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THE TOP LOCAL STORIES OF 2006
The Brick Times Looks Back At The Top Stories We Covered Last Year
By Eric San Juan
It has not been an easy year for Brick Township. Butting heads, political fighting and allegations of corruption - not to mention the sudden resignation of the town's longtime mayor - have made 2006 a big year for Brick. And not necessarily in a good way. In the following feature, we look back at the biggest local news stories covered by The Brick Times, stories our editorial staff feels are the biggest, most important and most interesting events we covered in the last year, presented in a rough chronological order. These are our top stories of 2006.
Time Is On Their Side
It did not take long for 2006 to get off to a raucous start. In January, Mayor Joseph Scarpelli and the township council were already butting heads over the municipal budget.
When Scarpelli did not present the council with an in-progress version of the budget by the state's January 15 deadline, the council pressed him for it. They wanted it now, as required by the law, they said.
But that was a law most towns skirted, members of the administration countered; this was how it had always been done. Better to present the council with a fully working document than something half-finished, Scarpelli said.
The documents would eventually be delivered, the budget eventually passed and business would return to normal - but the debate certainly got things off to a heated start. And the year was just getting warmed up.
Show Me The Money
Brick Township has prided itself in recent years for buying undeveloped land for preservation, but in February the smiles were for quite the opposite when the town agreed to sell a 23-acre parcel off Chambers Bridge Road. Plans call for some 300 luxury senior condos on that land, located behind the post office.
Any sting from the development was easily offset by the $12.1 million the township gained with the sale.
A windfall like that was exactly what the plan township officials had in mind. A community center had at one point been planned for the site, but the purchase of the Foodtown property on Route 70, speculated as the future site of a community center, made the Chambers Bridge Road property redundant, township officials said. Better to sell it and use the windfall for tax stabilization, they argued.
That's just what the township did. Approvals for construction were gained and the property was put out to bid. Just two bidders threw their hat into the ring, a fact lamented by Councilman Steven Acropolis, and the township gained $12.1 million.
The next time you'll hear about this story? When ground is broken for the condos set to go up on the property.
No One Rides For Free
Brick Township is facing a problem faced by communities across New Jersey: Emergency services volunteers are hard to come by. With slowing volunteerism on the local first aid squads comes a slowing ability to respond quickly. It's no fault of those who do volunteer - there is only so much a small handful of people can do - it is just the reality of the changing face of the state.
Officials in town sought to address that early in the year as they continued pursuing a project a long time coming: creating a paid, townshiprun EMS squad.
After being discussed for several years, things began to happen in a big way this year. Personnel were hired. Ambulances drafted. Plans put in place. A township EMS unit is a reality. They will enhance and support the role of Brick's volunteer squads.
But such services do not come for free, which is why a third-party service will be billing your medical insurance or other coverage if you're unfortunate enough to need a trip by ambulance. And that's news worth noting.
Something In The Water?
When March opened, several seemingly unrelated issues were intertwined for what became a lengthy debate on water quality issues in the Metedeconk, the Stavola plant on Chambers Bridge Road and the best location for a community center.
During a lengthy council meeting, representatives of the Brick Township Municipal Utilities Authority (BTMUA) made a presentation concerning elevated PCE levels in a nearby BTMUA water intake, implying (even while denying) that there may be a link to the nearby Stavola plant.
Stavola officials, of course, scoffed at the vague implication, while Councilman Michael Thulen struggled to figure out how Stavola could be pointed to as a possible source of the PCE in one breath, and then dismissed as the source in the next. Contradiction seemed to rest upon contradiction.
Unspoken was the idea openly making the rounds at the time: That the township should acquire the Stavola plant, either through purchase or condemnation, and use it for the long-discussed community center. Acropolis himself said the plant had "outlived its usefulness in Brick." Was there something more at work than water quality concerns? The answer remains unclear.
For the time being, the matter has been dropped, but does this portend more news for 2007? Only time will tell.
The Song Remains The Same
Is it really news when the voters shoot down a school budget? Not these days it isn't.
In April, voters once again said no to a school budget and its accompanying tax increase, this one proposed at 11.6 cents on the tax rate, or $154 annually on a home assessed at $133,000.
The vote against was not close, coming in at 4,163 votes to 3,428. Voters' message was clear: No more taxes.
As per state law, the budget was sent to the township council for review and possible revision. Far from making the token cuts often seen during this process, the council laid into the budget with a machete, slashing some $1.2 million from the school district's spending plan and trimming 2.7 cents from the tax rate increase.
The cuts did not go over well with school officials, marking another year of budget-time contention between the township and schools.
If history is any guide, such may be the case in 2007, too.
Got Out Scott Free
In May of 2006, Scott MacFadden left town hall.
After 21 years with the township, most of them spent as the Business Administrator of one of New Jersey's most populated communities, MacFadden accepted a job as president of Birdsall Engineering, one of the largest engineering firms in the state.
In many ways, his departure marked the end of an era for Brick Township. MacFadden recalled road projects, SummerFest, open space and lengthy debates on policy. He had been known as outspoken, thorough, innovative, efficient, acerbic and a slew of other adjectives. Having served 13 years under Mayor Joseph Scarpelli, the two served as the very public faces of the administration.
But MacFadden departed for new pastures. Chief Financial Officer Scott Pezarras replaced him as interim business administrator, and as of this writing was fully appointed to the position going forward. And so Scott replaced Scott.
Building Bridges
Started in 2005 and completed this year, a 1,168-foot bit of news will play a part in your life for years to come.
We're talking about the new Mantoloking Bridge, which was opened in June, much to the delight of motorists in the area and bay-loving boaters.
Thanks to the federal government, the $22 million project did not burden local taxpayers, either. The feds footed the entire bill.
The new span replaced one built in 1938. With the shore area bursting at the seams, and more and more boats demanding passage beneath it, the old structure just wasn't pulling its weight anymore.
Now the bridge can handle more traffic. More importantly, because of its height, it will have fewer openings each day to let boats pass beneath it, meaning fewer traffic jams.
And fewer traffic jams is good news by any measure.
Keeping Your Doors Locked?
For the last five years, township officials have proudly touted the fact that Brick Township ranked high on Morgan Quitno Press' rankings of the safest cities in America.
This year, the news got even better when Brick scored the top ranking, making your community the safest city in the United States according to Morgan Quitno's survey of murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft.
Population requirements come into play. The rankings are for cities with more than 75,000 people, which Brick passed in the 2000 Census. And it doesn't mean you won't get bumped into at the supermarket. But safest city in America? Now that's news.
Say It Ain't So, Joe
Was there any bigger news in Brick Township in 2006 than the sudden resignation of longtime mayor Joseph Scarpelli? Not just the biggest news in Brick, it was the biggest news in the county, and noteworthy statewide.
Scarpelli had been mayor since 1994. While 2005 was razor close, he had won his previous two elections by sweeping margins. Few area mayors were more visible. His was a name to be reckoned with in regional politics. He had been dogged by some blows to his public image in recent years, and his sub-200-vote margin of victory in his 2005 reelection signaled that his time as a powerhouse may be coming to a close, but he was still mayor Joseph Scarpelli.
And then in early December, Scarpelli shocked the township when he abruptly stepped down. His resignation came in a simple, vague, onesentence letter that left a slew of questions in its wake.
Why did he resign? What prompted his decision? Was there any link to an ongoing FBI probe into the inner workings of town hall?
Those questions remain unanswered. As this story goes to press, it is unclear who will replace Scarpelli in the coming year. But one thing is for certain: This story is not over yet.
How much bigger this story will get in 2007 is anyone's guess.
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