MEMBERSHIP & COMMUNITY GUIDE
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Upper Township Community Guide 3
Upper Township Business Association The Upper Township Business Association (UTBA) was formed in 2010 to advocate for and promote the business interests of our members.
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Recreation
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Recreation opportunities abound in Upper Township In its 68 square miles, Upper Township boasts beaches, the bay, the Tuckahoe River, boat ramps, a community center, senior center, myriad youth sports and pickleball.
Upper Township
Important phone numbers and contact information.
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Emergency Services
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Upper Township Emergency Medical Services. Preparing for an EMS Response.
Published by:
In conjunction with:
www.upperbiz.com I upperbiz@gmail.com
609-399-1220 I 801 Asbury Avenue, Ocean City, NJ
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Businesses Adapt Local businesses have survived the pandemic by the grace of the community.
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Asset Management
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The surprise and sudden onset of the COVID-19 pandemic impacted all aspects of everyday life, especially finances. As a direct result, the asset management industry has seen exponential growth.
Insurance
An industry typically prepared for large and unexpected events, the insurance business has felt waves of change during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
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Healthy Living
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Health during a pandemic – making time to check all the to-do’s in the healthy living category of life – is never easy. Add a pandemic and goals can really be put out of reach. However, now more than ever, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is important.
Managing Debt Managing debt is a lesson many people have had to learn during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.
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Dining Changes COVID-19 drastically changed many industries, with one of the hardest-hit businesses being restaurants. Restaurants were forced to adjust to complete closures, no indoor dining, and then a period when there was outdoor dining before indoor dining resumed at a limited capacity. Restaurants have had to pivot and to get creative to stay alive.
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Fitness Options
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rom the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, business owners have embraced the change in how products and services are offered. Melissa Johnson, the owner of MFit Gym in Ocean View, had to make some difficult decisions and creative solutions for her clients.
Upper Township Beach Patrol
An industry typically prepared for large and unexpected events, the insurance business has felt waves of change during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
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Funerals during the pandemic
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Being unable to attend a loved one’s funeral has been an ongoing commonplace situation during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the pandemic began shutting down businesses during March 2020, funeral homes remained open as essential businesses but operated under tight restrictions.
Looking Ahead Commercial development and improved recreation are set to continue in Upper Township, according to Mayor Rich Palombo, who laid out plans for 2021 in a recent interview.
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u o Y s e m o Welc UPPER TOWNSHIP BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
Steve Zellers
Liz Folglio
Ralph Cooper
Blanch Adams
Christina Tolson
Kathy Paeschek
Dana Wilson
Pandora MAson
Steve Zellers has spent his career working in Cape May County after graduating with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Business Administration from Rutgers University. Steve has extensive experience in sales, marketing and management and currently works for the Upper Township Sentinel as Advertising Director. He resides in Ocean City with his wife and sons.
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n behalf of the Upper Township Business Association I welcome you to explore all of the magnificent businesses, recreational facilities, places of worship, schools, emergency management services, and community activities that Upper Township has to offer in its 10 Villages that are included in this Upper Township Community Guide. The Upper Township Business Association takes great pride in being an essential contributor to the strong Upper Township community and invites you to enjoy all it has to offer as a neighbor or visitor. During these especially trying times we thank the Mayor, Township Council and city officials who all made extraordinary efforts to help Upper Township businesses succeed. In 2021,we created a new website to support Upper Township business. You can view it at www.upperbiz.com. Sincerely, Steve Zellers, President - Upper Township Business Association
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Upper Township Business Association T
he Upper Township Business Association (UTBA) was formed in 2010 to advocate for and promote the business interests of members. Membership is representative of a diverse group of unique shops, restaurants, professional services, retail stores and community groups in our township. We believe in neighbors helping neighbors – because when local government, businesses, community groups and residents support each other, everyone benefits. The UTBA is committed to providing its members with resources to grow their busi-
nesses. We offer professional networking meetings and events, as well as provide a wide array of marketing tools and promotional opportunities for businesses to generate and drive traffic. We are advocates. The UTBA proudly supports sustainable business practices via our Green Business Recognition campaign. We keep apprised and inform members of government issues that could impact our local business climate. Not only do we host our own signature community events, but our members support township municipal
initiatives. The UTBA will continue to seek new avenues in which we can promote our local business and residential communities. Want to know more? A full list of meetings, events and opportunities for involvement are listed on our website – UpperBiz. com. Feel free to attend any of our meetings or events to learn more about how the UTBA can promote your business. And remember, please shop local! Look for the UTBA Shop Local banner and decals displayed throughout the township at our members’ businesses.
2021 UTBA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Steve Zellers, President Upper Township Sentinel Liz Foglio, Secretary Foglio’s Flooring Center Ralph Cooper, Treasurer Historical Preservation Society of Upper Township Christina Tolson, Broadley’s Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning Kathy Peaschek, Wings Travel • Pandora Mason, Foglio’s Flooring Center Blanche Adams, Thomas Heist Insurance Agency, Inc • Dana Wilson, Yes She Can!
Contact the UTBA at UpperBiz@gmail.com Like us on Facebook @UpperBiz Visit our website at UpperBiz.com
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UPPER TOWNSHIP PUBLIC WORKS Trash and Recycling Collection Holiday Schedule 2021 January 1st Friday New Years’ Day January 18th Monday Martin Luther King Day February 15th Monday Presidents Day April 2nd Friday Good Friday May 31st Monday Memorial Day * June 18th Friday Juneteenth July 5th Monday Independence Day September 6th Monday Labor Day * October 11th Columbus Day Monday Thursday November 11th Veteran’s Day Thursday November 25th Thanksgiving Day ** Friday November 26th Thanksgiving Holiday ** Friday December 24th Christmas Eve Trash and Recycling Holiday Collection Requirements Should your TRASH AND RECYCLING COLLECTION DAY fall on one of the HOLIDAYS in the schedule above your household Trash and Recycling will be collected on our NEXT WORKING DAY, except for the following: * Trash and Recycling WILL be collected on MEMORIAL DAY and LABOR DAY. **Trash and Recycling for the THANKSGIVING HOLIDAYS will be as follows: Thursday’s Trash & Recycling will be collected on Friday. Friday’s Trash & Recycling will be collected on Monday.
RESIDENTIAL PAPER SHREDDING Paper shredding is for residential use only and is available on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at the Public Works Yard in Tuckahoe from 7:00am to 11:00am. Paper should be removed from binders and envelopes. The amount to be shredded shall be limited to one “banker” box or two paper bags. No paper will be accepted from businesses.
Loose Leaf Collection Requirements
Bulk Waste Schedule Bulk waste will be collected the first TUESDAY of each month.
Only two bulk items may be placed to the curb each month of collection. Bulk item shall be described as a single item (ie. couch or table or refrigerator or entertainment center or box spring & mattress). Bulk is to be placed curbside by 6am on the day of collection. For safety reasons, we ask that all doors be removed from refrigerators and freezers. Bulk may no longer be dropped off at the Department of Public Works. There is no bulk collection during the month of December.
Residential Brush Collection will be during the following months only:
APRIL & OCTOBER
April collection requirements: Please place your brush curbside beginning the last week in March for collection beginning April 5th. October collection requirements: Please place your brush curbside beginning the last week in September for collection beginning October 4th. Brush will be collected once during the month listed above. Brush piles are to remain 10′ away from storm drains.
No debris will be collected in plastic bags.
Trash and Recycling Collection Areas
Loose leaves will be collected during the months of April, midNovember and ending in December. Leaves may be raked curbside beginning the last week in March for April collection and the first week in November for the mid-November collection. Leaves must be free of sticks and debris. If your leaf pile contains sticks or debris, it will not be collected until the debris is removed. Please be advised that once the leaf crew has gone by your house, and in order to keep to the schedule, we cannot accommodate requests for returns until the next scheduled pick up.
Carts must be curbside by 6 a.m. on the day of collection. Recyclable materials are not to be placed in plastic bags. Please place your loose materials in the blue recycling cart.
Compost Collection
WEDNESDAYS – Petersburg, Tuckahoe, Marshallville, Head of the River, Steelmantown and Martintown.
Compost will be collected the second Tuesday of each month and must be placed in PAPER COMPOST BAGS OR REUSABLE CONTAINERS. The containers must have removable lids, external handles, have a minimum capacity of 20 gallons and a maximum capacity of 45 gallons, and not weigh over 50 pounds when full. The PAPER COMPOST BAGS must only be filled to a capacity that will allow a single crew member to lift and load the bags.
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MONDAYS – All of Strathmere and Whale Beach, Harbor Road and east side of the Parkway. TUESDAYS – North side of Church Road and north to the Township line, the Great Egg Harbor Bay.
THURSDAYS – Hope Corson Road south to the Township line including the Foxborough development and Osprey Point FRIDAYS – South side of Church Road south to Hope Corson Road excluding the Foxborough development.
ANNUAL EVENTS HELD AT THE AMANDA’S FIELD RECREATION COMPLEX 1091 NJ Route 50, Petersburg, NJ 08270
SPRING FLING EGG HUNT
4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION
UT PUMPKIN CLASSIC CAR SHOW AND FALL FEST
www.uppertownship.com/events UPPER TOWNSHIP SPORTS & RECREATION PROGRAMS • Upper Township Fall Baseball, Inc. also known as Upper Township Baseball, Inc. • Upper Township Basketball Association, Inc. • Upper Township Cheerleading Association, Inc. • Upper Township Dog Park Association - a NJ Nonprofit Corporation • Upper Township Football Association - a NJ Nonprofit Corporation • Upper Township Inline Hockey Association, Inc. • Upper Township Lacrosse A NJ Nonprofit Corporation • Upper Township Soccer Association, Inc. • Upper Township Girls Softball Association a NJ Nonprofit Corporation • Upper Township Wrestling Association, Inc. • Upper Township Challenger Sports ADULT LEAGUES • Basketball • Pickleball • Upper Township Men’s Softball
For more information, visit www.uppertownship.com
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Recreation Upper Township has a wide range of recreational activities, from parks and fields to a wide variety of activities to enjoy from hiking to camping and fishing. If you are trying to locate a playing field, a picnic area, nature trail, tennis court, pickleball court, or boat ramp, there is a map of the township showing all the locations on the township’s web site at www.uppertownship.com on the drop-down menu for Departments find Sports and Recreation, then on the right-hand side box, navigate to the Parks and Fields page by clicking on the link. You can also contact the Sports and Recreation Office at (609) 628-2011 Ext. 248 or email recreationdepartment@uppertownship.com with any questions.
Upper Township Youth Sports All Upper Township sponsored sports organization are independent Non-Profits in which you can join or contribute directly. There is a list of them below with their websites. You can also find them all at www.uppertownship.com on the drop-down menu for Departments find Sports and Recreation and all of the organizations below are listed. Click on their logo to access their website. The Youth Sports Programs are as follows: • Baseball www.uppertownshipbaseball.com • Basketball www.upperbasketball.com • Challenger Sports www.utchallengersports.com • Cheerleading www.uppercheer.com • Football www.utindians.net • Girls Softball www.tshq.bluesombrero.com/uppertwpgirlssball • In-line hockey www.upperinline.com • Lacrosse www.warrior-lax.com/site/ • Soccer www.uppersoccer.com • Wrestling www.upperwrestling.com For any additional information or questions regarding Upper Township Sports and Recreation contact the Recreation Office at (609) 628- 2011, ext. 248 or email recreationdepartment@uppertownship.com
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Upper Township Parks and Fields
Upper Township Neighborhood Parks
Upper Township provides many active and passive recreational opportunities for our residents. The facilities are spread out across the Township’s 68 square miles. Upper Township Community Center, 1790 Route 50, Tuckahoe • Sports & Recreation office • Open Gym with basketball courts (when available) • Community room (available for smaller events) Caldwell Park, 1016 Stagecoach Road, Palermo • Playground • Picnic Area • Football Field • Batting Cage • 4 – Tennis / Pickleball Courts • 2 – Basketball Courts Amanda’s Field, 1790 Rt-50, Petersburg • Playground • Picnic Area • 1.3-mile Bicycle & Jogging Path • Skate Park • Street Hockey Rink • 4 - Baseball Fields • Indoor and outdoor batting cages • Soccer & Multi-purpose Fields • Tyler Davis Complex • 2- Men’s Softball Fields Somers Avenue, 35 Somers Ave, Seaville • 3 Girls Softball Fields • Outdoor Batting Cage Old Tuckahoe Road, 161 Old Tuckahoe Rd, Petersburg • Lacrosse & Multi-purpose Fields Beesley’s Pont Beach, 9 Harbor Road, Beesley’s Point • Boat Ramp (Seasonal Permit req’d) • Beach (Seasonally guarded) Mt. Pleasant-Tuckahoe Road 1718 Mt. Pleasant Rd, Tuckaho • Playground & Picnic Area • 2 – Baseball Fields • 2 – Basketball Courts • 2 – Tennis/ Pickle Ball Courts • Dog Park (Permit to access req’d)
100 East Golden Lane, Beesley’s Point • Playground & Picnic Area • Basketball Court • Shuffleboard Court 11 Marla’s Hill Drive, Marmora • Playground & Picnic Area 10 Chadwyn Drive, Palermo • Playground & Picnic Area • Tennis / Pickleball Court 10.5 Brewhaus Lane, Seaville • Playground & Picnic Area • Basketball Court 19 Crestview Drive, Seaville • Playground & Picnic Area 3.5 Lauradell Drive, Seaville • Playground & Picnic Area 35 Wexton Drive, Petersburg • Playground & Picnic Area • Nature Trail 25 Mockingbird Lane, Petersburg • Playground & Picnic Area • Basketball Court • Tennis Court 6 Nordic Drive, Petersburg • Playground & Picnic Area 3 White Pine Lane, Petersburg • Playground & Picnic Area 2 Deerfield Trail, Tuckahoe • Playground & Picnic Area
Strathmere Recreational Attractions Beaches Lifeguard Station at Williams Avenue • Seasonally guarded between Seaview Ave South to Nelson Ave Catamaran Beaches • Located between Prescott and Nelson • Seasonal permit req’d Fishing Beaches • Located between Whittier Ave to Williams Ave Surfing Beaches • Located between Vincent Ave to Sherman Ave. Playground/Picnic Area Webster Avenue, Strathmere Boat Ramp • Taylor Avenue, Strathmere (no permit req’d) • 1004 Bayview Avenue, Strathmere
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ip h s n w o T r e p p U
Upper Township Town Hall 2100 Tuckahoe Road, PO Box 205, Tuckahoe, NJ 08250 www.uppertownship.com Phone: (609) 628-2011 Fax: (609) 628-3092 Municipal Office Business Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Administrator: Scott Morgan (609) 628-2011 ext. 257 Email Address: administrator@uppertownship.com – Chief Financial Officer: Barbara Ludy (609) 628-2011 ext. 290 Email Address: treasurer@uppertownship.com Call this number for the Finance Office to answer questions about unpaid bills, budget appropriations, payroll; Personnel Office assists with employment opportunities; Purchasing Office for answers, questions about vouchers, purchases, bids and requests for proposal. – Municipal Clerk: Barbara L. Young (609) 628-2011 x200 Fax (609) 628-1836 Email Address: clerk@uppertownship.com The Municipal Clerk serves as the Secretary to the Governing Body. The Clerk’s Office answers questions and handles matters regarding Vital Records, Dog Licenses, Dog Park Licenses, Kennel Licenses, Open Public Records Requests (OPRA), Board of Health, Municipal Improvement Searches, Elections, Minutes of Township Committee Meetings, Meeting Agendas, Ordinances, Resolutions, Purchase or Sale of Municipal Land, Purchase of Municipal Equipment, MUA Convenience Accounts, Landlord Certifications, Boat Ramp Permits, Facility Use Permits, Facility Use Applications, Charitable Clothing Bin Permits, Limousine and Taxi Cab Licenses, Campground Licenses,
Mobile Home Park Licenses, Mining Licenses, Street Opening Permits, Street Light Outage Reporting, Liquor Licenses, Raffle and Bingo Licenses, Notary Public, Certified list of property owners within a 200’ radius, Fish and Wildlife Licenses and general questions about Upper Township. Township Committee Meeting Dates: 2nd & 4th Monday of each month, 7:30 p.m. Members: Richard Palombo, Committee Member/Mayor – rpalombo@uppertownship.com Edward Barr, Committee Member/Deputy Mayor – ebarr@uppertownship.com John Coggins, Committee Member – jcoggins@ uppertownship.com Kimberly Hayes, Committee Member – khayes@ uppertownship.com Curtis T. Corson, Jr., Committee Member – ccorson@uppertownship.com – Code Enforcement: Shelley Lea (609) 628-2011 ext. 245 Email Address: zoningofficer@uppertownship.com Call or email for zoning answers, questions about land use, zoning requirements, home occupations, and zoning applications. Planning Office helps with site plan review for business, subdivisions, and the Master Plan. – Construction Official: Theodore Cooper (609) 628-2011 ext. 220 Email Address: constructioncode@uppertownship.com Construction Code Office assists with uniform construction code inspections. – Court Administrator: Loren Ready (609) 628-2011 ext. 235 Email Address: courtadministrator@uppertownship.com The Upper Township Municipal Court handles motor vehicle and traffic violations, neighbor dis-
putes, small claims, ticket payments, complaints heard by municipal judge. The court serves Upper Township, Dennis Township and Corbin City. – Engineer: Paul Dietrich (609) 628-2011 ext. 244 Email Address: engineer@uppertownship.com Engineering can help with subdivision information, project bids, streets and roads, and tax maps. – Tax Assessor: Megan McAfee (609) 628-2011 ext. 230 Email Address: taxassessor@uppertownship.com Tax Assessor handles address changes, assessments, deeds, property ownership, farmland assessments, senior citizens/veterans deductions and exemptions. – Tax Collector: Rhonda Sharp (609) 628-2011 ext. 270 Email Address: taxcollector@uppertownship.com Tax Collector answers questions about tax bills and taxes owed, and handles paying taxes. – Public works: Craig Reeves (609) 628-2011 ext. 350 Email Address: creeves@uppertownship.com Public Works handles roads and infrastructure. – Division of EMS: Mellissa Coker (acting) (609) 628-2011 ext. 381 Email Address: mcoker@uppertownship.com – Planning & Zoning: Secretary Shelley Lea (609) 628-2011 ext. 245 Email Address: zoningofficer@uppertownship.com – Personnel Officer: Rhonda Sharp (acting) (609) 628-2011 ext. 270 Planning Board Meeting Dates: 3rd Thursday of each month, 7:30 p.m. Zoning Board Meeting Dates: 2nd Thursday of each month, 7:30 p.m.
Township’s Public Works Snow Storm Operations
what we call “one in and one out”. This is done in order to make a path for emergency vehicles and to keep snow accumulation manageable. We will continue this process until the storm ends. • Once the storm ends a more detailed operation begins and the snow is “pushed” to the curb. This takes time and may not be completed until the next day. In this part of the snow removal process snow is pushed back onto driveways. There is no way around this part of our process. We need to get the snow to the curb in order to keep our drains opened so when the snow melts there is a place for it
to drain. • Cul-De-Sacs are plowed when the storm has stopped. This usually requires a smaller truck and the snow is plowed in best way possible. We direct the snow in the best way possible in order to take snow away from the driveway and the mailbox. It is important for our residents to understand that during a big snow event we cannot direct the snow. We understand some of our residents pay to have their driveways cleared and we come back down the road and block them back in. We are not finished until the snow is pushed to the curb.
In order to make the most efficient use of available resources, we have established priorities for clearing township maintained roadways. Depending on the nature and severity of a snow storm, deviations from these priorities can occur. • When snow begins to stick on the roads we are out salting. An accumulation of three inches or more on the roads we will begin to plow. • During the storm our trucks continue to do
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t n e m e g a n a M y c n Emerge Disasters both natural and manmade – such as hurricanes, flooding or terrorist attacks – could devastate communities. The Upper Township Office of Emergency Management prepares for such events and safeguards the public from harm through constant communication with other emergency agencies on the federal, state and county levels. “I’m proud of our emergency management operation here and how far we’ve come,” Upper Township Emergency Management Director Scott Morgan said. Morgan started as Emergency Management coordinator in March 2014. Prior to that, he had 30 years of emergency management experience in Ocean City and even spent a year and a half as Cape May County’s emergency management deputy director. In 2012, Morgan retired from the Ocean City Police Department after 25 years. “I think we have a good working relationship with all of our emergency services here. They’re a very talented group. That is one uniqueness of Upper Township. We have volunteer groups here as opposed to the paid employees over in Ocean City, for example. They are on par with the rest of them. They provide a very valuable service to the residents of Upper Township.” Upper Township Emergency Management has three deputies, one covering the barrier island section of the township called Strathmere; the chief of the Tuckahoe Fire Department; and a Public Works supervisor. “It’s a good diversity when it comes to talents and knowing how to handle emergencies,” Morgan said. “Each one of them has a pretty strong background in emergency management, in emergency services.” Operationally, emergency management supports Upper Township residents and those of surrounding communities like Ocean City. Morgan said Upper Township provides sheltering at its public schools in the event of serious events such as hurricanes. “We put out the voluntary evacuations when major storms have the potential to impact. We try to disseminate that information and move those residents elsewhere to other relatives or other pre-planned sites that they’ve done themselves,” Morgan said. “We have a smaller portion of the population to deal with as far as sheltering is concerned.”
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Cape May County Emergency Management and Cape Regional Medical Center assist residents with special needs during evacuations, Morgan said. “It’s a very small percentage of the population, but it’s an important percentage of the population that we have to deal with those that have functional needs. Most of them are special health needs, but it goes further than that,” Morgan said, adding residents without transportation also have to be accommodated. Special needs individuals, particularly those bedridden or who rely on wheelchairs or walkers, must be handled in a certain way so as not to injure them during the evacuation process. Morgan said this is where the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training proves invaluable. Alerting the public of impending emergencies, the township relies on its emergency management website (www.uppertownship. com/oem) and CodeRED. CodeRED reaches a majority of residents, sending phone calls, text messages and email blasts to those in harm’s way. “When we’re talking about hurricanes and nor’easters, they have the highest potential to displace the highest number of people. We do have some advanced weather information we receive a week out and rely on the media to get that information out,” Morgan said. Morgan said education is the first line of defense when it comes to emergencies. He said the CERT, locals trained in first aid and emergency response, assists emergency management officials during crises. CERT volunteers also educate the public on protecting themselves and properties before emergency services arrive, Morgan said. “If it’s a catastrophic emergency, there may be a possibility that some emergency services could potentially be delayed, so you want to
be well educated and fend for yourself within a short period (72 to 96 hours) of time until professional emergency services can get to you,” Morgan said. Morgan noted the public should heed warnings from state, county and local emergency services personnel. “Make sure you have a communications plan,” Morgan said. “Make sure you have a plan of where you’re going to go in the event of an emergency. Prepare that months before the hurricane season or the winter season when storms can be most severe.” After a catastrophic emergency, Morgan said the most difficult time for emergency management agencies is the recovery phase. “We’re left to pick up the pieces,” Morgan said. “We tell everybody to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. If you prepare for the worst, you’re going to be well prepared.” Morgan recalled after Hurricane Sandy struck the East Coast in 2012, emergency management officials were instructed to prepare for a storm even worse than Sandy. The old benchmark was the March 1962 Storm. “Some meteorologists say that Sandy was a meteorological fluke. It’ll probably never happen again. We never thought it could happen the first time,” Morgan said. Upper Township is fortunate because it is at a higher elevation in Cape May County, but it does have low-lying areas, Morgan said. Lowlying areas are more susceptible to flooding and storm damage. “You’ve got to heed the warnings and you’ve got to get out early or there’s a potential to be stuck in some of those areas,” Morgan said. Have a plan. Upper Township Emergency Management conducts periodic exercises with the state and county to ensure coordination among departments and agencies. Last year an Active Shooter drill was conducted in Marmora and involved the New Jersey State Police, the Upper Township Chief ’s Association, the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office, Cape May County Office of Emergency Management, Upper Township Emergency Medical Services, Upper Township CERT and Upper Township School District. “It truly tests all of our capabilities,” Morgan said.
Emergency Services Upper Township Emergency Medical Services PREPARING FOR AN EMS RESPONSE Having a need for EMS to respond can be a stressful time. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with some information to help make everything more efficient. Calling 9-1-1 When you call 9-1-1 for any emergency, you will speak with a Public Safety Telecommunicator (a dispatcher). Depending on your location and whether you’re calling from your home phone or a cellular device, you may speak with a dispatcher from the New Jersey State Police located in Buena or our 9-1-1 dispatch center located at the Ocean City Police Department. Once the necessary information is gathered, they will dispatch emergency responders within minutes and we will be on the way. Please understand that while we’re on the way, the dispatcher may stay on the phone with you and continue to ask you more questions. This doesn’t delay us from responding, but provides us with valuable information about your emergency while we’re on the way. Who is Coming? Emergency Medical Services is located at 2028 Tuckahoe Road in Petersburg. There are two different organizations that share this building. The Division of EMS staffs Emergency Medical Technicians paid by the Township of Upper 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. The Volunteers of Upper Township Rescue Squad are also housed here. When multiple 9-1-1 calls happen at once, we rely on the volunteers from the Upper Township Rescue Squad. We also use the four fire departments in Upper Township as emergency first responders. The fire department closest to the incident will send a fire engine to the scene and provide emergency care until an ambulance arrives. Depending on the nature of the emergency, a paramedic from AtlantiCare may be dispatched as well. EMTs and Paramedics have the same basic medical training. EMTs provide Basic Life Support to medical issues, traumatic injuries and accident scenes. Paramedics provide more Advanced Life Support such as cardiac monitoring, initiating an IV and administering medications. Both EMTs and Paramedics are trained in CPR and how to use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) in case of cardiac arrest. Preparing Your House The most important thing you can do before you ever have a need for 9-1-1 is to ensure your house number is properly displayed so we can see it from the street and at night. If possible, do the following: – Have someone flag us down at the street – Turn on the outside lights – Unlock your door – Put pets away Have Prepared Information Available Consider preparing our INFO 4 LIFE form. This form can be found at www.upperrescue.com. This document can be handed to us when we arrive, saving time and a lot of questions. It can also provide us with vital information if you’re too sick to communicate with us. Place your completed form on your refrigerator. Emergency Access to your Residence or Business Some people are concerned we won’t be able to get to them if their door is locked and they’re too sick or injured to unlock it. Rest assured we will get to you if you need us. If you have a door key in a hidden exterior location, tell the dispatcher when you call 9-1-1 giving the exact location of the key. We also have Knoxbox access. This is a commercially available product that can be secured to the outside of your home or business. Please visit www. knoxbox.com or call us for additional information on this product. Thank you for your time The dedicated paid employees of the Division of EMS and volunteer members of the Upper Township Rescue Squad
ATLANTIC CITY ELECTRIC SAFETY CALL BEFORE YOU DIG
Your safety is important. Always call 811 before you dig or drive equipment into the ground.
www.atlanticcityelectric.com/SafetyCommunity/Safety/Pages/CallBeforeYouDig.aspx STORM RESTORATION PROCESS
When power goes out, the restoration process begins as soon as conditions are safe. We are committed to resolving outages as quickly as possible and technology is helping us do it faster than ever before.
www.atlanticcityelectric.com/Outages/StormCenter/Pages/StormRestorationProcess.aspx ELECTRIC SAFETY
Get tips and information about staying safe around electricity.
www.atlanticcityelectric.com/SafetyCommunity/Safety/Pages/ElectricSafety.aspx
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Upper Township Community Guide 19
s e ic v r e S y c n e g r e m E
When you dial 9-1-1 for an emergency, tell the dispatcher you live in Upper Township! Confusion over addresses can delay a response; if you can, also tell them what section of town When you need emergency medical care, you want help to arrive as quickly as possible. In Upper Township, however, Zip Codes shared with neighboring municipalities can present unique challenges for dispatchers and emergency responders. That could delay response times. However, there are things citizens and visitors should remember to ensure that in the event of an emergency, help can reach you quickly and efficiently. To make that happen, callers should specify that they are in Upper Township and if possible, the section of town in Upper Township. The township consists of Beesleys Point, Greenfield, Marmora, Marshallville, Palermo, Petersburg, Seaville, Steelmantown, Strathmere and Tuckahoe. Some of these sections, however, share Zip Codes with other towns. For example, 08270 is the Zip Code for both Petersburg, which is in Upper Township, and Woodbine. The Zip Code 08230 is used for Ocean View in Dennis Township and portions of Upper Township. In these cases, the shared Zip Code can cause an Upper Township resident’s mail to have an incorrect address. GPS navigation systems are subject to similar mistakes because of the mailing address. In the event of an emergency, however, it’s easy for an Upper Township resident who lives in Seaville to mistakenly give an Ocean View mailing address. Cell phones compound this problem. Cell phones are not associated with a fixed address, according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the location of the cell phone tower closest to the
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20 Upper Township Community Guide
caller can give a general idea of the area the person is calling from. Since landlines have a fixed address, it is easier for a dispatcher to know a caller’s location. Officials estimate 70 percent of the 9-1-1 calls received in Upper Township are via a cell phone. Approximately 30 percent of these calls are made from a landline phone. This Zip Code confusion, coupled with a cell phone muddling a dispatcher’s ability to find an exact location, has caused some problems in Upper Township. The average response time is six to nine minutes in Upper Township. Upper Township is 68 square miles. A few years ago there was a complaint about an amublance taking 50 minutes to respond, but it turned out there was confusion over the address. “We’ve only had a few (incidents) but one is too many,” Scott Morgan, Upper Township Administrator, said about people who have called but whose address has caused confusion. It’s important for a township resident or visitor to know where they are, and to tell a dispatcher they are located in Upper Township and provide the address and cross streets. This information is just as important for the township’s seasonal visitors and vacationers to know. Morgan said that “being on vacation and not a resident of the community, I would venture to say that’s probably the last thing on their minds.” However, in an emergency, something as simple as a correct address can make a difference in response times.
Secure pets and have medication information available Officials also recommend that, after calling 9-1-1, people who are able to ready the area for first responders by making sure the door is unlocked and that pets are secured. He also recommended gathering any medication the patient needs. Having a house number that is easily visible and having a Knox Box, a small safe that holds building keys for fire and emergency medical services staff, also makes things easier for responders. When responders have all of the correct information, they can reach patients as quickly as possible.
KNOX BOX
According to the Upper Township web site, “The Knox Box is a secured key box that allows public safety personnel to enter a commercial structure after hours in the case of an activated fire alarm. In many cases the owner/occupant of the building might not be available to give firefighters access to investigate the cause of the alarm and mitigate the situation whether it is an actual fire or an accidental trip of the alarm system. This saves the building owner the potential cost of a door or lock replacement if firefighters must gain entry.” It also can be used at residential buildings. To learn more, go to the township’s web site at: https://uppertownship.com Then click on “Upper Township Knox Box Program.”
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Upper Township Community Guide 21
MOBILE 311 The more sets of eyes there are on something that needs fixing, the better it will be. With this in mind, Upper Township implemented Mobile 311, a program that allows people to submit work requests to the township’s Public Works Department electronically. Mobile 311 is used internally by the Public Works Department to document its activities, show the Public Works Department’s workflow, and offer access to spending and workflow reports. For the public, it’s a tool to communicate problems, such as pot holes and trash that was not picked up, to the Public Works Department. Scott Morgan, the Upper Township administrator, said when a request is made on Mobile 311, it goes into their system and gives public works supervisors the opportunity to assign the job and to notify the person who made the request when that job is done. The software “better organizes what we do
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22 Upper Township Community Guide
Upper Township is using a mobile reporting system so residents can submit work requests to the Public Works Department electronically to fix problems more quickly
and documents what we do on a daily basis,” Morgan said. “It’s absolutely a way that we take a look at what’s going on within our township, and we can determine how we can manage our workforce and our equipment to get the job done,” he said. Upper Township has used Mobile 311 for about a year. It can be used by anyone, including summer visitors to Upper Township. To use Mobile 311 in Upper Township, see http://uppertownship.com/departments/ public-works/submit-work-request/. The person submitting the request will create an account the first time they use Mobile 311, so the Public Works Department can provide updates about the work request. Additional information about how to use Mobile 311 can be found on the Public Works Department section of the Upper Township website. Are you wondering when your trash will be picked up? The public works section of
the Upper Township website has this information as well. The section has a map of the township’s trash routes with the days that the trash is collected, holiday trash and recycling schedules for the entire year, trash and recycling requirements, residential paper shredding, how to recycle used clothing, bulk waste collection requirements and schedules, brush collection, electronics recycling and more. Information about collection of compostable materials, loose leaf collection schedules and requirements, tree trimming and hazardous materials can be found on the website. The website also has access to a Recycling Coach program, where people can type in what they want to recycle, be it furniture, batteries or other items. The Recycling Coach will give instructions about how to recycle the item and where in Cape May County they can bring the item for recycling. To see these features and learn more, visit http://uppertownship.com/departments/ public-works.
Flood Insurance: If you don’t have flood insurance, talk to your insurance agent. Homeowner’s insurance policies do not cover damage from floods. Flood Insurance is required if you have a Federally backed mortgage, which accounts for 95% of all mortgages. This insurance is backed by the Federal government and is available to everyone, even for properties that have been flooded. Flood Awareness: Flooding in our Township is caused by three sources: tidal flooding, tidal flooding influenced by coastal storms and floodwaters from stormwater runoff. Tidal flooding routinely occurs in Strathmere both during severe coastal storms and rain events coinciding with full moon tide cycles. Floodwaters usually may be 1-2 feet of water along Bayview Drive and can exceed five feet above the normal high tide. Occasional tidal flooding can occur along the Cedar Swamp Creek and Tuckahoe River. Floodwaters on the mainland may occur after a rainfall of either long duration or high intensity, which may result in flooded streets and yards. Your property may be high enough that it was not flooded recently. However, it can still be flooded in the future because the next flood could be worse. If you are in the floodplain, the odds are that someday your property will be damaged. This information gives you some ideas of what you can do to protect yourself. Township Flood Services: The Township Engineer can determine where your property is in relationship to the flood hazard area. Stevens Institute has developed a web-based application that can notify you of an impending tidal flooding event. You can sign up to receive email alerts. Helps to let you know if you need to move your car or plan a trip. These alerts can start warning you of higher than normal tides 3 days in advance. Go to this online address to see the information and sign-up: http:// hudson.dl.stevens-tech.edu/sfas/d/index. shtml?station=U233 The County of Cape May has also released a Tidal Flooding Awareness website (https://cmcgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=dfc9972f2f8f4c92 bce2187194d81ff5). This site can give you up-to-date flooding information and show you which streets might be flooded based on the nearest tidal flood gauge. The site also can show you how your neighborhood might flood during different types of flood
events. This site is not mobile friendly at this time and can take several minutes to load all the necessary data. For assistance using this site please call the Municipal Engineer at 609-628-2011 ext. 244. What You Can Do: Several of the Township’s efforts depend on your cooperation and assistance. Here is how you can help: • Do not dump or throw anything into the drainage inlets, ditches or streams. Dumping in our ditches and streams is a violation of Township Ordinance 24-4. Even grass clippings and branches can accumulate and plug channels. A plugged channel cannot carry water and when it rains the water has to go somewhere. • If your property is next to a ditch or stream, please do your part and keep the banks clear of brush and debris. The township has a stream maintenance program which can help remove major blockages such as downed trees. • If you see dumping or debris in the ditches or streams, contact the Public Works Department at (609) 628-2011 ext. 352 Flood Safety • Do not walk through flowing water. Drowning is the number one cause of flood deaths, mostly during flash floods. Currents can be deceptive; six inches of moving water can knock you off your feet. If you walk in standing water, use a pole or stick to ensure that the ground is still there. • Do not drive through a flooded
area. More people drown in their cars than anywhere else. Don’t drive around road barriers; the road or bridge may be washed out. When you drive through floodwaters, the wake you create can cause damage to surrounding properties and you could be held personally responsible for that damage. • Look out for animals, especially snakes. Small animals that have been flooded out of their homes may seek shelter in yours. Use a pole or stick to poke and turn things over and scare away small animals. • Look before you step. After a flood, the ground and floors are covered with debris including broken bottles and nails. Floors and stairs that have been covered with mud can be very slippery.
Check out Tidal Flooding Talk hosted by Dan Skeldon and Palma Accardi, Tidal Flooding Talk is a weekly “Live Feed” that takes place on Facebook every Tuesday night at 7 p.m. and focuses on flood mitigation. Sponsored by and held at The Irish Pub in Atlantic City, Tidal Flooding Talk has a guest each week and the show runs about 20-25 minutes or so. Join the “Live Feed” (Video) or subscribe to the Podcast (Audio)
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Upper Township Community Guide 23
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24 Upper Township Community Guide
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Upper Township Community Guide 25
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Upper Township Community Guide 27
t p a d A s e s s e n i Bus BY RACHEL SHUBIN
Local businesses have survived the pandemic by the grace of the community. “Even though everyone feels like there are people making this difficult, from the small-business perspective I have seen the community rally together,” Yes She Can! owner Dana Wilson said.
The shop small movement Wilson’s bra boutique was closed for two months at the beginning of the pandemic. She had to rely on social media and livestreaming to sell her products. More people than ever began to shop online in March and April 2020 to stay at home to stop the spread of COVID-19. “It’s really exciting to see from my point of view the [number] of people saying it’s more important now than ever to shop local,” Wilson said. “During the pandemic, Amazon and Walmart have had record online sales and that’s a hard thing for small businesses.” While Yes She Can! was closed, the community rallied behind Wilson’s store to support her from home. “I had clients buying gift cards telling me, ‘Hey, I don’t need anything right now but I want to put money toward your business for later,’” she said. “It meant a lot to me because a lot of people were out of work. The community needs to know how much small businesses appreciate the support that we’ve received in the last year.” The pandemic has more people working from home, which has even impacted the products being sold. “I sell a lot more ready-to-wear products, which in the retail industry means pajamas and clothes people don’t have to be fit for,” Wilson said. “We have a much larger selection of pajamas in the spring because people are buying more of it.”
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One of the most popular services Yes She Can! offers is bra fittings. When the shop re-opened, Wilson said appointments were mandatory. “There’s definitely a level of caution because I am going into the dressing room with them [for fittings],” she said. “We take temperatures and make sure customers have their masks on properly.” COVID-19 precautions have changed the way many people think about the spread of germs. “You didn’t think about this level of caution in the past,” Wilson said. “As a business owner, I never thought about asking my customers if they felt sick during cold or flu season. That’s changed heavily because we have to not only protect ourselves but our customers.” Wilson said she is now more aware of everything going on in the store and every person who walks through the door. Disposable masks and hand sanitizers are available for her customers. “We were really lucky when we re-opened we had a good rest of the year and consider ourselves lucky,” she said. “Undergarments are something that everyone needs and the
service we provide is not found everywhere.” After products are tried on, the items are quarantined in a separate dressing room for 24 hours. “We don’t put it back on the floor until the next day,” Wilson said. “The cleaning a local mom and pop business is going to do is going to be a lot better than at a bigger store. We sanitize the door handle four times a day.” From now on, Wilson believes people will be more conscious of life during a pandemic. “If you research past pandemics, they usually last about two years,” she said. “I was never looking at this as a six-week thing and we’ve had time to wrap our brains around something that we’ve never lived through before. We will be more on alert as this could happen again. It will be in the back of your mind.”
Interacting with customers during a pandemic Many businesses require one-on-one contact between employees and customers, a business aspect requiring a change in protocols during a pandemic. “One of the biggest things that was a little
Left: Yes She Can! Above: Broadley’s Plumbing, Heating and AC. Right: Pandora Mason and Christina Tolson.
scary at first is sending technicians out into the field and into people’s homes and interact with them,” Broadley’s Plumbing, Heating, and AC marketing manager Christina Tolson said. For the first six weeks of the pandemic, Broadley’s Plumbing shut down and no employees went into the office. Technicians were dispatched only for emergency services, not preventive maintenance. “When we re-opened, we would ask people when they called to make appointments if anyone was sick in the household,” Tolson said. “We would also ask if they were OK with technicians coming into the house, would they like to leave a key or stay in a separate room.” COVID-19 has changed the knock-on-thedoor and enter aspect of businesses. “The perception of going into people’s homes wasn’t ever a thought before [the pandemic],” Tolson said. “It’s the way our business runs, you call, knock on the door and go into the home and do what they need to do. It’s a big obstacle when they’re afraid to have people come and bring germs into their homes.” Tolson said customers were accommodating and called to cancel appointments if they were sick with COVID-19. Technicians wore personal protective equipment, including masks and gloves, when entering customers’ homes. “We weren’t sure how people would feel with us coming into their homes,” she said. “It’s great people take precautions for us and the staff.” When Broadley’s re-opened, Tolson noted
it was busier and stayed that way past August 2020. “One of the interesting insights is we got busier when we opened back up and there are a few different factors,” she said. “Second homeowners are staying down longer because they can work remotely and go to school virtually.” Broadley’s also provides indoor air quality services, which has picked up recently. “It’s something we’ve always sold but it wasn’t at the top of people’s minds,” Tolson said. “More people are wondering about the quality of air in their homes and we’ve taken an educational approach to educate customers on the products we have available.” Tolson believes more people will pay attention to air quality in their homes and the steps to improve it. “We are proud of our community and how the business community has bounced back,” she said. “We are still dealing with COVID-19 and it has definitely proven that our businesses and our community has each other’s backs. If we work together to keep supporting each other we will get through it.”
More time at home, more home renovation With people spending most of their time working, living and relaxing at home, finding small changes to improve living spaces has been an everyday activity. “People being at home worked for us because they wanted to get new carpet or
hardwood floors,” Foglio’s Flooring business development manager Pandora Mason said. “We are one of the fortunate businesses because it’s a different type of industry.” When the pandemic initially began in March 2020, Foglio’s Flooring had limited staff, and business was done by appointment only. Only one customer and one salesperson at a time could be in the showroom. “With everybody home so much more now, they want to focus on home improvements,” Mason said. “Business wise, [the pandemic] didn’t hurt us but made it different.” Foglio’s Flooring offers virtual appointments for those who are unable to go into the store. “We have virtual consultations and our employees are trained how to use iPads and walk clients around the showroom,” Mason said. “Keeping the social distance between sales associates and customers is challenging in a design business.” Mason said safety procedures, including cleaning and sanitization, will continue to stay the same. “Our awareness is definitely going to stay the same,” she said. “We got in the groove with cleaning and distancing procedures.
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t p a d A s e s s e n i s Bu
Left: Foglio’s Flooring. Right: Keltex Apparel.
A
late start to business
Many small retail businesses in New Jersey remained closed to indoor shoppers from March to June 2020. The late start to the season impacted many businesses that thrive during the summer season. Familyowned and operated for over 25 years, Keltex Apparel is the largest apparel screen printer in southern New Jersey. “Normally the month of May is the biggest month of the year, but it didn’t really kick off for us until June,” Michael Hagan, Keltex Apparel director of sales and marketing, said. “One of the [reasons] was we lost some key production employees because of daycare more than anything else.” Of 20 employees working in the back, Hagan said two were unable to have day care, and five to six had difficulty getting to work because of caring for their family. “Now we are currently dealing with a shortage of merchandise, mainly hooded sweatshirts,” he said. “Manufacturers in the beginning [of the pandemic] were closed down and when they opened back up they were making masks.” Hagan said hooded sweatshirt stock was sufficient until Christmas, but in mid-March the XL and XXL sizes in every color were out of stock.
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“I think our industry did very well toward the middle and end of summer, almost all of the way through winter because we’re in the shore resort area,” he said. “Specific businesses did really well and made up for the ones we lost.” Keeping the social distance between employees is a challenge because of the automatic machinery running and printing. “We have had to change the way we do our process,” Hagan said. “That’s the [biggest change] and cleanliness of course, but that’s the same for everybody.” Business meetings are now handled virtually, with video chats, texts or emails. “We used to have a lot of one-on-one meetings with clients and now it’s mostly through Zoom,” Hagan said. “Another big change is not having conventions for clients and even for ourselves to go see new products.” Helping other local businesses succeed is critical as the pandemic continues. “As a business person, I truly think that the business people need to stick together and keep it local as much as possible,” Hagan said. “One of the things we do whether we make a sale or not, we try to help other businesses to succeed.” Hagan encourages local businesses to reach out to other businesses and be creative
and think outside of the box. “We deal with a lot of restaurants and we try to help them out as much as we can,” he said.
Less traveling, longer time between car services With sweeping changes in all aspects of tourism and traveling, the pandemic has continued to change the way people take vacations. As many people stay closer to home, some have changed the length of time between car maintenance appointments. “It has been busy and people are keeping their vehicles maintained,” Gentilini Chevrolet service adviser Bill Fosbenner said. “But many people are traveling less, so there are longer intervals between maintenance.” A Jan. 27 article from Carfax said people drive an average of 2,000 miles less a year than usual due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. “Driving less doesn’t mean a vehicle no longer needs maintenance,” the article said. “The supply of parts, products and safety measures [have been the biggest changes],” Fosbenner said. “It takes longer and availability of parts can be harder to get.” As 2021 continues, small businesses work diligently to develop creative solutions to stay safe and keep busy.
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t n e m e g a n a M t Asse BY RACHEL SHUBIN
The surprise and sudden onset of the COVID-19 pandemic impacted all aspects of everyday life, especially finances. As a direct result, the asset management industry has seen exponential growth. “We have been very busy, which is very good for us,” Reich Asset Management President Eric Reich said. “We have felt tremendous growth during this period and have been acting more like financial psychologists for people who are worried about their money.” Managing assets and finances during the pandemic requires keeping the long-term view in perspective. “As we saw, the pandemic got a lot worse but the market rebounded,” Reich said. “People are scared about their life savings, rightly so, as they have never lived through a global pandemic before.” Reich explained it is necessary to focus on the big picture and tune out the day-to-day noise surrounding the stock market’s highs and lows. “In March 2020, the thought process of a lot of people was the market is falling and people are getting sicker and the pandemic will get a lot worse,” Reich said. “One thing does not equal another; you have to look at them as two separate events. The market rebounded and went dramatically higher during the year.” Guessing what the stock market will do based on the pandemic is a dangerous move, Reich said. “I try to get people to disassociate one with another; they don’t move in tandem,” he said. “That is the big thing we talk about with people. If you get out, that’s fine but when do you get back into the market?” Reich said no one will ever be able to guess the timing of the market. Missing the best days of the market can cause a loss of the market’s return. “There are some people who still haven’t gotten back in,” Reich said. “Who is worse off, the person who took the loss and made it all back, or the person who got out and stayed out? Clearly the latter did
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Above: Eric Reich of Reich Asset Management
much worse.” Like many others, financial advisers did not expect the pandemic’s potential impact and have looked back to reflect on the 2008 recession. “The big thing for me and even for advisers, I’ve seen a lot of things in 25 years, but this wasn’t [like anything else],” Reich said. We saw a major market drop in 2008, and five years later, we were at a record high.” Reich recommends his long-term investors stay the course of their plan. Waiting for a sign to re-enter the market can lead to missing out on a significant portion of the recovery. “Why would we change the plan because of some outside, external stimulus,” he said. “If nothing has changed about your situation, don’t change your investments just because of what’s going on around you.” The first quarter of 2021 is seeing volatile changes, Reich added. “You’re going to see in this quarter and maybe even into May be volatile,” Reich said. “You have the vaccine rollout, the new administration but I think after that you’ll see the market move higher the rest of the year.” At the time of the Presidential election, Reich explained people reacted similar to the pandemic. “They [worry that] the new president could raise taxes and want to get out of the market,” he said. “Change [the word] administration to pandemic and it’s the exact same thing people were saying in March of last year and we saw how bad that thought process worked out.” The future of the local and national economy will be different as this year progresses. “At the local level, we’re going to see impacts for a while,” Reich said. “Even when people have vaccines, some people are going to be afraid to go out and do certain things and that will have a long-term impact to the local economy that maybe we won’t see nationally.” Reich recommends looking at risk levels to determine entering the market.
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Insurance BY RACHEL SHUBIN
An industry typically prepared for large and unexpected events, the insurance business has felt waves of change during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “[The insurance] industry is looking for ways to cover the pandemic from a liability standpoint and business interruption standpoint,” Thomas Heist IV said. He is president of the Thomas Heist insurance agency with locations at 700 West Ave. in Ocean City and 4 Roosevelt Boulevard in Marmora. “I hope the industry releases products that we can offer to customers to protect them from this kind of thing, if it happens again.” Restaurants and casinos were two of the local businesses dramatically affected by COVID-19 closures at the pandemic’s onset.
Commercial insurance Relevant to insurance coverage of business interruptions, Heist said, “There has been a lot of issues and it’s very different in personal insurance and commercial insurance in the south Jersey area.”
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Heist said businesses had to adapt to regulations for commercial insurance clients, including outdoor dining and purchasing necessary items such as tents. “Restaurant clients that had been able to stay afloat so far were hurt pretty severely in terms of profit and increased expenses for moving outdoors,” he said. “Clients that serviced the casinos with sound and lighting went through almost no revenue.” Businesses had to adapt to going from indoor dining to take-out only. Additionally, businesses functioning with entirely outside dining had to deal with the record number of hurricanes during the summer and fall months. Heist explained businesses asked early on into the pandemic if they could file a claim on business interruption standpoints. Still, there was a virus exclusion on the property, which prevented payouts. “A lot of hotels and condos decided not to open their pools and public areas because there is an exclusion on liability policies if brought into a lawsuit,” Heist said. “They would have to defend themselves with their own money, so a lot decided not to self-insure and just close their amenities.” Heist said he is paying attention to an
insurance-related case in England on business interruption insurance. “There’s a little bit of a storm on the horizon with this Supreme Court case in England,” he said. “[The case is saying] business interruption losses should not be excluded. So ultimately, if insurance companies are held for loss of income and it works its way to America, it may be great for customers who lost income.” If COVID-19 losses were covered in America, insurance prices would go up significantly. “When you look at insurance pricing nationally, it’s increasing anyway,” Heist said. “Early on, COVID-19 is was excluded from most policies, from both a liability standpoint and business interruption standpoint.” Heist added the insurance industry is watching this scenario. “The insurance marketplace would have a knee-jerk reaction and increase prices dramatically,” He said. For businesses expecting a decrease in revenue, accommodations were made to adjust monthly insurance billings. “We gave [our clients] a few ideas for adjusting payrolls or lower payrolls under the workers’ comp policy, so they wouldn’t have to
carry the big insurance bill monthly,” Heist said. At the begging of the pandemic, the insurance industry allowed delayed payments to customers. “We spent a lot of time communicating with customers if they couldn’t pay their bills, not to panic and we would move them into a grace period,” Heist said. “That’s mostly what we focused on, how to help people not go out of business.” Heist explained that conversations with clients helped them understand cash flow, revenue, and manage expenses. “For some people, there is no amount of help if they just had dramatic reductions in revenue,” he said. “They’re just going to go out of business and that’s very unfortunate.”
Personal insurance Unlike the commercial side of insurance, personal insurance is thriving. Heist said it is two different tales for both sides of the insurance industry. “A lot of people from the cities decided to come down to the Jersey shore and live so
we had our best year ever in selling personal insurance,” Heist said. Real estate inventory is low today, and there’s been an increase in the value of the real estate at the shore.” The increase in demand for local real estate has also coincided with a positive impact on flood insurance. “Flood insurance is actually reducing today with private market flood insurance,” Heist said. “The fact that more homes are elevated higher off the ground or torn down and rebuilt much higher, the cost of insurance has been as low as it has been in 10 years for personal insurance.”
Advice As the pandemic continues into 2021, Heist said much of their work is continuing to help businesses follow and comply with the local rules and regulations. “A lot of our advice today is just general business advice,” Heist said. “We discuss how to keep employees safe if you bring them back to work and stay safe while complying with regulations.” For the foreseeable future, Heist expects the
new normal of operation will continue. “We have 65 employees and virtually all of them went home and have been working and servicing customers from home,” he said. “We feel safe and very good about that and fortunately we have the technology to operate [from home] seamlessly.” The strain the pandemic has placed on people has been both financial and emotional impact. “We’ve only had one year of the pandemic and I think this is going to go on for a long time,” Heist said. “Many people will be vaccinated but it will continue to recirculate as people travel.” Heist said businesses will continue to adapt and people will continue to learn how to live in a way that is conducive to minimize the spread of germs with masks and social distancing. “Five years from now, we may see all restaurants with outdoor cafes,” he said. “We may see more people working from home, customers video calling attorneys and insurance people, and telemedicine. It’s all been accelerated by COVID-19. Hopefully in the next few months we will get back to the reality we want.”
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g n i v i L y h t l Hea
BY CHRISTINE ZELLERS
Health during a pandemic – making time to check all the to-do’s in the healthy living category of life – is never easy. Add a pandemic and goals can really be put out of reach. However, now more than ever, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is important. After all, battling a virus and all the challenges it offers is no easy task but doing it as a healthy person versus an unhealthy one could make the battle just a little easier and hopefully a lot more successful. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle means doing what is best for overall health, which should include proper sleep, physical activity and good nutrition. Do not stop reading because that list sounds daunting; even during a pandemic goals can be accomplished by making small changes for better health now and well beyond the pandemic.
Sleep Sleep has become more and more fleeting for Americans as stress and worry contribute to tossing and turning during the night hours. 60 million Americans are affected by chronic sleep disorders and sleep problems that impair physical well-being and proper brain function. Sleep disorders and chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity,
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Editor’s note: Christine Zellers, MPP, is assistant professor/educator, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cape May County, Department of Family and Community Health Sciences. Images courtesy of Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
depression and anxiety have a correlation. However, the link between lack of sleep and chronic diseases has been inconclusive since underlying behavioral or hereditary factors could be to blame rather than lack of sleep. Sleep improves emotional brain function but determining if mood is caused by lack of sleep or causing poor sleep could be difficult to determine. Checking in with a health professional is a good idea if lack of sleep and poor mental
health is a persistent problem. Getting a good nights sleep is important but sleep is not always an easy goal to obtain. To get a better night’s sleep, try going to bed and waking up at the same time every day; this adjusts the internal clock and keeps it regulated. Make sure to exercise every day to get restful sleep. Caffeine can prevent a person from sleeping and that includes not only coffee but sodas and energy drinks. Try not to use caffeine for two to three hours before bed or removing it from your
day altogether if needed. Caffeine is a stimulant and too much could deter restful sleep or stop the onset of rest. Nicotine is also a stimulant. Using nicotine such as cigarettes, cigars or a vape can cause restless sleep or waking during the night. To quit, contact one of the 11 free Quit Centers throughout the state. The Quit Center in Cape May is Cape Assist at (609) 522-5960 and in Atlantic County, Atlantic Prevention Resources at (609) 804-QUIT. The craving for nicotine often wakes users during the night and quitting can offer a better night’s sleep. Alcohol can cause interrupted or unsound sleep because it interferes with sleep stages during the night that are needed to give a feeling of restfulness. During the day take time to de-stress and find something that is relaxing such as exercise, a hobby or meditation. Taking a break from electronics can create a more peaceful sleep as well. Try “unplugging” an hour or two before bed to get the seven to nine hours per night needed for adults. Do not eat a huge meal too close to bed because it could cause digestion problems or overall discomfort. Lying awake can be frustrating. Get up and change positions, take a warm bath, or read a book and try going back to bed a little more relaxed. Focus on something that is soothing and think about drifting or floating to evoke peacefulness when trying to fall asleep. Sleep is essential but that does not mean it comes easy to everyone. These tips may take some time to start working but are well worth the effort.
pain, mood and quality of life. Movement done safely and appropriately supports maintaining a healthy weight and reduces the incidence of chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Physical movement improves cognitive processes and memory, has pain-relieving and antidepressant effects, creates a sense of wellbeing, aids in sleep and reduces anxiety and depression. Fitting activity into daily routines is sometimes difficult but making it a priority or even putting it on the calendar as part of the day could create the time needed to move. Find extra time in the day by putting down the smart phone or tablet and moving away from the television. Instead, use that time for physical activity. The USDA recommends that adults get 150 minutes per week of physical activity and two additional days should include weight-bearing exercise. Moving for at least 150 minutes per week decreases the chance of chronic disease. However, those who increase movement amounts to 300 minutes reduce the risk even further. For optimal results, participate in a variety of physical activities
that include weight-bearing, cardiovascular and stretching. Even though movement expends energy it provides a feeling of being energized and more focused. Being active during a pandemic is a new challenge, gyms were not open or had limited capacity or scheduling a convenient time to go to the gym could be tough. Schedules have been adapted, people are working from home, children go to school at home now and even the holidays were virtual, meaning physical activity just like everything else in a pandemic can be done. If getting to the gym is out of the question, find an online program to use, find a small space to exercise at home. If being outside works better, try outside activity to keep moving. Walking is a great way to start slow and build up to higher intensity. Fresh air and sunshine are good mood supporters, but if it is raining out try stretching or weight bearing exercise like squats and pushups for rainy day alternatives. There is no shortage of options to find ways to move. Do not make excuses. Instead make another plan to be physically active!
Physical activity Movement is an important part of a healthy lifestyle; it allows the body to function well and reduces the risk for chronic diseases. Many Americans lead a sedentary lifestyle and consume high-calorie energy-dense foods. Physical activity can prevent aging problems while making people feel energized and healthy now and in the future. Regular movement delays brain aging and prevents degenerative disease such as Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and multiple sclerosis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends participating in jointfriendly physical activity to improve arthritis
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Healthy Eating A healthy eating pattern includes a variety of foods that are nutrient-dense and low in sugar, fat and sodium. To begin a healthy eating plan start adding fruits and vegetables each day, a little at a time. Colorful produce reduces the likelihood of some cancers, assist in preventing heart disease, and stroke and lowers blood pressure risk all while helping to maintain a healthy body weight. Americans do not eat enough vegetables and fruits with only 10 percent getting recommended allowances of vegetables and 20 percent eating enough fruits. There are five various subgroups of vegetables and fruits that are categorized by color and eating different-colored produce rounds out a well-balanced diet. While all produce is valuable the different colors and various types of veggies and fruits offer multiple vitamins and nutrients for disease prevention and overall good health. For instance, red produce helps fight heart disease, cancers and infection. Orange and yellow produce is good for vision, immunity, and lowering the risk of some cancer while green is good for strong bones, cancer and inflammatory disease reduction. Purple and blue may lower the risk of cancers, promote memory and healthy aging and white, brown and tan lower risk of some cancer, and can lower cholesterol. Although it might not seem it, a pandemic is the perfect time to add more vegetables and fruit to support a healthy immune system. Add a variety of colorful vegetables and fruits in salads, as sandwich toppers, in sauces, pizza, as side-dishes or as snacks. Including vegetables and fruits along with lean protein, diary and whole grains promotes overall health and disease prevention.
Staying healthy during pandemic is doable Staying healthy during a pandemic is problematic, social isolation: lack of resources, new work and school regimens, the list is
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g n i v i L y h t l a e H
endless and practicing healthy habits now will make keeping them in the future easier. To better cope with pandemic stress make time to talk to friends and family regularly by phone or computer. Find something fun to laugh about; laughter is great medicine when feeling down. Be kind to others and to yourself, realize that this will not last forever and control what can be controlled while letting things that cannot be controlled go. For instance, safety in the home can be controlled with hand washing, wearing a mask outside, eating healthy, exercising and getting a good night’s sleep. Things that cannot be controlled will not change no matter how much time is spent worrying about them. Find time each day to just sit quietly, meditation relaxes the mind, sitting still and silent aids stress relief. Go for a walk and enjoy nature and live in the minute. Play with the kids and realize how nice it is to spend a few minutes away from homeschooling and work to be together playing. Be grateful; people who find time to be grateful each day feel healthier mentally. There may be a lot of things going wrong
right now but there are things to be grateful for, even in the toughest of times. Sleep, exercise and good nutrition all contribute to better health but taking time to do these things now, during a pandemic, is an investment in health now and in the future.
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OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK FROM 8:30AM TO 8:00PM Walk in, or sign in online and skip the wait time. Call 609.465.6364 or visit CapeRegionalUrgentCare.com.
Most insurance plans accepted.
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t b e D g n i g a n a M BY RACHEL SHUBIN
M
anaging debt is a lesson many people have had to learn during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. For 23 years, Consumer Credit and Budget Counseling business has provided housing counseling and other services out of its Marmora office. “We are a multistate hub counseling agency in Marmora and we do debt management in 47 states,” Executive Director Russell Graves said. “During the pandemic, the majority of our work [is] helping renters who have difficulties making payments on their rent.” The pandemic saw many job losses in the tourism industry, especially in the entertainment and restaurant sectors. “With casinos shut down and restaurants closed to in-person dining, budgets were cut down to nothing,” Graves said. “We had to help folks develop emergency budgets, get benefits and income resources.” Graves said Consumer Credit and Budget Counseling makes use of the power of both their Florida and New Jersey offices to meet the demands placed upon them. “We are bidding on a number of town and community requests for proposals to continue to help with dispersed rental assistance for counties and analyze the flood of applications they get for qualifications,” Graves said. “Our business is growing, which on one hand as a non-profit is wonderful to meet those needs but when we’re growing people are hurting so it’s bittersweet for us.”
legislation in March 2020 that said any lessee, tenant or homeowner should not be removed from a residential property due to an eviction or foreclosure proceeding. “We help our [clients] with emergency budgets and find all the social benefits available to them,” Graves said. “We found that most of the renters have never had to go after social benefits, so we directed them to what was available.” Despite the temporary moratorium on evictions and rent collection, the debt owed continued to accumulate. “We worked with the New Jersey Mediation Assistance Program (MAP), which was extended to include rentals,” Graves said. “We also helped homeowners having difficulty making mortgage payments, under the MAP program.” Graves explained some mortgage lenders were offering forbearances, which meant he had to work with his clients to come up with a lump sum at the end of six months to one year. “We worked on permanent modifications to put it over a longer period, for the rest of the loan period,” Graves said.
Housing services
Market boom
Gov. Phil Murphy signed residential eviction and foreclosure moratorium
With many businesses now requiring their workers to resume operations from their homes,
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Above: Russel Graves of Consumer Credit Budget and Counseling.
there was an increased need for housing. “The biggest change we’ve seen is the increased need for housing services, whether it be rental, mortgage or even first-time homebuyers,” Graves said. “It has increased tenfold.” From a Jan. 7 article from Triplemint, the real estate market “has seen a perfect storm of factors driving up the prices of single-family homes.” Because of the pandemic, more time is spent working and living at home, driving the need for more space. There was also a decrease in interest rates, creating a correlation with increasing house costs. “With the number of people able to work at home, [their] apartments were so small and they wanted to buy a home where they would have more space,” Graves said. “With people living on top of each other and trying to work from home, we experienced a first-time homebuyer boom in the state, that brought the need for us to provide housing counseling and first time home buyer education.” As the pandemic continues to progress in 2021, the outstanding debt and rent may lead to an increase in bankruptcies. “This new year is going to be difficult as the moratoriums on evictions end,” Graves said. “Folks who were unable to receive rental assistance will have large balances and will have difficulty going forward for many years going forward because of a civil collection of
thousands of dollars for unpaid rent.” Graves explained the impact of debt collection would make it difficult for people to rent, buy a home or get credit. Bankruptcy may be a necessary step for a fresh start. “As homeowners come out of the forbearance period, their budgets will have to include mortgage payments,” Graves said. “Which may be difficult with cut-back work schedules. They will need assistance in maintaining and keeping their homes and we will be there to help them.”
Future of finances Financial struggles have been amplified during the pandemic amidst the uncertainty with layoffs and reduced hours.
Above: Consumer Credit Budget and Counseling.
“The pandemic is K-shaped, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer,” Graves said. Economic recoveries are described in different terminology, including V-shaped, U-shaped, W-shaped, L-shaped, and K-shaped. As the pandemic continues, financial experts and economists say there is less middle ground in the COVID-19 economy recovery than ever before – causing a K-shaped recovery. According to an October 2020 article from the Financial Times, the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic is likely to follow a K-shaped recession. This recovery leads to wealth inequality, with the rich bouncing back and lower-income Americans struggling.
“The individuals who stayed and worked at home, were able to save money on car insurance, gas and defer housing payments to pay down debt, which was a wonderful thing for them,” he added. The impact of the COVID-19 economy are expected to leave lasting implications for the foreseeable future, especially for those who have lost jobs or cannot work from home. “Folks in the other category will have difficulty for a long time to come,” Graves said. “It’s worrisome about this group of well to moderate income folks who will be couch surfing. It’s a hard recovery for those individuals who had cuts in pay, in hours or total job loss.”
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THE RIGHT INSURANCE COVERAGE CAN BE A REAL LIFESAVER
GET COMPREHENSIVE, AFFORDABLE PROTECTION FROM THE COASTAL INSURANCE EXPERTS. If you live by the beach, on the bay, or near a river, then you know the importance of having the right insurance coverage. At Heist Insurance Agency, we have a dedicated team of coastal insurance professionals that can make sure you get the right specialized coverage, at the very best price. For seasonal and year-round homes, even rental properties and businesses, we’ve got you covered. • Auto & Home • Flood • Bed & Breakfast • Condominiums • Business • Commercial Property • Life, Health & Disability • Group Benefits • Motorcycle • Boat & Watercraft
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Offices in Ocean City, Marmora, Margate, Egg Harbor Twp., Vineland
800-220-6613
•
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Family Owned & Operated Since 1977
Village Kitchen EAT IN • TAKE OUT FAMOUS FOR OUR LARGE VARIETY OF HOMEMADE SOUPS Call For Today’s Selection!
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Eggs Benedict • Jersey Devil Omelette Village Scramble Bowls Turkey & Asparagus Envelope Buffalo Chicken & Bacon Flatbread French Onion Burger Grilled Chicken Caesar Panini FLUFFY BUTTERMILK PANCAKES & FRENCH TOAST Caramel Crunch French Toast Fresh Jersey Blueberry Pancakes BISTRO BURGERS • SPECIALTY PANINIS WRAPS & FRESH SALAD
ABOUT US
A Second and third generation, family owned restaurant, serving the community for over 40 years. We specialize in fresh homemade soups and unique sandwich specials. Our breakfast items of country fresh omelettes, pancakes and breakfast sandwiches are all served in a friendly atmosphere with prompt service. Customers and staff chat on a first name basis as business bustles seven days a week, year round. Come join us for breakfast or lunch and discover why the Village Kitchen is Upper Township’s “meeting & eating place”
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK IND O OR & OU TD O OR
609-390-1174
www.villagekitchennj.com WAYSIDE VILLAGE • MARMORA, NJ Minutes from Ocean City, just over the 34th Street Brudge Upper Township Community Guide I 43
s e g n a h C g n i Din BY RACHEL SHUBIN
COVID-19 drastically changed many industries, with one of the hardest-hit businesses being restaurants. Restaurants were forced to adjust to complete closures, no indoor dining, and then a period when there was outdoor dining before indoor dining resumed at a limited capacity. Restaurants have had to pivot and to get creative to stay alive. The capacity limits were increased in March to 50 percent and were expected to rise as coronavirus rates declined and more people are vaccinated.
Businesses embrace takeout “We have seen a drastic change in the acceptance of the clientele, who have to accept the new way of service,” Mama Mia’s Ristorante owner Joseph Massaglia said. “They come to dine at Mama Mia’s for quality food and services.”
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Left: Joseph Massaglia of Mama Mia’s Ristorante. Above: Luna Soul and Bowls: yoga studio and healthy foods.
As a longtime business owner, Massaglia said COVID-19 was an eye-opener for him. “I’ve seen a lot in business in 50 years and we want to see brighter days,” He said. “We have been adjusting and giving safer services to our guests.” Business at Mama Mia’s remained steady because takeout is a primary focus. “The majority and backbone of our operation is takeout,” Massaglia said. “Other restaurants have tremendously suffered and have not been able to survive and that is very sad to hear.” Well known for fine Italian dining, Mama Mia’s moved into the Marmora ShopRite center two years ago. Massaglia credits the new location in allowing his business to survive. “We have been blessed to offer our same products that we’ve been doing for 32 years,” Massaglia said. “We put it in beautiful to-go take out style containers and continue to service the local Ocean City community from our new location.” No indoor dining was allowed from March to June 2020, which diminished restaurants’ businesses until outdoor dining was approved. “We were lucky to have outdoor dining
and put a large tent up,” Massaglia said. “The outdoor dining this past summer has [drastically] changed the view of the clientele.” Massaglia added the outdoor dining was well received and a different way to enjoy dining out during the pandemic. “[Outdoor dining] was never quite meant for Americans, unlike the European style, but the [customers] adjusted well and loved it,” he said.
New business opens three months prior to the pandemic Aunt and niece co-owner duo Tara Todd and Nicole Crudele opened their business Luna Soul and Bowls in December 2019. “We opened a business and then three months later we were shut down,” Todd said. “We are so appreciative to our community and the locals that kept us alive during this time. We tell them every time they come in, we couldn’t have done it without them.” Luna Soul and Bowls is a yoga studio and a smoothie and juice bar, offering wholesome foods, including açai bowls and different yoga types.
“We are two regular people who came from two different careers,” Todd said. “We were like, ‘Oh, you have a dream to be a yoga instructor and I want to make açai bowls.’ We are an aunt and niece duo living our dream, one bowl, berry and day at a time.” With only a few months under their belt before COVID-19 closed non-essential businesses, Todd and Crudele did not have any idea what to expect for their first summer. “It’s really difficult to open up a business [with] normal business challenges under normal circumstances,” Tod said. “There are lots of sacrifices that have to be made and we made these sacrifices back in December not knowing the world was going to change.” Luna Soul and Bowls makes all its food inhouse with high-quality ingredients. “It’s not shipped in, it’s created here with our two hands,” Todd said. “We are the only ones who have the recipe for the açai and it’s the base for all of our bowls. We also make all of our own granola.” In March 2020, Todd and Crudele switched all 82 yoga classes to virtual events and dropped prices. To-go food orders were placed online
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Dining Changes
and picked up curbside. “We are the most proud of surviving 2020 and here through it all, thanks to our loyal customers,” Crudele said. “The business is just as much theirs as it is ours.” As 2021 continues, Todd and Crudele plan to look forward to expanding their business and restrictions lifting. “We are looking onward and upward and forward to meeting new people and getting them into yoga classes,” Todd said. Crudele said she and Todd have outdoor options for those who are not comfortable
being inside the studio. “We are trying to stay safe for ourselves, families and customers,” Crudele said.
One day at a time Family-owned and operated since 1977, Dino’s Seaville Diner is known for its local Cape May seafood. “We are very thankful to our staff and our loyal customers and all the support we have gotten,” owner Nick Karayiannis said. “This is our 44th year and we’ve been very fortunate that
the community here has supported us.” For Dino’s Diner, the pandemic meant focusing heavily on takeout, curbside pick-up, and outdoor dining. “Both of [these services] went well but were limited due to the unavailability of help,” Karayiannis said. Despite the lack of workers, Karayiannis said he is thankful for his longtime and loyal staff. “I never knew 2020 would bring a pandemic to almost destroy my business,” he said. “I try not to look too far ahead and just take it one day at a time. I have no idea what tomorrow brings.”
Above Dino’s Seaville Diner. Below: Luna Soul and Bowls: yoga studio and healthy foods.
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La Casetta I TA L I A N B I S T R O .
3054 Route 9 S. Ocean View, NJ 08230
609-478-6748
NU
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www.lacasettanj.com
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BEST OF THE
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2019
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THE OCEAN
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SENTINEL TH
Voted “BEST SUSHI”
CI
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4 ROOSEVELT BOULEVARD, MARMORA, NJ
609-390-8883
INSIDE AND OUTSIDE DINING TAKEOUT AVAILABLE Reservations recommended
Homemade Pasta & Sauces Fresh Seafood
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s n o i t p O s s e Fitn BY RACHEL SHUBIN
From the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, business owners have embraced the change in how products and services are offered. Melissa Johnson, the owner of MFit Gym in Ocean View, had to make some difficult decisions and creative solutions for her clients. On March 16, 2020, Governor Phil Murphy closed many non-essential businesses, including gyms. This closure lasted through Sept. 1, 2020. “I had just purchased a second gym location and had spent money on advertising and signs,” Johnson said. “I really believed [the closure] would be for two weeks, and when we were told it was a month we had to think fast.” Johnson decided to close her new location in April 2020 and focus on the original MFit gym because it was in a more familiar location. “We really had to think outside of the box [for clients] to stay engaged,” she said. “Immediately we offered free live Facebook workouts for people.”
Workouts from home As the pandemic continued and businesses remained closed, MFit offered daily online sessions for weights, cardio, gymnastics and classes geared towards kids. “Within three weeks of the shutdown, we got a Zoom account and started doing two different workouts a day in addition to the Facebook lives,” Johnson said. “It was all free and we asked our participants to keep their memberships going because our bills weren’t giving us a break.” Clients of MFit span a wide age range,
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including many elderly folks. MFit Gym’s staff volunteered their time to call gym members to check in on them and make sure they were doing OK. “We had 10 [staff members] calling 10 to 20 members each to make sure that the older people were doing okay, not starving and staying engaged,” she added. “We are a family and there were some people who needed help. We were able to figure help out because we are a community.” As the shutdown continued, MFit began to cancel memberships and negotiating monthly bill payments. Johnson began to sell the equipment from the closed second location. “Our rent is extremely high for our area and
when I got the second location, it came with all the equipment,” she said. “We did keep the gym with the higher rent because the location was better and we had been there longer.”
Reopening to the public When gyms could reopen at a reduced rate, Johnson said they operated at a lower capacity than the guidelines allowed to account for staff members. “We also got a physical therapist to come into our existing location,” she said. “This allowed us to open up partially because of that.” MFit also offered its clients a new online
appointment scheduling system. Clients are also able to call and book sessions. “We had to get a new security system so we could account for every person coming in,” Johnson said. “Our doors are locked 24/7, even when staff is there. So appointments are necessary.” Each appointment for a gym session lasts an hour. “I think some people are still fearful to come back in an enclosed space, but [people] go any place or a grocery store for 30 minutes to an hour,” Johnson said. “This gym is an environment that is clean and we are going through regimens to help combat illnesses.” (Note: Since the interview, the capacity for gyms increased to 50 percent and were expected to increase more as more vaccines were given and as coronavirus cases declined.) Even as the doors reopened, Johnson said the Facebook live workout sessions stayed free for their elderly clients who did not feel comfortable returning to the gym. “We have 80-year-olds trying to figure out how to book appointments and members
who haven’t been back since March 2020 still paying membership fees because they want to make sure the gym is still here,” she said. “We had members asking if we needed help moving equipment and cleaning. It’s amazing to see the support from the small community.” MFit Gym was offering Zoom classes for $20 a month, with 12 class options at various times ranging from 5:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The Zoom sessions offer a variety of classes, including yoga and cardio. “The Zooms are extremely affordable when you consider most apps are $50 to $60 a month,” Johnson said. “We have the Zooms so the people who don’t feel comfortable coming back can still feel like they part of the group as we run a live class.” During gym hours, windows and doors are open for circulation. Clients sanitize equipment before and after each use. The equipment is also cleaned before opening and after closing by cleaning staff. “We have been really lucky that we haven’t had to shut down after clients have been in the gym,” Johnson said. “No one has called to
say they’ve been exposed and are waiting for tests.” Johnson said the importance of both physical and mental health is directly correlated. “None of these sicknesses are going to go away,” she said. “Even if you [exercise] in your home, you’ve got to do something and not run from getting healthy and feeling good about yourself.” Staying healthy in mental health, physical health, and emotional health is pertinent to overall wellbeing, Johnson added. “I hope for the sake of teenagers and the elderly, that we’re able to congregate and feel safe and not be threatened by getting sick,” she said. “We are missing the human touch; we can’t shake hands or hug anymore.” The importance of community and slowing down are important lessons Johnson said she has learned during the pandemic. “Money can come and go and business is business,” Johnson said. “But if you can’t have happy people in your place of business, it doesn’t feel successful and [we] want your people to be happy.”
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l o r t a P h c a e B
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STRATHMERE – The Upper Township Beach Patrol provides lifeguards to protect patrons at our beaches located in Strathmere and Beesleys Point. At the peak of the summer season, the UTBP has seven protected beaches in Strathmere that range from Seacliffe to 1400 Commonwealth. The Beesleys Point Beach is protected daily on Harbor Road at the Beesleys Point Park. Please visit the beach patrol’s website to get the exact locations and times for protected beaches as these can vary in the early and later stages of the summer season. Upper Township Beach Patrol Website: https://uppertownship.com/public-safety/ beach-patrol/ Also also find information on the patrol’s Mascot and Junior Guard programs that are offered from July 9 - Aug. 6 for the 2021
summer season. The UTBA has many links that can also guide beacher-goers through the knowledge and precautions that they should be aware of to make trips to any beach a fun and safe experience! The UTBA also has two handicap-access paths in Strathmere (Willams and Putnam) and four beach wheelchairs that can be reserved to provide access to the beach for all who wish to enjoy the sun and sand of Upper Township beaches. Reserve the chairs in person at the Upper Township Beach Patrol headquarters on Williams Road or use the online links to fill out the forms prior to visiting. The PDFs are available on the website home page. Feel free to give the patrol a call for any questions about spending a day at the beach in Upper Township at (609) 263-1151.
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c i m e d n a p g n i Funerals dur BY RACHEL SHUBIN
Being unable to attend a loved one’s funeral has been an ongoing commonplace situation during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the pandemic began shutting down businesses during March 2020, funeral homes remained open as essential businesses but operated under tight restrictions. “The changes that were the biggest was when the governor limited the number of people in and out of services,” Langley Loveland Funeral Home manager Paul Loveland said. “It varied as it went by date and depended on what the governor was doing each week.” In March 2020, New Jersey residents were directed to stay home until further notice which meant funerals could not be attended. Currently, funeral homes are limited to 50 percent capacity for services and viewings. With the limitations on the number of people allowed to gather, masks mandates, and social distancing requirements, the way funerals were held changed entirely. “I now have an additional cleaning service come through after every service,” he added. “Before it was just once a week.” Cleaning requirements have become more stringent, Loveland explained. Sanitizing stations are located around the funeral home. “People are doing immediate burial now and services later, to accommodate for COVID-19 as long as they can,” Loveland said. “People haven’t been doing that well with it, but we’ve added additional viewing time.” Many of the families burying their loved ones have not been able to see them before their death because of the restrictions
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nursing homes have to limit the spread of the coronavirus. “Grieving families have not been able to go into the nursing homes before [their relative] passed, which makes everything tough,” Loveland said. “They’re coming into the funeral home looking to say goodbye. It’s been more ritualized previously, but now people are doing private viewings more readily than they had been.” Funeral attendees are advised not to touch the bodies during the viewing services to prevent the spread of germs from person to person. Flowers are placed in front of the caskets to provide a barrier. “At the end of the service I let the family have a couple minutes by themselves to touch them and say goodbye, without spreading [germs] to anyone else,” Loveland said. When travel restrictions are lifted, Loveland said he expects a backlog of people who will want to hold memorial services. “We have a lot of people with family [out of state] that want them to come and we are going to be very busy,” he said. “It will continue to impact us that people can’t have the services that they really want to have and are making do with services currently.” Loveland said the inability to hold the type and size of funerals people want to have might change the future trends of funerals. Loss
of personal connection
Funeral homes are now embracing technology as an essential aspect for planning funerals during the COVID-19 pandemic. “In the beginning we didn’t meet with any
families and everything was done through DocuSign,” Godfrey Funeral Home owner Sallie Godfrey said. “We had no viewings, just straight burials and cremations.” As more information became available from Gov. Phil Murphy’s office, Godfrey said the funeral services evolved to a walkthrough viewing or a socially distant walkthrough service. “We like to have a personal touch and without being able to hug anyone and needing to wear masks, it feels very cold,” Godfrey said. “We’re used to [working] with the family one on one and now there are no hugs. We try to give the family as much service and attention as we can.” Godfrey said her staff took the initiative to help manage adhering to the state regulations and guidelines. “My staff really stepped up to help implement the cleaning, getting papers signed electronically and things like that,” she said. Typical practices post-funeral, such as large group meals, are not being done anymore. “It’s very limited to what people are doing and they aren’t doing the after-funeral luncheons anymore,” Godfrey said. I think that for at least another year, we will have limitations and people may be doing more things outside at the cemetery.” Providing families with the services they want while complying with the restrictions is a task Godfrey is proud of accomplishing. “Funeral homes are involved in this pandemic too, just like everybody else,” Godfrey said. “We want to provide the best service we can to the families that we serve. A lot of families don’t see their people if they were in a nursing home and weren’t allowed in and haven’t seen them for months. For us to allow them to come in and see them is a big plus for us and to the family.”
Community
Other ways to get involved in your community There are other organizations to join if you want to get involved in the Upper Township community. Here are some of them:
Cape Shore Chorus The Cape Shore Chorus is an all-woman chorus that performs barbershop music, practices in Upper Township and performs throughout Cape May and Atlantic counties. The chorus also competes in a Sweet Adelines International regional competition in the spring. Cape Shore Chorus was founded in 1988. Members rehearse on Thursdays from 7:15 to 10 p.m. at the Upper Township Community Center, 1790 Route 50 in Tuckahoe. Formal music training is not necessary to join. For more information, see capeshorechorus. org.
Country Shore Women’s Club Members of Country Shore Women’s Club spend the year fundraising to give back to the community. The club, which is celebrating its 51st year, supports more than 20 area charities, non-profit organizations and scholarships. Country Shore Women’s Club donates to multiple scholarships and funds. Members fundraise through a bingo event, two bus trips and an annual community play. Country Shore Women’s Club is always seeking new members. For more information, see https://countryshorewc.net.
Historical Preservation Society of Upper Township The keeper of local history, the Historical Preservation Society of Upper Township, is seeking new members. The HPSUT holds monthly meetings in the spring, summer and fall. Meetings often include a speaker and a presentation on regional historical topics. The Historical Preservation Society of Upper Township, in conjunction with Pary and Bruce Tell, will host a two-day bus trip April 25-26 to historical sites along the Hudson Valley. To
be added to the list to receive more information, email parytell@gmail.com or call (609) 886-8577. Mailing address is 397 Corson Lane, Cape May, NJ 08204. The HPSUT holds several anticipated community events. The annual Strawberry Festival is held in May, and includes hundreds of quarts of fresh strawberries, tours of a historic farmstead, crafts, children’s games. The fall complement, the AppleFest, includes a bevy of fall treats, including apple cider, caramel apples, apple dumplings and apples. Aspiring chefs can enter the apple pie-baking contest. While enjoying apples, people can also enjoy a flintlock musket demonstration, spinning and weaving demonstration, decoy carving and more. Every year, the HPSUT also offers a historical presentation for Upper Township kindergarten students in the Friendship School, a 19th-century, one-room schoolhouse. The HPSUT also maintains two additional historical sites in Upper Township: the Gandy Farmstead, a period house from the early 1800s with a barn, root cellar, smokehouse well sweep, orchards and more; and the Tuckahoe Train Station, which was built in 1894. Tours are available at all three locations. The society also provides scholarships to high school and middle school students. More information about the HPSUT and its programs is available at uppertwphistory.org.
Masons Star Lodge #65 According to the New Jersey Grand Lodge website, Freemasonry’s origins are unknown, although the oldest-known minutes of a lodge date to July 1599 in Scotland. The Regius Poem, circa 1425, suggests that masonry began in ancient Egypt. In Upper Township, however, the Masons in the Tuckahoe chapter of Freemasonry participate in road cleanups, coat drives, are members of the Greater Tuckahoe Area Merchants Association, volunteer for Family Promise and do other activities. The lodge also hosts a breakfast on the second Sunday of each month from 7 to 11 a.m. The proceeds from the breakfast sup-
port charities that Lodge #65 supports. Many of the club’s members are life-long and most are from Upper Township. Those who are interested in becoming a Mason can submit an application, which is submitted to the New Jersey Grand Lodge. The Grand Lodge will do a background check on the applicant and interviews will be conducted at the local chapter. For more information, see the Star Lodge #65 page on Facebook. Star Lodge #65 is located off of Route 50 in Tuckahoe.
Rotary Club of Ocean City-Upper Township Civic-minded township citizens can join the Rotary Club of Ocean City-Upper Township. The chapter was formed in 1926 and is one of the oldest continuing Rotary Clubs in Rotary International. Rotary International has 33,000 clubs worldwide with about 1.4 million members. The Ocean City-Upper Township club provides scholarships to Ocean City High School seniors, and honors a top OCHS student monthly as the Junior Rotarian of the month. The top students from local middle and high schools are honored by the club during an annual Academic Achievement Banquet. The club is involved in the Rotary’s PolioPlus campaign, which fights polio around the world, as well as numerous local service projects. For 30 years, the club has distributed dictionaries to grade-school students, raised money for the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, and supported Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and the OCHS Interact Club. The club sponsors programs at local schools to promote water safety and to prevent accidental drownings. The Rotary Club of Ocean City-Upper Township meets at 6:30 p.m. Thursdays at Clancy’s by the Bay in Somers Point from September to June. The club members meet at Uncle Bill’s Pancake House on 21st Street in Ocean City at 7 a.m. Thursdays. Anyone interested in joining the Rotary Club can contact Cindy Chadwick, the membership chairperson, at (609) 602-6844.
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Upper Township Community Guide 53
d a e h A g n i Look BY BILL BARLOW
Commercial development and improved recreation are set to continue in Upper Township, according to Mayor Rich Palombo, who laid out plans for 2021 in a recent interview. The mayor presented a State of the Township address to the Upper Township Business Association on Thursday, Feb. 25, at a virtual meeting. He spoke about plans for the coming year in advance. The biggest issue on the near horizon is the future of the B. L. England power plant, which shut down in May 2019. Early this year, after an extensive review by the Planning Board, Township Committee approved an ordinance declaring the 300-plus-acre site an area in need of redevelopment. In a recent interview, Palombo said township officials remain in communication with representatives of RC Cape May Holdings LLC, the owners of the plant, and have met with potential developers for the property. Some envision an industrial use for the sprawling site, Palombo said, but others have ideas more in line with the township’s vision to redevelop the area with waterfront residential uses, marinas and other development. “We’ve had inquiries about more industrial operations. We’ve worked very hard to try and not have that occur,” he said. Much of the discussion is now taking place behind the scenes, he said. Talks also continue with Ørsted, the Danish energy giant that plans to build a massive wind farm off the coast. The former power plant in Beesleys Point is one of the places the company is considering landing the wind-generated electricity to bring it into the power grid, but other possibilities are also on the table. “We really haven’t gotten any real formal decision from them yet,” Palombo said. Another major project will take place nearby. The county plans to fund extensive improvements at the Beesleys Point Beach, set to be one of the first projects to use a
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new branding, aimed at presenting a unified look to recreational and open space projects throughout the county. In previous interviews Cape May County officials have described the Beesleys Point project as a gateway to the county, especially now that a pedestrian and bike-friendly lane is now open along the Garden State Parkway bridge leading from the beach parking lot to Somers Point in Atlantic County. Grants have been approved by the county and there are permits in place from the state Department of Environmental Protection, Palombo said. In February, the Township Committee approved a contract worth more than $1 million for work at the site, including new benches and other improvements. “We anticipate the project will be ongoing throughout the summer in different ways,” Palombo said. “We do hope to have that done before the year’s out, or at least the majority of it.” The beach on the Great Egg Harbor Bay is lifeguard protected and is popular with families in the summer. There is a wide dirt parking lot across Harbor Road and other amenities, but
the county-funded work is expected to be a considerable upgrade. Once called the County Open Space Fund, the funding body is now known as Open Spaces Cape May County, while an order from Gov. Phil Murphy last year has renamed the former Cape May County Board of Chosen Freeholders as the County Commission starting in 2021, along with the other county governments throughout the state. “We look forward to working with the county over the next year to get this done,” said Palombo. Palombo has been mayor of the township for more than 20 years, helping guide the sprawling municipality through major changes in the economy, in development and in the community. He plans to complete his term, serving through the end of 2021, including continuing to work on redevelopment projects. A major area is the town center in Marmora, which has already changed from a sleepy crossroads community on the way to the beaches to a retail center. Palombo sees that development continuing, with the township’s master plan guiding
development to include mixed uses of retail and residential. That is also included in the township’s required affordable housing plan. Over the past five years, the township has focused on commercial development to help offset taxes, Palombo said. Part of that consideration could be a multistory hotel for Marmora, he said. The township has been in talks with developers about the possibility. The area is a short distance from the beaches of Ocean City, and close to both Atlantic City and the communities farther south in Cape May County, Palombo said. “We’re really well placed to have something like that considered,” he said. Throughout the communities of Upper Township, there has been an influx of young families, Palombo said. He sees the community’s high quality schools and extensive recreation programs as part of the attraction, especially for those who want to live close to the ocean but decide against living on one of the barrier islands. “There’s a lot to offer in Upper Township that I think is very appealing to folks who want to live near the shore,” he said. This year, Palombo is interested in expanding the recreation programs, potentially to include
summer camps, including some with a focus on arts and sciences. Last year was difficult for everyone, he said, but children had difficulty adjusting to new limitations because of the pandemic and are eager for new activities and experiences. “We felt like it’s been a tough time for everybody. If there’s a way of getting more of our kids involved, in addition to sports, we’re going to take a long look at that,” he said. The township already has an extensive youth league sports program. Palombo said the township will continue to maintain its beaches, including supporting replenishment projects. This winter, proposals to introduce beach tags and new parking limitations in the Strathmere section have made headlines. Palombo suggested that’s been covered extensively already, saying he had little to add to the topic at this point. He discussed security issues at more length. The township has undergone upgrades to its computer systems, including better protection against hacking and the possibility of ransomware attacks. Upgrades have also been made to the township’s remote meeting system, required as more township business takes place remotely.
DIANNE DUNCAN, CERTIFIED APPRAISER
Palombo expects some of those improvements will continue even after municipal meetings are again held in person, allowing residents and property owners to continue to stream meetings live to have a better understanding of township operations. The township must also be ready for coming emergencies, he said, adding that Upper works closely with the county Emergency Management Department. In addition to maintaining Strathmere’s beaches, he said, the township is looking at natural barriers to reduce flooding in that section in future storms. There is reason to believe storms may get both stronger and more common in the coming years. The township has already dealt with blizzards, hurricanes, nor’easters and even an extraordinarily rare tornado that tore through Marmora last summer. As a mainland community, the township has let county emergency management officials know it will do whatever possible in a future emergency. The municipal building has a generator and can continue operation if the power goes out. “We just want to be prepared for anything that comes our way,” Palombo said. “We even have a trailer that we can house pets in.”
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BY RACHEL SHUBIN
COVID-19 has changed a multitude of practices and protocols in the medical industry. Medical service providers have had to adapt to the almost daily changes and regulations. “We basically had to adjust every day based on new findings and what the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and New Jersey Department of Health recommended,” Cape Regional Urgent Care nurse director Kris Gereaghy said. “We had to look at the needs of the community too.”
Cape Regional Urgent Care Cape Regional Urgent Care offers COVID-19 testing in Marmora, Cape May Court House, and Wildwood. The urgent care offers rapid coronavirus testing, PCR nasal swab tests, and antibody serum tests. “We have been honored to be the forerunners of COVID-19 testing and we are very proud of that,” Gereaghy said. “We are still evolving as new findings come out and we evolve and adapt to that to make necessary adjustments.” Patients can make online appointments for COVID-19 testing, and check-in online to save time. Regular walk-ins can come in to be seen by a provider. “We’ve been working diligently to get enrolled for offering vaccines,” Gereaghy said. “But the vaccines require such specialized storage, so only limited places are able to offer that. We are working towards that.” Gereaghy urges the community to pitch in to do their part by social distancing and wearing masks.
AtlantiCare In mid-March, AtlantiCare marked the 100,000th vaccine given at the Atlantic City Convention Center megasite it was operating with support from the National Guard. However, it’s work began more than a year ago to deal with the pandemic. As guidelines began rolling out in March 2020, AtlantiCare had a team of infection experts and specialists keeping the medical
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Medical Services
organization up to date daily. “As information came, we would change the way we were operating as necessary for precaution and protection of our staff and patients,” Chairman of Emergency Services and President of Medical Staff Dr. Thomas Brabson said. “This included both pre-hospital care for providers.” AtlantiCare media relations and public affairs manager Jennifer Tornetta said telehealth was ramped up at the onset of the pandemic and the AtlantiCare facilities enhanced its safety features. “Patients still need to call 911 and go to emergency department if they have what they perceive to be life-threatening symptom,” Tornetta said. “We changed how we provided care, to continue to provide it as safely as we needed, to prevent the spread of COVID-19.” Tornetta said AtlantiCare stressed to the community not to put off screenings and primary care because of COVID-19. AtlantiCare provided COVID-19 guides and training to employer groups and businesses to care for their customers and staff during the pandemic. AtlantiCare has also been in charge of working on protocols. These changes also included protocols for EMS transport care, prior to arriving at the hospital. AtlantiCare provides advanced life support services for the Ocean City Fire Department and patients in Cape May County and Atlantic County. “Eventuallly, we had to follow recommendations of not allowing visitors into the ambulances, the hospital and emergency room,” Brabson said. “Under the guidance of the infection prevention team, we had a team of nurses that had a special training in prevention.” Brabson said the key to precaution was preparation, as new information about COVID-19 continues to be released. “It started with pre-hospital care at the entrance of the hospital,” he said. “We reconfigured our emergency room department by screening at the entrance and asking for signs with respect to COVID-19.” Another precaution before entering the
building includes a temperatures check. “We’re learning more and more that with asymptomatic carriers, it’s not as easy to predict as we were hoping for in the beginning of the epidemic with temperatures taken,” Brabson said. “[Initially it was] thought to be pretty good screening method.” Adequate supplies of oxygen were vital for both inside the hospital and ambulance transport. “The paramedics were provided [personal protection equipment] at the very beginning, including face coverings, eye coverings, P100 respirators and coverings for uniforms,” Brabson said. “We also changed the process for no visitors in the ambulances unless they fit certain criteria.” This criterion included children who needed a parent or guardian and those with special needs. “We subscribe to the philosophy of protecting the patient and the crew,” he said. AtlantiCare continues to be hyper vigilant as new guidelines for COVID-19 continue to be released in 2021 as more vaccines are given, additional types of vaccines are approved and different strains of the coronavirus are found. “We have to take all necessary precautions and preventions to curb the spread of the virus among staff and patients,” Brabson said. As the population is vaccinated against COVID-19, Brabson said masks and social distancing still need to be enforced. “These precautionary concepts will probably remain at least another year as we’re going to take a longer period to have the virus really under control,” he said. “Infection prevention concepts such as meticulous hand-washing have always been in place to spread the prevention of any infectious diseases.”
Upper Township Emergency Medical Services Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are the frontline responder for many medical crises. From a May 2020 article from EMS World, the pandemic has “become the most consequential event since 9/11” for EMS providers. The Upper Township EMS division followed
the New Jersey Emergency Office of Emergency Medical Services’ direction from the pandemic’s onset. “We followed all their standards and the ones issued by the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention,” Upper Township Division of EMS Deputy Chief Melissa Coker said. “We went back and revisited our policies as far as safety equipment on calls.” Coker said limited personnel and equipment were allowed inside residences on calls, but it is not always feasible depending on the nature of
the call. “Initially in the beginning, [guidelines] changed a lot and we pushed that information out to our staff,” Coker said. “We trained our people as best we could and we still have those policies in place. We just adjust them as need be, depending on the situation.” In the first wave of COVID-19, Coker said EMS saw a small decrease in its call volume. “It’s since come back and we’re seeing a few more now than we did initially,” she said. “I don’t know what contributed to that. I think everyone
was just scared and trying to figure it out.” First responders were in the first phase of COVID-19 vaccine distribution, and Coker said the Cape May County Health Department did a phenomenal job setting up the program. “Folks can go to the Upper Township website for a whole COVID-19 related section,” Coker said. “There is all kinds of information for people to educate themselves in reference to the vaccine and more.” For more information, visit www. uppertownship.com.
n io g e L n a ic r e m A
national security, and continued devotion to our fellow service members and veterans. Locally, the Constitution and by-laws of the post were developed and sent to the National American Legion Headquarters for approval. That approval was granted, and Post 239 was chartered on Oct. 29, 1920. Over the ensuing 100 years, Tuckahoe Post 239 has endeavored to follow the original mission of the American Legion. In addition to honoring not only the veterans who the post was named after, there are others who “gave their all” and are inscribed on this monument. Plus, there others who have served and now have passed on. The post honors them all! The post in recent years has been involved in several community projects, from providing support to the Coast Guard families in the Cape May area during the federal shutdown, to gathering bicycles and taking them to the two New Jersey State homeless veteran facilities, to providing monetary support to victims of hurricanes, establishing a scholarships for decedents of honorably discharged military, gathering worn out flags
for proper retirement (including the issuance of small cards with a star from those flags), the Blue Star Banner program with the joint cooperation the Upper Township governing body, and so on.
John D. Aaron, U.S. Army Private First Class, Company E, 114th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division – Died 12 Oct. 1918 in France and is buried in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, Romagne, France. Frank Wittkamp, U.S. Army 1st Lt (Chaplain), 113th Engineer Battalion, 38th Infantry Division – Died 25 Dec. 1918 in France and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA. at Section WHS, Site 4492. Theodore R. Colwell, U.S. Army Private First Class, Company F, 114th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division – Died of wounds received on 23 Sept. 1918 in France and is buried in the Calvary Baptist Church Cemetery, Ocean View, NJ.
public about its history. A primary purpose is to provide scholarships to high school students and those students already in college in the area encompassed by the corporation and to raise money for same. Since 1998 the association has allocated approximately $237,000 to students from the Greater Tuckahoe Area. It is estimated that more than 125 students have benefited from the programs. The Association has several awards programs
with funding from several different private sources and through three main scholarship fund raising events (the Designer Bag Bingo event in March, The Tuckahoe River Canoe, Kayak & Poker Run in August and the Professional Craft Show in November). The 2020 and 2021 pandemic has affected these fund-raising events. High school seniors and full-time college students who live within the boundaries of the association and volunteer at our events are eligible for the scholarship awards.
Aaron Wittkamp Colwell Post 239 P.O. Box 147 Tuckahoe, New Jersey 08250
In 1919 or before, a group of local veterans formed a group that became the current American Legion Post of Tuckahoe. The first recorded minutes of the new group was Feb. 21, 1920. The post had already been the John Aaron Post. On April 29, 1920, the Post was renamed the Aaron Wittkamp Colwell American Legion Post. All three men died while in the service of their country during World War I in France. The National American Legion was chartered and incorporated by the U.S. Congress in 1919. The American Legion is the largest wartime veteran’s service organization committed to mentoring youth and sponsorship of wholesome programs in our communities, advocating patriotism and honor, promoting strong
ts n a h c r e M e o h a k c u T The Greater Tuckahoe Area Merchants’ Association, Inc., is a trade association of area merchants established as a bilateral, non-profit, non-political organization to preserve, restore and revitalize the village of Tuckahoe and the surrounding area and its citizens through events that educate the
Post Namesakes:
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Upper Township Community Guide 57
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BOAT RAMP
RECREATION AREA
SOMERS POINT
BEACH
GREAT EGG HARBOR BAY
1
9
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Business List: 1 Tuckahoe Inn
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HOMETOWN PEOPLE, BRINGING YOU HOMETOWN NEWS
Upper Township Sentinel HOMETOWN PEOPLE, BRINGING YOU HOMETOWN NEWS
TThe Sentinel S
D ELI V ER ED W EEK LY T O YO U R DPOINT OOR of SOMERS entinel
ownship
LINWOOD and NORTHFIELD
er UppHOMETOWN PEOPLE, BRINGING YOU HOMETOWN NEWS HOUSE OF THE WEEK
C.A.L. CHAMPIONS B12
VOl. 9, No. 49
B1
hometown news e bringing you hometown peopl
County schools suffering under funding change
HOUSE OF THE WEEK
A10
BER 16, 2019 WEDNESDAY, OCTO
B1
VOl. 10, No. 5
hometown people bringin g you hometown news
Tourism expert talks bills affecting
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2019
Topics include employee scheduling By KRISTEN KELLEHER Sentinel staff
districts forced SomeT H E N AT I O N to cut staff, programs ded to uted from the overfun s, By ERIC AVEDISSIAN the underfunded districtts Cape May Star and Wave with about 370 distric nal aid. Our receivi ng additio200 disSave to ing Accord a Howev er, about in losses d Schools (SOS) New Jersey, suffere organi- tricts would affect grassroots volunteer public state aid that zation of parents and New how districts provide educathese districts education supporters, unded tion. Some of challenges Jersey has underf than $6 mounted legal public schools more against the state. 2010. be a billion since The proces s will as In 2018, a bill knownS-2 seven-year phase-in period, S-2 was signed into law. aid, during which some districts ent phases out adjustm portion of their rmless will lose a hold-ha the time. called some state aid over administraprovision that enabled more Local school district s to receive also tors are left with unfunded S-2 money than others. caps, budget items and facing a on in staff. elimina ted growth in- possible reducti traallowing districts with According to adminis get to creasing enrollments See Schools, Page A12 more state funding. ibFundin g was redistr
Ocean City Christmas parade
FREE
ATLANTIC CITY — A tourism expert spoke about legislation affecting employee scheduling , panic buttons for hotel employees
,
Wednesday, Dec. 4, and Thursday, Dec. 5, at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City. He spoke Dec. 4 during a legislative update session, along with 2nd District Assemblym an Vincent Mazzeo and Donald Hoover, of the Fairleigh Dickinson University International School of Hospitality and Tourism. Mazzeo spoke in place of New Jersey Assembly Majority Leader Louis Greenwald. Simonetta reminded the audience the state Legislature is in a lame-duck session until the next
business
, contract workers, marijuana and
session begins in January. A scheduling notification bill, which Simonetta said is not yet drafted but would likely move forward next year, could affect local employers. “The major elements of the scheduling notificatio n bill is employees are to be given their schedule 14 days in advance of the actual workweek. That’s where we think this is going,” he said. The bill prohibits “clopening ,” which is when an employee has a closing shift followed by an
early opening shift. The bill would mandate a minimum rest period of 10 hours between an employee’s shifts. “There’s also predictability of pay. You’re supposed to be able to predict the employee’s pay for whatever the pay period is,” he said. “It prohibits shift-chang ing. It will prohibit adding shifts without the proper notification . It will prohibit deleting hours or violating any of the ‘clopening ’ operations.” According to Simonetta , the
panic buttons
NJTIA is working to include a weather provision in the bill. As an example, he said they are working with an individual who owns a Rita’s Italian Ice location. Under the bill, if it starts raining in the afternoon at Rita’s and four employees are working, the employer would have to pay those four employees, as opposed to sending them home the way the bill is currently written, Simonetta said. “There’s a lot of things that are
S O LD ES T S E A S H O R E R ES O RT S I N C E 1 8 5 4 and a possible referendum for recreational marijuana use during the New Jersey Conference on Tourism last week. Joseph Simonetta , executive director of the New Jersey Conference on Tourism, addressed participants during the conference
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Kristen Kelleher/SENTIN
leFest at the John p celebrates App ip on Saturday, Oct. 12, Upper Townshiby Society of Upper Townsh , bee the Historical Preservation trations of spinning, weaving demons The annual AppleFest, hosted of Upper Township, included children and adults. in the Greenfield section and fun and games for both Wesley Gandy Farmstead as well as lots of tasty treats keeping and decoy carving,
Upper Middle students growing Upper approves vegetables, fish with aquaponics lot donation for Habitat Homes
See Tourism, Page A3
By KRISTEN KELLEHER Sentinel staff
PETERSBURG — Seventh-grade students are growing tomatoes and arugula and raising tilapia
By BILL BARLOW He also wanted to know if Special to the Sentinel Habitat for Humanity would in a middle school classnotify neighbors before conUPPER TOWNSHI P — struction room through an aquaponbegins. Township Committee unanics project meant to teach Dan Young, the township imously approved an ordithem about sustainability attorney, said no notificanance donating two wooded and environmentalism. tion would be needed if lots on Ocean Avenue to the Aquaponics is “a comthere were no variances organizati on Habitat for bination of fish and plant requested. Humanity for future use as production using aquacul“It would be like any othnew homes. ture and hydroponics syser homeowner building a In October, the township house,” tems,” the USDA National Young said. was set to donate lots on Agricultural Library web“So I could get up one the other side of the strip site stated. morning and go to work, of township-o According wned land on and come home to the Uniand the ‘We’ve sat down with our local Pacific Avenue in Marmora By ERIC AVEDISSIAN versity of Massachusetts lot would be cleared. And but rescinded that ordiAmherst Center for AgCape May Star and Wave legislators, they’ve been very the lot could be cleared 25 nance after several neigh- feet further riculture, Food and the than it should supportive. They understand bors raised concerns. The Environment, hydroponCape May County’s school be, 50 feet further than it a dianew plan calls for a buffer ics is a production method districts are united in plight. Geographically our should be, maybe 75 feet,” leaders l of trees between the Habitat in which plants are not logue with politica Fenton said. to a we’re the farthest from houses and the neighbors grown in soil but in a for a possible solution will Township engineer Paul along Pacific. nutrient-rich solution. change in funding that over Trenton, we have the least Dietrich Kristen Kelleher/SENTINEL There was no discussion builders replied that the This growing method Students in Robyn LaTorre’s cut $27 million in aid would be cited STEM classes are growing tomatoes, amount of population and before the decision at the allows for greater plant etables via seven years. arugula and other vegjust like in any other home an aquaponic system in their classroom, It’s Township here. of SOMERS POINT down Committee density Upper Township School below. tation and meet- construction if there higher yields nt represen were a ing Monday, Dec. 9, which and requires less water Distric t Superi ntende violation. battle.’ He added that the said S LINWOOD and NORTHFIELD i x an uphill was also the required public than growing plants in about t h - g r a d e r s l e a r n Vincent Palmieri Jr. township does not anticipate the reached world have and s hearing use School p on the ordinance any issues, soil. the district –Upper Townshi Google saying when the ers for as well as the final vote. Almost any crop can be create Tour Builder to out to state lawmak PEOPLE, BRINGING organization cleared woods HOMETOWN HOMETOWN PEOPLE, BRINGING YOU NEWS a tour of differ-HOMETOWN PEOPLE, BRINGING YOU District Superintendent YOU HOMETOWN NEWS No residents grown HOMETOWN addressed the for HOMETOWN NEWS two years. hydropon ically, ent biomes, constructi our on with on including other topic. ex“We’ve sat down according to the Center of plaining Vincent Palmieri Jr. properties in the township, the animals that At the last Township there Agriculture, Food and the live local legisla tors, they’ve were no issues. They there and the adaptalegCommittee meeting, Pacific Environment. been very supportive. “We’re really hoping “I don’t anticipate seeing ” tions necessary. Avenue resident Joseph to take notice Robyn LaTorre, who unders tand our plight, any issues,” he said. aphi- islators begin this is seri“I want the students to “Geogr said. Fenton i did address comteaches STEM (science, understand Palmier “So the only recourse then from and realize that where things mittee, raising further contechnology, engineering come cally we’re the farthest least ous and it should be serious would be a fine from enfrom, how do they cerns about the plans even and mathematics) educa- get Trenton, we have the and business for them. We’re in forcement and the mature to our tables and focus though the lots were now tion to Upper Township on amount of populationhere. a small area here with not a tree-line would be gone,” sustainability. With all i, farther away from his propMiddle School students, of representation down lot of voice,” said Barbier Fenton said. this erty. He said he would not said her students did a would plant growth, you serves as vice It’s an uphill battle.” also who “It’s like anything else, need a large area be able to attend the Dec. 9 Cape May Michele Barbieri, presiGoogle Hangouts session for you have to trust the deip president of the traditional agriculture, meeting, and so addressed Board Aswith AeroFarms, a New- but dent of the Upper Townsh velopers a little bit when echoed County School with our aquaponics committee members at the ark-based company that system, Board of Education, they do a project to build county sociation. state Sen. Bob we’re able to grow Nov. 25 meeting. uses aeroponic technology a the struggl es the She said a home,” a T H E N AT I O N S O LD ES T S E A S H O R E produce. R ES O RT S Ithe Nvariety Csame E 1of8things 5 4 all in At that meeting, he ques- Palombo Mayor Richard to grow faces workin g towardthe Andrzejczak, a Democrat to ion vertical resolut area, l tioned what options he had out there said. “We’re not politica In an aeroponic s sys- essentially when somebody aid and ,” she said. if there were problems with sharp cuts in state tem, plants are supported See Districts, Page A12 clears a lot but we expect LaTorre said it uses clearing the site or other their deleterious effects. through a plastic cover about 90 percent less waissues during construction. into a closed tank and re- ter See Habitat homes, Page A3 than traditional agriceive nutrients through a culture. fine ation, mist, according Organiz g to the Plannin In the summer, LaTorre ip Com- portation Center critical for Agricultu re, and project is listed as Food her colleague , Lee At her urging, Townsh ationand the Environ- Winterbo resolution said the By BILL BARLOW mittee adopted a new al, unani- but is not funded. The organiz ttom, put the ment. , CumSpecial to the Sentinel system together from a suppor ting the proposthe Aug. 26 covers Cape May, Atlantic “The ng it at counties, work- kids were like, kit, with materials include Adams mously approvi told officials that berland and Salem transpo ‘This rtation is so cool. I didn’t ing PVC rm . Adams SEAVILLE — Blanch long-te meeting on a ing for Bob By ERIC AVEDISSIAN fight g Sen. workinstuff like this hap- a fish pipes, UV lights, SJTPO is know stalling new gas pipes from wants to keep up the 20 of the she had questioned state tank, pumps and County planning. Theplan for transpo Exit rtapened,’ at May Sentinel staff and ange Cape that’s a at kind interch of heaters. Route 9 to the Roosevelt full Andrzejczak He on a 20-year y. where which this came from,” Boulevard bridge and conGarden State Parkwa r of the Up- Chamber of Commerce event. It operates on a closedin southern New Jersey, UPPER TOWNSHIP — A necting LaTorre in next said. mental study tion The longtime membe loop system. The tilapia to told her an environ expected to be adopted The is tion proAssocia s the South if guide Jersey Gas project Stagecoach feeder line on Busines seventh-gr helps ade stu- eat an organic diet per Township under way to check Road in Upper summe r. The plan and to increase Ocean City’s from state and was would affect any wetlands. dents rtation started transpo the aquaTownship. federal has sought support their waste creates nicapacity for gas service is effort to move posal respond to state and but the SJTPOponics does not project this school trates and local officials in her “The contractor is reAndrzejczak did not nitrites in the y. spending, . For now, it taking shape along Roosyear. quired to get a road-opening the proposal forward public ac- a request for comment Tuesda water, which is pumped allocate the funds. New the evelt will little for Boulevard, In that her with l, an STEM Cape programMay permit due for restoration seems stalled, through the system. For the Exit 20 proposaming, on the Nor was a spokesm availCounty engineer Robert DepartLaTorre said she Jersey New Turnpike Authority on tion since a public hearing the a road, Currently to Jersey so up that’s , they are where we Church said Monday. operates be tries andtothe focus on environ- growing ortation matter in spring 2018. w, she said able. That organization got involved,” Church said. tomatoes, lettuce, NJTA ment of Transp “It’s basically a resiliency mental of the STEM and talk to arugula, In a recent intervie must con- the Garden State Parkway. into NJTA. The estimated cost Both Roosevelt Boulevard beans and more. look project where they’re upng toabout sustainstudents million, accordi residents and officialsthe project, officials said they would and Stagecoach Road are Everything they planted Janu- project is $15 g docume grading their lines,” Church ability, she said. nts. environm ental has a 75- to ing the interchange in tinue to advocate for county roads. see if 90-day harvest will improv e expand citing local interest, but SJTPO plannin said. impact projects The students start the plantsany plants died or if ed and renewability. period, LaTorre which she argues “The South Jersey Gas It’s one of 20 unfund Inaseighth-gr need to be moved, ment ary 2020, said. develop commit ic critiThe any contractor plants econom made listed on , Lantier project is more or seed mats and check ade, stusafety and far have not The plants act as a natuin Cape May County dents learn less an Construction Co. of MooreSENTINEL in the Seaville section of the town- so then transfer them to the feeder the food in the fish about aqua- ral filter for upgrade to provide for Bill Barlow/Special to the and check the amip’s ment. the water. stown, is replacing a 4-inch executive A3 visit a local culture 20, Pageand ip Business ship, where one of the townsh See Exit upgraded gas service for LaTorre adds chelated aquaponics system. Jennifer Marandino, monia and pH levels in gas line servicing Ocean member of the Upper Townsh for a full three retail areas is spread along farm to see oysters grown iron Jersey TransEvery day, students the Ocean City. Apparentl y director of the South and magnesiu m to water. Blanche Adams, a longtime advocating City along Roosevelt Boucommercially and do an benefit come s and officials must keep Route 9 and Route 50. there was a potential for Although the project the plants. This plants,in and check the Association, said resident levard with an 8-inch line. oyster dissection. Parkway. water the ones on State pressure does Garden not the drop harm on in 20 the tilapia, the seed that line Church said the two- because interchange at Exit mat, check to See Aquaponics, Page A12 of the size of the phase project includes infeeder pipes,” Church said.
Districts join forces to let Trenton know cuts harm students
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Upper Township Community Guide 61 T H E N AT I O N S O LD ES T S E A S H O R E R ES O RT S I N C E 1 8 5 4
BOAT RAMP
BEACH
FIRE DEPT.
STRATHMERE BAY
ATLANTIC OCEAN
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62 Upper Township Community Guide
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Upper Township Community Guide 63
Business List: 1 Action Supply 2 MFit 3 Golf Cart Sales
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SEAVILLE
50
PETERSBURG
2
50
3
1
9
re R
d. NS ho
64 Upper Township Community Guide
9
PALERMO
EDA EDA
EEENNNGGGIININNEEEEEERRRIININNGGG DDDEEESSSIIGIGGNNN IAT ATEESS,, P. AAASSSSSSOOOCCCIIAT E S , P.P.AAA...
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(609) 390-0332 • www.engineeringdesignassociates.com Upper Township Community Guide 65
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66 Upper Township Community Guide
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49
1
STEELMANTOWN
49
TUCKAHOE RIVER
Business List: 1 Creative Financial Group
49
TUCKAHOE
m o .c ip h s n w o T r e p p www.U
The township’s website offers information, weather warnings, CodeRED registration and a whole lot more Some municipal websites can tell you when the next city council meeting is. Upper Township’s website will show you when township events are happening, video recordings of township committee meetings, local emergency weather warnings, when quarterly taxes are due and gives residents the ability to pay them online. It also offers a link to report that a street light is out or that a pothole is on a local roadway. The website – uppertownship.com – was redesigned to offer more information to residents with a more user-friendly presentation. In February of this year, Upper Township announced that it launched a redesigned website, with information about the Township’s departments, boards and commissions, and emergency management, among many other things. Scott Morgan, the township administrator and Office of Emergency Management coordinator, said township officials are trying to encourage residents and visitors alike to visit the website to make their tasks easier. “We’re still developing it, but in the future, we’re going to have areas where you’ll be able to fill out particular digital forms, (and) pay things online,” he said. The website redesign will also be used to help promote Upper Township. “To get the word out that Upper Township is here and it’s a great place to live and also to visit,” he said. The township’s Economic Development Advisory Commission (EDAC) also used the website to conduct a digital survey. Morgan said additional surveys will be run through the website. The surveys will get feedback from residents about what they would like to see in the township, including new restaurants. Morgan described Upper Township as a kind of gateway to the barrier island communities and said that they want to have the township seen as a great stopping point.
“From an EDAC standpoint, we wanted a website that would sell what we have here, what we have to offer,” he said. The new website, part community resource and part promotional tool, includes tabs for the township’s departments, board and commissions, emergency management, information about Township Committee meetings, agendas, and Township Committee members, and general information about the township. There are tabs on the website for animal control, clerk and registrar, construction codes, township engineering, financial documents, municipal court, employment opportunities, planning and zoning office, public safety and public works, purchasing, sports and recreation, and taxes. A tab for the Office of Emergency Management has extensive information about how to prepare for disasters and weather emergencies. Under that tab on the website, people can sign up for CodeRED, a mass notification system the emergency management office uses. In the event of an emergency, those who have signed up for CodeRED will receive emergency messages to a landline or cell phone, or by text and email. It is free to sign up. Residents can sign up either online or by calling (609) 628-2011 ext. 200. Notifications, according to the township website, are sent out for criminal activity, boil water notices, evacuation notices, fires, floods, missing person cases, shelter in place and weather emergencies. While CodeRED will tell you when an emergency situation is happening, the emergency management tab on the website will help you plan for one in advance. It has links to information about hurricane preparedness, storm surges, flash floods, fire preparedness, camping tips, shelter training, beach and boating safety tips, and mosquito safety tips. There are also links to the local fire compa-
nies and the Upper Township Rescue Squad, the Cape May County Office of Emergency Management and a weekly Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) newsletter. Through the website’s engineering department tab, people can access flood maps for several areas of the township, floodplain certificates the engineering office has on file, tax maps, information about road construction projects in the township, information about auctions, bids, and requests for proposals, and information about gypsy moths and when the township sprays for them. An application to volunteer with the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), a group of volunteers trained in basic disaster response who respond during emergencies and assist with local events, is also on the Upper Township website. Through the Sports and Recreation tab, residents can find a list of sports associations, links to their websites and registration forms. The Upper Township Municipal Hall is also a passport acceptance agency. Information about making an appointment to process passport applications can be found on the website. The township’s municipal code is on the website, as are: information about the Upper Township/Ocean City Municipal Alliance, budget documents, a link to pay for traffic tickets, employment opportunities with the township, construction permit applications, applications to serve on a township board/ commission, a trash route map, a trash and recycling collection schedule, and an application for the township’s dog park. Upper Township is on social media. The website includes links to its social media pages and a link to the Upper Township School District website. To learn more, log on. To access the township website, see www.uppertownship.com or, for more information about Upper Township, call (609) 628-2011.
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Upper Township Community Guide 67
Business List: 1 Gentilini Motors 2 Quality Electric & Power Systems 3 Surf Dog Bar & Grill 4 Ludlam Island Brewery 5 Keltex
TUCKAHOE
2
1
3
4 OCEANVIEW
1 2 3 4 5
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WOODBINE
68 Upper Township Community Guide
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Upper Township Community Guide 69
BOAT RAMP
BEACH
NATURAL AREA
DOG RECREATION FIRE DEPT. PARK AREA
CHURCH
Business List: 1 Langley-Loveland Funeral Home 2 Seashore Railroad 3 Cody’s Power Equipment 4 Tire Barn 5 Sturdy Savings Bank 6 Geoscape Solar
50
MARSHALLVILLE
TUCKAHOE RIVER
49
1 2
5
6
3
4
50 PETERSBURG
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70 Upper Township Community Guide
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Upper Township Community Guide 71
1 GREENFEILD
50 Business List: 1 Engineering Design Associates 2 1st Bank of Sea Isle 3 Post Net 4 Dino’s Seaville Diner 5 Rixon 6 Farmers Insurance 7 Cape Regional Physicians 8 McDonald’s 9 State Farm/Rob Gleason 10 Land and Sea Furniture 11 Habitat For Humanity Cape May Co. 12 La Casetta Italian Bistro 13 Harbor Outfitters
PALERMO
5
9
4
2
6 3
8 7
50 13
12
9
9 11
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10 72 Upper Township Community Guide
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Upper Township Community Guide 73
RECREATION PUBLIC AREA SCHOOL
CHURCH
POST OFFICE
FIRE DEPT.
BEESLEYS POINT
9
1 16 PETERSBURG
E D SI GE AY L A W IL V
2, 6, 9, 20 26, 32
23
24
30 21 14 33 28 19
8 29 11 18 20 25 31
27 35 15 12 22 4
3
OCEAN CITY
34
5
13 10
7
9
PALERMO
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74 Upper Township Community Guide
Business List: 1 Thomas Heist Insurance Agency 2 3 Consumer Credit & Budget 4 Foglio’s Flooring Center 5 Shore Clean Car Wash 6 Village Kitchen 7 Whipporwill Campground 8 AOH 9 Shore Optical 10 Tenbrook Orthodontics 11 United Methodist Communites 12 Dollard-Baker Sew Vac 13 Yesterday’s 14 Kirk’s Pizza 15 Oceanside Lodge 16 Car Caress 18 Keller Williams/Greta Schwartz
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35
Reich Asset Management Valpak Dompierre, LLC Schuler Security Tokyo Mandarin Mama Mia’s Duncan’s Estate Service Wayne Schneider, MD Beacon Sturdy Savings Bank Broadley’s Plumbing & Heating Cape Regional Urgent Care Arista Enterprises Wings Travel Brayces Fitzpatrick, Bongiovanni & Kelly L.E.H. Soap Company
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MARMORA
9 3
Business List: 1 Heritage Links 2 Bonom Accounting Service 3 Kathryn Martino – Grace Realty 4 PFS Capital Management, LLC
2
4
1 9
SEAVILLE
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76 Upper Township Community GuideNATURAL AREA
RECREATION AREA
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TUCKAHOE
4
50
gbi rd
ckin Ln.
r.
M
Mo
nD
ath a
Jon
e ow ad NATURAL AREA
L DOG RECREATION PUBLIC PARK AREA SCHOOL
50
MUNICIPAL LIBRARY BUILDING
1
RESCUE SQUAD
5
50
Business List: 1 Upper Township Hall 2 JC Painting & Powerwashing 3 Holtz Boatworks 4 Andy’s Countryside Farm Market 5 Misty Meadows
K
I CREE
78 Upper Township Community Guide GREENFEILD
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Upper Township Community Guide 79
UPPER TOWNSHIP BUSSINESS ASSOCIATION
y r o t c e r i D s s Busine
Businesses listed below are members of the UTBA. Visit us at: www.UpperBiz.com FOOD & RESTAURANTS
Andy’s Countryside Farm Market 1400 RT 50 Woodbine, NJ 08270 609-579-8927 andyscountrysidefarm.com Bailey Grind 3016 Route 9 Ocean View, NJ 08230 609-624-7555 thebaileygrind.wixsite.com Deauville Inn 201 Willard Road Strathmere, NJ 08248 609-263-2080 deauvilleinn.com Dino’s Seaville Diner 31 Route 50 Seaville, NJ 08230 609-624-3100 dinosdiner.com El Capitan’s Taco Shack 1250 Rt 50 Tuckahoe, NJ 08270 856-266-2341 Kirk’s Pizza Rt. 9 Marmora, NJ 08223 609-390-1845 kirkspizza.com La Casetta Italian Bistro 3054 US 9 North Ocean View, NJ 08230 609-478-6748 lacasettanj.com
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Las Olas Taqueria 4 West Roosevelt Blvd. Unit #4 Marmora, NJ 08223 lasolastaquerianj.com Ludlam Island Brewery 9 Stoney Court Ocean View, NJ 08230 609-263-6969 ludlamisland.com Luna Soul and Bowl 108 Rt. 50, Units 2 & 3 Ocean View, NJ 08230 609-938-4742 lunasoulandbowl.com Mama Mia’s 4 W. Roosevelt Blvd. Marmora, NJ 08223 609-624-9322 mamamiasristorantemenu.com McDonald’s 2087 Route 9 Seaville, NJ 08230 609-624-1600 Pappy’s 205 Roosevelt Blvd. Marmora, NJ 08223 609-390-8600 pappyspigroast.com Seaville Tavern 29 New Bridge Rd. Ocean View, NJ 08230 609-624-3136 seavilletavern.com Surf Dog Bar & Grill 1563 Dehirsch Ave Woodbine, NJ 08224 609-427-6011 surfdogbarandgrill.com
80 Upper Township Community Guide
Tokyo Mandarin 4 Roosevelt Blvd. #H Marmora, NJ 08223 609-390-8883 themandaringroup.com Tuckahoe Inn 1 Harbor Road Beesleys Point, NJ 08223 609-390-3322 tuckahoeinn.com Village Kitchen 46 Tuckahoe Road PO Box 682 Marmora, NJ 08223 609-390-1174 villagekitchennj.com Yesterday’s 316 Roosevelt Blvd Marmora, NJ 08223 609-390-1757 yesterdaysbar.com
NON-PROFIT
AOH All Irish Martyrs Cape May Division PO Box 126 Marmora, NJ 08223 609-548-6426 Greater Tuckahoe Merchants Association PO Box 656 Tuckahoe, NJ 08270 609-628-2758
Upper Township, Township Hall 2100 Tuckahoe Road Petersburg, NJ 08270 609-628-2011 ext 257 uppertownship.com Upper Township Rescue Squad 2028 Tuckahoe Road Petersburg, NJ 08270 609-628-2476 uppertownship.com
PROFESSIONAL
1st Bank of Sea Isle 2072 Shore Road Seaville, NJ 08230 609-624-1000 1stbankseaisle.com Allen K Davis Agency Farmers 14 Route 50, Unit A Seaville, NJ 08230 609-536-2123 teamfarmersracing.com
AtlantiCare Physician Group 2500 English Creek Ave Bldg. 600 Suite 602 Egg Harbor Twp, NJ 08234 609-272-6314 www.atlanticare.org
Brayces Orthodontics 28 Roosevelt Blvd. Habitat For Marmora, NJ 08223 Humanity County 609-653-6464 20 Court House S. Dennis Road brayces.com Cape May Court House, NJ 609-463-0244 Bridge Consulting habitatcapemaycounty.org Services 507 Route 9 South, Apt. 2 Historical Preservation Marmora, NJ 08223 Society of Upper 609-840-6034 Township bridgecounselingservices.com PO Box 658 Marmora, NJ 08223 Briggs Law Office, LLC 609-390-5656 110 Roosevelt Boulevard uppertwphistory.org Marmora, NJ 08223 609-390-9600 Sea Isle Post Ofiice www.thebriggslaw.com 145 John F. Kennedy Blvd. Sea Isle, NJ 08243 bit.ly/seaislepostoffice
Brown & Brown of NJ LLC 1314 S. Shore Red PO Box 1187 Marmora, NJ 08223 609-840-4302 bbinsurance.com
Grace Realty Osprey Cove 2058 South Shore Road Seaville, NJ 08230 609-526-3234 gracerealty.com/ospreypoint
Cape Regional Health Systems 2087 Route 9, Unit 9 Cedar Sq Shopping Ctr Seaville, NJ 08230 609-486-5150 caperegional.com
Herald Newspaper 1508 RT 47 Rio Grande, NJ 08242 609-408-4039 capemaycountyherald.com
Cape Regional Urgent Care 8 Route 9 South Marmora, NJ 08223 609-465-6364 caperegionalurgentcare.com Cheryl Ward CPA PC 820 S. Shore Rd Marmora, NJ 08223 609-390-0600 cwardcpa.com Creative Financial Group Marshallville, NJ 08270 609-425-0878 1creative.com Duncan’s Estate Services, LLC 1054 S. Shore Road Palermo, NJ 08223 609-665-3752 duncansestate.com Engineer Design Associates 5 Cambridge Drive Ocean View, NJ 08230 609-390-0332 engineeringdesign.com Fitzpatrick, Bongiovanni & Kelly 293 S. Shore Road Marmora, NJ 08223 609-390-8855 fbkcpa.com Godfrey Funeral Home 644 S. Shore Road Palermo, NJ 08223 609-390-9699 godfreyfuneralhome.com Grace Realty Kathryn Martino 904 S. Shore Road Marmora, NJ 08223 609-408-7355 kathrynmartino.com
J. Byrne Agency 200 Route 9 South Marmora, NJ 08223 609-390-5588 jbyrneagency.com Keller Williams Greta Swartz 903 Bay Avenue Ocean City, NJ 08226 609-780-5949 gretaschwartz.kw.com Langley Loveland Funeral Home 2315 Route 50 Tuckahoe, NJ 08250 609-628-2222 langleylovelandfuneralhome.com McMahon Insurance Agency PO Box 690 Marmora, NJ 08223 609-399-0060 mcmahonagency.com Ocean First 105 Roosevelt Blvd. Marmora, NJ 08223 609-927-7722 oceanfirstonline.com
Shore Optical Eye Physicians & Surgeons 42 Tuckahoe Road Marmora, NJ 08223 609-399-4000 609-390-0226 shoreopticalnj.com
Beacon Roofing Supply (formally Allied) 109 Route US 9 S Marmora, NJ 08223 609-736-4417 becn.com Boulevard Liquors 501 Roosevelt Blvd. Marmora, NJ 08223 609-390-1300 superliquorsnj.com
State Farm Rob Gleason Insurance Agency Inc. 1602 Route 47, Unit C Rio Grande, NJ 08242 609-886-2004 rob@robgleason.com Sturdy Savings Bank PO Box 277 2201 Route 50, Tuckahoe NJ 46 S. Shore Road, Marmora NJ 609-628-2662 sturdyonline.com Tenbrook Orthodontics 447 S. Shore Rd Marmora, NJ 08223 609-390-1569 tenbrookorthodontics.com
Thomas Heist Insurance 4 W. Roosevelt Blvd. Unit 7 Marmora, NJ 08223 609-399-0655 heistinsurance.com Upper Township Sentinel PO Box 238 Ocean City, NJ 08226 609-399-5411
PFS Capital Management, LLC 1314 Route 9 Ocean View, NJ 08230 609-390-9050 pfscapitalmanagement.com
Wayne R Schneider M.D. 56 Tuckahoe Rd Wayside Village Marmora, NJ 08223 609-904-3132
Philadelphia Mortgage Advisors 16 East 9th Street Ocean City NJ 08226 609-425-8475 phillyadvisors.com
Action Supply, Inc. 1413 Stagecoach Road Seaville, NJ 08230 609-390-0663 actionsupplynj.com
Reich Asset Management, LLC 110 Roosevelt Blvd., Suite 2W Marmora, NJ 08223 609-486-5073 reichassetmanagement.com
Advantage Rental & Sales 100 Route 50 Seaville, NJ 08230 609-390-2345 Advantageequipmentsales.com
Foglio’s Flooring Center 344 S. Shore Road Marmora, NJ 08223 609-390-3876 foglios.com Golf Cart Sales 101 Route 50 Seaville, NJ 08230 609-390-7762 golfcartsalesllc.com
The Shores 2201 Bay Ave Ocean City, NJ 08226 609-399-8505 shoresretirement.org
RETAIL
Dompierre, LLC 17 Roosevelt Blvd. Marmora, NJ 08223 609-390-2223 www.dompierrellc.com
Heritage Links Golf Course 1375 Rte 9 Palermo, NJ 08223 609-390-4500 golfheritagelinks.com L.E.H. Soap Company 232 South Shore Road Marmora, NJ 08223 609-390-9500 lehsoap.com Land and Sea Furniture 3075 Route 9 Seaville, NJ 08230 609-478-2165 landandseafurniture.com Liberty Coca-Cola 519 S. Shore Road Marmora, NJ 08223 609-226-2705 .libertycoke.com/ Mary Rann Mary Kay Cosmetics 821 S. Shore Road Marmora, NJ 08223 609-602-6493 marykay.com/mrann
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RETAIL
Misty Meadows Sheep Farm 100 Dennisville Petersburg Rd Woodbine, NJ 08270 609-442-3066 mistymeadowsheepdairy.com Swim Again Pools and Spas 215 S. Shore Road Marmora, NJ 08223 609-390-8869 swimagainpoolsandspas.com The Flower Company 48 Tuckahoe Rd Wayside Village Marmora, NJ 08223 609-379-3446 theflowercompany.net Village Pharmacy 38 Tuckahoe Road Marmora, NJ 609.390.9594 marmorapharmacy.com Yes She Can! 30 Tuckahoe Rd Wayside Village Marmora, NJ 08223 609-478-3266 yesshecannj.com
SERVICE
Arista 801 Asbury Ave. STE. 202-204 Ocean City, NJ 08226 609-770-1565 aeprise.com Bonom Accounting Service 3 Harry’s Court Suite B Palermo, NJ 08223 Phone 609-390-8711 Broadley’s Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning 115 Roosevelt Blvd. Marmora, NJ 08223 609-390-3907 broadleys.net Cape Assist 3819 New Jersey Avenue Wildwood, NJ 08260 609-522-5960
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Car Caress II 100 Stagecoach Rd. Marmora, NJ 08223 609-390-9147 carcaress.com
Geoscape Solar 1309 Tyler Rd. Woodbine, NJ 08270 973-666-2981 geoscapesolar.com
Chuck Battersby Water Service & Pump Repair, LLC PO Box 54 Marmora, NJ 08223 609-390-3241
Goosehead Insurance 94 NJ-50 Ocean View, NJ 08230 609-543-9220
Clayton Rentals, LLC 215 S. Shore Road Marmora, NJ 08223 609-390-3567 claytonsselfstorage.com Coastal Mechanical 349 West Ave Ocean City, NJ 08226 609-399-5346 coastalplumbinghvac.com Cody’s Power Equipment 2000 NJ-50 Tuckahoe, NJ 08250 609-628-9816 codyspower.com CCBC Consumer Credit & Budget Counseling 299 South Shore Road Marmora, NJ 08223 609-390-9652 cc-bc.com Dollard Baker Sew Vac 232 S. Shore Road Marmora, NJ 08223 609-390-0343 dollardbakersewvac.com Gentilini Motors Chevy & Ford Dealer 500 & 555 John S. Penn Blvd. Woodbine, NJ 08270 Chevy 609-861-9000 Ford 609-861-0100 gentilinimotors.com Georgetti Construction Inc. 828 Stagecoach Rd Marmora, NJ 08223 609-390-2555 georgetticonstruction.com
82 Upper Township Community Guide
Holtz Boatworks/ Marine Electronics 1301 County Highway 1601 Tuckahoe Rd, Marmora NJ 08223 609-390-3052 JC Painting & Powerwashing 609-412-3033 jcsoftwash.com Jersey Devil Specialties PO Box 534 Marmora, NJ 08223 609-827-0779 JerseyDevil.biz Keltex Apparel 428A Woodbine-Ocean View Rd. Ocean View, NJ 08230 609-938-1970 keltexapparel.com Mfit 94 Route 50 Seaville, NJ 08230 609-938-1970 mfitnj.com Ocean Solar 16 Hidden Lake Cape May Court Hse, NJ 08210 609-277-4354 oceansolar.com Post Net 12 Route 50 Seaville, NJ 08230 609-624-8750 postnet.com/nj109 Quality Electric & Power Systems 412 Washington Ave Woodbine, NJ 08270 609-861-1409 qualityelectricservice.com Reflections Hair Salon 62 Tuckahoe Rd Marmora, NJ 08223 609-390-9864 ilovereflections.com
Rixon Realty 71 N. Route 9 Ocean View, NJ 08230 609-390-8821 Schuler Security Inc. 133 S. Shore Road Marmora, NJ 08223 609-390-1003 schulersecurity.com Shore Clean Auto Care Center 452 Route Us 9 S Marmora, NJ 08223 609-390-7400 shorecleanexpress.net South Jersey Water Conditioning 104 Route 50 Seaville, NJ 08230 609-390-2022 Spectrum 94 NJ-50 Ocean View, NJ 08230 609-204-4849 spectrumrehabnj.com Tire Barn & Auto Center 1991 Route 50 Tuckahoe, NJ 08250 609-628-3347 Valpak 609-602-0543 Whippoorwill Campground 810 S. Shore Road Marmora, NJ 08223 609-390-3458 whippoorwillcampground.net Wings Travel Group 34 Tuckahoe Road Marmora, NJ 08223 609-390-9101 wingstrips.com Harbor Outfitters 3024 US 9 North Ocean View, NJ 08230 609-478-3451 harboroutfitters.com Seashore Railroad 1 Mill Road Tuckahoe, NJ 08270 856-263-2675 seashorelines.org
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Permeable with Solidia ECO Bristol Stone®
1413 Old Stagecoach Road Seaville, NJ 08230 609-390-0663 www.actionsupplynj.com
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84 Upper Township Community Guide
Action Supply is the distributor for all your hardscaping needs. We carry stone and fill in all sizes, shapes and colors. Come see our full display of EP Henry products. You'll get great ideas for paths, patios, fire features, walls & steps.