Negotiations under way for local sewer service

PLUMSTED - Mayor Ron Dancer said authorization has been given to the Kokes Organization to begin negotiations to provide sewer service for portions of the New Egypt Town Center from a senior citizen (55 and over) park.

The mayor said the Kokes Organization was one of 10 companies that submitted letters of interest to be considered for Town Center redevelopment plan.

According to Dancer, the Kokes Organization has constructed numerous active adult communities, including The Fairways and Enclave in Lakewood, as well as the Crestwood Village Sewer and Water Company in Whiting.

If no agreement is reached within 90 days, the Township Committee may extend the period of negotiation or name a replacement, he said.

In other business, the committee appointed Patrolman Vincent M. Doell as a permanent member of the Plumsted Police Department. The township now has 12 fulltime uniformed police officers.

Three additional volunteers were appointed to the Senior Outreach Search: Patrick Riordan, Krystal Palmieri and Barbara Issacs.

Michael Augustyniak was appointed to the Planning Land Use Board. Since 1982, Augustyniak has been an officer with the New Jersey State Police. He is presently the supervisor of the Preparedness Squad within the state police Office of Emergency Management.

Prior to his state police service, Augustyniak was a senior planner with the state Department of Community Affairs Division of State and Regional Planning, according to Dancer.

And, the committee introduced an ordinance to set the 2008 dog license fee at $10.80 with 50 percent discounts to senior citizens, disabled individuals and active volunteers appointed by the Township Committee, the first aid squad and fire company.

An ordinance was introduced to include the J and C camper business in the C-3 zone on Route 539. The committee adopted a cable television ordinance that will provide Plumsted residents with "choice and competition," according to Dancer. In addition to receiving cable television service from Comcast, Plumsted is scheduled to receive Verizon fiber optic cable service next year, the mayor said.

The Township Committee authorized the submission of a state Department of Environmental Protection Natural and Historic Resources Trails Grant application in the amount of $25,000 to fund the removal of debris from the Crosswicks Creek so that boating and canoeing may take place.

Dancer said that following the completion of paving Millstream Road, the Ocean County Road Department will pave Lakeview Drive, which is being paid for with a state Department of Transportation Grant in the amount of $140,000 obtained by the committee.

In observance of Thanksgiving, Plumsted municipal offices will close at 5 p.m. Nov. 21 and reopen on Nov. 26. The recycling center will be closed on Nov. 24.

The next regularly scheduled public meeting of the Township Committee will be at 8 p.m. Dec. 19.