The New Jersey Historic Trust, a DCA affiliate, is leading the effort and encourages all publicly owned and nonprofit-managed sites to participate in the survey.

“The Historic Trust recognizes that even our state’s most notable and celebrated historic sites and attractions have significant needs for repairs and improvements, all of which will ultimately serve the public better,” said Acting Commissioner Constable. “This survey will help the Trust identify those specific needs and begin to quantify the costs associated with making these historic buildings relevant and useful in their communities.”

The survey began on Feb. 1 and run until May 1. It will pose questions about a building’s use, repair needs, projected repair costs, and, if appropriate, its participation in heritage tourism development.

A “historic building” is defined as a structure that was built more than 50 years ago, or prior to 1962. A property does not need to be listed on the state or national Register of Historic Places to be included in the survey. Buildings that may participate include: historic residences, farmsteads, factories, theaters, museums, houses of worship, fire houses, libraries, railroad stations, schools and more. Buildings owned by private homeowners or businesses are not eligible for this survey.

This is the second Capital Needs Survey in the State of New Jersey. The first, in 1990, identified capital needs of more than $400 million. The results of the survey helped garner public support for four historic preservation bond referendums in the 1990s, and sustain historic preservation funding from the Garden Sate Preservation Trust from 2000 to 2010.

This year, the Historic Trust is hoping to attract more participants by making the survey accessible online.

For more information on the New Jersey Historic Trust, please visit http://www.njht.org. For more information on the Capital Needs Survey, log on to http://fs19.formsite.com/NJHT/CapitalNeedsSurvey/index.html.

The bill (A-1543) was sponsored by Assemblymen John Burzichelli, Troy Singleton and John Wisniewski to “make New Jersey more attractive for business and more competitive for good-paying jobs,” according to a release from the Assembly Democrats.

Burzichelli (D-Cumberland/Gloucester/Salem) is a member of the Red Tape Review Commission, which was formed to find ways to eliminate unnecessary regulation and help stimulate economic development.

“Streamlining the ways companies can form in New Jersey is a smart step toward increased job creation and economic growth,” Burzichelli said.

“Common sense bills like this to make it easier for businesses to grow and prosper in our state are necessary to help navigate through this difficult economy. After all, stronger businesses mean better jobs for New Jersey residents,” he added.

The bill would modernize regulations for creating and operating LLCs — a form of unincorporated business organization that provides corporate-style limited liability to its owners with partnership-like capacity.

“The first step in boosting job creation is to signal to businesses that we’re committed to creating a business-friendly climate, free of unnecessary regulatory hurdles,” said Singleton (D-Burlington). “This is a pro-business bill, that’s ultimately pro-worker.”

According to the Assembly Democrats, significant changes would include:

• Eliminating the “default and overlooked rule” that LLCs have a limited duration;

• Allowing LLC operating agreements to be oral, written or implied;

• Allocating profits and losses on a per capita basis and

• Providing remedies when members of a company act in an oppressive or harmful way to other members.

“Business organization rules ought to reflect what the business community needs. If a business organizes in another state because of our outmoded New Jersey rules, that is a lost opportunity and lost jobs for our state,” said Wisniewski (D-Middlesex). “This is a common sense approach that will help us gain a competitive edge with neighboring states.”

The bill cleared the Assembly Regulatory Oversight and Gaming Committee and now awaits consideration by the full Assembly.

Helpful information and powerful tools are available with just a simple click of a button.

“During these demanding times, state representatives need to make their services easily accessible to their constituents,” said Senator Sweeney. “We are always looking for better ways to serve the residents of the third legislative district. These web pages bring our services straight to your door.”

Constituents interested in learning more about their state representatives, the Legislature’s schedule and finding specific bills can log on to the State Legislature’s website at www.njleg.state.nj.us.

The left hand column of the Legislature’s website contains a useful link called “Find your legislator.” This search option allows users to search for their representatives alphabetically, by municipality or by using an interactive map of legislative districts.

Residents looking to email their State Senators and Assembly members will also see an electronic correspondence option when clicking on the “Find your legislator” link.

Those interested in reviewing which bills the State Senate and Assembly are scheduled to vote on should look at the Legislative Schedule located at the center of the webpage.

Residents may also subscribe for free email notifications of legislative activity for specific bills by clicking on the subscribe button.

One of the most popular and useful tools located on the Legislative webpage allows users to search for specific bills by using the bill number or keywords. This search option is located in the upper right hand corner.

Constituents in the Third District looking for more information about their state representatives and the services they provide should visit the third legislative district webpage at www.njlegdistrict3.com.

This website, made specifically for the residents of the third legislative district, provides many useful resources. Clicking on the easy to use tabs located at the top of the site, users will find links for constituent services, legislation and contact information.

The “Constituent Services” tab provides useful resources for processing notary public applications and obtaining internship opportunities. The same tab also provides a link to consumer guides, senior publications, veteran’s services and much more.

“The third district legislative web page has become a key component in providing our constituents with efficient and helpful services,” said Assemblyman Burzichelli. “While nothing can take the place of human interaction, these sites provide assistance to those who may not be able to travel to our offices.”

“In this age of electronic communication it is vital to provide our constituents with services and information online,” said Assemblywoman Riley. “Thousands of residents have used these sites and we encourage more people to take advantage of the resources they provide.”

Looking to see what your state legislators have been working on lately? Simply click on the “Legislation” tab. By clicking on this tab you can learn what type of policy initiatives Senator Sweeney, Assemblyman Burzichelli, and Assemblywoman Riley have introduced and seen enacted.

Concerned for the general well being of their constituents throughout the district, the legislators have included economic assistance resource links found on the right hand side of the webpage.

Resources such as foreclosure mediation assistance, unemployment assistance and the NJ FamilyCare Health Insurance program are available under Economic Assistance.

The new law (A-2665) doubles the penalties for misuse of the outline of the state on packaging of farm products, including the logo “Jersey Fresh,” to $100 for each offense. The law also clarifies that each improperly labeled package would constitute a separate violation.

“Jersey Fresh is an instantly recognizable brand name that consumers know means high quality fresh and nutritious products,” said Riley, D-3rd Dist.

“We need to protect this brand identity and the hard work of our farmers, especially amid a difficult economy that makes every dollar for our farmers count more than ever.”

Riley said the law was suggested to her by farmers in her district, which includes Salem, Gloucester and Cumberland counties.

The law also prohibits the use of the state outline on the advertising for farm products unless permitted by the Department of Agriculture. For a food processor to use the “Jersey Fresh” logo, they must first become licensed to use the Jersey Fresh logo and must use products that are inspected through the Jersey Fresh Quality Grading Program run by the Department of Agriculture.

“Those products must adhere to specific criteria for grading and quality,” Riley said. “This is a meaningful designation that isn’t taken lightly and must be enforced with harsher penalties for those who violate it.”

For more information about the Jersey Fresh Quality Grading Program, visit www.state.nj.us/agriculture/divisions/md/prog/jfqgp.html.

“People who were once food donors are now becoming clients of area food banks,” said Senate President Stephen Sweeney. “There is now a greater demand for food which is swiftly surpassing the available supply.”

According to a study of unemployed Americans conducted by the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University, between August 2009 and August 2011, only 7 percent of the people who lost jobs in 2008 found employment that was equivalent or surpassed previous jobs.

Many Americans are dealing with long term unemployment, which compounds the need for food and shelter.

“A donation of time, money, or goods, however large or small, goes a long way,” added Assembly Deputy Speaker John Burzichelli. “There is still great need in our communities as our economy continues to recover slowly.”

In lieu of monetary or goods donations, volunteering can be a great alternative to giving back to a community. Many shelters and churches run kitchens to feed the homeless.

Homeless shelters are always in need of many items, some of which may consist of personal care items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant and travel-size shampoos, conditioners and soaps. Other items such as socks, underwear and sleeping bags may also be needed.

“Rising food prices have only worsened the issue of hunger,” said Assemblywoman Celeste Riley. “Donations may greatly assist food banks and homeless shelters in alleviating the hardships that people are facing.”

For information on contacting a local registered charity regarding donations of time, items and resources, please contact:

New Jersey Department of Consumer Affairs, http://www.state.nj.us/lps/ca/charity/chardir.htm, (973) 504-6200.

Many of the state’s 50 wineries are located in rural areas — including in Salem County — and do not produce enough wine per year to have relationships with wholesalers, making their retail outlets and tasting rooms, as well as a few wine festivals held throughout the year, the only way for consumers to purchase their products.

New Jersey’s ban on direct shipping has caused the state’s wine industry to be uncompetitive with other wineries, and suffer a significant loss of potential business.

“This is a great day for the New Jersey wine industry and for our economy in general. New Jersey’s wines are now considered among some the best in the nation, but rules and regulations had suffocated the industry for far too long. That will all now change. Most importantly, this will spur the kind of economic growth we sorely need in the state right now,” said Sweeney.

“This law balances the modern needs of our wine industry with the need of liquor stores and distributors and positions both for even more economic, job-creating success,” said Burzichelli. “This is pro-consumer and pro-business, and it ensures our blossoming wine industry will be competitive and modern. It’s a common sense approach.”

“Consumers can purchase just about anything these days through shipping,” said Riley. “Wine, as long as it’s as carefully regulated as this law will do, should be no different. Our current laws are holding our wine industry back and ensuring they remain less competitive with wineries in other states, and that must change for the better.”

The new law allows direct shipping of wine to residents from wineries that produce 250,000 gallons or less of per year. Additionally, the new law levels the playing field by allowing both in-state and out-of-state small wineries to operate outlets in New Jersey. That move would remedy a Federal appellate court decision last December which found the retail outlets and tasting rooms operated by New Jersey wineries to be unconstitutional, as state law precluded out-of-state wineries from operating such facilities.

New Jersey is currently ranked seventh in the nation for total wine production.

The service is offered year-round, but January’s status as National Glaucoma Awareness Month has prompted the county to push residents to take preventative measures that could save their vision.

Appointments will become available starting on Feb. 22. Residents can make appointments on the second Tuesday and Fourth Wednesday of every month to be checked. Exams will be held at the Gloucester County College Instruction Center, and is put on in part by the Gloucester County Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

The free service will be provided by the Gloucester County Office of Disability Services, and the New Jersey Commission for the blind.

The tests could look for the two types of Glaucoma — primary open angle Glaucoma, which is a painless graduate loss of peripheral vision in both eyes, and often advanced tunnel vision; and Acute angle closure glaucoma.

Symptoms of acute angle closure includes severe eye pain that is often accompanied by nausea and vomiting, plus a sudden onset of visual disturbance in low light, blurred vision, reddening of the eye and halos around lights, according to the Mayor Clinic.

Small Garden State wineries will be allowed to ship their wines to customers in other states on a limited basis — and out-of-state producers will be allowed to do the same with New Jersey residents, according to a law signed Tuesday by Gov. Chris Christie.

The bill was sponsored by Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney, D-Gloucester.

“This indicates the state is on our side,” said Scott Doninni, owner of Auburn Road Winery, Pilesgrove, Salem County.

“The new law gives us the opportunity to compete.”

Sweeney said the direct-shipping law will spur economic growth in New Jersey.

“Robert Mondavi,” he said, referring to the late California-based father of the American wine industry, “started somewhere. This will provide opportunities for our wineries, for agri-tourism, for preserving agriculture.”

Between now and April 1, when the law goes into effect, the state division of Alcoholic Beverage Control will work on implementation procedures.

According to a spokesman for Sweeney, the ABC will determine the new licensing fees and structure for both in-state and out-of-state wineries to follow.

The director of the Division of Taxation will write regulations dictating how out-of-state wineries will address taxes.

New Jersey is home to about four dozen wineries, making it the seventh largest wine producer in the country.

The new law will allow those that produce 250,000 gallons or less a year to ship directly to their customers.

In addition, small out-of-state wineries may operate a limited number of retail outlets in New Jersey. The new law, Sweeney said in a statement, will remedy a federal court decision that declared unconstitutional state policies prohibiting out-of-state wineries from operating retail outlets.

Ollie Tomasello, chairman of the Garden State Wine Growers Association, praised the bill’s signature.

“This would not have been possible without the hundreds of thousands of New Jersey wine fans who wrote, emailed and called their local legislators to support the legislation,” said Tomasello.

“It has been a long uphill battle against the powerful national liquor lobby that opposed the legislation — only more proof that when the people speak in volume, their elected officials listen.”

The idea of a bypass around Mullica Hill dates to the 1970s. The $16 million project that debuted Wednesday was proposed in 2007 as a way to alleviate traffic congestion along Routes 322 and 45, and was met with a lot of opposition at its onset.

Residents of Harrison Township wondered what would happen to their town. Would the road cut through backyards? And how will the businesses along Mullica Hill’s Main Street — the town’s historic district — be affected?

“Like everyone else, you say I don’t want it in my backyard,” said Joe Saetta, a Harrison Township resident whose property is directly behind the bypass. “But something had to be done.”

Route 322, which leads from outside Atlantic City through Ohio, used to take a detour through Mullica Hill along Route 45 which led to massive traffic backups — especially during the summer months when shore traffic takes over the road — which caused problems for both residents and visitors to the town as they struggled to reach their homes or the many small businesses along the road.

It also led to multiple traffic accidents as the busy road struggled to accommodate the traffic flow.

For Karen Bigwood, who has lived on Main Street (Route 45) since 1987, the traffic has always been an issue as it keeps her family up at night and impedes her from leaving her own driveway.

“We sleep with the trucks at night. We get the downshift and the upshift at the light,” she said. “We’ve been sleeping with this traffic for 20 years.”

The bypass is aimed at alleviating that stress by allowing passers-by who are just trying to get through Route 322 to cut out the Route 45 detour and after more than a year of road construction the bypass is open.

State Senate President Steve Sweeney, who spearheaded this project when he was still a county freeholder, gathered with other local elected officials, residents and business owners to be the first vehicles to pass the roadway after the ribbon cutting.

“I remember years ago someone saying ‘we found the fix for 322,’ and I knew if we didn’t do this there would never be a chance to fix this traffic congestion. This has been a problem for 40 years,” he said. “This is really going to make a difference in the lives of the people in this community.”

Harrison Township’s stretch of Route 322 has undergone many changes in the past few years, beginning with the widening of the Richwood section of the road, continuing with the addition of traffic signals at the Tomlin Station and Clems Road intersections and culminating with this final phase of the project.

“This is a significant day for Harrison Township, for its residents and for the region,” said Mayor Lou Manzo, who suggested the expanse be renamed “Steve Sweeney Way” for his contributions in getting the project completed. “We got behind the project because it would be irresponsible to do nothing. Is it perfect? I don’t know. But I know it will be better than it was.”

Some residents, like George Ritter, whose property backs directly up to the new bypass, and Pat Marvil, who lives on Earlington Avenue — the road that was used as an access throughway for construction purposes — are still skeptical about the project’s merits.

“They didn’t really do anything for us except put a road through our backyard,” he said.

“It’s affected us all in ways we never knew it would,” Marvil added. “They’ve totally changed our road completely.”

However, the townships Historic Commission is looking forward to seeing Mullica Hill’s downtown revive as easier traffic flow brings more people to the area and the elimination of air pollution that can ruin the scenery and the environment and the merchants along Main Street, although they may be losing some business gained by those passing by unintentionally, are more worried about taking care of the customers that are intentionally trying to reach their stores and offices.

“I’ve been watching this whole process and it’s going to make life so much easier,” said Alexandra Benas, the owner of The Cake Boutique, a bakery scheduled to open next month of Route 322.

Greenwald cited rising tuition costs and recent cuts in tuition aid programs as a major concern for the upcoming legislative session, and expressed confidence in Riley’s appointment.

“New Jersey’s middle-class and poor families are struggling daily to make ends meet,” Greenwald said. ‘Assemblywoman Riley knows this and is ready to push New Jersey in the right direction.”

The appointment for the 2012-13 legislative session marks Riley’s first assignment as a committee chair.

New Jersey is home to 31 public colleges and universities, including 19 community and county colleges.

Riley stressed the need to provide state residents with affordable pathways to higher education.

“We have to make sure we provide viable tuition aid to our families and put the right plans in place for our college facilities and major projects such as the medical school at Rowan University.” Riley said.

Riley, who was re-elected to her second full term last fall, was also named vice-chairwoman of the Assembly Tourism and Arts Committee, and will also serve on the Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee.

The Third Legislative District encompasses all of Salem County and parts of Gloucester and Cumberland.