The JACKSON Times Vol. 20 - No. 43
In This Week’s Edition
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
BlueClaws 2024 Season Now At Bat Superintendent To Lawmakers: State Cuts Hurting Kids
BREAKING NEWS @
Photo by Bob Vosseller Several youngsters take a glimpse of the ShoreTown Ball Park jerseyshoreonline.com
Government Pages 7
Community News Pages 8-11
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 12
Classifieds Page 19
April 13, 2024
By Bob Vosseller JERSEY SHORE – Spring is in the air and opening night for the Jersey Shore BlueClaws had the minor league baseball team in full action at the ShoreTown Ballpark in Lakewood for another exciting season. The BlueClaws are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They faced off against the Aberdeen IronBirds in a home game on April 5. A few days earlier,
BlueClaws General Manager Bob McLane and Vice President of Communications Greg Giombarrese hosted a pre-season kickoff event to showcase what was in store for fans and visitors this spring and summer. Tours were conducted for visitors throughout the day and BlueClaws Director of Partnership Services Zack Nicol, Sr. was busy providing one to a family who got an overview of the field from one of the 16 luxury suites. “This is a nice first look at the ballpark. I think
there was 5,800 and something seats here. There are also picnic areas and our party decks. We got new ownership in 2018 so we have a whole lot of new stuff here,” he said. Nicol added, “we have a nine-hole mini-golf course at right field. I can’t name any other team that has that so that is pretty cool. Center field has trailers that open up to be boardwalk games - hoop shots, balloon darts, and ring toss. We have some inflatable attractions as well. That is our kid’s area.”
He noted the adult area includes “our sand bar where we have our thirsty Thursdays and summer concert series. This is a really cool ball park. When you come to a game, make sure you check out all the places. There is so much going on here that people aren’t sitting in their seats as much.” Nicol said that “we started revamping these luxury suites and we are looking to revamp all of them in the next handful of years. They hold typically between 20 to 25 people. You have the outdoor and indoor seating so this is great if it is raining or cool. There is a TV in here, you can do your own catering, you have your own suite server. Depending on the time of year you’re looking at between $600 to $800 range to rent it out for a game.” Another recent addition is a shore themed bar and food area inside the stadium near the entry areas (Blue Claws See Page 4)
By Bob Vosseller JACKSON – Superintendent Nicole Pormilli recently testified before the Senate Budget Committee Hearings to urge for change to the state’s S-2 funding formula and to clarify why the school district needs to seek a second loan to balance its budget for the next school year. S-2 is the name of a law that took state aid away from some districts like Jackson and sent it to other school districts. The cuts started several years ago and get deeper every year. Pormilli said the state aid reductions for the previous six years totaled $18 million, “forcing us to request a $13 million loan from the Department of Education for the current 2023-2024 school year.”
“We are currently awaiting distributions from that loan in April, as we will no longer be able to pay our bills by May,” she said. She said that for the 2024-2025 school year, “we were bracing for a $806,460 S-2 aid cut and learned we would instead be cut by $4.4 million - which is 15% of our current level of state aid. This means Jackson will have lost $22.4 million in total over the last seven years.” “This significant cut will force us to seek another loan from the DOE to support our 24-25 budget as making any additional cuts to our staff or programs will make it impossible to provide the students (SuperintendentSee Page 4)
Residents Have Environmental Concerns
Photo by Bob Vosseller Last year Oakford Lake in New Egypt was the subject of a study brought forward by the township Environmental Committee.
By Bob Vosseller PLUMSTED – Two meetings of the township’s Environmental Committee were held recently, one of which focused on the issue of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) contamination and featured guests from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JBMDL).
Mayor, Police Chief Urge Public To Report Suspicious Activity The U.S. Department
of Defense is conducting investigations at hundreds of military bases across the country concerning the chemical used for firefighting by the military for decades, but the chemical byproducts of the substance have been associated (Environment See Page 5)
By Bob Vosseller JACKSON – You’ve heard the expression, “if you see something, say somet h i ng,” i n regards to suspicious activity. Officials reminded residents to ke e p t hat mot t o i n mind. Mayor Michael Reina issued an urgent
war ning on April 8 t o a l l m e m b e r s of t he com mu n it y “ to remain vigilant and cautious.” He noted, that “over the past few weeks, there have been repor ted i ncidents of burglaries, break-ins, car and bicycle thefts within our vicinity.”
“As your mayor, I take the safet y and securit y of Jackson residents ver y seriously. We implore everyone to stay aware of their surroundings and repor t any suspicious activities or individuals immediately to the local police
LOCAL NEWS, EVENTS & ADVERTISING SOLUTIONS
(Police - See Page 14)