WOODSTOWN – Borough officials are aware of the recent reports of dead geese at Woodstown Memorial Lake. There have been various dead geese found around the lake allegedly due to the recent Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza outbreak in New Jersey.
As a precaution, residents are asked not to approach any geese in or around the area due to recent reports of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in south jersey.
While HPAI can infect humans, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has declared that the ongoing HPAI outbreak is primarily an animal health issue that poses low risk to the health of the general public. While the risk is low, we advise members of the public to limit contact with dead wildlife and to keep children and pets away.
People often talk about being a “first time home buyer”.
Rarely do you hear anyone say, “I am a first time seller.”
The process for buying a home can be unnerving. Selling a home can be intimidating and even scary. There are many questions that need answered.
Common Questions When Buying or Selling a Home
”How much is my home worth?”
“Where am I going to move?”
“How much is this going to cost?”
Before you put your home for sale on the market, you need to get answers to those important questions. First things first, you make a plan. A good real estate agent can help you answer those questions.
He or she will prepare a comparative market analysis (CMA) on your home to determine its selling price. There are many factors that go into determining the likely selling price. Location, condition, curb appeal, and the real estate agent’s marketing plan all have a major impact on price.
Typical Mistakes of First Time Sellers
Be careful if you interview multiple real estate agents. If the agents are aware of the competition there is a higher likelihood that one of them may inflate their value in order to obtain the sale’s listing. Often you’ll find that in such circumstances once the listing agreement is signed, the agent will use multiple price reduction tactics over time. Once this occurs you will be chasing the market resulting in an overall lower sales price.
Many people struggle with the uncertainty of where they are going to live. Sometimes with an experienced and good agent, problems arise if it sells quickly after it goes on the market. Once the home goes under contract there are severe time constraints, sometimes even just 30 days.
Tips When Purchasing a Home
When purchasing a home, contact a lender who can determine a feasible range in the price of a home you can afford. Lending standards have changed. Study your options ahead of time. Search for your home on websites like Zillow or scottkompa.com and you will gain an insight on home values. After you receive an offer on your, you will have a better list of prospective homes you wish to see.
If you are moving away from the area, instead of picking an agent you are unfamiliar with, have your local real estate agent put you in contact with a top realtor where you intend on moving to. It will save you the anxiety of having a stranger influencing such an important financial decision as well as save you some headaches!
Don’t Forget the Costs!
Your plan of action cannot be complete with out costs. Your real estate agent and lender team can provide you with an estimate of your closing costs on the sale and purchase of your home. In addition to these, other costs could include the expense of moving, storage, or possibly renting. Your real estate agent is on your team and are there to help you design, implement, and complete your plan. Hiring a great real estate agent can make the entire process enjoyable and not just a burden that comes with owning and/or selling a home.
One of the many joys of living in Salem County is having access to fresh, local produce. Whether you shop at a local farmer’s market or visit the Jersey Fresh section of the grocery store, you can enjoy quality produce when it’s at its peak. Foods taste their best and contain the most nutrients when you eat in-season produce. But, with a little bit of prepping, you can enjoy the freshness of in-season fruits and vegetables all year long.
One vegetable that is currently in season is the tomato. Every summer, fresh Jersey tomatoes go from the garden to the kitchen and into a delicious, homemade pasta sauce. You can freeze the sauce and enjoy the taste of fresh Jersey tomatoes all year round.
The sauce takes a little bit of time, but it is easy to make and is tastier and healthier than store bought versions. Some prefer to freeze the sauce in plastic containers or bags, but this recipe can also be canned.
Ingredients
25-28 tomatoes
2 large onions (chopped)
4 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons parsley
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon basil
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ cup parmesan cheese (optional)
Directions:
Soak the tomatoes in warm water to loosen skins. Peel off the skin using a small knife and cut in quarters. Use a blender to puree tomatoes until smooth.
In a large saucepan, combine tomato puree with all other ingredients. Simmer approximately 4 hours until thick, stirring occasionally.
Allow to cool at room temperature. Fill storage bags or containers and place in the freezer. You can use plastic freezer bags if you’d like to save space in the freezer.
Many inspections take place when selling a home. There are the buyer’s initial showing/inspection, the buyer’s home inspection, the certificate of occupancy inspection (or CO for short), inspection by lenders surveyor, appraiser, and even a possible inspection from the buyers mortgage company so the buyer can obtain homeowners insurance. Most mortgage companies require home owners insurance as a stipulation for the loan to move forward at settlement.
One of the many tasks that I perform when listing a home for sale is to go through the home and try to determine issues that might keep the home from having a smooth transaction. My philosophy is to try and address these issues if needed to insure a smooth home selling experience. One issue that was once a small issue is now becoming a huge issue. Knob and Tube Wiring that is in older houses is becoming a problem!
While many electricians argue that K&T wiring is a sound system if left undisturbed, it faces two modern challenges:
Degradation: Over time, the rubberized cloth insulation becomes brittle and flakes off, leaving live, bare wires exposed inside the walls.
Modern Power Demands: Today’s households use significantly more electricity than the system was designed to handle, leading to potential overheating.
What is Knob and Tube Wiring?
What is Knob and Tube Wiring
Some people call it K&T for short. Knob and tube wiring was a standard method of electrical wiring in homes until around 1930. It consisted of protective porcelain insulating tubes and insulated wires. Home owners insurance companies used to offer insurance on knob and tube wired homes. Now, somehow insurance companies feel the wiring is no longer safe.
The Insurance Roadblock
Around 20 years ago, the home owners insurance companies started to not issue new insurance policies for knob and tube homes. Home owners insurance was obtainable through polices from some companies like Lloyd’s of London at an increased premium. And now, it appears that that is no longer an option. This is a major obstacle in real estate and selling a home because the buyer cannot obtain home owners insurance which is necessary for a buyer to obtain a mortgage. Sellers say, “I have insurance and the buyer can get it too. However, it is now an issue.”
It HAS to Come Out Eventually
At this point, one of the only options left is for the knob and tube wiring to be removed. This is possible by the seller or the buyer. The buyer can (at this point) still get a home owners insurance policy with knob and tube electric wiring only if they agree to remove it within so many days. There are only a couple of companies that will issue this policy. It sometimes becomes a significant cost to remove the wiring. But, by removing or abandoning the knob and tube wiring allows for the sale of the home. In the end, this is the only solution if the buyer wants or needs home owner insurance.
Of course call and obtain quotes from more than one licensed electricians. You will find out that one quote may be less than the others because the job is very labor intensive. In the Southern New Jersey area I have found a great electrician that does the job at a fair price with minimal wall cutting and hole making. Contact me for more information.
Privately Owned yet Historically Significant: Cobb’s Mill Lake
Cobb’s Mill Lake is a privately owned, man-made reservoir located in Alloway Township, NJ at N39.52873° W75.32130° (NAD83). Its altitude is 59 feet and the pond is fed with water from a natural spring. It is one of the few ponds in all of New Jersey that is its own supply source and doesn’t have any other pond or body of water emptying into it. A New Jersey State analysis concluded that Cobb’s Mill Lake was the coldest of any pond water in all of South Jersey! Not only does this reservoir have unique natural features but also has a very rich history!
Geography and Hydrology
The waterway in which Cobb’s Mill Lake belongs to starts at the lake and then runs to Hazelhurst Pond, Houses Pond, Blackwater Pond (which no longer exists), down to Elkinton Pond, then flows through the western end of Alloway into the Alloway Creek. This waterway is known as Deep Run and is one of the main reasons of the success of Alloway’s commerce because of the numerous mills built along the waterway.
Calm water at Cobb’s Mill Lake in Alloway Township, New Jersey, reflecting trees along the shoreline near a small dock on the privately owned, spring-fed reservoir.
Native American History
Located on a cross-road between Alloway-Friesburg Road and Peck Corner-Cohansey Road (Cobb’s Mill Road), the area known as Cobb’s Mill was originally a Lenni-Lenape village. It is said that 15 yards northwest of the lake was where the Native American camp was located. Supposedly, the grave of Chief Alloway, who the town was named after, is located at the site! Relics from Native Americans have been found in abundance throughout the treasured site.
The Dilks Era
In the early 1800’s, Calvin Dilks returned home from working out at sea and settled in a spot about 4 miles outside the town of Alloway. Dilks dammed the two streams running through the area which created Dilk’s Lake (now Cobbs Mill Lake). Calvin and his father then built a water powered sawmill off of the lake which has been passed down through the familyfor generations and is still owned by a descendent of Calvin. Of all the old mills in Alloway still in existence, Cobb’s Mill is the oldest.
Dense stand of trees and white pines mirrored in Cobb’s Mill Lake, Alloway Township, New Jersey, highlighting the lake’s still surface and wooded banks.
The Legend of the White Pines
One of the most unique characteristics of the lake and the land surrounding it is the multitude of white pine trees that exist. The trees are a mystery and cover an area of 100 acres. Legend had it these trees, which are alien to the natural ecosystem, were planted by Elisha Dilks back in the mid 1800’s. She was a traveler and a tree enthusiast. These white pines began to cause a problem though.
During Christmas time each year, people would travel from all over to ice skate on the lake. Once the alien trees became known to the public, vandals would come during the day to spot the location of trees and then would return at night to cut them down in order to sell them to families for Christmas trees. A beautiful white pine more than likely is still highly admired by the Cobb family to this day. In order to protect the marveled tree from human destruction, it is said that the Cobb brothers made an oath to protect the white pine that, allegedly, sits at the forks of the pond and will for as long as their family owned the land.
Wide view of Cobb’s Mill Lake in Salem County, NJ
Industrial Heritage
Calvin was a man ahead of his time. He established Dilk’s Mill in the early 1800’s and invented a turbine water wheel and patented in Washington D.C. The United States’ government made Calvin an offer of the patent but Dilks refused the offer because he preferred to make and install the turbines himself. After his death his daughter Fannie and her husband Thomas Cobb purchased the mill and its property and continued the business.
The mill continued to supply lumber to local glass houses, lumberyards, and provided custom sawing of trees that individuals would haul in themselves. Dilk’s Mill (now Cobb’s Mill) furnished the famous Gaynor Glass Works with posts for well over a half a century, and also furnished The Bridgeton Glass Works with board boxes for numerous years. With the growth of technology, the mill continued to evolve and thrive. The mill is now a store that provides many services and sells items such as chainsaws lawnmowers, rotary tillers, hardware, etc. but a new location on the other side of the lake continues the rich tradition of the family’s mill business.
Series on Lakes and Ponds throughout Salem County, NJ
Announcing the return to the series “The Lakes of Salem County” by The News of Salem County. We will feature a lake or pond in Salem County, NJ with a writeup, historical information, whether it is private or public, photo galleries, fishing information, wildlife habitats, and more!
You can read some of the current lakes that we have already published by visiting here.
On Sunday January 4th, teams of volunteers armed with binoculars and clip boards conducted a census of Salem County’s bird population for the National Audubon Society. Caravans of cars parked along the road nearby local bird watching hotspots to gather and record how many birds and of what species could be seen and heard. After a long cold day, the results were compiled and are to be analyzed and used to assess the health of bird populations plus guide conservation action.
Originally, the tradition began as a sport hunt with guns and bird dogs. Concern over the negative impact to the songbird population led ornithologist Frank M. Chapman to suggest that they should simply count the birds rather than shoot them for sport. The first humane bird count was done on Christmas Day in 1900.
According to its website, the Audubon Christmas Bird Count is the nation’s longest-running community science bird project which fuels Audubon’s work throughout the year. The annual event occurs across the entire United States between December 14th and January 5th. Without volunteers’ efforts during the annual Bird Count much about the health and diversity of local bird species would go unfound especially in Salem County.
We’d like to thank all of those who volunteered during the Christmas Bird Count this year as well as the National Audubon Society. See more about the organization’s annual event via its website at: https://www.audubon.org/community…/christmas-bird-count
Bald Eagle on the Delaware River photo by Marsha McDadeRed bellied Woodpecker Photo by Steve KrummFemale Red-Winged Blackbird by Sara MorganGray Catbird by Sara MorganBald Eagle perched in Tree by Stacey RankinsNorthern Shoveler by Sara MorganGreat Blue Heron off of Grieves Parkway photo by Cheryl LeonardRed Shoulder Hawk photo by Lorraine JenkinsWhite-Throated Sparrow photo by Cheryl LeonardNight Herons by Cheryl Leonard
