Seasonal Job Openings In Middletown

Middletown Recreation and Public Works are currently taking applications for seasonal employment. If anyone is interested here are the details.


Middletown Recreation:

Summer Camp Counselor

Summer Recreation Camp – July 11 – Aug 26. Training Week of July 5, 2016.

•Camp Counselors – must be 16 years old on or before 7/1/2016

•Volunteer position, must be 15 years old on or before 7/1/2016

•Inclusion Coaches – a background in special education preferred

•Science & History camps at Poricy Park

The Program consists of the following camps:

•Pioneers – Pre-Kindergarten & Kindergarten; 5-day program from 9:00am - 12:30pm

•Buccaneers – Grades 1-4; 5-day program from 8:30am - 2:00pm

•Optional After Care from 2:00pm - 4:00pm

•Explorers – Grades 5-7; 5-day program from 8:30am - 2:00pm

•Optional Day Trip on Wednesdays

•Optional After Care from 2:00pm - 4:00pm

•Trail Blazers– Grades 8; 5-day program from 8:30am - 2:00pm

•Optional After Care from 2:00pm - 4:00pm

•Counselor-in-Training—Grade 9; 4-day program from 8:30am-2:00pm

•Science & History Camp—Grades Pre-K-5; 5-day program 9:00am-3:00pm


Apply by Feb 28 for priority consideration. Group interviews begin in March!



Lifeguard

•Must be a certified Lifeguard from an accredited agency

•Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from May 27 through September 5

•10:00am – 4:00pm

•Includes Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day

•Will be guarding Ideal and Leonardo Beaches



Middletown Department of Public Works:

Seasonal Public Works

•Park Maintenance -Estimated Start Date: March 2016

•Road Maintenance -Estimated Start Date May 2016

Requirements

•Must be 18 years old on or before start date


Click on the links above for more information on individual job postings

Middletown No Longer One of the Top 100 Places to Live

Money Magazine has just come out with their annual list of the Top 100 Places to Live for 2012 and guess what town is no longer considered worthy enough by Money Magazine to be included on this year's list. That's right, Middletown.

After first making the list in 2006, debuting as the 50th best place in the U.S. to live in, Middletown has steadily declined over the past 6 years, ranking 86th in 2008, 89th in 2010 and now in 2012, not making the list at all.

So what has transpired over the past 6 years that would lead to Middletown dropping off the list completely? It could be any number of things really, but I would suspect it has a lot to do with the rotten and adversarial politics that has been on display during this time, which has contributed to the over all sense of decline in the quality of life in town.

What do I mean by rotten and adversarial politics? Well lets see.

We have an all Republican, five member Township Committee, that has been in control for over 30 years. Gerry Scharfenberger, Tony Fiore, Steve Massell, Kevin Settembrino and Stephanie Murray ( and lets not forget the unofficial 6th member of the committee, the Attorney, Brian Nelson) all seem to have gotten their leadership skills and honesty quotients directly from the national GOP.

Often times residents are looked down upon from the dais with contempt or scorn and told half truths or outright lies when they address the Township Committee on subjects that are not of the normal, feel good, cookie cutter variety. People questioning the Shadow Lake dredging project, those seeking to save the Middletown Swim Club from closure or the building of turf fields come to mind.

Middletown once, not very long ago, had a library that was top of the line, looked upon as a true treasure and revered by many in town. Now, it seems a mere shell of an institution that it once was thanks in part to the Township Committee politicizing and expanding it's Board of Trustees in order get rid of it's long time Board of Trustees President and to confiscation $840,000 of surplus and reserved funds to offset the Township's budget, leaving the library with very little to no funds which could be used to purchase new things like books or computers or to do any capital improvements to any of its facilities.

Middletown no longer has a Parks Department to oversee and maintain it's many splendid and wonderful parks. Many of the parks around down are in need of upkeep; grass needs to be mowed, benches need to be replaced or painted and some have been closed off.

And lets not forget the ugly and protracted - what some would call negotiations, while others would call extortion - labor talks with the members of Middletown Police force, where the Township threatened to layoff 10 policeman and several officers if the local PBA did not agree with their demands to a pay freeze and benefit givebacks. Or the politics of our Board of Education and the decline of our schools test scores.

I can go on and on, there is so much more to say and add as to why Middletown is no longer considered one of the top places to live by Money Magazine, but I'll leave it here for now and a follow-up later.

It will be interesting to hear how Tony Fiore, Gerry Scharfenberger and others "Spin" Middletown's decline on the list, seeing how they previously were so eager to let everyone know and never forget Middletown placement on the list in the first place.

Something tells me however that they will ignore and not mention any of this seeing how there is an election in several weeks.

Middletown School Budget Approved

Both the Independent and Middletown Patch have articles posted online  about the new budget for the Middletown school system.

On February 29th, a special meeting of the Middletown Board of Education(BOE) took place to introduce and propose the 2012-2013 Tentative School Budget.

According to both articles the school budget will increase by .98%, which would equate to roughly $2.6 million or about $46 a year on median homes assessed at $376,800.

In keeping this years tax rate increase so low, the BOE has the $851,000 increase in state aid to thank. Otherwise the tax increase would have been larger or more services or teaching positions may have need to be eliminated in order to stay below the state mandated 2% budget cap.

Instead, according to both the Independent and Middletown Patch, the BOE is using the increase in state aid to offset class size with additional teachers and another student services supervisor and provide for numerous curricular enhancements, including academic labs for high school students, which seems on the surface to be good things. But of course, like anything else, the devil is in the details and people should read through the budget before forming opinions, which at this point I have not done as of yet, but intend to do so.

In the mean time, on the surface this budget seems pretty good, but how it will effect the school system and the Township moving forward in the use of deferred taxes (which no one wants to address) will be interesting.

Many (not all) municipalities in NJ defer school taxes to help offset their own tax rate increases and at some point must return those taxes back to the school system. Some municipalities return the money to the local school systems promptly while others such as Middletown do not. Middletown currently owes its BOE over $60M in deferred taxes, the ramifications of which could be felt if the BOE needs to exceed the State's 2% cap mandate in the future.

The Silva Resolution - Establishing Policies / Procedures Regarding The Naming Of Township Property And Dedication Of Memorials On Township Property

Buried within the meeting agenda for Monday night's, January 17th, Middletown Township Committee meeting is something a little curious that won't be up for discussion but seems to have come about due to the construction of the officially unauthorized Daniel Piano Memorial that was constructed on the grounds of Middletown's Croydon Hall and lead to the unofficial firing of Middletown's Department of Parks and Recreation Director Gregg Silva.

Within the Consent Agenda (sec.10) of Monday's meeting agenda there is listed the following resolution for approval:

12-069 Resolution Establishing Policies And Procedures Regarding The Naming Of Township Property And Dedication Of Memorials On Township Property

The actual resolution has not been posted online by the Township Clerk so I cannot read it or post it here for review as of yet, but I assume that it would be safe to say that this resolution will be adopted without open discussion or prior knowledge of the public of its content. It's obvious however that this resolution will address the process for where and how the construction of private memorials on public property will be approved and authorized in the future.

I disagree with its placement within the consent agenda section of the meeting.

For those that don't know what a Consent Agenda is or does, it's really very simple. When there are a number of resolutions that deal with processes like paying bills or approving various contracts needs the "consent" or approval of the Township Committee, these resolutions lumped all together so that the Township Committee can approve them all with one vote. They are never discussed in public unless a Township Committee person wishes to pull one of the resolutions from the consent agenda for discussion/clarification. The resolution would then be voted on separately by the Township Committee.
I think that it would be good to discuss the circumstances that brought about Resolution 12-069 and explain why such a resolution is needed.

______________________________

UPDATE 1/13/12 @ 18:00

Resolution 12-069 - Resolution Establishing Policies And Procedures Regarding The Naming Of Township Property And Dedication Of Memorials On Township Property has now been posted online and available to read.....Here

It's straight forward and should have been Township policy a long time ago

Middletown Patch: Middletown mayor explains status of the township department and Gregg Silva, its longtime director

For those interested in the "official" version of Gregg Silva's retirement/termination (Middletown's longtime Director of Parks and Recreation), Middletown Patch did a good job of following up my story about his departure.

It's funny how my phone call to Tony Mercantante about Silva went unreturned but when asked about Silva by Patch editor Elaine Van Develde, Tony Fiore stated to her that no one inquired about him and therefore the Township wasn't planning to explain his departure anytime soon.

In the article Fiore confirmed much of what I wrote about and explained how the now employeeless Department of Parks and Recreation would be split-up and divided between the Department of Public Works and Janet Adams, the Director of the Tonya Keller Center in North Middletown.

Fiore also stated that due to Silva's decision to "retire" no personnel investigation or hearings were conducted on Silva and due to legal constraints he wouldn't elaborate further.

You can all about read it Here if interested

Heard It In The Hallways....Middletown's Director of Parks & Rec, Gregg Silva "Forced" Into Retirement, Big Changes coming to Department

As of this moment this is all rumor, but about two hours ago I received a tip concerning the Middletown's Director of Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs, Gregg Silva. I haven't been able to get official confirmation from anyone but from a few that I have spoken to, it seems legit.

Silva as you all may remember, was placed on administrative leave last month by his bosses at Town Hall for stepping over the line by approving a private memorial for Daniel Piano on the grounds of Croydon Hall without the prior approval from the Township.

I've been told that as of January 1st, Gregg Silva has officially retired. Furthermore, I have been told that township officials have been in meetings most of the day reorganizing the now employeeless Department of Parks and Recreation.

The person who passed along this information has stated that Silva's old duties for Parks and Rec. will be split up, the maintenance side will fall as a subdivision under DPW, while the Croydon Hall Senior Center, the Tonya Keller Bayshore Rec Center and Middletown Cultural Arts Center will be combined and administrated by Janet Adams who currently is in charge of the Tonya Keller Bayshore Center.

Individual Township sponsored recreational events will be planned on an event by event basis. Steve Eisenstein, who was brought in this year to run the Daddy/Daughter Dance and the holiday train ride, worked in the parks department a few years ago and will continue to help plan and coordinate events.

All of this should be in place and in effect by the end of the month I'm told.

I am currently waiting for a return phone call from Middletown Township Administrator Tony Mercantante for confirmation. When I called his office a couple of hours ago, I was told that he was in a meeting and could talk. The secretary that answered my call said that she would have him call me back.

Update - Steve Eisenstein's name was misspelled as Einstein and Adams is the maiden name of Janet Della, Director of the Tonya Keller Rec. Center

Brightbill Denies Interest in Silva's Job; We'll See

Back on Monday, December 19 th, I was the first to break the story about Middletown Director of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, Gregg Silva being placed on indefinite administrative leave. In that post, I commented that a rumor was also circulating that departing Township Committeewoman Pamela Brightbill was next in line to replace Silva as Director.

At that evenings Township Committee meeting, Brightbill was praised and lauded by her fellow committee members and members of the public, for her years of service to the Township.

At no time during the course of the evening did Gregg Silva's name come up or did anyone suggest that Pam Brightbill would make a good replacement for him (although other suggestions were made about what boards or committees she would excel at if placed on).

It wasn't until after the meeting that Township officials were approached by members of the media about Silva's departure and the rumor about Brightbill taking over for him.

To be expected, no one would publicly comment on Silva's situation and only state that the matter was being handle internally.

Kudos however goes to Sue Morgan of Middletown-Patch for going the extra mile by asking Pam Brightbill in a telephone conversation the following day, if she was interested in taking over for Silva to run the Department of Parks & Recreation.

According to the article that was posted, Brightbill denied having any interest in taking over for Gregg Silva and saying that she prefers to continue volunteering on one or more advisory boards.

The brief article then goes on to state inadvertently, the very reason why so many feel that Brightbill is next in line to succeed Silva by stating, "The deputy mayor's extensive resume of community involvement includes times on the advisory board to the parks and recreation department and other volunteer activities relative to township government and the local school district."

I for one said at the time I heard the rumor, that I thought it was unlikely for Pam Brightbill to take over for Gregg Silva and I am glad that she has now gone on the record denying having any interest, but to be frank, I wouldn't have expected her to confirm having interest either.

We'll just have to sit back and see what happens over the next few weeks concerning the ongoing investigation of Gregg Silva and whether or not he is terminated as a Township employees, before we can place any credence on Pam's denials.

APP: Middletown places Parks and Recreation director on administrative leave

Only a few hours after last night's Middletown Township Committee meeting was over, Kevin Penton of the Asbury Park Press posted online his story about Middletown's Park and Recreation Director Gregg Silva being placed on administrative leave.

In my earlier blog post on the subject, Penton was one of the journalist that I eluded in the post, that had tried to contact Township Administrator Tony Mercantante for a comment about Silva last week.

After last night's Township Committee meeting, I noticed that Kevin Penton had approached Mr. Mercantante and was speaking to him for a prolonged time. When Penton exited Town Hall, I nodded to him and asked if he had heard anything new concerning Gregg Silva. He started to say that he had sent Mercantante an email last Thursday but he hadn't checked to see if he received a response or not. He was about to say more but a gentleman interrupted him and started asking him about Middletown's Shadow Lake, so we never finished our conversation.

It is apparent however from the article, Penton spoke to both Mercantante and soon to be ex-mayor Tony Fiore (who refused to comment), about Gregg Silva. Unfortunately, as expected, Mercantante didn't say much to Penton other than confirm that Silva was placed on administrative leave:

Gregg Silva is still a township employee and is receiving pay while an investigation proceeds, said Township Administrator Anthony Mercantante, who declined to specify the details of the inquiry.

“At this point, he is not in his office,” said Mercantante, referring to Silva. “We’ve agreed for him not to come in until we look at a few issues.”

Mercantante declined to specify when Silva was placed on administrative leave, saying it occurred within the last 30 days. A date for the leave to expire has not been set, he added.

You can read what Kevin Penton wrote ...Here, but remember where you read the details about Silva's administrative leave first.

Middletown Director of Parks & Recreation Placed on Administrative Leave By Township

Early last week I received an email from someone that wanted to know if I had heard or knew anything about Middletown's Director of Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs, Gregg Silva, being investigated by the Township of Middletown for some wrong doing and as a result of the investigation has been placed on indefinite administrative leave(fired?) by his bosses at Town Hall.

This person also informed me that as a result of Silva being placed on indefinite leave, rumors were running rampant that Middletown's former mayor/deputy mayor, the soon to be departing Township Committeewoman Pamela Brightbill, be will replacing Silva as the new Director of Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs.

I responded by saying I hadn't heard anything about Silva's current troubles or the rumor about Brightbill, but I would make a few inquiries and get to the bottom of it as best I could. So I sent out a few emails and made a couple of phone calls to some people that I know to see if they had heard anything themselves.

It didn't take long to get a response.

From what I have gathered, it seems that Gregg Silva is most definitely on administrative leave and has been for over two weeks. The leave has been technically without pay (he is being allowed to use accumulated sick time) while he is under investigation by the Township.

What did he do wrong that has caused the Township to place him on leave? If you know anything about Gregg Silva, it could be just about anything, he has a long history of engaging in questionable practices. But what seems to have been the last straw was the building of a private memorial, on Township property, on the grounds of Croydon Hall in Leonardo.

A few months back a Township teenager, who grew up in the Leonardo section of Middletown, passed away as a result of a car accident while traveling down Chapel Hill Rd. The teenager, Daniel Piano, by all accounts was a great kid who had a lot of friends and a very loving family.

As a result of his passing, his friends built a makeshift memorial at the site of the accident but it wasn't a place that Daniel's mother wanted to go or thought that others should go to either because of the nature of the road, Chapel Hill Road is very busy and is dangerous for people to stand on the side of. So she had the idea to ask the "Township" for permission to build a memorial for Daniel on the grounds of Croydon Hall, seeing how it was a place that her son spent many happy hours of his life playing and hanging out there.

After receiving permission from Gregg Silva to build the memorial, Mrs. Piano went about the business of arranging for the construction of Daniel's memorial, the building of which was covered by private donations and volunteer labor.

You can read all about it in an article that was posted online at the Two Rivers Times.

So then, why would Gregg Silva be placed on indefinite leave of absence with his job in jeopardy if he received permission from the Township, to allow the construction of the Daniel Piano Memorial on the grounds of Croydon Hall? Well, evidently he never asked his superiors if it was alright for the memorial to be built. He took it upon himself to OK it without the consultation of others and that is where the trouble now lays.

If Gregg Silva would have first spoken to Township Administrator Tony Mercantante first, I am sure that the memorial would not have been allowed to be built. But now that it has been built the Township has to deal with any potential repercussions that might be a result of the memorial being built, namely others that may want to build similar memorials to loved ones that have passed.

As unlikely as that may seem, by giving the go ahead to the Piano family to built the memorial, Gregg Silva inadvertently set a precedent within Middletown that would allow for these types of memorials to be built in other parks throughout the Township. If the Township denies other the right to privately construct such memorials it could lead to lawsuits that would be costly to Middletown taxpayers.

As for the Brightbill taking over for Silva rumor, at this time from what I have been able to gather, it is still just a rumor but could have legs for a variety of reason, which I will save for another post.

In an effort at full disclosure on my part, everything that I have written here I have heard from others. I just want it to be known that I sent Township Administrator Tony Mercantante an email last week seeking comment but I haven't heard back from him as of yet. From what I understand, I was not the first to try and contact him last week on this subject. Two real, non-blogging journalist (I don't consider myself a journalist) have either spoken to Tony directly ( I was told the conversation was short, curt and ended with Mercantante stating that Silva was under investigation and the investigation was being handled in-house) or sent him, like myself, and email. If I hear back from Mr. Mercantante later on this subject, I'll post an update.

After A Rash Of Criminal Mischief At Middletown Parks Police Are Asking Residents For Information

I have received the following request from Middletown Deputy Police Chief Craig Weber, asking residents for information regarding a rash of vandalism at neighborhood parks around town. Any information that can be provided would be greatly appreciated:

Middletown Police report that a number of Parks and Recreation facilities have been damaged and vandalized during the past week. Among the damaged facilities were two baseball fields at Middletown Thompson Park including the Challenger Youth baseball field, which is intended for the use of athletes with special needs. Middletown Thompson Park is located on Newman Springs Road in Lincroft. Newly-sodded soccer fields at the Fairview Soccer Fields on Oak Hill Rd. were extensively damaged by unknown persons joy riding on the fields. Baseball and softball fields at Normandy Park on Nut Swamp Rd., and Applebrook Park on Iler Drive, were also damaged by unknown vehicles being driven on the fields. In addition, a portable outdoor bathroom located at Lincroft Acres Park on Orchard Hill Drive, Lincroft was damaged after it was intentionally struck by a vehicle and knocked over. A park bench, concrete steps and hand railing in Tindall Park, Tindall Road have also been destroyed.

Parks in Middletown are generally closed to the public at dusk, unless permission is obtained from the Parks and Recreation Dept. or the facility is lighted and specifically designated for after hour use. Police are asking citizens to call and report any suspicious activities or incidents of people misusing or damaging Township Parks and Recreation facilities or property. The Middletown Policemen’s Benevolent Association is offering a reward of $ 500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for damaging the Parks. Call 732-615-2100.


Deputy Chief R. Craig Weber
Technical Services Division
Middletown Township Police Dept
1 Kings Highway
Middletown, NJ 07748
office 732-615-2054
fax 732-615-2051
email cweber@middletownnj.org

(Tindal Park Steps)

(Thompson Park)

(Normandy Park)

APP: Middletown deal with police saves jobs; 9 other workers let go

Below is what the Asbury Park Press is reporting about the deal that was struck between Middletown and it's Police Unions, it's pretty much what I had posted last night with a few more detail concerning the PBA agreement and additional information about those who were laid off in Parks & Recreation.

Four police officers won't have to turn in their badges as a result of a last-minute deal struck Friday between the township and the Superior Officers Association.

However, the township's savings from a new four-year contract for the 21 members of the association does not help the nine Parks and Recreation Department employees who were laid off Friday, said Anthony Mercantante, township administrator.

Township officials gave the local Policemen's Benevolent Association until Monday to vote on a separate contract, which could save the jobs of six police officers, Mercantante said.

"This agreement saves jobs," said Mayor Anthony Fiore, referring to the superior officers' pact. "This should serve as a model for the Legislature or for other towns that can't get things done."

As part of the deal, Superior Officers Association members will get a 1.5 percent raise in the fourth quarter of 2011 and 2 percent raises in each of the contract's subsequent years, Mercantante said.

Middletown will realize savings by association members either paying a larger percentage of the costs of an existing health plan or choosing to enroll in a new, more restrictive plan that will be cheaper for the township, Mercantante said. Association members who opt for the township's top health plan will have to pay 25 percent of its cost, as opposed to 1.5 percent of their salaries, Mercantante said. Members can also choose a plan with more restrictions and continue to pay 1.5 percent of their salaries, he said.

The township's layoff plan had included the demotions of one lieutenant and three sergeants to the patrol division, which would have led to the layoffs of four other officers, said Fred Deickmann, Superior Officers Association president. The agreement means the superior officers will not be demoted, he said.

"This is a fair deal for these trying economic times," Deickmann said. "We're glad the collective bargaining system worked."

Of the 16 non-police employees facing termination, nine were laid off, three retired and four were shifted to different positions, Mercantante said....

read more >>> Here

Special Meetings Scheduled For Thursday and Friday May Not Be What We think

Kudos to Redbankgreen.com and Dustin Racioppi for tracking down Middletown's acting mayor, Tony Fiore, and asking about the two special Township meetings that have been called for on Thursday and Friday this week.

According to what was written online, the two hastily scheduled meetings are just incase a contract settlement is achieved between the Township of Middletown and it's two unions.

At this point in time, there are no settlements pending or imminent and there is a very good chance that the meetings will not take place. The meetings were call for "just in case".

So as of now, the expected lay-off of 10 Middletown police officers and 16 members of the Township's Department of Parks & Recreation on Friday are still, pending unless there is an 11th hour settlement

You can read more about it >>>Here

What's Wrong With This Sign?

Can anyone tell me what is wrong with this sign? The sign is announcing the upcoming "Meet the Candidates" night, a non-partisan event that is sponsored every year by the Lincroft Village Green Association (LVGA) on Oct 28th.

Similar signs to this have been hanging at the corner of Pharlyxn and Newman Springs Rd (rt.520), on the edge of Lincroft's Village Green Park for years. Now all of a sudden the Township wants it taken down.

Middletown Parks & Recreation Director Gregg Silva, recently contacted directors of the LVGA asking that they remove the banner from the corner of the park because of a resident complaint. The Township has a rule that no political signs can be placed on Township property.

In my mind and in others, this sign is nothing more than an advertisement for an event to meet all candidates that are running for Township Committee, not a political sign.

Silva said that he wanted the sign/banner removed immediately, he even offered to have his men from P&R take down the sign for the LVGA (as if he had nothing better to do with Township resources).

It seems to me that this is just another ploy by the Middletown Republicans to stifle debate and keep attendance down to the minimum at this years LVGA Candidates Night, seeing that they sense there opponents, Sean Byrnes and Mary Mahoney, have built a tremendous amount of support throughout Lincroft and the rest of Middletown and have Gerry Scharfenberger and the rest of the Republicans running scared.

I will be interested in hearing about who took this sign down when or if it happens. As of this morning the sign is still there.

Letter: Unheeded Suggestions And Mismanagement Lead To Inefficiencies And Layoffs

Middletown is once again showing its true colors of mismanagement with the layoffs of approximately 40 employees. Layoffs might be required, but the employee making the least amount should not be the first to go.

Recently, Middletown hired a supervisor to oversee crossing guards. Why is this position required when the town has had crossing guards for years? This is just one example of the bloated government that taxpayers are footing the bill for.

There are many other cost saving measures that could take place, which might result in layoffs, but will make the town more efficient. Committeeman Sean Byrnes has presented quite a few suggestions at numerous meetings that consistently go unheeded by the rest of the Committee. Some of these are requiring engineering firms to bid on each capital project the town enters into, consolidate the maintenance operations between DPW and Parks & Recreation, if not with BOE also and consolidating the Sewer Authority into Public Works Dept., thus eliminating duplication of legal and engineering services.

Middletown has a fantastic library system that provides many services that could be provided by the Arts Center. These services are so intertwined in purpose that Byrnes has suggested that the Library and Arts Center be combined. This would offset the high costs of keeping the Arts Center open. Mr. Byrnes even suggested that revenue could be generated by conducting a daycare facility there for commuters.

There are many suggestions that are going unheeded and randomly reducing employees from all departments is certainly not an efficient means of balancing a budget.


Marilyn Tuohy
Pt. Monmouth

Letter: The Republican Majority In Middletown Is Financially Irresponsible

The following letter was sent to me by Lincroft resident Barbara Thorpe who wishes to express her opinion on how irresponsible the Republican majority is when it comes to managing the Townships finances:

The Republican majority of Middletown's Township Committee is financially irresponsible.. big time. They exhibit insensitivity to current economic conditions as they relentlessly pursue the installation of turf fields within the township which already has turf on each of it's high school fields. Are the taxpayers now being obligated to providing turf in townships parks at the public expense during the most financially challenged times since the Great Depression ?

Middletown Township has more parks than Monmouth County and fails miserably in adequately maintaining any of them. Just what is done with the appropriations for Parks and Recreation? More than half goes to salaries and why is the town not realizing better service from the employees in that department. Is it attributable to poor management ? Please tell us,Greg Silva or Gerard Scharfenberger . Seems there are many questions that demand answers in this scenario. Also bond issues are indebtedness that must be repaid with interest over time so it's not free money as the committee would like the public to believe.

This resident understands one consideration of the republicans..this is a re-election year for the current mayor and he desperately needs an issue to run on. Try financial responsibility. That's an issue every resident can understand and wants. It has been lacking in this township for several years. I am referring to the Township finances,not the BOE finances for education.

The BOE in Middletown does one of the best jobs in this state with the tax dollars they are entrusted to manage. They achieve one of the lowest per student expense and one of the best quality of education ratings.

Barbara R.Thorpe
Lincroft

What The Heck Is Going On With The Lincroft Sports Complex?

What the heck is going on with the Lincroft Sports Complex? It sounds like some improprieties are taking place that needs to be looked into and addressed.

It seems as though the Director of Middeltown's Parks and Recreation department, Greg Silva, met with members of the River Plaza/Lincroft Chargers Pop Warner team on Wednesday night and basically told the group that the town was moving ahead with the plans for West Front Street and inferred that Pop Warner will get everything they want and encouraged them to support the town's efforts to move them from Trezza Field. He informed them that the plans for the site will be up on the Town's website within the next couple of days, but that the new turf field project will be built at West Front Street Park and that the Chargers should get on board with it or in other words, take it or leave it because there will be no field improvements coming to their existing playing field.

If that wasn't bad enough Silva went on to explain to them that he had a friend who is a contractor (Precise Construction) who could install the field at West Front Street. Allegedly Silva told the group that he has been keeping his friend informed of the bidding specs for the job so that he would have the advantage when both artificial turf fields for Croydon Hall and West Front Street are ready to be bid out.

I found out about all this from two sources, the first being a string of chat room entries left on the NJ.com Middletown Forum by an anonymous poster using the alias of Nofield4you and from another person who shall remain nameless, due to their position within the town and their affilation with Pop Warner and opposition group.

The second source collaborated much of what Nofield4you stated in his chat room entries which I have posted below, and few other pieces of information, some that I printed above and other information that I was asked to hold onto and not blog about just yet:

21681. Mayor pushes us
by Nofield4you, 2/24/10 23:51 ET
Why push us into supporting your plan, when we don’t want to move to west front street? Our plan by far is better for our program, saves taxpayer dollars and is not corrupt… Why have Greg Silvers Friend Precise Construction plan our future… Will they bid the project that Greg has given them the inside scoop? Guarantee the bid is protested and files charged against Greg and the township as soon as its posted and precise submits a bid…

21678. Hey Middletown mike
by Nofield4you, 2/24/10 23:39 ET
Guess what, we have the evidence you need to hang the mayor and other corrupt politicians in Middletown. FYI Greg Silver has a friend who is a contractor and potential bidder of the synthetic field, known as precise construction, guess what Greg has been talking to them all along the way and the bid specs have been made to their advantage… Want more, I got a mouth full of crap to hang several committee members who are ramming this down river plaza parents throats.

21677. Corydon Hall Field
by Nofield4you, 2/24/10 23:38 ET
Wow amazingly the wetland issue at croydon hall is worse then river plaza and the town committee refuses to allow turf at River plaza due to wetlands, unless the contractor is Greg silvers friend Precise construction… Hey Mayor I know the wetland boundaries and Croydon hall does not comply…

21676. River Plaza Field
by Nofield4you, 2/24/10 23:37 ET
Greg Silver has made it clear he has a friend known as Precise Construction who installs turf field and its either West front street or nothing for river plaza… Hey Greg, FYI the fun bunch will win as they did at HS north and you and your friend Precise will be out of the bid and probably in jail with the mayor. Go back to freehold where the grass is brown and natural you fat overpaid piece of crap

Now if what Nofield4you and my second collaborating source stated is true then I think Mr. Silva has a lot of explaining to do and he should do that explaining before others come knocking on his door to ask him about it.

Providing information to a contractor in order to boost their chances at winning a closed bidding process is not just unethical but a crime I believe.

Also the above leaves questions in the mind about the real intentions of the Mayor and Township Committee. It makes it seem that no matter what the opposition is to the West Front Street complex, the Town plans on pushing forward with the turf field complex whether or not residents in the area approve of it and runs contrary to what the Mayor has told them.

Townships Presentation to Middletown Board of Education A Lot About Nothing

I returned home a short while ago from the Township's' special presentation to the Middeltown Board of Education concerning the installation of artificial turf fields on the campuses of Thorne and Thompson Middle Schools. To be frank, It was a waste of time. The township had no real plan to present and no real answers to questions.

It seemed as if Township Administrator Tony Mercantante was somewhat unprepared, he had a few ariel shots of the proposed sites with superimposed rectangles to simulate where the fields would be installed and not much else.

Mercantante basically just asked the Board of Education if they would like to partner up with the township on this project. When BOE members asked specific questions he answered that all the details would have to be worked out during land lease and partnership negotiations and that problems would be ironed out then.

About two dozen residents voiced concerns about the projects and asked the BOE to keep in mind the hidden costs that may associated with this plan. A couple of other residents mentioned the safety and injury concerns associated with artificial surfaces.

Overall though, it was a waste of time for the public to invited to hear because there was just not enough details and as I stated earlier, there are many questions that need to be answered like, who would be responsible for maintaining the fields? What about insurance liabilities? Who would be responsible for supervising or policing them during off hours? Who gets preference of use, the school system or sports leagues? Who replaces the carpet when it wears out in 10 years do to over use? What about lighting, concessions, locker rooms and bathroom facilities? All of these questions and more need to be answered before this project can move forward, not just brushed over with false statements or promises that can not be kept.

So let it be known that I am not opposed to the fields per say, I think that it is a good idea, a win-win situation for both the Township and the Board of Education, but it has to be done right all of the I's need to be dotted and all the T's crossed before I feel comfortable with giving this matter my unconditional support.

There is also the problem that I have with this years township budget. How can we spend money on obvious luxury items around town when we can't balance our budget? The adoption of the budget is almost 6 months late and have a proposed 9.2% tax increase associated with it. if we have money lying around for 3 athletic fields maybe we should drop the idea for the 3rd and use that money to off set the shortfall in the current budget.

One thing that was lost at the meeting, which I feel that I should mention is that even if these fields are not approved by the Board of Education, the Township seems to have every intention on moving forward with installing an artificial surface over the football field that is located at Croydon Hall. This is the 3rd field mentioned and is used by Pop Warner teams in town.