By Mark Rosman
Staff Writer
ENGLISHTOWN – The Borough Council has promoted a part-time special officer to the rank of full-time patrolman in the Englishtown Police Department.
The promotion of Special Officer Class II Ryan Carideo to the position of full-time patrolman was approved in a 5-0 vote of council members during the July 27 meeting of the governing body.
Council members Greg Wojyn, Eric Mann, Lou Sarti Jr., Lori Cooke and Cindy Robilotti voted to approve the promotion. Councilwoman Maryanne Krawiec was absent.
The full-time officer’s position pays $39,100, according to the council.
Carideo’s promotion came on the same night council members accepted the resignation of Patrolman Nicola Costagliola, who is leaving Englishtown for a position with the Neptune Township Police Department.
Lt. Peter Cooke, the officer in charge of the Englishtown Police Department, said the promotion was needed to fill the full-time position being left vacant by Costagliola’s departure.
The lieutenant said Costagliola worked in the borough for six years; one year as a part-time special officer and five years as a full-time patrolman.
In a posting on the police department’s Facebook page, officials said Costagliola will be missed by his fellow officers and the community. He served as the department’s liaison to the Englishtown-Manalapan First Aid Squad, the Manalapan-Englishtown Community Alliance to Prevent Alcoholism and Drug Abuse and the Domestic Violence Response Team.
Costagliola organized the police department’s toy drive for the Children’s Hospital at St. Peter’s, New Brunswick, and helped to secure the department’s acquisition of a Humvee from the federal government, according to the Facebook message.
In other action, the council members voted to extend offers of employment to two men to serve as special officers. The appointments of Matthew Buono and Kevin Romano are conditional pending the completion of background checks and several tests.
Special officers are paid $12 per hour, according to municipal officials.
In other business, Mayor Thomas Reynolds said he expects to see movement in the near future on a situation involving a vacant home at 2 Park Ave. The house has been unoccupied since a fire caused extensive damage to the structure in March 2015.
Borough officials have expressed frustration in recent months as the property became an eyesore and action by the municipality could not be taken because the owner indicated there were plans to remediate the site.
Reynolds said a company is purchasing the home from the owner and has plans to create a rental residential use at that location.
The mayor said representatives of the potential purchaser have been in town inquiring about permits and that those requests appear to be an indication that work at 2 Park Ave. will begin soon.
