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Residents and a recycling business owner raise sewer expansion, drainage and harassment concerns at Southampton meeting
Summary
Public commenters at the June 19, 2018 Southampton Township Committee meeting raised concerns about possible sewer expansion down Route 206, neighborhood drainage hazards at 68 Mayfair Road, and an Allied Recycling owner alleged Township-directed contacts with agencies amounted to harassment; Committee members described ongoing mediation efforts and staff outlined regulatory steps for sewer expansion.
Members of the public pressed the Southampton Township Committee on several local quality-of-life issues on June 19.
Tom Gabrysiak of Allied Recycling told the Committee he wanted to know who had directed Ms. Hoffman to contact multiple agencies about his business; he said the outreach felt like harassment and that meetings had been scheduled and repeatedly rescheduled. Committeeman Mikulski and Deputy Mayor William Raftery told Gabrysiak that they and other members had been meeting with residents and the Gabrysiaks to try to mediate and reach an agreement.
Deputy Mayor Raftery asked Ms. Hoffman to explain what would be required to run sewer service down Route 206, a Highway Commercial zone. According to the minutes, Ms. Hoffman (identified in the record only by surname) said conversations with Pinelands Commission representative Chuck Horner indicated that many currently residential parcels lack the lot sizes and sewer access needed for commercial redevelopment. She told the Committee that expanding sewer service would require amending the 208 plan and obtaining approval from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection; Mr. Horner said that if the Pinelands Commission agreed to an expansion, NJDEP would permit it.
Resident Pat Topham said allowing sewer to be extended down Route 206 would risk Southampton’s open space character and increase traffic through nearby neighborhoods, noting New Road already serves as a cut-through between Route 70 and Route 206.
Leisuretown resident Carolyn Hartman presented photos documenting a neighbor at 68 Mayfair Road who had reportedly cut the curb and installed a pipe that sends water into the street; the minutes say water pools and freezes, creating a safety hazard for mail access and driveways. Assistant Chuck Oatman had plugged the pipe previously, the minutes say, but the resident continued to remove the plug. The Committee directed that the property owner be notified to remove the pipe and rebuild the curb and warned that the Township would bill the owner for repairs if the violation recurs.
The Hampton Lake Fire Department also reported monthly calls and said the department urgently needs a replacement tanker (unit 1726). The Committee announced a Public Information meeting on the Good Farm Phase 1 development for July 5 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
The minutes record these public remarks and the Committee’s procedural responses; they do not include additional written statements from the speakers or follow-up scheduling beyond the directives noted above.
