To view
some of
our current
newspaper
advertisers
-click here-
these local businesses
are ready to
serve your
needs!

• Outgoing Parks & Recreation Chairman Makes
  Presentation To Township Committee

• Boro Town Council Bids Farewell to Councilman Daley

• Woolwich Police Recommend Solutions For
  Stratton School Traffic Concerns

Boro Agrees To Pay For
Woolwich Fire Co. Rescue Truck

SWEDESBORO – Swedesboro officials recently presented a check for $7,000 to members of the Woolwich Fire Company to cover half the cost of the company’s rescue truck for 2006. The Council also agree to assume to cost of the fire company’s loan on this piece equipment. Swedesboro Mayor Tom Fromm stated that Swedesboro shouldn’t have saddled the fire department with the loan for a piece of equipment they needed. “Now the fire department can do what they do as good as anybody, fight fires and rescue people, and not have to worry about how to pay off the rescue truck loan,” he added. Pictured here are (left) Woolwich Fire Company Assistant Chief Steve Phillips, Fire Chief Ed Barber, President Bill Ross, Swedesboro Mayor Tom Fromm and Councilman Dave Flaherty.

East Greenwich

Outgoing Parks & Recreation Chairman
Makes Presentation To Township Committee

by Beth S. Biermann

Parks and Recreation Chairman Dave Axelson made a presentation detailing recreation responsibilities to the East Greenwich Township Committee at their regular meeting on Dec. 12.

In preparation for calculating the 2007 budget, his report detailed the current responsibilities of all parties involved in parks and recreation activities. For example, the township pays utilities for facilities while the public works department and the sports organizations share responsibility for fields’ maintenance, with the exception of a contractor providing fertilizing services.

Axelson also expressed the need for long-range planning in terms of getting the sports organizations and the public works department to identify major improvements that will need to be made in the future.

As needed, these requests will be submitted to the Parks and Recreation Committee which will in turn make any necessary formal requests to the township committee. In the meantime, having a list of possible future expenses will help with budget planning for the coming year.

Committeewoman Michelle Haenggi, liaison to the Parks and Recreation Committee, emphasized that the number of children participating in township recreation activities and sports has been growing rapidly and will continue to do so, at increased cost to the sports organizations, the Parks and Recreation Committee and the township itself.

She added that Axelson’s report is a call for advance planning in order to relieve some of the costs associated with the Parks and Recreation Committee. If this is successful, they may be able to avoid having to increase the registration fees paid by residents interested in recreation activities.         

In other Parks and Recreation news, Haenggi announced that East Greenwich Day has been scheduled for May 12, 2007. A parade is being planned and Haenggi passed along the request from the Parks and Recreation Committee for police traffic control during the parade and police presence during the other East Greenwich Day activities.

Mayor John DeGeorge reminded Haenggi that if the Parks and Recreation Committee is planning to request township funds for East Greenwich Day expenses, they need to do so before the final 2007 budget is finalized, otherwise there wouldn’t be any funds available. Due to budget cuts in 2006, the Parks and Recreation Committee funded the majority of the 2006 East Greenwich Day through private and business donations.

Township Engineer Ken Ressler reported that he would like to finalize and resubmit plans for Phase Two of the Thompson Park project on Wolfert Station Road. He requested comments or questions from township committee members in regards to the preliminary plans already submitted, which include construction of a concession stand, restrooms, a maintenance shed, access roads, parking lots and tennis courts.

He estimated that the township could go out to bid for Phase 2 in late January 2007 with construction beginning in the spring of 2007.

In his waste management department report, Committeeman Fred Grant stated that recycling is up 30 percent for the year in the township. Trash collection has reached 3,100 tons for 2006 so far, which is 500 tons less than 2005 despite an increase of nearly 300 homes from which the township collects trash. The township has also earned $13,000 in revenue from marketing recyclables to date in 2006.

In other business, the township committee passed a resolution approving a contract with the New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT) to allow them to hire off duty East Greenwich police officers to provide traffic control for a repaving project along Route 295. It also stipulates that the township is not required to provide officers if they are not available at the time of the project.

In another vote, the committee approved an ordinance that changes the name of the Commission on Aging to the Commission on Senior Services. DeGeorge stated that the Commission believed the new name better represented their mission and objectives.

Finally, the Committee voted to have their reorganization meeting on January 6, 2007 at 6 p.m. This meeting will be open to the public.

return to top

Swedesboro

Boro Town Council Bids
Farewell to Councilman Daley

By Jesse Klein

At the Swedesboro Borough Council meeting on Dec. 18, Mayor Tom Fromm and the council thanked Councilman Patrick Daly for his dedicated service during his four years as councilman.

Earlier this year, Daley announced he would not seek re-election. Sam Casella who won the November election, will fill Daley’s seat beginning in January 2007.

Fromm thanked Daley for his excellent performance and valuable contributions to the council. “Pat, I know the borough will always benefit from your contributions, and I hope you will continue to participation in community endeavors as much as possible.”

In other business, Joe Ward of Logan EMS delivered the emergency medical response report for November 2006. Out of a total of 169 calls for aid made in November, Logan EMS responded to 15 in the borough, six commercial, seven residential, and one motor vehicle accident.

Ward reported that five Knox Boxes had been installed for town residents. The boxes allow authorized emergency crews access to keys if an inhabitant is unable to answer the door.

Ward also reminded council that beacon lights were available to any interested household. Ward explained that that the beacon light is simply a replacement light bulb for a home’s front entrance that when flicked on and off in rapid succession, produces a flashing signal that helps alert emergency crews to the residence requesting aid.

Ward informed council that bulbs could be picked up at the Logan EMS headquarters at 125 Main Street Bridgeport or can be delivered upon request by calling (856) 241-9100. He also offered to bring a supply to borough hall for interested residents.

In his committee report Councilman Don Dryden, stated that the green recycling cans delivered to residents earlier in the year led to an upsurge in the proper recycling of cans and bottles. However, Dryden alerted council that paper recycling is not what it could be and suggested that council purchase large plastic yellow barrels with lids to encourage proper disposal of paper.

He informed council that optimizing the appropriate disposal of paper would translate into savings of $74 per ton of disposed waste. Fromm asked for the purchase price per can, and Dryden stated the cost per can was in the range of $13 to$15.

Council agreed to consider the purchase and potentially include it as a line item in the 2007 budget.

Councilwoman Darlene Gage reported that Movie Nights would continue as part of the Parks and Recreation activities for 2007. On Jan. 19 the committee is going to a host a pajama party for the showing of Cars. The committee will also be handing out match box cars to the children and providing popcorn and other refreshments.

Council held a public hearing to amend the salary ordinance for the department of tax collection. They agreed to allocate $16,000 to pay for the services of Tonya Goodwin, Joanne Mitchow, and Bonnie Coleman until a new tax collector is hired to replace retiring Bonnie Coleman. Fromm commented that he was grateful for Coleman’s dedication and service to the borough.

With a vote of five to one, borough council passed a resolution for $25,000 to be paid to Think Pavers so that they may complete the Island Bump out Project at the fork of Kings Highway and Auburn Avenue.

Borough council also passed a resolution to approve inserting the $25,000 Shade Tree Grant into the town budget. Fromm explained that it must appear as a line item each year as the money is appropriated and spent.

The state contributes $20,000 to the total with the borough contributing $5,000 from a combination of cash and in kind service. Fromm informed council, “The borough will no longer front the money for the state on this grant or any other the state agrees to contribute to. We can’t be paying their contribution and then figuring out how to get the money later.”

Mike DeMarcantonio, licensed operator for the Public Works Department in Swedesboro sent the annual progress report on the Wastewater Treatment Plan to mayor and council.

Since coming to the department last year, DeMarcantonio was able to make several important improvements to operations, uncover and address numerous maintenance needs, and submit the paperwork to renew all necessary permits  to keep the plant running effectively.

DeMarcantonio worked closely with the town’s public works personnel top give them a better understanding of the treatment process. He also helped to ensure the existing staff receive more education in the Field.

William Goodwin completed the operators training courses and will take the NJJDEP test for wastewater operators license in March 2007. Carl Bagby enrolled in similar training in September of 2006.

Chuck Simmerman received a $2,000 scholarship from the Public Works Association of New Jersey to attend Certified Public Works Manager Courses to begin in January 2007. The course will allow Chuck to become a certified Public Works Manager.

Fromm said he was pleased by the excellent teamwork of the Public Works Department.

return to top

Woolwich

Woolwich Police Recommend Solutions For Stratton School Traffic Concerns

by Beth S. Biermann

Lieutenant Thomas Neale made a report to the Woolwich Township Committee detailing the status of the police investigation of traffic concerns at Stratton School.

At the Committee’s Dec. 18 regular meeting, Neale explained that his initial observations of the drop-off and pick-up traffic at the school revealed that residents’ complaints have been legitimate and proposed several avenues of resolution.

Neale observed many vehicles dropping off children at the school speed through the neighborhood and make illegal u-turns on Fredrick Boulevard. These u-turns occur in and out of residents’ driveways, across which students are frequently walking.

Parents are also letting children out of their cars on the opposite side of the street from the school. The children then run across the street haphazardly in between moving cars.

The police department has been placing cones along the middle of Fredrick Blvd. during the morning and afternoon pick-up and drop-off times. This is intended to deter vehicles from making u-turns across lanes of traffic.

Neale emphasized that this is only a temporary measure and is not feasible as a long-term solution. He also added that on the one day that he removed the cones and remained on site to supervise the area, the traffic problems reappeared.

Neale’s action plan detailed several things that need to be done in order to make the area safer for all children walking to school and being dropped off. One aspect of the plan involves making Fredrick Boulevard. one way during two half-hour periods, one in the morning and one in the afternoon which would be designated by a “Do Not Enter” sign with the hours posted on it.

The action plan also proposes to eliminate the crosswalk at the Ashburn Way and Fredrick Boulevard intersection and replace it with a permanent crossing guard at the Bunker Hill Drive and Fredrick Boulevard. intersection. In addition, the recommendation was made to paint a solid yellow line down the center of Fredrick Boulevard.

Another safety measure would be to designate the area as a school zone in order to decrease the speed limit to 15 mph. The township committee would have to pass an ordinance in order to achieve this.

The ordinance, once adopted, would then have to be sent to the New Jersey Department of Transportation for their review.

Neale recommended implementing all solutions simultaneously in order to solve the traffic problem as a whole, as opposed to doing it piece by piece.

Neale and Chief Russell Marino met with the school administration staff, along with Township Clerk Jane DiBella and Township Administrator Jack Lipsett. Marino reported to the committee that everyone in attendance at the meeting agreed that Neale’s proposed solutions would be “the best way to resolve the problem”.

In other business, the Committee heard an informational presentation by Urban LeJeune of e-government.com, a company that provides automated content management for municipal websites. Services provided include making the website manageable through clerical means, managing the township website in terms of automatic updates and maintaining statistics on website traffic, and providing the host server.

The cost for such a service would include a one-time design fee of $1,000 to $2,000 and an ongoing monthly fee of $200 to $300. A one-day training session of municipal employees who would have access to change, delete and update information on the website would be included in this cost.

return to top

Select a Page:
 

421 Stone Meeting House Rd., Woolwich Twp., NJ 08085-3609 editor@newtownpress.com

Web Site © 2006 - 2008 New Town Press
Web Site Design by Innovative Design Concepts