Hamilton's Potential Building Moratorium
Topic: COMMUNITY INTEREST

 

 

By Tammy Duffy

 

 

 

 

 

One of the main goals of the 1972  Clean Water Act was to stop “point-source pollution.” That’s the sewage and industrial waste pumped out of pipes and into the nation’s waterways.

 

To help communities build and upgrade wastewater collection and treatment systems in the years after the Clean Water Act’s passage, the federal government handed out billions of dollars in grants. But most of those federal grants are gone, replaced by loans. At the same time, those federally subsidized municipal wastewater systems have aged.

When wastewater treatment plants fail, the environment takes the hit, and so do the people who want to use public waters for drinking water, food or recreation. 

These days, local governments’ budgets won’t cover the improvements needed to control pollution discharges. Many are coping with: 

·           Aging sewer lines

·           Aging or under-capacity wastewater treatment plants

·           Proper plant operation and maintenance

·           New water quality regulations

·           A lack of financial resources

 

This past week the Hamilton Township leadership posted on their web site a multitude of new documents. This was to promote a more transparent government.  Some of the residents took a look at some of the reports and compared 2013 to 2014. Here is what was discovered.

 

The Hamilton Township, NJ, Mercer County, Wastewater Utility (WPC) operates a regional wastewater treatment facility with a nominal capacity of twenty (20) million gallons per day (MGD), an NJPDES permit limit of sixteen (16) MGD and an average daily flow of 8.734 MGD during 2014.  

 

The Utility has been in operation for over 77 years and is currently serving over 100,000 residents from three municipalities. The Hamilton Township collection system for the Utility contains 389 miles of sewer lines and 31 pumping stations in its 40 square mile service area.  

 

Hamilton continues to provide the licensed, operational responsibility of the nine Robbinsville Township pumping stations and are receiving compensation from Robbinsville for this service. The shared services agreement has reduced costs for Robbinsville Township and WPC (through increased efficiency) while improving pump station maintenance.

 

In 2013, based on information from the 2013 Water Treatment Plant report, it demonstrates that the daily flow rate in Hamilton was 7.766 million gallons per day. In 2014, it increased to 8.9 million gallons per day. This demonstrates and increase to the Hamilton Township flow rate of 1.1 million gallons of flow per day from 2013 from 2014.   Robbinsville flow rate had a nominal increase from 1,237,000 in 2013 to  1,291,342 MGPD in 2014.  

 

The original Hamilton plant that was built in 1938 plant was shuttered. According to our sources, it is unusable. However, according to sources, the capacity of the original plant is being used in its annual permitting application. We are investigating what the current plants capabilites are. 

 

The capacity of the plant is reported to be twenty (20) million gallons per day (MGD), and NJPDES permit  limit of sixteen (16) MGD. 

 

The Waste Management Utility has been in operations for over 77 years. and is currently serving over 100,000 residents from 3 municipalities (Hamilton, Robbinsville and an unknown third municipality). During this 77 year period, there have been only two additions made to the plant.  The original plant was built in 1938. The first expansion done in 1954 and a second expansion occurred in 1968.  Since 1968, there has not been any expansions to the plant.

 

Between Hamilton and Robbinsville, the flow rate into and through the plant is more than 10,000,000 gallons per day. What is the daily flow rate from the unknown third municipality? We are currently investigating this.

 

Some people suspect that the water treatment plant is over capacity .  If  this is the case, this would mandate an mandatory building moratorium.  So much for economic development in Hamilton, Mercer County. 

 

The questions we have proposed to leadership are, of which we are awaiting responses:

 

1.   Is the original 1938 plant really shuttered?

 

2.  What is (rather was) the capacity of the original 1938 plant?

 

3.  Is that allegedly shuttered plant's capacity being used in the annual permitting application?

 

4.  What is the daily flow rate of the unknown third municipality?

 

5.  What is the actual capacity of the plant?  We are told that it is 20 MG/Day capacity. This allows for 10 MG/Day for Hamilton and Robbinsville, leaving 10 MG/Day of spare capacity.  The townships permit allows 16MG/day.

 

If the Shuttered 1938 plant's capacity a the Unknown third municipality's daily flow rate exceed 10 MG/Day, there is an issue. However, it would appear that the plant is already  (8.9 for Hamilton and 1.2 MGPD for Robbinsville = 10.1) getting close to capacity. We have only have less than 6MG/day available for all three municipalities. 

 

If the trend of an increase of more than 1,000,000 gallons per day in Hamilton continues, the residents of Hamilton have raw sewage flowing through their streets, unless the leadership focuses on updating the plant. The last update happened in 1954. Upon review of the new economic development plan (which was posted recently as well on the township website) there are no plans to update the plant. (at least not evident in the report)

 

It is important that these reports are published for the public to see and analyze. The leadership of towns must do more than post them. They must read the reports they post and acutally analyze the data.  This allows for a proactive government vs. a reactive one that wastes tax payers dollars. 

 

 

Hamilton's Best Kept Secret
Topic: COMMUNITY INTEREST

 

 

By Tammy Duffy

 

 

 

WARNING ADULT CONTENT. NOT FOR MINORS TO READ OR VIEW

 

 

The Mayors in Hamilton Township just cannot stay out of the makeshift dance establishments that pop up.  As our readers may recall, Ex-Hamilton Mayor,  John Bencivengo, spent some time on a stripper pole at a basement club on Rt. 130 in Hamilton, NJ.  This past April, in Hamilton township, an event was sponsored by the Hamilton Economic Development Advisory Council, Networking with the Mayor. It was held at a Hamilton Eatery, Villa Romanza. The owner of Villa Romanza is a member of the Mayor's Economic Development Board.  There was a bid process for the event and VIlla Romanza won the bid. They were lowest bid.   Mayoral events are not the only types of events that are taking place at this Hamilton establishment. 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

If you go to Villa Romanza on a Saturday night for dinner, a transformation happens around 930pm. The venue goes through a metamorphosis. There are scantly clad women in the establishment that begin hanging "curtains" to create private areas in the restaurant.  The lights are dimmed, music is blaring and women are dancing in the restaurant in outfits that leave little to the imagination. The regular Villa Romanza bartender is swapped for another woman dressed in fishnets and daisy dukes, as seen in the photo below. 

 

 

 

 

One can only wonder why any political figure would pick a venue to have an event to meet the residents at a makeshift adult dancing establishment. How could they not know this was the case? What is the vetting process for vendors selected to respond to in the township? Is it only to people who financially support their campaigns? Or is this the ultimate betrayal towards the Mayor on the part of one of her board members?

 

During a recent township council meeting the owner of Villa Romanza stated to the township council that he was upset that the neighbors near restaurant have been complaining about the noise from his establishment. Was there any follow up by the township leadership to see what was going on at the club?  A simple input of the restaurants address into Facebook will show a multitude of events that have taken place in the past several years at the venue. Events like a Father's Day bash and others. (see invites below)  How did the township PR and technology directors miss this and allow the Mayor to have a "Meet the Mayor event" at an adult dance club? The Mayor is also the Public Safety director in Hamilton and there have evidently been numerous noise complaints about the establishment. 

 

 

 

There are VIP suites at the new Flame Lounge as seen in the photo below.  This kind of set up could possibly lead one to believe there are other things happening in the club. We are not saying that is what is happening, but the extremely provocativeness of the ads and this white curtain set up, can lead one to think otherwise. There are other establishments in and around the township, such as the Tilted Kilt and Hooters that have women dressed in revealing outfits. The issue is not the revealing outfits, it's the "private white curtain rooms" that seem to establish an invitation for more than a cocktail service.   Flames and Hookah stations are set up throughout the club as well. 

 

 

 

 

 

                          Flames so high they are hitting the ceiling

 

  

 

GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS are everywhere in the club to make your evening more pleasureable. 

 

 

 

 

What is the truth about VIP rooms and the things that happen in them? Why are there curtains that can be closed to other patrons? Why do they need this level of privacy, what is happening in these rooms?   

 

There are some pre-conceived notions on what goes on in a VIP room like seen in the photo above, taken at the New Flame Lounge in Hamilton, NJ. One thing I’ve learned is that most guys who walk into a place like this view the world very differently and an expectation is set....beyond dancing. The restaurant is not promoting the events, the group coming in is. This only intensifies suspicion of what goes on behind the curtains.

 

 

 

 

One can only hope there are not sexual acts, lap dances or other acts,  going on behind these white curtains. The highly sexualized ads for the New Flame Lounge and "VIP" areas do not leave much to the imagination.

 

Below is an example of the different kinds of events at the restaurant.  This cannot possibly be the kind of entertainment that the Mayor of Hamilton wants in her quest to bring more family entertainment into Hamilton. The residents of Hamilton hope not. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can you imagine a family is at the restaurant eating dinner late on a Saturday night and accidentally be witness to the transformation? This no doubt would be embarrassing for a patron and their family.  The hypersexual nature of the ads and VIP rooms appear to be going down the wrong road. 

 

A simple Facebook search of the restaurants address disclosed all of this information. Further searches on twitter and Instagram, demonstrated more information that should have been shared with the mayor, prior to selecting this venue for her own event. 

 

We confirmed the information in this article by speaking to people who actually have been to the club and reviewing all the information that is readily accessible on the internet and social media.

 

Here’s the fact: any sexual activity that happens in a club or VIP room is highly illegal. In order for an establishment to have adult entertainment, they have to have an adult entertainment license. No club/restaurant owner should want to risk having his operation shutdown simply because one girl thought any sexual act behind a white curtain was good for business. The stuff that men want to have happen in a VIP room is called “prostitution,” and prostitution is illegal in our state.  Paying for sex inside of a club is illegal. You come to your own conclusion we are only reporting what was seen, posted and promoted.

 

 

 

 

 

  

Is There Crime or Not?: Part Two
Topic: COMMUNITY INTEREST

 

 

 

 

By Tammy Duffy

 

 

 

 

 

In January 2015, Duffy's  Cultural Couture wrote a column, Is There Crime or Not? as a direct result of a press release sent out by the Hamilton township leadership. (link to Duffy's original article is below

http://www.tammyduffy.com/ARTFASHION/index.blog?start=1422147900&topic_id=1130212

 

This week again, as a direct result of a demonstration in front of the municipal building, focused on crime, the same press release was sent out again.  This press release touted," Hamilton has the lowest crime since 1977." 

(see link : http://www.hamiltonnj.com/featured/?FeedID=1178)

 

The Hamilton Township Police department also recently released a report (http://hamiltonnj.com/filestorage/228428/228430/229525/252291/Police_Division_2014_Annual_Report.pdf).  In their report, The Hamilton Township Police department demonstrated the following:

 

Total Summonses: 2014 --- 8110 and in  2013 --- 7369

Total ARRESTS: In 2014: 3393 arrests

Total ARRESTS In 2013: 3355 arrests

CONFIRMED SHOOTING INCIDENTS: In 2014: 8 shootings and in 2013: there were 12 shootings.

 

However, the statistics are not adding up to the lowest since 1977 as the Mayor is stating nor what is demonstrated on the recent crime reports from the state.  The old saying, "Garbage in = Garbage out" seems to be the strategy utilized by the Hamilton township leadership when developing their crime reports.  The FBI and NJ State Police Data only goes back to 1989. We seriously doubt the township of Hamilton has their data from 1977-1989. We have been to their records department, its a disaster.

 

In 2014, the report states there were only 9 robberies in 2014 in Hamilton. Just nine? Down from the double digits demonstrated since 1989.  

 

See All the data since 1989 below for Hamilton Township. 

 

 

Hamilton Township Crime Data: Source Nj State Police Reports
Year	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997
Crime index total	3019	2801	2916	2794	2678	2411	2605	2445	2147
Violent crime	130	137	135	132	115	151	165	147	157
Non Violent Crime	2889	2664	2781	2662	2563	2260	2460	2298	1990
Murder	1	3	0	0	1	2	3	0	1
RAPE	5	2	2	6	5	15	15	14	9
Robbery	67	80	80	77	64	68	75	67	70
Aggravated Assault	57	52	52	49	45	60	72	66	70
Hamilton Township Crime Data: Source Nj State Police Reports
Year	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
Crime index total	2151	2080	2373	2624	2260	1882	1904	1876	125
Violent crime	139	150	161	169	158	118	162	172	17
Non Violent Crime	2012	1930	2212	2455	2102	1764	1742	1704	108
Murder	0	0	1	1	1	1	0	2	0
RAPE	3	3	3	7	7	3	7	9	3
Robbery	65	93	89	99	89	77	83	93	6
Aggravated Assault	71	54	68	62	61	37	72	68	8
Hamilton Township Crime Data: Source Nj State Police Reports
Year	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
Crime index total	1925	2083	1922	2076	2015	2189	2073	1039	868
Violent crime	198	177	208	189	186	199	190	90	91
Non Violent Crime	1737	1906	1714	1886	1829	1998	1883	949	777
Murder	0	1	0	2	0	0	1	0	0
RAPE	8	9	10	3	10	8	4	9	9
Robbery	103	93	107	101	82	100	78	9	35
Aggravated Assault	87	74	91	83	95	81	103	28	47

 

In 2013, there were 0 rapes in Hamilton. In 2014, there were 4 and in 2015, year to date, there have been 9.  This is not representative of a decrease in rape in the township. Does rape not matter or count as a crime by the township leadership?

 

In 2013, there were 78 robberies in Hamilton. In 2014, there were 9 according to the report submitted by township officials, and in 2015, there have been 35 thus far. Again, not representative of a decrease in robberies in the township. Do robberies not matter or count as a crime by the township leadership?

  

In 2013, there were 102 aggravated assaults. In 2014, there were 28 according to the report submitted by township officials. In 2015, there have been 47 thus far. Again, not a representation of a decrease in aggravated assault. Does aggravated assault not matter or count as a crime by the township leadership?

 

 

Effective law enforcement requires accurate crime statistics in order to identify the extent, type, and location of criminal activity. Criminal Justice administrators and planners have long recognized the Uniform Crime Reporting Program as the vehicle to accomplish this objective. The success of the Uniform Crime Reporting System cannot be realized without the cooperation extended by each of the 542 law enforcement agencies of the State, the New Jersey Chiefs of Police Association, and the County Prosecutors Association. It is in the interest of more effective law enforcement to the eight million residents of New Jersey that accurate data be submitted. Falsifying a report, especially in conjunction with an election year, is just criminal.

 

 Source for data in article: http://www.njsp.org/info/stats.html

Trevor Wheatley: graffiti artist turned multimedia artist
Topic: ART NEWS

 

Trevor Wheatley:

Graffiti artist turned multimedia artist 

 

 

                 

 Trevor Wheatley has a way of turning language on its head. His recent public pieces—gigantic typography installations that poke fun at popular culture—have earned him a devoted Instagram following, attention from bigtime design magazines, corporate partnerships with brands like Stussy, and high-profile commissions (including a super-secret piece for the first Wayhome festival outside of Toronto, Ontario). It proves the young multimedia artist is making work that speaks to people—both literally and figuratively.

As a young kid, Wheatley gravitated toward graffiti. Though it was mainly because of how accessible it was, the hobby got him into art school, where his focus shifted to studio work. According to Wheatley, he fits the typical cliché of graff-kid-turned-studio-artist. But unlike some of his peers, he still embraces his graffiti roots: “A lot of graffiti writers who now make studio work don’t acknowledge their past. They think that narrative is something that will bring them down,” he told us. Now, he spends most of his time in an industrial building in downtown Toronto that he shares with his collaborator Cosmo Dean, working on public commissions and contemporary work for galleries. “It’s a 3,000-square-foot dungeon, and I love it.”

 

 

 

 

His public installations started with a commercial edge: “The idea was to critique the place of advertising in the public sphere and construct a hypothetical space where commercial symbols might be neutralized as corporate signifiers.” To Wheatley, the ultimate neutralizing factor is nature, something he learned while travelling in Cuba. “The projects we shot there were all about branding and how its power can be stripped or inverted by creating non-commissioned ads.” By taking commercial logos far away from their typical habitat (i.e. urban spaces), he encouraged viewers to reflect on their relationship with the text. For example, a gigantic Nike logo made of wood scraps, suspended in a barren countryside elicits a completely different emotion than the swoosh on a city billboard. “Cities have a lot of visual noise—my work in visually competitive spaces wouldn’t create the same interruption that it does in nature,” he notes. Ironically, it was after seeing this work that brands like Stussy started commissioning Wheatley to create his own interpretations of their logos.

 

His recent personal projects—sculptures that read things like SQUAD, BLESS, DIME and FRESH—are a cheeky ode to pop culture and our Urban Dictionary era. In addition to being visually stunning and intricate, there’s still a sense of playful contrast: “The pieces juxtapose the urban with the natural through a physical realization of slang, trend and the re-contextualization of popular language. I generally have some sense of how the piece will react to the location.” For instance, carving FRESH out of ice on a beach was an obvious way to access various levels of meaning. Others, like BLESS suspended over waterfall or SQUAD hanging among fall leaves, were left to the observer to ponder. Interestingly, how the installations decompose is almost of equal importance to Wheatley. “It’s been fascinating to see how the materials age and degrade and become part of the landscape over time.” Wheatley is quick to note that he only leaves behind materials that won’t harm the environment—he’s had an intense respect for nature ever since spending childhood summers at a camp near Sudbury.

 

 

 

 

 

Working in the wilderness gives Wheatley a way to control the viewer’s interpretation, but his shoots also rely on nature’s unpredictability. Even with months of planning, his team (which usually consists of Dean and a few other collaborators) is always prepared to welcome the unexpected—like inquisitive horses in the countryside or a torrential downpour. “Weather never dictates the date of a shoot,” he explains. In fact, bad weather can actually make for an even more interesting outcome. When his team shot SNITCH, they were hoping for a calm winter day, but instead got a gusty blizzard. Wheatley ended up wading knee-deep in a stream and almost freezing to death. “The photos came out icy and violent but better than we could ever have hoped.” It’s a testament to his adventurous spirit, and willingness to get a little dirty (or cold and wet), for his work.

 

 

 

 

Despite a strong Instagram presence, Wheatley is cautious about social media—especially the pressure to cater to your fans. “I know what kind of work will be received well on social media, so I try not to let that affect what I do too much.” It’s not surprising then, that he and his partner Cosmo Dean are planning to venture in a completely different direction for an upcoming show this fall—“it won’t be text-based,” he reveals. But blazing new trails comes naturally to the artist, and his fearless attitude keeps fans excited for whatever’s coming next: “As Cosmo and I like to say whenever we agree on an idea: ‘let’s get it.’”

Walking To the Sky
Topic: ART NEWS

 

Award-Winning Scream Machines Take Center Stage on National Coaster Day August 16
Topic: COMMUNITY INTEREST

 

“Our coasters rank among the best in the world, so what better place to celebrate roller coasters than at the world’s largest theme park,” said Park President John Fitzgerald.

 

From extreme, record-breaking heights and speeds to high tech and hybrid, Great Adventure’s coaster collection is also one of the most diverse on the planet, Fitzgerald said. The park’s roller coasters are continually recognized by reputable travel, news and amusement industry publications. Several of the most recent accolades include:

 

·         El Toro

o   No. 1 wooden coaster in the world by Theme Park Insider 2015

o   Top 10 Best Roller Coasters by USA Today and 10 Best 2015

o   No. 1 Best Wooden Coaster by Mitch Hawker’s Internet Poll 2012 - 2014

o   No. 2 Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Award for Best Wooden Coaster in the World 2014

 

·         El Diablo named Best Roller Coaster 2015 by Philadelphia Magazine

·         Kingda Ka

o   No. 2 Best Thrill Ride by NJ.com 2015

o   Top 7 Theme Park Wonders of the World by Orbitz 2015

o   Tallest Roller Coaster in the World 2005-2015

·         Nitro

o   No. 1 Best Thrill Ride by NJ.com 2015

o   No. 5 Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Award for Best Steel Coaster in the World 2014

 

·         BIZARRO, GREEN LANTERN and Runaway Train named Top 10 Best Thrill Rides by NJ.com 2015

 

In celebration of National Coaster Day, Six Flags Great Adventure will host a fiesta in Plaza del Carnaval, a Mexican-themed section that features the intense, hybrid wooden coaster El Toro and the looping thrills of the new El Diablo. Special activities also include coaster trivia and prizes, a live DJ and Latin dance lessons outside the new Macho Nacho cantina which will offer special deals for its grand opening.

 

 Fans can vote for Kingda Ka as “Boldest Coaster” and enter to win a VIP trip atwww.sixflags.com/BoldestSweeps

FREE Bike Ride Event
Topic: COMMUNITY INTEREST

 

 

LAWRENCE HOPEWELL TRAIL & MERCER COUNTY PARKS COMMISSION TO HOST

 

2nd ANNUAL FULL MOON RIDE

Nighttime bike ride set for Sunday, August 29, at Mercer Meadows

 What:                  FULL MOON BIKE RIDE

When:                 Saturday, August 29.  Check in and ride at 9 p.m.

Where:               Start and end at the parking lot at Rosedale Lake in Mercer Meadows, Hopewell

Charge:              The only “charge” is to have fun, although donations are welcome to support LHT activities

 

(Hopewell, N.J.) – After the sun sets on Saturday, August 29, a full moon will provide illumination as bicyclists ride along Rosedale Lake, through meadows and under the tree canopy in wooded sections of Mercer Meadows in Hopewell Township. They will be participating in the second annual Super Moon Bike Ride at Mercer Meadows, sponsored by the Lawrence Hopewell Trail and Mercer County Park Commission.

All riders aged 12 and up are invited to participate in the six-mile loop along the Lawrence Hopewell Trail, the Maidenhead Trail and the Twin Pines Trail. The ride, expected to take about 45 minutes, is free to all, although donations are greatly appreciated. Advanced registration for every rider in the family is highly recommended at www.lhtrail.org.

 

Go to this link below to Register for this FREE event

 

 http://lhtrail.org/2015/08/lawrence-hopewell-trail-mercer-county-parks-commission-to-host-2nd-annual-full-moon-ride/

 

It's Time For The Talk

 

 

 

 

This was the statement made by a parent at a grief support meeting. His voice was calm and steady as he explains what sounds so terrible coming from the mouth of a parent, but everyone listening to him in a small multi-purpose room at a high school in Bristol Township.

 

 

This parent loved his daughter, just as the other parents in the room loved their daughters and their sons. But his child was gone long before she died. He is not glad for the death of the little gymnast who flipped fearlessly across a balance beam, he’s glad the 34-year-old drug addict she became isn’t struggling anymore. He’s glad that, because she’s dead, he doesn’t have to spend any more days fearing she’ll die.

 

 

He’s telling his story to members of GRASP — Grief Recovery After a Substance Passing — a twice monthly meeting of grieving family in the Pro-Act offices on Veterans Highway.

 

It's time you spoke to you kids about heroin,  don't ignore this epidemic.

 

 

Retired Hamilton Police Officer Kidnaps Dogs
Topic: COMMUNITY INTEREST