tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79261330998009146602024-03-05T03:18:27.167-05:00Seas the DayLong Beach Island, NJ NewsSeas the Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01234258466782391794noreply@blogger.comBlogger761125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926133099800914660.post-44727903864768256822016-11-02T19:04:00.000-04:002016-11-08T19:04:49.604-05:00Little Egg Harbor resident named country female songwriter of the year at Josie Music Awards in Nashvillle<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/media/Common/TheSandPaper/2016/10/24/2196474/f-Carmella%20Inchierchiera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/media/Common/TheSandPaper/2016/10/24/2196474/f-Carmella%20Inchierchiera.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Ryan Morrill</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Surrounded by just some of her many awards,<br />Inchierchiera proudly shows off her newest addition.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Standing on the same stage where the Country Music Awards were recently held at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Carmella Inchierchiera, 65, of Little Egg Harbor was named country female songwriter of the year last month at the Josie Music Awards, the largest awards event ever held in Nashville for independent music artists.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The local songwriter has won more than 40 awards throughout her career. Six were for songwriter of the year from various national and global radio stations and associations, including two from Fishing Country Now and Cowgirl Divas Radio also received this year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“But this was the biggie,” she said. “It just shows that even though you don’t perform you can still get your music out there.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Influenced by the country music she listened to growing up while her father worked as a truck driver, Inchierchiera began writing poetry at 16 years old that many people told her seemed more like song lyrics. But it wasn’t until 2008, when she contacted Nelson Blanchard for a demo for her song “Mama Can Drive This Big Truck Too,” that her career in songwriting really took off.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“It blew me away,” Inchierchiera said. “I could not believe the vocals and harmonies. I was in tears. Every time I get a demo back from him it’s like Christmas.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Blanchard began playing in clubs at 10 years old with The Richard Brothers and now performs with Louisiana’s LeRoux. He’s worked with many other big-name artists, including Kenny Rogers, Sammy Kershaw, The Goo Goo Dolls and Britney Spears, to name a few.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since connecting with Blanchard, Inchierchiera's songs have been performed by well-known artists such as country singer Tareva Henderson, hall of fame fiddler Larry Franklin and “Scooby-Doo” voiceover Scott Innes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Because Blanchard's expertise has helped Inchierchiera forge many musical relationships, she said she won’t work with anybody else.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“We gelled,” she said. “People call us the power duo.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The two of them co-wrote “Fallen Heroes 9/11,” which was nominated for the 2012 song of the year by the Independent Country Music Association. While the song resonates with many people across the country, it also has special meaning for Inchierchiera since her husband, Paul, is a certified 9/11 survivor. Paul was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma after working for the New York City Department of Sanitation during the 9/11 attacks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“They were bringing in debris there, and it was all over the trucks,” Inchierchiera stated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Although follicular lymphoma is incurable, she said her husband’s cancer thankfully is in remission.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another one of Inchierchiera’s popular songs, “Just Imagine the Storm,” which focuses on Superstorm Sandy, is dedicated to her late son, Genaro, who helped rescue 12 people as a volunteer in Staten Island during the storm. He passed away a year later while undergoing unrelated heart surgery.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">During the aftermath of Sandy, “Just Imagine the Storm” reached No. 1 on the song charts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Inchierchiera has had a 2½-year run on the Indie Music Network’s country and mainstream charts with a total of 17 songs, 14 of which made the top 10.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But Inchierchiera doesn’t typically make money off her songs. Rather, she does it for the joy it brings to her and other people’s lives as well as the experience she gets from working with so many different people.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“I have no interest in making a profit off my music,” said Inchierchiera. “I don’t believe I’d be as successful as I am if I had done it for money because I would be so wrapped up in money instead of making connections. I just love doing it. Everything inspires me. I do it for my fans, really.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Inchierchiera has made several charity CDs to help raise funds for the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill as well as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, among others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Her advice to others in the songwriting business is “promote, promote, promote.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“When you think you’re done, start all over. You have to demo up as much as you can as best you can,” she urged, noting it’s much easier to get into the industry now that there are so many opportunities through the Internet that weren’t afforded to her when she was younger.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Songwriters Two,” her latest CD co-written by Blanchard, will be available for purchase this month on iTunes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To hear some of her songs, visit <a href="https://www.reverbnation.com/carmellainchierchiera" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">reverbnation.com/carmellainchierchiera</a>.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This article was published in <a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/p/little-egg-harbor-resident-named-country-female-songwriter-of-the-year-at-josie-music-awards-i/1588607" style="display: inline; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The SandPaper</a>.</span></i></div>
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Seas the Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01234258466782391794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926133099800914660.post-24926546678440777762016-11-01T19:09:00.000-04:002016-11-08T19:13:52.967-05:00Cat found shot in the head in Manahawkin recuperates in foster home<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A young, female cat found barely alive in the wooded area at the end of Stafford Avenue in Manahawkin with a gunshot wound is now recovering in a foster home. A <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/10/500-reward-offered-for-information.html">Stafford Veterinary Hospital</a> receptionist is caring for the tan and brown domestic shorthair tiger cat at home and is expected to adopt her in the future.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dr. Michael Pride, the veterinarian overseeing the cat’s treatment, wants to make sure the home is a good fit before formally adopting her out, though he said things are going well so far.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn11.g5search.com/assets/43267/tiny-Staffordwebsite_067.jpg?1387519320" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn11.g5search.com/assets/43267/tiny-Staffordwebsite_067.jpg?1387519320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo via Stafford Veterinary Hospital</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">A vet receptionist is currently fostering the<br />cat at home and plans to ultimately adopt her.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Her basic, normal functions are there. So I think she will be a nice cat, just quiet,” Pride said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The cat, which veterinary staff had named Lucky, was rushed to the hospital on Oct. 12 after <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/10/pickleballers-petition-to-extend.html">Stafford Township Animal Control</a> Officer Kelly Karch responded to a call from a local resident who found the cat shot in the right side of her head, and another that was pronounced dead at the scene, while walking his dog that morning. The surviving cat underwent emergency surgery, and Pride removed bullet fragments from behind her jaw and in her skin. Her lungs also had quite a bit of fluid in them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Honestly, I’m not sure how she survived,” Pride said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The cat is currently on antibiotics and pain killers and is being treated for a wound infection. She’s also being watched closely because she is experiencing some neurological deficits from the trauma.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“She kind of stares off into space, and she’s rather reclusive,” Pride said, adding that “she’s very jumpy” and doesn’t always seem to notice when a person’s there until they’ve touched her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Though Pride said this type of assault is not common in the area, he noted that BBs have been found unexpectedly in other animals during X-rays. Since they’re not fresh wounds, he said they leave the BBs there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pride isn’t optimistic that the perpetrator responsible for the recent shooting will be found. No witnesses have come forward, he said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“It was a good Samaritan who found them, and unfortunately I don’t think we’re going to get anywhere past that,” said Pride. “But the good thing is that one of the cats survived and she’s in a home. We’re going to check up on her frequently.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the wake of the incident, a concerned citizen has offered a $500 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the shooting. Since then, another citizen has come forward offering an additional $500 reward.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“I just think that it was such a cowardly act that the perpetrator should face pressure and that it will serve to hopefully discourage similar acts,” said Steve Jaffe, a Beach Haven homeowner, who is offering the additional reward. “Hopefully if I join in, others will, too, and at the very least the person responsible will have some sleepless nights.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lt. James Vaughn said the <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/01/fire-companies-fight-flames-at-lm.html">Stafford Police Department</a> has no suspects or concrete leads.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This article was published in <a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/p/incumbent-president-director-of-local-library-running-for-beach-haven-school-board-seats/1583702" style="display: inline; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The SandPaper</a>.</span></i></div>
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Seas the Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01234258466782391794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926133099800914660.post-8889363073247186152016-10-25T18:39:00.000-04:002016-11-08T18:44:07.659-05:00$500 reward offered for information regarding two cats shot in Stafford Township<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/10/pickleballers-petition-to-extend.html">Stafford Township Animal Control</a> Officer Kelly Karch responded to a call in Manahawkin Oct. 12 regarding a pair of injured felines, she didn’t expect to find two female cats less than six months old lying on the side of the road with bullet wounds in the side of their heads. The first cat, a black and brown tabby positioned on top of the other, was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other, a tan and brown domestic shorthair tiger, was barely alive.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo via Stafford Twp. Police</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">The cat rests after<br />emergency surgery.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Karch rushed the struggling survivor to <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/02/fewer-cats-at-manahawkin-shelter-since.html">Stafford Veterinary Hospital</a>, where a bullet fragment lodged behind her jaw was surgically removed. The cat’s lungs had quite a bit of fluid in them as well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Right now her lungs are clear, she’s breathing great, and she’s eating well. So she’s making a really great recovery in all, considering how we found her,” Karch said Tuesday, Oct. 25.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The surviving cat, which hasn’t been named yet, is expected to need long-term rehabilitation since she’s currently experiencing some vision loss due to possible optical nerve damage. She will be available for foster and/or adoption in the near future, once she’s recuperated enough to be placed in a home. Individuals interested in caring for the cat may call Sue of <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/07/ocean-county-animal-facilities-plan-to.html">The Friends of the Southern Ocean County Animal Shelter</a> at 609-709-0470.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“The vet thinks she can live a long, happy life, especially considering she’s so young. So it’s just a matter of seeing how much personality she gets back,” Karch said. “It could take time for her to become trusting of people again.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A concerned citizen is offering a $500 reward to anyone with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for shooting the cats. Individuals with knowledge about the incident should all animal control directly at 609-597-1000, extension 8525.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“It’s just awful. I don’t understand,” said Mary Ensminger, a Friends volunteer, who was devastated to learn about the “brutal attack.” “You always hear that people who torture and kill animals when they’re kids end up being serial killers. So who knows, maybe it was kids, quote, ‘out having fun.’”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyone who recognizes the cat’s picture and may have seen her in a particular area of a neighborhood is encouraged to contact authorities so officials have an idea of where she may have come from.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Obviously Stafford Township is a pretty big jurisdiction. We have Barnegat nearby, which is also a larger township, and Long Beach Island,” said Karch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The animal control officer was called to the scene in the wooded area of Stafford Avenue off Hilliard Boulevard, a well-traveled roadway, by a local resident who was out walking his dog around 9 that morning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Neither of the cats had any identification such as a microchip, tag or ear tip, but both were very clean and did not appear to be full outdoor cats, Karch said. The cats were free of fleas, their coats were clean, and their nails weren’t overly grown, which leads authorities to believe somebody had been caring for them at some point.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But Karch said they’re having trouble really evaluating whether or not the surviving cat was partially domesticated or truly feral.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“She’s very skittish, but she’s also been traumatized,” she said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The shooting is believed to have taken place no more than a day prior to the call, possibly in the middle of the night or early morning, since the deceased cat’s body was found in rigor mortis, which tends to wear off 12 hours after onset.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As of earlier this week, Stafford Township Lt. James Vaughn said the police department had no suspects or concrete tips regarding the incident.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“But the good thing is, it looks like one of the cats is going to survive,” he said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If police are able to establish who committed the act, he or she could potentially be charged with cruelty to animals.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“That would be the main charge that they could face, but certainly there could be other charges regarding the weapon used and other things along that line,” said Vaughn.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">According to state law, cruelty to animals is a disorderly persons offense with a fine from $250 to $1,000 and/or up to six months’ imprisonment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A ballistics report is still pending.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This article was published in <a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/p/500-reward-offered-for-information-regarding-two-cats-shot-in-stafford-township/1588402" style="display: inline; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The SandPaper</a>.</span></i></div>
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Seas the Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01234258466782391794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926133099800914660.post-1941780845283543832016-10-19T18:27:00.000-04:002016-11-08T18:37:45.722-05:00Pickleballers petition to extend playing season, install permanent nets in Beach Haven<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pickleball players filled the room during Beach Haven Council’s monthly town meeting Tuesday night, Oct. 11, to express their enthusiasm for the game in hopes of getting borough officials to establish permanent nets at the town’s new six-court facility. The local group of players has been increasing since the Nelson Avenue skating rink was renovated last summer to accommodate the growing sport. But the facility’s temporary nets are only accessible until Labor Day, when they’re locked away for the off season, members complained.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Jack Reynolds</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Pickleball enthusiasts get a chance to play at<br />at the new courts in </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Beach Haven last July.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Over 2,000 people ranging from teenagers to adults in their 80s and 90s played pickleball at the Nelson Avenue facility this past summer, according to local resident Karl Lombel, a USA Pickleball Association ambassador, who helped get the sport going in town. Although the number of players dwindles during the off season, between 60 and 70 people are still getting together to play at the courts outside borough hall in Long Beach Township, he noted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Needless to say, the game is very popular. While Beach Haven was the first LBI town to institute pickleball courts, many others have popped up across the Island since then. Local resident Andrea Jones, who presented council with a petition for the permanent nets that included about 100 signatures, noted 2.5 million people are playing pickleball nationally, and 8 million people are expected to be playing the game within two years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“There’s such an urge to have this for the community,” she stated, noting many people from the mainland come to Beach Haven for pickleball.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pickleball is a great way for people to get some exercise and create camaraderie with each other, added Lombel. He suggested allowing veterans to play without having to pay the $2 daily or $40 season pass fees, which council adopted this past May.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://barnegatlighttaxpayer.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/f-pickleball7-768x891.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://barnegatlighttaxpayer.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/f-pickleball7-768x891.jpg" height="320" width="275" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo via Barnegat Light Taxpayers Association</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Beach Haven Councilman Don Kakstis<br />gets into the swing of the game.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lombel also noted that the game has had a positive impact on local businesses since many people from the area and out of state patronize Beach Haven’s restaurants and shops when they come to play.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Councilman Don Kakstis, who is also an avid pickleball player, said Borough Engineer Frank Little suggested the possibility of installing heavy-duty portable pickleball systems, which would cost roughly $7,600 for all six courts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“We’re very proud of the fact that we have such an active group of pickleball players in our town. It’s wonderful,” said Mayor Nancy Taggart Davis, who agreed it would be nice to extend the game’s season into the fall and spring.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She suggested revamping one of the tennis courts on Pearl Street for pickleball use, to which a few members of the audience, who also play tennis, expressed disapproval.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“You don’t rob Peter to pay Paul,” said Colleen Lambert, a devoted tennis player. “If we need pickleball courts, we should be building pickleball courts. But don’t take them from the tennis facility.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She asked council to reconsider using the collected tennis fees to repair the three courts that have been in “terrible, terrible shape” for the past few years. Kakstis noted the tennis courts generated $5,800 above costs last year, though the mayor said they’re “very expensive” to maintain.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lambert also asked that players have access to the better courts during the off season since they were locked up last year as well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In other meeting news, council voted to bond $1,083,000 of a $1,138,000 project for various capital improvements in town ranging from road, beach walkway and storm water system upgrades to the acquisition of vehicles and equipment for the public works, beach patrol and police departments. A separate $250,000 bond ordinance for the removal and replacement of a portion of the borough’s existing water main pipe was also adopted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ordinances and amendments approved on first reading included the requirement of toilet facilities at construction sites, recommendations from public works regarding walkways and signage for single-family/duplex homes and clarification of penalties pertaining to solid waste and recycling violations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An ordinance for the implementation of the feral cat Trap Neuter Return program,<em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </em>which council never formally adopted despite <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/02/fewer-cats-at-manahawkin-shelter-since.html">Stafford Township Animal Control</a> and <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/07/ocean-county-animal-facilities-plan-to.html">The Friends of the Southern Ocean County Animal Shelter</a>’s ongoing efforts in the borough, was also approved on introduction.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“It’s exciting because it’ll be the first ordinance on record in the area to really help protect these cats, even though this has been going on for years,” said Kelly Karch, Stafford Animal Control officer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A Friends volunteer invited audience members to get involved with the program as well as fostering.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Taggart Davis and Council President Jim White encouraged residents to vote in favor of a referendum for a Green Acres tax that will be on the November ballot. If approved, the tax would help the town improve its parks and save money for future projects such as purchasing the old Coast Guard station, which borough employees have been operating out of since Superstorm Sandy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Local resident Susan Green, who lives across the street from the station, thanked council for making some repairs to the building after she and her husband, Bill, expressed concern about its appearance at a previous town meeting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In reference to a public request to better include seasonal residents in town matters, raised at a prior “Meet the Candidates” event, Kakstis suggested the council contenders consider supporting holding town hall meetings specifically for these homeowners to meet with council members in the summertime.</span></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">— Kelley Anne Essinger</span></strong></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This article was published in <a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/p/pickleballers-petition-to-extend-playing-season-install-permanent-nets-in-beach-haven/1585417" style="display: inline; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The SandPaper</a>.</span></i></div>
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Seas the Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01234258466782391794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926133099800914660.post-33385643680642713462016-10-12T12:49:00.000-04:002016-11-08T12:49:32.131-05:00Incumbent president, director of local library running for Beach Haven School Board seats<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The candidates running for the two seats available on the <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/06/infusing-art-in-beach-haven-schools.html">Beach Haven School Board</a> are incumbent President Irene Hughes and Jean Frazier, who has been the director of the <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/07/garden-club-of-lbi-raising-awareness.html">Beach Haven Public Library</a> since 2010.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.news12.com/polopoly_fs/1.5697929.1373931107!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/feature_640/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.news12.com/polopoly_fs/1.5697929.1373931107!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/feature_640/image.jpg" height="154" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo via News 12</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">The school is governed by a five-member board. </span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hughes, who is up for reelection, was elected to the board in November 2013. She was unanimously voted to be the new president in 2015 after former, long-time President Mary Louise Bellingeri decided not to run for reelection after serving 20 years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“My goals continue to be the same as the board I have been lucky enough to sit with: to provide the children of Beach Haven an excellent education they deserve, that the community can be proud of, in a manner fiscally responsible to the taxpayers,” Hughes stated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She said she would be happy to remain president of the board.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“It has been an honor to serve this sitting board as president. If the next board were to elect me to that role, then, yes, I would gladly fill that role,” said Hughes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A former elementary school librarian in Bucks County, Pa., for more than 25 years, Frazier said she is eager to bring her “life experiences to benefit the children and taxpayers of our town” as a candidate for the local school board.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“My goals for the Beach Haven School include improving the library education program and school library facilities,” she said. “Also I wish to help provide the best overall efficient education for our students while taking into account budgetary requirements. Our taxpayers deserve to have the best for their students at a reasonable, obtainable cost.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Frazier has also been an active member of the <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/06/free-summer-concerts-in-beach-haven.html">Beach Haven Community Arts Program</a> for many years, often volunteering at the concerts in the park. She is currently vice president of the organization.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Current school board member Kathy Kelly is not running for reelection. Members Carol Labin, Meredith O’Donnell and Jen Tomlinson are still within their terms.</span></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">— Kelley Anne Essinger</span></strong></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This article was published in <a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/p/incumbent-president-director-of-local-library-running-for-beach-haven-school-board-seats/1583702" style="display: inline; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The SandPaper</a>.</span></i></div>
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Seas the Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01234258466782391794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926133099800914660.post-2463413839295444322016-10-11T17:29:00.000-04:002016-11-08T18:15:52.524-05:00Five candidates contending for three open seats on Beach Haven Council<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Incumbent Beach Haven Council members Charles Maschal and Mayor Nancy Taggart Davis joined three other contenders — Ralph Skorge, Dan Allen and Tom Lynch — vying for the three seats on the council during a “Meet the Candidates” forum held at the firehouse Saturday morning.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/media/Common/TheSandPaper/2016/10/11/2181556/f-candidates_BH_010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/media/Common/TheSandPaper/2016/10/11/2181556/f-candidates_BH_010.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Marjorie Amon</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">The contenders field questions from the<br />audience during a 'Meet the Candidates' forum.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The event, hosted by the local taxpayers association, gave residents a chance to ask questions and get familiar with the candidates, who are looking to lead Beach Haven into the future. Concerns raised by the public ranged from the revitalization of the business and maritime districts, the viability of the <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/09/beach-haven-schools-new-superintendent.html">Beach Haven School</a> and the vision for the new borough hall and the <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/06/three-crowns-event-planners-believe-its.html">Surflight Theatre</a> complex to flooding, beach replenishment and tax issues.</span></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let’s Meet </span></strong><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Candidates</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Maschal</strong> has been a council member since 2010, when the local government changed from a three-member board of commissioners<span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span>to a five-member borough council. He served as council’s first mayor and was also mayor when Superstorm Sandy hit in 2012.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He moved to the borough in 1974, and his two children attended the Beach Haven School and <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/08/country-line-dance-flash-mob-to-kick.html">Southern Regional School District</a>. He managed an executive search firm and recruited high-level executives from 1968 to 2002, and also founded the National Association of Executive Recruiters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Maschal served on the board of the U.S. Optimist Dinghy Association and was the executive director from 2002 to 2008. In 2000 he received the U.S. Sailing John H. Gardner Jr. Service Award. He also created the U.S. Optimist national team, of which more than 20 sailors have participated in the Olympics.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Taggart Davis</strong> is the current mayor of Beach Haven and<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong>has served on council for six years. Though she noted Saturday that there’s much she does on council that she’s proud of, she mentioned just a few of the major achievements she’s helped accomplish in town. She reminded the public that she was there during Sandy, working with the town and state to help repair Beach Haven, which, she noted, suffered the most damage on LBI. She’s also helped get beach replenishment off the ground and finished, and has been instrumental with dune planting as well as ongoing efforts with the state’s Council on Affordable Housing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Skorge</strong> has been a local homeowner for about 20 years and a full-time resident with his wife for six years, during which time he said they’ve faced “Sandy, water meters, flooding and rising taxes.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“And that’s why I’m sitting up here today,” he told the public on Saturday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Skorge believes his collaborating and listening skills, which he acquired through his past experience as managing partner and creative director of Leach+Skorge, one of the largest healthcare advertising agencies in the world, will allow him to better develop people’s ideas to help further the town.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“I believe I can pull the council together and work as a team player,” he said, noting that he is also very fiscally conscious, “like any other businessman would be.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Allen</strong>, the son of former town Commissioner George Allen, has been a local resident since he was 15 years old.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Going forward post-Sandy, he said, council needs to shift its focus back to making decisions “based on what we really need, not what we want.” He suggested slowing down spending and being more mindful about rising taxes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He is the only candidate still working in and raising his family in Beach Haven.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“These two facts alone force me to make decisions based on the fact that I want to be able to afford to continue to live here and hopefully give my kids the chance to live here as well,” he stated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Lynch</strong> has more than 40 years of experience in business management at companies such as Automatic Data Processing and General Telephone. For the past 20 years he’s acted as vice president of BDP International, where he retired in 2012. He’s been a local taxpayer with his wife for 20 years and a full-time resident for six years. He’s currently serving his sixth year as a member of the land use board and has worked as a beach badge checker the past three summers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“I vote here, I pay taxes here and I live here,” he said, noting decreasing “unnecessary spending” and taxes are of paramount importance to him. “I am a business professional, not a politician.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lynch also ran for council in 2014.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Current Councilman Robert Keeler’s term ends this year, though he has decided not to rerun. Council President Jim White and Councilman Don Kakstis will be up for re-election in 2018.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Members are elected to council on an at-large basis in nonpartisan elections, with either two or three seats up for vote in even-numbered years as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">During a reorganization meeting in January, one member will be selected as mayor and another as council president, each serving one-year terms in those positions.</span></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">— Kelley Anne Essinger</span></strong></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This article was published in <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7926133099800914660#editor/target=post;postID=246341383929544432" style="display: inline; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The SandPaper</a>.</span></i></div>
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Seas the Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01234258466782391794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926133099800914660.post-73617439484603778352016-10-10T18:24:00.000-04:002016-11-08T18:25:09.949-05:00Construction of Beach Haven’s new municipal building gets a ceremonious start<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Ryan Morrill</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Council members and project officials break<br />ground at the site of the new municipal building.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wearing hard hats and wielding a large, golden shovel, Beach Haven Council members dug into the dirt at the construction site of the new borough hall on Engleside Avenue during the groundbreaking ceremony held early Friday morning, Oct. 7. The ritual, attended by project officials, borough employees and local residents, was especially momentous for the town considering the former building, which was in existence for over 50 years before being demolished last fall, had remained vacant since it was ruined by Superstorm Sandy in 2012.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“In a year we might be in this building. That’s the goal,” Mayor Nancy Taggart Davis announced as she lifted the shovel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After the former building was taken down and new pilings were installed, construction of the new building was brought to a halt this past May, when initial project bids came in at least $1.5 million over budget. The lowest bid received in the spring was $7.2 million, according to Richard Crane, borough manager.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/media/Common/TheSandPaper/2016/10/11/2181564/t300-Beach%20Have%20Building%20Ground%20Breaking3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/media/Common/TheSandPaper/2016/10/11/2181564/t300-Beach%20Have%20Building%20Ground%20Breaking3.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Ryan Morrill</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">The project blueprint is displayed along with<br />the shovel and hard hats for the ceremony.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By changing the scope and design of the project through eliminating the renovation of the police department and filtration buildings as well as moving all departments to the new borough hall, the costs were reduced by about $2 million, said architect Ronald Sebring.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The borough awarded a $5.7 million contract to Santorini Construction Inc. of Neptune last month, after the project went out for rebid in August. Santorini President John Scheidt said he expects to begin mobilizing crews this week with an anticipated completion date of late July 2017, weather permitting. Initial onsite work will include excavation as well as pile caps and concrete work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“We’re very, very happy to have them doing the construction, and we know that they’re going to do a wonderful job,” said Taggart Davis.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Borough operations will continue to be conducted at the Emergency Operations Center at the old Coast Guard station on Pelham Avenue until the new building is ready to be occupied.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Though council had initially considered other options for the project, the members ultimately decided that constructing a new building at the current site would be the most cost-effective plan. To help fund the related costs, the borough has received $5 million in federal Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funds through the state <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2015/08/beach-haven-council-hosting-public.html">Economic Development Authority</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“This is just another example of a great project that we hope helps not only the Beach Haven municipal complex, but also all the businesses and surrounding citizens, to protect them in the event of another storm,” stated Bruce Ciallella, EDA office of recovery managing director.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The EDA was tasked with helping the state’s small businesses and communities post-Sandy, and has provided over $200 million to 1,300 small businesses and municipalities, Ciallella said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Upon completion of Beach Haven’s new municipal building, 25 percent, or $1.25 million, of the loan will be forgiven. The remaining cost will be financed as a 30-year, low-interest loan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Amidst thanking the many people involved with the project, the mayor led a moment of silence for those in Florida, Haiti and the Bahamas who are facing hardships caused by Hurricane Matthew.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“We certainly understand and sympathize with their huge misfortune this week,” Taggart Davis said. “Let us hope that, should they need to, their communities show the same unity ours has to rally together, to rebuild and repair for the future.”</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This article was published in <a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/p/construction-of-beach-haven-s-new-municipal-building-gets-a-ceremonious-start/1583006" style="display: inline; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The SandPaper</a>.</span></i></div>
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Seas the Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01234258466782391794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926133099800914660.post-74348163612748569542016-10-08T12:35:00.000-04:002016-11-08T12:35:53.373-05:00Single-lane traffic on Route 72 bridge thorofares to remain until spring<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/media/Common/TheSandPaper/2016/10/12/2182478/f-One%20Lane%20Bridge%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/media/Common/TheSandPaper/2016/10/12/2182478/f-One%20Lane%20Bridge%201.jpg" height="196" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Jack Reynolds</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Construction crews begin to reduce traffic to<br />single lanes on the Causeway Bridge thorofares.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Starting Monday, Oct. 10, the East and West Thorofare bridges on the Route 72 Causeway Bridge will be reduced to one lane in each direction. The single-lane pattern will start just west of the West Thorofare Bridge and end just east of the East Thorofare Bridge on Long Beach Island.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This new traffic pattern will remain until springtime to permit the removal and replacement of the existing bridge deck joints on the south side of the bridges as well as a new bridge deck pavement overlay to enhance the riding surface for motorists, state <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/08/causeways-east-and-west-thorofare.html">Department of Transportation</a> officials said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/06/route-72-bridge-shuttle-expected-to-be.html">Schiavone Construction Co.</a> will shift traffic to the newly reconstructed north side of both thorofare bridges between 7 a.m. Monday through 5:30 a.m. the following day, DOT officials said. This new traffic pattern is expected to stay in place until mid-winter, when traffic will be shifted to the south side to enable the deck overlay to be installed on the north side.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A daily shuttle service will continue to be offered to pedestrians commuting over the newly constructed Causeway Bridge until the existing Causeway Bridge is rehabilitated and its bridge sidewalk is reopened and accessible to pedestrians by summer 2020.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Work on the $350 million Route 72 Manahawkin Bay Bridge project, which began in 2013, is anticipated to carry through 2020. The exact scheduling of the labor is dependent upon weather and other influences.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The 3-mile-long Causeway connects Stafford on the mainland with Ship Bottom on LBI. As part of the plan, a new bridge has been constructed parallel to the existing one over Manahawkin Bay, offering the security of a redundant route on or off the Island. The new bridge is 2,400 feet long with a vertical clearance of 55 feet over Manahawkin Bay. It presently has two lanes in each direction while the original Causeway Bridge is being rehabilitated. It will serve as the bridge for eastbound traffic when the project is finished.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For more information, visit <a href="http://511nj.org/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">511nj.org</a>.</span></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">— Kelley Anne Essinger</span></strong></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This article was published in <a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/p/single-lane-traffic-on-route-72-bridge-thorofares-to-remain-until-spring/1583352" style="display: inline; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The SandPaper</a>.</span></i></div>
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Seas the Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01234258466782391794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926133099800914660.post-33522928232544352692016-10-05T17:03:00.000-04:002016-11-08T17:27:21.547-05:00Blue Water Café, Stefano’s and The Chicken or the Egg cook up grand-prize-winning soup at Chowderfest<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/media/Common/TheSandPaper/2016/10/5/2174321/f-Chowderfest%20drone%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/media/Common/TheSandPaper/2016/10/5/2174321/f-Chowderfest%20drone%201.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Ryan Morrill</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Thousands of people crowd the tents to<br />sample soup during the Cook-Off Classic.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While last year’s <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/05/replenishment-in-smoking-out-in-beach.html">Chowderfest </a>was a complete washout after being canceled due to Hurricane Joaquin, a bit of gloomy weather didn’t stop chowder enthusiasts young and old from tramping through the muddy Taylor Avenue ball field at <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/01/beach-bums-corvette-club-may-be-forced.html">Bay Village</a> in Beach Haven to chow down on delicious, hot soup during the Cook-Off Classic on Sunday. Thousands of festival-goers indulged in all-you-can-eat samples from 16 local restaurants vying for first place in the red (Manhattan) and white (New England) clam chowder categories along with the first-ever creative seafood category.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Blue Water Café and <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2013/10/pangaea-natural-health-food-market.html">La Bamba Mexican Restaurant</a>, two competitors in the new category, were both named chowder cook-off champions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Blue Water of Haven Beach took the category’s grand prize for its lobster bisque, a staple that has been on the restaurant’s menu for the past five years. Chef/owner Steve DiPietro whipped up 150 gallons of the flavorful soup, featuring tender Maine lobster meat, for festival tasters to try that day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“The recipe’s not really a secret. It’s heavy cream and a lot of lobster, basically,” he told <i>The SandPaper </i>between serving up samples to chowder-hungry individuals.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was the café’s first time participating in Chowderfest, though <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2013/10/25th-anniversary-of-chowderfest-weekend.html">Stefano’s Restaurant</a>, which is owned by the same family, has won the festival’s red and white categories multiple times and has also been named world champion of New England chowder at the international Great Chowder Cook-Off<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong>in Rhode Island.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stefano’s, located in North Beach Haven, was named the Manhattan Chowder grand prize winner on Sunday. First runner-up went to Lefty’s Restaurant and Tavern followed by second runner-up <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/04/beach-haven-residents-urge-fix-up-for.html">Black Whale Bar and Fish House</a>, which also won a booth award for best shore motif. Shore Fire Grille took third runner-up in the red category.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/media/Common/TheSandPaper/2016/10/5/2174340/t300-Chowderfest16RM%20%2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/media/Common/TheSandPaper/2016/10/5/2174340/t300-Chowderfest16RM%20%2014.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Ryan Morrill<br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Festival-goers get their fill and then some<br />of New England white) clam chowder.</span><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">La Bamba, another Chowderfest first-timer, was named second runner-up in the creative seafood category as well as rookie of the year for its chipotle clam-ato. The spicy soup, 186 gallons made with clams, sea bass and crabmeat along with a touch of chipotle for a south of the border bite, was concocted just for Chowderfest. Chef/owner Valentine Madrid, who began preparing authentic Mexican dishes with family after spending many years as an Italian chef, said the Brant Beach- and Manahawkin-based Mexican restaurants’ menus “focus more on seafood than tacos and burritos.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Other creative category winners include first runner-up <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/08/local-county-officials-working-together.html">Buckalew’s Restaurant and Tavern</a> for its rich and creamy she-crab soup, a popular menu item for more than 15 years. Citing a want to continue to add more interest to the festival, chef/owner Allan Menegus said he helped create Chowderfest’s new category, which he entered in support as well as to give the restaurant’s culinary staff a chance to create something opposed to just preparing menu orders.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Plus, shucking clams gets a little old,” Menegus said, noting the restaurant has competed in and won the red and white categories in previous years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cuisine on the Green at Atlantis’ scallop bisque, named third runner-up in the creative category, was prepared by the culinary arts school/restaurant’s students. The inspired chefs concocted 230 gallons of Cuisine’s house soup, which Ian Smith, executive chef and instructor, said was enough to serve 25,000 samples. Dedicated to creating and serving fresh, local fare, the recipe was chock full of vegetables to make up for artificial fillers, Smith explained. He said the soup will be gluten-free by next year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After winning first and second runner-up at previous Chowderfests, <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2015/09/boxing-in-beach-haven-is-brutal-brendan.html">The Chicken or the Egg</a>’s creamy New England chowder topped with hot sauce was named the grand prize winner in the white category, a feat The Chegg had been after for some time. The Island restaurant favorite, known for its juicy chicken wings and signature hot sauces, also received most enthusiastic in the best booth winners.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Halfway through the festival on Sunday, husband and wife David and Pat Duleba of Maplewood, who had been planning to attend for the past three years after vacationing on the Island for quite some time, both told<i> The SandPaper</i> that The Chegg’s chowder was the best they had ever had. Though David Duleba used to make his own Manhattan clam chowder, he said he had stopped most likely because his wife prefers New England. Neither of them at that time had selected their favorite red chowder.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First runner-up in the white category went to Howard’s Restaurant, followed by second runner-up <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2015/09/nearly-3000-people-attend-beach-havens.html">Country Kettle Chowda</a>, which also won a booth award for best interpretation of the theme. <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/02/request-to-expand-ketchs-liquor-license.html">Mud City Crab House</a> took third runner-up as well as most creative booth.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Other festival competitors included <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2013/05/music-benefit-celebrates-life-on-lbi.html">Sea Oaks Country Club</a>, <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-shack-offering-fresh-fare-opens.html">The Shack</a>, <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2015/01/nj-senator-christopher-j-connors-to.html">Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Clu</a>b and Southern Smoke Foods.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The delicious chowder and talented culinary artists, however, weren’t the only ones being praised at Chowderfest. Members of the <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/08/country-line-dance-flash-mob-to-kick.html">Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce</a>, which hosts the event, also thanked the <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/10/cedar-run-resident-arrested-after.html">Beach Haven Police Department</a>, <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/01/fire-companies-fight-flames-at-lm.html">Ocean County Sheriff’s Department</a>, <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/08/barnegat-resident-one-of-53-local-kids.html">New Jersey State Police</a> and Homeland Security for their presence that day.</span></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">— Kelley Anne Essinger</span></strong></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This article was published in <a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/p/blue-water-caf-stefano-s-and-the-chicken-or-the-egg-cook-up-grand-prize-winning-soup-at-chowderfest/1580652" style="display: inline; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The SandPaper</a>.</span></i></div>
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Seas the Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01234258466782391794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926133099800914660.post-77825831697591307242016-10-04T11:57:00.000-04:002016-11-08T12:26:59.465-05:00Cedar Run resident arrested after admitting to wearing ‘clear, plastic dry cleaning bag’ on the beach<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo via Beach Haven Police</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">A couple of women took a photo of the<br />culprit and informed police of the lewd act.</span><br /></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stephen Wojciehowski, 59, of Cedar Run was arrested for lewdness last week, after multiple people reported seeing him at the Ocean Street beach in Beach Haven for a couple of days “wearing a homemade, clear plastic wrap bikini, where his genitals were clearly exposed and observed by the public, on the public beach,” according to borough police.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Det. Joseph Boehler, who made the arrest, said officers were first notified of the situation by a couple of women who had snapped photographs of the offender laying on the beach. While the police department asked the public for help identifying the man in the photos via a Facebook post, one of the women who had first reported the incident notified police that he was again on the beach a few days later.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sgt. Sean McCaffrey approached Wojciehowski on the beach, though the beach-goer “didn’t admit to anything,” Boehler said. The following day the mainland resident voluntarily came to the station, where he admitted to the crime.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“He admitted that it was him and that he used a clear, plastic dry cleaning bag,” said Det. Sgt. Jim Markoski, noting the incident was a “very rare” occurrence for the department.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">According to Markoski, Wojciehowski was required to appear in court this past Monday, but his lawyer, Curtis Dowell of Brant Beach, has postponed the appearance to Nov. 7.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wojciehowski could not be reached for comment.</span></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">— Kelley Anne Essinger</span></strong></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This article was published in <a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/p/cedar-run-resident-arrested-after-admitting-to-wearing-clear-plastic-dry-cleaning-bag-on-the-beach/1580653" style="display: inline; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The SandPaper</a>.</span></i></div>
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Seas the Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01234258466782391794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926133099800914660.post-79531687445970067502016-09-14T16:46:00.000-04:002016-11-08T16:52:10.641-05:00LGBTQ Intergenerational Group seeks to broaden diversity, perspective of its participants<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo via Google</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">The group invites LGBTQ individuals<br />as well as their family and friends.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Members of the LGBTQ Intergenerational Group that meets at <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/06/stockton-university-new-jersey-maritime.html">Stockton University</a>’s Manahawkin Instructional Site in Stafford Township are hoping to draw more participants, especially younger individuals. The group, hosted by Stockton’s Center on Successful Aging</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> the second Thursday of every month, from 10 a.m. to noon</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, is typically attended by three to four couples in their mid-50s to early 70s. While they find comfort in connecting with other like-minded individuals their own age, most of them said they want the group to include a more diverse age range. So far, the group doesn’t consist of enough different generations, which the members believe would help broaden their perspective.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“We know there’s a need in this area (for this type of group) because there’s nothing else here, but we don’t seem to be drawing what we need,” said Gina Maguire, SCOSA program assistant, who noted there are more opportunities available in northern Ocean County and beyond.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The current participants, most of whom declined to provide their identities due to fear of discrimination, said they’d like to share some of their wisdom with younger folk about growing up as an LGBTQ individual in a less accepting time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Group member Earl Lewis, 64, of Little Egg Harbor, who was recently elected as treasurer for the board of trustees at the senior living community where he resides as an openly gay man, said he was fired from his job at a museum in New York in the late 1990s due to his “inappropriate lifestyle.” Since then, he said, he’s decided to live life as “an open book.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“I think our life experiences have taught us to either guard our private lives, or, in my case, I have kind of an ‘f-you’ attitude,” he said. “If you don’t like who I am, that’s fine; you don’t have to. But you’re going to know me as I truly am. It’s only a part of who I am, but you’re going to know the whole picture.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“You have no idea how painful it is to be fired for something you have no control over and has no bearing on your ability to do your job. So I wasn’t going to waste my time,” he added.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Other attendees of the group, who had faced similar issues at work, said there are big differences in how older gay people handle these issues compared to younger gay people since the culture has become much more accepted by newer generations. But the younger generations didn’t fight the fight, the members said. They don’t share the history.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ocean County itself has a history of prejudice, one member noted, referring to the “Freeheld” saga, when Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office police lieutenant Laurel Hester was denied by the Ocean County Board of Freeholders the right to transfer her pension benefits to her domestic partner after being diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2005.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The history of gay rights in New Jersey and across the nation has been a hot topic of discussion at the group's recent meetings. Last week, the members shared their concerns about the upcoming national election and how it could impact the progress of the LGBTQ community as a whole. While most of the members believe they haven’t faced any oppression in the local region, some of them said they’d be wary of putting up a gay flag on their lawn, especially considering the area’s largely conservative outlook.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But the group isn’t just about sharing war stories or discussing politics. It’s also a great place for LGBTQ individuals to talk about new books and movies surrounding the culture as well as to <span style="line-height: 16.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">share educational information</span>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Edith Giberson, who initially started the group in February as part of her master’s degree program in social work at Monmouth University to help further human rights and social justice in the area, noted there are many gaps in LGBTQ healthcare. For instance, she said, the closest assisted-living facilities geared toward LGBTQ individuals are in Philadelphia and the Bronx.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“There’s a lottery to get in, and it’s really difficult. And neither of them are in New Jersey,” noted Maguire, who added that, according to a recent Monmouth University study, many doctor’s offices claim not to have any LGBTQ patients or say they simply treat everybody the same.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“But it’s different,” Maguire stated. “It’s not the same. It’s like being colorblind. It doesn’t work like that. People have been treated poorly because they have a partner instead of a husband or wife. There really is a disparity in care.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mostly, however, the members of the group are just looking to share a safe place with other LGBTQ individuals. It’s always safer to talk within “your own community” than to be spouting those thoughts and feelings to a straight audience, one member said. Plus there’s a sense of camaraderie. Some of the members grab lunch together after the meetings or meet up for other outside occasions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To make it easier for other people to attend, the group expects to hold Saturday meetings in the winter, when the new Bay Avenue Community Center opens in town. LGBTQ individuals and their families and friends are invited to attend.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For more information about the group, visit <a href="https://stockton.edu/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">stockton.edu.</a></span></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">— Kelley Anne Essinger</span></strong></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This article was published in <a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/p/lgbtq-intergenerational-group-seeks-to-broaden-diversity-perspective-of-its-participants/1570326" style="display: inline; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The SandPaper</a>.</span></i></div>
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Seas the Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01234258466782391794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926133099800914660.post-58376290691350298882016-09-13T16:54:00.000-04:002016-11-08T17:01:47.170-05:00Beach Haven School’s new superintendent getting students involved with local library, knitting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Carl Krushinski, the new superintendent of the <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/08/country-line-dance-flash-mob-to-kick.html">Beach Haven School</a>, which opened for its first day of the new school year last Wednesday, is focused on more than just the students’ day-to-day classroom education. He hopes to help foster the district’s already tight-knit bond by getting the children involved in more community-focused projects and outings such as having the students take regular trips to the <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/07/garden-club-of-lbi-raising-awareness.html">Beach Haven Public Library</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When Krushinski started as superintendent in July, he was offered an opportunity to be a part of the local library committee, which he said has given him insight into some of the other aspects of town, including the need for the students to become more involved with the facility.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/03/c8/0c/03c80ce89212690b5fc78535e2ea44af.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/03/c8/0c/03c80ce89212690b5fc78535e2ea44af.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo via Google</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Beach Haven School students will get to interact<br />with the library's knitting group in the future.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Over the last three years the prior superintendent didn’t really let the students go to the public library, so one thing that I decided to do this year is give some of the grades actual library time to get a library card and check out books and be a part of all that,” Krushinski stated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Students in kindergarten through third grade will get to spend time at the library during the regular school day at least once a month, he noted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Krushinski is also acting with the school board to help restore the school’s own library, which he said used to be more extensive before it was “dismantled a bit” during the last few years. The school board and library committee will be working together over the next three years to rebuild the collection of books.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The superintendent hopes to also join forces with the public library’s local knitting group to encourage more of a connection between the students and the community’s older citizens. An avid knitter himself, Krushinski said the art form is great for improving hand-eye coordination as well as to practice counting. He said he learned how to knit many years ago while working at an elementary school in Plumstead Township, where it was taught to help students with ADHD.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“We found that when they knit, it helps them to focus and keep their hands busy, which I thought was a great idea,” Krushinski stated. “Over the years I’ve wanted to make this more available to students that have never had the opportunity. So now with this local club right down the road, I think we can get something going.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“The way I look at Beach Haven, the community stands behind its school 100 percent. But there’s very little opportunity for people that don’t have children in school anymore to participate. So this, I think, will be a great connection between the kids and some older adults,” he added.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Down the line, Krushinski would like to get the students involved in knitting projects that can be donated to the hospital or a homeless shelter to help cultivate stewardship among the children.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“I think there’s a lot of potential down the road for that,” he said. “It’s a great skill because it’s something the students can do whenever they have some down time, so it gets them away from electronics.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the meantime, Krushinski said he is concentrating on moving through the school year and making recommendations as needed. He hopes to maintain a “really positive interaction” with the students and their families as well as the overall community.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“It’s been great so far,” he said. “Everyone has been very informative and helpful. We had a great first day from beginning to end, and everything went extremely well. It’s just one big family.”</span></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">— Kelley Anne Essinger</span></strong></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This article was published in <a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/p/beach-haven-school-s-new-superintendent-getting-students-involved-with-local-library-knitting/1570529" style="display: inline; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The SandPaper</a>.</span></i></div>
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Seas the Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01234258466782391794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926133099800914660.post-6906940988401245072016-09-09T16:34:00.000-04:002016-11-08T16:34:31.202-05:00Setting the pool heater is just a tap away with a smartphone<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s no secret that Long Beach Island is one of the best places to spend the dog days of summer. But residents and visitors of the area also know that the cooler weather during the fall season presents its own special outdoor experience, especially if it includes relaxing in a heated pool.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With Pentair’s ScreenLogic interface now offered at Hutchison Fiberglass Pools and Spa in Surf City, the convenience of setting the pool heater to the perfect temperature is just a tap away with a smartphone. The plug-in system allows users with an Apple or Android phone to control a pool’s functions and other outdoor systems from anywhere in the world.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://s3-media4.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/QH4AobnIHOQGc5grxMvmSw/ls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://s3-media4.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/QH4AobnIHOQGc5grxMvmSw/ls.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo via Hutchison Pools</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">A pool in Beach Haven is heated up before<br />vacationers even arrive at the home.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Anything you want to have outside – pool or garden lights, outdoor speakers – you wire it up to this box and it’s controlled on your iPhone,” said Joe Hutchison, owner of Hutchison Pools. “It’s basically the same system people have in their homes to control their TVs and their lights and everything, only it’s for a pool.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hutchison decided to offer the product to customers after seeing it featured at the Pool and Spa Show in Atlantic City in January. Although the product came out a few years ago, he said “it really blew up this year.” It’s especially useful for seasonal homeowners who’d like to have their pool heated up by the time they arrive for a weekend visit, or if residents are coming back from vacation or even just from the store.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Instead of people who are on their way down and want their heater turned on calling us to do it, now they can do it themselves. So it gives them more control over their system,” Hutchison said. “You can program it to come on and do whatever you want at any time.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The easy-to-use technology is great for making sure everything’s turned off when rushing out the door, he added. The interface also offers peace of mind since it can be used to make sure everything’s working properly. The program can even check the salt level of the pool, though pool chemicals cannot be monitored.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Email and text message alerts are immediately sent out if there’s a problem so it can be taken care of right away. Hutchison staff work up and down LBI every day and can immediately respond to issues. The company monitors about 200 pools weekly throughout the season.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Using the ScreenLogic interface requires having Pentair’s EasyTouch automation system, which Hutchison’s has been installing in the area for 10 years. The full Pentair package costs about $2,500 altogether and comes with a complete three-year warranty, Hutchison noted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">About 20 to 25 of the plug-ins have been installed by Hutchinson’s this season, and the local business expects to sell more in the future.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Everybody who has it loves it,” Hutchison stated, noting he and his son, Joey, who also works for the company, both have the systems installed at their homes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hutchison said he loves the convenience of operating it by phone instead of through a remote control that requires batteries, which is also an available option.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“You have your phone on you at all times, so it’s nice to be outside when you’re having a big party and just go on your phone and change colors and do stuff like that,” he said. “I even have the remote, and I just don’t use it anymore. It’s all through my iPhone.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For more information, visit <a href="http://hutchisonfiberglasspools.com/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">hutchisonfiberglasspools.com</a> or call 609-361-0202.</span></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">— Kelley Anne Essinger</span></strong></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This article was published in <a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/p/hfsetting-the-pool-heater-is-just-a-tap-away-with-a-smartphone/1561901" style="display: inline; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">HomeFront</a>.</span></i></div>
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Seas the Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01234258466782391794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926133099800914660.post-62086078869737495772016-09-06T18:06:00.000-04:002016-09-06T18:06:01.853-04:00Beach Haven’s Essex Avenue beach closed due to severe erosion from Hermine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKzjcNFLEeazeUNenltOTQVOkmW2G4cLhyphenhyphenEvnnjGnvQbo1BsqkXLjoz1J8D8jhxFNZKdNU2frYJ9OAlvV7zWTKv4_ZcFK7LzIjBN2j6edRHOv_ySjPEk4md_bSgaB5siQaO8XD8FMYOZhN/s1600/essex+avenue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKzjcNFLEeazeUNenltOTQVOkmW2G4cLhyphenhyphenEvnnjGnvQbo1BsqkXLjoz1J8D8jhxFNZKdNU2frYJ9OAlvV7zWTKv4_ZcFK7LzIjBN2j6edRHOv_ySjPEk4md_bSgaB5siQaO8XD8FMYOZhN/s320/essex+avenue.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Gretchen Coyle</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Storm surges eroded the sand up to<br />the dunes at the Essex Avenue beach.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While Tropical Storm Hermine fortunately didn’t hit Long Beach Island with severely devastating conditions as initially predicted by some weather forecasters, Beach Haven’s recently replenished beaches were impacted by the strong storm surges.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“All the beaches had a good bit of erosion. Maybe about a quarter to an eighth of what they put down was taken back,” said Beach Haven Police Sgt. Tom Medel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The replenishment work for the <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/08/mordecai-island-projects-continue-to.html">U.S. Army Corps of Engineers</a> and state <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/07/surf-citys-beach-replenishment-looks.html">Department of Environmental Protection</a>’s post-Superstorm Sandy project was conducted in Beach Haven by <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/06/beachfill-in-beach-haven-just-about.html">Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co.</a> this past May and June.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The borough’s Essex Avenue beach was the most harshly affected by Hermine, with erosion all the way up to the dune fencing. On Monday the local police department closed off the beach entrance due to a 2-foot drop-off.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“We were afraid that somebody was just going to not see it in the dark or low lighting and possibly hurt themselves,” Medel said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Although street flooding can also be an issue in town during storms, the borough experienced only very minor flooding.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“We got lucky that way,” Medel stated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If the storm had created a major issue for the town, local emergency personnel were ready for action.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“We dodged a bullet, but we were prepared,” said Jim White, borough council president.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">White, along with Bill Tromm, head of Beach Haven’s Emergency Operations Center, attended a briefing on the storm at the Ocean County Sheriff's Department Office of Emergency Management in Berkeley Township Sunday night. The meeting, led by Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno and DEP Commissioner Bob Martin, was held so state and local officials could discuss the different commodities that were available if necessary.</span></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">— Kelley Anne Essinger</span></strong></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This article was published in <a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/p/former-cafe-aletta-owners-open-414-seafood-and-chop-house-continue-serving-italian-fare-at-market/1551234?cid=2280731" style="display: inline; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The SandPaper</a>.</span></i></div>
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Seas the Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01234258466782391794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926133099800914660.post-63724250665178571402016-08-31T16:57:00.000-04:002016-09-06T18:06:32.009-04:00Causeway’s East and West Thorofare bridges to reduce to single-lane traffic<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/media/Common/TheSandPaper/2016/8/30/2128148/f-Bridge%20Blur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/media/Common/TheSandPaper/2016/8/30/2128148/f-Bridge%20Blur.jpg" height="220" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Ryan Morrill</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">The new traffic pattern will remain</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> in </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">place until the springtime.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After Labor Day, traffic on the East and West Thorofare bridges of the <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/08/federally-funded-route-72-bridges.html">Route 72 Manahawkin Bay Bridge</a> will be shifted to the north side and reduced to a single lane in each direction, Kevin Israel, a state <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/08/route-72-travel-delays-expected-due-to.html">Department of Transportation</a> spokesman, told <i>The SandPaper</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This new traffic pattern is expected to remain until spring. During this time, construction will resume on the thorofare bridges. Bridge deck work, scour countermeasures and drainage improvements will be conducted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The advertisement for the next contract, which involves the rehabilitation of the original bridge, is expected to be announced in the coming weeks. A bid date is projected for the end of September. Labor for this contract consists of the removal and replacement of the complete superstructure, various highway paving, excavating and cofferdam work. Construction is anticipated to start later in the fall, Israel noted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This summer, work completed included bulkhead repairs at the bridge abutments and the mending of the pier caps at the West Thorofare Bridge. New sidewalks were also created. Parking lot and pedestrian access ramps are presently under construction.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The shuttle service that was reinstated at the end of June for pedestrians and bicyclists to safely cross the bridge will continue to run until the sidewalk on the original bridge is reopened at some point in late 2019 or early 2020, said Israel. The shuttle schedule is not expected to change.</span></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">— Kelley Anne Essinger</span></strong></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This article was published in <a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/p/causeway-s-east-and-west-thorofare-bridges-to-reduce-to-single-lane-traffic/1566822" style="display: inline; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The SandPaper</a>.</span></i></div>
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Seas the Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01234258466782391794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926133099800914660.post-79356050020758915722016-08-30T15:50:00.000-04:002016-09-06T18:06:47.871-04:00Mordecai Island projects continue to help curb erosion, keep land thriving<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mordecai Island, a mile-long marsh situated along the Barnegat Bay shoreline at the south end of Long Beach Island near Beach Haven, has undergone more transformations during the past year than it has in decades. The alterations, led by the <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2015/05/beach-haven-employees-to-take-on-fire.html">Mordecai Land Trust</a>, have been conducted to help curtail the erosion of the island, which has dwindled over the years from 67 to less than 45 acres. The nonprofit group is dedicated to maintaining the land as a natural home for breeding and migratory types of native birds and fish as well as for shielding nearby Beach Haven from flooding.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/media/Common/TheSandPaper/2016/8/30/2127905/f-Mordecai%20Island%2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><img border="0" src="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/media/Common/TheSandPaper/2016/8/30/2127905/f-Mordecai%20Island%2016.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Ryan Morrill</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">The mile-long marsh is situated in the<br />Barnegat Bay, just west of Beach Haven.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“People don’t realize that those little marsh islands out there are really important,” said Linda Colgan, president of the trust.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For example, she said, the homes in front of Mordecai did not have as much damage as the other LBI houses impacted by Superstorm Sandy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“It acted like a giant sponge and sort of sucked up the wave accretion that was hitting it. So it just softened the effect of that storm,” she explained.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Last fall, post-Sandy supplemental funds enabled the <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/07/completion-of-beach-havens-public-dune.html">U.S. Army Corps of Engineers</a> to contract Barnegat Bay Dredging Co. of Harvey Cedars for the relocation of nearly 30,000 cubic yards of bottom material, composed of 80 percent sand, from the <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/03/surf-citys-adopted-budget-includes-tax.html">New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway</a> to a cut between the central point of the island and its northern tip. Colgan first stood on the new land in December.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“You feel like you’re in a whole different world out there; it was just wild,” she said. “It’s this beautiful, little beach, and all these birds were dropping their crab shells and walking along. I couldn’t believe it was open water just a month before that. It’s amazing. The island isn’t even that big, and it makes such an impact.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Although a turbidity curtain was established on the eastern edge to secure the placed fill and a gently sloping beach was added to help absorb wave energy, filling in the cut wouldn’t be enough to keep it from eroding.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“You need something that’s pretty strong because it’s a harsh environment out there,” Colgan explained. “You can’t have something that’s going to just float along the surface.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To add structure and strength to the region, salt marsh grasses found in the vicinity needed to be established. In late May, saltmarsh cordgrass was planted in the area with the lowest elevation, which normally gets covered during high tides, and salt meadow hay and saltgrass were planted in the area with the next lowest elevation. Fencing was also added to deter geese, which can destroy a newly planted spot in just hours.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The location with the greatest elevation and the least exposure to salt water was expected to be planted with coastal shrubs, but it was left untouched when officials found it to be a key nesting area for many shore birds.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“The plantings looks great,” said Colgan. “They were looking a little skinny at the beginning of summer, and now they’ve really taken hold. So it’s really turning into a nice marshland in that area.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At the other end of the island, salt marsh grasses are starting to colonize where geotubes installed in 2010 have been gradually accumulating sand.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“We’re actually making land out there, so we’re making some new Mordecai. It’s great,” Colgan stated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/06/stockton-university-new-jersey-maritime.html">ReClam the Bay</a> has added 25-pound bags of clam shells to various locations in the area to help support the growth of oyster bars and, in time, the rib mussels that fasten to them. Mussels, which help prevent erosion, grow naturally in the island’s intertidal zone, Colgan noted. The objective of the project is to determine the viability of constructing a man-nature-made reef system to help protect against erosion as well as to make the island an enticing environment for various saltwater organisms.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“We want to build a natural reef because they’ll be there forever and they build on themselves, almost like a coral reef in the Caribbean, to protect the island,” Colgan stated. “It’s the first time we’ve done it on Mordecai Island. So if it works here, it’ll be something for other islands to try. It’ll be a whole new living shoreline approach.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The trust is also working to restore diamondback terrapin nesting sites on the island. This summer, Kathy Lacey of the <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/05/lbi-garden-club-donating-50th-house.html">Terrapin Nesting Project</a> transferred many nests to the area that were found to have little hatching success on LBI due to human activity and predation. Cages to protect the relocated nests were set up to keep out predators.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The trust’s projects are ongoing and are, in many ways, experimental, Colgan said. Time and regular observation will tell how triumphant the efforts really are.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“<span style="line-height: 16.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">We’re like a little experiment because everything that we do has not been done before,” she stated. “</span>It’s all about keeping the ecological system intact in Barnegat Bay because we feel like everything we do on Mordecai impacts everything in the bay itself.”</span></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">— Kelley Anne Essinger</span></strong></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This article was published in <a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/p/mordecai-island-projects-continue-to-help-curb-erosion-keep-land-thriving/1565393" style="display: inline; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The SandPaper</a>.</span></i></div>
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Seas the Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01234258466782391794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926133099800914660.post-30909011573438886552016-08-23T15:46:00.000-04:002016-09-06T18:07:02.424-04:00Country line dance flash mob to kick off the fall season in Beach Haven<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Put away the flip-flops and dust off those old cowboy boots because it’s time for a hoedown. Though summer may be coming to an end, Long Beach Island is still kicking in the fall. To celebrate the change of season, Beach Haven will be holding a town-wide country line dance, flash mob-style.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/media/Common/TheSandPaper/2016/8/23/2122171/Beach%20Haven%20Flash%20Mop%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/media/Common/TheSandPaper/2016/8/23/2122171/Beach%20Haven%20Flash%20Mop%202.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo via Oak Leaf Media</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Bonnie Wells shows Beach Haven's lifeguards<br />and badge checkers how to do the dance steps.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The event will kick off the borough’s second annual Fall Festival, hosted by the <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2015/08/tour-old-beach-haven-via-bus-with-town.html">Long Beach Island Historical Association</a>, as well as help support the community’s businesses and happenings through the creation of a promotional video and photographs. Oak Leaf Media will record footage of participants dancing downtown on Bay Avenue as well as at the ocean and bay beaches in September. The culmination of the video will be shot at the festival on Oct. 22, where performers will gather for one large flash mob at <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/05/replenishment-in-smoking-out-in-beach.html">Veterans Memorial Park</a>, between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Area business owners, residents and visitors are encouraged to join the flash mob donning Beach Haven/LBI attire and autumn-inspired line dancing fashions. Students from <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/06/infusing-art-in-beach-haven-schools.html">Beach Haven School</a> and the <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2015/12/mike-wolfschmidt-taking-over-as-chief.html">Southern Regional School District</a> are expected to join the fun.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“We want everyone to participate!” said Bonnie Wells, who’s organizing the event. “Having a flash mob dance through our town will allow us to promote all of the fun-filled activities Beach Haven has to offer.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Though the very idea of a flash mob is to appear spontaneous, it takes time to coordinate and choreograph a large group of dancers. Early and late practices will be offered to help suit participants’ different schedules. Half-hour rehearsals at 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. will be held Monday through Saturday at 333 Pearl St., beginning Aug. 29. Attending the group practices is encouraged although a YouTube video will also be available for people to practice at home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Fall Festival will offer autumn comfort foods and drinks, including a variety of fall beers, wine and cider, as well as pumpkin painting, pumpkin bowling, pony rides, a petting zoo, town-wide scarecrow contest, pie eating/baking contest, seasonal merchandise, live country music and more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Last year’s inaugural event attracted more than 3,000 people to the area.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“It brought a wonderful sense of community to Beach Haven, with scents and sounds that embraced this wonderful time of the year,” Wells said. “There was something for everyone as Beach Haven came together to celebrate fall, family and friendship.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“As a town, Beach Haven has taken great strides since (Superstorm) Sandy. But we would love to see more activity and families join us in the most beautiful season Beach Haven has to offer – the fall. When people come back to the Island in the off-season, the businesses prosper, the Island comes alive, and people enjoy this nautical paradise,” she added.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The promotional funding is being provided by the <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2014/07/beach-haven-council-gearing-up-for.html">Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce</a>, Beach Haven borough and <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2015/09/nearly-3000-people-attend-beach-havens.html">Coastal Living Real Estate Group</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For more information about the event, visit <a href="http://www.beachhavenevents.org/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">beachhavenevents.org</a> or call Wells at 609-492-4444 or Barb Cona at 609-492-1715.</span></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">— Kelley Anne Essinger</span></strong></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This article was published in <a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/p/country-line-dance-flash-mob-to-kick-off-the-fall-season-in-beach-haven/1561898" style="display: inline; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The SandPaper</a>.</span></i></div>
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Seas the Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01234258466782391794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926133099800914660.post-8353472052110789462016-08-19T16:47:00.000-04:002016-09-06T18:07:15.898-04:00Route 72 travel delays expected due to emergency work in Ship Bottom<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/media/Common/TheSandPaper/2016/8/20/2119596/f-IMG_0654.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/media/Common/TheSandPaper/2016/8/20/2119596/f-IMG_0654.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Gail Travers</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Construction workers perform emergency</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />repairs t</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">o a drainage pipe in Ship Bottom.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Motorists traveling to Long Beach Island should anticipate delays due to emergency repairs to a collapsed pipe on Route 72 eastbound in Ship Bottom. <span style="line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The work, performed by state <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/08/federally-funded-route-72-bridges.html">Department of Transportation</a> contractor Mount Construction, involves opening the road and replacing a drainage pipe.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Travel lanes have been shifted to the right until Saturday morning, Aug. 20. The lanes will then be moved to the left for the conclusion of the repairs. Two lanes will be maintained at all times, according to DOT officials, who expect the work to be finished by Sunday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Advance notification of all traffic pattern changes are being provided to motorists via variable message signs throughout the project area. For real-time travel updates, visit <a href="http://www.511nj.org/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">511nj.org</a>.</span></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">— Kelley Anne Essinger</span></strong></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This article was published in <a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/p/route-72-travel-delays-expected-due-to-emergency-work-in-ship-bottom/1562212" style="display: inline; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The SandPaper</a>.</span></i></div>
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Seas the Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01234258466782391794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926133099800914660.post-41414190055017953932016-08-17T16:46:00.000-04:002016-09-06T18:07:31.008-04:00Mini golf tournament in Surf City draws 99 participants<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6PL3Ist2ioJibTeppLDug7WdF6e9uY1Qu_Zv00MKz4CZakBGl7ozWgtHUn3Xu5YpcrS_hOTSdOSwTrbmas1jhhhHCKnrpDQl2KA9xgs4O2H5HG2lx3pCy9eDFHsWgvfQwtQvA3xsdx4J/s1600/unnamed+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6PL3Ist2ioJibTeppLDug7WdF6e9uY1Qu_Zv00MKz4CZakBGl7ozWgtHUn3Xu5YpcrS_hOTSdOSwTrbmas1jhhhHCKnrpDQl2KA9xgs4O2H5HG2lx3pCy9eDFHsWgvfQwtQvA3xsdx4J/s320/unnamed+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo via Surf City Taxpayers Association</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Mark Travers graciously accepts his second<br />place winnings in the 16 and over age group.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Despite a delay due to rain, nearly 100 miniature golf enthusiasts came out to Island Golf in Surf City to participate in the borough taxpayers association’s second tournament of the summer on Aug. 10. The top of the leader board was very close in all three of the age brackets, said Pete Williams, SCTA president, who noted the prize money for the game was generously donated by <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/08/surf-citys-annual-sand-sculpture.html">Surf City 5 and 10</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">First place in the 8 and under age group went to Rylee Guerriero with a score of 44. She is the first girl this year to win her age bracket, Williams pointed out. James Fitzmaurice took second place with a score of 46, and Nathan Eagleson came in third with a total of 50.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Aidan Walker was the first-place winner in the 9 to 15 age group, with a score of 35. Ryan Suarez, who came in second, and Bri Patten, awarded third place, both scored 37 points. Suarez won their playoff with a hole-in-one on the third hole.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Chris Scholl took first place with a score of 33 in the 16 and over age group, followed by Mark Travers, who was awarded second place for his score of 35. Third place went to Al Voytek, who finished the round with 37 strokes.</span></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">— Kelley Anne Essinger</span></strong></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This article was published in <a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/p/mini-golf-tournament-in-surf-city-draws-99-participants/1560213" style="display: inline; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The SandPaper</a>.</span></i></div>
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Seas the Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01234258466782391794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926133099800914660.post-21781403309574833562016-08-16T15:36:00.000-04:002016-09-06T18:07:47.014-04:00Barry’s Do Me a Flavor ‘is a part of people’s lives’<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Anyone who’s never been to <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2014/08/lbis-revival-after-superstorm-sandy.html">Barry’s Do Me a Flavor</a> might think it’s just an ice cream parlor. But the Beach Haven establishment, now in its 30th season, has expanded through the years to include a wide variety of flavorful food choices to suit everybody in the family, from a reasonably priced kids menu offering items such as grilled cheese ($4.99) and chicken fingers ($5.99) to salads, wraps, sandwiches, burgers, pizza, pasta and more.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/media/Common/TheSandPaper/2016/8/16/2116366/f-Barrys%2030%20Years%2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/media/Common/TheSandPaper/2016/8/16/2116366/f-Barrys%2030%20Years%2016.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Jack Reynolds</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Customers line up to place their orders.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The local restaurant, which thrives on repeat customers who can’t wait to come back every summer, is known for its Philly-style beef and chicken cheesesteaks. This summer, however, the fish tacos with beer-battered cod, grilled mahi-mahi or Baja shrimp have taken over as the most popular choice. The tacos were added to the menu seasons ago at the request of co-owner Nicole Baxter, proprietor Barry Baxter’s wife, who joined the business more than 10 years ago.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Though over the years Barry’s became known as an Island staple and a long-standing tradition for customers who are excited to catch a glimpse of Baxter in the restaurant or through a window in the kitchen, his interest in the business began to wane after 20 seasons, he said. He credits his wife’s keen awareness of current food trends and enthusiasm for trying new things for keeping him in business this long.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“When Nicole came along full time, she reinvigorated and re-inspired my interest in the restaurant,” Baxter said. “I probably would have been long gone by now if she hadn’t.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Baxter was fortunate to have family who helped him invest in the restaurant as a way for him to “get started” in life. His parents, Barry and Pat, had recently retired from Snuggery Dock, a former local marina they had owned for many years where Baxter worked as a kid, when they bought the business as equal partners in 1987.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Jack Reynolds</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">A server brings out an order of the<br />restaurant's popular cheesesteaks.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Baxter remembers coming to the building as a kid with his grandmother, when it operated as a yarn shop. It was originally built as a garage with an apartment above in 1929 and later became a public service garage followed by a dry cleaner’s and then an eatery.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When the family bought the restaurant in the ’80s, Do Me a Flavor, which it had already been named a few years before, was mainly an ice cream shop with a limited menu of food. Baxter set out to revamp the establishment by adding “Barry’s” to the name and incorporating some of his mother’s homemade recipes, some of which are still included on the menu. The menu is now about 20 percent ice cream and 80 percent food.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Wait service doesn’t exist at Barry’s, but staff serves up fresh, made-to-order food fast. Because of its counter ordering and self-seating services, wait times are usually minimal despite the often-packed inside and outside eating areas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Though breakfast isn’t on the menu, boat orders, which normally include such foods as pork roll and sausage sandwiches, are popular among people going out on water trips.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Another draw of the restaurant is its many employees who have worked there for years. Customers get excited to see the familiar faces, and the Baxters are happy to have devoted workers, the owners said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“We work side by side with these kids all day, every day,” said Nicole Baxter. “We couldn’t do it without them. They’re like family.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Baxters’ dedication to the restaurant means they’re there 24/7 throughout the season and often during the winter months. When the building took in 37 inches of water during Superstorm Sandy, they immediately set to work refurbishing the entire place despite not having flood insurance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“A lot of people don’t make it in this business, and to still be growing after 30 years is amazing,” said Baxter. “This is a part of people’s lives.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The couple lives above the restaurant with their 4½-year-old son, James, whom they’d like to eventually pass the business on to, if he’s interested.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“I hope that he chooses to be a doctor or a lawyer or a financier or whatever the case may be,” Barry Baxter said. “I hope he doesn’t choose this business, because it is hard. But if he should, hopefully that’ll be an option.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For now, James, who affectionately says he “owns the place,” seems to be happy answering the phone and helping to pass out menus and drop off customers’ orders.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While many diners have already made up their minds about what they’re having before stepping into the restaurant, new food additions continue to be introduced through daily specials. The items tend to follow food market trends, to cater to people’s current interests. Anything with avocado is especially popular right now. Chloe’s soft serve, made with fruit, water and a touch of cane sugar, was added this year for people who’d like to enjoy a frozen dessert that’s dairy-, fat- and gluten-free. Tofutti dairy-free “ice cream” is also available.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The restaurant offers take-out service and is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and even later for ice cream.</span></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">— Kelley Anne Essinger</span></strong></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This article was published in <a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/p/barry-s-do-me-a-flavor-is-a-part-of-people-s-lives/1559094" style="display: inline; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The SandPaper</a>.</span></i></div>
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Seas the Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01234258466782391794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926133099800914660.post-28051974805900023012016-08-15T15:24:00.000-04:002016-09-06T18:08:00.843-04:00Surf City against funding consolidation of Long Beach Island schools<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/media/Common/TheSandPaper/2016/8/15/2115469/f-EJ%20School%20Front4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/media/Common/TheSandPaper/2016/8/15/2115469/f-EJ%20School%20Front4.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Ryan Morrill</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">If the project goes through as currently planned, the<br />E.J. School in Surf City would need to be revamped.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">During Surf City Borough Council’s regular monthly meeting Wednesday, Aug. 10, members declined to adopt a resolution, suggested by the <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/06/new-surf-city-mayor-against-long-beach.html">Long Beach Island Board of Education</a>, in support of a referendum to fund the expansion and renovation of the <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/04/surf-city-wants-inaccessible-beaches-at.html">Ethel A. Jacobsen School</a> in Surf City for consolidation with the LBI Grade School in Ship Bottom. Before voting, Mayor Francis Hodgson said he would not personally approve the resolution, though he noted he would do so if council members directed him to.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The expansion and renovation of the E.J. School would be required in order to house the district’s entire student body. The district includes all of the Island’s municipalities except Beach Haven, which has its own school. The intended construction would cost nearly $16 million, according to the board’s latest plans.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Board members recently voted to permit DiCara/Rubino Architects of Wayne to put forward plans for the elementary school addition to the state <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2015/06/beach-haven-school-superintendent.html">Department of Education</a> with reference to a possible March 2017 referendum backing the project. At the board’s latest meeting, architect Joseph DiCara said that, if the referendum passes, it would translate to a $51 per year increase in taxes for the average home assessed at $600,000. But Michael Gross, Surf City’s chief financial officer, told council the tax increase would be closer to about $72 for the average assessed $600,000 home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“That isn’t chump change,” Councilman James Russell stated at the Surf City meeting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Those numbers, however, do not include proceeds from a sale of the grade school or any debt service assistance, which, DiCara has said, would both shrink the tax impact, as would, the board imagines, the consolidation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hodgson has suggested making some repairs to each of the schools to keep them open and then revisiting the plan in a few years. The mayor and fellow council members believe the schools can house all of the students. Though Hodgson said he was told earlier in the summer by the board that enrollment had decreased from last year, board President Jen Bott told <i>The SandPaper </i>that <span style="line-height: 16.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">she won’t know until the first week of school how enrollment will compare to last year.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Summer enrollment differs as parents register over the summer up to the week before school starts and sometimes before the first day of school,” she said. “As of June 2016 our enrollment was 234.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">She noted that enrollment was 236 as of May 31 and 234 as of June 21, the last day of school. Last year’s June enrollment was 229 students.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“As you can (see), the number fluctuates,” Bott stated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bott also noted that all of the district’s 43 projected School Choice spots are filled and there’s currently a waiting list. Surf City Council members believe bringing in students from outside districts is too costly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Beach Tidings: </strong>In other Surf City news, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) recently visited the area to check out the borough’s beaches following replenishment in the northern section of town. Councilwoman Jackie Siciliano said she was thankful he “made time out of his schedule” to meet with the town.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The replenishment project will wrap up in the borough over the next few weeks, with the installation of dune crossovers and fencing, said Councilman Peter Hartney.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As of Aug. 10, beach revenue topped $538,519, which is $11,444 ahead of last year at this time. As of last week, the borough had sold 105 more badges than last year, which Hartney said is attributable to an additional 460 preseason badges ($25) and 88 seasonal beach badges ($35). The sale of weekly badges, which increased $1 in price this year, had decreased by 240 badges.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The beach patrol plans to purchase four new rescue boards with help from a $5,000 donation from the family of Edgar Ryan, 13, of Pennsylvania, who was rescued by lifeguards last summer when a sand collapse rendered him unconscious. Russell noted some of the SCBP’s current boards are 20 years old.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Beach buggy permits go on sale Sept. 5, though beach buggies will be allowed on the beach only after Sept. 17.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Help Wanted: </strong>Siciliano noted the state <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/07/surf-city-exceeds-450000-in-beach.html">Department of Environmental Protection</a> is anticipated to set up an in-town meeting with local officials regarding the borough’s request to have the bay dredged in order to help with flooding.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Local homeowner David Mello expressed concern about the conversion of some commercial sites into residential properties. He suggested some “out of the box thinking” would be good for the business community.</span></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">— Kelley Anne Essinger</span></strong></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This article was published in <a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/p/surf-city-against-funding-consolidation-of-long-beach-island-schools/1558776" style="display: inline; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The SandPaper</a>.</span></i></div>
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Seas the Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01234258466782391794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926133099800914660.post-81872607417494148922016-08-11T16:38:00.000-04:002016-09-06T18:08:15.691-04:00Surf City's annual Sand Sculpture Contest ‘was a complete success’<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Jack Reynolds</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">The intricate 'Game of Thrones' Winterfell<br />castle takes a village of people to construct.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Approximately 120 people, ages 4 to 60, turned out to build a masterpiece on the beach last week during the <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/07/30th-annual-mini-golf-tournament-in.html">Surf City Taxpayer Association</a>’s annual Sand Sculpture Contest, held at 14th Street on Wednesday, Aug. 3. The event, sponsored by <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2012/07/first-time-waverunner-bravely-takes-on.html">Ron Jon Surf Shop</a>, has been held in the borough for over 25 years. This year, people came from as far as Canada to compete.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“It was a complete success,” said Jean Daniels, who has chaired the event the past eight years. “Weather was perfect, with a large amount of participants. People were having so much fun. The anticipation and smiles on the faces of the winners made it all worth it.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The sculptures spanned from the 13th through 15th street beaches. Participants had to build their sculptures using only natural products found on the beach. One of the most interesting pieces was the human octopus, featuring a young girl buried up to her waist with octopus tentacles constructed out of sand. Other attention-grabbing sculptures ranged from a small-scale version of the Barnegat Lighthouse, a mermaid decked out in colorful shells and Olympics-inspired monuments to <span style="line-height: 16.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">a giant American flag, sea turtle and snowman</span>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">First-place winners were Lydia from South Orange in the 5 and younger age group; Una Rvvd from Harrisburg, Pa., in the 6 to 10 age group; and Chris Hibberd of Surf City in the 15 and older age group. Adrianna, Sofia and Siena from Surf City received first place for the group category consisting of those 12 and younger. Teams Little Weirdos from NJ and The Winners from Sterling Heights, Mich., tied for first place in the all-ages group.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A total of 18 trophies were presented by the SCTA.</span></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">— Kelley Anne Essinger</span></strong></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This article was published in <a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/p/from-a-human-octopus-to-olympics-inspired-monuments-annual-sand-sculpture-contest-was-a-complet/1557757" style="display: inline; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The SandPaper</a>.</span></i></div>
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Seas the Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01234258466782391794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926133099800914660.post-17489873206887474382016-08-10T15:14:00.000-04:002016-09-06T18:08:29.799-04:00Barnegat resident one of 53 local kids to experience actual fire service training in junior fire academy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Melanie Parks</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Bryan Parks, 10, can't wait "to<br />put out a real fire" at the academy.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ten-year-old Bryan Parks has always dreamed of being a firefighter because he wants to “help and save people.” Now he’s getting the chance to undergo real-world training in the fire service.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Barnegat resident is one of 53 kids who will participate in the junior fire academy at the <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2014/05/stafford-twp-police-use-narcan-for.html">Ocean County Fire and EMS Training Center</a> in Waretown next week. The week-long program, started this summer by the Waretown Volunteer Fire Co., aims to prime the recruits for a possible future in the fire service as well as to help promote a stimulating and educational childhood.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“As a junior fire academy in an area completely served by volunteer firefighters, the recruits have an increased opportunity to become certified firefighters in the future,” said Brent Cunningham, Waretown fire chief, who decided to organize the program so local children could experience as many aspects of the fire service as possible. “The academy is also completely run by volunteers whose sole interest is in creating a community service experience that also offers a great deal of excitement,” he added.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Aug. 22 through Aug. 27, the trainees will be involved in a small-scale version of the actual fire academy training that firefighters undergo. The recruits will be divided into three battalions, with each containing two engine crews, a ladder crew and a rescue crew.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“All of this adds to the realism of the training,” said Cunningham.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Though many towns, including Waretown, have a junior police academy, Cunningham said he’d never heard of a local junior fire academy, and believed it would be an “excellent idea.” He reached out to the Ocean City Fire Department, which runs a similar program in that area.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“We began the program as a way to continue our connection and growth within our community,” Cunningham said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Parks, who “definitely” wants to be a volunteer firefighter when he’s of age, said he’s “looking forward to training like a real firefighter, and also to put out a real fire.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“I am sure he will love every aspect of this program,” said Parks’ mother, Melanie. “I am looking forward to him being able to experience up close the hard work and dedication it takes to be a firefighter in our community.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Parks and his fellow recruits will obtain instruction in fire behavior, basic first aid, search and rescue and fire suppression. Responsibility, personal accountability and the structure of the fire service will also be discussed. A presentation will be offered each day by special guest organizations, including the state police, <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/05/beach-haven-fire-co-officially-welcomes.html">New Jersey Forest Fire Service</a> and <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/07/firefighters-suffer-srom-heat.html">Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office</a>, among others. At the end of the academy the trainees will attend graduation at the firehouse.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Cunningham hopes the academy will inspire other volunteer fire companies to start their own junior fire academy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“In the volunteer fire service, it seems like too daunting of an undertaking to put something like this together, but it truly is capable of happening,” he stated. “As a teacher, I strongly feel that anything that can be given to the community, especially in the summer months, to educate and entertain the students is a huge positive that produces the sort of growth that we should all seek.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The junior fire academy is open to all area children who are entering fourth through sixth grades. If interest continues, Cunningham hopes to hold an additional program week for older kids next year.</span></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">— Kelley Anne Essinger</span></strong></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This article was published in <a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/p/barnegat-resident-one-of-53-local-kids-to-experience-actual-fire-service-training-in-junior-fir/1556187" style="display: inline; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The SandPaper</a>.</span></i></div>
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Seas the Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01234258466782391794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926133099800914660.post-70791759504703391062016-08-09T15:07:00.000-04:002016-09-06T18:08:48.844-04:00Local, county officials working together to remedy drainage problems in Beach Haven<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Water drainage issues in Beach Haven hopefully will be remedied soon as local officials will be meeting with county engineers to discuss ways to resolve the various problems, which have plagued the town for months. The town and county’s drainage systems are “intricately meshed together” with the main drains running down Bay Avenue and the county’s outfall pipes running into the bay, Borough Manager Richard Crane explained at the town council’s monthly meeting Monday, Aug. 8.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/media/Common/TheSandPaper/2016/8/9/2110474/f-Winter%20Storm%20Jan16%2005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/media/Common/TheSandPaper/2016/8/9/2110474/f-Winter%20Storm%20Jan16%2005.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Ryan Morrill</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Icebergs float down the main drag in Beach Haven<br />when Winter Storm Jonas clobbered LBI in January.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“When they don’t work, we don’t drain,” he stated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At first, town officials hadn’t been getting much help from the county engineer’s office, so Crane reached out to Freeholder </span><span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Deputy Director</span></span><span style="color: #545454; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 18.24px;">Gerry P. Little, who’s now helping to move the process along.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Crane noted that an outfall pipe at Ocean Street, where drainage has been “really, really bad,” had been fixed by county engineers when it collapsed during the winter, though drainage is still a problem in that region.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“It’s probably the worst area in town,” he said, adding that televising the system will hopefully help diagnose the issue.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Russel Hill, who lives at the corner of Ocean Street, told council members he’s been keeping a record of the drainage and he’d like to be involved in the discussions. The mayor said it would be “very helpful” for officials to look over his documents.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In other meeting news, Council Preisident Jim White said the lifeguards have been “inundated” with rescues due to rip currents. He shared details of a recent save of an unresponsive, 58-year-old male who was rescued from the water by lifeguards at Pearl Street with help from the local police and first aid squad.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“We’re so lucky to have them,” White said as the audience clapped in agreement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Crane noted lifeguard rescues through Aug. 7 totaled 158, with six EMS activation on-beach incidents, 13 EMS first-responder incidents and 139 first aid calls.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mayor Nancy Taggart Davis said many people are getting hurt riding the waves, which are breaking closer to shore due to beach replenishment. Though the issue will resolve itself over time, she said, the town may re-create a bay beach for toddlers and other small children to swim safely.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The mayor also suggested the town expand its lifeguard barracks since the housing has helped the borough secure well-trained individuals who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford the high cost of living on LBI.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Crane noted the total of sales for beach badges through Aug. 4 was $426,810. Though this may seem like a lot, the borough manager said last year’s total around this time of the season was nearly $20,000 more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Resident Scott Cunningham said he was “sorry” to hear the town has not accrued as much of a profit on beach badges, though he thinks it’s “not too much to ask” for locals to get a free badge.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">He also suggested construction on Saturdays from June 15 to Sept. 15 begin at 8 a.m. as opposed to the current 7 a.m. allowed start since many people are spending thousands of dollars a week to vacation in town.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Crane noted the rebidding for construction of the new municipal building project, which has been reworked to lower costs, has been pushed back a week, to Tuesday, Aug. 16, at 1 p.m., at the request of several of the bidders.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Council approved a number of ordinances and ordinance amendments on first reading, including the requirement of property owners to post their house number and the renewal of an agreement with Verizon to use various public streets for its communication needs, as well as to do away with a local canvass of dogs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Michael Peeler, who regularly attends the meetings, told council he disapproved of Gov. Christie’s fairness formula, which council showed support for that night via an adopted resolution. Though the proposed solution aims to provide tax fairness as well as better public education, Peeler believes it would adversely affect poorer districts. Davis, who noted the state has the highest property taxes in the country, said the formula should equalize the payments and help lower taxes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Peeler also said he believes the borough’s recently adopted smoking ban should include higher fines.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Local developer Bill Burris urged council to have the Town Club maintain its property. Burris helped develop the agreement, which he said requires the club to upkeep specific areas in town.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“If public works doesn’t do something and the Town Club doesn’t do something, I’m going to do something, and it’s going to involve all of us because they’re just not doing what they’re supposed to do,” he stated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mary Ann Hovan, who’s come before council many times regarding the overgrowth near her Dock Road home due to vacant properties that have not been maintained, thanked “whoever” finally cut the weeds around her house.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Councilman Don Kakstis noted that a fundraiser for Councilman Bob Keeler’s daughter, who was critically injured in a head-on car collision, will be held at Buckalew’s Restaurant and Tavern on Sept. 7, from 6 to 8 p.m. Donations can also be dropped off at borough hall. The mayor noted Keeler’s daughter may have to go through rehabilitation for two years.</span></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">— Kelley Anne Essinger</span></strong></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This article was published in <a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/p/local-county-officials-working-together-to-remedy-drainage-problems-in-beach-haven/1557211" style="display: inline; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The SandPaper</a>.</span></i></div>
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Seas the Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01234258466782391794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926133099800914660.post-35218954587329308172016-08-01T16:14:00.000-04:002016-09-06T18:17:00.709-04:00Federally funded Route 72 Bridges Project continues<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Crews continue work underneath the </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">bridge. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While there doesn’t seem to be much happening on the $3.5 million Route 72 Manahawkin Bay Bridges Project, work is continuing below the surface throughout the summer. Concrete beam repairs, painting and the cleaning of bridge bearings as well as earth grading near the bulkheads is being conducted underneath the original bridge.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The contract for the rehabilitation of that bridge is projected to be advertised by the end of the summer with construction beginning in the fall, according to Kevin Israel, a <a href="http://dashorek.blogspot.com/2016/06/route-72-bridge-shuttle-expected-to-be.html">New Jersey Department of Transportation</a> spokesman. Since the bridges project is federally funded, it is not affected by the current statewide shutdown, he noted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Although locals have spotted pedestrians and bicyclists crossing the original bridge, Israel told <i>The SandPaper</i> that the bridge is closed to all public traffic, including walkers and bikers. A shuttle service is being offered to transport pedestrians and bicyclists across the bridge. The shuttle schedule can be viewed <a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/p/route-72-bridge-shuttle-service-resumes-this-week/1542118" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_self">here</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Construction of a new parking lot on the north side of Bonnet Island (referred to as Cedar Bonnet Island in the project) is anticipated to resume in the coming weeks. All major earthwork in this area is complete. Landscaping will begin soon and continue through the fall.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“We want to remind the public that (Bonnet Island) is an active construction site and closed until further notice,” said Israel.</span></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">— Kelley Anne Essinger</span></strong></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This article was published in <a href="http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/p/federally-funded-route-72-bridges-project-continues/1553919" style="display: inline; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The SandPaper</a>.</span></i></div>
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Seas the Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01234258466782391794noreply@blogger.com0