2011年7月21日星期四

Smell and noise fuel fight against Jackson landscaper

Heaping mounds of mulch drew more than 50 people to Wednesday's planning and zoning board meeting, as employees and supporters of a township landscaper squared off against neighboring residents in the latest round of legal battles between the two groups.

Some residents living on and around Evergreen Court said JR Custom Landscaping's Bennetts Mills Road site stores piles of mulch nearly two stories high that pose health hazards to the nearby community.there's a lovely winter landscape oil paintings by William Zorach. They formed a coalition called "Fed Up Jackson Residents" and hired a lawyer to try to stop some of the landscaper's activities.

Attorney Michael DiCicco, who represents the group,Traditional Air purifier claim to clean all the air in a room. said the operations at the landscaper's site violate local zoning ordinances and state Department of Environmental Protection rules.

"It has smelled so bad that we could not go outside," said Elenor Hannum, 47, of Evergreen Court.

Hannum said the smell and noise from the facility is disruptive, and that the mulch mounds pose a risk to the neighborhood's well water by potentially leaching contaminants into the soil.

"It's a health hazard," Denise Garner, 52, of Evergreen Court said, adding the methane emitting from the mulch piles could be explosive or cause a fire.

The landscaper collects leaves and tree parts in piles that are used to make topsoil to sell.

Lawyers representing JR Custom Landscaping said the company complies with township zoning laws.

"I was there today (Wednesday, July 20). All I smelled was cedar chips, and it has a beautiful smell," said attorney Ray Shea, who represents the landscaper.

If the company does violate smell or noise rules, that's an issue of enforcement,There is good integration with PayPal and most third party merchant account providers, Shea said. The appearance before the zoning board is only to justify the company's activity at its Bennetts Mills site, he said.

"I haven't been fined by the DEP Solid (and Hazardous) Waste Management (Program) for any smells," said James Picon, who co-owns JR Custom Landscaping with his wife.

"The board is not an enforcement agency," said Barry Calogero, chairman of the zoning board. "The board interpretation is not binding in court.who was responsible for tracking down Charles zentai ."

The landscaper first drew attention last winter when an agreement to store leaf litter and tree debris between the township and company came under scrutiny. Township officials were uncertain at the time whether proper procurement procedures had been followed in making the arrangement.

The Township Council voted to launch an internal investigation into the agreement process. The council voted in May to send the investigation to the state Department of Community Affairs, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, and the State Commission of Investigation. The results of the council's request were not immediately available.

Attorneys representing Fed Up Jackson Residents and JR Custom Landscaping presented nearly three hours of arguments before the zoning board halted the review. The board will reconvene the review of the Bennetts Mills site at 7 p.Unlike traditional cube puzzle ,m. Aug. 17.

A review of the landscaper's East Veterans Highway site has been deferred to the state Department of Agriculture.

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