From The Press of Atlantic City, Sunday, June 7, 2009-Rob Spahr,Staff Writer— County officials want the Township Committee to be more appreciative of the county services the township receives instead of publicly complaining about what does not get done.
The committee voted last month to call upon Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson to do something to rid the township of the “unsightly” debris that lines county roads in the township.
“(The county workers) aren’t picking the trash up. They’re just mowing it over and blowing it into the woods,” Committeeman Bernard Graebener said in May. “You can walk out there and see the trash is all cut up.”
Graebener, who drafted the letter to Levinson, claimed multiple calls to the county to correct the problem were futile. The letter was signed by Graebener and Committeeman Michael St. Amour.
The complaint drew a strongly worded response from Atlantic County Administrator Gerald Del Rosso.
“You could have picked up the phone like you did when you needed our assistance with the potential solid waste facility on Route 30 proposed by Southern Rail and its local partners,” Del Rosso wrote in a letter to Graebener and St. Amour dated May 28, adding the county was praised for its efforts in preventing the waste transfer station. “In addition, there doesn’t appear to be any futility when Mullica asked the county to help with the tire clean up and when the County’s Division of Public Health acquired an extra $50,000, in addition to the $217,000 from a prior Mullica tire remediation.”
Del Rosso argued the county’s Public Works Department not only responded to each of the township’s complaints, but was also productive when it did.
So far this year, according to Del Rosso, the county has been to Mullica to pick up roadside trash six times, resulting in 72 bags of trash and recyclable materials being collected.
Del Rosso suggested the township do a better job of controlling its own trash problems.
“How many landowners/ homeowners have you written/cited for litter/debris on their property? As that debris moves/blows around, a once clean road now becomes litter-strewn,” he said. “Has your police department cited anything for throwing trash outside their cars? Counties have no authority on the enforcement side.”
Del Rosso said Wednesday that he was “very unhappy” that members of the Township Committee spoke negatively about the efforts of the county’s workers without doing enough to reach out to Public Works Department supervisors first.
“I suggest you might want to consider working with the county instead of against our efforts,” Del Rosso said.
Graebener said Del Rosso’s letter did not accomplish very much and did not address any of the township’s concerns.
“We want to work with the county, but we called them four times and nothing got done. They were even mowing over the garbage on Moss Mill Road again (Tuesday),” Graebener said. “As elected representatives, we have responsibilities to our taxpayers and that includes making sure the roads are clean.”
Sunday, June 07, 2009
ATLANTIC COUNTY CALLS MULLICA TOWNSHIP UNAPPRECIATIVE
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DENNIS LEVINSON MUST BE RELATED TO CHASSEY WHO REFUSES TO BATH BEFORE MEETINGS (YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN) I CAN'T BELEAVE THAT ALL THE MONEY THEY GET THEY CANT AFFORD TO PAY SOMEONE 8 BUCKS AN HOUR TO CLEAN THE ROADS UP. THE WAY I SEE IT THE WHITE HORSE PIKE CARRYS A GOOD PART OF THE GAMBLERS TO ATLANTIC CITY AND IF THE COUNTY DOESNT CARE ABOUT THE GARDEN STATE WHY SHOULD WE. HELL MAYBE WE GET THAT TRASH DUMP HERE AFTER ALL AFTER ALL WHO CARES ABOUT THE TRASH ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD NOT THE COUNTY. DENNIS LEVINSON WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME ALL OF YOU TO THE GREAT TRASH STATE OF NEW JERSEY. TIME FOR CHANGE THROW THIS BUM AND I MEAN BUM OUT OF OFFICE. SIGNED LETS NOT GO GREEN WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE THE GARDEN STATE??????????????????????
Shame on Chasey and Forman for not caring about the community for something as basic as clean roads and on chicken Kennedy for not signing the letter after he voted to send it.
Isn't that part of why we're paying taxes to the county every year, to keep the county roads clean?
Do your job and then we'll be appreciative.
Del Rosso tries so hard to change the story that the claims must be true.
Instead of becoming so defensive,maybe Del Rosso could have taken a ride to Mullica and watched his guys mowing over the garbage on Moss Mill Road.
I see he's spinning the facts about the rail transfer station. We all know that the Republican County Machine was behind it as a way to get rid of the Casino garbage. Is Del Rosso holding a personal grudge against St Amour and Graebener because they were in the front lines against it?
Mr.Graebener called them four times and nothing got done and then they were still mowing over the trash and they say that Mullica is "unappreciative". Our town roads are ok. It's the County's responsibility to pick up trash on the County roads.
When DelRosso suggested that Mullica "consider working with the county instead of against our efforts", was he suggesting that we just overlook the trash as Chasey suggested? Chasey has proven once again that her loyalty to her"County friends"is her top priority. She sold us out again on this one and has the nerve to tell us to get bags and gloves and clean the roads ourselves.
Why isn't Levinson addressing this issue himself? Is he trying to keep his hands clean?
As for Mr. Del Rosso, he states "You could have picked up the phone...", however it later states in the article that the county was called four times over this and they are still, as of last Tuesday, just mowing over the trash. Apparently, Mr. Del Rosso doesn't even proof his own letters before he sends them out.
I feel badly for the county employees who mow the grass, as they probably aren't the same ones sent to pick up the trash. They are just doing what they are told to do by their superiors.
DENNY, you should be ashamed of yourself for using your lackey to write the letter. The buck stops with you and you're not getting the job done. So no, I am not appreciative of your half-assed efforts.
MR. LEVINSON, THE TOWNSHIP OF MULLICA WILL SHOW YOU THEIR APPRECIATION WHEN YOU ARE UP FOR RE-ELECTION NEXT YEAR.
"So far this year, according to Del Rosso, the county has been to Mullica to pick up roadside trash six times, resulting in 72 bags of trash and recyclable materials being collected."
Where and when? I bet he's counting the bags of trash that the few volunteers fill and leave along portions the roads for the county to collect as being part of the its trash collection effort.
Del Rosso suggested that the Twp. do a better job of controlling its own trash. These are County roads,so it's his trash spread throughout our town.
He says they came into town 6 times and picked up 72 bags. Our guys tried calling them 4 times,wrote a letter and then saw them mowing the trash again. Somebody should check into the work orders on the County level and find out who is reporting all this trash pick up.
Maybe the County should sign in with the Clerk or the Police Dept. before they start work and someone could inspect the area when they're done. At least we'll find out if they're doing their job or we just have a bunch of litterers driving through all the time.
Why is the solution always a government responsibility? What happened to personal resposibility, civic pride, volunteerism? This isn't just a WHP issue. How about Moss Mill Rd, Nesco Rd, and Columbia Rd. These are all roads used by both Mullica residents and people heading to beach destinations. How many Mullica residents pick up the trash along the roads that pass in front of their property? How many volunteers "adopt a road" in the interest of cleaning the environment of litter? How many locals don't cover the contents of their pick-up trucks on the way to the dump so their trash blows onto the roads? Sure, we pay taxes to the county but but it's pretty small amount relative to school & township levies.
I like this, that we are unappreciative. Don't we pay taxes every year? Are they not appreciative of the our tax dollars? They make it sound as if we should never complain because they helped us out in the past. But wasn't that their job to begin with? So every township gets 2 favors and that is it? Can we pay 2 years worth of taxes and than stop and if they complain than we can say, hey we paid for 2 years. That will ,of course, never happen.
Instead of, yes, we will take care of it, we get whining, denial (not out fault not our problem and blame, hey, you guys do your job? What a joke. Shame on Denny Levinson and Delrosso.
Sorry guys, as much as I hate to admit it I am with Chasey on this one. There are hundreds of miles of county roads that must be maintained, including trash removal and mowing. Check out the Adopt a Road program and, yes, put on a pair of gloves and pick up the trash.
I don't see the Township picking up the trash that blows on my property every weekend as people drive by on the way to the dump.
Re 7:35 pm
The people on the way to the dump are supposed to have tied bags with the orange tags on them. How can they be the source of the trash on the roads?
I think it's coming from people who are eating in their cars and throwing the wrappers out the window. I'm sure they look around for any police cars before they throw it out, so I don't know how you could stop these people.
I think that the people from the County have a terrible attitude about the problem.
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