The Newsmagazine of Long Beach Island and Southern Ocean County

By Victoria Ford | on August 24, 2022

The families of Stafford Park and Stafford Preserve Apartments can now enjoy a new playground paid for mostly by the Walters Group, as per the terms of the seventh edition of the Walters Group Redevelopment Plan.

The new playground has an ADA-accessible surface material made by Lakewood-based Rubberecycle, similar to the new one at Manahawkin Lake Park, for users with mobility challenges, walkers, wheelchairs, etc. Walters is a developer/manager of affordable and market-rate apartment communities. The rest of the playground equipment came from Playworld, in Pennsylvania.

At the regular municipal meeting of Aug. 9, Councilmen Paul Krier and Tom Steadman voted against a resolution to approve the new playground’s mat surface, at a cost to the town of $162,537.

Krier called the expenditure “irresponsible” and “frivolous” given the mat “hasn’t been properly vetted.” The expense was not part of the original plan for that playground, he said. He remarked that the Manahawkin Lake playground – in his view, just a quick drive across town – is already fully configured for disabled residents. The distance is shorter than he drove his kids to parks when they were little, he said.

But his main concern is toxicity.

A chemical called methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) is a binder used in the matting that cures in place over 72 hours and makes up 21% of the volume. Krier cited information from a 2011 action plan report by the federal Environmental Protection Agency that says MDI is a dermal and inhalation sensitizer that can cause asthma and lung damage.

“I’m not a chemist by trade, but this is enough to give me pause,” Krier said.

He also brandished the Public Playground Safety Handbook from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

“It appeared to me as if Stafford Township had gotten less paperwork (about the playground equipment) than I would get if I was buying a TV,” he said.

Mayor Greg Myhre said to Krier, “This is a widely distributed product that’s used in many places, including our own town, which you voted for.”

As town leaders, the council had pledged to make parks more accessible, Myhre said. Stafford Park is a new and growing section of town, he said, and the playground equipment is a necessary and worthwhile expense because it provides a convenient and fair-play opportunity for disabled residents and accessibility for all. Kids want to hit the playground the minute they get off the schoolbus, he said, not wait for a 10-minute ride to a different park several miles away.

The risks Krier cited pertain to the product in its pre-cured state, Myhre said. The same could be said of concrete and plastics.

“I wouldn’t go bathing in hot asphalt, but I drive on it every day, and I walk on it when it’s not too cold,” Myhre said.

Krier said he felt ridiculed for his concerns.

Engineer Frank Little weighed in: “I refinished a wood table, and I used a urethane and a stripper, and I used protective gear when I did it. When it hardened, I put it in my dining room and I eat off it.”

Installation of the new play mat was slated to begin Aug. 15.

Steadman said he’s “100% for recreation in this town” but suggested a wait-and-see approach might be prudent.

During mayor’s comments, Myhre reported that on Aug. 3 Stafford received its plan endorsement from the New Jersey Office of Planning Advocacy, becoming the first town in New Jersey to receive it for the current 10-year cycle.

“This is a very significant accomplishment,” Myhre said. It’s a lengthy, voluntary process of several years “to promote consistency between local master plans and the goals and objectives of the State Development and Redevelopment Plan.”

Earlier in the meeting, CPA Jerry Conaty from Holman, Frenia and Allison presented audit results for 2021, accepted by resolution. The report included two separate opinions on financial statements, he explained. One was “adverse,” which is standard, he said, “because we don’t follow regular accounting principles, but rather a state regulatory (formula)”; and the other “unmodified,” meaning no changes are needed to bring the financials into compliance.

In its operations budget, Stafford’s fund balance totaled $16 million, an increase of $2.1 million, or 30%. The town has a “strong financial makeup there,” Conaty said. The $10 million water and sewer budget was up $600,000 and allows for various capital projects.

The accounting team made no recommendations or found anything that would require corrective action, Conaty said with a big thanks to Stafford Township Administrator Matt von der Hayden and CFO Doug Gannon for their cooperation and help compiling documents, purchase orders, receipts, payroll records and so on, all in addition to employees’ normal responsibilities.

“If you’ve never undergone an audit,” Conaty said to the room, “it’s a lot.”

During public comment, Tammy Nicolini of Eagleswood shared with the council her concerns about people putting themselves in danger and being hurt while attempting to cross state highway Route 72. She wants the town to get a bicyclist/pedestrian overpass built.

Myhre said they’ve started looking into it already.

Engineer Little said it would come with a $5 million price tag, because it would need to be ADA-compliant with a lot of ramps. State grants might be available.

Other commenters at the Aug. 9 meeting were half a dozen residents of Cedar Bonnet Island who had attended to urge the council to help alleviate flooding on their streets.

Gym Wilson of Railroad Avenue said, “We have to drive through saltwater-flooded streets on a regular basis.”

In 2018, the prior administration had agreed to raise the road, but the funding hasn’t come through. Mallard Drive was taken care of in Mud City, he said, and CBI-ers are looking for the same type of fix: add asphalt and raise the manhole covers across a stretch of roadway 450 feet long by 12 feet wide.

When flooded, 11 inches of water stand at center, according to Wilson. Ten inches of asphalt to flatten it out would help, he said. Their catch basin doesn’t work in that situation; the water should drain into the marsh.

The water and sewer department has plans for a new water main in that road, plus additional survey work, so Little can work on a design once the utilities are done. Nothing will happen until next year. The work to run a main extension will tear up the road first.

In mental health news, Sen. Corey Booker and Congressman Andy Kim visited Stafford earlier this month to learn about the On POINT (Proactive Outreach in Needs and Treatment) program, which was created by Stafford Police Chief Thomas Dellane. Stafford is a pilot community for the 2022-23 Mayors Wellness Campaign Mental Health Initiative, Myhre added.

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