The BRICK Times Vol. 24 - No. 50
In This Week’s Edition
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
Volunteers Team Up To Clean Local Beaches
BREAKING NEWS @
jerseyshoreonline.com
Government Page 7
Community News Page 8-12
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 16
Inside The Law
Photos by Alyssa Riccardi Volunteers came out in rainy weather to clean their local parks and beaches By Alyssa Riccardi JERSEY SHORE – Despite the cold and rainy weather, hundreds of volunteers hit the beach to pick up litter or harmful debris found at the Jersey shore. The bi-annual initiative is a part of Clean Ocean Action’s (COA) Beach Sweeps, which celebrated their 40th Beach Sweeps on April 12. Clean Ocean Action is a leading national and regional voice working to protect waterways using science, law, research, education and citizen action. Their Beach Sweeps are held every April and October and are the state’s largest volunteer driven,
citizen science and environmental event. The goal of the Beach Sweeps is to make beaches safer for marine life and more enjoyable for people. Volunteers strive for difference in the community while joining in on the beachy-clean fun. Unlike other cleanups, volunteers keep record of each piece of debris on COA’s data card. Collected data is monitored for trends and analyzed (Beach Clean Up - See Page 4)
Page 15
The Old Man On The Bay’s Miraculous Rescue
Photo by Stephanie Faughnan John Mazzi stands in front of his boat while holding the clamming rake that helped save his life after 12 hours on the Barnegat Bay.
By Stephanie Faughnan WARETOWN - For 70-year-old John Mazzi of Ocean Gate, fishing has never been just a job - it’s been his whole life. “I’ve been fishing since I was six,” he said. “The only time I ever stopped was when I served in the Air Force. Fishing is my livelihood, my recreation - my life.” Self-proclaimed as the “Old Man on the Bay,” Mazzi knows Barnegat Bay like the lines on his weathered hands. But on Wednesday, April 9, the water turned against him. What began as a routine clamming trip turned into a multi-hour fight for survival, as Mazzi stood stranded on a sandbar, soaked, freezing, and surrounded (Rescue - See Page 5)
April 19, 2025
Some Business Start-Up Fees Still Waived By Judy Smestad-Nunn BRICK - In 2015, the governing body passed the Storefront Revitalization Program to encourage small businesses to come to Brick and occupy vacant storefronts. The ordinance was renewed in 2017, 2019, 2022 and now in 2025, the council voted unanimously to extend the ordinance, which includes waiving fees for business owners who renovate an existing vacant commercial property. Some 30 new businesses have opened and taken advantage of the program since its inception, said Mayor Lisa Crate during a recent Township Council meeting. The Business and Finance Committee recommended renewing the ordinance, which had expired. The renewal extends the waiver through December 31, 2025, she said. “In this ordinance, the township is encouraging any new businesses looking to fi ll any commercial vacant space under 5,000 square feet that has been vacant for at least a year to open for business,” she said. During the portion of the meeting where the public can comment on the ordinance, resident and business owner Charlie Bacon said he looks at fees as part of startup costs for a business coming into a town. He said most businesses consider opening in a town by the length of time it would take to build and how the business is tailored for that town’s demographic. Bacon questioned a line in the ordinance that says “we’ve determined that the waiver of the fee has successfully encouraged property owners.” He said when he hears the word “encouraged,” he wonders if the 30 businesses came to Brick due solely to the Storefront Revitalization Program. “Do we have that statistic? And how much of tax dollars are spent on this year over year?” he asked. “Before this is approved, I feel that there should be some type of proof that somebody came into this town specifically because we waived a fee.” (Fees Waived - See Page 4)
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