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Community Corner

Zoning Meeting Sees Testimony from VP, Engineer

Healthcare vice-president and traffic engineer testify at zoning board meeting

During the three hours plus-long meeting of the zoning board of adjustment meeting on Thursday night at Manchester Township High School, testimony and questioning was presented to two witnesses on matters of the updated site plan and studies done relating to hypothetical traffic in the area of Route 70 and Route 571, should the proposed skilled nursing facility be constructed. The applicant for said facility is Manchester Rehab Realty.

First, Joseph Kiernan, vice president of Ocean Healthcare Management, was questioned directly by the applicant’s counsel Harvey York to “clear up some issues” regarding the facility’s structure.

Kiernan stated that the facility will have 150 employees, covering three working shifts (65 workers for the 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. day shift, 40 workers for the 3 p.m. – 11 p.m. afternoon and evening shift, and 35 workers for the 11 p.m. – 7 a.m. night shift). In addition, schedules for delivery trucks would be coordinated to arrive one at a time, so that there is no backup or congestion in the area. Kiernan anticipated that four to six deliveries would be received per average day, from the hours of 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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Regarding security, Kiernan testified that “there will also be locked gates on the property for security purposes, in addition to a fence on the retaining wall.” Kiernan also mentioned the presence of surveillance cameras both inside and outside the facility.

Under questioning, Kiernan was also specific that the facility under the new site plan was designed to hold 180 beds – a fact that became a point of contention several times throughout the rest of the meeting, when residents in attendance asked further or begged to differ on that point. On every instance this occurred, York vigorously objected to the zoning board.

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Another point of hot debate was regarding the type of care offered at the facility. Kiernan had emphasized several times previously that no drug or alcohol rehab programs of any kind would be offered at the skilled nursing facility, which also had to be re-stated to several residents who inquired – to York’s further objection.

When York asked about the sound level at which an electrical generator on the facility’s grounds will run, Kiernan replied that according to information provided by the generator’s manufacturer, the device would run at a level of 60 decibels. The zoning board asked for a sound study to be done on the operation of the generator, and Kiernan agreed.

Kiernan also stated that garbage would be collected once per week, recyclable materials three times per week, and hazardous medical waste once per month.

Lisa John, an attorney representing a group of residents named “The Manchester Neighbors” (who oppose the facility’s placement and construction), asked about the designation and categories of care for the 180 planned beds in the nursing home. “60 will be used for short-term care, 30 will be used for Alzheimer’s and memory care, and 90 will be used for long-term care,” Kiernan replied.

John also asked when visiting hours would be scheduled, and Kiernan responded that visiting hours ranged from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., with peak amounts of visitors arriving in the 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. hour.

John questioned Kiernan’s assessment on the decibel level of the generator and further asked if studies had been done to arrive at that measurement, but Kiernan re-stated that data had only been provided by the generator’s manufacturer and no additional studies were conducted.

John further asked if Kiernan would agree to a condition of no tractor-trailers used for deliveries to the facility as a condition of approval. “Yes,” Kiernan responded, testifying that box trucks would take care of deliveries instead of larger tractor-trailers.

Various residents also inquired to Kiernan, with several receiving objections from York as being beyond the scope of Kiernan’s testimony – a recurring theme throughout the evening. However, some residents were able to make their voices heard.

Resident Mary O’Rourke asked about the proposed facility’s alarm system, and whether an activated alarm would be heard outside. “We have an alarm inside the building at every exit door. No, they would not be heard outside,” Kiernan replied.

O’Rourke also asked about whether the Alzheimer’s/Memory Care section of the facility would be locked and secured, and Kiernan likewise responded that it would be.

Fellow resident Archie Miller inquired as to the location of an on-site compactor to handle trash flow, and Kiernan said that it would be located outside but couldn’t be more specific.

Later, traffic engineer John Rea (of Manasquan-based McDonough & Rea Associates) was called to testify before the zoning board. Rea stated that he had 37 years of experience in traffic engineering, and has spent the last 32 years as a professional engineer.

Using data obtained from the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), Rea estimated that 426 total trips will be taken to and from the facility property in a 24-hour period, with a 10% margin in either direction.

York asked if the updated site plan corresponded with the data from the ITE, and Rea responded that it does. “This data is consistent with the current plans for the facility,” Rea said.

Rea also stated that examining traffic flow on nearby Route 70 and Route 571, and near the entrance of the Renaissance senior adult community were important in obtaining data to evaluate the facility. This included doing gap studies (to measure how many cars passed through the area, which cars made left and right turns in the area, and the time required to make such turns), and finding the levels of service at each intersection. Levels of service are a measure used by traffic engineers to determine the effectiveness of elements of transportation infrastructure, graded on a scale from A-F.

Rea later stated that the placement of the driveway for the facility was fine, operating at a “B” level of service during peak traffic hours in the morning, and a “D” level of service during peak traffic hours in the afternoon.

Rea commented that with 1900 homes in the Renaissance village, studies showed that the average resident would make 3.71 trips in and out of the facility during a 24-hour period.

“There is no question that there are available adequate gaps in the traffic flow on Route 571, and sight distance is excellent,” Rea commented. “There is no negative impact to the traffic flow in the area,” he added, noting that cars entering and exiting the nursing home would not add a large increase to the local traffic flow, even during peak traffic hours in the morning and afternoon.

After a short period of questioning of Rea from the zoning board and a resident, the board temporarily halted the proceedings, having reached their time limit of 10:30 p.m. for regular meetings. The group proposed and passed a motion for Rea’s direct testimony and cross examination from John to continue at the zoning board’s next meeting.

The board's next meeting is scheduled for Dec. 8 at 7 p.m., also at Manchester Township High School's auditorium.

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