 Check out the comments to see our Council Reports from tonight's (1/25) 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 matthew.weng@pitman.org Vanessa E. James vanessa.james@pitman.org Adam Mazzola adam.mazzola@pitman.org Council Report January 25, 2021 Council President Paul Blass paul.blass@pitman.org The Historic Commission met on January 14th. Before hearing applications, the group held its annual reorganization. Rachel Corma will serve as secretary, Debra Higbee will serve as vice chair, and Walt Madison will once again serve as chair. The Commission heard two applications, one regarding fencing and one regarding painting. Both were recommended for approval at Planning & Zoning. The Economic Development Commission met on January 21st for its annual reorganization. Marcie Geyer will serve as secretary, Frank Trosky will serve as vice chair, and Barry Owen will serve as chair. The mayor was present to swear in new members Stephanie Van Twuyver and Marla Newsom. Public Works Since our last meeting, the Highway Department …. Collected 13 Loads of trash (133.98 tons) Collected 11 Loads of recyclables (38.73 tons) Collected 84 Yards of brush Collected two Truckloads of bulk trash Repaired or replaced street signs in town. Spent six hours patching and repairing potholes and sink holes. Spent six hours grinding leaves and brush for mulch. Delivered two new trash cans to residences and 1 recycle cans. The Water and Sewer Department… Performed 13 water and sewer mark outs requests. Plunged out three sewer stoppages. Performed routine well work, (painting, cleaning, etc.) Took Water samples. Read six meters for settlement. Replaced three meter bodies. Opened water tower for AT&T. Did 38 data logger reports (both daily and hourly) from the flow report, ahead of billing. Inspected new meter at residence on N Woodbury Rd. Over the past few weeks Public Works has done it annual cleaning of the Borough’s 322 storm inlets. 69 of them needed to be vacuumed out, which resulted in three yards of debris. Amy E. Rudley – January 25, 2021 Council Report Environmental Commission Environmental met on Thursday night via zoom. A few members of the new recycling subcommittee attended. Their first meeting for the subcommittee will take place on February 3, 2021, also via zoom. Senior Outreach Senior Outreach met via telephone, also on Thursday night. We discussed obtaining access for our Seniors to the COVID-19 vaccine and ways to maximize engagement with the Seniors on the internet, while we are unable to see them in person. The pros and cons of virtual meetings were discussed. Miss Pitman The Miss Pitman Committee is beginning to explore ideas for how to run a 2021 pageant. They are determined to make it happen, in some form and plan to meet in February to discuss. Memorabilia Memorabilia met the first Monday of the month. Among the important items discussed was the 150th Anniversary of the First Camp Meeting in 1871. We are looking into holding an event in August to commemorate the initial beginnings of Pitman. Public Property I have put together a questionnaire on a Google form to help gather information from our residents regarding their positive or negative thoughts, concerns, and questions regarding the Glassboro Camden Line. I am going to ask that everyone please share it around and I will happily share the data with everyone. So far, it is a very mixed bag of those for and against. I did hear back from Senator Madden’s office that John Hanson of the DRPA will be in touch and that the Chief Engineer for the project, Mike Venuto, would be happy to meet with Mayor and Council to give us an update regarding the planning and progress. I believe we best serve the members of our community if we stay as informed as we can so that we can decide how to minimize any negative impact to our residents and maximize any possible benefit. Finally, I wanted to thank Mr. Rodi for showing me and Councilwoman James the equipment and facilities at Public Works and for explaining the great lengths our employees go to, to extend the life of our vehicles and materials. It was very helpful in understanding the Public Works budget requests. As always, please feel free to reach out to me at any time at 609-214-6342 or amy.rudley@pitman.org Councilman Matthew Weng The PPD began its “official” active participation in the New Jersey State Chief’s of Police Association Accreditation process. Sgt. Andy Carson has been assigned as the Accreditation Manager by Chief Dan McAteer. The PPD would like to remind everyone to please dial 589-3500 or “911" if you have an emergency or need to report an incident to an officer. The non-emergency/business line to the PPD is not manned 24 hours a day. The PPD remains working under Covid-19 precautionary restrictions & guidelines outlined in the General Order. Council Report 1-25-21 Councilwoman Vanessa E. James Vanessa.James@Pitman.Org 2021 Liaison: Parks & Recreation, Public Events, Library Board, Chamber of Commerce, Task Force on Diversity & Inclusion Parks & Recreation The Parks & Recreation Department has been busy making various improvements to our parks including a new sign at Alycon Lake Park, new roofs on the dugouts at Brown and Harmon fields and cleaning up the area around Glen Lake. Director Fox is also working on a getting quotes for wall improvements at Shertel Park and for the dugout roofs at McBurney field. The Parks & Rec department is looking forward to spring and is planning on having T-ball assuming that the COVID-19 guidelines will allow it. The next meeting of the Recreation Commission is scheduled for Thursday, February 4th, at 6:30 p.m. and will most likely take place via zoom. The link for the meeting is available on the Borough website. Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce The Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce met via Zoom on January 19th. The GPCC Board is confident that as COVID numbers improve that they will be able to host some events this summer including Fourth Fridays and Pop-Up Parks. The Board has decided that it will be unable to hold the Spring Craft Show, but they are planning to move forward with the Fall Craft Show. They anticipate that registrations for the Fall Craft Show will be available in early spring and will be announced via social media and on the Uptown Pitman website. McCowan Memorial Library The next meeting of the Library Board of Trustees will take place on Tuesday, January 26, at 7:00 p.m. at McCowan Memorial Library. Task Force on Diversity & Inclusion The next meeting of the Task Force on Diversity & Inclusion will occur on Thursday, January 28th at 7 p.m. via Zoom. I want to thank Public Works Manager Fred Rodi and the Public Works Department for giving Councilwoman Rudley and I a tour last week. I found it very valuable being able to examine the equipment and buildings being utilized by Public Works firsthand and I continue to be impressed by the dedication and innovation our Public Works department. As always, I am available to answer any questions or concerns via email at vanessa.james@pitman.org or by phone at 336-407-8604.
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 Below please find our Council Reports from the (1/11) 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 End of the Year Report Council President Paul Blass paul.blass@pitman.org Historic Preservation Committee: The Committee heard 62 applications this year. Most involved changes to the exterior of properties like residing of a home or replacing doors or windows. Most were easily approved as presented while some required adjustments to the application. All were sent to Planning and Zoning Board for final approval. EDC Despite being hampered by Covid, EDC continued its mission to help Pitman businesses. For example, Tenzy Frenzy was a new promotion tried this year. The group also worked hard to finish the Theater Avenue project. Ideas not fulfilled this year will be explored for next year. Sustainable Pitman: Typical projects for Sustainable Pitman were hindered this year because of the pandemic. The team did try something new by having a guest speaker through Zoom. The topic was “Calming Holiday Stress in the Covid Era.” Public Works: Despite the pandemic, our Public Works department continued to provide its array of services for our community without interruption. Besides the obvious trash pick up, Public Works collects leaves several times throughout the year, fixes potholes, unclogs drains, fixes water main breaks, repairs signs, and many other items I call and ask “can you help with this.” We are very fortunate to have such a dedicated and caring crew. Some stats for 2020: Total tonnage of trash removed – 3,541 tons Recycling – 974 tons Street sweepings disposal – 52 tons Leaves collected – 4,298 cubic yards Yard debris disposed of off site – 3,196 cubic yards Brush collected – 3,510 cubic yards e-waste collected – 4.4 tons metal collected – 40.5 tons Amy E. Rudley, 2020 Year-End Report Please accept the following as my year-end report for the 2020 year from my assigned departments and commissions. Environmental Commission The Environmental Commission made the best of the circumstances presented by the pandemic. To increase public awareness and knowledge of our native trees, identification signs were placed at many trees in Betty Park. They include the trees’ common and scientific name, features, and other information. More signage will be added. Pitman was recognized for its 17th year with Tree City USA. The Environmental Commission was able to hold a socially distant tree planting event in the fall with 5 groups. The Environmental Commission also contracted the planting of 2 additional street trees along Broadway, filling our last two vacant tree pits. The Environmental Commission created the recycling subcommittee to begin their efforts for the 2021 calendar year. Additionally, the Environmental Commission provided input and consideration to several site planning and subdivision applications to the Planning and Zoning Board, as well as regarding the Bicycle Plan and its inclusion in the Master Plan. Senior Outreach Committee In February, we launched our first Senior Speaker Series event. We hosted representatives from the State of New Jersey who led our Seniors through the internet searches regarding their unclaimed property. We had a large number of Seniors who found considerable unclaimed monies which belonged to them! The remaining speakers will be rescheduled once it is safe for us to assemble together. During the pandemic, the Committee then coordinated care packages for nominated Seniors and for our regular bus rides. The bus continued to take our Seniors to the grocery store throughout the darkest time of the pandemic and our bus driver, Steve, deserves much credit for keeping the Seniors safe and able to meet their shopping needs. We are looking forward to seeing our Seniors again in person in the 2021 year. Pageants and Parades The Miss Pitman Pageant, the Fourth of July Parade, and the Santa Parade were all cancelled this year. I am sure each of the volunteers will make 2021 festivities even more amazing. Recreation Commission Despite the pandemic, we were able to hold a micro-mini soccer season, as well as summer tennis, and a basketball clinic. We used the downtime to work on our parks and fields. We were able to successfully hold the Pitman Freedom Four Miler in a virtual format and it was wonderful. For those in-the-know, you could run it in reverse and avoid the hills, which inspired me to participate for the first time (by walking!) I want our Parks and Recreation Employees, our Environmental Commission members, and our Senior Outreach Committee members to know that I thank them for making the best of a bad situation. Working with each of you has been my pleasure. Finally, should any members of our community ever wish to reach me, please feel free to e-mail me at amy.rudley@pitman.org or call me at 609-214-6342. Council Report 1-11-20 End of Year Report 2020 Councilwoman Vanessa E. James Vanessa.James@Pitman.Org 2020 Liaison: Finance & Audit, Personnel, Welfare Office, Library Board, Chamber of Commerce, Municipal Alliance, Task Force on Diversity & Inclusion 2021 Liaison: Parks & Recreation, Public Events, Library Board, Chamber of Commerce, Task Force on Diversity & Inclusion Finance & Audit, Personnel It was truly my pleasure to spend my first year as a Councilperson serving as the liaison to the Finance & Personnel Department. Thank you to Administrator O’Donnell and CFO Considine for your patience and responsiveness in my new role. The entire finance department is an extremely dedicated group, and they should be commended for all their hard work, especially considering the challenging year that we faced in 2020. As the Council liaison I was proud to pass a budget in 2020 with no municipal tax increase. We were also able to refinance some outstanding bonds which will save the Borough over $500,000 over the life of those bonds. I also had the opportunity to work on the redesign of our Borough website, which just went live last week. Thanks to our Borough Webmaster Andy Fox and Borough Administrator Judy O’Donnell for their help with this project and to Mayor and Council for their support and feedback. I also want to thank all the Pitman residents who contributed photos and videos for this project. I am very pleased with how the website turned out and I am certain it will be a useful tool for Borough residents. Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce The pandemic made 2020 a very challenging year for the Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce. Despite the adversity they faced, the Chamber still managed to support each other and the community by shifting to outdoor and online events. Thank you to all the residents who continued to support our local businesses through the Chamber’s online gift card sale, Pitman Bucks sale and online ornament sale, as well as choosing to focus on eating and shopping local. Your patronage of our businesses is appreciated. The Chamber is looking forward to a brighter 2021! McCowan Memorial Library While many other local libraries remain closed to the public, McCowan Memorial Library has worked hard to come up with creative procedures that allowed it to reopen and remain open safely once it was allowed to do so. Not only does the library provide books and other media materials to the public, it also provides free computers and internet which is a resource in high demand. The library also managed to maintain its children’s program throughout the year through both virtual and in-person programming. During 2020, 26,581 people visited the library. There were 1,231 internet users. There were 241 children’s programs with 1,127 people in attendance and 11,258 views virtually. Thank you to Director Coldren and the entire library staff for all your hard work. Task Force on Diversity & Inclusion This summer, Mayor and Council voted by resolution to create the Task Force on Diversity & Inclusion so they could make recommendations to Mayor & Council on ways to promote diversity and inclusion in our borough. More than 50 people volunteered to serve on the Task Force and the group that was ultimately selected by Mayor & Council is comprised of a diverse group of representatives from our schools, business community, faith community, residents, the Pitman Police Department and Borough Administration. The members have been working diligently over the last six months on researching Pitman Policies, Procedures & Training; opportunities for Community Outreach & Education; and Business Outreach & Accessibility. They anticipate presenting their recommendations to Mayor & Council in the summer of 2021. Despite the challenges of a global pandemic, it has been a rewarding first year being able to serve the residents of Pitman alongside the Mayor and my fellow councilmembers. I’m looking forward with hope to 2021 and a new challenge as I take on the role of liaison to the Parks & Recreation Department. As always, I am available to answer any questions or concerns via email at vanessa.james@pitman.org or by phone at 856-244-1854. Council Report 12/14/2020 Councilman Adam Mazzola Adam.Mazzola@pitman.org Annual Report: Clean Communities - Despite a later than usual start and strict social distancing guidelines we were still able to pull off several Clean Communities projects. The Scouts, Girls Soccer Booster Club, Women's Club, Knights of Columbus, VFW, and the Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce were all able to conduct clean up projects in various locations around town and raise much needed funds to continue to give back to the community. In 2021, I will remain as the coordinator and I look forward to returning to a more normal schedule of cleanup activities. I will also be looking into ways to possibly use these grants to do recurring litter patrols along Broadway, keeping our Uptown district looking its best. Public Property - This year the EDC was able to procure new tables and chairs for Theatre Ave as well as 3 box planters to improve the pocket park. Discussions are underway to provide greenery once the weather is more conducive. Sunset Auditorium saw significant use this summer and fall due to the indoor restrictions on events. Unfortunately a tree has fallen and damaged a section of the roof and we are waiting on assessments to the possible repair and insurance. Board of Education - While the hybrid learning model is in place, Pitman Schools are still providing a week's worth of breakfasts and lunches for pickup at Pitman High School in the Auditorium parking lot. This past week they provided food for 550 children (7,700 meals). Pickup times this week resume the regular schedule of Tuesday 1-4 PM, Wednesday 4-6 PM, Thursday 4-6 PM. All Pitman families with children 18 and under are encouraged to participate as there are no qualifications to receive the food. Check the District website for more information at pitmank12.nutrislice.com. Our hearts are heavy as we watch in shock and disbelief the events unfolding in our nation’s capital. The violent actions in Washington, D.C. should be met with outrage by all Americans. These actions and the words which have incited them undermine the fabric of our democracy. We join our voices with the millions of Americans — people of all political persuasions—who are calling for an immediate end to this insurrection and a return to the peaceful transition of power.
Paul Blass Amy Rudley Matthew Weng Vanessa James Adam Mazzola Marcie Geyer Morgen Frazier Michael Shaw  Our Council Reports from the 11/23/20 Pitman Borough Council Meeting follow. 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 November 23. 2020 Council President Paul Blass paul.blass@pitman.org The Economic Development Commission met on November 19th. The group was updated on a video campaign for small business Saturday. The group approved the purchase of new banners for the posts uptown. Sustainable Pitman (formerly “The Green Team”) hosted a special presentation on November 18th titled “Calming Holiday Stress in the Covid Era.” Therapist Sile Keane provided helpful hints in dealing with stress. Good news from the State – we were notified that the Borough would receive a grant of $237,000 towards the reconstruction of Centre Avenue. This will take place sometime next year in conjunction with the reconstruction of Lakeside Avenue. This is a short work week for Public Works because of the Thanksgiving holiday. They will do there best to try and cover the whole town with leaf collection. Two trucks were out on Saturday trying to keep up with the demand. Public Works Since our last meeting, the Highway Department …. Collected 10 Loads of trash - 134.53 tons Collected 10 Loads of recyclables - 39.32 tons Collected 74 Yards of brush collected Collected 2523 Yards of leaves collected Spent 9 hours patching and repairing pot holes and sink holes. Spent 18 hours grinding leaves and brush for mulch. Ran street sweeper 4 hours. The Water and Sewer Department… Did 17 water and sewer mark outs requests. Plunged out 8 sewer stoppages. Jetted 1 sewer mains. Took water samples. Read 7 meters for settlement. Re-read 1 meter for billing questions. Replaced 1 meter bodies. Upgraded 2 meter heads. Amy E. Rudley, Council Report November 23, 2020 Parks and Recreation Director Fox attended three hours of training for the new website and we expect to go live very shortly! Recreation will meet on December 3 at its usual time, 6:30 p.m. I anticipate that this meeting with be via zoom. Senior Outreach Committee The Committee met via conference call on Thursday night and discussed adding some content to the Borough website to provide useful links and referrals for Senior Citizens. We hope to become a better information resource for Seniors, despite not being able to hold any events at this time. Environmental Commission Environmental Commission will meet on December 3 at its usual time, 7:30 p.m. I wish all of our Pitman residents and their families a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving. You are always welcome to reach out to me with any questions or concerns at 609-214-6342 or via e-mail at amy.rudley@pitman.org Council Report 11/23/20 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 Finance Our tax collector Beth Ruhl reports that the tax collection rate for 2020 is 97.28%, which is up from last year’s tax collection rate of 97.01%. Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce The last chamber meeting was held on November 17th and Officers & Board Members were nominated and elected. Congratulations to Interim President Patrick Bradley, Treasurer Jenny Mazzola, Secretary Kara Knauss, and Board Members Emily Matthias, Lauren Canna, Benjamin Leis, Stacey Myers, and Keryl Hausman. Many thanks to Yvonne Jacobs, Gwyn Glass, Al Magonagle and Amanda Lampkin-Porto for their past service. You can purchase Pitman Bucks this year on Small Business Saturday from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. at Broadway Bakery. Pitman Bucks spend the same as cash at most Pitman businesses and are perfect for teacher gifts, stocking stuffers and the couple on your list who has everything. This year Pitman Bucks will be sold at face value with no Bonus Cash. They are available in $50 increments and there is no limit to the amount you can purchase. The Chamber is hosting a social distanced Santa in Ballard Park starting this Saturday evening. Santa will be visiting Ballard Park from November 28th through December 19th every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 6 – 8 p.m. Please wear a mask if you plan on visiting Santa. Stay tuned for some additional chamber sponsored holiday fun coming soon and please remember to shop local this holiday season! McCowan Memorial Library During the month of October 2020, 2,771 people visited McCowan Memorial Library and there were 98 internet users. There were 14 children’s programs with 149 people in attendance. The Library Board of Trustees will meet on Tuesday, November 24th at Borough Hall Council Chambers at 7 p.m. Task Force on Diversity & Inclusion There will be no public meeting of the Task Force this month due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Council Report 11/23/2020 Councilman Adam Mazzola Adam.Mazzola@pitman.org Public Property: The new tables and chairs that were purchased with remaining trust money have been delivered and installed on Theatre Ave. Thank you to Administrator O'Donnell, Public Works, and EDC Chair Shari Hulitt for their work on coordinating this upgrade. Planters have also been delivered to create a distinction at the back of the park and will be installed once we would be able to fill them with soil. The 3 trash receptacles are en route and will be placed once they arrive.  Our Council Reports from the 11/9/2020 Pitman Borough Council Meeting follow. 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 November 9, 2020 Council President Paul Blass paul.blass@pitman.org Public Works This past Saturday a crew was dispatched to clear a clog on Broadway In remembrance of Veteran’s Day Public Works will be closed this Wednesday. Trash and recycling will be picked up on Thursday. Residents are reminded not to park on leaf piles. In fact, 15-20 foot clearance is needed for the trucks to pick up the leaves. SOLID WASTE COLLECTION FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER 2020 26 Loads to Wheelabrator 273.41 Tons 6 Loads to Gloucester County Landfill 57.35 Tons TOTAL 330.76 Tons TOTAL COST $ 25,633.96 Since our last Council meeting the Highway Department… Collected 189 Yards of brush Collected 721 Yards of leaves Repaired or replaced street signs in town. Spent 14 hours patching and repairing pot holes and sink holes. Ground leaves and brush for 12 hours. Ran street sweeper 2 hours. Mowed for 12 hours. Repaired the trash/recycle can at various locations. Dropped off a truck for yard debris to 1 residences and picked up the next day. Delivered 3 new trash cans to residences. Since our last meeting the Water and Sewer Department… Did 18 water & sewer mark outs requests. Plunged out 3 sewer stoppages. Jetted 1 sewer mains. Took water samples. Read 8 meters for settlement. Re-read 6 meters for billing questions. Replaced 1 meter body. Upgraded 6 meter heads. Did data logger reports for 4 residences. Amy E. Rudley, Council Report November 9, 2020 Parks and Recreation • Micro mini soccer just concluded its 8th and final week for the season with over 80 children participating. • Healthy Kids Running Club also just finished up their season. • Baseball and Softball should be finishing up this week, while youth soccer has a few more weeks. • We are currently receiving bids for the tennis court repairs, which we hope to accomplish in the spring. • There will be no middle school basketball program, however we are looking into a program for first and second grade, as well as exploring other local opportunities for the older kids to still have a basketball experience. Senior Outreach Committee • The Senior Outreach Committee is planning to do a holiday care package for our regular bus riders. We are very hopeful that, by late Spring, we will be able to resume our in-person events. Environmental Commission • The Environmental Commission held a successful and socially distanced tree planting event on Saturday morning. Thank you to everyone who participated, including Mayor Razze and his family. • The Commission had 6 applications for the Recycling Sub-committee. The decision was made by the Commission to accept everyone to help with this important topic. We will be sending an e-mail to the applicants to advise them and will begin meetings in January. • I understand that the sign uptown reads a bit confusing. Do not recycle your plastic bags and do not place your recycling in a plastic bag. Thank you! • The Camden to Glassboro line is currently in the Environmental Impact phase. They have published their draft study and have a 45 day public comment period, which started on November 2, 2020. There are two zoom sessions, Tuesday, November 17, 2020 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Thursday, November 19, 2020 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. You can access this information on their website at glassborocamdenline.com As always, please feel free to contact me about any issues or questions you might have. My cell phone remains 609-214-6342 and my e-mail is amy.rudley@pitman.org Council Report 11/9/20 Councilman Matt Weng -On October 19th & 20th Sgt. Jon Streater and Sgt. Chris Leach attended Internal Affairs Training. -On October 26th and 27th Deputy Chief Tom Zander and Sgt. Andrew Carson attended Internal Affairs Training. -On October 1st Detective Nick Barbetta, Cpl. Marshall Pierson, Patrol Officer Tyler Hagan, Patrol Officer Nick Brown and Special Officer Tom McEvoy attended Gloucester County Police Academy Annual Recertification Training. -On October 29th Cpl. Ken Decker and Patrol Officer Cristyn Edwards attended Gloucester County Police Academy Annual Recertification Training. -On October 26th and 27th Cpl. EJ Parker attended K9 Training. -On October 19th and 23rd Patrol Officer Sam Hoffman Attended SWAT Training. Council Report 11/9/20 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 Following our last Council Meeting, I created a Sign-Up Genius form for volunteers to clean up Theatre Avenue twice a week on early Friday evenings and Sunday mornings. We received a very positive response and have at least one volunteer signed-up for each time slot until the end of the year. If you know of any students looking for community service hours, this could be a great opportunity for them. Please feel free to reach out to me and I’ll set them up. Thanks to all the volunteers who have already participated including Mayor Razze and his family and Councilmen Weng & Mazzola. The next meeting of the Chamber will take place on Tuesday, November 17th, at 7 p.m. location to be determined. The Chamber is accepting nominations for their Board & Officers at this time and voting will take place at that meeting. McCowan Memorial Library Special thanks to Library Director Andrew Coldren, Maureen Fitzpatrick, the Pitman Police Department, and Mayor and Council for helping out with the Library’s Halloween parade this year. It was a great turnout, and it was wonderful to be able to safely carry on this special tradition. Thank you to all the businesses who donated candy! Council Report 11/09/2020 Councilman Adam Mazzola Adam.Mazzola@pitman.org Public Property: I would like to thank Councilwoman James for setting up the volunteer list for the Theatre Avenue cleanup events on Friday evening and Sunday morning through the end of the year. This will help maintain the area in the interim while we figure out what we want to do in 2021. I am working on a proposal that includes a litter patrol along all of Broadway as a tie in with Clean Communities grants and student service hours. In addition the new furniture is on its way and a delivery appointment will be set soon. Clean Communities: As the weather turns colder I would fully expect that these projects will slow down but we do have one more scheduled for the VFW to continue the work on the Dell area. We recently had a group go through the Alcyon Woods Disc Golf course as I had heard about a lot of broken glass along the path. The golfers passing by all thanked them for their efforts and were appreciative of the clean up. As this is an attraction that brings people into town I may suggest sending people through that course more often. If we continue to see a build up of debris, it may be worth placing trash and/or recycling bins along the course as well.  Below please find our Council Reports from our 10/13 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 October 13, 2020 Council President Paul Blass paul.blass@pitman.org The Historic Preservation Commission met on October 8th. Seven applications were discussed. Topics included roofing, windows, fencing, signage, and doors. All were approved. Last meeting I mentioned that Councilman Fitzpatrick notified me of a hazardous water inlet. I am happy to report that the inlet at Kenton Avenue was repaired today. Public Works Since our last meeting, the Highway Department …. Collected 7 Truckloads of bulk trash. Spent 24 hours cleaning the tops of storm drains. 7 hours patching and repairing pot holes and sink holes. 12 hours grinding leaves and brush for mulch. Ran street sweeper 4 hours. Delivered 4 yards of mulch to residents. Spent 30 hours mowing. Repaired the trash/recycle can @ various locations. Dropped off a truck for yard debris to 3 residences & picked up the next day. The Water and Sewer Department… Did 61 water & sewer mark outs requests. Plunged out 7 sewer stoppages. Took water samples. Read 17 meters for settlement. Re-read 4 meters for billing questions. Replaced 2 meter bodies. Upgraded 2 meter heads. Fixed loose manhole on Spruce Ave. Flushed fire hydrants all over town. RECYCLING REPORT FOR SEPTEMBER 2020 23 Loads of Single Stream Recycling 93.92 Tons At a cost of $ 8,184.66 2 Loads of Metal to Sims Metal 3.53 Tons We received $ 476.40 Mulch, leaves, and/or brush hauled out to various places 247 Cubic Yards Mulch delivered to residents 4 Cubic yards SOLID WASTE COLLECTION FOR SEPTEMBER 2020 21 Loads to Wheelabrator 246.54 Tons @ $74.50 per ton, for a cost of $ 19,106.90 9 Loads to Gloucester County Landfill 110.18 Tons @ $77.50 per ton, for a cost of $ 8,538.98 TOTAL 356.72 Tons TOTAL COST $ 27,645.88 Amy E. Rudley – Council Report October 13, 2020 Parks and Recreation Basketball season is the biggest topic right now. The NJSIAA is meeting this Thursday to make final plans for all winter sports. Director Fox expects to hear from the Superintendent following that meeting regarding gym availability. Also, the playground at Shertel park has become a major concern for the Park’s Department. The equipment is being misused and there is a frequent issue with graffiti. Director Fox plans to discussion this issue at the next Recreation Commission meeting. Senior Outreach The Senior Outreach Committee will meet this Thursday at 5:00 p.m. at Borough Hall. All are welcome subject to social distancing limitations of the space. Environmental Commission The Environmental Commission is looking to start the search for the Recycling Subcommittee this week. If you know of anyone who has a keen interest in recycling awareness, please send them my way. The Commission has been speaking with potential vendors regarding a project to help stop the erosion on the Alcyon Park side of Alcyon Lake. There are natural logs that can be used to sure up the shore line and the costs of that are being explored. A project of this type was done on the Betty Park side years ago with good success. If you have visited the Carr Avenue beach lately, it has suffered some severe erosion and it is becoming easier to lose footing as a result. This would eliminate and reverse that problem for the time being and slow its progression in the future. As always, please feel free to contact me with any issues at any time. If I am not the appropriate Council Contact, I will make sure to put you in touch with the right person. I can be reached at amy.rudley@pitman.org, as well as 609-214-6342 Council Report 10/13/20 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 4th Annual Witches of Pitman Shoppe Hop is going on all week through this Saturday, October 17th at 5 p.m. Visit Uptown Pitman any day of the week with your favorite witches for a great day (or night) of shopping and dining! Many of the businesses will be conjuring up magical discounts. Make sure to wear your best witchy attire. Post a picture of yourself in Uptown Pitman and check in at this event and you will be entered in a drawing to win a Pitman Prize Package! McCowan Memorial Library During the month of September 2020, 2,640 people visited McCowan Memorial Library and there were 90 internet users. There were 17 children’s programs with 126 people in attendance. Task Force on Diversity & Inclusion The next meeting of the Task Force will be on Thursday, October 22nd in Borough Council Chambers at 7 p.m. Meetings are open to the public. *Please wear a mask. Council Report 10/13/2020 Councilman Adam Mazzola Adam.Mazzola@pitman.org Clean Communities: This past weekend the Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce held a Clean Communities event at Alcyon Lake. There were over 30 volunteers including members of the GPCC Board, several members of Council, and people ranging in age from 4 to … older than 4. 12 volunteers brought their own kayaks and removed 10 bags of trash as well as part of a picnic table from the water. The remaining land based cleaners removed 6 bags of trash and a tire from the shoreline and dam area. They also removed 7 bags of large sticks from the park and 5 bags of leaves from between the path and the shore. We have also had the following groups volunteer around the Borough: Pitman Girls' Soccer - Dell Creek Cub Scouts Pack 218 - Railroad tracks Knights of Columbus - Shertel Park Women's Club - Glen Lake Matt and Adam discuss their goals for another term and encourage voters to return their ballots. If you haven’t registered to vote, October 13th is the deadline! Click here to register to vote or change your address with the Board of Elections: https://nj.gov/state/elections/voter-registration.shtml You can cast your vote for Matt & Adam by returning your ballot to: (1) A secure drop box (closest drop box is at 400 Holly Dell Drive, Sewell); (2) The Office of Elections (550 Grove Road, West Deptford); (3) By Mail (return ASAP); (4) Return your ballot to our polling place on Election Day which is Pitman High School. You have options for voting this year: Drop your ballot at the Secure Voter Dropbox located at 400 Holly Dell Drive, Sewell. Drop your ballot at the Board of Elections located at 550 Grove Road, West Deptford. Return your ballot by mail as soon as possible. Bring your ballot to the polling place on Election Day. #WengMazzolaforPitman #voteearly See Matt and Adam answer the hard hitting questions from Pitman's top local muckrakers in their first ever press conference! |
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