Cottages at Compass Point and Al Bille

Dear Editor:

As a concerned Barnegat resident, and especially living in Four Seasons at Mirage, I have been very troubled over the eyesore that is directly across from our development known as the “Cottages at Compass Point”. The developer cleared every tree and turned this land into what we refer to as the “La Brea Tar Pits” without the charm or history! I have so many questions about many decisions made by our Barnegat Township Committee, but the one to allow this construction project to go forward is the most disappointing and puzzling to date. The original plans were to build an “age-in-place” resort-like community which would include a shopping plaza, a lake, an assisted living facility, as well as several different housing options. Literally, in a series of “special” Planning Board and Township Board meetings, these plans, championed by Township Committee member and current candidate, Al Bille, were totally revised into what has become a manufactured home “trailer park”. There are many questions about the wisdom of this decision:

Why would they grant the construction permit in the first place to a builder whose recent history included numerous building code violations on LBI?

Rumors abound that the builder is now refunding deposits and going to turn the units into rentals.

There are also allegations of prior corruption charges related to Birdsall Engineering and illegal contributions to the Barnegat Township members. I truly hope that there was no quid pro quo involved in the decision-making process.

There are also rumors that the Fire Marshal was extremely wary of the proximity between the units.

Based on some of these poor decisions made for our community, I believe that Al Bille, the chief proponent of the “Compass Point” project, should be voted out of the Committee to allow some daylight into these and other transactions that occur in our community without the necessary oversight.

A concerned citizen,

Claire Edelstein