Community Bulletin Board

Ocean County residents who are eligible for the state’s Fair Rebate and Property Tax Reimbursement programs now have until Oct. 17 to apply.

“Clearly we want as many Ocean County residents who are eligible to take advantage of these property tax relief programs,” said Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari, who also serves as chairman of Senior Services. “I have instructed the staff from the Office of Senior Services to get the word out on these programs.

“Many of our seniors are unaware of these programs, particularly, the Property Tax Reimbursement Program,” Vicari said. “With the extended deadline, we want to make certain that everyone who is eligible applies.”

The deadline was extended by the state from Aug. 15 to Oct. 17.

Under the Property Tax Reimbursement Program, individuals who are 65 and over or receiving federal Social Security disability benefits as of Dec. 31, 2003, and who have lived in New Jersey continuously for the last 10 years (since before Jan. 1, 1994), and who have owned and lived in their current home for the last three years (since before Jan. 1, 2001), are eligible. Also, income eligibility includes an individual’s total income in 2003 (must be less than $40,028 if single or $49,082 if married); and total income in 2004 (must be less than $40,869 if single or $50,113 if married).

The applicant also must have paid the full amount for property taxes due (or site fee if a mobile home owner) on their principle residence for both 2003 and 2004. An individual may be eligible for a reimbursement of the difference between the amount of property taxes paid in the base year (year you first become eligible) and the amount paid in the year for which you are applying for the reimbursement.

“Ocean County residents who think they may be eligible should contact the Ocean County Office of Senior Services with any question you may have,” Vicari said. “Our staff is well-versed in this matter and is available to help you.”

To contact the office, call (800) 668-4899 or (732) 929-2091. Or stop by the County Connection at the Ocean County Mall, Dover Township, and ask for the representative from the Office of Senior Services.

Family Carnival Day at Church of the Visitation

The Church of the Visitation’s Fourth Annual Family Carnival Day will be held Sept. 25 from 1:30 to 6:30 p.m.

According to the press release, this year’s event will include more rides, live entertainment, activities and food than last year’s event. There will be activities for people of all ages. Rides will include a rock wall, Moon Walk, Giant Slide, Dixie Twister and a Whirly Bird interactive ride. Live entertainment will feature martial arts exhibitions by Kodakan, a musical theater performance by the Actors Playhouse, a reptile show by Tara’s Travelin’ Tales, Jim Wilson’s Nocturnes Band, a disc jockey, and other features. General admission is free and includes the shows. Wristbands for an afternoon of rides are available for $10 prior to the carnival and $12 the day of the carnival. Proceeds will benefit the new church campus building fund.

The church is located at 730 Lynwood Ave. in Brick. Details: (732) 477-0028. or e-mail newchurch@visitationchurch.com.

Brick Youth Club

begins fall schedule

The Brick Youth Club (BYC) has announced its fall schedule of movies, dances, and open gym programs.

Dances will be held Sept. 16, Sept. 30, Oct. 14, Nov. 4 and Dec. 9. All dances start at 7 p.m. and end at 9 p.m. Prompt pickup is appreciated. Dances are open to middle school students only.

The following movies also will be shown this fall: Oct. 21, “Madagascar”; Nov. 18, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”; Dec. 16, “The Grinch” double feature (the original special and the movie version). Movies start at 7 p.m. and are open to Brick Township residents of all ages. Children under age 12 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Reservations for dances and movies will be accepted from the Monday before the event until Thursday night. The automated reservation line is (732) 262-1074. All programs and events are free and will be held at Brick Township Civic Plaza, 270 Chambers Bridge Road. All youngsters who plan to attend BYC events are asked to obtain a BYC membership card. Membership is free, and applications are available at the Brick Recreation Department, Civic Plaza.

The BYC also offers two open gym programs. Open gym basketball for middle and high school students is available 6-8 p.m. every Monday and Wednesday. The Jersey Shore Volleyball Club also invites boys and girls between the ages of 14 and 18 to play volleyball every Tuesday 6-8 p.m. No advance registration is required for either program.

The Brick Youth Club is a joint venture of the Brick Recreation Department and the Brick Municipal Alliance Committee on Alcoholism, Drug Abuse, and Youth Services

B-MAC is funded in part by a grant from the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. B-MAC provides township residents with prevention and education programs to reduce substance abuse and juvenile delinquency. To speak to someone or for more information about any of the programs offered through B-MAC, call (732) 262-1088.

VFW Ladies Auxiliary to host Atlantic City trip

The Ladies Auxiliary of Veterans of Foreign War (VFW) Post 8867, Brick, is sponsoring a trip to Atlantic City to the Trump Plaza Casino Oct. 23 to see the stage show, “Anything Goes.” The price of tickets is $41 per person and includes transportation, show ticket and buffet, plus $10 coin return from the casino. The bus will depart from the VFW post parking lot on Adamston Road in Brick at 9:45 a.m. The show time is 2:30 p.m. Call (732) 899-8149 for reservations.

The deadline to register for the trip is Sept. 21.

Township to host benefit for victims of hurricane

Brick Township will host the “Hurricane Katrina Project Hope Concert” Sept. 15 at 6:30 p.m. at Windward Beach Park, Princeton Avenue. Proceeds from the concert will benefit the Salvation Army and will assist those affected by Hurricane Katrina.

“Ever since Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana and Mississippi, people have asked me if the township planned on doing something to help the victims of that storm,” said Mayor Joseph Scarpelli. “The answer is yes. The ‘Project Hope Concert’ will be an evening of goodwill and good music, and I encourage all residents to come to the concert and make a donation.”

The price of admission for the concert is only bound by a person’s generosity.

“We are asking everyone attending the concert to make a donation in lieu of an admission charge,” said Scarpelli. “The money will be collected by the Salvation Army, and as the saying goes, the more the better.”

Scarpelli said that checks should be made payable to the Salvation Army.

The concert will feature performances from Total Soul, Larry Chance & The Earls, and The Infernos. All three groups have agreed to play at the concert for no charge.

“These three bands have all played our SummerFest stage many times over,” said Scarpelli, “When they were approached about helping, they were all eager to jump on board.”

In addition to the bands, technical and township staff will be donating their time to help out at the concert.

Significant crowds are expected for the concert, so people will not be permitted to park in neighborhoods near Windward Beach Park. Free shuttle buses will begin running at 5:30 p.m. from convenient locations throughout Brick Township, including Brick Township High School on Chambers Bridge Road, Drum Point School on Drum Point Road, Midstreams Elementary School on Midstreams Road, and Brick Township Memorial High School on Lanes Mill Road.

Persons planning to attend are encouraged to bring chairs. There will be food vendors at the park, and Oldies 100 FM WJRZ radio will also be in attendance.

‘Melodies in concert’ to aid hurricane victims

The Brick Community Players, under the auspices of the Brick Recreation Department, will present “Melodies in Concert” Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. at the Brick Civic Center, 270 Chambers Bridge Road.

This free concert, directed by Monica Vermeulen, will feature musical excerpts from such shows as “Oklahoma,” “South Pacific” and “The Sound of Music.” The players want to present this show as an opportunity for our community to come together to donate funds for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. A “free will offering” will be collected and donated to the American Red Cross. Call (732) 262-1006 for reservations.

OCC sailing team host regatta on Toms River

The Ocean County College (OCC) Sailing Team will host its third annual fall regatta Sept. 17 and 18. The Crossroads Realty/Ocean County College Fall Open Regatta will be held on the Toms River immediately off of the Toms River Yacht Club main dock for easy viewing. The Toms River Yacht Club will serve as the host site. OCC’s two-day intercollegiate regatta will begin each day at 9 a.m. and end

around 4 p.m.

The top two finishing schools will qualify for the coveted War Memorial Regatta, which is one of the most important regattas in the fall for the Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association (MAISA) and a qualifier for the national championship.

Brick Township Police Dept. Drug Hotline

The Brick Township Police Department provides a “Drug Hotline” for citizens to report drug-related activity.

The hot line was established as a means of providing the public with the opportunity to anonymously report drug activities in their neighborhood. It is answered and monitored by detectives assigned to the Drug Enforcement Unit with messages being checked on a daily basis.

Persons reporting crimes can leave a recorded message describing the activity or they can request to be contacted by a detective.

This month the Drug Enforcement Unit is focusing on marijuana growing operations. Any citizens aware of such activities should contact the hot line at (732) 920-6258. All calls are kept confidential.

Callers should have the following information when reporting any drug activity:

The address where the activity is occurring. If that is not available then a complete description of the residence would be helpful.

Describe the nature of the activity completely, including an unusual amount of persons coming and going from the residence many times at odd hours of the day or night; persons parking around the corner or down the street and approaching the residence on foot; and persons who visit the residence often and only stay for 15 minutes or less.

Describe frequent visitors to the residence and their vehicles.

Any other information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, should be reported.

For additional information, contact Lt. Douglas Kinney at (732) 262-1131.

Parkway info session

planned at Brick school

Planned improvements to Garden State Parkway Interchange 91 will be the subject of a public information session from 6-8 p.m., Sept. 15 at Brick Memorial High School.

Residents and business owners will have the opportunity to offer input and ask questions about the proposed interchange improvements.

Plans include expanding the interchange with full northbound and southbound entrance and exit ramps.

Proposed improvements include a connector road from Herborn Avenue to Lanes Mill Road West, a new parkway southbound entrance ramp from Burnt Tavern Road and new northbound exit and entrance ramps at Burrsville road.

Ocean County and Brick Township officials will attend the session.

New Mantoloking bridge could open by fall

The first cars could cross the new Mantoloking Bridge by October, Ocean County officials said.

Work on the new $21.4 million span is about 75 percent complete and the bridge could be ready to accept traffic in at least one direction this fall.

“I’m very pleased that we are on schedule,” said Freeholder John P. Kelly, liaison to the Ocean County Department of Engineering. “If the weather cooperates, we should have the entire bridge ready by the end of the year.”

Frank Scarantino, Ocean County Director of Engineering, said westbound traffic should start traversing the bridge by October.

Opening the eastbound lane will take a little longer because a small portion of the old Mantoloking Bridge must be removed to make room for the approach to the new bridge, Scarantino explained.

Crews are now installing sidewalks and deck rails on the new span and are working on the mechanism that will raise and lower the drawbridge.

Once the new bridge is ready for traffic, the old bridge will be demolished and the huge concrete and steel segments shipped out on barges, Scarantino said.

“The contractor feels he can demolish the old bridge in less than two months,” he said.

A 150-feet portion of the old bridge will also be preserved as a fishing pier on the Brick side of the bay. The new bridge will be 49-feet wide and contained within this width will be two 12-foot lanes, two eight-foot, bicycle compatible shoulders and a six-foot wide sidewalk that runs along the south side of the bridge.

The span will double the clearance over the boating channel from 15 feet to 30 feet. The bridge will also have an 80-foot-wide channel, compared to the existing dual 30-foot channels.

“This new bridge will be a help to the many boaters using the bay and the many motorists traveling from Brick Township to Mantoloking,” said Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari. “It will also provide an updated emergency evacuation route for residents along the Route 35 peninsula.”

More than 75 percent of all vessels will be able to pass under the bridge without the need for a bridge opening. The number of annual bridge openings is expected to drop from 6,000 to less than 2,000. The bascule draw span will be operated by an electrically powered hydraulic system.

The $21.4 million project, which began construction in late 2003, is the largest single construction contract ever awarded by the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders. The federal government will pay the entire cost.

MOMS Club workshop

focuses on discipline

The MOMS Club of Brick, together with the Brick Branch of the Ocean County Library, 301 Chambers Bridge Road, will sponsor a parenting workshop at the library Sept. 21 at 9:30 a.m. The workshop, “Discipline is Not a Dirty Word,” will explore the general characteristics of effective discipline and how children learn self-control and cooperation.

The program will be presented by Katherine L. Poehnert, who holds a master of education degree in psychology and is a certified life coach and a parent educator for InSight Services Coaching/Training.

The workshop is open to the public, and a story time will be provided for children in the adjoining room.

Contact (732) 477-4513 to register. For details about the MOMS Club of Brick, call (732) 262-2440.

Tai chi classes offered

at Ocean County Park

The Ocean County Department of Parks and Recreation is offering a tai chi program. The session will be held Wednesdays, Sept. 21-Nov. 9, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. The fee is $32 per person for the eight-week session. All classes will be held at the Ocean County Park, Beach Complex, Route 88, Lakewood.

Call (877) OCPARKS for details and registration, or visit www.oceancountyparks.org.

‘The Sound of Music’

coming to Strand Theater

The “Sound of Music,” a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical based on the true story of the von Trapp family, who escaped the Nazis in Austria by fleeing over the mountains to Switzerland, will be performed at the Strand Theater in Lakewood. Performances are Sept. 23, 24, 30 and Oct. 1 at 8 p.m.; and Sept. 25 and Oct. 2 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $25 for adults, and $20 for seniors, students and children, and may be purchased online at www.strandlakewood.com; at the theater’s box office at 400 Clifton Avenue, Lakewood; or by phone at (732) 367-7789.

Brick Optimists welcome new members

The newly formed Brick Optimists Club meets Monday nights at 7:30 p.m. at Diane Turton Realty, 478 Brick Blvd., in Brick.

Optimist Clubs sponsor sporting events for the children of the community, offer a host of activities such as the annual essay, oratorical, photo and sporting contests and raise money to donate to the area’s child charities, including Camp Quality, a week-long sleep-over camp for kids with cancer.

The clubs award scholarship and computers annually and participate in a number of community events with other local organizations for the betterment of the community.

Those interested in joining can e-mail Brickoptimist@aol.com. or www.optimist.org.

Free workshops for kindergarten parents

A series of free parenting workshops, will take place beginning Sept. 25 at St. Thomas Lutheran Church, 135 Salmon St. (at the intersection of Route 70 and Brick Boulevard), in Brick. The workshop is designed for parents of children who started kindergarten this September. The goal of the workshop is to equip parents with the skills that are needed to guide the physical, emotional and spiritual growth of their kindergarten children. The workshop consists of four sessions that will be held on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. from Sept. 25 to Oct. 16. Details: (732) 477-5533.

Concert to benefit young son of fallen soldier

A concert to benefit the college fund of the son of a fallen soldier from Brick will take place Sept. 18 from 3 to 8 p.m. at Veterans of Foreign War Post 493, 271 Washington Ave. in Nutley. The concert will feature traditional country music performances by several local bands. Advance tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for children under age 10. Tickets will also be available at the door for $35 each. The price also includes a hot and cold buffet, unlimited beer and soda, door prizes and games and activities for the children. A cash bar, 50/50 raffle and other raffles will also be available. All proceeds from this event will go to the college fund of Ryan Duffy, the two year old son of Army Spc. Christopher Duffy of Brick, who was killed in action June 4, 2004 in Iraq. For tickets and details, contact (973) 246-4986 or HTABENEFIT@optonline.net. Donations will also be accepted. Checks can be made out to Ryan Duffy College Fund and mailed to Ryan Duffy College Fund, P.O. Box 83, Garfield 07026.

Comedian Paul Venier at Herbertsville Fire House

Herbertsville Fire Company, 500 Herbertsville Road, Brick, will present The Comedy of Paul Venier Oct. 15, at 8 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.). No one under the age of 18 will be permitted. Attendees may bring their own food and beverages. The cost per ticket is $20. Details: (732) 458-9164 ext. 12.

Kiwanis Club to sponsor ‘Comedy Night’ Oct. 15

The Brick Township Kiwanis Club will sponsor its fourth annual comedy night Oct. 15, at 8 p.m. at the Brick Elks Club on Old Hooper Avenue, in Brick. Three professional comedians who regularly appear on late night television and at comedy clubs in New York City will perform. Tickets are $20 each and include light refreshments and a cash bar. All proceeds will benefit Kiwanis charities. For more information and to purchase tickets contact Wayne at (732) 364-7777.

Luncheon to benefit Columbus Day parade

A benefit for the Ocean County Columbus Day Parade Committee, Inc., will be held Sept. 17 at 11:30 a.m. at Carrabba’s Italian Grill on Cedar Bridge Avenue, in Brick. The cost to attend is $15 per person and includes an Italian lunch. The parade will be held at 1 p.m. Oct. 9 in Seaside Heights. The parade committee is seeking volunteers, bands and organizations as well as sponsors for the bands and floats. Contact Michael at (732) 477-6507 or Mary at (732) 914-0351 for details about the luncheon and parade.

CROP Walk charity event plans under way

Churches, youth groups and service organizations are currently being recruited for this year’s Ocean County CROP Walk planned for Oct. 16 in Toms River. Last year’s walk raised over $24,000 with $6,000 going to the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Ocean County. The Interfaith Hospitality Network was created to provide shelter, meals, and comprehensive support to families without homes. Synagogues and churches throughout Ocean County participate. For further details about the Interfaith Hospitality Network, call (732) 370-1550. Call (732) 269-8539.

Jewish Festival returns to FirstEnergy Park

It was almost one for the record books two years ago as over 5,000 people joined hands and kicked up their heels for one of the largest Hora dances ever at the first Garden State Jewish Festival. The regional event returns to FirstEnergy Park, Home of the Lakewood BlueClaws, in Lakewood, Sept. 18, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. as people of all faiths join hands, once again, to try to break the Guinness World Record at 1 p.m.

The Garden State Jewish Festival II will showcase Jewish culinary delights (Kosher Food) featuring a variety of Jewish and Israeli style foods, fine art, crafts, music, children’s activities and folk dancing. Festival-goers can shop for gifts from the Holy Land with a multitude of Israeli and American artists and craftsmen to choose from. The festival invites those from the Jewish and non-Jewish communities to attend with the intent of cultivating goodwill and cultural understanding.

The fee to attend the festival is $4 for adults and $2 for children ages 6-16.

Details: (732) 363-0530 or (732) 539-3144.