The following Council Corner column was submitted by Ward 3 Councilman Jeffrey Carr. It hardly seems it but, spring has arrived. Along with it comes yard work, Little League baseball and the Toms River Food Fest. The Toms River Little League season got underway on April 6th. It was a chilly Saturday morning but, much better than the rain filled event of last year. Mayor Kelaher and I were on hand at the TRLL fields to throw in the first pitch. Councilman Whittmann, Councilman Manforti and Councilwoman Maruca attended opening day at the TRELL complex. This year’s Food Fest was held on …

The following Council Corner column was submitted by Toms River Council President George Wittmann: Toms River Township has been quite busy for the first four months of 2013. The main driver is trying to clean up and repair facilities and infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Sandy. We have awarded contracts for the replacement of roads and bulkheads, repairs to parks, and replacement of the Ortley Beach boardwalk and beach facilities. In addition, the township awarded a $6.6 million contract to remove debris and homes from private property under a FEMA sponsored clean-up program. Ordinarily, …

The following column was submitted by Mary E. O’Dowd, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health and Raymond P. Martinez, chairman and chief administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.  When it comes to giving gifts, there is none more precious and important than a second chance at life. April is Donate Life Month and both our departments — the New Jersey Department of Health and the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) — are working in partnership to raise awareness about the importance of organ donation. We are encouraging individuals to register and help us save…

The following column was submitted by Toms River Councilman Brian Kubiel: Almost every department in town hall is still very busy working on Hurricane Sandy-related projects. Toms River is moving forward and getting projects done. The Township Council recently awarded a contract to the Tekton Development Corp. for over $950,000 to rebuild our boardwalk in Ortley Beach. The contract requires the northern 600 feet by the 3rd Avenue Lot to be complete by June 1, 2013, because we expect to open a portion of the beach between 3rd and 5th Avenues to be open for swimming by Memorial Day. There is …

The following letter to the editor was submitted by Jennifer Velez, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Human Services: It’s hard to believe how quickly time has gone by since Superstorm Sandy devastated many of our New Jersey communities, damaging homes and businesses and wreaking widespread havoc on the lives of Garden State families in its path.  In the wake of Sandy’s destruction, we also saw the character of our New Jersey communities. Our people stood up in remarkable ways to help each other, to stabilize our state, and to take care of each other – because it’s what New …

The following letter to the editor was submitted by Toms River Patch reader Colin Weir: The rearranged intersection of Route 166, Old Freehold Road and Presidential Boulevard is incredibly dangerous. Cars coming down Old Freehold Road to turn left onto Route 166 South routinely blow through after the protected left turn phase is over, nearly hitting cars going straight across 166 from Presidential Boulevard onto Old Freehold Road. I have been nearly hit on three occasions since October when trying to exit the ShopRite plaza to head north on Old Freehold Road. Toms River needs to re-evaluate …

The following letter was submitted by Alyssa M. Turner, public relations coordinator for Northern Ocean Habitat for Humanity: Shortly before the chill set in the air, Maria and Steven Bertolini were able to return to their rehabbed home on Cedar Grove Road which was devastated by a house fire. A good portion of their home was destroyed. Maria, who was working two jobs while attending Georgian Court University, was diagnosed with a degenerative disease of the retina forcing her on to disability. As a single mother, Maria was also caring for Steven who was developmentally disabled. Northern …

The Toms River Township Council at its last meeting introduced an ordinance creating tenure for the Director of Public Works after five years of service. According to the ordinance, the director shall be appointed by the mayor with the consent of the council. Current Director Lou Amoruso has served in the position for that long, he said at the time. The township attorney said that tenure is required by state law, but that the director could be relieved if determined to be underperforming. The council is scheduled to hear public comment and vote on the ordinance during its Feb. 11 meeting, 6 p…

Letter to the Editor submitted by Toms River resident Carol Brown: I saw you posted an article via the Toms River Patch regarding the Seaside Heights plan to allow residents back to their homes.  This is great information, but the real story is the inconsistency and utter restriction among beach communities allowing residents to go back to their homes.  I have been gleaning lots of information from some internet and Facebook sites.  For instance, the Mantoloking Police Department post a daily update on their website telling its residents what is going on with cleanup, and they were already …

Letter to the editor as submitted by Eric Hafner, Cove Point Rd, Toms River. Dear Editor,As a Homeland Security major at Ocean County College, I know how important a good emergency response is.After seeing the local response to Hurricane Sandy, I'm pleased to know first hand that our emergency responders here in Toms River Township are effective, well-trained professionals who get the job done; no matter what the circumstance.I would like to personally extend my appreciation to the Toms River Police Officers manning the Shelter Cove checkpoint on Bay Avenue. These fine officers did a great …

Letter to the Editor as submitted by Nancy H. Blattner, President of Caldwell College: When New Jersey residents head to the polls on Election Day, Nov. 6, they will have a unique opportunity to make a difference in higher education in New Jersey. Ballot question #1, the Building Our Future Bond Act, will provide capital investment to academic and research facilities at colleges and universities. Forty-nine colleges and universities, including Caldwell College, will have the opportunity to receive monies for capital improvements. This grant money cannot be used for administrative, residence …

Letter to the editor as submitted by Toms River resident Joseph Lypowy: Recently I heard a representative of one of the major polling companies on a talk show state that the independent segment of the electorate is not as significant as many believe it to be. Even though nearly 40% consider themselves to be independent, of those, about 15% lean towards each major party leaving only 10%. Of that 10% Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party is expected to take 6%, The Constitution Party 2%, and the remaining 2% amongst the other fringe parties and write in’s. Even though occasionally, you will …

The following letter written by Manchester First Aid and Rescue Squad Publicity Officer Edward C. Lynch was sent to 10th Legislative District Assemblymen Dave Wolfe and Greg McGuckin, calling on them to take action to table a bill which revises emergency medical service delivery requirements.  As my Assembly representative, please contact your colleagues on the Appropriations Committee and ask them to table A2463.  I was very disappointed to see that the EMS bill (A2095) had been reintroduced as A2463 without addressing the issues raised by Gov. Christie in his conditional veto of A2095/S818 …

Letter to the editor as submitted by Toms River resident Joseph Lypowy:  AARP has launched new political ads saying to contact them to get the true facts about the new Obamacare taxes. They claim that there is a lot of misinformation on the subject and that they are the only source  for accurate information. I wonder if they’re going to tell the public that the reason they act as a propaganda tool for Obamacare is because they are one of the biggest to profit from it? AARP is the biggest  seller of supplemental Medicare insurance in the country. What Obamacare does is reduce and ration the …

Letter as submitted by Bob Armstrong, Candidate for Ocean County Sheriff: Supporters of my opponent for sheriff claim my proposal to cross-train sheriff’s and corrections officers isn’t realistic. Those claims simply reveal a lack of vision on the part of the sheriff and Ocean County’s entrenched leadership. Right now county officers cannot fill in for each other when the need arises. As a result, the county paid sheriff and corrections officers $4 million for overtime in 2011. That expense could have been greatly reduced if qualified officers had been interchangeable. With training at the …

Letter as submitted by Candidate for U.S. Senate Senator Joe Kyrillos (R-Monmouth): Today, we remember and honor the sacrifices made by hardworking Americans to achieve social, political and economic progress.  Through their efforts they forged a movement that made possible the American Dream and opportunity through hard work.  Sadly, the American Dream for many is becoming unattainable and the idea that through hard work one can build their own future is quickly becoming uncertain. Americans are suffering through the worst economic recovery since the Great Depression.  Today, unemployment …

Letter to the editor as submitted by Rich Wrieland, Toms River resident: Cooler weather is on the way, so one recent morning I went bicyling in Lake Shenandoah County Park, Lakewood. The freeholders tout the "gorgeous" 100-acre lake as the focal point of this park -- with "trout-stocked waters, accessible fishing piers and an on-site bait-and-tackle shop with boat rentals." It's a shame that some people throw beer cans and other garbage in the water, but it's also a shame that the county apparently doesn't make any effort to keep it clean. An employee told me that a cleaning machine was on-…

Letter as submitted by Toms River resident Brian McCaskill: Four years ago I bought a house in Gilford park.  It’s a nice house.  It’s near the beach.  I get along with my neighbors.  Some nights I jog or walk around the area, and I never feel unsafe.  So when I saw an article on the Toms River Patch speculating on whether or not Gilford Park has a bad reputation, I rolled my eyes and made a joke about other parts of the county that are far worst than my neighborhood.  But then I read the article, and I began to think about it. In the past year, I have read about a number of incidents …

I am a resident of Toms River and former boating enthusiast.  I have fond memories of recreational boating on the Barnegat Bay for many years. Summer weekends at the shore with my grandchildren had been known as “Grandpa’s Camp” and we enjoyed boating activities on the Bay like swimming, tubing and waterskiing. Sadly, those outings became less frequent as Barnegat Bay deteriorated in health. My grandchildren could no longer enjoy the Bay because of stinging sea nettles and algal blooms.  It was disheartening to of us that our use of the Bay was no longer a pleasant and memorable experience. …

Letter to the editor as submitted: It has come to my attention that Congressional Candidate Shelly Adler is opposed to requiring photo identification for voting. Let us say, for the sake of argument, that there is no proof or no research has been done to show that there is a problem in New Jersey. We know other states have a problem and why wait until the problem gets to the point where it is no longer isolated. Why is it intrusive or inconvenient to ask for a photo I.D. to take part in this great American privilege? It should never be violated. When you use a credit card or cash a check, you…