No Smear Shall Go Unanswered: Latest By Vitkansas Is Not So "Amusing"

In the latest smear letter directed at Middletown Committeeman Sean Byrnes, I am glad that the writer finds it amusing to read other peoples letters that point out the short comings of Middletown’s mayor and other members of his beloved Republican Party. The letter, which is written by Michael Vitkansas, has appeared in various local publications recently.

Truth be told, Vitkansas is a strong and active member of the same, elite Middletown Republicans that he tries to protect by spreading misleading and sometimes inflammatory information about others. As a Republican County Committeeman representing his district in Middletown, Vitkansas has often allowed himself to be used as a tool for the local Republican machine and as a reward for his loyalty, he now sits on a number of local boards and commissions in Middletown, which makes his invocation of the “patriots of the TEA Party” in his letter, laughable in and of itself.

In his most recent lapdog attack letter, Vitkansas goes after a fellow letter writer, Jeff Blumengold, for criticizing the poor job that mayor Gerard Scharfenberger and his GOP majority has done in their planning efforts while trying to run Middletown Township over the past 5 years, by attacking Democrat Sean Byrnes.

In his letter, Vitkansas tries to label Byrnes as a socialist liberal who favors COAH, supports teachers, unions and high property taxes in his attempt to persuade readers into believing something that just is not so.

Those that know Committeeman Byrnes would describe him as a fiscal conservative and a social moderate. Over the 3 years that he has been a Middletown committeeman, Byrnes has made many suggestions on how to reign in the local spending that has resulted in tax hikes that total over 39% to the municipal tax rate over the past 5 years (since mayor Scharfenberger has sat on the committee), only to be rebuked by his fellow committee members. He has never voted in support of a Township budget that has included a tax increase, including the most recently adopted 2010 budget which raises the municipal tax rate by nearly12%

Committeeman Byrnes has repeatedly stated over his 3 years on the Township Committee that programs like COAH need to be revamped and revised so that the burden of such programs do not fall onto local taxpayers. Mr. Vitkansas and others that oppose Mr. Byrnes however, point out his vote to rezone the Avaya property in Lincroft, that rezoned the property from industrial to residential in order to meet Middletown’s state mandated COAH obligation, as proof that he is not sincere or straightforward. Allow me to point out though, that the ones that are not being straightforward and sincere with Middletown residents are Vitkansas and his fellow GOP supporters that attack Byrnes on this issue. After all, it was his friends on the republican dominated Middletown Planning & Zoning Boards that came up with the plan to rezone the Avaya property so that the Township would be in compliance with COAH, not Byrnes. At the time, mayor Scharfenberger, Pam Brightbill and Tony Fiore, all current Republican members of the Township Committee, approved and voted for this rezoning as well.

Sean Byrnes knows that having a strong middle-class is the backbone and foundation of our State as well as our Country. He realizes that education plays a leading role in establishing that foundation and supports teachers and unions in general, knowing that without them there would be no middle-class as we know it today. That being said however, Mr. Byrnes has repeatedly been on the record as saying that he supports Gov. Christie’s “Tool Kit”, that reforms need to be made in order to level the playing field during contract negotiations and that state union members should be expected to contribute more to their healthcare costs.

If supporting Committeeman Sean Byrnes and his record as a member of the Middletown Township Committee in his re-election bid this November labels me as being a “socialist liberal” so be it. I love being a socialist liberal who opposes high taxes, government mismanagement and the entrenchment of the long-standing Republican ruling class.

I also happen to think that those “remarkable patriots in the Tea Party movement” that are “growing in numbers more and more with each passing day” are intelligent enough to know the difference and will also support Sean Byrnes and his running mate Mary Mahoney against Republicans that have borrowed, spent and raised local taxes to the point that it will soon become unaffordable to raise a family and live in Middletown.

Letter: Middletown Township Committee continues to routinely demonstrate great insensitivity to the present economic circumstances

The following letter was writen and sent to me by Mr. Jeffrey Blumengold

As Labor Day approaches, I watch with some irony as the Middletown Township Committee continues to routinely demonstrate, both in words and in deed, great insensitivity to the present economic circumstances impacting our local citizens and community as a whole.

We all know friends and neighbors who are now unemployed or under-employed. Many of our residents are struggling at this time to maintain their standard of living. Yet, just when they least need it, the Township Committee, lacking any meaningful fiscal oversight or discipline, has delivered another financial burden to their doorstep -- a large local property tax increase!
This is a special community, which is why I chose to move here with my family over twenty years ago. I had an opportunity over the last year to observe our Township Committee in action as it deliberated over turf fields and bonding issues. Although members of the Committee encouraged participation, sadly, after nearly a year of attending these meetings, I have come to conclude that the Committee itself is dysfunctional, at best.

Why? Several reasons: First, the necessary information that would allow a Committee Member to properly consider proposed resolutions is not disseminated evenly to all Committee members. As best I can tell, there is little, if any, communication across party lines. As a result, few matters are thoroughly discussed beforehand by the group as a whole. After attending many meetings, instead of collaboration, I observed rolling of eyes and disdain for fellow Committee members. Even though these individuals serve residents as Committtee members, they clearly remain political adversaries.

Second, unfortunately, due to the political breakdown of the current Committee, the majority rules. I have witnessed the exchanges, and I conclude that these meetings are often nothing more than a routine gang up by party members along party lines, rather than a transparent group of leaders, seeking to do what is right for those represented. At the last meeting, I was stunned by the lack of respect accorded to Committeeman Sean Byrnes, who as best as I can observe, continues to ask reasonable questions that are essentially ignored by the rest of the group. This open display of behavior, in public, is despicable.

From the vantage point of a concerned resident, the Committee has become a non-functional political machine, seeking to maintain the status quo, rather than taking on the tough job of careful collaboration, consideration and transparent debate on the serious issues facing our Township. We, as voters, elected these leaders to make the hard choices, so critically called for, especially in these unprecedented, difficult economic times.

I was disappointed to see that the latest focus of our Mayor is on re-writing State laws on how our schools are funded. While such discussions make for interesting debate, they are a needless distraction at a time when our residents need relief from onerous taxes. We need leadership, not a distracting debate over whether we should utilize property taxes, or sales and income taxes, to fund our schools. From my perspective, the current majority lacks the will to do what is necessary in these difficult times.

Jeffrey Blumengold
Lincroft, NJ

Letter: Scharfenberger's Budget "Plan" Isn't Working

The Middletown Township Committee introduced a budget recently that results in an almost 13 present increase in property taxes. This is outrageous given the fact that there are many towns that have controlled their spending and see minimal increases, if none at all.

One could ask how this can happen in these times. A good response would be that there is a mayor that insists that he can handle the budget process. Mr. Scharfenberger began this fiscal year, in January, stating that he does the budget by osmosis. When there was a call to develop a plan to deal with the increasing costs and the reality of including costs from the previous year, Mr. Scharfenberger simply said that he already had a plan.

The mayor's plan is to rely on everyone else to bail him out. If that does not happen he will just blame others, as he consistently does when things do not go the way he expects. It is time to rid Middletown of this type of thinking for it is not putting the taxpayer first. People need to realize that the current system that has been in place for over 25 years is not working.

Dora Crisafulli
Middletown

Scharfenberger's Green Initiative: Buy 5 New Trucks With SnowPlows While Laying Off 40 Employees

Gerry Scharfenberger likes to think of himself as the father of the Middletown Green Initiative, after all it was his idea even though there isn't much to show for it except for the promise to turn off some lights and eventually install a few solar panels on the top of the Arts Center.

That was until now.

The Township has just taken possession of 5 brand new,beautiful Chevy Sliverado pick up trucks equipped with snowplows at a cost of $33K each.

Can someone tell me what he and the Township Administrator must be thinking when they purchase over $160K worth of trucks when the Township started the year with a $5M budget deficit? Do they think that the road to fiscal responsibliity must be driven down in trucks that cost the taxpayer $33K each?


How is a purchase like this justified when the Township has plans to layoff about 40 employees? Who is going to be driving these trucks? Maybe the Township will have the laid off employees use them to drive to the unemployment office. I am sure that the Police Department is glad that they agreed to a salary freeze for this year. We need to save every penny possible so that purchases like this can be afforded. At $33K each this totals well over $160K, which is the equivalent of salaries for 4-5 average employees on the Township payroll.

The Mayors' Green Initiative should be about saving the green not spending it, especially since the Township does not have it to spend.

Cha-Ching!


Instead of parking these new vehicles in the Public Works Yard they are located in the school parking lot at Croydon Hall. They have not been registered yet, either.

The Arrogance Of Mayor Gerry Scharfenberger Hiding Behind A Website

The following was sent in by a reader who attended last night's Middeltown Township Committee meeting and wanted to get something off their chest. This person supported the school budget and did not think it necessary, fair or honest of the Township Committee to impose further cuts to the school budget after apparently agreeing to ~$ 1.6M proposed by the Board of Education without first informing the school board of it.

At last nights committee meeting the township committee finally approved the resolution to cut the school budget. The budget was defeated on April 20th by an unprecedented number of voters after the Governor in an equally unprecedented move had called for the defeat of school budget state wide.

After completely ignoring the invitation of the school board to hold a joint meeting in public ensuring maximum transparency to the process. The Mayor insisted on closed door meetings to discuss the defeated budget. At the workshop meeting resident after resident pleaded with the committee to hold an open forum were residents to discuss their concerns because roughly $10,000,000 had already been cut from the school budget prior to its defeat.

But the mayor who steadfastly refuses to hear the residents speak on regular committee issues prior to the committee voting, has been hiding in plain sight for years from the public, just as the majority of the committee has, unlike Democratic Committeeman Sean Byrnes, who has strived to make the committee operations more transparent and open to the public.

Finally after realizing the public could not be ignored the township set up a link so that residents could email concerns. It was a feeble attempt designed to once again hide in plain sight by receiving emails but refusing to hear in public or discuss residents concerns. While both the mayor and the deputy mayor championed the idea it demonstrated that they were only willing to receive the equivalent of a “Dear John” letter without facing the issue with the voters.

Not surprisingly they also stuck to the same pattern of hiding from the public by failing to place the resolution on the website, as was done with every other resolution of the evening. You have to wonder what the committee was trying to hide. It was not until after the vote and after the public was finally allowed to make statements that they finally disclosed the amount cut to a roomful of anxious school budget supporters.

They cut $2,090, 894 dollars from the school budget.

Ignoring all the information supplied by the superintendent and the school officials that they would be unable to cover state mandated requirements and insure student safety they cut more assistant principals from the already understaffed high schools.

But to add insult to injury they did not even have the courtesy to send a letter to the superintendent or the board president notifying them of the amount of the cut. It was just another example of the arrogance of the Mayor Gerry Scharfenberger not even to have the decency to notify school officials or the public about the cut.

Hiding behind a website is not transparency Gerry, its cowardice.

"The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them."

- Patrick Henry, American colonial revolutionary

"Government ought to be all outside and no inside. . . . Everybody knows that corruption thrives in secret places, and avoids public places, and we believe it a fair presumption that secrecy means impropriety."

- Woodrow Wilson

“Everybody knows that corruption thrives in secret places, and avoids public places, and we believe it is a fair presumption that secrecy means impropriety”

- Pres. Woodrow Wilson

MTEA Urges It's Members to Call Town Hall To Tell Mayor To Stop Perpetuating The "Lie"

I received an email from a few people today that originated from Amy M. Johnson M.T.E.A. First Vice-President and Linda Guyer M.T.E.A. President. The email is addressed to members of the Middletown teachers union and it urges them to call Mayor Scharfenberger and other members of the Township Committee to let them know that the lies the mayor has been perpetuating concerning the MTEA not responding to his request for a wage freeze is false, unacceptable, damaging and unproductive.

I happen to agree and I urge all residents that think the same to call the mayor and let him know that you agree also.

Below is the text of the email with links that I inserted:

To all M.T.E.A. members:

It is clear that the Mayor of Middletown wants to perpetuate the lie that the M.T.E.A. did not respond to his letter by the close of business on April 30th as reported in The Atlantic Highlands Herald on May 3rd, The Independent on May 6th, and Asbury Park Press on May 9th. He needs to hear from each M.T.E.A. member about how his dirty politics are damaging and unproductive, and will not change our answer to his question. I strongly urge you to call the Mayor and Township Committee Members about this today! You may also consider calling any of the newspapers about the lies they are so willingly spreading.



http://www.middletownnj.org/Mayor_Township/index.asp


Many of the Middletown Township Committee members do not hold regular office hours, but all committee members may be contacted via voice mail at the numbers listed below:

Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger 732615-2024

Deputy Mayor Anthony Fiore 732706-4153

Committeewoman Pamela Brightbill 732706-4150

Committeeman Sean Byrnes 732706-4152

Committeeman Steve Massell 732706-4154



The Atlantic Highlands Herald: 732-872-1957

The Independent: 732-358-5200

Asbury Park Press: 1-800-822-9770


Thanking you in advance for your continued support,

Amy M. Johnson
M.T.E.A. First Vice-President / Grievance Chairperson


Linda Guyer
M.T.E.A. President

TRT:M'Town School Budget Fails...Blah, Blah, Blah

I have to give another well deserved shoutout to Ryan Fennell, the reporter who covers the Middletown beat for the Two River Times. It seems that out of the 3 or 4 reporters that regularly cover the happenings at Middletown Committee meetings he seems to be the only one interested in reporting the whole story, not just the rantings and diatribes of an appointed mayor.

At Monday night's Committee meeting when the discussion got around to the defeated school budget, he didn't simply rely on two previously released press releases and a personal letter issued by mayor Scharfenberger over the last 10 days that were written to chastise Middletown teachers and their union into accepting a wage freeze like others have recently done. He actually reported what was said by another member of the Committee that doesn't happen to sit in the majority, fanning the flames of residents displeasure by attempting to turn this years defeated school budget into a political campaign issue.

Of course he reported what the mayor and deputy-mayor had to say about the teachers, their union, the potential wage freeze and the effect it would have on the Township and school system if enacted, but their comments really just amounted to a rehash of the earlier press releases and letter.

Blah, blah,blah...wage freeze...blah,blah, blah...layoffs...blah, blah, blah...union...blah, blah,blah...pay freezes....blah blah,blah...voter anger at teachers....

Instead of ending his article there, with a one sided, biased, anti-teacher/union spin designed to make the members of the teachers union look bad and glorify the righteousness of the mayor's attempt to play hardball, he adds the following passage that included the level headed and practical comments by Committeeman Sean Byrnes, who feels that there are more important long term issues that need to be addressed, that would have a much more significant impact to taxpayers if addressed now instead of squabbling over a temporary wage freeze for teachers:

"...Committeeman Sean Byrnes said that he is in favor of the teacher's union accepting a wage freeze for the coming year, however, does not believe that a wage freeze will solve the problems of the long term.

"Even if we secure a wage freeze, I haven't seen a recognition that the budgets problems facing the Board of Education and the town are long term and call for significant structural changes to our budgets and to our organizations in town," Byrnes said. "A wage freeze will help in 2010. It will not solve the budget problems that we have."

Byrnes said that he is proposing the formation of a budget review advisory committee that would consist of the Township Committee, the Board of Education, and the Library.

The advisory committee would specifically look for ways to consolidate, share services, and approach the town's obligations from a "one town" perspective.

"I would prefer that we not approach or discuss things with the MTEA in a political manner," Byrnes said. "I think it makes sense for the Township Committee, with the assistance of the Board of Education members, to have some discussions with the MTEA. But my preference would be that we not have that exchange through press releases. It doesn't encourage a resolution to do that."...

Being a parent with two kids that attend school in Middletown and who have learning disabilities, it angers me that Governor Christie lied to voters throughout this state while on the campaign trail, telling them that he supported and valued the state education system only to turn his back on it once elected by slashing over $800M worth of state aid to local school boards and declaring war on the teachers and their union.

It's unfortunate that Middletown's ruling party, lead by mayor Scharfenberger and his cronies, have decided to follow in Christie's footsteps by demonizing teachers instead of looking for long term, common sense solutions on how to deal with rising property tax rates.

Level headiness with a keen eye towards the future is what is needed by elected officials in the state, as well as here in Middletown.

Instead of politicising the school board and the school budget for short term gains and political advantages, Scharfenberger and Co. should listen to Sean Brynes for once. He is the lone voice on the committee with practical budget experience and common sense enough to make proper decisions in regards to restructuring how government operates in Middletown.

He has very valid ideas that should be listened to, not ignored and then taken, like so many are by the mayor and his republican friends.

Middletown Township Still 'Crunching The Numbers' As Budget Gap Widens

Excellent article written by Ryan Fennell of the TRT, the kid reports it straight with no spin and consistantly reports on important aspects of the Township Committee meetings without having to resort to press releases issued after the meetings are over.

By Ryan Fennell
The Two River Times

MIDDLETOWN - While no specifics have been released regarding the 2010 budget, the Middletown Township Committee intimated on Monday night that layoffs were imminent in order to bridge the estimated $4 million shortfall in revenue.

The Middletown Township Committee entered this year facing an approximate $4 million shortfall, which Committeeman Sean Byrnes now estimates to be closer to $6 million, in revenue for the 2010 budget. Since that time the Committee has hired a new CFO and consistently pledged to the township's residents that it was "looking at everything."

"We are now almost three weeks into April and we know as a Committee that we have a significant shortfall in revenue this year," Byrnes said. "The news is only getting worse and as of right now I don't think we've really executed on any plans. Our ability to see any kind of savings is hampered by the fact that time is passing."

Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger said that he has been in contact with Governor Chris Christie's chief of staff and has been assured that legislation is being crafted that would ease the situation for the township.

"He assured me that the 'mayor's toolbox', so to speak, that will allow us to absorb some of these cuts is still in the process of being formulated. We're hoping this will provide some relief and extensive policy out of Trenton that will allow us to get back on track." Middletown resident Jim Grenafege was not satisfied with the explanation and challenged the committee to offer concrete solutions or information regarding the budget. "Its just week after week there is nothing concrete happening," Grenafege said.

He asked that the committee provide numbers associated with proposals that have been offered by the committee that could potential cut the budget.

"We have a relatively new CFO and he's still crunching the numbers," Scharfenberger said. "We can't quantify anything that's been proposed when I don't have the numbers to quantify it against. These are sound proposals. There's no sense speculating."

Grenafege charged that the committee was speculating with the proposals. "They're speculation with no numbers associated with it. It's disingenuous to make these proposals without saying and here's what we expect to save."

Township Administrator Anthony Mercantante said that there are concrete things happening regarding the budget. "We've discussed a lot of options for saving money. A lot of them are painful. A lot of them are painful to individual people. It wouldn't be fair to speculate publicly about some of the things happening." Resident Jeff Blumengold asked why the committee hasn't at least started cutting the "low hanging fruit."

Scharfenberger noted that Middletown operates on a workforce of approximately 340 employees which costs the township $872 per person, a low figure for a municipality it's size.

"There's not a lot of low hanging fruit," Scharfenberger said.

Scharfenberger also pointed out that the Township experienced 15 retirements since January and could see as many as 20 by year's end. Scharfenberger said that these retirements have affected the budget and eliminated areas to cut.

"We had no idea that was going to happen," Scharfenberger said of the retirements. However, the Committee had expected and even encouraged its employees to retire in May 2009.

On May 18, 2009 the Committee unanimously adopted an ordinance entitled "Early Retirement Incentive for Eligible Township Employees."

The ordinance encourages employees eligible to retire under the Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) with the offer of health benefits upon retirement after 15 years of service with the township, lowered from 20 years of service.

According to the ordinance any employee who is eligible to retire who has 15 years of service shall have the entire cost of health benefits assumed by the Township of Middletown upon retirement. The ordinance has a "sunset provision" that sets December 31, 2010 as the expiration date.

"The process is the problem," Byrnes said. "There is no process in place to get ahead of the things we're talking about. We knew it was going to be bad. It's very, very frustrating. I can't fathom how we haven't planned out for the problems we're facing."

"Now we will lay off people and those numbers are probably going to be bigger than they needed because we're starting later than we should have," Byrnes added.

"The silver lining in all the bad news we've been confronting is that people are starting to engage," Byrnes said. "People seem to be paying more attention to what's going on. That's a good thing. Part of the problem of what we're in now is people didn't pay attention and that is the key to getting out of the very dire situation we find ourselves in."

In Light Of The Mayor's Decision to Cancel The Lincroft Sports Complex Lets Revist SONIC's Letter

Now that the Mayor has declared the West Front Street and Croydon Hall sports complexes null and void due to the alleged economic condition, I thought it might be relevant to re post the letter that SONIC wrote to him and the Township Committee back in early February.

After sending Gerry Scharfenberger their letter, SONIC later went on to meet with the Mayor on Saturday February 12th to discuss the issues that were outlined in the letter during his weekly office hours.

The reasons SONIC opposed this development were reasonably stated with valid concerns.

What stands out most to me are the 2 paragraphs highlighted regarding SONIC'S questioning the timing of this expenditure during these current bad economic times. As well as their suggested solutions which the Mayor had promised to follow through with but never did.

It finally took the Governor's convenient cut in aid (even though for many months the Mayor and others insisted that the cost of the new fields would not effect the current budget process), to get the Mayor to recognize what SONIC had been saying all along.

Expansion of Useage of the Field at West Front Street in Lincroft
February 11, 2010

Dear Mayor Scharfenberger,

I am writing this letter on behalf of a recently formed group of residents from the Lincroft Community who choose to be known as “Save Our Neighborhood’s Integrity & Character” or “SONIC” for short. This group is principally comprised of residents in and around the West Front Street soccer fields, however we are receiving support from residents and various groups in Middletown and Holmdel as a result of your announced expansion plans. It is our sincere pledge to work with you and the entire Middletown Township Committee with regard to the stated Mission of the Township, which as per Township’s own letterhead is to “Save a Life, Save a Neighborhood, Save Taxes.”

SONIC has no objection to improving these grass fields making them safer for soccer and other sports but we do not support the amenities to the sports complex. We strongly object to the plans for 70 foot tall lights, an expanded parking lot, chain link fence, public address system, snack bar and storage facilities. This represents an entirely different type and concentration of activity; permanently changing the character and integrity of the neighborhood. These changes or what was characterized as improvements are the main reasons why we feel so betrayed by you, our elected officials, in not fully disclosing your intent and the extent of this development.

The following is a list of the key elements that SONIC believes make the West Front Street site not suitable or appropriate for the intended expansion:

A Serious Traffic Hazard:
The intersection of West Front Street and Crawfords Corner/Everett Road, a county road, already is a heavily utilized traffic area. It serves as a main route into Red Bank, to various elementary and pre-schools, Brookdale Community College, CBA, as well as a route from Holmdel and elsewhere into the Town itself. Increased activity, such as Pop Warner football , will serve to increase traffic in an unbearable way, leading to a major safety hazard for those who reside and worship in the area and for the children living in and around West Front Street Park. Even with the expanded parking lot in the proposal, with the inevitable tournaments or back to back games there will be insufficient parking available. Where would the cars go but spill onto West Front St, Everett Road and side streets? Required or not, we request a traffic study be done by the county.

Drainage:
There will be drainage issues that accompany the current plan to install a drainage pipe through the easement between 109 and 111 University Dr. Natural springs and poor drainage already exist in this location.

Lighting and Sound System:
There is little to no natural buffer for the homes on Tuller Ct, Everett Road and University Drive to protect from the tall lights and P/A system. The homeowners on University Drive are very concerned with the removal of trees which may be necessary for installation of an artificial turf football field, sidelines, and additional buildings. This would further reduce an already insufficient buffer and affect our quality of life.

On Table 19 of the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, of the 12 properties considered for a synthetic turf field, West Front Street Park ranked low in topography, available parking, drainage and size. Thompson Middle School and Nut Swamp School ranked considerably better in all criteria. West Front Streets overall ranking was the lowest of all available fields in the area with the exception of Nut Swamp Park.

In addition to the above issues as to why this site is inappropriate, we question the timing of this expenditure. With a projected budget deficit of $5.0MM for our Township this year, when residents are losing their jobs and others are struggling to get by on reduced incomes and reeling from increased property taxes, building a “multi-sport” complex appears extravagant. Not having a CFO and a Finance Committee in place to review all the options is, in our view causing unwise financial decisions to be made. Awarding a nearly $200,000 contract to CMX engineering before plans were appropriately vetted with those directly affected seems equally irresponsible.

Common sense and public duty requires you to act responsibly by pursuing solutions that leverage existing assets for the betterment of the entire community. One solution would be to apply a portion of the $2.5MM in funds the Township received from the bonds issued in 2006 for capital expenditures for Parks and Recreation in order to reduce the deficit and reserve a portion to improve the parking and grass condition of the existing Trezza Field. We already have two artificial turf fields in town and these are not just expensive to build but also costly to maintain. Would it not be better to resume discussion with the Board of Education to seek a Shared Use Agreement for the use of these fields? In reviewing the public correspondence between the BOE and MTC from June through September regarding the Proposed Shared Services/Land Use Agreement, we believe the BOE did their part to work this out. To claim that the BOE “lawyered up” as the reason for the failed negotiations is just not acceptable. Moreover, the President of the BOE has personally agreed to readdress this issue and the members of SONIC urge you to do so.

Accordingly, SONIC respectfully requests that prior to the February 16th Middletown Township Committee meeting a few of our members meet with you in your office to have an open and honest exchange of ideas, preferably this coming Saturday, since you will be available as a result of last week’s snowstorm. It is our hope and desire to resolve this issue for the benefit of the community as a whole and restore our trust in our elected officials.

Cordially,

On behalf of the below representatives of SONIC, et al

Sarah Hammond, Mary Mahoney, Jeffrey Blumengold, Stanley Gelfman, Trish Thomson, Jodi Molasani, Marianne Musella, and Peter Simpson

It's too bad that in the end arrogance and bad planning on the part of Mayor Scharfenberger and others is what really doomed the sports complexes. If the Mayor and others would have stuck to the orginal plan to improve Trezza Field, the home of the Pop Warner Chargers, instead of insisting that the Chargers except West Front Street Park as their new home, both Trezza Field and Croydon Hall would be having new turf fields installed as we speak and opposition to the turf projects would have been muted.

Instead the Mayor, like a 3rd grader took his fields and went home, blaming the Governor along the way instead of looking into the mirror that would have shown the egg on his face.

Letter: Is Middletown's Mayor Attempting To Divert Bond Money Away From Sports Fields

The following letter was received in my email last night:

Middletown is engaged in a controversy over the installation of artificial turf fields, but the debate is indicative of a much larger issue with how our Township spends taxpayer dollars.

The Township took out a bond in 2006 to fund the turf fields, but the money has sat idle, accruing interest on repayment, because Middletown failed to reach consensus on where to locate the fields. During a number of Township Committee meetings, the Mayor, Administrator, and Township Attorney all emphatically stated that the bond could only be used for the rehabilitation of fields at Middletown parks. However, objections to this usage have recently intensified, prompting Mayor Gerry Scharfenberger to announce he would call off the field construction and divert the bond funds to pay for shortfalls in the Township budget. I have serious concerns about the Mayor’s new course of action.

First, the Mayor appears to be acting independently of the Township Committee. Our committee consists of five members, one of whom is selected as Mayor to lead public meetings and sign local legislation. Nowhere in Chapter 4, Article II of our Township Code, which outlines the duties of Mayor, does it give that person authority to make solitary decisions on funding. A vote of the full Committee is required.

My second concern is that the Mayor, Administrator, and Township Attorney have been lying to residents about the potential uses for the bond money. First, they insisted the money could only be used for the turf fields. Now, the Mayor wants to try and amend the ordinance so it can be used for other projects. If Mayor Scharfenberger has not been deliberately misleading us, he, at best, does not care enough to understand the rules on spending taxpayer dollars; at worst, he is incompetent.

Finally, I am concerned about using bond money to patch holes in Middletown’s budget due to shortfalls in state aid. A single bond will not fix the fiscal reality our township must face as a result of the national economic downturn. The Mayor must stop looking for quick, politically convenient, fixes and present to township residents a fiscally sound plan that does not place us further in debt. Perhaps it is time to stand up that Finance Committee that Committeeman Sean Byrnes keeps calling for. When will Middletown’s Mayor start to listen to the Committee, which represents all taxpayers, and stop acting alone?

Don Watson
New Monmouth NJ

Lincroft Sports Complex Is Dead; Plans For Artificial Turf Fields For Croydon Hall and Lincroft Are Dropped.

At last night's Middletown Neighborhood Meeting at the Middletown Senior Center at Croydon Hall a very interesting turn of events was announced by Gerry Scharfenberger, the plans for the installation of artificial turf fields in Lincroft and at Croydon Hall are being dropped.

There will be no sports complex built or field upgrades at West Front Street Park that met so much opposition from the residents group SONIC (Save Our Neighborhood's Integrity and Character) and the Pop Warner Lincroft Chargers organization, and no upgrade for the field at Croydon Hall which is used by the Middletown Eagles Pop Warner team.

According to the Asbury Park Press article posted online late last night, Scharfenberger use the current economic conditions affecting the Township as the reason for why the turf field projects were being dropped. Scharfenberger is quoted as saying:

"…In a difficult budget year in which the township's state aid has been cut by $1.3 million, 14 retiring employees will receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in parting costs, and snow removal expenses were at least $500,000 above normal, it makes no sense to also take on a fields project…I see no way to go forward with this… In terms of what had to go, this became something of a no-brainer."

The article went on to state that Township Administrator Tony Mercantante said the $2.4 million bond that was originally issued for the project in 2006 will be returned to the lender.

So why the sudden change, why did the Scharfenberger and Mercantante drop the plans for the turf installations? You can't tell me it was because of the sudden realization that the Township is facing a budget deficit of over $5 million and this was a prudent decision on the part of the Township Committee. The Township has known for weeks that it would not be receiving the same level of state aid as in years past and Scharfenberger, Mercantante and crew said that the $2.4 million that was bonded for the turf projects was already in the bank, waiting to be used and would have absolutely no effect on the current budget process.

I feel that the real reason why they decided to cancel plans for the turf fields was the embarrassment that they felt when confronted at last week's March 15th Township Committee meeting by members of the Chargers organization and SONIC when they present a plan to the Township that clearly showed that a multi-sport field could indeed be placed at Trezza Field, the home of the Chargers for over 40 years as originally called for in bond ordinance, with no impact to wetlands that the Township based its decision on as a reason for not going ahead with the field upgrade.

If Tony Mercantante accepted the Chargers' plan, he would have had to admit that the advice from the town's engineers and other professionals was wrong. He would have had to essentially throw them under the bus, which would have lead to questions of competence and may have raised doubts about other projects around town that residents question.

I know that this announcement will upset some people, particularly the Middletown Soccer League and the Pop Warner Eagles; Middletown Soccer aligned themselves with the Township in pushing for the field upgrades at West Front Street and the Eagles who became the victims of the collateral damage inflicted on members of the Township Committee by SONIC and the Chargers in the fight against the sports complex at West Front Street.

It was never in dispute, the playing field of the Pop Warner Eagles at Croydon Hall was going to be upgraded as a multi-sports playing field as part of the Township's turf project but Parks and Recreations Director Greg Silva made it clear during at meeting with the Chargers, that if they succeeded in their efforts to derail the West Front Street field upgrade then the upgrade at Croydon Hall would also be canceled as a result. So I guess he wasn't lying.

While this is a clear victory for SONIC and those who questioned whether or not it was prudent for the Township to move forward with this turf project because of current economic conditions, the victory for the Chargers is somewhat less and not much of a victory at all.

With the bad blood and hurt feeling inflicted on the Township Committee by the Chargers, Trezza Field may never get the field upgrades that are so badly needed for the continued and future success of their program.

The Independent has a related story that should also be read.

APP Monday Night Follow-Up: Middletown Examining Residents' Plan For Ballfields

I was happy to see that Kevin Penton and the Asbury Park Press wrote a follow-up article that appeared in print today about the events that transpired during Monday night's Middeltown Township Committee meeting.

Today's article gave a better depiction of the events that went down Monday night then the first article that was published yesterday.

In this article Penton has quotes from Township Administrator Tony Mercantante, who many feel is the real person behind the West Front Street field proposal.

In the article Mercantante is quoted as saying "If it fits, it fits, but that is yet to be determined.", which was in reference to the multipurpose field, two baseball fields and 221 parking spaces depicted on the plan which was presented by Alan Vrable on behalf of the River Plaza/Lincroft Chargers Pop Warner Football team that plays it games at Trezza Field, to the Township Committee.

Vrable told Mercantante and the Township Committee that the plan for Trezza Field was based on the 2007 T&M Engineering wetlands study, the same study that the township used to determine that Trezza field was not a viable location for the field upgrade and which made the Township decide to build the sports complex at West Front Street instead.

The article also went on to state:

"Middletown's analysis of the residents' plan will include a cost estimate for earth disturbance so parking spaces can be added to Trezza Field, Mercantante said. The residents' plan eliminates a playground and a basketball court that are currently at the site, he said." ...

And concludes with words from Mayor Scharfenberger about how the Committee would take a serious look at the plan and determine if the plan was a viable alternative or not.

On the surface you may want to take what Mercantante and Scharfenberger had to say at face value and give the the benefit of the doubt, but after thinking about the quotes I was left to think that this just may be lip service.

Mercantante didn't seem convinced that the plan would work and seemed to question the fact that the plan as presented by Alan Vrable eliminated a playground and a basketball court in favor of parking.

Would eliminating a playground and a basketball court be considered a viable alturnative by Mayor Scharfenberger? I don't know.

Also I would like to point out that in both of Kevin Penton's articles on the meeting he quoted Deputy Mayor Tony Fiore who was not there but was on the phone from Orlando Florida attending a work related continuing education class, about how the closing down of CMX Engineering was just a little speed bump in the road and that it wouldn't hold up the process of deciding about the installation of the fields.

But what stood out to me during Fiore's comments wasn't what he had to say about CMX but what he said about the field installations in general, which was that the Committee would listen to "OUR" engineers and "OUR" professionals when determining what would be the best location for the installation of turf fields.

With this all being considered, I wonder if Mercantante, Scharfenberger and Fiore meant what they said, because if they do except the plans that were presented on the behalf of the Chargers than they would be admitting that their engineering firm gave them bad advice or is incompetant and they would be throwing them under the proverbial bus if they don't proceed with the exsisting plan for building the sports complex at West Front Street.

CMX Engineering: Firm That Is Doing Work On Lincroft Sports Complex Tackled For a Loss; Shutting Down Operations As Of May 11th

Very courious development in the issue over the Lincroft Sports Complex, CMX Engineering, the firm that Middeltown hired to do the engineeering work and develope bidding specs for the turf field projects at West Front Street Park in Lincroft and Croydon Hall in Belford is going out of business as of May 11th this year and it has left many that oppose the field project scratching their heads.

Could the reason why the Township is so hell bent on ramming through the fields over residents concerns and comments to the contrary, be because they have a timeline with CMX to finish the intial work so that the sports complex can be placed out for bidding?

If so, why would the Township even hire a company that they new was going out of business to do this type of work in the first place ? After all Monmouth County knew back in January that CMX wasn't going to be around long enough to finish work for them so they didn't give them a contract to design intersection improvements at Memorial Drive and Evergreen Avenue in Neptune City and Bradley Beach.

There are many questions that need to be answered at Monday night's Township Committee meeting and I know that people will be out in force that night looking for answers so the Mayor better have answers because it may turn out to be a "lynching"

Here is an excerpt from today's Asbury Park Press on the closing of CMX Engineering:

"...In years past, the company was dogged by controversy.

In 1990, Stephen DePalma and the company were indicted on bribery charges. The state charged that DePalma and then-Woodbridge Mayor Joseph DeMarino paid $5,750 to a Carteret councilman in exchange for an engineering contract. Both DePalma and DeMarino were acquitted.

In 2005, the company announced that it would no longer make corporate political donations after it gave more than $875,000 to state- and county-level campaigns between 2000 and 2004.

In February 2009, founder Howard Schoor was sentenced to two years' probation, 250 hours of community service, and a $7,500 fine after he admitted paying off an Ocean Township official.

Company officials have said Schoor has not been associated with the company on a daily basis since 1996. He retired from the firm in 2005.

Still, CMX has had a presence at the Jersey Shore for years and has contracts or provides engineering services in roughly a dozen municipalities in Monmouth and Ocean counties.

CMX and its predecessor formerly had extensive contracts with the Monmouth County government, but business was reduced to a trickle in recent years.

In January, the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders approved an $88,844 engineering contract with CMX to design intersection improvements at Memorial Drive and Evergreen Avenue in Neptune City and Bradley Beach.

The contract was never executed, a county spokesman said.

"We have been notified this was coming," spokesman William K. Heine said. "There are some open purchase orders currently, and we are working with county counsel to determine what if any deliverables are due to the county to be paid for...."

Read the full article >>>Here

What's The Latest News On The Lincroft Sports Complex?

So what's the latest news swirling around the proposed Lincroft Sports Complex? In each of this weeks editions of the Independent and the Two River Times are articles dedicated to the happens at the most recent Middletown Workshop Meeting that took place on March 1st. Both articles are well written and represents what took place pretty well.

The Independent focus was on the on going negotiations between the Board of Education and the Township over a shared service agreement that would allow the Pop Warner Football League to play games at Middletown High School South before getting into the meat and potatoes of the nights events, while the Two River Times jumped right into it.

Here are excerpts from each article:

The Independent - Talks between the Middletown Township Committee and the Board of Education will reopen to discuss allowing local sports associations to use fields at Middletown High School South.

A preliminary design plan for West Front Street Park was placed on the Middletown Township website for the public to review. The existing soccer fields would be replaced with a synthetic turf field.

Mayor Gerard P. Scharfenberger and Deputy Mayor Anthony Fiore announced at the March 1 Township Committee meeting that they would be meeting with members of the board to discuss field usage on public school property.

“We sent a letter to the Board of Ed. today officially asking to allow the Pop Warner leagues to use High School South for their games,” Scharfenberger said. “I think that would go a long way to solve a lot of the problems and would be the best solution for all the parties involved.”

He added, “I think it’s a step in the right direction.”

The township has proposed a plan for West Front Street Park, off Crawfords Corner/ Everett Road, to replace the existing soccer fields with a synthetic turf field designed for football, soccer, field hockey and lacrosse to be used by the public and local sports associations.

The proposal also calls for the Croydon Hall Complex, located on Leonardville Road, to have its football field replaced with an artificial turf field. A total of $2.5 million in unspent recreation funds would be used for the two projects.

The letter reads, “Specifically, the Township would like to request that the River Plaza/Lincroft Pop Warner Football program be permitted to utilize the football field and associated facilities at High School South for their five to six annual home games that take place on Sundays. Practices and other activities would still be able to take place at their current field while the West Front Street filed is resurfaced with turf for use by other leagues, but the need to utilize lighting, a public address system and concessions is lessened.”

Laura Agin, Middletown Board of Education president, said negotiations are under way.

“We’ve worked with the Township Committee and with shared services,” Agin said on March 4. “We’ve had concessions with them about the fields, and I think we will continue to work with them.”

However, a group in the Jersey Shore Football League weighed in on the controversy at the March 1 meeting....

The Two River Times - Controversy continues to swirl around a proposed plan by the Middletown Township Committee to construct a multi-purpose athletic field at the intersection of West Front Street and Everett Road in Lincroft.

Residents from the potentially affected area once again came out en masse to voice their opposition to the proposal as it currently stands and urged the committee to reconsider constructing the field at a different location.

However, this round of rhetoric included supporters of the proposal primarily from active Pop Warner families, athletes, coaches, and members of the Middletown Athletic Club.

The most telling message sent to the committee might have come from Kevin O'Reilly, Vice President of the River Plaza Chargers, whose future home has been an ongoing topic of conversation among the committee members, the board of education, and area residents but has not, until Monday night, included the River Plaza Chargers organization.

Middletown Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger opened the meeting by allowing those in attendance to speak to this issue but not before he addressed the crowd with an update from the committee's perspective.

"We sent a letter to the Board of Education today officially asking them to allow the Pop Warner league to use High School South for their games. I think that will go a long way to solving a lot of the problems and be the best solution for all parties involved," Scharfenberger said.

Deputy Mayor Anthony Fiore also offered an updated position on the issue.

"My position (at the previous meeting) was to find a way for River Plaza Pop Warner to play five or six games at High School South. From what I understand it's not feasible to redo the facility at Trezza Field (the Chargers current home field). It's my viewpoint, if we are able to work with the Board of Education and potentially make improvements to their field we would not have to have lights or a P.A. system at West Front Street," Fiore said.

Fiore added that the idea would be that the Pop Warner teams practice at Trezza and play their games at High School South. Fiore also noted that the existing soccer fields at West Front Street would still be resurfaced and improved but without lighting and a public address system.

"I think that pretty much satisfies everything I've heard over the last month," Fiore said.

Not according to O'Reilly.

The River Plaza Pop Warner league sent a letter to the Township Committee outlining eight needs of the league to continue operating regardless of its location. One of those needs was a fully functioning snack bar. Additionally as important were adequate restroom facilities.

According to O'Reilly, the Pop Warner league exists solely on the revenues generated by the operation of the snack bar of which High School South does not provide.

"I wish you people would speak to us because Middletown South doesn't work," O'Reilly said. "We play on Saturday, we play on Sunday, we play on Monday, and we also sometimes play on Wednesday and all of our revenue is from the snack bar."

The money generated by the snack bar, which can range between four and seven thousand dollars each game day goes toward operational costs to run the league according to O'Reilly.

"To redo the helmets is thousands and thousands of dollars," O'Reilly said....

So what have I heard over the past few days? As I said, it has been quite but here are a few things:

The meeting between the Mayor and Deputy-Mayor with the Board of Education on Thursday March 4th didn't go as well as the Independent may have made it out to have mainly because the Pop Warner Chargers have made it loud and clear that playing football at High School South would not benefit their organization at all.

Contrary to what Mayor Scharfenberger and others who represent the Township say a wetlands study of Trezza Field, the home of the Pop Warner Chargers, was conducted back in June of 2007 by the Township's engineering firm T&M and it seems to confirm everything that the football people have been saying all along, that Trezza Field can be expanded and resurfaced as originally planned. The Chargers, with help from their own engineer, came up with a new site proposal for Trezza Field and shared it with Mayor Scharfenberger earlier in the week. The site proposal will be introduced to the Committee Monday night at the next scheduled Committee Meeting.

And members of SONIC are still gathering petitions signatures against the sports complex to be presented at Monday night's Township Committee meeting. SONIC members will be out in force that night to once again voice their concerns.

Speaking Of Budgets, Middletown's Is Done Through Osmosis

Back on Reorganization day in January, one of the many things that Gerry Scharfenberger addressed during is speech after being re-appointed as Mayor of Middeltown, was the upcoming budget process.

He told the crowd in attendance that the Township was facing a huge budget shortfall of nearly $7 million but not to worry because there was a plan on how to deal with it.

He state that even though ..."no one here is a super expert on finances by profession but if you sorta do it by osmosis..."

Which I suppose means, that if you sit around long enough thinking about it, to let it sink in you become a expert in how to deal with a $7 million deficit without a Chief Financial Officer to help in the process! Unfortunately however the process of osomsis isn't good enough now that budgets need to be submitted to Trenton by the end of the month.

Where's a Finance Committee when you need it? Oh that's right, Middeltown doesn't need one because Gerry and the boys can handle the budget process on their own.

SONIC Member Questions Why Promised Letter To Board of Ed Was Not Sent

The following letter was presented to the Mayor and the Township committee at Monday nights Workshop meeting. The letter was written by SONIC (Save Our Neighborhood's Integrity & Character) member Jeff Blumengold. It questions why a letter to the Middletown Board of Education was not written expressing a desire to reopen negotiations between the Township and the Board of Ed. concerning the use of turf fields by the Pop warner program.

The Mayor promissed Mr. Blumengold that he would receive a copy of the correspondence once it was to be sent, two weeks ago.

From what I understand that letter to the BOE was not sent until this past Monday afternoon at 5pm.

Mayor Scharfenberger and members of the Middletown Township Committee --

Unfortunately, I am unable to appear before you this evening. Nevertheless, as one of the founding members of "SONIC", I believe it is important to receive a definitive update on the actions that have been taken since the last meeting with respect to the West Front Street Field issue, especially since there have been on-going and repeated rumors and some public statements made that run counter to the direction set by the MTC as a matter of Public Record.

Specifically, there was a directive by Mayor Scharfenberger to Mr. Mercancante to immediately prepare, for review and release, a letter to the BOE, which was to request a reopening of the discussions concerning careful consideration of all available assets of the Community in seeking to address the quality of our fields issue, as well as alternative fields suitable for consideration for the Pop Warner league to utilize.

As the Mayor knows, I spoke with him since the meeting two weeks ago and as late as this past Thursday, and was assured on Thursday that the letter had been drafted and was being edited by the Mayor for immediate release -- and that I would receive both confirmation and a courtesy copy, once released.

As of this writing, I still have not received confirmation or a copy, which is troubling, to say the least. I am not sure, nor can understand why this letter could not be turned around in one or two days, at the most!

Let me now remind you and the other members of the MTC that SONIC had been assured in a meeting with the Mayor during his Saturday office hours, as well as the last MTC meeting on the record, that the project was now "On Hold", pending this joint effort with BOE to seek a solution to this dilemma.

What is clear and most troubling at this time is that there has been both statements made in other public forums by Township representatives, sp ecifically at a recent Pop Warner meeting by Greg Silva, that as I understand it, completely contradict this project status as being "On Hold". This, coupled with other actions and discussions that I have only heard about, also contradict the status you indicated to us.

Accordingly, and for the benefit of those in attendance and the community at large, I am requesting on behalf of the members of SONIC that you enlighten those in attendance as to the specific actions taken over the two weeks since the last MTC meeting, and also planned efforts contemplated or underway in the near term, as it relates to the WFS site.

This will be put to bed the speculation that continues to plague the outcome with respect to this issue.

Thank you.

Jeffrey Blumengold
Member of SONIC

Sparks Flew At Monday Night's Workshop Meeting In Middletown

The issue of the proposed Lincroft Sports Complex has become a ticking time bomb that is getting closer to detonation and based on the outcome of this past Monday nights' Workshop meeting in Middletown, the Township committee did nothing to defuse the situation in he minds of many who attended.

I arrived late to the meeting Monday night because I attended the wake of a dear family friend.

When I walked through the doors of Town Hall shortly after 8:40 pm, I was not surprised to see that the small conference room located near the Clerks Office, where Workshop meetings usually take place, dark and empty. The meeting had been moved to Middletown's Town Hall courtroom. And when I walked into the courtroom I saw why. There had to easily be 60 or more people in attendance when normally fewer than a dozen show up for Workshop meetings.

Many of those in attendance were from SONIC (Save Our Neighborhood's Integrity & Character), the River Plaza/ Lincroft Chargers and Middletown Eagles Pop Warner teams along with a sprinkling of soccer parents.

I expected to walk in during the normal business portion of the meeting but that was not the case. The Mayor, in a tactic that I believe was designed to limit the opportunity of those in attendance from speaking, decided to allow the delay of the business portion of the meeting in favor of letting those in attendance voice their concerns about the proposed sports complex. In so doing, the mayor placed a one-hour time limit for discussion, hoping in my opinion, that those that did not have a chance to speak would not stick around long enough for public comments at the end to voice their concerns and just go home. As it turned out however that was not the case, many stayed passed midnight to have their voices heard.

Due to the format change to the agenda, I missed much of that first hour’s discussion but what I did hear was fiery nonetheless.

People who were there to voice their concerns in favor of the Chargers football program stated that they did not want to leave their field of 61 years to move to a facility, that in their opinion would not be adequate for their program. They questioned why a new synthetic turf field could not be installed at Trezza Field, where they currently practice during the week and play on weekends, as spelled out in the original $2.5 million bond ordinance signed by then Mayor Hall in 2006.

The Pop Warner group offered many suggestions as to how the currant field location could be upgraded by eliminating two unused baseball fields and by asking if the small parcel of wetlands that border a portion of the area could be worked around somehow. They also voiced concerns about the West Front Street location because there would be no amenities like snack bar available to them. It seems that the snack bar is the one major source of the team’s revenue that they depend on and cannot survive without.

The Committee allowed the Township Administrator Tony Mercantante and the Township Engineer Ted Mahoney, to answer and basically told the Pop Warner people sorry. Trezza Field just wasn’t big enough and could not be expanded any further to accommodate them and nothing could be done about wetlands issues. Of course all kinds of catcalls then ensued.

Members of SONIC spoke against the West Front Street location as well and questioned why other sites that had been rated higher on the Park and Recreation Master plan, such as Nut Swamp Park is not being consider for the sports complex. The answer to that question, which the members of SONIC and the other groups have heard before but still believe to be a farce, is that the terrain of the park makes the location not cost effective because too much work would have the be done to level to playing area and provide proper drainage, which perplexed the questioners because, after all, Nut Swamp had been rated higher.

During the Committee Comments portion of the meeting, which took place about 90 minutes later, Sean Byrnes spoke to the issue of the fields and stated how the township has to do a better job of planning how it handles recreation issues in the future to avoid these types of conflicts with residents. He stated that the process is haphazard and flawed and that through better planning, fields all through out the township could be utilized.

Committeewoman Brightbill and Mayor Scharfenberger addressed the issue during comments by say that many of the rumors and conspiracy theories surrounding the issue of the sports complex is just that, rumors and conspiracy issues. They stated that there is a lot of planning and discussions that are happening behind closed doors because it is “a very complicated issue” and contrary to what people have heard or read much of it is not true.

The meeting was then opened back up for public comments, but if you had spoken earlier you could not speak again to follow-up on a point or comment, and I left shortly afterward.

Based on what I witnessed and what others have told me it doesn’t seem like the Mayor and the Committee did anything to defuse the anger and bewilderment of any of those in attendance Monday night over this sports complex. Many felt that the Mayor Scharfenberger was condensating, insincere and not to be trusted, while others felt letdown and betrayed on this issue and are vowing to fight.

Here’s what a couple of posters on the NJ.com Middletown forum had to say about Monday night’s meeting:

21747. Scharfy's tries to duck and lie
by chargerfan20, 3/2/10 8:15 ET
What show at township meeting last night. Lies , lies and more lies. Heard mayor wants to throw Chargers off Trezza Field if they don't shut up. West Front st field and South field can't handle chargers program.

21747.1. so right you are...what has to be done
by divebojangels, 3/2/10 8:55 ET
Re: Scharfy's tries to duck and lie by divebojangels, 3/2/10
is at sign ups pass out a paper telling the parents to vote for the jackass party in nov...thats the only way this can be resolved...get rid of all those elephants....talk about ramming through a field ...there just unbelievable...and all they do is lie...amazing how they can sit there and say there for the people....

21750. croydan hall will get there new turf field
by divebojangels, 3/2/10 9:01 ET
and get to play on it all 7 days,to go along with there snack stands and lights and bathrooms....but the chargers get to play n6 days at the dog park,and on the 7 day are being ask to move up to front street to play without lights a bathroom,and most of all no snack stands....just amazing....its time for lincroft the step child of middletown to vote for the jackasses...bounce all those elephants out...all they do is lie

21750.1. What about Chargers???
by chargerfan20, 3/2/10 9:23 ET
Re: croydan hall will get there new turf field by chargerfan20, 3/2/10
they were so two faced last night. Not thinking about the chargers just about their own little @#%'s. When will they listento people in this town? NEVER

Corrections:

1). Members of SONIC questioned the field at Nutswamp School which was rated higher than WFS, not Nutswamp Park. Nutswamp school is the property that the BOE offered to the MTC in lieu of Thompson school.

2). The Township Engineer's name is Ted Maloney not Mahoney as stated above.

Sorry if this cause any confusion.

Further Evidence of Collusion Between Mayor Scharfenberger and Middletown Soccer Club Against Opponents of Lincroft Sports Complex and The BOE

Here is further proof of the collusion that is taking place down at Middletown's Town Hall between Mayor Scharfenberger and the Middletown Soccer club/River Plaza Lincroft Chargers against opponents of the propsed Lincroft sports complex and the township's Board of Education.

The following email was again forwarded to me by someone who wishes to remain anonymous.

The email is to Mayor Scharfenberger from Mike Mascone. Mascone and another man represented the interests of the Middletown Soccer club at the Mayor's office this past Saturday after the Mayor meet with the members of the citizens group, SONIC, who have expressed their displeasure with the design and scale of the proposed sports complex.

The email is a recap of the meeting between the two men and the Mayor:


To: gscharfen@middletownnj.org

Subject: Middletown Soccer club

Mayor Scharfenberger,

On behalf of (name withheld) and myself we wanted to thank you for taking the time to see this morning. We appreciate the discussion and advice around the pursuit of the improvements in facilities for the people of Middletown as identifie din the Recreation Master Plan. We are aligned in disappointment with the support and flexibilty displayed by the Board of Education as a willing participant in sharing the taxpayers provided amenities. This disappointment is in two areas. Primarily in their seemingly disinterested approach to work with the public interest of Middletown. This has been manifested through a need to provide a better home for Pop Warner programs outside of the Board of Education tax payer financed facilities currently available. Secondly in their propensity to use schools to advance their positions, and agendas without regard to a desire to share services and better use the funding provided by the residents of the municipality they are entrusted to serve.

All that being said we recognize the position of the Town Council, you are charged with providing the best for the people with the capacities provided. The Recreation Master Plan calls for the improvements and we as a collection of families are willing to support that cause. I wanted recap your advice so I can pass the direction along correctly.

Middletown Municiple Government Action:
Support the Improvements via the $2mil bond to Croydon Hall and West Front Street Park:

1-At the Town Meeting on Tuesday Feb 16, show up in force of number, be respectful, vocal, and ardent in the support of the town to improve both parks to the fullest of the ability. The purpose is to place synthetic fields at both locations, lights, public address systems and concession stands where possible.

2-Continue this momentum by vocal support in the interests of the people in the club, working with the elected officials of the town and the school board on a regular basis. Invite representatives of the council and the school board at regular intervals to come speak to the club at our meetings as a means to engaging in a continious dialogue.

Middletown Board of Education Action:
Public interest and involvement in better shared service/use of tax payer owned faiclities provided to the Board of Education

Attend Schoolboard meetings which are regularly scheduled. Next Round are 2/17 which is a public workshop followed by 2/24 which is the general meeting.

All Workshop Meetings will be held on the third Wednesday of each month at the Middletown High School North Library, 63 Tindall Road, Middletown, NJ at 7:30 p.m. (unless otherwise indicated).

Regular Voting Meetings will be held on the fourth Wednesday of each month at the Middletown High School North Library, 63 Tindall Road, Middletown, NJ at 7:30 p.m. (unless otherwise indicated).

Main focus: be prepared to ask the questions of the school board and the board of education about the access to OUR facilities since .68 or every tax dollar in Middletown goes to their budget.

Emphasize the value of our voices: Annual School Election - April 20, 2010, Tuesday (TBA)

Sincerely,
Mike Mascone

What I feel is the most disturbing about the above email is the fact that the Mayor is openly disparaging the Board of Education and encouraging/electioneering against the members and positions of the BOE.

The mayor loves to tell people how Middletown was listed as 1 of the top 100 places to live in America by Forbes Magazine a few years back. He likes to take his share of credit for that but what he fails to see is that one of the main reasons Middletown was chosen was because of the quality of it's school system. Middletown Schools are ranked amongst the highest in the state for quality of education, yet he constantly pits the residents against the BOE to deflect attention away from the short comings of the republicans who have governed over Middletown for 25 years and who are responsible for raising the municipal tax rate by over 25% during the past 4 years.

The mayor seems to feel that because of the school system is responsible for the majority of the residents tax bill each year, they are to be blamed for the majority of the tax increases the past few years, which is total nonsense! The school tax rate has increased slower over the past several years than the municpal.

And to blame the Board of Education as the ones responsible for the placment of this sports complex in Lincroft is nothing short of dishonest. The BOE made every attempt to appease the township from May through September but the township would not answer honestly and faithfully their concerns over usage, maintance, liability.

You can read the BOE's statment>>> Here

All Mayor Scharfenberger is doing here is using Lincroft as a pawn in his wacked-out, head scratching battle against the school board and angering the residents of Lincroft in the process, in order to score a few brownie points with the special interests of the local sports leagues Pop Warner and Middletown Soccer, when the purpose of these artifical turf fields at Croyden Hall and West Front Street Park were never intended to be their private playground.

Middletown's Mayor Attempts "End Round" In Effort to Pit Pop Warner and Soccer Parents Against Sonic In The Battle Over Sports Complex

In the latest round of the battle of the Sports Complex, it seems as though the Township lead by Mayor Scharfenberger, is attempting an "end round" (to use a football term) to circumvent the opposition to the sports complex by the members of citizens group SONIC (Save Our Neighborhood's Integrity & Character).

I have recently been sent two emails anonymously with the attached message that seem to support the above.

Have been advised the mayor is trying to pit the sports groups against the opposition from the Sonic group. Not surprising considering this man could not tell the truth if life depended on it. Integrity and ethics has never been a strong point of his as he talks from both sides of his mouth.... " The project has been put on hold because of the opposition.",etc. when he was interviewed by the press. Back room,dirty politicians are plentiful in this township.

This may be a good time to begin the campaign to RID Middletown of this man.

The first email was written by (name withheld), I do not know who she is but she was contacted by the President of the Middletown Soccer Club, who stated that on Saturday Mayor Scharfenberger advised two gentleman who seem to support the sports complex to "show up in force of number" at tonight's meeting to support the Croydon Hall and West Front Street Park locations for turf fields and amenities.

The second email was written by Robert Martino, President of the River Plaza Lincroft Chargers Pop Warner team.

In Martino's letter to organization members he states that the had been told by the Township that they were being offered the use of the new fields and "...They will be running sewer and electric to a specific location on the property for the "future" addition of restrooms and a snack stand...."

It was also explained to him that "...that they are going to proceed with the fields anyway ...", and that "...they want the board and parents to show that we are in favor this new location or anything else they may come up with." by also attending tonight's Township Committee meeting.


Below is the text of the two emails that I received to support what I have written:

fyi

(this came from a media contact of mine)

I got a copy of an email from President of Middletown Soccer Club to Mayor Scharfenberger that says the Mayor advised the two people that appeared on Saturday Mike Mascone and Ken Bent, In it the Mayor advised them on a course of action that included "show up in force of number" at tonight's meeting to support the Croydon Hall and West Front Street Park locations for turf fields and amenitities.

It also said they were "aligned In dissapointment" with the mayor in the BOE's lack of support and flexibility.

Also, in a recap of the Mayor's advice, Mascone goes on to say to attend BOE meetings and workshops. Main focus: Be prepared to ask the questions of the BOE about access to OUR facilities since .68 of every tax dollar in Middletown goes to their budget. Does that mean the mayor's advice is to defeat the budget?

It goes on to say "emphasize the value of our voices at the annual school election on April 20, 2010.

It seems a real breach for an elected Mayor to conspire against the BOE and its elected president.
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To All Organization Members,

I am sending this quick email to advise everyone of some recent events concerning the on going new football facility for our organization. It has been explained that our present location cannot be touched. We are being offered the use of new multi use turf fields at the corner of West Front Street and Crawford Corner- Everett Road in Lincroft. They are replacing the existing soccer fields with the turf fields and adding some additional parking with stands and fences where necessary. They will be running sewer and electric to a specific location on the property for the "future" addition of restrooms and a snack stand. The present need of the restrooms and snack stand will be our responsibility, maybe along with some assistance from them. It was also explained that the present situation at our facility with parking and the numbers of participants and safety issues etc., may become a problem if we choose not to take this field offer.

At the last town committee meeting there was about 40 or 50 people opposing this location primarily because of football. Regardless it was explained that they are going to proceed with the fields anyway but want to confirm that we are definitely interested. We explained our concerns for whatever it was worth and explained that we were interested. They explained that the other options maybe through the board of education and their locations if the opposing parties could get them to budge. In any case they want the board and parents to show that we are in favor this new location or anything else they may come up with.

Therefore I would appreciate if you would send an email or if possible attend the next town committee meeting on Tuesday 2/16/10. Also have parents or anyone you know do the same. To send an email go to www.middletownnj.org , then go click CONTACT US and click TOWN COMMITEE and type your message.

Thank You
Robert Martino, President, River Plaza Lincroft Chargers

UPDATE : I would like to correct the above, XXXXX was not the author of the above email that I attributed to her, due to confusion pertaining to formatting of the received email her name and contact info was at the bottom of the text. XXXXX had no part in the writting of its content. See above post for further explanation.

UPDATE: So that there would be no further confusion about the authorship of the first email that has been posted in the above blog post, I have decided on my own to delete the person's name altogether from this blog entry. You can read my apology and retracting >>>here

Lincroft Residents Group (Sonic) Send Letter To Mayor To Voice Their Displeasure Against Sports Complex

I received the following letter in my email box a short time ago, the letter is from a newly formed residents group from Lincroft who oppose the expansion of the West Front Street Park.

The group “Save Our Neighborhood’s Integrity & Character” or SONIC has sent this letter expressing their displeasure with the proposed "Sports Complex" to Mayor Scharfenberger. They wish to meet with him and members of the Township Committee sometime before Tuesday nights Township Committee meeting to discuss their concerns:

Expansion of Useage of the Field at West Front Street in Lincroft
February 11, 2010

Dear Mayor Scharfenberger,

I am writing this letter on behalf of a recently formed group of residents from the Lincroft Community who choose to be known as “Save Our Neighborhood’s Integrity & Character” or “SONIC” for short. This group is principally comprised of residents in and around the West Front Street soccer fields, however we are receiving support from residents and various groups in Middletown and Holmdel as a result of your announced expansion plans. It is our sincere pledge to work with you and the entire Middletown Township Committee with regard to the stated Mission of the Township, which as per Township’s own letterhead is to “Save a Life, Save a Neighborhood, Save Taxes.”

SONIC has no objection to improving these grass fields making them safer for soccer and other sports but we do not support the amenities to the sports complex. We strongly object to the plans for 70 foot tall lights, an expanded parking lot, chain link fence, public address system, snack bar and storage facilities. This represents an entirely different type and concentration of activity; permanently changing the character and integrity of the neighborhood. These changes or what was characterized as improvements are the main reasons why we feel so betrayed by you, our elected officials, in not fully disclosing your intent and the extent of this development.

The following is a list of the key elements that SONIC believes make the West Front Street site not suitable or appropriate for the intended expansion:

A Serious Traffic Hazard:
The intersection of West Front Street and Crawfords Corner/Everett Road, a county road, already is a heavily utilized traffic area. It serves as a main route into Red Bank, to various elementary and pre-schools, Brookdale Community College, CBA, as well as a route from Holmdel and elsewhere into the Town itself. Increased activity, such as Pop Warner football , will serve to increase traffic in an unbearable way, leading to a major safety hazard for those who reside and worship in the area and for the children living in and around West Front Street Park. Even with the expanded parking lot in the proposal, with the inevitable tournaments or back to back games there will be insufficient parking available. Where would the cars go but spill onto West Front St, Everett Road and side streets? Required or not, we request a traffic study be done by the county.

Drainage:
There will be drainage issues that accompany the current plan to install a drainage pipe through the easement between 109 and 111 University Dr. Natural springs and poor drainage already exist in this location.

Lighting and Sound System:
There is little to no natural buffer for the homes on Tuller Ct, Everett Road and University Drive to protect from the tall lights and P/A system. The homeowners on University Drive are very concerned with the removal of trees which may be necessary for installation of an artificial turf football field, sidelines, and additional buildings. This would further reduce an already insufficient buffer and affect our quality of life.

On Table 19 of the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, of the 12 properties considered for a synthetic turf field, West Front Street Park ranked low in topography, available parking, drainage and size. Thompson Middle School and Nut Swamp School ranked considerably better in all criteria. West Front Streets overall ranking was the lowest of all available fields in the area with the exception of Nut Swamp Park.

In addition to the above issues as to why this site is inappropriate, we question the timing of this expenditure. With a projected budget deficit of $5.0MM for our Township this year, when residents are losing their jobs and others are struggling to get by on reduced incomes and reeling from increased property taxes, building a “multi-sport” complex appears extravagant. Not having a CFO and a Finance Committee in place to review all the options is, in our view causing unwise financial decisions to be made. Awarding a nearly $200,000 contract to CMX engineering before plans were appropriately vetted with those directly affected seems equally irresponsible.

Common sense and public duty requires you to act responsibly by pursuing solutions that leverage existing assets for the betterment of the entire community. One solution would be to apply a portion of the $2.5MM in funds the Township received from the bonds issued in 2006 for capital expenditures for Parks and Recreation in order to reduce the deficit and reserve a portion to improve the parking and grass condition of the existing Trezza Field. We already have two artificial turf fields in town and these are not just expensive to build but also costly to maintain. Would it not be better to resume discussion with the Board of Education to seek a Shared Use Agreement for the use of these fields? In reviewing the public correspondence between the BOE and MTC from June through September regarding the Proposed Shared Services/Land Use Agreement, we believe the BOE did their part to work this out. To claim that the BOE “lawyered up” as the reason for the failed negotiations is just not acceptable. Moreover, the President of the BOE has personally agreed to readdress this issue and the members of SONIC urge you to do so.

Accordingly, SONIC respectfully requests that prior to the February 16th Middletown Township Committee meeting a few of our members meet with you in your office to have an open and honest exchange of ideas, preferably this coming Saturday, since you will be available as a result of last week’s snowstorm. It is our hope and desire to resolve this issue for the benefit of the community as a whole and restore our trust in our elected officials.

Cordially,

On behalf of the below representatives of SONIC, et al

Sarah Hammond, Mary Mahoney, Jeffrey Blumengold, Stanley Gelfman, Trish Thomson, Jodi Molasani, Marianne Musella, and Peter Simpson