PETERSBURG – Upper Township Mayor Jay Newman Feb. 13 said he had two issues he wanted to bring to the attention of the governing body: Downed Verizon lines and matters related to zip codes.
Newman said something had to be done regarding the use of zip codes in Upper Township.
“Some people think they live in Ocean View or Woodbine, and (those communities) are not in Upper Township,” Newman said.
Apparently, there are people who live in areas on County Road 610 or State Highways 49 and 50 who report to emergency services that they live in one community when they actually reside in another.
Newman said the issue was brought up to the U.S. Postal Service, which said zip codes were never meant to be municipal boundaries.
“They have become that,” he said.
Newman said he didn’t know if this was going to require some intervention at the federal level and suggested reaching out to U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-2nd). Committeeman Curtis Corson said the township had discussions with Van Drew’s predecessor, Frank LoBiondo, and they received a lot of pushback from the postal service.
Corson said people who are incorrectly using Ocean View as their address might want to reconsider, as it might put them in a flood zone.
On another note, Newman said he has been hearing complaints about Verizon and its copper lines, specifically lines that are down around the township.
Newman said Verizon did not respond to letters, so he was recommending the Upper Township Committee send a letter to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) asking it to order Verizon to repair the lines, which he said is a disgrace.
“It’s not just a disgrace, it’s a safety hazard,” Corson said.
Newman said emergency dispatch was on hold for “a couple of hours” with Verizon.
