Chiropractor in Deal Park, NJ

ASBURY PARK -- Some nights they played to virtually no one. Other nights the dance floor was packed.

Some nights they went on at 6 p.m., other nights not until midnight.

But for 12 weeks last summer -- 12 Sundays -- resolute rockers Deal Casino took the weathered stage at The Saint in Asbury Park, initiating themselves into the state's most vigorous rock scene.

"We would go home, the night of or the next morning and watch the show all the way through and take notes and overanalyze every little step we took," says singer Joe Parella. "It helped a lot, it's a way of looking at yourself in the mirror."

The rollicking foursome, originally of Sparta, moved to Asbury Park in early 2014 and have since become one of the area's tireless rock factions.

Between local shows at the shore and in the revamped New Brunswick basement circuit, Deal Casino has averaged a show a week since their formation in 2013.

The band named after the well-known Jersey beach club released their third EP, "Heck," (named after the Asbury street) in December, a confident four-track best reflects the group's buoyant stage performances.

"Before, we were trying to do things we thought were supposed to do," Parella says. "'Heck' is what we actually sound like, live at a show."

Deal Casino headlines the "Scenes Collide" show, a conglomeration of eight Asbury Park and New Brunswick bands at The Stone Pony March 20.

Vocals/guitar -- Joe Parella, 21, Sparta*

Guitar -- Jozii Cowell, 23, Sparta*

Bass guitar -- Jon Rodney, 21, Sparta*

Drums -- Mike Linardi, 21, Sparta*

* Moved to Asbury Park in 2014

"We are trying to write pop songs, but sound like a band, not a computer," Parella says. That assessment is fair enough.

The group's new EP is clearly influenced by pop-rockers Neon Trees and Parella's tone is comparable to Trees singer Tyler Glenn. But there is no synth. There's no digital overlay. The tunes simply possess catchy, bare-bones hooks from a four-piece Jersey Shore rock group -- just two guitars, bass and drums.

Which is not to say that Deal Casino sounds like every other rock band trying to plant themselves within the scene. Their style is especially polished -- a product of all those shows -- and reveals bit of flamboyance in their songwriting. The new groove "FortyFive" details a tryst with a boss's middle-aged wife. It's self-assured and fun, without the hubris a band of 21-year-olds might typically exude.

Neon Trees, Kings of Leon, Young the Giant

Not to belabor the pun, but the guys in Deal Casino are all in on this band. Two of them work at the recording studio where they practice. The other two work in restaurants. All four of them moved 90 minutes south to live and work in the scene. They have played more than 100 shows in two years. They expect to play about 30 more by June. They are recording a new EP, set for Spring release.

This is their livelihood. They are clawing for a chance to make it their full-time profession. "The top of the top" is where they'd like to end up, says Parella. They surely have the work ethic for such success, and their sound seems to be catching up.

March 14: Langosta Lounge, Asbury Park, with Nemes

March 17: Dive, Sea Bright, with Monterey and Atlas Bloom

March 20: The Stone Pony, Asbury Park

March 26: Boot & Saddle, Philadelphia with Verite

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers has a new deal with the New York Jets — and he’s taking a pay cut to try to help deliver a Super Bowl to the winning-starved franchise.

Rodgers agreed to a reworked two-year, $75 million guaranteed contract with the Jets on Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the deal.

The four-time NFL MVP had nearly $110 million in guaranteed money remaining on his previous deal signed with Green Bay. But Rodgers is taking less money with New York in a move that appears to also reiterate his stay with the Jets is likely to last beyond just this season.

The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because the team didn’t announce the contract, which will save the Jets nearly $35 million on Rodgers’ salary over the next two seasons. NFL Network, which first reported the sides had agreed to a new deal that includes no-franchise tag and no-trade clauses, also said the contract includes two option years to help prorate a $35 million roster bonus Rodgers will receive Sunday, in addition to his $1.8 million salary for this season.

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The news of the reworked contract came after Rodgers confirmed a ProFootballTalk report Tuesday night he had agreed to a reworked contract.

“Yeah, there’s going to be something hitting probably later on today,” Rodgers said.

Turns out, it was a totally new contract for a player who has repeatedly hinted he was more than just a one-year rental for New York, which hasn’t been to the Super Bowl since its only win with Joe Namath leading the way in 1969.

“The team gave up significant pieces for it to just be a one-year deal,” Rodgers said a few hours before the news of the contract circulated. “I’m aware of that. I think there was an awareness of that. Now, again, anything could happen with my body or the success that we have this year, but I’m having a blast, so I don’t really see this as a one-year-and-done thing.”

The Jets sent a first-, second- and sixth-round pick in this year’s draft to the Packers in April, along with a conditional second-rounder next year that could become a first-rounder if Rodgers plays at least 65% of the snaps. Green Bay gave up first and fifth-round picks this year, along with the quarterback.

Rodgers previously agreed to a reworked contract that helped push the trade forward. He was due a fully guaranteed $58.3 million option bonus, but it was shifted to next year. That left New York needing to pay Rodgers the minimum during his first three months with the team, which cost only $1.2 million against the salary cap — helping the Jets make additional roster moves and signings.

But that restructuring also meant Rodgers’ 2024 salary would have counted $107.6 million against next year’s cap — an enormous hit.

Instead, the Jets and Rodgers were able to work out a new deal to satisfy both sides. It also gives Jets fans hope they can see a winner soon after the team has failed to make the playoffs for 12 straight years, the NFL’s longest active postseason drought.

“Change can be difficult, for sure, especially when it’s that drastic — 18 years in one spot,” Rodgers said, referring to his time in Green Bay. “But if you can lean into it and embrace it, there’s some really beautiful things on the other side. And I’ve been experiencing it so far and the people have been great, both in Jersey and in the city. And I’m just having a hell of a time.”

TOMS RIVER - Save Barnegat Bay will host a "Community Speak-Out" Jan. 25 to give residents a chance to voice their opinion on a controversial state settlement that would preserve 1,000 acres of the former Ciba-Geigy Corp. Superfund site.

Township leaders and a growing group of environmental activists have objected to the settlement, which would end a lawsuit filed by the state Department of Environmental Protection in 2007 which accused Ciba of damaging New Jersey's natural resources by polluting parts of its 1,200-acre property.

Britta Forsberg, executive director of Save Barnegat Bay, said the organization decided to host the Jan. 25 meeting, which will be held at Toms River High School North from 6 to 9 p.m., because there were no public meetings on the settlement proposal before DEP announced it last month.

The massive property off Route 37 and Oak Ridge Parkway is now owned by BASF, which acquired Ciba in 2009. Toms River Chemical Co., which became Ciba-Geigy, manufactured industrial dyes and resins at the site for decades; in 1982, the property was designated as a Superfund site by the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

"I don’t think this has been handled at all correctly." Forsberg said of the state settlement, which would allow BASF to develop about 250 acres of land at the Superfund site. "We feel compelled to hold a speak-out."

Forsberg said she first learned of the proposed settlement only about 48 hours before it was announced. She criticized the Murphy Administration for not consulting the communities affected by Ciba's operations before reaching the settlement with BASF.

An initial 30-day comment period for public input on the settlement was in the midst of the holiday season; pushback by the township and environmental advocates led the state to extend the comment period to 60 days.

"I don’t know if people are going to remember. I think they will," Forsberg said of Ciba's history. "I hope that the community comes out really strong, and has the moment to say what’s on their mind. We are just hosting the public hearing that should have been held by the DEP."

Ciba settlement:Toms River pans proposed state settlement for Ciba Superfund site

She said Save Barnegat Bay is also "engaging experts" to review the settlement, which does not require BASF to pay any monetary damages for pollution on the property and in the groundwater beneath the site.

The speak-out is one of two Ciba-related events this month sponsored by Save Barnegat Bay. The first, on Jan. 17, is a 4 p.m. free webinar that will feature Diane Salkie, the EPA's remedial project manager for the site.

Salkie is expected to discuss ongoing groundwater cleanup operations on the property, as well as a massive new solar field that has been installed there. For more information on either event, go to www.savebarnegatbay.org, or call 732-830-3600.

Last month, Toms River Mayor Maurice B. "Mo" Hill Jr. spoke out against the DEP settlement proposal shortly after the Township Council adopted a resolution objecting to it. Hill and council members want the entire site preserved, with the 250 acres BASF would be allowed to develop instead turned over to the township to be kept as open space.

Toms River also wants a planned nature center on the property to include the history of Ciba's environmental contamination, and wants BASF to set aside money in a fund to pay for any future health problems that might be attributed to pollution from the property.

In recent years, BASF has been hosting students from local high schools — including Toms River Regional schools — who have assisted with environmental studies and learned about the property's history and remediation efforts.

Once the county's largest employer, Ciba-Geigy, which was eagerly welcomed to Toms River when the plant opened in 1952, would eventually become better known as a notorious polluter.

Waste from the dye production process was tossed into drums in an unlined landfill on the land, and also dumped into pits.

A groundwater pollution plume migrated off the former Ciba site as far back as the 1960s, seeping into public water supplies. Even though it's been greatly reduced in size, part of it still flows underneath the nearby Oak Ridge neighborhood.

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A state and federal study released initially in 2000 determined that some Toms River residents had been exposed to chemical pollutants from the site that had leached into private wells and the public drinking water system decades ago.

The same study determined that the site no longer posed an environmental threat because polluted wells have been sealed and groundwater treatment is in place. About 200 homes are located north of the property, and another 250 to the south. The West Dover Elementary School is adjacent to the site.

The study was completed as part of a massive federal and state investigation into elevated levels of some childhood cancers in Toms River.

That investigation concluded with the release of a report in December 2001 that found exposure to air emissions from the Ciba plant — as well as exposure to water from the Parkway well field — was associated with elevated levels of leukemia in girls.

Groundwater cleanup — paid for by BASF — is still ongoing at the property. Before selling the land, Ciba spent more than $300 million to treat groundwater and clean up toxic waste on its property, and spent millions more to settle three lawsuits related to toxic waste on its land and the polluted groundwater that it caused.

About half of the underground pollution plume had been cleaned up after 24 years of pumping and treating the water, Stephen K. Havllik, the senior remediation project manager for the company, said in 2020. The groundwater is expected to take about 20 more years be clean.

The DEP's proposal includes construction of a nature center and a boardwalk area that would allow access to parts of the property for hiking and birding. It would preserve the area of the site located along the Toms River, and would also include conservation of forested area and creation of a pollinator garden.

Comments can be submitted to David Bean, Chief, Office of Natural Resource Restoration, NJDEP, 501 East State Street, Mail Code 501-03, PO Box 420, Trenton, NJ 08625-0420.

Jean Mikle covers Toms River and several other Ocean County towns, and has been writing about local government and politics at the Jersey Shore for nearly 38 years. She's also passionate about the Shore's storied music scene. Contact her: @jeanmikle, jmikle@gannettnj.com.

CLAYTON — The borough's skate park in Autumn Pasquale Memorial Park could see some new ramps and other additions courtesy of a local township.

Recently, borough officials have been in touch with Washington Township to discuss ways to utilize the township's unused equipment to fix up the skate park that's located off East Avenue.

Clayton Mayor Tom Bianco said the borough was looking for ways to fix up the park and they knew the township had a skate park.

"The equipment is very costly to replace," Bianco said. "We knew they had a skate park and we reached out to them."

Bob Smith, Washington Township's business administrator, said the process started a few months ago, but the township wanted to do the research on how to properly remove the equipment before finalizing plans with Clayton.

According to an email from Smith to Bianco, Smith said the borough "could have the equipment for free — on the condition that it be removed by Clayton."

Bianco said he's happy with the results of the conversations.

"It's a good thing," Bianco said. "The kids really enjoy using it."

Washington Township's skate park has been closed since May and will not re-open, after officials said there was vandalism, littering and occasional drug use there. Since then, officials have been trying to decide what to do with the unused equipment.

"We're happy it found a new home other than sitting in a landfill," Smith said.

Clayton's skate park has been in operation since 2005, but Clayton Public Works Director Paul Pheasant said at the end of the summer thatk they needed to remove a couple of ramps.

"We had one that had a hole in it and some of the metal was worn," Pheasant said.

The department has yet to look at the pieces, but they are hoping to get out there by the end of the week.

"We want to take some measurements and see what they have and then compare it to what we need," Pheasant said.

After Clayton public works crews look at the pieces, they will decide if the equipment can be installed in the park or if it needs to stay in storage.

"We want to make this the best park possible for the kids," Pheasant said.

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Kristina Pritchett may be reached at @kristina_pritch. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.

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Brookfield Properties (industrial), Vision (office) also earn recognition

By

Tom Bergeron(Somerset )

-

May 19, 2023

Sometimes, efforts in the commercial real estate world are so impressive and inspiring that they deserve a unique honor.

NAIOP New Jersey calls them Transformation Awards — surprise honors handed out during its annual Commercial Real Estate Awards event.

Last night, the Fiserv innovation center — a 411,954-square-foot, state-of-the-art office that is part of the Connell Corporate Center’s Park in Berkeley Heights — was so honored.

Peter Cocoziello Jr. explained to the crowd of more than 700 how and why the honor came to be.

“The deal of the year judges decided that one of the finalists is so unique in its vision and the impact generated in the innovation displayed, that an award for a transformation project is appropriate,” he said.

“This deal was selected based on its extensive efforts, thoughtful community involvement and collaboration with teams of professionals — and the magnitude of its commitment to environmental, social corporate governance.

“It’s a signature project that greatly enhances the quality of life of the area’s residents, and one that hopefully can be emulated throughout the state of New Jersey.”

Cushman & Wakefield Vice Chair Robert Donnelly Jr. told the crowd he was humbled by the honor — but felt the project was worthy of such recognition for its symbolic impact on the state.

“When Fiserv began this process in 2020, it was a very challenging time,” he said. “We were looking on the horizon for getting back to office. The leadership (at Fiserv) was very committed as far as working diligently to find new exciting locations for their offices all around the country.

“I remember, around that time, there was a cryptocurrency commercial that really resonated with me. Its tagline was: ‘Fortune Favors the Brave.’

“Fiserv, as a global fintech leader, were also being leaders in real estate. They knew that their continued success required that their talented workforce needed to be all together in the office.”

Those involved in the deal: Cushman & Wakefield, the Connell Co., Fiserv, VVA Project Management Co., GS Ferguson Group, Mancini Duffy, Tend Mounds & Associates, Structure Tone, Robert Derector Associates and Husch Blackwell.

Other deal of the year winners:

Monroe 8A Logistics Center — Home Depot, Brookfield Properties

One of the largest warehouses in New Jersey, Monroe 8A Logistics Center is a 1.28 million-square-foot industrial development by Brookfield Properties. It was able to secure — with the aid of JLL — a long-term lease with Home Depot, which was represented by CBRE.

Those involved in the deal: Brookfield Properties, JLL, Sansone Quadreal Property Group, Colliers, Apollo, CSG Law, Arco Design/Build, Langan, Bob Smith & Associates.

Avis Budget Group at Latitude, Vision Real Estate

Avis Budget Group relocated its world headquarters to Latitude, a state-of-the-art, 700,000-square-foot office complex owned by Vision Real Estate Partners and Rubenstein Partners. The creative office condominium transaction resulted in the retention of 600 New Jersey jobs and significant financial benefits to the occupier, owner and the state.

Those involved in the deal: Vision Real Estate Partners, Rubenstein Partners, Newmark, CBRE, Charles Applebaum, Fox Rothschild, Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis, Giordano, Halleran & Ciesla.