Front Page News

Council Approves Resolution
Calling For Deep School Budget Cuts

by Philip Dunn

SWEDESBORO -- At the May 19 Swedesboro Council Meeting a resolution was passed by mayor and council calling for reductions in the current school budget.

The resolution was passed on a 5 to 1 vote. The opposed council vote was provided by Councilman George Weeks with understanding from Mayor Thomas Fromm.

However, the Swedesboro Woolwich Board of Education rejected these proposed reductions at their meeting on May 21.

“This is in no way something that we desire to do,” said Fromm about their proposed cuts. “This is cutting into real programs in our schools. It is something in a perfect world we would not want to be doing, but we have hit a point where right now we don’t have the luxury of being perfect.”

In an effort to keep taxes down for Swedesboro residents, the Kingsway Regional School District will have to take a cut of $350,000. The surrounding elementary school district will have to make cuts totaling $700,000.

“These cuts do not represent fluff. What it does represent is the loss of nine new hires and a cause for increased class sizes. So these are down to the bone cuts we are asking them to make,” said Weeks.

The current school budget, which was overwhelmingly voted down in the recent school board election, prompted a tax increase of approximately 40 cents per $100 assessed property value for residents. The proposed cuts will generate some relief with a 10 cent decrease on that figure.

When the meeting was open to the public, time was taken to honor Alfred Worrell Jr. for his service to the Swedesboro Police Department. Worrell, who recently retired, was awarded a plaque for his commitment to the municipality for over 30 years.

“We bring forth acknowledgment of your time and talents and the support you have given to the officers and members of the police department. It’s with heart felt sincerity we wish you the best in your retirement,” said Swedesboro Chief of Police William Dupper.

Fromm also thanked Worrell for his service throughout the years and confirmed that he will be recognized properly on behalf of the town with a proclamation ceremony at a later date.

In other business, the success of the Outdoor Living and Garden Show that took place May 17 at the Swedesboro Auction Block was discussed. This event allowed residents to see firsthand what the services in the borough and surrounding area has to offer.

“What we did was try to promote the local businesses here in the town. Many people were introduced to landscapers and farmers in the area for the first time. They saw what this town can offer instead of looking elsewhere,” said Councilwomen Diane Hale.

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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 Proposed Budget Calls For $179.85 Tax Increase

by Beth S. Biermann

WOOLWICH – A Woolwich resident with an average assessed home value of $200,000 will see a $179.85 increase in their local purpose tax for a total of $1,073.00, if the proposed 2008 budget is adopted by the township committee.

Budget appropriations total $8.13 million. According to Mayor Joe Chila, the largest line item increases include debt service, which includes the new municipal building, state pension payments, and legal expenses for Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) litigation.

According to Administrator Jane DiBella, the largest budget cut was in the amount of $300,000 which was money saved by going to the county wide EMS system.

State aid to Woolwich was reduced by $87,000, which translates into 1.5 cents per $100 home value of the tax increase, or $30 of the total local purpose tax increase. Chila stated that he has heard there may be a partial restoration of state aid to municipalities, but he is not confident that it will happen.

Introduced on May 5, the budget is scheduled for a public hearing and adoption by committee on June 16.

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Woolwich Committee Certifies Reduction of School Budgets

by Beth S. Biermann

WOOLWICH – As a result of voters’ rejections of proposed tax levies, the Woolwich Township Committee certified reductions in both the Kingsway and Swedesboro/Woolwich School District budgets at their regular meeting on May 19. According to the resolutions passed, it is the belief of the committee that the proposed budget cuts will not “adversely affect the education of the students.”

However, the Swedesboro-Woolwich Board of Education rejected the proposed reductions at their meeting on May 21.

Representatives from Woolwich, East Greenwich, South Harrison and Swedesboro worked together with the Kingsway Board of Education to reduce the proposed 2008-2009 budget. Total budget appropriations were reduced from $13,573,425 to $13,248,425, a decrease of $325,000.

The specific line item cuts, including one middle school teacher, cleaning services and health benefits, were volunteered by the Board of Education after they agreed to the total reduction amount.

According to Mayor Joe Chila, it was also a consensus of the towns to restore an original proposed removal of $25,000 for the cafeteria staff.

As for the Swedesboro/Woolwich school budget, Chila asserted that it was “a little tougher to deal with”, as they were faced with such a large increase. The committee certified a reduction of $700,000, bringing total 2008-2009 budget appropriations from $11,021,781 to $10,321,781. The Swedesboro-Woolwich Board of Education only authorized $500,000 worth of reduction.

When describing the budget cuts, Chila said “as painful as they may be, they are not catastrophic”. With these cuts, some class sizes will increase, but not drastically, according to Chila. Kindergarten classes will increase from an average of 18 to 19 students to 20 to 21, while second grade classes will have a maximum of 24 to 25 children, an increase from 21 to 22.

Specific line item cuts suggested by the Board included one basic skills instruction teaching position, a librarian at the new school, a secretary for the business administration office, and an additional first grade teaching position (not an existing position). The Board also decided to maintain music, art, world language and physical education positions at part-time status (these were proposed to be increased to full-time).

The township committee suggested additional cuts including a new assistant principal position, an entry level kindergarten teacher and a second grade teacher (these, again, are new positions, not existing teachers), and an additional guidance position.

According to Chila, the Swedesboro/Woolwich Board had not agreed to the additional $200,000 of budget cuts suggested by the committee. The resolution passed by the committee was scheduled to be passed along to the Board who then would have the option of accepting the cuts or appealing to the county superintendent.

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State Endorses Woolwich TDR Plan

by Beth S. Biermann

WOOLWICH -- Woolwich has become the first municipality in New Jersey to receive state endorsement for a Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program. On April 18 the New Jersey State Planning Commission approved Woolwich’s Plan Endorsement application, a process that began more than three years ago.

According to the state’s Department of Community Affairs (DCA) website, Agriculture Secretary Charles Kuperus stated that “in the face of some of the most intense development pressure in the state, (Woolwich) has done an outstanding job in developing a plan to proactively manage that growth to protect more than 4,000 acres of very important farmland.”

There are two components to the initial process. One is the plan endorsement petition that has just been completed. The second part is a TDR ordinance, which will be introduced sometime this summer after a public meeting, according to Mayor Joe Chila.

The ordinance must first be approved by the Gloucester County Agriculture Board and the Gloucester County Planning Board before being adopted by the township committee.

The TDR ordinance will establish a process by which landowners can sell the development rights for their land to developers wishing to build commercial and housing sites in a concentrated area designated by the township’s master plan.

The landowners, designated as sending areas, can continue to farm their land, while the developers can use the TDR credits to build with more density in a designated receiving area.

After the Woolwich Township Committee adopts the TDR ordinance, farmers can begin the process of selling their development rights. Chila is under the impression that there are already Woolwich farmers under contract with developers, but before being able to officially record the farmland preservation deed restrictions, the township needs to have all the proper ordinances adopted.

According to Chila, water and sewer construction on Route 322 could begin in as little as two years. The exact timeline will depend on the method chosen to provide these services.

Now that the plan endorsement application has been approved, there are many more steps to complete in the process. Woolwich Township officials have already met with representatives from the governor’s office to discuss a process and time frame to complete the implementation agreement.

Chila also reported that there has been a “very productive” meeting with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Aqua, the township’s water and sewer franchise holder. The township committee will continue to work with the DEP to file a wastewater management plan and also with Aqua to monitor their progress with the water and sewer infrastructure approvals.

Plans are also underway to include a link on the township’s website to explain the process and enable residents to track the progress.

Woolwich’s plan for development includes two receiving areas for commercial and high density residential development, one on the Route 322 corridor between Locke Avenue and Kings Highway and another smaller one at the corner of Auburn and Center Square Roads behind the existing CVS.

The Route 322 receiving area will contain 100 single-family units, 1,000 twin units, 1,617 townhouses and flats, 500 mixed-use units and 85 acres of parkland.

This site will be approximately one square mile in area and have a total of three million square feet of commercial space in a central location to the residential units. (Without the TDR plan, the 322 site is currently zoned for 10 million square feet of commercial space).

Adjacent to this commercial and high density residential center will be the development known as Woolwich Adult Community, with 1,029 senior units, a golf course and 2.7 million additional square feet of large format retail space.

At the Auburn Road receiving area, plans include 130 single-family homes, 162 twin units, 210 townhouses, 31 acres of parkland and up to 500,000 square feet of commercial space.

In addition, 110 acres of bald eagle habitat adjacent to the Raccoon Creek will be preserved.

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Logan Youths Get Safety Award

By Philip Dunn

LOGAN TWP. – At the May 20 Logan Township Council meeting the Logan Police Department presented the Community Safety Award to Allison Bowen age 7, Kaitlyn Bowen age 8, and Madison Stewart age 7.

The three girls were recognized for their actions in the month of February when they found what appeared to be a loaded hand gun on a playground near the Logan Elementary School.

These girls were smart enough to not touch the gun. Instead, they ran home to get their parents who went to check the gun and immediately called the police department. When the police came out to secure the gun, they found out that it was a loaded BB gun.

“This has been an ongoing problem in Logan Township and the United States in general. Juveniles and criminals who don’t want to use full blown weapons can use these and walk around acting like tough guys in town. Obviously it’s the end of the road for that,” said Patrol Officer William J. Franklin.

Sergeant Robert Leash and Franklin went on to present the girls with certificates of recognition and gift cards to Wendy’s.

“Even though what they found was a BB gun, it could turn unfortunate if someone were to display this to officers in the darkness. We could have tragic circumstance. Thanks to the action of these girls, the community became a safer place,” said Franklin.

Mayor Frank Minor also expressed his congratulations to the girls and added thanks to the parents.

“I think that this really says a lot of the parents who are doing a wonderful job teaching them to be responsible citizens. The parents provide another set of eyes because the police can’t be everywhere.” Working with the children provides another security blanket for our community, said Mayor Minor.

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

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