By MAUREEN L. CAWLEY
Staff Writer
WILDWOOD – The holiday parade was scheduled to pass the Zuccarello’s house on Central Avenue last Friday evening, bringing with it Santa Claus and a special gift, an engagement ring to be presented by Sal Zuccarello to Lauren Belasco.
“Sal had a whole thing planned,” his father, Anthony said, but the devastating fire that burned at the Shore Plaza, at 26th Avenue and the Boardwalk, changed those plans.
Instead of participating in the parade, fire trucks - festooned with strings of red and green lights - surrounded the family’s businesses - Sam’s Pizza and the Shore Plaza Motel. And fire fighters battled most of the weekend to bring the blaze under control.
The parade was cancelled, and Santa didn’t come on Friday night, but amid the chaos and uncertainty, the Sal and his fiancé, buoyed by their family’s support, made a promise to look toward the future.
“I think it shows the resolve of the Zuccarello and Spera families,” said family friend John Lynch, who attended an impromptu gathering at the Zuccarello’s home on the night of the fire. People from the community stopped by throughout the evening to show support for the family, Lynch said, and to congratulate Sal and Lauren on their engagement.
Anthony Zuccarello said that his father-in-law and family patriarch, 77-year old Sam Spera, who purchased the family business at the Shore Plaza in 1979, had insisted that the couple move forward with their plans.
“Sam said we have to move on,” Zuccarello said. “I guess it gave us something good to focus on.”
“Out of a bad situation, there was something happy still,” Lynch said. “And you know what, it really says a lot about the family that with all they had to worry about, the only concern they had all night was with the safety of the firemen.”
The blaze burned for more than 24 hours, challenging at least 12 local fire companies to keep it under control, according to Wildwood mayor and fireman, Ernie Troiano.
“It was one of the toughest fires we had in a long time,” Troiano said. “It started in one little spot, and moved throughout the duct work quickly. It was a very stubborn fire.”
Lynch said that firemen that he spoke with told him the blaze was the toughest fire they had ever fought.
“And some of them had fought the fire at the Starlite Ballroom (in 1981),” he said.
Zuccarello said that initial investigations seemed to indicate that the fire started in the motor of a heater in a third floor motel unit on the west side of the building.
“We never expected it to spread the way it did,” he said.
But Troiano said that a combination of high winds and air moving through the duct work made it an unpredictable and seemingly endless fight.
In the end the building could not be saved.
“There were a couple incidents where the fire blew out. We were very lucky no one was seriously hurt.” Troiano said.
Throughout the two-day ordeal fire and rescue workers responded from Wildwood, North Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, West Wildwood, Cape May, West Cape May, Stone Harbor, Rio Grande, Green Creek, Town Bank, Erma, Ocean City, Upper Township, Belleplain and Petersburg. Several firefighters were treated for minor injuries on the scene in an emergency tent set up by AlantiCare and at Burdette Tomlin Hospital.
Troiano said he was touched by what he called “an unbelievable outpouring of support” from businesses and local residents, who brought food and hot beverages to fire fighters throughout the weekend. And Marty Shapiro opened up his arcade, Gateway 26, to cold and wet workers so they would have a place to warm up from the frigid temperatures.
Zuccarello said that he and his family were grateful for the support of the community and for the hard work of the over two hundred fire and rescue workers who battled the blaze.
“Everybody wants to help,” Zuccarello said.
On Sunday, when the fire had finally burned out, many of the fire companies who fought the blaze participated in the island’s rescheduled Christmas parade. As they passed the Zuccarello’s house on Central Avenue, they were greeted by a huge sign, thanking them for their efforts.
“We are so grateful,” Zuccarello said.
The family plans to rebuild Sam’s Pizza as quickly as possible, though they are still working out the details. Zuccarello said that he and his brother-in-law Tony Spero are in ongoing discussions on how to go about the project.
“We talk about what we can do to make the pizza place better when we redo it,” he said, but rebuilding both the pizza parlor and the motel will likely take years.
They are looking into getting the pizza place up and running and taking a longer-term approach to the motel property, which is run by Zuccarello’s wife Rosemary and his sister and brother-in-law, Rita and Steve Szczur.
“Sam wants to be open tomorrow,” Zuccarello said.
Troiano said the city will do what ever it can to expedite the permitting and approval process.
“We want to help,” he said.
Lynch, who works as the marketing director of the Wildwood’s Convention Center, wonders what he will do when Sam’s Pizza is not there for his daily lunch stop.
“It’s my hang out,” he said.
For him, as for so many local residents and visitors, the restaurant is an institution they have relied on for decades.
“It was just as much of a landmark as the Starlite Ballroom,” Lynch said. “It will be tough on the community, but this community is great at bouncing back.”
Zuccarello knows the people are counting on his family to rebuild.
“It’s a tradition, you know, like Santa Claus comes at Christmas,” he said.
And Santa did stop by the Zuccarellos this Christmas season. At the end of the rescheduled Christmas parade on Sunday, Santa made a stop to congratulate Sal and his fiancé on their engagement. He presented them with Christmas gifts from Lynch, photo albums of the night of their engagement and wishes for many happy new years.
November 30, 2005
Waypoint project shot down again
By MAUREEN L. CAWLEY
Staff Writer
WILDWOOD – After six months of deliberation and appeals, the zoning board again withheld approval for the 23-story Waypoint Beach Club project, which was proposed by developer Larry Howard to replace The Binns and Bonito motels on Ocean Avenue between Spenser and Spicer avenues. Submitted plans for the DooWop-style condotel included 185 residential units and 114 motel units, a five-story parking garage, a ballroom, retail space and restaurants.
The plans came before the board again on Monday, Nov. 28 after Howard’s attorney Stephan Nehmad appealed the board’s decision to withhold approval for the project, contending that board member, William Mitchell, had a conflict of interest.
Nehmad asked the board to discard Mitchell’s negative vote because his wife, Mary Mitchell, had spoken against the project at a public hearing in September.
The board voted unanimously to discard Mitchell’s vote and to vote on the project again.
In the mean time, two board members stepped down, and two more appointments were made. Paul Reidenbach’s request for a leave of absence was just accepted by commissioners on Wednesday, and alternate board member Dan Fleming, who had voted for the project in Sept. moved into his seat.
Architect, Todd Kieninger replaced Richard Osman in September. As a result, he was asked to listen to tapes of the testimony on the project so that he could participate in the re-vote.
Residents of Spencer Avenue attended Monday’s meeting with their attorney Brock Russell, though they were not permitted to testify.
Zoning board attorney William Kaufman said that no further testimony would be taken on the project.
“That is the chairman’s (Raymond McGrath) ruling,” he told Russell. “You and Mr. Nehmad had ample time to speak.”
Because of laws regarding zoning use variances, the seven member board needed to approve the project with a five vote majority. The project only received four of the necessary votes in September.
Variances were requested for height, building coverage, lot coverage, floor area ratio (density) and setbacks. The allowable building coverage in the hotel zone is 75 percent; the proposed Waypoint project covered 86.8 percent. The allowable lot coverage is 80 percent; the impervious surface on the proposed project was 89 percent.
The six board members who voted in September did not change their mind in the interim. Four board members: McGrath, Steve Lerario, Dennis Krause and Dan Fleming voted for the project. Dorothy Gannon reinstated her belief that the project needed too many variances.
“Somewhere along the line we need to comply with the ordinances,” she said.
Board member Elaine Biliris, who cast the deciding vote in September, restated her opposition to the project with greater conviction the second time around.
“There is no rear yard to speak of. There is no front yard either. The building is too big,” she said. She expressed displeasure with the appeal and the need for the re-vote.
“There is no reason for me to change my vote,” she said.
All eyes were on Kieninger cast the final and deciding vote.
“It’s a fantastic design – very elegant. But it is too tall for this property,” Kieninger said, expressing his belief that building of this size were better suited for Ocean Avenue and in the vicinity of the convention center. “I vote ‘no,’” he said.
Some of the Spencer Avenue neighbors had come expecting the worst, and they were pleasantly surprised.
“I am thrilled to death,” said Michael DellaVella, who owns a condominium in the Rising Sun complex that directly abuts the site, proposed for the project.
“I am extremely surprised,” he said. Original plans for the project included a six story wall to be built four inches from their property line, and Della Vella and his neighbors have been fighting approval of the project from when they learned of the application in June.
DellaVella and his neighbors have expressed frustration with the project and the approval process from the onset. He was notified of the developer’s plans by a neighbor just a few days before the public hearing. As the result of a bureaucratic glitch, he and the other residents received no written notice, as required by law.
Many missed the first public hearing on the project and were told initially that they had missed their chance to speak. Eventually, they were allowed to voice their opposition to the board.
“Wildwood has not welcomed us here,” DellaVella said. “It has not accepted us as neighbors or as friends.”
DellaVella contends that the recently reconfigured motel zone, allows for high rises to be built too close to new residential developments, compromising residents’ quality of life and property values. He is considering selling his condo.
In spite of that, he is jubilant, and invited his neighbors to steak dinner following the vote.
“When they reshuffled the deck,” he said, referring to the changes on the board, “We thought it was over. This is great.”
He expects that a new application will be submitted in the future, and he and his neighbors vow to fight anything that does not conform to the zoning laws.
“No matter what, I am dedicated to this fight,” he said.
Maureen L. Cawley can be e-mailed at maureen.cawley@catamaranmedia.com or you can comment on this story by calling 624-8900, ext. 250.
Staff Writer
WILDWOOD – After six months of deliberation and appeals, the zoning board again withheld approval for the 23-story Waypoint Beach Club project, which was proposed by developer Larry Howard to replace The Binns and Bonito motels on Ocean Avenue between Spenser and Spicer avenues. Submitted plans for the DooWop-style condotel included 185 residential units and 114 motel units, a five-story parking garage, a ballroom, retail space and restaurants.
The plans came before the board again on Monday, Nov. 28 after Howard’s attorney Stephan Nehmad appealed the board’s decision to withhold approval for the project, contending that board member, William Mitchell, had a conflict of interest.
Nehmad asked the board to discard Mitchell’s negative vote because his wife, Mary Mitchell, had spoken against the project at a public hearing in September.
The board voted unanimously to discard Mitchell’s vote and to vote on the project again.
In the mean time, two board members stepped down, and two more appointments were made. Paul Reidenbach’s request for a leave of absence was just accepted by commissioners on Wednesday, and alternate board member Dan Fleming, who had voted for the project in Sept. moved into his seat.
Architect, Todd Kieninger replaced Richard Osman in September. As a result, he was asked to listen to tapes of the testimony on the project so that he could participate in the re-vote.
Residents of Spencer Avenue attended Monday’s meeting with their attorney Brock Russell, though they were not permitted to testify.
Zoning board attorney William Kaufman said that no further testimony would be taken on the project.
“That is the chairman’s (Raymond McGrath) ruling,” he told Russell. “You and Mr. Nehmad had ample time to speak.”
Because of laws regarding zoning use variances, the seven member board needed to approve the project with a five vote majority. The project only received four of the necessary votes in September.
Variances were requested for height, building coverage, lot coverage, floor area ratio (density) and setbacks. The allowable building coverage in the hotel zone is 75 percent; the proposed Waypoint project covered 86.8 percent. The allowable lot coverage is 80 percent; the impervious surface on the proposed project was 89 percent.
The six board members who voted in September did not change their mind in the interim. Four board members: McGrath, Steve Lerario, Dennis Krause and Dan Fleming voted for the project. Dorothy Gannon reinstated her belief that the project needed too many variances.
“Somewhere along the line we need to comply with the ordinances,” she said.
Board member Elaine Biliris, who cast the deciding vote in September, restated her opposition to the project with greater conviction the second time around.
“There is no rear yard to speak of. There is no front yard either. The building is too big,” she said. She expressed displeasure with the appeal and the need for the re-vote.
“There is no reason for me to change my vote,” she said.
All eyes were on Kieninger cast the final and deciding vote.
“It’s a fantastic design – very elegant. But it is too tall for this property,” Kieninger said, expressing his belief that building of this size were better suited for Ocean Avenue and in the vicinity of the convention center. “I vote ‘no,’” he said.
Some of the Spencer Avenue neighbors had come expecting the worst, and they were pleasantly surprised.
“I am thrilled to death,” said Michael DellaVella, who owns a condominium in the Rising Sun complex that directly abuts the site, proposed for the project.
“I am extremely surprised,” he said. Original plans for the project included a six story wall to be built four inches from their property line, and Della Vella and his neighbors have been fighting approval of the project from when they learned of the application in June.
DellaVella and his neighbors have expressed frustration with the project and the approval process from the onset. He was notified of the developer’s plans by a neighbor just a few days before the public hearing. As the result of a bureaucratic glitch, he and the other residents received no written notice, as required by law.
Many missed the first public hearing on the project and were told initially that they had missed their chance to speak. Eventually, they were allowed to voice their opposition to the board.
“Wildwood has not welcomed us here,” DellaVella said. “It has not accepted us as neighbors or as friends.”
DellaVella contends that the recently reconfigured motel zone, allows for high rises to be built too close to new residential developments, compromising residents’ quality of life and property values. He is considering selling his condo.
In spite of that, he is jubilant, and invited his neighbors to steak dinner following the vote.
“When they reshuffled the deck,” he said, referring to the changes on the board, “We thought it was over. This is great.”
He expects that a new application will be submitted in the future, and he and his neighbors vow to fight anything that does not conform to the zoning laws.
“No matter what, I am dedicated to this fight,” he said.
Maureen L. Cawley can be e-mailed at maureen.cawley@catamaranmedia.com or you can comment on this story by calling 624-8900, ext. 250.
Residents may find no more rooms at the inn
By MAUREEN L. CAWLEY
Staff Writer
WILDWOOD – With Christmas just around the corner, some residents might soon find out there is no room at the Inn – or at least at the motels where they are now living.
An ordinance introduced by commissioners here last Wednesday limits the duration of stays in the city’s hotels and motels. The proposed law stipulates: "No transient visitor can occupy a hotel, motel or multiple dwelling establishment for more than 30 days, nor can said transient extend their stay for longer than 30 days by moving into another unit within the same establishment."
“A motel unit is not designed for year-round occupancy,” Mayor Ernie Troiano said.
Nonetheless, the rising cost of rent has forced many low income residents into motels and boarding houses. Some use propane heaters and others use prohibited combination heat and air conditioning units, Troiano said.
“These people deserve to live in some sort of comfort and these motels are not designed to do that,” he said.
If passed, the ordinance would require motel owners to maintain a registry of all occupants, including a record of each guest’s permanent address and the date that the “occupancy commenced.” Motel visitors will also be required to show a drivers license or other photo ID to be kept on file during their stay, according to the proposed ordinance.
Troiano acknowledges that many of the city’s motel and boarding house residents can not afford more suitable housing, but he said the current situation is unacceptable and often causes public safety issues, including increased crime.
“It also has a tremendous impact on the school system,” he said.
Many of the motel residents pay for their stays with housing vouchers from Cape May County.
In addition to the vouchers, Wildwood also accepts section 8 housing, Troiano said.
“The county’s been using Wildwood as their base to send people for years. You name it, we took it,” Troiano said.
Many of the city’s boarding houses and motels have been demolished to make way for new development, Troiano said, and the ones that are left are unsuitable for long-term stays.
The lack of suitable housing is an issue that BLANK knows a lot about. Nardi, Miller Smith
The city’s food pantries specifically ask for donations of “heat and eat” items because many of their clients are limited to preparing meals in a microwave.
What will happen to residents when their length of stay is up?
“I think that is the county’s responsibility,” Troiano said. “Homelessness is a situation that the county has got to start addressing.”
The new regulations would apply to hotels, motels and multiple dwelling establishments, but Troiano said he was uncertain how the new regulations would affect the proposed condotels, which are a hybrid of individually-owned condominiums and hotel units.
The length of stay restrictions would apply to units in the condotels that are designated strictly as motel rooms, Troiano said, but the cost of these rooms would make it unlikely that people would use them for long-term stays.
“I really don’t think that will be a problem in these places,” he said.
As for the impact of the ordinance on condominium stays, Troiano said he was looking into it.
The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) defines hotels as any building “which contains ten or more dwelling units or has sleeping facilities for 25 persons and is kept, used, maintained advertised…as a place where sleeping or dwelling accommodations are available to guests.”
A multiple dwelling unit is defined in part as “any building…in which three or more dwelling units are occupied or intended to be occupied by three or more persons living independently of each other.
Transient is defined as a stay of not more than 90 days by a person who has a residence elsewhere.
“We want to control the types of housing that are in our community,” Troiano said.
Commissioners are scheduled to vote on the ordinance and to hear public comment on it at their next meeting on Dec. 14.
Maureen L. Cawley can be e-mailed at maureen.cawley@catamaranmedia.com or you can comment on this story by calling 624-8900, ext. 250.
Staff Writer
WILDWOOD – With Christmas just around the corner, some residents might soon find out there is no room at the Inn – or at least at the motels where they are now living.
An ordinance introduced by commissioners here last Wednesday limits the duration of stays in the city’s hotels and motels. The proposed law stipulates: "No transient visitor can occupy a hotel, motel or multiple dwelling establishment for more than 30 days, nor can said transient extend their stay for longer than 30 days by moving into another unit within the same establishment."
“A motel unit is not designed for year-round occupancy,” Mayor Ernie Troiano said.
Nonetheless, the rising cost of rent has forced many low income residents into motels and boarding houses. Some use propane heaters and others use prohibited combination heat and air conditioning units, Troiano said.
“These people deserve to live in some sort of comfort and these motels are not designed to do that,” he said.
If passed, the ordinance would require motel owners to maintain a registry of all occupants, including a record of each guest’s permanent address and the date that the “occupancy commenced.” Motel visitors will also be required to show a drivers license or other photo ID to be kept on file during their stay, according to the proposed ordinance.
Troiano acknowledges that many of the city’s motel and boarding house residents can not afford more suitable housing, but he said the current situation is unacceptable and often causes public safety issues, including increased crime.
“It also has a tremendous impact on the school system,” he said.
Many of the motel residents pay for their stays with housing vouchers from Cape May County.
In addition to the vouchers, Wildwood also accepts section 8 housing, Troiano said.
“The county’s been using Wildwood as their base to send people for years. You name it, we took it,” Troiano said.
Many of the city’s boarding houses and motels have been demolished to make way for new development, Troiano said, and the ones that are left are unsuitable for long-term stays.
The lack of suitable housing is an issue that BLANK knows a lot about. Nardi, Miller Smith
The city’s food pantries specifically ask for donations of “heat and eat” items because many of their clients are limited to preparing meals in a microwave.
What will happen to residents when their length of stay is up?
“I think that is the county’s responsibility,” Troiano said. “Homelessness is a situation that the county has got to start addressing.”
The new regulations would apply to hotels, motels and multiple dwelling establishments, but Troiano said he was uncertain how the new regulations would affect the proposed condotels, which are a hybrid of individually-owned condominiums and hotel units.
The length of stay restrictions would apply to units in the condotels that are designated strictly as motel rooms, Troiano said, but the cost of these rooms would make it unlikely that people would use them for long-term stays.
“I really don’t think that will be a problem in these places,” he said.
As for the impact of the ordinance on condominium stays, Troiano said he was looking into it.
The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) defines hotels as any building “which contains ten or more dwelling units or has sleeping facilities for 25 persons and is kept, used, maintained advertised…as a place where sleeping or dwelling accommodations are available to guests.”
A multiple dwelling unit is defined in part as “any building…in which three or more dwelling units are occupied or intended to be occupied by three or more persons living independently of each other.
Transient is defined as a stay of not more than 90 days by a person who has a residence elsewhere.
“We want to control the types of housing that are in our community,” Troiano said.
Commissioners are scheduled to vote on the ordinance and to hear public comment on it at their next meeting on Dec. 14.
Maureen L. Cawley can be e-mailed at maureen.cawley@catamaranmedia.com or you can comment on this story by calling 624-8900, ext. 250.
November 22, 2005
Wildwood schools report all A’s for district
By MAUREEN L. CAWLEY
Staff Writer
WILDWOOD – It’s report card time. And while students across the island are finding out how they are doing in school this year, the Wildwood school board is measuring the district’s progress since the new administration was hired last year.
“So much is going on,” Superintendent Dennis Anderson said, and the reports presented at last Wednesday’s meeting bear this out.
High School Principal Gladys Lauriello reported that the district’s Web site and the high school newspaper are up and running. And the new band is making strides.
“They will be performing in community events over the holidays,” Lauriello said, and they will be marching in the Christmas parade.
“I’ve been listening to Jingle Bells and Feliz Navidad already,” she said.
And if that didn’t put her in the holiday spirit, Lauriello received an early Christmas gift this year, as well. From now on, she will be Dr. Lauriello. She received her doctorate in education from Wilmington College this fall.
“I’m certainly very excited to be done,” she said.
Susan Rohrman, the school’s new supervisor of curriculum and instruction, was hired this summer, but she is already making strides toward streamlining the district’s curriculum and coordinating with neighboring schools, she told the board.
Regular meetings have been scheduled for the first Thursday of every month so that Rohrman can sit down with representatives from the Wildwood Crest and North Wildwood districts to work at getting all three district on the same page in regard to curriculum.
“We will be using the same format for our curriculum guides,” Rohrman said.
Anderson said that one of the first thing he talked about with the school board when he was hired in February was the need for the district to tighten it’s curriculum.
“I told them it was something we needed to get a firm grasp of,” he said. “(Rohrman) is really doing a wonderful job.”
Anderson says the district is working at greater “articulation” of the curriculum. That’s education lingo for “sharing expertise across the districts,” he said.
In December, Rohrman will hold a workshop for writing teachers from all three districts on curriculum mapping.
“It’s really important that we are all talking to each other because (Wildwood is) the receiving district,” she said. She said she is working at articulating curriculum “horizontially” between schools at each grade level and “vertically” smoothing the transition from grade to grade. That way ninth-grade students who enter Wildwood High from all three sending districts will be starting high school with the same basic educational background.
“It’s an ongoing process,” Anderson said.
School board members Sandra Richardson, Tony Totah and Gary DeMarzo toured the district’s schools earlier this month to see how things were running, and they reported they were pleased with what they saw.
“I was very impressed,” Richardson said. “The buildings were well maintained. The classrooms were orderly. (The district) is doing a great job. Every facet was well-done.”
Auditor Glenn Ortman made a presentation to the board regarding the audit of this year’s school budget, as well.
“The findings last year were all corrected,” Ortman said, and only two recommendations were made regarding the deposit of food service revenue.
“I want to thank (board secretary) Sandy Becker for her outstanding job on the accounting,” board member David McDonald said.
Three new board members -- Carol Bannon, David Wertman and Todd Keininger --
were sworn in at the start of Wednesday’s meeting. They are replacing departing board President Kerry Higgs and board members Sandra Miller and Brian Evans. The new members joined the board just in time to begin the New Jersey School Board certification process.
The board voted to pursue certification in June, and as part of that process a field representative from the New Jersey School Board Association will come to the district on a regular basis to give the workshops on various topics including: relationships, policy, curriculum, finance, school law, labor relations and board operations. The first class was held after the regular school board session on Wednesday evening. The next class is scheduled for January.
“The new folks that have joined the (school) board have blended nicely,” Anderson said.
“The (faculty) is doing a great job jumping on board. I’m extremely pleased. Our students are great. Our teachers are outstanding. Every single day we are getting better and improving. That’s what I’m proud of.”
Maureen L. Cawley can be e-mailed at maureen.cawley@catamaranmedia.com or you can comment on this story by calling 624-8900, ext. 250.
Staff Writer
WILDWOOD – It’s report card time. And while students across the island are finding out how they are doing in school this year, the Wildwood school board is measuring the district’s progress since the new administration was hired last year.
“So much is going on,” Superintendent Dennis Anderson said, and the reports presented at last Wednesday’s meeting bear this out.
High School Principal Gladys Lauriello reported that the district’s Web site and the high school newspaper are up and running. And the new band is making strides.
“They will be performing in community events over the holidays,” Lauriello said, and they will be marching in the Christmas parade.
“I’ve been listening to Jingle Bells and Feliz Navidad already,” she said.
And if that didn’t put her in the holiday spirit, Lauriello received an early Christmas gift this year, as well. From now on, she will be Dr. Lauriello. She received her doctorate in education from Wilmington College this fall.
“I’m certainly very excited to be done,” she said.
Susan Rohrman, the school’s new supervisor of curriculum and instruction, was hired this summer, but she is already making strides toward streamlining the district’s curriculum and coordinating with neighboring schools, she told the board.
Regular meetings have been scheduled for the first Thursday of every month so that Rohrman can sit down with representatives from the Wildwood Crest and North Wildwood districts to work at getting all three district on the same page in regard to curriculum.
“We will be using the same format for our curriculum guides,” Rohrman said.
Anderson said that one of the first thing he talked about with the school board when he was hired in February was the need for the district to tighten it’s curriculum.
“I told them it was something we needed to get a firm grasp of,” he said. “(Rohrman) is really doing a wonderful job.”
Anderson says the district is working at greater “articulation” of the curriculum. That’s education lingo for “sharing expertise across the districts,” he said.
In December, Rohrman will hold a workshop for writing teachers from all three districts on curriculum mapping.
“It’s really important that we are all talking to each other because (Wildwood is) the receiving district,” she said. She said she is working at articulating curriculum “horizontially” between schools at each grade level and “vertically” smoothing the transition from grade to grade. That way ninth-grade students who enter Wildwood High from all three sending districts will be starting high school with the same basic educational background.
“It’s an ongoing process,” Anderson said.
School board members Sandra Richardson, Tony Totah and Gary DeMarzo toured the district’s schools earlier this month to see how things were running, and they reported they were pleased with what they saw.
“I was very impressed,” Richardson said. “The buildings were well maintained. The classrooms were orderly. (The district) is doing a great job. Every facet was well-done.”
Auditor Glenn Ortman made a presentation to the board regarding the audit of this year’s school budget, as well.
“The findings last year were all corrected,” Ortman said, and only two recommendations were made regarding the deposit of food service revenue.
“I want to thank (board secretary) Sandy Becker for her outstanding job on the accounting,” board member David McDonald said.
Three new board members -- Carol Bannon, David Wertman and Todd Keininger --
were sworn in at the start of Wednesday’s meeting. They are replacing departing board President Kerry Higgs and board members Sandra Miller and Brian Evans. The new members joined the board just in time to begin the New Jersey School Board certification process.
The board voted to pursue certification in June, and as part of that process a field representative from the New Jersey School Board Association will come to the district on a regular basis to give the workshops on various topics including: relationships, policy, curriculum, finance, school law, labor relations and board operations. The first class was held after the regular school board session on Wednesday evening. The next class is scheduled for January.
“The new folks that have joined the (school) board have blended nicely,” Anderson said.
“The (faculty) is doing a great job jumping on board. I’m extremely pleased. Our students are great. Our teachers are outstanding. Every single day we are getting better and improving. That’s what I’m proud of.”
Maureen L. Cawley can be e-mailed at maureen.cawley@catamaranmedia.com or you can comment on this story by calling 624-8900, ext. 250.
Crest to developers: Slow down
..you move too fast
By MAUREEN L. CAWLEY
Staff Writer
WILDWOOD CREST – The newest change to the borough’s land use law is an ordinance designed to slow things down. The amendment is one in a series of changes made to zoning and land use policies and procedures in recent months.
The ordinance introduced on Nov.9 by Commissioner Don Cabrera and Mayor Carl Groon requires that site plans be submitted 45 days before they are considered by the borough’s planning board. Currently plans must be in the planning board office 25 days before the monthly planning board meeting.
“The idea is to slow down the process,” Groon said. “We want to give the engineer and the planning board time to review (the plans).”
A work session, where representatives of the planning board meet with developers to review submitted plans, is held every month prior to the planning board meeting. The new ordinance will give applicants more time to respond to the boards’ recommendations before presenting them for approval at the hearing later in the month.
“It gives the architects time to make changes,” Groon said.
The plan was first introduced as a resolution by the planning board at its meeting on Nov. 3. It passed unanimously on Monday, Nov. 21.
Borough clerk Kevin Yecco said that the change to the application process was needed to ensure that professional staff, engineers, lawyer and zoning officers have time to review plans before they are considered by the board as a whole.
“The mayor feels strongly that the engineer needs to be included in considering the plans,” Yecco said, “especially considering the volume of applications in recent months.”
Commissioners also introduced a new fee schedule that increases the cost of filing plans with the planning board. A 5 percent fee will be assessed to pay for the review of plans and applications by engineers and attorneys who are hired for that purpose.
This summer, Groon created an office on the second floor of borough hall to deal specifically with code enforcement and land use issues. Linda Adams, a full-time clerk was hired this fall to field calls and direct inquiries through the proper channels.
“We needed a presence in city hall,” Groon said.
Adams is expected to replace planning board secretary Darlene Devlin when she resigns in December.
“That is my recommendation,” Groon said, “but that is at the discretion of the (planning and zoning) boards.”
Devlin will continue to work full time in the finance department as the borough’s purchasing agent.
Elizabeth Terenick was hired as the borough’s new zoning official when Mike Preston retired earlier this year, and planning board member Bob Cashioli was hired as the assistant zoning official to do inspections of sites where work is ongoing to be sure that the construction occurs to land use laws and approved plans.
The borough also made land use laws and a zoning map available to its residents at www.wildwoodcrest.org, as well as a downloadable version. Visitors can download an application for a zoning permit there as well.
The next step in improving enforcement of the borough’s land use policies is in the discussion stages, Yecco said.
Commissioners are considering hiring attorneys who specialize in land use matters to organize and complete the borough’s land use document. The master plan which was completed and adopted this fall did not cover all zoning areas of the borough.
In addition, the complete land use document has not been indexed, Yecco said. And the governing body wants to make sure that there are no discrepancies between existing law and the provisions made in the new master plan, he said.
It needs to be cleaned up, Yecco said.
They would be brought in “to look at the document as a whole,” he said. “The idea is to take what has changed (in the document) with the adoption of the master plan and to make sure the document is consistent.”
Maureen L. Cawley can be e-mailed at maureen.cawley@catamaranmedia.com or you can comment on this story by calling 624-8900, ext. 250.
By MAUREEN L. CAWLEY
Staff Writer
WILDWOOD CREST – The newest change to the borough’s land use law is an ordinance designed to slow things down. The amendment is one in a series of changes made to zoning and land use policies and procedures in recent months.
The ordinance introduced on Nov.9 by Commissioner Don Cabrera and Mayor Carl Groon requires that site plans be submitted 45 days before they are considered by the borough’s planning board. Currently plans must be in the planning board office 25 days before the monthly planning board meeting.
“The idea is to slow down the process,” Groon said. “We want to give the engineer and the planning board time to review (the plans).”
A work session, where representatives of the planning board meet with developers to review submitted plans, is held every month prior to the planning board meeting. The new ordinance will give applicants more time to respond to the boards’ recommendations before presenting them for approval at the hearing later in the month.
“It gives the architects time to make changes,” Groon said.
The plan was first introduced as a resolution by the planning board at its meeting on Nov. 3. It passed unanimously on Monday, Nov. 21.
Borough clerk Kevin Yecco said that the change to the application process was needed to ensure that professional staff, engineers, lawyer and zoning officers have time to review plans before they are considered by the board as a whole.
“The mayor feels strongly that the engineer needs to be included in considering the plans,” Yecco said, “especially considering the volume of applications in recent months.”
Commissioners also introduced a new fee schedule that increases the cost of filing plans with the planning board. A 5 percent fee will be assessed to pay for the review of plans and applications by engineers and attorneys who are hired for that purpose.
This summer, Groon created an office on the second floor of borough hall to deal specifically with code enforcement and land use issues. Linda Adams, a full-time clerk was hired this fall to field calls and direct inquiries through the proper channels.
“We needed a presence in city hall,” Groon said.
Adams is expected to replace planning board secretary Darlene Devlin when she resigns in December.
“That is my recommendation,” Groon said, “but that is at the discretion of the (planning and zoning) boards.”
Devlin will continue to work full time in the finance department as the borough’s purchasing agent.
Elizabeth Terenick was hired as the borough’s new zoning official when Mike Preston retired earlier this year, and planning board member Bob Cashioli was hired as the assistant zoning official to do inspections of sites where work is ongoing to be sure that the construction occurs to land use laws and approved plans.
The borough also made land use laws and a zoning map available to its residents at www.wildwoodcrest.org, as well as a downloadable version. Visitors can download an application for a zoning permit there as well.
The next step in improving enforcement of the borough’s land use policies is in the discussion stages, Yecco said.
Commissioners are considering hiring attorneys who specialize in land use matters to organize and complete the borough’s land use document. The master plan which was completed and adopted this fall did not cover all zoning areas of the borough.
In addition, the complete land use document has not been indexed, Yecco said. And the governing body wants to make sure that there are no discrepancies between existing law and the provisions made in the new master plan, he said.
It needs to be cleaned up, Yecco said.
They would be brought in “to look at the document as a whole,” he said. “The idea is to take what has changed (in the document) with the adoption of the master plan and to make sure the document is consistent.”
Maureen L. Cawley can be e-mailed at maureen.cawley@catamaranmedia.com or you can comment on this story by calling 624-8900, ext. 250.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)