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Swedesboro Woolwich Day, Sept. 27
Offers Entertainment For All Ages

SWEDESBORO -- The Swedesboro Woolwich Day Committee is planning a day filled with activities and entertainment for all ages on Sept. 27.

This last Saturday in September is set aside by the committee to bring together a South Jersey community heaped in rich traditions. This year, the activities planned for the event will once again please visitors of all ages.

The Dragon 5K Run and Walk will begin on Kings Highway at 8 a.m. Last year, the streets were filled with citizens of all ages running fast, running not so fast, walking, and just enjoying the cool fall morning while helping benefit the Nathaniel Boerlin Scholarship Fund. Check out www.naterocksheaven.org for an on-line application.

After the run, the opening ceremony will take place on the main stage at Kings Highway and Franklin Street. Some of the performers during the day will be: St. Paul’s Choir, the Kingsway Regional High School Jazz Band, Rosina’s Performing Jewels, Dee Dot Dancers, and Yi’s Karate. Local bands are being sought to fill the entertainment schedule.

In addition, make sure to take a look at the antique fire truck display and help celebrate the 110^th Anniversary of the Woolwich Fire Company. Although fire prevention week is in October, the Woolwich Fire Company plans to have a fire prevention booth at the station where informational literature with some handouts will be available.

Kids of all ages will be entertained at the KIDS ZONE by clowns, characters, and magicians.

To make the day even more enjoyable, make sure to hop a ride on the shuttle into town from one of the stops.

As you can tell from presently planned entertainment, there is reason to believe that once again, Swedesboro-Woolwich Day will be voted best Hometown Event this year.

For more information, visit: www.swedesborowoolwichday.com Crafter/Vendors are still needed and may obtain forms on line.

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Re-Instated State Aid
Reduces Tax Increase In Boro

By Philip Dunn

SWEDESBORO - On July 17 Swedesboro Mayor and Council held a special meeting to adopt the 2009 budget which calls for an increased tax rate of 26 cents per $100 increase. This increase adds about $19.50 per month for a home assessed at the average of $90,000.

Mayor Tom Fromm expressed his grief about the tax increase.

“As anyone who has worked with me on our budget over the last five years knows, I am not happy with any tax increase, so anything above a very modest increase makes me an unpleasant person to be around,” said Fromm.

Loss of funding is the issue creating such tax problems for Swedesboro residents. The State of New Jersey originally eliminated $269,000 of State Aid, which would have resulted in an annual increase of $414/year for an average homeowner.

Mayor Fromm joined other mayors from small towns around the State in Trenton to protest this unfair reduction. A portion of the anticipated State Aid was restored because of these efforts, but not enough to prevent the increase

A request was submitted by Mayor Fromm for Extraordinary Aid that would have been dedicated to tax relief, but the application was rejected due to the state's financial crisis.
“The most important factor going forward during these challenging financial times is that the Borough Council has the courage and will to make the hard decisions needed for Swedesboro to thrive,” said Fromm.

Tough decisions were made recently to remove funding for programs that are important to the town's future. Both the elementary and high school took cuts to keep taxes down, and the council had to cut a long time employee of the municipality. The position of police clerk was also eliminated due to lack of funds.

Still the Council has been able to find positives in the budget. Water and sewer rates are steady for the fifth year in a row and trash disposal has not increased even with the addition of the new Recycle Bank program.

The plan for next year’s budget is unknown but could possibly entail less or possibly zero State Aid.

“Swedesboro can adjust to anything as long as we know what the rules of the game are, so all I will be asking is that the State clearly define the guidelines so we can continue to demonstrate how to efficiently operate a town budget,” said Fromm.

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East Greenwich’s
Amherst Farm Bus Route Restored

by Beth S. Biermann

EAST GREENWICH – Residents of Amherst Farms with children attending the East Greenwich school system brought concerns over an eliminated bus route to the township committee on July 8.

The school board had informed parents living in the development that courtesy busing would be discontinued for the upcoming school year for their children. Amherst Farms is located off of Democrat Road.

The parents were concerned about their children having to cross two roads with cars traveling at more than 40 miles per hour as well as railroad tracks. The parents also questioned the school board’s assertion that Democrat Road had not been declared unsafe. In fact, according to the East Greenwich police department, no traffic studies exist on that road to determine its safety as a walking route for school children.

Parents also wanted to know if there was a plan in place to handle the increased number of cars dropping off and picking up children whose parents don’t want them to walk to and from school.

The residents came to the committee to see if there was anything else they could do to have the bussing decision reevaluated. Mayor Fred Grant stated that the police informed him that the county is getting ready to do a traffic study on Democrat Road and they are also investigating the railroad crossing.

When asked by the parents why the school board made this decision without conducting the proper studies first, Grant replied that it is not an issue under the jurisdiction of the township committee but that “the board sent the letter too early in my opinion.”

Committeeman Brenden Garozzo suggested that the parents continue to have discussions with the superintendent and attend board meetings. He also added that parents should be encouraged to get out and vote for school budgets to keep this from becoming an issue in the future.

The school board later voted to restore the bus route that travels through Amherst Farms development. According to a state law, school districts are required to provide bussing for children living outside a two mile radius of a school. Due to one child in the development living outside the state-required two mile radius, the bus route will continue to operate through Amherst Farms.

In other business, the committee introduced an ordinance that would establish a $100 fee for weddings or civil ceremonies performed by the mayor. Currently, the mayor does not charge anything to perform weddings or civil ceremonies. Each mandatory $100 fee would be put into the East Greenwich recreation fund.

According to a state statute, mayors are not required to collect fees for weddings, but if they decide to do so, an ordinance must be in place.

Committeeman John DeGeorge claimed that the majority of the weddings he performed in his tenure as mayor were for young people who couldn’t afford the expense. He added that as a public servant, he never felt there should be a charge.

He suggested that people could make a donation to the township if they wished, but shouldn’t be required to do so.

Committeeman Pete Miskofsky stated that passing an ordinance requiring a $100 charge left “no consideration for those who cannot afford that”.

The ordinance was approved on first reading with its public hearing and vote set for Aug. 12. The approval was not unanimous, however, with DeGeorge and Miskofsky voting against the ordinance.

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Woolwich Reduces Expected
Tax Hike By 1.5 Cents

by Beth S. Biermann

WOOLWICH – After the state restored a small portion of the township’s funding, Woolwich passed an amended budget on July 21 that lowered the tax increase from 9 cents per $100 of home value to 7.5 cents.

This translates into a $150 increase of the local purpose tax versus the proposed $180 increase for an average home value of $200,000.

After cutting approximately $80,000 of funding from Woolwich, the state restored $8,000. In order to decrease the tax hike by 1.5 cents, the township also decided to increase the funds pulled out of surplus by $900,000, for a total of $2.795 million, approximately half of its total surplus.

Committeeman Sam Maccarone expressed interest in using an additional $450,000 of surplus in order to eliminate the tax increase altogether, but all other committee members disagreed. The amended budget passed by a vote of four to one, with Maccarone voting against it.

In other business, the committee awarded a bid for the lease of the concession stand at Locke Avenue Park. According to statement made by Committeeman Ted Otten at a previous meeting, the soccer and Little League organizations have had trouble keeping the stand staffed.

Leasing the concession stand will cost the township nothing. In fact, seven percent of the monthly net profits from concession sales will be remitted to the township. The bid was awarded to William Otto Rode of Rodedawgs Original Sauces LLC from August 1, 2008 through November 30, 2009, unless any sports organization end up playing after November 30, 2009.

The committee also passed an ordinance that establishes a no parking zone on Oak Grove Road (CR 671). Planning board approval of the Oak Grove Estates subdivision contained a provision for a no parking zone across the frontage of the development.

This ordinance further extends the area of no parking along both sides of Oak Grove Road from the Route 322 intersection to the boundary with Logan Township, due to “increased and future development of this area.”

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