JACKSON – Officials looked at spots of dangerous roads in town. The Township Committee voted to amend township code within areas of Jackson where parking and stopping or standing is prohibited to make them safer.
The measure prohibits parking, stopping or standing on County Road #27 and east from a point 250 feet south of the southerly Route 571 (Toms River curb line of Kindling Way to a point 425-foot Road) north of the northerly curb line of Tall Oaks Drive.
The ordinance also includes areas west from a point 325 feet south of the southerly curb line of Aidan Lane to a point 505 feet north of the northerly curb line of Aidan Lane.
Council President Andrew Kern said that the configuration of some of the roads prompted the ordinance. “These short shoulders have become a hazard for school buses when they are picking up children and residents of that community or development as they exit their roads and enter the highway.”
“I am asking our Business Administrator Terence Wall tonight to work with the Ocean County administration to develop a comprehensive list for the council of all plans in the future of road widening projects that they have for our county roads,” Kern said.
He also asked Wall to have the County’s engineering department to cross reference that list with projects that have already received planning or zoning board approval. “This way we can address the situation that we are working to address tonight ahead of time.”
Kern also asked township professionals to request developers include no parking in such areas until the future projects for the road widening have been completed. “Then it would go back to the county.”
Governor Criticized
Later in the meeting, Mayor Michael Reina was critical toward Governor Phil Murphy’s executive orders and state legislation. He noted what he said were “failures” by the governor in reference to directives involving the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Governor Murphy told us about a year ago that it would be a two-week curve. I lost track of all the executive orders and I lost count of all the businesses that have closed, relationships ended, finances lost due to his governing techniques which obviously he doesn’t have any,” the mayor said.
Mayor Reina added, “I do think the time has come for an investigation of our own state into not just the nursing homes but the actions perpetrated on not only the residents but more towards businesses.”
“We can’t vote but we can wait on line in Home Depot. Kids can’t go to school but they can congregate wherever they like now doing drugs. I think everything is out of whack and something needs to be done at a legal level just like they are doing in New York. Democrats love investigating Republicans. I think Democrats should start investigating Democrats,” the mayor said.
Senior Center Plans
There were no new ordinances introduced during the meeting but a public hearing was held regarding the Ocean County Community Development Block Grant program. The public hearings are required and are meant to solicit ideas for the selection of a project that would be funded by the grant.
Wall spoke about what the township wished to do preliminarily for the CDBG project. He gave a brief program summary for the public saying, “this program is designed to benefit our growing population of folks that are over 65, our veterans and the disabled.”
“The Commission for Disabled Persons meets on a regular basis and utilizes the senior center facility to conduct their business which is part of this project. The proposed program will include the renovation of the interior of the Senior Center including renovation to the kitchen facilities,” Wall said.
He elaborated saying, “the ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) accessibility renovations proposed in the kitchen and general purpose room are to provide better accommodations for the functionality of the operations.”
The administrator added that the Senior Center was a designated heating and cooling center. People can go there when it is too hot or too cold and the power goes out or if they don’t have heating or air conditioning. “These improvements can see a significant increase for a variety of weather-related events. A heat wave and things of that nature, it can be a cooling center as one example.”
“In addition, the Senior Center hosts a number of events throughout the year which require barrier free access in the kitchen and general-purpose room area. The current accessibility conditions are very limited…therefore the intent is to upgrade the kitchen space to accommodate barrier free movement in the preparation of food, recreation and emergency events,” Wall said.
He noted the Senior Center is also used to host meetings of other groups and that this would also benefit those organizations. That is what the township hopes to use the CDBG funds for.
No residents came forward to speak during the public hearing nor on resolutions read during the meeting. Resolutions included the annual renewal of several liquor licenses for Jackson businesses. A memorandum of understanding between the township and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office/Regional SWAT Team was also read and approved.
