08/17/2026
Barsa Administration failed to disclose Environmental Violations and penalties.
It was revealed at the August 12 Norwood Mayor & Council meeting that the Barsa administration failed to disclose to the public, and to its own Borough Council, for 18 months a New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) violation and fine for operating an illegal solid waste facility at its Hemlock Court leaf composting yard. The Borough itself was named a respondent, jointly and severally liable, alongside its contractor.
A billing investigation by Council Finance Chairman Tom Brizzolara uncovered DEP notices and penalties stemming from a January 16, 2025 inspection. The facility's compost windrows measured up to roughly 33 feet wide and 10 feet high, more than double the 14-foot by 6-foot limit set by the facility's recycling exemption. Windrows that large are difficult to turn properly, and leaves left unturned produce foul odors that attract flies, rodents and other pests.
To reiterate: the DEP action named the Borough of Norwood along with its contractor and the contractor's president, jointly and severally liable. This was not just an action against a private contractor alone. The Borough itself was a respondent.
DEP records show the violations were corrected by February 10, 2025. Even so, the DEP assessed a $4,500 penalty on July 29, 2025. The Borough signed a settlement agreement on January 28, 2026, waived its right to an administrative hearing, and agreed to a reduced penalty of $2,250. The DEP fully executed the settlement on February 12, 2026.
Norwood's Borough Administrator, who signed the settlement, later told a council member in writing that "the Borough was not cited as a violator." The DEP's own documents say otherwise. None of this was communicated to most of the Borough Council, who were completely unaware of the violations, the remediation and the settlement signed by the Borough Administrator.
More to come...
