MANCHESTER – On Monday, May 13th at approximately 5:18 pm, the Manchester Township Police received a 911 call reporting a 76 year old male unconscious and not breathing. Upon arrival of Emergency Services personnel, it was determined that the manner in which the victim was found was suspicious in nature.

The victim, Anthony “Tony” Verdicchio, age 76, was found in his home, located in the Pine Acres Manor Mobile Home Park in Manchester Township. Based on the preliminary investigation, law enforcement authorities believe that Mr. Verdicchio suffered head trauma and succumbed to his injuries. An autopsy is scheduled for 12:00 noon on Wednesday, May 15, 2013, to determine the exact cause and manner of Mr. Verdicchio’s death.

The victim was last seen on Sunday, May 12th, 2013, at the 9:00 am mass, at St. Paul Lutheran Church on Cable Avenue in Beachwood NJ. Law Enforcement Authorities are interested in speaking with anyone who may have spoken to, or seen, Mr. Verdicchio between 10am Sunday morning and 5pm Monday evening. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Manchester Township Police at 732-657-6111, the confidential tip line at www.manchesterpolicenj.com or the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-929-2027.

This investigation is currently being conducted by the Manchester Township Police, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department.

The team, consisting of  Emily Golembiski of Little Egg Harbor, Jillian Hubbard of Toms River, Gillian Schriever of West Creek, Michael Signorelli of Toms River and Megan Tumpey of  Brick, will represent New Jersey in the 2013 North American Envirothon at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana in August.

The Ocean County students competed against 33 other teams on knowledge of natural resources-related topics, including soils, forestry, aquatics, wildlife ecology and a current environmental issue. This year’s theme was “Sustainable Rangeland Management: Achieving a Balance Between Traditional Agricultural Uses with Non-Agricultural Uses on Montana Rangelands.”

“For 20 years, New Jersey high school students have had the opportunity to participate in this valuable competition and learn more about the environment, natural resources and science,” said Secretary Fisher. “We hope they take advantage of the skills they learned and consider careers in agriculture and natural resources-related fields.”

Each of the MATES team members received $1,000 scholarships from the New Jersey Association of Conservation Districts, $2,000 scholarships from Richard Stockton State College and $1,000 scholarships from Applied and Health Sciences at Kean University.

Two 5-member teams of MATES students competed in last year’s Envirothon with all but one of those students graduating. The two MATES teams placed first and second in 2012. An almost entirely new set of 10 students made up this year’s two teams.

“I am very proud of the hard work and dedication put forth by our members,” said MATES Advisor Adam Sprague.  “It was quite an accomplishment considering it was the first year competing for nine out of the 10 team members. We now turn our attention to Montana which offers an exciting variety of challenges in terms of preparation for our students.”

The second-place team in this year’s Envirothon was West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North and third place was taken by High Tech High School, North Bergen.

The Envirothon is sponsored by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, State Soil Conservation Committee; New Jersey Association of Conservation Districts; the 15 Soil Conservation Districts; United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service; New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection; and Rutgers Cooperative Extension.

The 15 Soil Conservation Districts in New Jersey follow county boundaries and implement the New Jersey Soil and Sediment Control Act, which governs certain aspects of new development.  These semi-autonomous bodies are locally governed and play a strong role in the protection of New Jersey’s natural resources.

Community Calendar

Council Meeting

The Beachwood Borough Mayor and Council will hold their next meeting on Wednesday, May 1^st at 7:00 pm at the municipal complex.  Meetings are always open to the public to share their ideas, opinions and questions regarding the borough.  The second meeting of the month will be held on Wednesday, May 15^th at 7 pm.

Recreation Commission

Thursday, May 9^th at 8 pm, the Recreation Commission will be holding their next regular meeting.  Until further notice, meetings will take place at the municipal complex on Pinewald Road.  Meetings are open to the public.  Please note that the Memorial Day Craft Show will be held on Monday, May 27^th at Mayo Park.  If anyone is interested as a food vendor or crafter, please call (72) 286-6000 ext. “0” prior to May 14^th.

Land Use Board

The Beachwood Land Use Board will hold its next meeting on Monday, May 13^th at 7:00 pm.  Meetings are held at the municipal complex and are open to the public.

Beachwood Library

Calendar of Events

Drop-In Craft:  Masked Fun

On Friday, May 3^rd from 3 – 4 pm, participants can make a Lucha Libre mask and other fun masks from around the world to celebrate El dia de los ninos/El dia de los libros (Childrens Day/Book Day).  The program is recommended for ages 4 – 9.

Spring Book & Bake Sale

On Saturday, May 4^th from 9 am through 12:30 pm, stop at the library and enjoy great deals on books, music and movies along with an assortment of fresh baked goodies.  There will also be a drawing for a Spring basket of goodies!  For more information, call the library at (732) 244-4573.

Teen Advisory Board (TAB) Meeting

On Monday, May 6^th at 7 pm, stop in the library and chat with your peers and the librarian about the library.  This is a fun way to meet other teens in the neighborhood, earn community service hours and work on library programs.  Recommended for ages 12 – 18.  New members are always welcome.  Please register.

Book Discussion:

“The Life of Pi”

On Friday, May 10^th at 10:30 am, the library will hold a book discussion on The Life of Pi, written by Yann Martel.  This book is about a 16-year-old Indian boy’s journey to America aboard a freighter that ends up shipwrecked in the Pacific.  Pi ends up alone on a life raft with an orangutan, a zebra, a hyena and a Bengal tiger.  Copies are available at the library.

Mother’s day Drop-In Craft

On Friday, May 10^th from 3 to 4 pm, stop in at the library and make a Mother’s Day gift.  This program is recommended for ages 7 – 11.  Younger children are welcome to participate with a caregiver.

Vegan Cooking for Teens

Learn about delicious vegan meals and why more teens are following this diet on Monday, May 13^th at 7 pm with Shop-Rite Dietician, Aimee Wharton.  This program is recommended for ages 10 and up.  Registration is required.

Please visit www.theoceancountylibrary.org or call (732) 244-4573 to register.

Beachwood Department of Public Works employees removed the tree and cleaned up the area damaged by a Toms River resident who crashed through the southwest corner of the Beachwood Circle at Beachwood and Atlantic City boulevards in front of Clancy’s News & Tobacco mid-day Wednesday.

BEACHWOOD - Chief Robert Tapp reported the following recent activity of the Borough of Beachwood Police Department:

• Ryan Palazza, 36 of Toms River was arrested and charged with DWI, as well as several other motor vehicle violations, as a result of a one-car accident occurring in the early afternoon on Wednesday, April 10th on the corner of Beachwood Boulevard and Route 166. Apparently Mr. Palazza’s vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree and light pole in front of Clancy’s News & Tobacco. The responding officers, Sergeant Frank Melillo and Patrolman Chad Anthony are conducting the accident investigation.

• Anthony Wilson, 30 of Bayville was arrested and charged with DWI as a result of a motor vehicle stop conducted by Officer Dennis Allen at approximately 1 am on Sunday, April 7th.

• On Friday, April 5th, a resident on Wave Street reported that a section of orange caution fencing was stolen from their front yard. Patrolman Chad Anthony responded to the call and took a report.

• On Thursday, April 4th, Patrolman Keith Meissner responded to the 1100 block of Mizzen in response to a call that a tailgate was stolen from a 1996 Ford pickup truck. Detective Sean Langan is following up on the investigation.

• On Tuesday, April 2nd a resident on the 700 block of Spar Avenue reported that two computers were stolen from the front of his residence. Apparently, the computers were dropped off by a friend and were stolen some time between 1 and 3 pm. Patrolman Thomas Prince was the responding officer and Detective Sean Langan is following up the investigation.

• On Sunday, March 31st, a resident on the 1200 block of Longboat Avenue reported that someone entered their vehicle some time during the evening. A GPS unit and the victim’s wallet were reported to be stolen. Patrolman Allen Magory responded to the call. Detective Sean Langan will follow up on the investigation.

• On Wednesday, March 27th a resident on Railroad Avenue reported that a black metal fire pit was stolen some time during the overnight hours. Officer Phil Schena responded to the call.

• On Monday, March 25th, Officer Dan Altman took a report of criminal mischief occurring at the intersection of Beachwood Boulevard and Atlantic City Boulevard where the plexiglass on the NJ Transit bus stop vestibule was broken.

In particular, the new School Performance Reports seek to:

• Focus attention on metrics that are indicative of college and career readiness.
• Benchmark a school’s performance against other peer schools that are educating similar students, against statewide outcomes, and against state targets to illuminate and build upon a school’s strengths and identify areas for improvement.
• Improve educational outcomes for students by providing both longitudinal and growth data so that progress can be measured as part of an individual school’s efforts to engage in continuous improvement.

TOMS RIVER REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

BEACHWOOD ELEM
CEDAR GROVE ELEM
EAST DOVER ELEM
HOOPER AVE ELEM
JOSEPH A CITTA ELEM
NORTH DOVER ELEM
PINE BEACH ELEM
SILVER BAY ELEMENTARY
SOUTH TOMS RIVER ELEM
TOMS RIVER HIGH EAST
TOMS RIVER HIGH NORTH
TOMS RIVER HIGH SOUTH
TOMS RIVER INTERMEDIATE E
TOMS RIVER INTERMEDIATE N
TOMS RIVER INTERMEDIATE S
WALNUT STREET ELEM
WASHINGTON ST ELEM
WEST DOVER ELEM

JACKSON TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT

CARL W GOETZ MIDDLE SCH
CHRISTA MCAULIFFE MID SCH
CRAWFORD RODRIGUEZ ELEM
ELMS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
HOWARD C JOHNSON ELEM
JACKSON LIBERTY HIGH
JACKSON MEMORIAL HIGH
LUCY N HOLMAN ELEM
SWITLIK ELEM
SYLVIA ROSENAUER ELEM

BRICK TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT

BRICK COMM PRIM LEARN CTR
BRICK TWP HIGH
BRICK TWP MEMORIAL HIGH
DRUM POINT ROAD ELEM
EMMA HAVENS YOUNG ELEM
HERBERTSVILLE ELEM
LAKE RIVIERA MIDDLE
LANES MILL ELEM
MIDSTREAMS ELEM
OSBORNVILLE ELEM
VETERANS MEM ELEM
VETERANS MEM MIDDLE SCH

BERKELEY TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT

BAYVILLE ELEM
BERKELEY TOWNSHIP ES
CLARA B WORTH ELEM
H & M POTTER ELEM

CENTRAL REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

CENTRAL REGIONAL HIGH
CENTRAL REGIONAL MIDDLE

BEACHWOOD – When Hurricane Sandy served a direct blow to our area on October 29th and 30th, the barrier island and eastern bay communities were severely impacted, but its effects were also felt farther upriver in this community on the southern bank of the Toms River.
On the morning of October 30th, residents and officials awoke to not only downed trees and powerlines borough-wide, but also a totally submerged beachfront and marina area.
As spectators gathered atop the bluff and lower ridges over the beachfront and at the height of the inclines on Compass Avenue and Brigantine Street looking down at the marina that morning, it was yet unclear the full extent of damage. The Beachwood Community Center appeared as if an island, parts of the marina boardwalk had floated across the street and the northern edge of western T-dock was seen peeking above the waterline at a strange angle. At the beachfront, waves lapped over the entire parking lot and against the block wall below the letters that spelled out BEACHWOOD behind the flagpole, and only the top halves of the two shelters and playground slide were visible.
When the river receded, it was learned that while appearing possibly unharmed, the community center indeed took on damaging water to its lower subfloor area; the marina’s T-dock, lightpoles, electric utilities and boardwalk were damaged or destroyed up to where it met the higher boardwalk that runs alongside the shoreline from the foot of Beachwood Boulevard east to the entrance to Beachwood Beach; the eastern T-dock on the beachfront lifted up and floated all the way across the western marina cove area before coming to rest behind the community center, and sand had eroded down from a small section of the Windy Cove bluff onto the adjacent lower paver walkway.
Also damaged beyond repair was a brand new video security system that a contractor had mostly installed along the marina and waterfront, which would need to be replaced.
In the months that followed, Borough Engineer Jim Oris has repeatedly met with the borough’s insurance company and representatives for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to go over repair costs that the borough expects will be 75 to 90 percent covered by federal aid when not covered outright by insurance.
At the early February council meeting, the engineer stated that while keeping in mind the fast approaching summer season and traditional opening of the beachfront and marina area, he was working very hard to try and get the boat slips back and available to patrons. Earlier this week, Borough Clerk Elizabeth “Bette” Mastropasqua stated the town hoped to have it rebuilt and opened by Memorial Day weekend or June 1st.
Currently the community center remains closed as mold remediation efforts continue and the groups that used it for programs, meetings and events – including the monthly dances of the borough municipal alliance, now taking place at the firehouse far inland – have had to find other locations.
Mr. Oris stated that the hall now stood in the velocity zone of FEMA’s Advisory Base Flood Elevation [ABFE] maps released late last year and approved by the governor. Borough officials at the early February meeting debated the costs associated with either repairing the community center as-is and moving utility services to a higher level, raising the community center to above the base flood elevation, or demolishing the community center and rebuilding at an elevation higher than the ABFE zone. It was not then known whether the damages sustained on the structure were greater than 50% and thus made it necessary to do any more than make repairs and raise the utilities.
All the wood from the marina boardwalk was carted away several months after the hurricane, and today sits closed off to the public by plastic orange netting and poles. The gate at the entrance to the beachfront is also closed, as the electric utilities there were destroyed and need repair along with the T-dock there.
Councilwoman Beverly Clayton thanked Mrs. Mastropasqua, Mr. Oris, Treasurer Elizabeth Sarantinoudis and Lt. Tapp for performing under the strain of multiple meetings and a constant flow of ever-changing information relating to storm recovery since late October.
Earlier this winter, an already-planned and approved project to install a groin to the east of the beach T-dock was carried out, and today extends off the nearby playground area to curtail and stop the beach erosion that has eaten away at the once wide span of beachfront present in earlier decades of the 20th century.

In other recent activities of the mayor and council:

• the council unanimously approved a resolution urging the president and federal government to approve a 90 percent reimbursement rate from the cost of post-Hurricane Sandy repairs through FEMA.
• a resolution was also unanimously passed opposing a state bill promoted by northern legislators demanding free beach access and comfort facilities to the public in exchange for financial aid for storm repairs, as it would place an undue hardship on all shore municipalities without funding beachfront safety, maintenance and operations.
• efforts have begun by Mrs. Clayton to form a proactive committee interested in planning a yearlong celebration of the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of the borough in 2017. Anyone interested in serving on such a committee is invited to call borough hall.
• Councilman Ed Zakar attended the installation dinner of the Beachwood First Aid Squad in late January and was presented a plaque thanking the borough for its support which he then passed on to the mayor and council at their early February meeting.
• a suggestion was made by Mr. Zakar to have the borough start a practice of honoring volunteers when they reach milestones of service, such as 10, 15 and 20 years with the first aid squad and fire company, that can be presented by town officials at their annual installation dinners.
• Councilman Steve Komsa applied for a $500 grant through the Ocean County Tourism Department to produce promotional materials for the annual Beachwood 5K and One Mile Fun Run, this year entering its second year and held in the fall.
• Councilman Gerald W. “Jerry” LaCrosse, who had been involved with water quality testing and stormwater management along the riverfront and specifically beach area, stated that as a result of the hurricane it was questionable as to the local effects in the waters off the beach but that he would seek to continue his work with the Ocean County Health Department through this year where possible.
• Regarding the ABFE maps from FEMA, Mr. Oris stated that possibly as many as 20 homes could be affected by the new base flood elevations, but Mr. LaCrosse pointed out that these appeared to include homes far above the riverfront on the bluff areas of town and farther inland than would ever be impacted. Mrs. Clayton pointed out that these homes were as much as 40 or 50 feet above the river.

BEACHWOOD–BEACHWOOD – As has been a regular drumbeat here for years, governing body members took the opportunity of their January reorganization meeting to again knock the regional beleaguered daily newspaper, the Asbury Park Press, for failing to produce regular coverage of local and borough stories while at the same time holding its hand out for legal notice monies under state law.

In recent years, the Asbury Park Press has attempted many initiatives to curb their sharp loss of advertising revenue while often cutting whole sections from the publication, laying off reporting and editing staff and offering more purported “watchdog” and broad opinion-based content while attending municipal meetings and covering individual communities less. Many officials along the Toms River and Barnegat Bay have reported again and again to have gone years and whole terms without having seen or spoken with a single reporter or representative of that daily paper.
Councilman Gerald W. “Jerry” LaCrosse, a regular detractor of the Gannett Company, Inc.-owned entity who has written letters to the state requesting the law be changed to allow public notices be published online for free on individual municipal or a single statewide website and carried by other interested publications providing real community coverage, lit into their practices after casting a “no” vote to name the Asbury Park Press as official 2013 newspaper for the notices.

“I do not like the idea of the taxpayers of Beachwood having to put money into the pockets of the Asbury Park Press for these announcements,” he said, noting their costs ran into the many thousands of dollars annually.
Mr. LaCrosse first voiced his dissent with the Monmouth County based publication shortly after being returned to the governing body in January 2011 following an absence that began with a 2006 election year defeat. He previously served seven terms as councilman.

At the time, Borough Attorney William T. Hiering, Jr. stated that until the legislature changed state law, there was no other local publication meeting the criteria of publishing at least 48 times per year and being available within the municipality to allow the borough to deny the Asbury Park Press its position as official paper, despite several other local print and online publications actively covering borough news.

This year, Borough Clerk Elizabeth “Bette” Mastropasqua reported that there were several stalled bills awaiting movement on the state level to allow municipalities to self-publish online for the general public’s direct access, but thus far none were making progress.

Mr. LaCrosse and several other governing body members restated their disdain with supporting a publication that demanded money while having provided no real coverage for many years, and added that they would continue to urge their representatives to change the law.

BEACHWOOD – Borough residents and youths here lost a well-known and liked veteran of its police force with the retirement of Detective William “Bill” Oldham earlier this winter following a career that began in 1983 and was marked by regular assignments interacting with schoolchildren.
Honoring the detective at the February 6th council meeting, Beachwood Police Chief William Cairns recalled starting in the department at almost the same time, nine months apart, when the agency was “at a very, very down time.”
“The agency had been through a terrible layoff, our department was reduced to half of its numbers, our dispatch was eliminated and we were driving around in hand-me-down troop cars where the bumpers were falling off and there were holes in the floorboards,” he said. “As you can see, thanks to everybody involved and the mayor and council, we’ve come a long way and Bill has come a long way.”
The chief stated that Det. Oldham was the borough’s third of currently four D.A.R.E., or Drug Abuse Resistance Education, officers, being trained into the role in 1992. D.A.R.E. is a school based program founded on the west coast in 1983 and was later adopted by the borough police department and many other surrounding agencies. The detective later went on to become a certified instructor of the D.A.R.E. Parents Program.
Besides his D.A.R.E. officer credentials, Det. Oldham was also “instrumental” in establishing the Junior Police Academy, a six-week program that initially taught sixth graders in Beachwood Elementary School about the department, reported Lt. Robert L.Tapp. The program was so successful that it was later expanded to include the volunteer fire company and first aid squad, and is now presented to fifth graders in the elementary school as the Junior Emergency Services Academy.
The detective was later the first school resource officer assigned to Toms River Intermediate South, which was opened in September 2005 and saw the district-wide addition of sixth grade to the regional middle schools from their original placement in the elementary schools.
“He played a very big role as detective in the school resource officer [position] and did a great job,” Chief Cairns said.
“He dedicated a great deal of his career to the youth within our community as seen in many of his assignments,” said Lt. Tapp. “The professionalism and dedication he showed during his career was always a compliment to the department.”
Besides his D.A.R.E., school resource officer and youth assignments, Det. Oldham was also a certified firearms instructor and training officer for the department.
“There were a lot of people who were sad to see you go, myself included,” added the chief.
Det. Oldham was then presented with his retirement badge by the chief, who added, “may you carry it for many, many years.”
“I’d like to say thank you to my family, they’re so important to me,” said the detective, before joking, “Chief – you’re the only one I couldn’t get retired before I did.”
He then thanked his fellow officers, the PBA, everybody present and added, “retirement’s pretty good.”
Mayor Ron Roma also read into record a proclamation thanking Det. Oldham for his “29 years of outstanding and meritorious service to the residents of the Borough of Beachwood,” adding that in his career here he “became the familiar and friendly face of our Beachwood Police Department [who] served as an example to his peers and the residents of this community and this state both in his personal achievements and employment achievements with fairness and dedication.”
The mayor added that when he first moved to the borough in around 1993, Det. Oldham was the first officer he met when he made a call for service at the time.
“What was the issue?” called well-known area contractor and borough resident David Lipton, from the back of the room.
“I was complaining about a local builder,” quipped Mayor Roma, eliciting hard and loud laughter from many present.
Continuing on, the mayor added, “So the first impression I had of the police department in Beachwood was Bill Oldham, and it was a very good impression to say the least.”