Code tightens enforcement at township campgrounds

By louis c. hochman

UPPER FREEHOLD — A new township ordinance will provide for local enforcement of campground regulations, setting fines between $15 and $500 for violations of state and municipal codes.

The ordinance requires that campground operators receive annual permits from the township board of health at a cost of $200 each. The law also requires an additional $200 permit for sites that offer public bathing facilities.

The ordinance also adopts portions of the New Jersey State Sanitary Code regarding campgrounds and incorporates them into the township’s own regulations. The township’s most recent ordinance defining campgrounds was adopted in 1997.

One local campground operator, Steve Catalano, said he was concerned the ordinance’s provisions for stop orders may be a bit harsh.

According to an ordinance, the board of health or an inspection officer may issue a stop order requiring any campground to cease operation immediately if it fails to conform to regulations. The stop order would be removed once the issues leading to its issuance have been corrected.

Catalano, though, said he was concerned that the ordinance didn’t allow for any leniency or set forth a time period in which violations could be corrected without stopping operations.

"There’s no doubt that the things it is meant to protect against are critical issues, but someone could issue a fine or a stop order right away," he said.

Township Committee members said the point was largely moot since inspection officers could conduct inspections at any time without notice even without the terms of the new ordinance. They said the ordinance could be made clearer that stop orders would be given at the inspecting officer’s discretion.

At the recommendation of Committeeman Bill Miscoski, the word "only" was removed from the original line, "such stop order shall be removed only after the conditions leading to the issuance of the stop order have been corrected."

Township Attorney Granville D. Magee said the correction does not in any significant way change the meaning of the ordinance. He said with either wording, discretion would be left to inspection officials, but the change does not weaken the regulations and could be made if the committeemen felt comfortable with it.

Committeeman David Horsnall said he has worked with inspection officials in the past and said they are generally lenient enough to allow facilities that don’t conform with regulations to stay open, so long as the offending uses are halted while being corrected, or so long as minor infractions are to be corrected in a short period of time.

"Even the most strident person I know doesn’t arbitrarily shut down locations," he said.