The Gloucester City Tree and Beautification Committee presented a state award to City Council during last week\’s meeting.

The award had been received during the 15^th annual Green Community Achievement Awards Presentation in Cherry Hill October 27. It was part of the 82^nd annual Tree Federation Meeting sponsored by the NJ Tree Foundation.

The Gloucester City Tree and Beautification Committee was the only one in the state to receive this award, under the \”Civic Association Category.\”

The Committee is a volunteer-based group of residents advocating for community trees, and the group works cooperatively with City officials, the Public Works Department, and the residents to improve community safety, enhance neighborhoods through the planting of trees, and educating people about the benefits of their community forestry resources.

Gloucester City became a partner in the Foundation\’s Ten Cities Initiative in the spring 2005, by which City government established the tree committee, cooperatively adopted a five-year Community Forestry Plan, (approved by previous and current Mayor and Council), and hosted community tree planting events.

In two years, the NJ Tree Foundation and the Committee were able to work with hundreds of volunteers, plant more than 100 new shade trees, and provided a $25,000 match in donated items and labor to successfully complete the Initiative\’s requirements.

The initial contact was made in 2005, when Shannon Buckley of the Foundation made contact with the Public Works Supervisor Bowie Johnson and the Community Development Office Project Coordinator Eric Fetterolf. They met with Paul Kain, Clerk/Ad-ministrator, and Gina Dunphy, UEZ Coordinator.

Afterwards, Mayor and Council and recommended that the City proceed with developing the five-year Community Forestry Management Plan (CFMP).

Fetterolf contacted Mic-key Riggins, certified tree expert, who was already familiar with Gloucester City and its efforts.

Back in 1999, Riggins and Fetterolf worked together in the \”Gloucester Green\” program where a number of trees were purchased and planted on public lands (Proprietor\’s Park, Martins Lake, and the Fort Nassau/Jogging Track).

An additional 32 trees were purchased, delivered and planted by residents in their yards with additional being started by the Water Works Department.

The CFMP was approved by the state in April 2007.

The Tree and Beautification Committee was form-ed and initial active participants included members from the community, the City government and school officials. The people who had initial input on the CFMP and various tree events included residents Karen McKinney, Kate Sheridan, Dot Evans, Marylou Furfari, Kathy Brandt, and Carol Mahan, Cathy George, Joan Chal-mers, Maureen Knipp, Linda Lord, Louisa Llewellyn, Tom Gurick, Alison Maloney, Meghan O\’-Connor, Dorothy Stanitis, Charles Kain, James \”Bow-ie\” Johnson, Fred Schin-dler, Paul Kain, Gina Dunphy and Thomas Kilcourse.

Later, more people came to the meetings to help, including Frank Wunsch, Tisa Batchelor, Christie Cooper, Dave Stallwood, Susan Hathcock, and Patrick Keating.

In January 2006, the committee selected Chairperson Frank Wunsch, Vice Chairperson Marylou Furfari, Treasurer Dot Evans, PR/Marketing Tisa Batchelor and Acting Secretary Eric Fetterolf.

In January 2007, the committee selected Chairperson Tisa Batchelor, Vice Chairperson Marylou Furfari, Treasurer Karen McKinney, PR/Marketing Susan Hathcock and Acting Secretary Eric Fetterolf. Other members include residents Adrienne Scheick, Dori Wakso, Kathy Hauckes, Mike Sheridan, Bruce Marks, Jesse and Harriet Torres, and John Schmidt.

The Committee currently has six members who completed the initial NJ Department of Forestry and Shade Tree Federation Core Training: Eric Fetterolf, Dot Evans, Frank Wuncsh, Marylou Fufari, Adrienne Scheick and Kat-hy Hauckes. Three Public Works employees, Dylan Moore, Alex Tedesco and William Rusk, also completed the initial training.

Committee member Ad-rienne Scheick and Gabe Parent (representing City Engineer Remington & Vernick) are working on completing a Tree Inventory for the City of all street trees. Tisa Batchelor, and others are putting together a plan for an Arboretum at Proprietor\’s Park.

Karen McKinney and others are planning a workshop in the Spring. Adrienne is also putting together a brochure and a list of optimum tree specials.

The Committee, planted some beautiful mums at the Lady Statue at the Proprietor\’s Park. The flowers came from the Gloucester City Water Works Plant.

The committee is also raising funds for the restoration of the iron lady and received their first $51.00 in donations during a recent park festival.

The Committee worked with the local Cub and Boy Scouts in remulching trees at Proprietor\’s Park and planting trees in various parts of the City. Unfortunately, in May 2007, vandals broke branches and damaged some of the new trees on Nicholson Road and most of the new trees on Broadway. The committee is offering a $100 reward for information that will lead to an arrest of an individual(s) that damaged those trees.

One recent accomplishment was that members judged decorations provided by organizations for the 12 spruce trees near the Municipal Complex during the holiday festival. The Committee has made recommendations for hanging baskets, more benches, and black wrought-iron fencing for the Broadway and Monmouth area.

Finally, at last week\’s Council meeting, the committee presented a letter to Mayor and Council asking the city to contact PSEG and their subcontractor(s) to temporarily cease pruning trees by the utility wires in the city until the city and committee can meet with PSEG and/or their subcontractor to go over the pruning techniques and standards that are supposed to be used.

There is a real need for additional volunteers to serve on the Committee.

Those with a green thumb, or who enjoy beautifying the City, contact Eric Fetterolf at 456-7105 or [email protected]. information can be viewed on the city website, www.cityofgloucester.org.

The committee meets the second Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at 313 Monmouth St. The next meeting is February 14.

 

It is apparent for some time the Gloucester City Board of Education has held back televising the video recordings of controversial meetings. In other words they censor what you and I can see. Don’t believe the excuse that the equipment the school uses is not compatible with Channel 19’s equipment.

With today’s technology that is untrue and the board members/administration are well aware of that fact.

You would have thought the Board would have learned something from the Gorman and Kilcourse administrations who also concealed information from the public by not televising council meetings. It is obvious they did not.

Following the January school board meeting a letter was posted on ClearysNoteBook from a \”Concerned Gloucester City School Board member\”.

The first paragraph read, \”This Gloucester City Board of Education member would like to set the record straight. The Board of Education has no control over what meetings are shown on the Local cable Channel 19.\” The individual asked not to publish his/her name because of the consequences he/she would suffer for voicing a public opinion. read letter

If the Board of Education has no control over what meetings are televised then who does? And why was the individual afraid to sign his name. Who is controlling what Board members can say to the public? Don’t we vote these individuals into office to represent our best interest? What else is being with held?

For years in Gloucester City there has been a long standing practice by both members of the school board and city council to \”sanitize\” what the public was told. The new City Council members ran on a platform of \”keeping the public informed\”. Good or Bad news would be released to the media. I believe that was one of the reasons they (James, Marchese, Brophy) were elected in 2006.

At a closed door meeting held in January, the Board voted in favor of televising meetings beginning this month. No doubt much credit should be given to the new Superintendent of Schools, Paul Spaventa for convincing those who were against the idea that they were making a mistake. (read media release)

Incidentally some of those who were against the new policy said if the public was interested in school district matters then they should attend the meeting in person. The Stansky’s administration may be over. But it is obvious there are still members of her regime on the board that continue to believe in her philosophy of keeping the public in the dark.

It would behoove the opposing members to read what Cherry Hill Mayor Bernie Platt told a reporter from the Courier Post recently about his decision to air council meetings on television. \”I believe people who work late or cannot make it to town hall for public meetings should not be blacked out of the process. They deserve to see the business of their municipality and the actions of their elected officials.\”

Good for you Mayor Platt!

Gloucester City residents need to get involved in the operation of their $40 million school district. It is obvious some drastic changes are needed. New people willing to fight for our rights need to be elected. You showed your power two years ago when you threw out the old Democrat regime. We need that same determination this year on April 15 when the school election will be held.

It all begins with a strong coalition of people who think alike. People who want to make a difference in our community. It is your turn to step up to the plate and fight for reform.

The deadline for filing nominating petitions to run for school boards is 4 p.m. Feb. 25. Prospective school board candidates can obtain a School Board Candidate Kit online from the New Jersey School Boards Association at www.njsba.org/candidacy or from local school district offices. School board members serve three-year terms.

To comment: www.clearysnotebook.com

Related: Chuckles

source http://www.app.com

The talk last fall was of minimum sizes of 19 to 20 inches with a possession limit of two or three fish and a short season. It has not come to that yet.

The state Division of Fish and Wildlife has submitted six proposals to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission that it feels will meet the necessary cutback.

The proposal that might agree with most anglers in the state is a season running from May 24 through Sept. 8 with an eight-fish limit and an 18 1/4-inch minimum size. A couple of other proposals that will draw some support are a season running from June 28 through Sept. 8 with a two-fish limit and a 17 1/4-inch minimum, and a season running from July 4 through Sept. 2 with a 17 1/4-inch minimum and an eight-fish limit.

The ASMFC\’s summer flounder board will rule on the six proposals next week, and, if approved, they will then come back to be discussed by fishermen and one will be picked as final by the state Marine Fishery Management Council.

The rules in 2007 were a season running from May 26 through Sept. 10 with a 17-inch minimum and an eight-fish possession limit.
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Springfield, MA…The College of New Jersey wrestling team collected its seventh straight dual meet victory on Sunday as the 20^th-ranked Lions handled host Springfield College by the score of 21-13.

TCNJ started its current streak with a win over the Pride with the most recent victory putting them at 17-3 for the season. This is the longest win streak the Lions have put together this season after opening the season with six straight triumphs.

The win by the Lions also denied the Pride the chance to become the fourth school in NCAA history to earn their 900th career victory.

Things got off to a good start for TCNJ as freshman Dan Hughes (Delran, NJ/Delran) opened with a win at 125 and then senior Ray Sarinelli (Rockaway, NJ/West Morris) followed with a technical fall win at 133.

The Pride closed the gap to 8-6 after winning the next two weight classes, but the Lions posted wins in the next four bouts to keep their win streak alive.

Sophomore Dan DiColo (Budd Lake, NJ/Mt. Olive) started that run with a decision at 157 before junior Al Wonesh (Columbus, NJ/North Burlington) pulled out a 3-1 decision in the tiebreaker at 165. At 174, freshman Justin Bonitatis (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill East) collected a 7-1 victory and junior Greg Osgoodby (Waldwick, NJ/Waldwick) added a major decision at 184 giving the Lions a solid 21-6 advantage.

Springfield then won the final two bouts making the final 21-13.

With his win at 174 pounds, Bonitatis picked up his team-leading 30^th win of the season.

The Lions return to action next weekend with their final two dual meets of the season. TCNJ will head to the University of Scranton on Saturday to take on the host Royals as well as the Lakers of Oswego State.

Match-by-Match Recaps

TCNJ 21, Springfield College 13

125 lbs: Dan Hughes (T) dec. Casey Leslie (S), 9-4

133 lbs: Ray Sarinelli (T) tech fall Eddie Giron (S), 23-7 (6:28)

141 lbs: Jamie Sgaglione (S) dec. Chris Prihoda (T), 6-5

149 lbs: Chris DeBlock (S) dec. John Barnett (T), 3-2

157 lbs: Dan DiColo (T) dec. Erik Delahanty (S), 5-2

165 lbs: Al Wonesh (T) dec. Jake Tyler (S), 3-1 TB1

174 lbs: Justin Bonitatis (T) dec. Victor Stanzaile (S), 7-1

184 lbs: Greg Osgoodby (T) major dec. Anthony Scarpetti (S), 14-2

197 lbs: John Rango (S) major dec. Jim Tomczuk (T), 9-0

285 lbs: Chris Brown (S), dec. Steve Carbone (T), 3-2

-30-

Janet E. McCann (nee Ailes) age 82 years of Gloucester City died Friday Feb. 1, 2008, in Cooper Hospital, Camden.

Mrs. McCann was born and raised in Paulsboro and lived there for many years before moving to Gloucester City twenty years ago. She enjoyed reading and traveling to the casinos with her daughter.

She is survived by her children, Michele and Jim Miller of Paulsboro, Michael Wethman, and her stepdaughter, Teresa Pettolina of Westville; her grandchildren, Adam and Jennifer Miller and Jim and Kelli Miller; two great-grandchildren and her sister, Edythe Lukas of Gibbstown.

Cremation will be private and at the convenience of the family.

Arrangements under the direction of McBRIDE – FOLEY FUNERAL HOME, Paulsboro. Memories can be shared at www.mcbridefoleyfh.com.
Published in the Gloucester County Times on 2/3/2008.

source www.sjquest.com
This stretch of the Delaware encompasses over thirty miles of prime smallmouth habitat and is part of the nearly seventy-five mile long Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River.

By: Joe Demalderis

The sky was just overcast enough to give the feeling the fishing was going to be exceptional, but not enough clouds to cause any immediate concern for rain gear. The July air was heavy. The water was crystal clear and as it tumbled over the rocks it looked a lot colder than it was. A trout fisherman at heart, the colder the better is often my thought when it comes to summertime trout fishing. It was a good thing I wasn\’t trout fishing because the water warm enough to wet wade.

All spring, fly fishermen from throughout the east make the trek to the Upper Delaware River hoping to catch one of the glory hatches and maybe a few of the hard fighting wild rainbows or browns that make the river their home. On their way, many fishermen drive by another stretch of the river that has its own challenging wild fishery. The area I\’m talking about is between Narrowsburg and Port Jervis, NY and the fish is the smallmouth bass.
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BY SARA MARTINO

According to a sports survey taken in the late 1960\’s, fans chose professional football as their \”favorite\’ sport. Leagues at that time spent $7 million to sign their draft choices.
Also, in that decade, Gloucester City residents chose Carr\’s Hardware as their favorite store for purchasing necessities at a decent price to keep their \”favorite\” place –HOME- in good repair.
Frank Carr, Sr. and family, who lived on Hudson Street, opened Carr\’s Hardware in 1966. The store was located at that time on Monmouth Street.
Frank, Sr. met his wife to be at the Hampton House, a dance hall in Oaklyn, married Jean and had three children. Son, Frank Carr III, daughters, Kathy and Sue along with their mother all continue to serve their customers in a friendly manner. The store moved to 22 Monmouth Street in 1974.

source http://blog.markmatthews.com

 

Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services has the listing for Bellmawr Manor, a 208-unit apartment community in Bellmawr, N.J. The complex has an asking price of $12.75 million, or $61,298 per unit.

Donald MacLaren, a director in the firm\’s Philadelphia office, and Nat Gambuzza, a senior associate in the company\’s New Jersey office, are representing the seller.

The apartment complex is located at 1020 Kings Highway and contains 140,225 square feet. It consists of 12 two-story buildings on 8.4 acres and a unit mix of 141 one-bedroom and 67 two-bedroom apartments.

Address: 1020 Kings Highway, Bellmawr, N.J.

Size: 208 units