Front Page News

2^nd Annual Outdoor Living & Garden Show, May 17

SWEDESBORO – The Swedesboro Economic Development Committee will host the 2^nd annual Outdoor Living & Garden Show on Saturday, May 17 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Swedesboro Auction located on Locke Avenue.

Admission is free and will happen rain or shine.

The day includes a variety of activities to keep everyone from age 5 to age 75 entertained and busy. In addition to visiting vendors that will be selling everything from plants to pools, guests will learn about home horticulture from the Master’s Gardeners from Rutgers Cooperative Extension program.

A farmer’s market will offer vegetables that are grown in the Swedesboro area. A local winery will bring their wines and allow visitors to taste their brew. Tree Awareness will have a tree hoist for the children to test their agility.

Booth spaces are still available from $100 to $200 depending on the size and location. To learn more about the Swedesboro Outdoor Living & Garden Show visit http://www.swedesboro-nj.us.com or call 1-888-315-8009.

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Swedesboro and Woolwich
Discuss Police Shared Services

by Beth S. Biermann

SWEDESBORO – In response to proposed state budget cuts, Swedesboro and Woolwich Township have initiated discussions to explore shared services involving police protection in both municipalities.

The Swedesboro Borough Council sent a letter to the Woolwich Township Committee requesting a discussion regarding possible shared services of police departments between the two municipalities. The Woolwich Committee sent a response stating that it agreed such a discussion should take place.

According to Woolwich Mayor Joe Chila, he and Deputy Mayor Lavender met with Swedesboro Mayor Tom Fromm, Councilman George Weeks and Councilman Sam Casella on April 20 for a “very preliminary” discussion.

Chila and Fromm are also planning to attend a shared services seminar conducted by the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA). Chila expressed his hope to get some “one-on-one” time with the Commissioner and get some guidance from the state. He added that if the state is requesting that towns share services, they ought to be helping in the process.

Woolwich and Swedesboro are exploring the option of sharing police services due to the state budget crisis. Swedesboro and Woolwich, along with many other municipalities, are facing large cuts in state aid.

In response to the proposed municipal aid cuts, Swedesboro has applied for extraordinary aid from the state. Fromm suspects that the first question the state will ask when considering the aid is whether or not Swedesboro is exploring all areas in which shared services will reduce the tax burden.

He expects the extraordinary aid request to be denied if he answers no to that question, so he deems it necessary to investigate all avenues of cutting costs.

If the proposed state budget is passed, Swedesboro would lose approximately $265,000 in municipal aid. According to Fromm, a loss of aid in this amount would result in a 45 cent tax increase for Swedesboro residents, translating to a $350 tax hike for the average home owner.

Fromm stated, “I am not willing to accept adding that burden to our residents, especially our seniors on a fixed income, without discussing all possible options. I think I would be derelict in my duty as mayor if I did not.”

Fromm indicated that he was also acting on the recommendation of Swedesboro Chief of Police Bill Dupper and several members of his department who have expressed opinions that exploring a possible shared services scenario with Woolwich is a good idea.

Chila stated that sharing police protection could potentially enable “both towns to save money and provide a better service for both municipalities.” He added that research needs to be done to gather data such as call volumes in both Swedesboro and Woolwich and ensured that as discussions progress, everyone will be kept informed.

Fromm added that if the elected officials agreed that they should move forward in exploring shared police services after data is gathered to make an informed decision, the intention is to “expand the group involved in the discussion…including representative residents of both towns.”

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$1,000,000 Bond Ordinance Would Fund
East Greenwich Open Space and Recreation

by Beth S. Biermann

EAST GREENWICH – A $1million bond ordinance authorizing open space funding and recreation improvements was introduced by the East Greenwich Township Committee on April 8. The ordinance was scheduled for a public hearing and committee vote on April 22.

Once adopted, half of the funds would be set aside for the township’s Farmland Preservation Incentive Program which pays residents 15 percent of the gross amount they receive from the State Green Acres Farmland Preservation program when they designate their property as preserved farmland.

The other $500,000 will be used for several recreational projects at both the Hidden Acres Park and the Thompson Family Park. Plans include the construction of four coach-pitch Little League baseball fields and bathroom facilities at Hidden Acres Park.

Items proposed for the Thompson Family Park include tennis courts and a sign designating the name of the park.

In other business, the committee questioned Charles J. Owens, former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Deputy Tax Collector, about several outstanding issues from his tenure as CFO.

The township committee had accepted Owens’ resignation at their Feb. 12 meeting, effective March 31.

The first issue was the availability of funds earmarked for a fence installation at the Summer Meadows development. On Feb. 12, the township clerk was authorized to advertise for bids for the construction of a fence at the Summer Meadows development to separate it from the adjoining farming property.

According to Mayor Fred Grant, as a result of litigation, the developer of Summer Meadows gave the township approximately $41,000 for the construction of this fence. The committee inquired as to where that money ended up, as they are now in the process of having the fence constructed.

Owens stated that a check from Heritage Construction was received on July 18, 2006. He deposited the check and refunded that amount to the Parks and Recreation line item to which the fence would be charged.

He then notified the accounts payable department that when the bill for the fence was received, it should be charged to that line item. Owens continued to explain that if that money was not spent in 2006, it would have been moved to the budget surplus.

Owens was hired as CFO in Sept. 1994 and resigned in Dec. 1995 and was rehired for the same position in July 1996. He was hired in the additional position of Deputy Tax Collector in Feb. 2003.

Later in the meeting, the township committee awarded a bid to J. Ferry Fence for the Summer Meadows Fence project, to be paid for out of the budget surplus.

Another issue discussed by the committee and Owens was the leasing of vehicles for the fire and police departments without any resolution from the governing body. According to Grant, the committee always passes a resolution for the purchase of lease of a vehicle.

Owens stated that in June or July 2006 when he was preparing to lease vehicles, he contacted then Solicitor Thomas North and asked if a resolution was required. According to Owens, after researching the issue, North informed him that no resolution was needed. In Dec. 2006 when the leases came up again, Owens proceeded to sign the contracts without a resolution from the township committee, acting as he had six months previously.

In other business, during the department reports, Committeeman John DeGeorge reported that the township’s recycling rate for the month of March was 30.99 percent, up just half a percent from February’s rate of 30.49 percent. He stated that “obviously we need to be seeing up to 50 percent, so we are really remiss on that rate”.

DeGeorge stated that hopefully the implementation of the RecycleBank program will increase the township’s recycling rate. Grant added that the RecycleBank cans have been delivered to residents and that the necessary weighing equipment will be installed on the trash trucks by the following week.

RecycleBank is a Philadelphia-based company that operates incentive-based recycling programs. Residents are provided with recycling containers embedded with a barcode that is scanned every time the receptacle is emptied. Plastic, cans, glass and paper are all recycled together in one container, known as single-stream recycling.

The residents earn RecycleBank points based on the weight of the recyclables. These points can then be redeemed for rewards and discounts from over 350 national, regional and local corporate sponsors.

The sponsors provide coupons based on the points accumulated that translate into savings for the resident. For example, ACME and CVS both provide coupons for discounts on purchases made at their retail locations.

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Locke Ave. Fun Day
Offering Pizza, Dog & Bike Contest

WOOLWICH TWP. – Fun Day at Locke Ave Park will be held on Saturday, June 14 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Celebrate our community with your family, friends, and neighbors.

Enjoy carnival rides, local food & craft vendors, pony rides, a free petting zoo, continuous entertainment on two stages, and lots to see and do. The bands are back and so are the fireworks.

We are adding three new contests this year, a bike decorating contest, a cutest dog contest, and a pizza eating contest.

The children’s bike decorating contest will begin 11 a.m. for ages 0 to 4, 5 to 8, 9 to 12. Bring your decorated bike, scooter, wagon, stroller, or any non-motorized vehicle to the park with a patriotic theme (Flag Day).

In person, registration begins at 10 a.m. Trophies for the top bike in each age category will be awarded. There is no registration fee to enter the bike decorating contest. Registration forms are available on-line at www.woolwichtwp.org

The second new contest is our First Annual Cutest Dog Contest at 10 a.m.

Does your dog have what it takes to be voted the Cutest Dog? The type of dog doesn't matter.

There are absolutely no fees required to enter the contest. All ages can participate; however, children who are 16 years of age or younger must be accompanied by an adult.

There will be three categories of dogs based on the weight of the dogs (Small less than 20lbs, Medium 21 to 40 lbs, and Large 40+ lbs). All eligible entries will be judged by a panel of dog lovers.

Prizes will be awarded to the first place and runner-up in each weight category. First place winners will have bragging rights to the “Cutest Dog in Town”. Registration forms are available on-line at www.woolwichtwp.org

The third contest is a pizza eating contest. Participants will be grouped into two age categories for this contest, ages 13 to 17 years old and 18 years of age and older.

All participants who are under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult. Prizes will be awarded to the winner in each age category. Registration forms are available on-line at www.woolwichtwp.org.

Pre-registration is required for the all three contests mentioned above, so please go to www.woolwichtwp.org and download the registration forms. These contests are open only to residents of Swedesboro and Woolwich Township.

Each contest must have a designated number of entries in order for the contest to occur on Fun Day. So do not wait, register today!

Swedesboro Woolwich Parks and Recreation Committee is still accepting craft and food vendor applications. Further details and vendor applications are available on the website, www.woolwichtwp.org.

Discounted Carnival Ride Tickets for Fun Day are on sale the entire month of May at the Woolwich Municipal Building from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. In addition, ticket sales will be held on Saturday May 10, 17 and 31 at Locke Ave Park Pavilion from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Special night time tickets sales will be held on May 7 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Stratton School Main Office and on May 21 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Woolwich Municipal Building. Save money by pre-purchasing ride tickets this month only. Remember, FUN DAY ride tickets never expire.

Fun Day is organized by the Swedesboro Woolwich Parks and Recreation Committee.

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Woolwich Reviews Defeated Kingsway and Swedesboro/Woolwich School Budgets

by Beth S. Biermann

WOOLWICH – Woolwich Mayor Joe Chila urged the Township Committee to review Kingsway Regional and Swedesboro/Woolwich school district budgets in preparation for a proposed public hearing, tentatively scheduled for May 8.

He asked committee members to make notes and start the process because it is clear that the 73 percent of residents who voted against the budgets “want some action.”

Chila stated that the action that’s appropriate would be more money from the state, but is unlikely given that “the state is under certain financial crisis, taking money from towns.” He added that state aid should still be pursued, but “at the same time, we have a responsibility to deal with the budget that’s in front of us and take some action.”

Chila commented that all the towns affected by the Kingsway Regional budget, with the exception of Swedesboro, would have seen a decrease in school taxes had the budget passed.

He also pointed out that in December 2005 Swedesboro and Woolwich residents voted to approve a bond referendum for the new school. The majority of this year’s Swedesboro/Woolwich school tax increase is attributed to debt service for that approved project.

In other business, Deputy Mayor James Lavender reported that the chairman of the Business Development Committee informed him that they would no longer be able to take the lead on a proposed Tomato & Heritage Festival. As a result of several residents expressing interest and commitment to planning the festival, Lavender recommended that the Township Committee get them started.

A resolution was passed creating the Tomato & Heritage Committee whose purpose will be to plan and execute an event called “The Woolwich Township Tomato & Heritage Festival”.

The event will be scheduled for August 2008 and the committee will consist of six residents, as well as Lavender and Administrator/Clerk Jane DiBella.

Given Woolwich’s long history of being a farming community, the Township Committee wants to conduct what it hopes will be an annual event to celebrate, acknowledge and encourage the farming industry.

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Logan Discusses Building New Bus Shelters

by Philip Dunn

LOGAN TWP. ‑ At their April 18 meeting, Logan Township Council discussed plans to build three new bus station shelters.

New Jersey Transit is looking to place the shelters in strategic locations within the township. One is to be placed in front of The Bank and two others would be placed in the industrial park.

Mayor Frank Minor addressed the council with some concerns about the shelters being built. “My main concern is that New Jersey Transit will pour the concrete and do all the work to put the shelters in, but once they are done they have nothing else to do with it. We would be responsible for the shelters, and all of the liability falls back on the township.”

Councilwomen Doris Hall who is leading the project, has spoken with The Bank and they have accepted the location on certain terms. “The Bank is willing to let us have that land. The only thing they ask is that we put up their sign as advertisement,” said Hall.

The council stated that they need more time to discuss the situation but felt the shelters would be safe and serve a purpose.

“It was checked to see if this part of town had any graffiti or any types of broken benches and there weren’t any. We have people right in our neighborhood that use the bus and I think instead of sitting on the curb in the bad weather it would be something they could use,” said Hall.

Mayor and council asked Township Solicitor Brian J. Duffield to further look into what liabilities The Bank and the township have in terms of the shelters.

In other business, with recommendations from Logan Police Captain David Keegan, the council passed resolutions to promote three Logan police officers. The officers promoted were Stanley Kemp Patrol Officer 2^nd Class, Kevin Cleary Patrol Officer 2^nd Class, and Steven Carson Patrol Officer 4^th Class.

“All three of these officers have done an exemplary job since they first came on under the guidance of Captain Keegan and Chief Schmidt. We thank them for their service,” said Minor.

When the meeting was brought to public discussion a Logan resident George Walters expressed his thanks to the council.

“I had the occasion to call 911 EMS. Their response time was very good and they acted as a team in a professional manner. I like to think EMS started in Logan Township and they deserve a lot of credit,” said Walters.

Mayor and council were appreciative that Logan EMS, fire, and police continue to do an outstanding job in the township.

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Locke Ave. Fun Day Offering Pizza, Dog & Bike Contest

Locke Ave. Fun Day
Offering Pizza, Dog & Bike Contest