Lots happening
in downtown
p. 16-17
p. 27-38
Celebrity chef opens
restaurant in AC
p. 47
SCHOOL TAXES UP 3 CENTS
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Volume 19 • Issue 11
by Brittany Mauro
GAZETTE STAFF WRITER
HAMMONTON—At its March
12 meeting, the Hammonton Board
of Education approved an increase
to the municipal tax levy of approximately $410,000 to cover debt
www.hammontongazette.com
Mento: Tax levy increasing $410,000 for debt obligations
payments on the improvements to
the Warren E. Sooy Jr. Elementary
School, Hammonton Board of Education President Sam Mento told
The Gazette during a conversation
on March 13.
This will result in a 3-cent tax in-
crease
to
Hammonton
taxpayers under the new municipal
tax assessments, according to the
board. Under the previous assessments, the tax increase would be
4.7 cents, according to the district.
According to Mento during a
conversation with The Gazette on
March 13, the tax increase is due to
a desire by the board not to use surplus to cover payment on the debt.
According to an email from Hammonton Board of Education Business Administrator/Board Secretary
Barbara Prettyman sent to The
Gazette on March 13, in the 201415 budget, the district used
$417,967 of the fund balance to
cover debt payments. In the 201516 budget, there is no use of the
State files civil suit Taste of the Town hits the jackpot
against Waterworld
by Gina Rullo
GAZETTE STAFF WRITER
NEWARK—The New Jersey
Division of Consumer Affairs has
filed a civil lawsuit against Waterworld Fiber Glass Pools Inc., a
Hammonton-based installer of inground swimming pools, alleging
that the company defrauded multiple consumers by, among other
See SCHOOL, Page 12
things, failing to perform contracted-for work and/or failing to
repair its own substandard work,
and refusing to refund consumers’
down payments, according to a
press release sent on March 10.
“When Waterworld allegedly
failed to perform the work consumers had paid for, many of those
consumers lost more than their
New road opening
rules outlined
by Paul J. Macrie IV
GAZETTE STAFF WRITER
HAMMONTON—On March
12, the Public Works and Transportation and Water and Sewer
Committees of Hammonton Town
Council met for a special meeting
at Civil Solutions, a division of
See WATERWORLD, Page 14
Adams, Rehmann and Heggan
[ARH] to discuss several topics including the Lincoln Street building
replacement, a road opening ordinance and Valley Avenue pipe
video.
Mayor Stephen DiDonato,
Councilmen Sam Rodio, Edward
Coming together for lake cleanup
See ROADS, Page 10
THG/Paul J. Macrie IV. To purchase photos in The Gazette, call (609) 704-1940.
Env. comm. hears
about SJ Gas project
Andy’s Pizzeria & Ristorante owners Marco Carranza and German Lucas with Norelkis Ruiz at the Hammonton Education Foundation’s Taste of the Town on March 15. See story, photos Pages 20 and 21.
by Paul J. Macrie IV
GAZETTE STAFF WRITER
HAMMONTON—On March
11, the Hammonton Environmental Commission held its monthly
meeting. The commission discussed some other town committee
reports, addressed their goal for the
2015 Association of New Jersey
Environmental
Commissions
[ANJEC] Open Space Grant, some
preliminary plans for April’s Arbor
Day Celebration and voted on a
tree removal application.
Councilman Steve Furgione
provided a town council report to
update commissioners on the Lin-
Theater launches new
$3 million campaign
by Paul J. Macrie IV
GAZETTE STAFF WRITER
THG/Paul J. Macrie IV. To purchase photos in The Gazette, call (609) 704-1940.
Richard Ruberton, Alec Manzer, Carson Lee and Phil Ritchie participated in the Hammonton Lake cleanup on March
14. For more pictures and article covering the event, please see Page 19.
ON SALE AT 70+ LOCATIONS • SUBSCRIBE TO The
HAMMONTON—On March
10, the Eagle Theatre announced
its new three-year, $3 million campaign called “3 for 3” at an informal press conference held at the
theatre complex on Vine Street.
The Eagle Theatre’s new chairman
of the board Dr. Michael Hozik,
See ENVIRONMENT, Page 3
managing director James Donio,
director of development Zane Sebasovich and co-artistic directors
Ed Corsi and Ted Wioneck spoke
at the announcement session about
the campaign, what the local professional equity theatre is striving
to do for the years ahead and took
questions from the interested audience.
Gazette • $20 FOR 52 WEEKS
See EAGLE, Page 4