1. HE’S THE BEE’S KNEES!
Meet Point Pleasant’s Dennis Rittenhouse PAGE 23
BAY HEAD S LAVALLETTE S MANTOLOKING S POINT PLEASANT S POINT PLEASANT BEACH
75 CENTSFRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2015
Going away? Police have
your back in Bay Head
Subdivision gets
Beach board OK
Thulen joins Point Boro Council
BY ANGELA CIROALO
THE OCEAN STAR
BAY HEAD — In the wake of the re-
cent freezing temperatures, the Bay
Head Police Department is reminding
residents of the department’s Request
for House Watch assistance program.
The Bay Head Police Department
created a form that allows residents to
go on vacation, or away for the winter
season, and rest assured that their
home will be safe in their absence.
According to Bay Head Police Sec-
retary Kelley Jean Mickle, the form
was created for residents going away
on vacation for a few days, or resi-
dents going away for several months,
to know that their home will be se-
cure in their absence.
There are a number of emergencies
that can occur in a residence while
the homeowner is away, including a
flood, pipe bursting, fire, break-in or
robbery.
Residents who request the police
watch their home will receive period-
ic visits from a police officer while
they are out of town to ensure that an
issue has not occurred.
The form allows the residents to
supply the department with their
name, address, the dates that they will
be away from their home, whether or
not they have an alarm system, if
there will be any cars in the driveway,
as well as any additional information
that the resident wishes to supply.
Upon leaving Bay Head, a resident
is able to provide as little or as much
information to the police as they feel
necessary, Ms. Mickle said.
However, the more information
that is provided, the better, she added.
Some residents have friends come
to visit their home and feed an animal
or water plants. If this is the case, it is
best for the department to be notified
of this if the police are keeping watch
on the home, Ms. Mickle explained.
Otherwise, an officer may think a
break-in is occurring.
Additionally, including information
“I know that he is going
to work as hard as the rest
of us so that the borough
continues to be a safe and
reasonable place to live and
raise a family and retire.”
ANTOINETTEDEPAOLACouncilPresident
ANGELA CIROALO THE OCEAN STAR
Michael Thulen Jr. was sworn in to fill the vacant council seat on the Point Pleasant Council Tuesday. Councilman Thulen was sworn
in by Borough Clerk David Maffei alongside his wife, Jennifer Thulen, and his parents, Michael Thulen Sr. and Noureen Graham.
KAITLYN KANZLER THE OCEAN STAR
Lt. William Hoffman [left] and Sgt. First Class Todd Larue of the Bay Head Police
Department reviewed one of the forms residents fill out as part of the department’s
House Watch assistance program.
BY ANGELA CIROALO
THE OCEAN STAR
POINT PLEASANT — The
Point Pleasant govern-
ing body welcomed
Michael Thulen Jr. as
the newest addition to
the council on Tuesday,
Feb. 2.
Mayor Bob Sabosik’s
previous seat on the
council had been vacant
since he was sworn in as
mayor on Jan. 4.
In order to fill the
mayor’s unexpired term,
the Republican Commit-
tee of Point Pleasant ac-
cepted resumes and ap-
plications for the
position last month and
presented the council
with three candidates.
The candidates — An-
drew Preiser, Robert
Nikola and now-council-
man Thulen — each
gave a presentation to
council during the Jan.
20 council meeting.
As a result of the pres-
entation and after evalu-
ating the credentials and
accomplishments of
each candidate, the
BY PAIGE TAYLOR
THE OCEAN STAR
POINT PLEASANT BEACH — The
planning board, here, ap-
proved a subdivision that will
create six new single-family
homes off Parkway from three
existing lots at this Wednes-
day’s meeting.
The subdivision application,
submitted on behalf of Frank
and Anthony Storino by John
Jackson, of King, Kitrick, Jack-
son & McWeeney LLC, is for
the property located at the
Parkway estates, lots 15, 16 and
22, block 107.
Mr. Jackson told the plan-
ning board this is an appropri-
ate development for the area.
“We believe these houses
are fitting in the neighbor-
hood, and it’s a good use of the
property that’s there,” he said.
The existing lot’s three units
were called “odd shaped” by
the project’s engineer, Jeffrey
C. Carr, of Lindstrom, Diess-
ner & Carr, PC.
“[The current lots] 15 and 16
front on Parkway and 22 has
no frontage — it’s kind of a no
man’s land in there,” he said.
The proposed subdivision
would include six homes on
what is roughly a 40,000-
square-foot lot. Two of the
units will face Parkway; the
other four proposed units
would face each other inward
on the property.
The applicant proposed a
common driveway be con-
structed in between the units
— with three homes on each
side — that would be a private
lane tended to by the home-
owners association. Each unit
would have four parking
spaces with the option for a
garage. The four rear units
would be a maximum of 32
feet in height.
“The back four units would
have typical garages, but we
would provide the minimum
off-street parking per the RSIS
[Residential Site Improvement
Standards],” Mr. Carr said.
Each of the proposed units
would comply with the neces-
sary square footage, bedroom
[four maximum] and height
New resident of the borough sworn
in to mayor’s former council seat
SEE BORO PAGE 18
Residents’ concerns
addressed through
conditions
SEE BEACH PAGE 9
COURTESY OF STORINO, STORINO & STORINO
A newly approved subdivision will allow for the construction of six new
homes, two of which will have frontage on Parkway.
COURTESY OF STORINO, STORINO & STORINO
On Wednesday, the Point Pleasant Beach Planning Board approved a
subdivision that will result in six new homes off Parkway.
Residents can sign up to
have police check on their
homes periodically
SEE POLICE PAGE 2
THE DETAILS
PARKWAY SUBDIVISION
The Lot
Six units at block 107
0.9 acres, or 39,795 square feet
SF5 residential zone
Two street facing, four rear units
The Units
Each property will be a minimum
of 5,000 square feet.
Two front units do not have
height restrictions.
The four rear units are required
to be 32 feet high, maximum.
Each unit will be eligible for an
individual garage and four park-
ing spaces.
Additional Details
Each of the six units will share
common driveway, or “lane,”
that leads to the homes.
The driveway will be 16-feet
wide with gravel on each side.
The units will be restricted to
two garbage cans each.
Light posts will be installed.

2. requirements for the SF5 res-
idential zone; however, the
four located in the back of the
property require frontage
variances as they will not
face the street.
The properties will each be
a minimum of 5,000 square
feet, which is a requirement
of the SF5 zone, but vary in
size, according to Mr. Carr.
The footprint for the
dwellings would be around
1,800 square feet.
“The smallest lots would
be 5,863 square feet so they
do exceed the minimum re-
quirements; and the largest
lots would be a little over
7,700 feet,” Mr. Carr said.
Mr. Carr also said these
lots meet the requirements of
the neighborhood “very
well,” and discussed the pri-
vate lane configuration.
He said the road will in-
clude an access easement as
there is no right of way. The
lane will be 16-feet wide with
a gravel strip on each side “to
effectively give a larger ac-
cess way but the appearance
of the driveway.”
“The reason why we
picked the layout is that it
still tends to mirror how a
typical development looks,”
Mr. Carr said.
Mr. Jackson said part and
parcel of “buying in” would
include the agreement, or
“covenant,” by the homeown-
er to plow and maintain the
road.
The homes would be com-
pliant with Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency
flood zone requirements and
the finished floors of the
units would be elevation 11,
three feet above grade, which
is relatively “conventional,”
according to Mr. Carr.
Mr. Carr proposed in-
stalling a stormwater man-
agement system known as a
rain garden at the properties.
All of the houses would have
“recharge systems” on site
for roof-water drainage, as
well, as the property is rela-
tively flat.
There was not a definite
design plan for the homes,
however, architect Mary Ort-
man presented a concept ren-
dering of the units. The six
units would be a mix of styles
that mimic “Cape Cod, crafts-
man and seashore colonial”
styles, she said. All six units
would be either one and one-
half stories or two stories.
Christine Nazzaro Cafone,
a planner with Cafone Con-
sulting Group, addressed the
positive and negative criteria
of the project. She reiterated
that the project is compliant
size-wise, and the applicant is
seeking relief because the
four back lots lack frontage.
She also said this is not un-
usual, and the borough does
not disallow “alleys.”
“As far as this being some
rare unicorn of a planning
concept, it’s really not be-
cause your underlying zoning
does allow this type of use,”
she said.
She said the project will
not have an “adverse effect
on drainage,” and board
members have stated ade-
quate firefighting apparatus
can access the site and the
configuration.
“This application goes a
long way as far as preserving
the streetscape on parkway,”
she said, adding that it also
allows three parallel parking
spaces to remain on Parkway.
Following Ms. Cafone’s
presentation, Mr. Jackson
said, “You can tell by the ap-
plication, a great deal of
thought from some very good
professionals hired by the
Storinos has been put into
this.”
Many of the residents in
the direct vicinity of the pro-
posed location attended the
meeting to raise their con-
cerns.
Among their issues were
turnaround accessibility for
emergency vehicles in the
lane, traffic congestion in the
area, an abundance of
garbage cans piling up on the
street, lighting plans, fear of
summer renters, excessive
rain-water collection by sur-
rounding homes and the ef-
fect on the value of the neigh-
borhood overall.
The board and its attorney
fleshed out issues presented
by the public and put into
place multiple conditions,
along with the possibility of
adding more.
THE CONDITIONS
All members of the board
recognized the Storino family
for their impressive work
across town, and thanked
those who presented during
the meeting.
The board voted in favor of
the application with over one
dozen conditions compiled
by the board attorney, Dennis
Galvin, with the exception of
Dave Cavagnaro, who feared
the potential intensity and
competition for on-street
parking with six units on the
property.
The conditions are as fol-
lows.
The applicant is to create a
homeowners association that
will record access and main-
tenence of storm water,
which may include a rain gar-
den, as well as how the lane
will be maintained, plowed
and replaced. There shall be
no parking along the lane,
with signage indicating this.
Houses are limited to four
bedrooms. Each home is to
provide foundation plans.
The applicant is to obtain
grading and drainage per-
mits.
Additionally, at no time
should there be more than six
garbage cans on either side of
the lane on Parkway. Each
home is to have a two-car
garage and must provide a
minimum of four parking
spaces per lot. The applicant
is to request the application
of title 39 to the lane, so po-
lice may issue tickets if peo-
ple park there. All homes are
to be accessed from the pri-
vate lane. Interior homes
shall be limited to 2,800-
square-feet of inhabitable
area, exclusive to garages and
porches with a height limit of
32 feet
Also, the two lots with
Parkway frontage will com-
ply with all SF5 setbacks. The
interior lots shall comply
with all setbacks except for
front yard, which shall be a
minimum of 25 feet. Each of
the interior lots are to have
lamp post lighting. The appli-
cant’s engineer shall provide
a turning template providing
that the stone piers [located
on Parkway] will not impact
emergency vehicle access.
None of the homes’ first-floor
elevations are too exceed 14
feet in height.
The official list is expected
to be memorialized at the
next meeting on March 4.
Paige Taylor covers Point Pleasant
Beach for The Ocean Star. She can be
reached at ptaylor@theoceanstar.com
or 732-899-7606 Ext 14.
WWW.STARNEWSGROUP.COM FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2015 THE OCEAN STAR PAGE 9POINT PLEASANT BEACH
BY PAIGE TAYLOR
THE OCEAN STAR
POINT PLEASANT BEACH —
This weekend, residents at
The Joan Valentine House, on
Bay Avenue, will get fresh
hairdos with the help of pro-
fessional hairstylists from a
nearby salon.
Level Up Style, a hair salon
located in Brick, is set to ar-
rive at the Valentine House
on Sunday, Feb. 8, with their
gear and talent ready for res-
idents.
According to activities co-
ordinator at the Valentine
House, Rita Feder, the salon
contacted the assisted living
facility to offer their services
free of charge.
In addition to offering their
services for no associated fee,
the salon employees will be
traveling with their own tools
for the haircuts, including
blow dryers, curling irons
and, of course, scissors.
“We are very excited and
really looking forward to
this,” Ms. Feder said. “They
[the salon] said there is no
charge, they just want to do
something and give back.”
Ms. Feder said there are
several residents signed up to
receive a haircut and the ap-
pointments will begin at 3
p.m. on Sunday.
Beach’s Valentine House
set to welcome salon pros
Planning board approves subdivision for six homes on Parkway
BEACH
FROM PAGE 1
COURTESY OF NANCY CAMERON
TOOTHFAIRY PAYS VISIT TO BEACH
Dr. John Little, of Sea Girt Dentistry, and the tooth fairy, a
friend of Terri Esposito, visited The Learning Center pre-
school in Point Pleasant Beach to teach the class, including
Matthew Ravallo and June Ash the importance of brushing
their teeth.

3. WWW.STARNEWSGROUP.COMPAGE 6 THE OCEAN STAR FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2015 LAVALETTE
POINT PLEASANT BEACH 2015
LITTLE LEAGUE REGISTRATION
Date: Saturday, Feb. 7
Time: 9 a.m.- 12 p.m.
Location: The G. Harold Antrim
Elementary School
Contact: Vincent J. Cicalese vici-
calese@gmail.com or
732-492-2313
Children who reside in Point Pleasant
Beach, Point Pleasant Borough, Bay
Head, Lavallette and Mantoloking,
ages four and up are invited to register
for the Point Pleasant Beach Little
League team. Items required to regis-
ter; three documents of proof and orig-
inal birth certificate for proof of age.
Scholarships are available for families
in need of assistance. Late fees will be
applied after Feb. 7.
COUNCIL MEETING
Date: Monday, Feb. 9
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Lavallette First Aid
1207 Bay Boulevard
VALENTINES BRUNCH
Date: Sunday, Feb. 15
Time: 11:30 a.m.
Cost: $32
Location: Serenity Cafe, 2009
Rt. 37E, S&F Plaza, Toms River,
The event is sponsored by the Friends
of Lavallette Beautification. Menu
includes eggs Benedict, frittata, carved
ham, made to order waffles & omelets
and much more.
Mail checks to Friends of Lav.
Beautification, 1606 Grand Central
Ave., Lavallette, NJ 08735. Attention of
Joanne LaCicero. Include name, phone
number, address, number of people
attending.
PLANNING BOARD MEETING
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 18
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Firehouse parking lot,
trailer 2, 125 Washington Ave.
COUNCIL MEETING
Date: Monday, Feb. 23
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Lavallette First Aid
1207 Bay Boulevard
BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 25
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Lavallette School, 105
Brooklyn Ave.
ENTERTAINMENT BOOK SALE
Cost: $30
Contact: Sophie, 732-793-1821
The Catholic Daughters - Court St.
Bonaventure are once again selling the
Entertainment Book. The 2015 book is
available now and can be used imme-
diately. Free delivery is available along
the barrier island.
AEROBICS
Date: Mondays, Wednesdays &
Fridays
Time: 4 p.m.
Location: Union Church, 25
Philadelphia Ave.
Cost: $3
TAI-CHI
Date: Tuesdays
Time: 10 a.m.
Location: Lavallette First Aid
Building, 1207 Bay Blvd.
Cost: $3
ZUMBA
Date: Mondays & Thursdays
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Monday at Lavallette
School, 105 Brooklyn Ave.;
Thursday at Union Church, 25
Philadelphia Ave.
Cost: $3
YOGA
Date: Tuesdays & Thursdays
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Union Church, 25
Philadelphia Ave.
Cost: $3
POINT PLEASANT YOUTH
BASEBALL, SOFTBALL
REGISTRATION OPEN
Contact: Register online
www.pointbaseball.com
Baseball is open to player from Point
Pleasant Borough, Point Pleasant
Beach, Bay Head and Mantoloking.
Softball is open to Point Pleasant
Borough, Point Pleasant Beach, Bay
Head, Mantoloking, Brielle, Manasquan
and Brick Township. Buddy Ball offered
for players with special needs ages 5
to 21.
TOP SOCCER PROGRAM
Cost: $10
Contact: Point Pleasant Soccer
Club, www.pointpleasantsc.org
TOPSoccer is run through the Point
Pleasant Soccer Club [PPSC]. The pro-
gram provides an opportunity for play-
ers with special needs ages five
through 25 to experience the game of
soccer through motor skills, soccer
drills and scrimmages. Registration for
the TOPSoccer program is still open at
www.pointpleasantsoccer.org. All
players will need to register either via
the PPSC website or by mailing in a
form. Registration for this program will
not close out. The $10 player fee is to
cover New Jersey Youth Soccer insur-
ance and program expenses.
LAVALLETTE
EVENTSTo submit a calendar listing
or Lavallette story, email
ptaylor@theoceanstar.com
BY PAIGE TAYLOR
THE OCEAN STAR
LAVALLETTE — The Laval-
lette Board of Education
[BOE] raised multiple con-
cerns at their last meeting re-
lating to the new Partnership
for Assessment of Readiness
for College and Careers
[PARCC] testing that was
implemented statewide this
school year.
THE ASSESSMENTS
It is mandated that stu-
dents in grades three
through 11 take the state test.
Once a student reaches a
specialized level of mathe-
matics, such as algebra, they
will take a PARCC assess-
ment specifically designated
for that subject. The lan-
guage arts exams will be con-
sistent by grade levels, not
specific subjects.
Unlike other standardized
tests which are taken once a
year, such as the High School
Proficiency Assessment
[HSPA] and the New Jersey
Assessment of Skills and
Knowledge [NJASK], PAR-
CC will be implemented
twice a year — once in Feb-
ruary and again in early May.
PARCC also differs from
other state-mandated stan-
dardized tests because the
PARCC exams are heavily
embedded in technology.
Students will take the exams
on the computer, rather than
the traditional pencil-and-
paper format. Some required
skills include using electron-
ic rulers, protractors, high-
lighting text and multitask-
ing by scrolling between
different texts.
THE BOARD’S CONCERNS
The Lavallette Board of
Education has been taking
the proper precautions to
implement and prepare stu-
dents for the test, which will
take place this month.
Superintendent of Laval-
lette School Peter Morris
said, “I think we’re as ready
as anybody else I know.”
He said the school regis-
tered for the test on Jan. 16,
ensured the technology as-
pects were in line, did per-
sonal plans for each student
and more with regard to the
assessments.
He also said he is unsure
as to what the noise level as-
sociated with the test will be
for the students and that stu-
dents will be bringing their
own headphones and provid-
ed with ones as well.
Board president Stephen
Shohfi chimed in to Mr. Mor-
ris’ uncertainty by stating
that there is a “big unknown
factor” associated with the
test.
Mr. Morris stated that
there is a lot on the line for
schools, including teacher
evaluations, school report
cards and school evaluations.
Mr. Shohfi said he “proce-
dural document” from the
state’s department of educa-
tion on opting out of the test.
However, he could not find
information as to what the
consequences are for stu-
dents who willingly opt out
of the assessment.
Mr. Shohfi raised the con-
cern and asked if PARCC is a
graduation requirement for
students.
He said, “The one thing it
didn’t say — what the end re-
sult is, what’s the conse-
quence to the kid education-
ally, academically, if they opt
out.”
Vice president of the
board, Alison Zylinski, said
there has been word circulat-
ing that if too many students
opt out of the test, “it will af-
fect the money that you re-
ceive in your school.”
Board member Lisa Taylor
raised an additional concern
of what happens to teachers
in a similar process.
She said, “In a little school
like this, suppose you only
have 12 kids and your four re-
ally bright ones decide to opt
out, what does that do to the
teacher?”
Ms. Zylinski also spoke of
children entering specialized
high school programs. She
questioned how a school can
determine whether a student
is qualified for a certain pro-
gram based on the testing.
Despite the questions
raised, the school is moving
forward with PARCC and
following the appropriate
procedures. At the meeting
on Jan. 30, the board ap-
proved the 2015 PARCC Se-
curity Testing Plan that out-
lines procedures in place in
case of an emergency during
the test.
Paige Taylor covers Lavallette for The
Ocean Star. She can be reached at
ptaylor@theoceanstar.com or 732-
899-7606 Ext 14.
BOE: District is on track for PARCC testing
Board discusses
concerns with
PARCC testing
BY PAIGE TAYLOR
THE OCEAN STAR
LAVALLETTE — What better
way to celebrate the holiday
of love than with delectable
goodies?
The Friends of Lavallette
Beautification Committee
will host a Valentine’s Day
Brunch next week to allow at-
tendees to escape from the
cold and socialize with neigh-
bors.
Many residents, here, may
be familiar with the commit-
tee’s Annual Dinner Demo
hosted at the Serenity Cafe,
which is where the brunch
will take place.
The inaugural brunch will
be held on Sunday, Feb. 15, at
11:30 a.m. at the Serenity Cafe,
2009 Route 37 East, in the
S&F Plaza in Toms River.
A variety of menu items
will available to satisfy atten-
dees’ cravings. Items to be
served include eggs benedict,
frittata, French toast, carved
ham, waffles, omelets made-
to-order, small pastries,
breakfast meats and more.
Pat Marrone, president of
the Friends of LavalletteBeau-
tification Committee, said the
brunch will be the first of the
committee’s events this year,
with more to come in the
spring and summer.
“We thought it’d be nice to
have people get out in middle
of winter and meet friends
and enjoy brunch,” she said.
“We decided it’d be nice to
get everybody out in the day-
light.”
Ms. Marrone said it will be
a wonderful, social event and
a great way for people to es-
cape from the construction,
snow and cold weather for a
few hours. She also said Jan-
ice Unfried, vice president of
the Friends of Lavallette
Beautification Committee,
did a wonderful job arranging
the event.
To attend, patrons may
mail a $32 check to Friends of
Lavallette Beautification by
Feb. 7. The address is 1606
Grand Central Ave., Laval-
lette, N.J. 08735, with attention
to Joanne LaCicero.
People are asked to include
their name, phone number,
address and number of peo-
ple attending at $32 each.
According to Ms. Marrone,
all proceeds will be put aside
for the committee’s goal of
donating a check to the bor-
ough for landscaping to be
done at the new municipal
complex site, upon its com-
pletion.
LAVALLETTE BEAUTIFICATION
The Lavallette Beautifica-
tion Committee is an advisory
committee working in con-
junction with the mayor and
council to research and devel-
op plans for updating and
beautifying the borough,
while preserving the charac-
ter and quaintness of the
seashore town.
Council President and liai-
son to the Beautification
Committee, Anita Zalom, said
it is a wonderful organization.
“Everything you see [that
is] beautiful around town,
they helped with,” she said.
For example, the commit-
tee raised funds and donated
a Christmas tree that was
decorated by the Lavallette
School.
Ms. Zalom also said all of
the proceeds from their
events are put back into the
town for its beautification.
Paige Taylor covers Lavallette for The
Ocean Star. She can be reached at
ptaylor @theoceanstar.com or 732-
899-7606 Ext 14.
Beautification Committee to host brunch
Mail checks to attend
Valentines Day Brunch
by Feb. 7

4. WWW.STARNEWSGROUP.COM FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2015 THE OCEAN STAR PAGE 7LAVALLETTE
New Jersey Devils & boro residents strengthen ties
BY PAIGE TAYLOR
THE OCEAN STAR
LAVALLETTE — The New Jer-
sey Devils professional
hockey team and Lavallette
residents forged a relation-
ship last fall that was rekin-
dled last week.
Two school bus-loads of
people ventured to the Pru-
dential Center, Newark, to
see the New Jersey Devils
play on Jan. 31. Among the
crowd of people in atten-
dance were children, par-
ents and teachers number-
ing over 100, who attended
the home game to cheer on
and support the state’s ice
hockey team.
The game resulted in a
win against the Florida Pan-
thers, 3-1, and spirits were
certainly high.
The New Jersey Devils
had offered the game tickets
to Lavallette School and the
comunity as a whole, as the
team had previously fos-
tered a connection with the
seashore community.
Last fall, players and for-
mer athletes from the hock-
ey team joined forces with
residents, volunteers and
students to plant grass on
the dunes of Lavallette
beach.
The Devils players, em-
ployees and alumni had
been participating in a pro-
gram in conjunction with
the Prudential Center and
the New Jersey Tree Foun-
dation called “Pucks for
Parks,” which sought to cre-
ate more green spaces and
better the environment in
New Jersey.
According to Jim Leonard,
Senior Vice President of
Community Investment for
the Prudential Center and
New Jersey Devils, the em-
ployees are involved in a
program that requires
around 80 hours of paid
time to donate to non-profit
groups.
As an effort to fulfill serv-
ice hours and assist the
Shore community, the hock-
ey team contacted Lisa
Simms, the executive direc-
tor of the New Jersey Tree
Foundation, saying that they
wanted to help make a dune
grass donation and provide
assistance in planting the
grass. Denise Wirth, of the
Lavallette Heritage Commit-
tee, subsequently reached
out to Ms. Simms saying the
borough was interested in
the team’s help.
Ms. Wirth, with the help
of Council President Anita
Zalom and the entire Laval-
lette Council and borough
officials, helped bring the
event to fruition on Nov. 4 at
the borough’s beach at
Philadelphia Avenue.
The hockey team’s efforts
amounted in the donation of
70,000 plants to Lavallette
— plants with the purpose
of stabilizing in shifting
sands and helping to pre-
vent coastal erosion by forti-
fying the dune system — as
well as hundreds of planters
out on the dunes that day.
At the team’s home game
last week, thousands of
spectators, including resi-
dents of Lavallette, got to
witness their efforts from
that day in November for
the second time, this time
on the big screen.
A brief video of the hun-
dreds of planters at work
streamed on the Jumbotron
of the Prudential Center im-
mediately after the hockey
players entered the rink, ac-
cording to Councilwoman
Zalom.
Planting the dune grass
not only nodded to environ-
mental sustainability, it
helped to create a safer
shoreline for borough resi-
dents in the case of another
emergency.
“We were all so proud to
make the Shore safe,” Coun-
cilwoman Zalom said.
Mr. Leonard echoed that
sentiment.
“We had a great experi-
ence working collectively
with some of the kids from
Lavallette School,” he said.
“It was part of our initiative
to create close working rela-
tionships with the commu-
nity in and around our area.
“We want to continue to
build a relationship and we
thought this was an oppor-
tunity to do so,” he added.
Mr. Leonard also said the
New Jersey Devils plan to
revisit the Borough of Laval-
lette to clean and plant more
dune grass at the beach in
the future.
“We’d rather do multiple
events and have a long-term
relationship because it
works best for our organiza-
tions and the communities
we’re trying to work collec-
tively with,” Mr. Leonard
said.
He said the team will
schedule a visit during a
time that is most convenient
for the school and governing
body of the borough.
Additionally, Council-
woman Zalom said the
Lavallette residents were
proud of the ice hockey
team and their second win
of the season that occurred
the evening of Jan. 31.
To watch the video of the
team helping out in Laval-
lette, visit the “Devils TV”
link on the team’s website,
devils.nhl.com.
Paige Taylor covers Lavallette for The
Ocean Star. She can be reached at
ptaylor@theoceanstar.com or 732-
899-7606 Ext 14.
COURTESY OF SHARON CARROLL
Peter Morris [center], Superintendent of Lavallette School, enjoyed some downtime at the New Jersey
Devils hockey game with Liz and Joe Giampetro recently.
Over 100 locals visited
the home of the New
Jersey Devils on Jan. 31
COURTESY OF SHARON CARROLL
Father and son, Hunter [bottom] and Jared Grosso [top right], of
Lavallette, met with New Jersey Devils representative, Jim Leonard,
at the game on Jan. 31, when Hunter also won a ride on the zamboni.