The following was compiled from releases provided by the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

Sandy Volunteers Honored at Luncheon

More than 140 senior citizens who devote much of their time volunteering to help others were honored at a special luncheon in Toms River on May 22nd.

For the past 31 years, the Ocean County Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) has teamed older adults with members of the community in need of assistance.

Freeholder Gerry P. Little and Freeholder Joseph H. Vicari presented a proclamation to Alisa MacCrate, RSVP program director, thanking her, her staff and the more than 500 volunteers who participate in the program.

“Ocean County has the highest concentration of senior citizens in the nation and many of them are 85, 90 or even older,” Mr. Vicari said. “They need your help more than ever before.”

Freeholder Vicari is chairman of the Ocean County Department of Senior Services, while Freeholder Little is liaison to the Ocean County Board of Social Services.

In 2012, volunteers provided nearly 37,000 hours of service which, if paid for by the county, would cost nearly $950,000, noted Freeholder Little.
Dates Announced for 2013 Hazardous Waste Collection Program

Ocean County announced the additional dates, times and locations for the county’s household hazardous waste collection program, which runs until October.

“This year we started a new approach to scheduling the collection of this material,” said Freeholder James F. Lacey, who serves as liaison to the Ocean County Department of Solid Waste Management. “Instead of grouping all the dates in one month in the fall and one month in the spring, we are holding the collection one day on a weekend each month through October.”

The Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders is expected to award a contract to Radiac Research Corp. of Brooklyn, N.Y. at almost 40 cents a pound to conduct the program.

Dates, times, and locations for the upcoming monthly collections are: Lakewood Township Public Works Yard, 1 America Ave., on Sunday June 23; Berkeley Township Public Works Garage, Pinewald-Keswick Road, on Saturday July 27; Jackson Township Public Works Garage, 10 Don Connor Blvd., Saturday Aug. 24; Long Beach Township Public Works Garage, 7910 Long Beach Blvd., Saturday Sept. 28 and Point Pleasant Beach Municipal Parking Lot, Arnold and Ocean avenues, Saturday Oct. 5. Collection times are from 9 am to 3 pm on all collection dates.

Last year, 306,951 pounds of household hazardous waste was collected and safely disposed of.

Freeholder Lacey also noted that municipal recycling centers and the county’s recycling centers allow for drop off of a host of materials including used paint, motor oil and car batteries.

“Our residents should check with us or their local recycling center to determine what is accepted so items do not have to take up space in their garage or basements,” he said.

While Ocean County’s Household Hazardous Waste Collection program is free, citizens must register with the County. Residents can drop off a maximum of 200 pounds of dry material and 20 gallons of liquid. No containers over five gallons will be accepted.

The county is using funds from the State Recycling Enhancement Act Tax Fund to operate the program.

Materials accepted at the household hazardous waste collection sites are: paints, thinners, boat paints, solvents, pool chemicals, pesticides and herbicides, aerosol cans, auto products, toilet and drain cleaners, silver polishes, oven cleaners, photographic chemicals, rug and upholstery cleaners, polishes and bleaches, waste oil and used gasoline.

Additional information can be found on the county website at www.co.ocean.nj.us or by calling 1-800-55-RECYCLE.

Ocean County 911 Operations Getting New Home

Ocean County’s emergency dispatching 911 operations is getting a new home with room to meet future needs of the county and state-of-the-art equipment.

The current 911 dispatching center has been moved to an existing warehouse on Chestnut Street in Toms River, which the county had used in the past to store its voting machines. Those machines were moved to a warehouse in Lakewood. Work began on the expansion project in late 2012.

“This will provide over 16,000 square feet for a new enlarged 911 center,” Freeholder James Kelly said.

The expanded call center has the capacity to include 18 state-of-the-art police and fire dispatch stations and eight call taker stations for a total of 26 stations, an increase from the 12 dispatch consoles and six call taker stations currently there.

Ocean County has answered more than 82,000 911 calls so far this year, not including officer dispatched and department calls.

During the time span from October 28th to November 3rd, 2012, dispatchers handled more than 17,000 calls before, during and after Hurricane Sandy.

The county will also upgrade its radio communications to 700 MHz from 500, meeting Homeland Security requirements.

The expanded facility also includes training rooms for staff and dispatchers. In addition, the roof and other parts of the structure have been upgraded to withstand hurricane force winds.

There will also be back-up generators on the site in order to assure residents emergency calls will continue to be answered during hurricanes or natural disasters of any kind.

County Projects Repair Sandy Damaged Roads

The Ocean County Road Department recently completed the rebuilding of some Ocean County roads damaged by Hurricane Sandy.

“Prior to Memorial Day weekend work crews from the county road department finished rebuilding a portion of Ocean Terrace in Seaside Heights and Long Beach Boulevard leading into Holgate in Long Beach Township,” said Freeholder Lacey, also liaison to the Ocean County Road Department. “It was imperative for public safety and to accommodate our citizens and the increase in visitors to the county over the Memorial Day weekend that these projects got done.”
The Ocean County Road Department completed work on 3/4ths of a mile of Ocean Terrace from the border of Seaside Park to Hiering Avenue in Seaside Heights on May 20th. As part of the work, the Ocean County road crew rebuilt four intersections that had been washed out by the October storm, in addition to milling and paving the roadway.

The freeholder noted that work on repairing the bridge that leads from Bay Boulevard in Lavallette to the West Point Island section of the borough was near completion.

As part of the repairs, the county installed new sheathing and capped the area under the span with concrete in order to reinforce the structure from future washouts.

The repairs also included replacing the rip rap on both sides of the bridge.

“The work at the bridge is expected to be completed soon,” Freeholder Lacey added. “The span has been open to traffic while most of the repair work has taken place below it.”

Doggy Yappy Hour at Ocean County Park

A Doggy Yappy Hour will be held on Friday, June 14th at the Ocean County Park in Lakewood. The Ocean County Parks and Recreation Department is conducting an evening out to enjoy the company of county residents’ pet canines. Frisbee, obedience, agility demonstrations, and doggy games will be held.

All dogs must be vaccinated and on a leash.

The demonstrations will be conducted by area businesses. Music will be provided by WOBM radio. The event will run rain or shine and will be held from 6 to 8. There is no charge for this event.

More than 30 vendors will be available for information, displays, shopping, and food. For additional information call toll free 1-877-OCPARKS.

Specifically, the ABC investigation indicates that these 29 establishments were allegedly engaging in a practice of filling premium brand bottles with non-premium brands in an effort to deceive the customer and increase their profits. The customer paid for the premium brand, but was instead, unbeknownst to the customer, poured the non-premium brand.

“This alleged scheme is a dishonest ruse to increase profits, and it is a slap in the face to the consumer,” said Attorney General Chiesa. “Consumers should have the peace of mind of knowing that they will get what they spent their hard-earned money on every single time – no exceptions.”

“I believe Operation Swill will go a long way towards restoring that peace of mind and will also serve as a warning to anyone currently engaging in, or thinking about engaging in, this fraudulent practice,” added Chiesa.

Investigators yesterday visited the establishments, inspected the bar areas and seized all opened bottles of the following brands:

Vodka: Finlandia, Smirnoff, Absolut, Grey Goose, Ketel One
Gin: Tanqueray, Bombay Sapphire, Gordon’s
Rum: Bacardi Light, Bacardi Dark, Captain Morgan Spiced
Scotch: Johnny Walker Black, Dewar’s
Whiskey: Jack Daniel’s Black Label, Jim Beam, Knob Creek, Maker’s Mark
Tequila: Jose Cuervo Silver, Jose Cuervo Gold, Patron Silver

The ABC seized approximately 1,000 bottles yesterday, and that inventory is being securely stored with the ABC Investigations Bureau. The alcohol will go through more rounds of testing by the ABC and the manufacturers.

The operation focused on the 29 establishments because of information from confidential informants, consumer complaints and testing of samples conducted by both the ABC and the manufacturers of the brands. The samples were taken in January and February when ABC investigators visited 63 licensed establishments across the state and covertly took 150 samples. The undercover ABC detectives visited these establishments and secured samples of premium brand spirits by paying for drinks ordered “neat” – that is with no ice or mixer. Some of the locations visited had previous complaints against them, and some were chosen at random.

ABC Director Halfacre said the Division receives numerous consumer complaints about this practice every year.

“These cases can be difficult to prosecute because of the fleeting nature of the offense, and evidence of the offense is nearly impossible to collect after the fact,” Halfacre said.
“The ABC made the determination that the best way to address and eradicate this problem was with a coordinated effort like ‘Operation Swill’.”

Following the sample collection in January and February, the ABC tested the 150 samples using a new testing technology, a device called the True Spirit Authenticator. This machine provides a preliminary analysis of samples in a short span of time. In addition, the samples were sent to the laboratories of the brand manufacturers where additional testing of the samples was conducted. It was found that of the 150 samples 30 were not the brand they purported to be.

The International Federation of Spirits Producers, which represents those manufacturers, cooperated in this process and indicated to the ABC that drink substitution was a challenge for their business.

“The establishments raided yesterday by the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control were targeted because we are taking this type of fraudulent business practice seriously,” Halfacre said. “This practice affects the entire alcoholic beverage regulatory system. Manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and consumers are all victims of this scam.”

At the time of the seizure, investigators took statements from employees and also served demands for sales records. The establishments will have seven days to provide sales and invoice records that include information about the 20 brands of interest. They will also have to provide to the ABC information about the employees that were working the day samples were taken and the retail prices from the last nine months of the targeted brands.

Penalties for serving a drink other than ordered range from a 5-day suspension for the first offense to a 15-day suspension for the third offense. If further testing proves any of the seized bottles did not contain the correct labeled alcohol, that bottle could have multiple violations based on the potential drinks that could have been poured. ABC regulations could also allow for a 30-day suspension for any illegal activity on the licensed premise and those locations could also face a 30-day suspension for not cooperating in the investigation.

The Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control has a toll-free hotline for citizens to report illegal activity to ABC’s Investigative Unit. Anyone with information on illegal activity is encouraged to call 1-866-713-8392. All information received via the ABC hotline will remain confidential.

The following establishments were targeted in Operation Swill:

• Railroad Café, East Rutherford
• The Brick House, Wycoff
• Sunset Tavern, Burlington
• Graziano’s Ristorante, Chesilhurst
• Villari’s Lakeside, Gloucester Township
• Yesterdays, Marmora
• TGI Fridays, West Orange
• Italian Affair, Glassboro
• Bells Tavern, Lambertville
• TGI Fridays, East Windsor
• Brunswick Grove, East Brunswick
• TGI Fridays, Old Bridge
• TGI Fridays, North Brunswick
• TGI Fridays, Piscataway
• TGI Fridays, Freehold
• TGI Fridays, Marlboro
• TGI Fridays, Hazlet
• Murray’s, Dover
• TGI Fridays, East Hanover
• Sona Thirteen, Morristown
• Blackthorn Restaurant, Parsippany
• Ruby Tuesday, Bridgewater
• TGI Fridays, Linden
• Café 34, Matawan
• Applebee’s, Kearny
• Cucina Calandara, Fairfield
• TGI Fridays, Hamilton
• TGI Fridays, Springfield
• TGI Fridays, Clifton

by Kathleen Koch and Phil Stilton

SEASIDE HEIGHTS – What do three Democrats from the “Deep South” have in common with a Republican mayor from the Jersey Shore? They all know what it’s like to have a hurricane devastate their communities, and on Friday, May 17th, they all came together in here.

Seaside Heights Mayor Bill Akers hosted the delegation from Mississippi who came to meet with local mayors and officials and discuss the long term effects of Hurricane Katrina on their cities, including former United States Congressman Gene Taylor (D-Miss.), Mayor Brent Warr (D-Gulfport, Miss.) and Mayor Eddie Favre (D-Bay St. Louis, Miss.). All were elected officials when Hurricane Katrina struck their state in 2005.

Rep. Taylor, who lost his home in that Category 3 storm, tried to introduce legislation to reform the insurance industry to give homeowners more security after national disasters, but his bill never made it to the Senate floor for vote. The divide was between congressmen who represented coastal communities and those who did not. With Taylor’s 2010 election loss, supporters of reform were certain the legislation would die without his support, and it did. Today, New Jersey towns face the same insurance and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) problems his state was confronted with eight years earlier.

Seven weeks before Hurricane Katrina made landfall…Continue Reading

The following is a short essay on cherished past times on the shore, specifically in Ortley Beach, submitted by Island Heights resident Karen Jensen Kier.

 Ortley Beach was a magical place the summer of ’70 . . .

Six girls, a rented summer cottage three houses from the beach, a well-worn path to and from the Surf Club . . . the things those made for TV movies are all about, or it could have been a romance novel written for lazy beach reading.

I found love that summer, someone I had known, worked fleetingly with and who had stopped by Memorial Day weekend to see how the “girls” were doing on Coolidge Ave.   He brought a friend with him (who reunited with one of the other girls), and then yet another friend (who was to also find love with one of my friends).

Read the Rest of the Story Here: http://issuu.com/oceansignal/docs/20130524_ocean_signal/9

ORTLEY BEACH–Shortly after Hurricane Sandy swept through Ocean County, Cassandra Vitale, a Toms River resident, established a bucket brigade to help residents with the clean up process.  Vitale and countless volunteers have been working non-stop for over six months.

Initially stationed at the Ortley Beach First Aid Station, which was slated for demolition prior to the hurricane, she and her team were relocated to the parking lot in Ortley Plaza after the eventual demolition of the first aid building.

On Saturday, the Bucket Brigade returned home to the now empty lot at the intersection of 6th Avenue and Route 35 South.  Hecht Trailers of Toms River donated trailers to the Bucket Brigade for storage and office space.

Visit the Bucket Brigade NJ on facebook to help out: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bucket-Brigade-NJ/161250519711?fref=ts

MANTOLOKING–On May 2nd, to much media fan fare, the iconic home in the Barnegat Bay was removed.  Last week, Crowder Gulf removed the last home from the northern portion of the Barnegat Bay, which sat adjacent to the Mantoloking Bridge, with very little media fan fare.   The Ocean Signal was on scene for the removal.

Photos by Phil Stilton / Ocean Signal.

Over 100 homes to be razed through Toms River’s PPDR program

TOMS RIVER – Mayor Tom Kelaher is pleased to announce that the Township’s demolition program will begin this Saturday. “Our residents are eager to start the rebuilding process,” Kelaher said. Hurricane Sandy damaged over 6,500 homes on the barrier island and almost 4,000 homes on the mainland. “Most of the homes had some form of flooding, but a lot of the dwellings will need to be knocked down because of structural problems,” Kelaher stated.
Toms River residents with structurally damaged homes were mailed a packet of information encouraging them to enroll in the Township’s Private Property Debris Removal Program, or PPDR. Assistant Township Planner Erika Stahl has been assisting homeowners in registering for the PPDR program, which is free to residents who have homes that have been structurally damaged. Stahl says, “Enrollment in the program must be approved by FEMA, which can take a while because there are many steps involved.”
According to Public Works Director Lou Amoruso, “We are starting our demolition program on Saturday May 17th. We will begin by taking down a structure on Seagull Lane and then move onto Beier and Nichols Avenue in Ortley Beach.”
After the first round of Ortley Beach homes are demolished, the contractor will move onto the North Beach area and also homes on the mainland.
The Township’s Demolition program will cover the cost of demolition and removal of homes, if approved beforehand. The PPDR program will also cover the removal of debris such as sand, neighbor’s dwelling or buildings, and other debris that may have floated onto another property.

The top five boys and girls names for 2012 in New Jersey were:

Boys:                                       Girls:

1)  Michael                              1)   Sophia

2)  Anthony                             2)   Isabella

3)  Joseph                                3)   Emma

4)  Jayden                                4)   Olivia

5)  Matthew                            5)   Ava

SEASIDE PARK – About 60 residents here came together yesterday to enjoy Derby Day at the Windjammer Motor Inn through the annual spring fundraiser fundraiser hosted by the Seaside Park Beautification Committee.
The fun started in the late afternoon with food and games, including raffle prizes and a hat contest featuring the outlandish designs put together in true Kentucky Derby tradition.
As the race got underway, almost all present crowded around televisions to cheer on their picks as Orb, ridden by Joel Rosario, won on a muddy track with a time of 2 minutes and 2.89 seconds.
Proceeds from the event were to go toward replacing the tree that stood outside borough offices and the police department but was lost during Hurricane Sandy. The tree was the focus of numerous borough events, including the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony and activities for Summer in the Park, the borough’s business association.
For more information on the Seaside Park Beautification Committee, please visit www.sspbeautification.com. Summer in the Park can be found at www.seasideparktourism.com.