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ROXBURY, NJ – The Roxbury government’s capital improvement plans are being impacted by the same economic forces pounding its residents as evidenced by a need to appropriate $32,000 extra for three items in current capital budget.

The items were discussed in a “request for some additional capital funding” made by Roxbury Township Manager John Shepherd at a recent meeting of the Roxbury Mayor and Council. “Everybody kind of knows, unfortunately, where we are with supply chain and some of the cost increases we have been experiencing,’ he said.

Those unanticipated price hikes are forcing the township to come up with $20,000 more than budgeted for the renovation of Field 11 at Horseshoe Lake Park, $7,000 more than budgeted for buying a new brush chipper for the Roxbury Department of Public Works and $5,000 more that budgeted for installing new guide rail on Commerce Boulevard, Shepherd said.

He also said the township will need to appropriate $5,000 in capital project money to pay for fixing a long-standing drainage problem on Emmans road. This wasn’t in the 2022 capital budget, but Shepherd said the work needs to happen.

“This has been an ongoing project that public works has been working on,” said the manager. He said the project will “alleviate a problem occurring with a private septic system of a residential dwelling” due to a drainage issue on the road.

The good news is that the newly requested appropriations will not affect the overall budget because they can be funded with money in a capital reserve account, including nearly $37,900 not spent on other projects that came in below budget, Shepherd said.

For example, repairs and repaving of Lenel Road cost $8,000 less than anticipated, new swim docks at Horseshoe Lake cost about $4,900 less than anticipated and the renovation of the Horseshoe Lake Park concession stand/restrooms cost $1,200 less than anticipated.

Unspent money earmarked for capital projects goes back into the reserve fund, so the cost increases being seen due to the supply chain situation will not affect the current budget or tax rate, Shepherd said.

“We were estimating on various projects, and we think we’re in good shape,” he said. “The last thing we want to do is not have enough money to get a project done.”

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NOTE: This story will be updated with more photos later tonight.

It’s been an extensive wait, but the title drought is finally over for Roxbury.

How long was that wait?

Only about 360 months or just under 11,000 days.

The Gaels’ mindset over the past few years didn’t focus on that drought. Instead, it centered on doing the little things in order to take the next step.

The first stride was a season ago, when they won the first sectional title in 29 years.

“Our goal was to make it one step farther and then once we found out that the Tournament of Champions was ending this year we changed our goals,” said Roxbury coach Paul Critelli. “We wanted to be a part of that dance. For these girls to come through and get an opportunity to be one of the last six standing that’s pretty special.”

Riding the momentum of a marathon 13-inning win in the Group 3 semifinals, Roxbury came out charged.

Hailey Errichiello recorded 15 strikeouts, and Jayden Pennella went 3-for-3 with two RBI to lift the Gaels to their first state championship since 1992 with a 6-4 win in the NJSIAA Group 3 final against Steinert on Saturday.

“It’s incredible, (our) energy,” said Pennella. “I just knew that we were going to do it. I had confidence in my team. We’ve been playing together forever, since we were little. Coming here and doing this proves we had the confidence and energy to do it.”

Pennella has been one of the keys to Roxbury’s run. She had a .292 average across her first 22 games of the season.

Critelli’s good luck charm is sporting the same look on game day, Pennella’s has become a toasted plain bagel with butter and a coffee from Dunkin’.

With a .579 average over her last six contests, that won’t be changing any time soon.

“I really had to drown everybody out and do what I knew I could do,” Pennella said. “I got up to the plate, I was looking for the right pitch and I just decided I was going to smack the ball no matter where it was. My team backed me up and gave me a lot of confidence up there.”

RBIs from Pennella and Errichielo, coupled with a two-run homer from Maddy Svenningsen, gave the Gaels what seemed to be a commanding 5-0 lead entering the final frames of the game.

Steinert mounted a rally in the sixth after a lead-off walk and an error put the first two runners on base. Three hits across the next four batters by Izzy Bonacci, Katie Simonka and Cami Fazio made it a one-run game entering the seventh.

Despite the mounting pressure, Errichiello stayed true to her calm and collected demeanor and the team followed suit.

“That’s something I’ve worked on through the years,” Errichiello said. “When I was little, around 10, I used to struggle. I used to show a lot of emotions, so I definitely changed and decided to not show emotion. It helps me and my team relax.”

After Steinert pulled to within a run, Errichiello retired the final five batters she faced.

Pennella completed her big game by putting Roxbury back up by two with an RBI single in the top of the seventh and the countdown was on from there.

Roxbury will await to see who it will face next week in the Tournament of Champions, but like it has all season, it’ll look at the next challenge as a chance to take another step.

“It’s incredible knowing the fact we’re even in that game,” Pennella said. “I knew that we would be there and I knew we had the confidence to be there. Being there, in general, is going to be an incredible experience and I can’t wait for it.”

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ROXBURY, NJ – A Juneteenth celebration event, Roxbury’s first, is scheduled for Saturday in Succasunna.

The ran-or-shine event will take place at the new Meeker Street outdoor classroom pavilion from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

The event will be open to the public and all ages are invited. There will be cultural crafts and activities and a drum call and performance by African master drummer and cultural educator Maxwell Kofi Donkor and his ensemble.

Volunteers from Roxbury High School and Eisenhower Middle School will share a poem and perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

Forrest Pritchett, director of Seton Hall University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Program, will lead the commemoration. He will be joined by students from Roxbury High School’s Color Guard to recognize the Juneteenth flag.

The event is being organized by the Roxbury Public Library Common Grounds Team in partnership with the Roxbury School District’s Inclusivity Committee.

“Juneteenth marks our country’s second independence day, a day long celebrated as Freedom Day, Emancipation Day, Liberation Day, Jubilee Day,” said the organizers in a statement. “This day, now a national holiday, honors the end of slavery in the United States.”

“The Roxbury Library is grateful to partner with the Roxbury School District’s Inclusivity Committee in bringing this long-overdue celebration to life here in our community,” said Roxbury Library Director Radwa Ali in a statement. “The performances and activities are such an important part of our nation’s history, and we look forward to this first-ever celebration of Juneteenth in Roxbury Township.”

In this video from Seton Hall, Pritchett discusses the basis for Juneteenth, which stands for "June 19th":

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ROXBURY, NJ – Roxbury officials on Tuesday are likely to outlaw the short-term rentals of houses and apartments in the township.

A public hearing, second reading and final vote on the proposed law is on the Roxbury Mayor and Council’s June 14 meeting agenda. The council unanimously approved the measure on first reading at its May 24 meeting.

If approved, the ordinance amendment would ban homeowners from renting their places for fewer than 60 days. The township contends short-term rentals, such as those available on the Airbnb platform, “frequently result in public nuisance, noise complaints, sanitation issues, overcrowding and illegal parking and essentially convert residential dwelling units into de-facto hotels, motels, boarding houses and other commercial enterprises.”

The council has pushed forward with the proposed ordinance despite hearing criticism from some residents who contend it is unnecessary governmental over-reach. It heard more of that pushback at the May 24 meeting.

Randolph resident Phil Rich, who owns a house in Landing on Lake Musconetcong that he offers on Airbnb for short-term rental, suggested the problems cited by the council could be solved by instituting a permit system.

He said the permit would allow short-term rentals by somebody who “has a well-kept property with no problems,” but it would be rescinded if the property becomes a “nuisance” and violates permit provisions.

“I’ve done everything right,” Rich said. “This is something I enjoy late in life doing. This is a good thing, and a good thing for my property.”

Also speaking against the ordinance was Alex Kahn who told the council he lives next to the house Rich offers for short-term rentals.

“There’s never been a problem,” Kahn said. Those who have rented Rich's house "have been kind, courteous, hard-working people just trying to get a week away on Lake Musconetcong," Kahn said. "I wanted to make sure you guys heard that perspective. My wife and I have never had a problem.”

Real estate agent Robert Fuge, another opponent of the short-term rental ban, said he researched ways other municipalities are handling the matter. He said Jefferson – following what was done in Tom’s River and Hardyston – keeps tabs on the rentals through a “registration process,” something Fuge deemed “a practical approach to deal with the situation.”

Roxbury Mayor Jim Rilee said the township was not interested in a registration or permit solution. “We’re not in the business to monitor that kind of thing,” Rilee said. “That’s not something municipalities normally do.”

He said the proposal was drafted in response to “concerns of township residents,” who complained about short-term rentals near their homes. “I’ve gotten several emails and I think the others have too … supporting this,” Rilee said.

In April, Roxbury Township Manager John Shepherd said the new ordinance is designed with Roxbury’s full-time property owners in mind and is not solely a reaction to parties. With short-term rentals, “people come and go,” he said. “For most people who bought into a single-family district, that’s not what you expect. You know your neighbors. You know who’s there. There aren’t cars parked all over the street.”

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ROXBURY, NJ – You don’t point to the Whoopee Cushion and tell your friend to sit on it. If you’re going to prank somebody, asking permission beforehand doesn't make sense.

So when several boys recently knocked on Dana Becker’s door and asked if they could Ding Dong Ditch her, the Landing resident was initially confused. The prank usually entails ringing a doorbell and running away before you get caught.

But there they were: Two giggly “tweens” at her door, another by her walkway and another by the road. And one, a kid wearing an “I ?? Hot Moms” T-shirt, was asking for Ding Dong Ditch permission.

Becker said she’d just taken her baby daughter out of the bathtub and was busy. “I went to the door, to see who it was, and when I went to the door there was this bunch of kids,” she said. “They were actually talking to the Ring doorbell, and they’d been standing there for quite a while. When I got to the door, I was kind of not wanting to entertain them, but they weren’t doing anything wrong.”

Becker has been a teacher for many years. She currently works with special needs students in Pompton Plains, and she’s dealt with some tough customers. She could tell that these guys – while being silly – were not dangerous.

“I thought it was funny,” she said. “You’re not supposed to ask. I asked them, ‘Is this for at TikTok or something? The kid who approached me was like ‘No, no. We just want to Ding Dong Ditch.’ But the other kid, under his breath, said, ‘Yes.’”

So, although she still had to get clothes on the damp 16-month-old, Becker played along.

“I said, ‘Yeah, you know what? I have a young daughter.’ I said, ‘If you want to Ding me, you can do it, but not until after she’s napping. Or you can do it right now.’”

That worked for the boys, so Becker closed her door. “When he knocked, I almost immediately answered,” she said.

At that point, the so-called pranksters were supposed to run. Instead, Becker saw one of the youngsters down by the road, presumably recording the event on his phone. The three others were laying on her lawn.

“They just laid there and didn’t go anywhere,” she said. “When you Ding Dong Ditch, you’re supposed to run away. Now they’re not even leaving. They’re on my lawn.”

Becker hammed it up. “I yelled to them,” she said. “I played along. I said, ‘Are you OK?’ I was like, ‘Hello? Hello? Are you OK?’” The boys stayed on the lawn, giggling. Becker shut her door.

And that was the end of it, until Becker shared the event on a Facebook page focused on Roxbury mothers. As of Saturday, her post had yielded 228 smile reactions, 77 thumbs ups and 10 loves from those on the page.

It also yielded a confession from one of the mothers who said the kid in the "I ?? Hot Moms shirt" was her son. “Before he left the house I told him – I don’t want to see you on Facebook later,” she wrote. “Thank you for being an awesome neighbor. He owes you a lawn cutting.”

Becker said she loves living in Landing and has found her neighborhood to be full of friendly, good-natured people. And, clearly, some goofy 12-year-olds.

“Lately, there’s been a lot of negativity on the (Facebook) site,” she said. “I really wanted to draw attention to the positivity … These guys literally just came to the door and said, ‘Hey, would you mind?’ They were bored, but didn’t want to be disrespectful. They were just giggling the whole time, the entire time they were doing it.”

But does Becker, who is very close to giving birth to a second child, think the shirt was an inappropriate message? Does a young man in the neighborhood think she’s a hot mom?

“I mean that would be nice,” Becker said with a laugh. “I’m 40 and having two kids. I didn’t even notice the shirt in the beginning, but when I looked at the Ring video I said, ‘Oh that’s nice; maybe he saw me go to the park, and he thinks I’m a hot mom.’”

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