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Officials Say Goodbye To 2006; Look Back On Tough Year
By Catherine Snipe
Goodbye, 2006.
For Brick, it was a year with the highs of being named the nation's safest city, and the lows of having a mayor resign and of the FBI subpoena of township records.
During last week's reorganization meeting, township officials reflected on the year, though the focus of several speeches was the move forward into 2007.
"We have a lot of challenges in front of us," said council president Stephen Acropolis, who returns to the president's chair. "I hope to live up to this
responsibility."
In regard to 2006, Acropolis said, "I'm glad we got through it."
Politically, the year ended tumultuously, with the resignation of longtime mayor Joseph Scarpelli.
However, township officials said the transition is going well so far, in that township clerk Virginia Lampman easily transitioned to be the acting mayor. She is very familiar with day to day operations, said councilman Anthony Matthews.
Matthews served as council president last year, and looked back over a year filled with his own personal issues, including undergoing two surgeries and a death in the family.
The year also saw stalled projects, such as the Edgewood Properties plans for a Route 70 "lifestyle mall," on Route 70 across from Lowe's. Major issues continued to arise at Laurelton Mobile Home Park, too. In addition, residents piled into council chambers to protest a traffic-calming circle at Spruce- wood and Ashwood drives.
But ultimately, Matthews said the year showed Brick is improving.
"It is a year spent in hard work," Matthews said, "and it's kept Brick Township moving in the right direction."
Amid the trying times this year, it was great colleagues that carried him through, Matthews said.
"When you're surrounded by something wonderful, you can't help but enjoy yourself."
And Brick did have a lot to enjoy this year, he said. Morgan Quitno Press' rankings of cities with more than 75,000 residents put Brick as the safest in the nation, a big boasting point for the community.
"Brick Township always has fared well in our Safest City rankings. For the last six years of our study, it has ranked as one of the top five safest cities in the U.S.," said Scott Morgan, President of Morgan Quitno Press, in a prepared statement.
The township council also took a stand on overcrowding in rental properties. A new ordinance provides specific restrictions on rental housing to prevent overcrowding of rental properties. Officials said overcrowding also could result in safety hazards and has consequences for the neighborhood, too.
Currently, commercial properties are slated to expand, including the Stop and Shop on Brick Boulevard and the Shop Rite on Route 70 and Chambersbridge. Planning boards also approved plans for a new plaza next to Target on Route 70.
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