The BERKELEY Times Vol. 28 - No. 47
In This Week’s Edition
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
WOBM Pit Preserved As Open Space
Color Run Brightens Up Serious Subject
BREAKING NEWS @
jerseyshoreonline.com
Government Page 8
Community News Pages 9-19
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 16
Inside The Law Page 19
─Photos by Chris Lundy Runners got a splash of color at different stations along the one-mile route. (Inset): Activities for kids included making slime and doing crafts.
By Chris Lundy BERKELEY – It’s a subject most people don’t want to talk about: mental health. It can be a sad and scary place, made worse by how our society treats “crazy” people and tells them they are weak if they ask for help. The only way to deal
with a dark subject is to shine light on it. Educate. Take away the stigma. That’s why Veterans Park in Bayville was alive with a Color Run on a brilliant Saturday morning. Participants t rek ked a one-mile course around the park, (Color - See Page 4)
25 Homeless Permanently Housed This Winter By Chris Lundy TOMS RIVER – Just Believe Inc. shared their statistics for the 2022-2023 season when they care for the homeless during the winter months, including helping 25 of them find permanent housing. Just Believe is a nonprof it that r uns the Code Blue shelter in Riverwood Park, which
opens it s doors on nights when temperatures approach freezing. They were open 81 nights, according to CEO Paul Hulse. Although the park is i n Toms R iver, the unhoused population comes from all over Ocean County. They had 147 different people stay for a total of 1,620 nights. But it’s
not just about shelter for one night, it’s about finding out what issues they are having so that they can be referred to organizations that help. For example, there were 75 referrals for various services. There were 35 people who applied for Section 8 vouchers. Eleven people found temporary housing. A rental car was secured
for one guest. Ten people entered a facility for substance abuse or mental health. Three went to a sober living home. Five people relocated out of state. Six found gainful employment. Nine people were denied access due to behavior or needing a higher level of care; they were instead provided emer-
Quinn Hopping Funeral Home BURIALS | ENTOMBMENTS | CREMATIONS PRE-PLANNING without OBLIGATION Sara G. Toland, Manager • N.J. Lic. No. 4906
26 Mule Road, Toms River | 732-240-3800 | Quinn-HoppingFH.com
May 6, 2023
gency housing elsewhere. Hulse thanked Fulfill, A Need We Feed, and a number of local restaurants for providing meals. In addition to the big stuff like food and housing, there were also smaller things that helped people feel good, like (Homeless - See Page 6)
By Chris Lundy and Bob Vosseller BERKELEY - More than 46 acres of land off Route 9, in the area commonly known as the WOBM pit, will be preserved using Ocean County Natural Lands Trust funds. The fund is fueled by an open space tax on all properties in the county. The purchases are on Route 9 and Grant Concourse, and owned by two different owners. They were bought for $1.9 million and $1,050,000 respectively. “This is a key acquisition for the natural lands trust program. We worked closely with Berkeley Tow nsh ip
in order to preserve this property,” Ocean County Commissioner Virginia E. Haines said. She is the liaison to the County’s open space program. Berkeley Township Mayor Carmen Amato and Council President John A. Bacchione extended their appreciation on behalf of the township to the Board of Commissioners noting this was an important purchase for both the Township and the County. “We appreciate the County’s ongoing efforts to preserve land as open space. Working together, this land will now forever be (WOBM - See Page 5)
Millions In Taxes Might Come To Towns By Chris Lundy BERKELEY - Legislation is underway that would return millions of dollars in taxes to towns that are owed money from the state. The taxes in question are the Energy Tax Receipts. Years ago, utility companies paid the towns taxes for these poles. After all, a pole is property in town and therefore subject to property tax. Then, at some point, the state started collecting the money to distribute
to the towns. Except the state spent that money instead. “You’re talking millions of dollars that should have gone to municipalities,” Mayor Carmen Amato said. The state is “flush with billions of extra dollars” so he hoped that this bill could pass so some of that money can go back to where it belonged. He noted that it didn’t matter whether the Republicans or Democrats (Taxes - See Page 6)
DIRECT CREMATION $1995 Includes: arrangement conference, removal from place of death, alternative container Batesville ccbmdfc, transfer to crematory, crematory fee
“We are dedicated to exceeding expectations and delivering a standard of service that is 100% guaranteed.”