save Barnegat Bay, Marion Gallagher, Anne Leahy, and Katharine Hulse.

Parkway:

Continued From Page 1 the rest of the Parkway by a median. Drivers getting onto the Parkway will first be on this Collector-Distributor until either they get off at another Toms River stop or go on to the rest of the Parkway.

Between 81 and 82, there will be new roadways added, separated from the main Parkway by a concrete median. If you’re heading north, there will be a through lane and an auxiliary lane (for getting on and off). If you’re heading south, there will be two through lanes and an auxiliary lane.

Officials said that local traffic needs to have a separate roadway from the mainline of the Garden State Parkway. This is a heavily traveled area, and the goal is to give more room for cars. With the interchanges stacked up pretty closely together, there’s not enough room for drivers to get out of each other’s ways.

Other parts of the project include the rehabilitation or replacement of 11 bridges, replacement of guide rails, and upgrades to signing, striping and lighting. Shoulder widths would be widened (in some cases, they are non-existent). Utilities would need to be relocated.

The plan includes 23 basins and nine manufactured treatment devices to manage stormwater runoff.

Development

There are an above average number of crashes in these miles compared to other spots on the road, the Authority said. This part of the road was originally constructed in the 1950s, and is not made to take the kind of traffic it sees now.

There will also be more construction projects that will bring even more cars. One of them that the Authority cited was the redevelopment of downtown Toms River, with proposed apartment towers. There’s also the rerouting of traffic downtown that’s being considered.

Another big project is a multi-use condo complex in South Toms River.

Changing Exit Numbers

The standard in numbering exits is that if they are part of a single exit, they will be assigned the same number. Therefore, 81, 82, and 82A will now be 82A, 82B and 82C. That’s because these will all be accessed from the Collector-Distributor.

Exit 80 Changes

If you’re heading north on the Parkway, there will be a new exit that will bring you to Route 9 south. In this case, we’re not talking about Route 166 or Atlantic City Boulevard or whatever it is called through Beachwood and South Toms River. We’re talking about that long road with no driveways on it that hits several lights before it joins what we commonly call Route 9. This is the road that gets backed up with traffic from Parkway south every rush hour and now traffic from Parkway north will also be routed to here.

If you’re heading the other way, onto Parkway north, you currently have two lanes which combine into one after the light at Route 530/ Dover Road. The new plan would have those two lanes both continue as auxiliary lanes.

They will lead to the Collector-Distributor roadway and to the rest of the Parkway. Also near this intersection, Dover Road westbound will be widened under the Parkway to accommodate two lanes. The idea is that the light before going onto the Parkway would stay green longer because cars going west wouldn’t need as much time to go through.

A new southbound entrance ramp will be created from Double Trouble Road to Parkway south.

If you’re driving west on Dover, you would take the jughandle at Railroad Avenue then make a left to travel south on the Parkway.

A lot of people in this area trying to go south on the Parkway just take Double Trouble to interchange 77. This would provide an alternative. It would likely be more popular for people leaving South Toms River (and the new development) and Manitou Park and would prevent adding traffic on local roads.

A new traffic light will be built at Double Trouble Road at the existing ramp with a designated left-turn lane. It will be coordinated with the traffic light that already exists at 530 so that traffic can flow through them both.

Currently, the off ramp at exit 80 is dangerous. There is a designated right turn lane that people new to the area don’t realize is there right away. Then, the rest of the exit opens into a spot where you can go left or right, but there’s not much room to make a decision if you’re not experienced with it. Then, making a left out of there is difficult because a truck sitting at the light can block your view of oncoming cars. Making a right is tricky, too, because Double Trouble is a bit higher on your left so you can’t see cars coming.

Sometimes cars line up so long at this exit that they are stopped on the Parkway. This new traffic signal will detect cars and will turn green if the line gets long.

Interchange 81

Interchange 81 will be called Interchange 82A. The Collector-Distributor roadways will have access to this.

Heading north, the exit ramp will be redesigned and will link with the proposed roundabout in downtown Toms River. The roundabout (fancy word for circle) is proposed to be at Highland Parkway, Lakehurst Road, and Water Street.

If you’re leaving Toms River and heading north, the traffic pattern won’t change on the ramp itself. The only change is that you will get onto the Collector-Distributor. From there, you would be able to either get off at 82B or the rest of Parkway north.

The bridge going over the Parkway at Lakehurst Road will be replaced. The new one will be constructed slightly to the north of the current bridge. That way, people will use the old one until the new one is ready. Then, the new one will open up and the old one will be demolished.

Heading south from downtown, the entrance ramp to the Parkway will be enhanced to meet the standards of other entrances but the traffic flow won’t change.

Heading south on the Parkway, your exit will be at a different spot. You’ll get off north of Lakehurst Road and the exit ramp will cut through the woods and come to the traffic light at Lakehurst Road.

(Parkway - See Page 20)