 Check out our Council Reports from tonight's (7/27) Pitman Borough Council Meeting. As always, please feel free to reach out at any time with questions or concerns: Paul Blass paul.blass@pitman.org Amy Rudley amy.rudley@pitman.org Matthew Weng matt.weng@pitman.org Vanessa E. James vanessa.james@pitman.org Adam Mazzola adam.mazzola@pitman.org Council Report July 27, 2019
Council President Paul Blass paul.blass@pitman.org On July 20th a subcommittee of the Economic Development Committee met with Councilman Mazzola and Administrator O’Donnell to discuss putting the finishing touches on the Theater Avenue project. We all came away with a vision and steps to make it happen. Since our last meeting Public Works completed many projects to help keep the Borough looking good: • They sealed the new pavers on Theater Avenue • Hung the new street signs within the historic district • painted light posts along Broadway • grated the alley behind West Avenue In addition, the sweeper has completed a circuit of the entire Borough. Unfortunately, it is now out of commission because of an electrical issue. Amy E. Rudley – Council Report July 27, 2020 Parks and Recreation Director Fox and I met on Friday to look at the area at the end of Beechwood for a possible location for a dog park. The area is largely open, but lined with trees. Parking is an issue, as there is only very limited street parking available. However, there is easy access to public works and there are two driveways in and out, aside from the public works entrance. The three residents who have expressed interest in the dog park idea met with me at the same location on Saturday. They each discussed among themselves the pros and cons of that location versus some of the others. They were then going to take a separate trip over to Shertel to give that area another look. The Recreation meeting will likely take place on the Second Thursday of August. Environmental Commission The Environmental Commission continues to seek a secretary. This position is paid $65 per meeting and includes attending the meeting, preparing the meeting minutes, submitting them for approval by the commission, and then distributing them to council. If anyone is interested in this position, please contact our Borough Administrator, Mrs. Judy O’Donnell. This need is immediate. Senior Outreach Committee We are deviating from our regular schedule of third Thursday meetings and are meeting this coming Thursday, July 30. We are going to meet outside at 6:30 p.m. We are going to brainstorm ways that we can still serve our Seniors in town given our current limitations and restrictions. All are welcome. If you are interested in attending, please let me know by e-mail at amy.rudley@pitman.org or by phone at 609-214-6342. In closing tonight, I ask that we take a moment to recognize the passing of Judge Esther Salas’s son, Daniel. Judge Salas sits on the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Her son was killed last Monday by a self-proclaimed anti-feminist who came to the Judge’s home and shot both her son and her husband. Our District Court Judges are appointed to their position by the President of the United States. This loss to one of our trusted New Jersey Jurists, and the reasons behind it, are unthinkable. Thank you and stay safe. Council Report 7/27/20 Councilwoman Vanessa E. James Vanessa.James@Pitman.Org Liaison: Finance & Audit, Personnel, Welfare Office, Library Board, Chamber of Commerce, Municipal Alliance, Task Force on Diversity & Inclusion Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce The Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce issued the following statement late this afternoon. The FALL 2020 CRAFT SHOW HAS BEEN CANCELLED. While health concerns continue to change every day during this challenging time, and in consideration of the current guidelines set forth by state and local health officials, the Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce has made the difficult decision to cancel the Lori Poisker Fall Craft Show scheduled for September 19th. Public safety and the health and safety of our crafters, vendors, and visitors alike is our priority. In brighter news, a new store, Crave, will be opening in the next couple weeks in the space that was formerly occupied by Press 10 on Broadway. They have a ribbon cutting tentatively scheduled for Saturday, August 8th. Once details are finalized, they will be announced to invite any interested Chamber and Council members. I urge everyone to please continue to support all our local businesses during this challenging time. McCowan Memorial Library The library is in their third week of being open inside. They are open during their regular hours and have begun their summer reading program and in-person story time programs outside in the Park. Patrons of the library have been in compliance with the restrictions in place and are happy to have the library back. Task Force on Diversity & Inclusion Pitman's Task Force on Diversity & Inclusion met for the first time on Thursday, July 23rd and selected their leaders. I am very excited to see what this group of dynamic volunteers will accomplish over the next year. Congratulations to all those elected! Lauren Canna - Chairperson Marla Newsom - Vice-Chairperson Alexandra Oasin - Secretary Robert Andersen- Chairperson - Subcommittee on Pitman, Policies, Procedures & Training Jacob Bernard - Chairperson - Subcommittee on Community Outreach & Education Marla Newsom - Chairperson - Subcommittee on Business Outreach & Accessibility The Task Force will meet on the Fourth Thursday of the month in Borough Council Chambers at 7 p.m. Meetings are open to the public. *Please wear a mask. Council Report 7/27/20 Councilman Adam Mazzola Adam.Mazzola@pitman.org Liaison: Public Property, Board of Education, Clean Communities, Memorabilia Committee Board of Education - There will be a special meeting on Wed 7/29, presumably to address the upcoming school year. Public Property - We are working on the removal of 2 trees in the Grove that present a danger to surrounding homes due to the poor health of the trees. Administrator O'Donnell and I met with representatives from the EDC, including liaison Council President Paul Blass, to discuss Theatre Ave improvements. The improvements discussed include a gate at the intersection with Simpson Ave, planters at the end of the pavers provided by EDC as well as new planters along the sides, sail shades to be attached to the buildings on either side to provide shade and eliminate the need for table umbrellas, and new tables and chairs. The planters would likely contain cluster bamboo as it would be lower maintenance and would thrive in the planters as opposed to trees which our Shade Tree Commissioner feels would not fare as well. We are currently awaiting some discussion and approvals on the sail shades before moving forward as that will determine how we proceed with additional purchases.
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Hey everybody! Episode 2 of what we can only hope is the most popular podcast about Pitman's local government is live, with a special guest star! Special thanks to our producer Sarah Weng! This week's theme music performed by Olivia Weng! Enjoy! https://www.buzzsprout.com/1197989/4591538   Below please find the Council Reports from the July 13, 2020, Borough Council Meeting. As always, please feel free to reach out at any time with questions or concerns: Paul Blass paul.blass@pitman.org Amy Rudley amy.rudley@pitman.org Matthew Weng matt.weng@pitman.org Vanessa E. James vanessa.james@pitman.org Adam Mazzola adam.mazzola@pitman.org Council Report from Council President - Paul Blass The Historic Preservation Commission met last Thursday. Five applications were considered. Three were approved without issue. Two were denied because there were questions involving the applications and no representatives were there to answer them. Since the meeting a subcommittee met with one resident and clarified that application, which will be able to go before the next Planning and Zoning meeting for approval. On June 23rd representatives from the EDC, Chamber of Commerce, and Police Department met with myself and Councilmen Weng and Mazzola to discuss bikes in the Uptown district. One idea is to install bike racks in more convenient areas. I have had the engineer look into the possibility of installing the racks in bump outs along Broadway. Recycling Report – June 2020 97.08 Tons of Single Stream Recycling at a cost of $ 9,257.14 5.18 Tons of Metal to Sims Metal; Borough received $ 640.20 799 Cubic Yards of Mulch, leaves, and/or brush hauled out to various places 62 Cubic yards of Mulch delivered to residents .84 Tons of E-Waste recycled: Solid Waste Collection – June 2020 228.96 Tons to Wheelabrator @ $74.50 per ton, for a cost of $ 15,145.86 144.86 Tons to Gloucester County Landfill @ $77.50 per ton, for a cost of $ 11,226.68 Since our last meeting, here is a brief summary of the Public Works Department tasks: • 74 water & sewer mark outs requests. • Plunged out 4 sewer stoppages. • Water samples. • Read 9 meters for settlement. • 9 Truckloads of bulk trash collected. • Repaired or replaced street signs in town. • 8 hours spent cleaning the tops of storm drains. • 6 hours patching and repairing potholes and sink holes. • 10 hours grinding leaves and brush for mulch. • Delivered 70 loads of mulch to residents. • Spent 10 hours mowing. • Repaired the trash/recycle can @ various locations. • Dropped off a truck for yard debris to 12 residences & picked up the next day. A couple times a year Public Works Director Rodi drives me around and gives me a full update on “issues” in town. Today we had one of those meetings. • There have been more and more manhole covers that are sinking, which causes a driving hazard. The roads department must replace the mortar supporting the opening. • In the near future Laurel Avenue will have to be closed to remove a bump that has developed. Due to the extent of the work this will be contracted out. • Also in the near future the entrance to the parking lot at Sixth Avenue and West will be closed so that the apron can be replaced. This work will be done in-house. • A crew was dispatched to fix the pump at Lakeside Avenue. Here is where I remind everyone that despite the advertising flushable wipes are not to be flushed. They clog the sewer system. This time, however, the culprit was a T-shirt. On many occasions residents have let me know of their positive experiences with the Public Works Department. Two weeks ago a resident wrote trying to find out the names of several employees. She owns a business and had forgotten to put out her trash, but the trash cans had been moved and emptied. She checked her security footage and saw that it was the borough workers who did it for her. This is just another example of our dedicated employees going above and beyond for their community. Please note that construction will take place at the railroad crossings on both Pitman and Holly Avenues. Work on Pitman Avenue will start around July 21st while the work on Holly Avenue will start around July 28th and will take two to three days. Expect detours between 7AM – 5 PM. Council Report from Councilwoman Amy Rudley Parks and Recreation The Summer Tennis Program is going well. They have been following USTA guidelines for COVID-19 safety precautions, including having accessible hand sanitizer, gloves on site, and masks. We should also be receiving $2,000 in grant monies from the Association in the next couple weeks to help with any modifications necessary due to COVID precautions. Pitman Recreation is currently looking into holding a second year of the Heart of A Champion (HOC) Basketball camp at Shertel Park during the week of August 10. Only limited attendance will be permitted and social distancing guidelines will be met. We are also hosting six games for the "Last Dance" high school baseball tournament starting tomorrow, first game is 4pm. Pitman Panthers play at 7pm. Games for this tournament will be played at Alcyon Park on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week. We are now taking registrations for fall Micro Mini soccer with plans to begin sometime in September. If you would like to submit a video for the Pitman Camp-In, please see me or Director Fox for more information. They should be 90-120 seconds, e-mailed to recreation@pitman.org and should cover some educational or instructional topic about camping. Videos are due by Saturday, July 18, for consideration in the final program. The Freedom Four Miler was a great success as a virtual run. There were over 300 registered virtual runners. Tee shirt pick up will be on July 30 at Alcyon Park 6-7:30 p.m. and will be arranged as a drive through. Environmental Commission The Environmental Commission is working to determine the impact that sediment runoff may have had on Glen Lake from construction at the old K-Mart location. They are meeting with John Phelps with SOLITUDE Lake Management to assess and discuss the erosion. Parks Director Andy Fox has also been in touch with Gloucester County Soil Conservation to help ensure that all proper protections are in place for local construction sites in an effort to keep our lakes and parks healthy. Senior Outreach Committee Senior Outreach is hoping to hold an in person outreach fair in the fall this year. This would be our Fourth Annual Outreach Fair and we are waiting a few more weeks to see if it is possible to do this safely. Of course, our Seniors are our most vulnerable population and we will not take any risks with their safety. I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July celebrating in a new way. You are always welcome to contact me at amy.rudley@pitman.org or 609-214-6342. Council Report from Councilman Matt Weng On July 6, Chief McAteer ended the Emergency Action Plan and General Order that the PPD had been working under since the State of Emergency was imposed by Governor Murphy. Special Order SO 2020-04 was issued in its place carrying over the COVID-19 precautions that still apply. On July 10, Cpl. Decker and PO Baker attended a virtual training on Report Writing. On July 15, Chief McAteer will attend a virtual open house for the nationally renowned Georgetown University Innovative Policing Program. On July 18, 10 PPD officers will attend a virtual training on Real World De-Escalation techniques. The remaining officers in the PPD will attend the same training on a different date. Finally, Chief McAteer, Deputy Chief Zander, and the entire PPD would like to acknowledge the many members of the Pitman community that have thanked them. The PPD has continued to serve with professionalism and committment during these difficult times. Our officers are honored by the many well wishes they've received, and they are well deserved. Council Report from Councilwoman Vanessa James Liaison: Finance & Audit, Personnel, Welfare Office, Library Board, Chamber of Commerce, Municipal Alliance, Task Force on Diversity & Inclusion Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce The Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce will hold its next monthly meeting on Tuesday, July 21st at 7 p.m. via Zoom. Laurel Market Pitman is online this year at https://uptownpitman.com/laurel-market/ You can order online and pick-up your order on Saturdays between 9 am and 12 pm at the Words Matter Bookstore, 52 S. Broadway in Uptown Pitman. Laurel Market looks forward to being back at Sunset Auditorium next season, but still plans to keep an online component. I urge everyone to please continue to support all our local businesses during this challenging time. McCowan Memorial Library After two weeks of curbside service, the library opened to the public at 25% capacity on Monday, July 6th. Public computers are available by appointment only. So far, patron visitation has been slow but steady and compliance with COVID policies has been very high. Library patrons are very happy to have the library back and operating at its normal hours. At this time the library cannot check out materials to patrons from other libraries in their consortium due to a lack of delivery service. They are unsure when and if the delivery company will return. The library will revisit this policy and the public computer policy in the coming weeks depending on demand. The library did experience some flooding in the basement during the tropical storm that hit on Friday. Fortunately, no damage was done to any important materials as they were able to remove almost all the items from the floor. A small leak in the roof during the storm was also noticed, but may have been caused by water volume and wind direction rather than damage. The library will continue to monitor that situation. Thank you to Public Works, the Recreation Department and the Pitman Fire Departments who responded very quickly to the flooding issue and prevented any serious damage to library materials. Task Force on Diversity & Inclusion We were pleased to receive over 50 applications from a diverse and dedicated group of residents willing to volunteer their time to promote diversity and inclusion in Pitman. Thank you to everyone who applied! Thirteen applicants were selected to serve and the first meeting of the Task Force will take place on Thursday, July 23rd at 7 p.m. at Borough Hall. We will either meet outside or socially distanced in Borough Council Chambers depending on the weather. Please wear a mask if you plan to attend. Council Report from Councilman Adam Mazzola Liaison: Public Property, Board of Education, Clean Communities, Memorabilia Committee Board of Education - Pitman Public Schools held their in person formal graduation ceremony on July 8th, including a speech from Fran Yearwood and parents or guardians presenting the graduates with their stoles. I have heard from several in attendance that it was a wonderful ending to a difficult year. I would like to thank the Staff, administration, and the Board for their hard work in meeting the challenge presented by shifting to virtual learning and continuing through the socially distanced, in-person commencement. Public Property - The recent storms in the past week hit Pitman with 5+" of rain and high winds. I was only notified of one down tree in Walton Park that thankfully fell with no damage to the surrounding properties, the tables, or the memorial in the park. Thank you to Borough personnel who were able to respond quickly and remove most of the fallen tree. Clean Communities - I am happy to report that the Executive Director of the NJ Clean Communities has cleared municipalities to resume cleaning efforts based on local approval and adherence to all current COVID-19 restrictions. I will be socializing this change via social media and will reach out to the organizations that have previously participated. We already have interest in a cleaning day at Alcyon Lake with residents using kayaks to clean hard to reach areas in addition to walking the surrounding shores. What do you do if you if you're still mostly stuck at home, there's not a lot of events, and you can't knock on doors? Why, you start a podcast, of course. Check out our new podcast starring Councilman Matt Weng & Councilman Adam Mazzola! https://www.buzzsprout.com/1197989/4424918?fbclid=IwAR29yWsh4YgABcq2iSd9ClDXYnanmXn8hSuzXwI9Q6ktB6_RofH8Nftf260 The Pitman Democrats proudly endorse the following individuals for Democratic County Committee. Democratic voters elect members to the Gloucester County Democratic Committee every two years. One male and one female are elected from each of Pitman’s seven (7) electoral districts. Please write-in the male AND female candidate for your district. Your voting district number will be listed on the yellow card in the envelope above your name. If you have a question about what district you are in, please send me an email at vanessa21james@gmail.com District 1 Vanessa James Justin Burns District 2 Amy E. Rudley James Naphas District 3 Debra J. Higbee Bruce Higbee District 4 Judith Walker Jeffrey Krachun District 5 Laura Natali-Blass Paul Blass District 6 Jacquelyn Tiger-Williams Joseph S. Ward District 7 Marcia Geyer Michael Shaw   Vote by Mail Ballots will be sent out in Gloucester County starting Friday, June 12, 2020. Fill out & return your ballot upon receipt! Per Executive Order 144, all registered Democrats and Republicans will automatically receive a Vote by Mail Ballot for the 2020 Primary Election. All vote-by-mail ballots have prepaid postage and must be postmarked on or before July 7th!   Dear Fellow Pitman Democrat:
These last months have been a challenging period in the history of our nation, state, and town. However, seeing Pitman come together in support of our neighbors, businesses, and friends has been nothing short of remarkable. It is has become clear over the last several months how critically important our government – at all levels – is to our daily lives. To that end, we want to ensure that you, as citizens, continue to have a say in how our government functions by exercising your right to vote. As you may already know, the primary election this year has been pushed back to Tuesday, July 7, 2020. In this election, you will have an opportunity to cast your votes for Councilman Matthew Weng and Councilman Adam Mazzola along with our Pitman representatives for Democratic County Committee. It may seem odd that we are asking you to vote when our candidates are unopposed, but this is the perfect way to show your early support for Matt and Adam and start building some positive momentum for November! The July 7th primary will mostly be conducted through vote by mail and ballots will be mailed out on June 12, 2020. Please fill out and return your ballot as soon as you receive it. If you have any questions about this process, please do not hesitate to contact us. Above all else, we continue to be your neighbors. In Pitman, that means we look out for each other. If there is anything we can do to assist you, or your family, friends and neighbors, please reach out to us at any time. Stay safe, stay well, and we will get through this together. Sincerely, Vanessa E. James Chairperson Pitman Democrats pitmandems@gmail.com  The Pitman Democrats proudly support Councilman Matthew Weng for re-election to Borough Council.
From Councilman Weng: Friends, I’m running for re-election this year. January of this year, when I first started drafting this post asking my Pitman friends and family for another term as their voice in local government, seems like a lifetime ago. Since then, a deadly pandemic claimed the lives of over 100,000 Americans, including our fellow Pitmanites. Many in our town lost jobs, homes, and businesses in the ensuing financial crisis. George Floyd was killed by someone sworn to serve and protect him, and people rose up in protest in Pitman and around the world. In my first term my aim was to lead through service. Our community deserves to be informed, so I posted meeting agendas and tried to explain in plain language some important changes in our town. You deserve to get answers to your questions and concerns, so I tried to be responsive to posts, emails, messages, and phone calls. And no one should ever face difficult times alone, so I made sure to solve the issues I could locally and connect residents with the right resources at all levels of government. I am particularly proud that Mayor and Council together passed three consecutive budgets with no municipal tax increase, without cutting services or raiding our surplus. Thinking about a second term, I still have many of the same goals. Despite the current issues we face, we still need to pick up the trash, clean the parks, and get our first responders the resources they need to help our residents. These are all essential to the well-being of Pitman. The rest of these issues have no easy answers. They require work and dedication and humility. Even then, we will not solve them immediately, nor will we solve them in the next three years, or maybe not even in the next thirty years. But we can begin. And we can begin here, at the local level. We have already taken some of those small steps. This month Pitman recognized LGBT Pride Month for the first time ever. We created a Task Force on Inclusion and Diversity with the goal of making Pitman as welcoming as possible. The leadership of our police department and I are working on reviving a community dispute resolution board, so that residents have a forum to address their concerns and solve their disagreements without involving the criminal justice system. Like I said above-that's just the beginning. With your support this year, we can continue that progress. Your vote decides not just who we are, but who we can be. I cannot promise I will get everything right, and when I get something wrong, I want you to let me know. What I can promise is that I will listen to you, learn from you, and address your needs. I also promise, to the best of my ability, to do everything I can to improve your life, and the lives of everyone in our small town; to make gentle the life of this world. Thank you for giving me the privilege of serving you.  The Pitman Democrats proudly support Adam Mazzola for Council.
From Councilman Mazzola: Friends and family, I am once again running for election to Borough Council. My first 5 months on Council this year have been challenging and I’ve welcomed the opportunities for personal growth that this new position has afforded. As the liaison to the Board of Education, I have seen firsthand the great lengths our school district has gone to in the face of changing education methods around the pandemic. I was happy to use our Clean Communities grant money to provide supplies to help school district staff ensure that all children had access to breakfast and lunch while learning remotely. As liaison to Public Property, I worked closely with other departments to make repairs to Sunset Auditorium and apply for grants to ensure the Grove Auditorium is accessible to everyone in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Recently, I met with the Economic Development Committee to discuss the addition of bicycle parking on Broadway. If elected in November, I will continue to work with my fellow Council members to maximize the utility of our publicly owned spaces. This includes working on the proposed bike and pedestrian path plan, maximizing parking opportunities, and evaluating the erosion around Alcyon Lake. I will also continue to work with the Board of Education to foster a stronger collaborative relationship between the schools and the Borough. Nothing about my journey to Council, or time spent thus far, has been predictable. For the past several months, we have all been faced with uncertainty. As a member of Council, I am proud that our town has continued to provide necessary services to our residents, even in the face of unprecedented challenges. I look forward to helping our town navigate past the uncertainty, and am hopeful for the opportunity to continue to serve the residents of Pitman as their Councilman for another term. If you ever need to contact me for any reason I am always reachable at adam.mazzola@pitman.org. Should you have any questions or need assistance I am happy to help. Thank you very much.  Posted by Councilwoman Amy Rudley June 2020 is officially recognized as LGBT Pride Month. 🏳️🌈 Here is tonight’s Proclamation: Proclamation of the Borough of Pitman Recognizing June as LGBT Pride Month Whereas, our Nation was founded on the principle of equal rights for all people, and is guided by a set of principles that includes that every person has been created equal, and that each has rights to their life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness; and Whereas, beginning in the year 2000, the month of June has been recognized nationally as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month with the purpose to recognize both the contribution of LGBT persons to society and their continued struggle for safety and acceptance; and Whereas, the Borough Council of the Borough of Pitman recognizes that members of the LGBT community are a vital part of all fields and professions and that they contribute to make communities stronger and more diverse; and Whereas, the Borough Council of the Borough of Pitman is dedicated to fostering acceptance of all citizens and believes that all residents should be afforded equal opportunity to enjoy a full and productive life, free to make their own choices, follow their own beliefs, to conduct their lives as they see fit, and to be able to live without fear of prejudice, discrimination, bullying, violence and hatred based upon race, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Now, therefore, be it Proclaimed that the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Pitman does hereby declare June 2020 as LGBT Pride Month in the Borough of Pitman and states their commitment to support the visibility, dignity, and equality of all people, and urges all residents to recognize the contributions made by members of the LGBT community, and to actively promote the principles of equality, liberty, respect, and honor, and seek to build a culture of inclusiveness and acceptance for all. Proclaimed at a regular meeting of the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Pitman, County of Gloucester, State of New Jersey, on June 8, 2020.  |
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