Cleaner water sought at mobile-home parks
The Township Committee moved its meeting closer to residents of the township's two mobile-home parks in hope of hearing residents' quality-of-life concerns.
And did they ever get an earful.
For nearly an hour and a half, a dozen residents of Pinewood Estates and Brighton at Barnegat, both senior-citizen mobile-home parks, spoke of problems with drinking-water quality, overflowing septic tanks and fields, and health problems plaguing people and pets. Scores of residents applauded each speaker.
"Please, please help us try to rectify this problem," Pinewood Estates resident Dianne Grockenberger said.
The township's Rent Leveling Board has approved monthly rent increases of more than $20 at both parks. Residents have filed an appeal of the increases with the committee, which will now take 30 days to review information.
"There is a considerable amount of material to be viewed in order to render an intelligent decision," Township Administrator David Breeden said.
Last year, the board denied a rent increase at Pinewood Estates because the state Department of Environmental Protection cited the park's owners, Newbury Management of Michigan, for the levels of lead and copper in the drinking water. Since then, Newbury has made corrective efforts, and the DEP has notified the company that it now complies with water quality standards.
"A lot of people in these two communities cannot afford a $21-a-month increase," Brighton at Barnegat resident Phyllis Roberts said. "A lot of the widows here are living on Social Security only. Do the corporations know that?"
Many residents spoke of health problems that they suspected were caused by the drinking water.
"When I moved in, I was healthy. There was nothing wrong. They kept on telling me the water was good; I was drinking the water," Pinewood Estates resident Frances Truselo said. "I wound up with cancer."
While the committee could not make formal statements about the appeal, members pledged to help the residents.
"This is the United States of America, and we've got to worry about people dealing with contaminated water? It's not acceptable," Committeeman Al Cirulli said. "We'll use everything at our disposal."
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