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Paul Blass
Council Report August 9, 2021 Council President Paul Blass paul.blass@pitman.org Public Works Monthly totals for July: 258.30 tons of trash to Wheelabrator at a cost of $19,850.36 89.98 tons of trash to the county landfill at a cost of $ 6,943.76 Recycling totals for July: 77.66 tons of single stream recycling at a cost of $1,829.59 3.23 tons of metal to Sims Metal; Borough received $647 .97 tons of E-Waste recycled 187 cubic yards of mulch and brush hauled to various places at a cost of $1,467 24 cubic yards of much delivered to residents. I would like to thank Public Works for their help in preparing for the Sesquicentennial of the first camp meeting. They delivered a truck load of mulch, which a team of volunteers used in the gardens at the front of the Grove Auditorium. Mr. Tetreault also cleaned the inside and outside of the Auditorium so it would look good for the big day. Amy E. Rudley, Council Report August 9, 2021 Environmental Commission Environmental did not meet in August due to vacations of several commissioners. Commission Yeager and a local volunteer have continued to weed and tend to the new pollinator garden. There will be some fall plantings added once the weather cools. Memorabilia Committee The Memorabilia Committee did a wonderful job with the 150th Anniversary of the first Methodist Camp Meeting. The event was a great success. Thank you to Debbie Higbee and Jane McCausland for the great posters and for the presentation. Thank you to Bill McCausland for being the “voice” of the presentation and to Jenny Mazzola for recording and merging the video and audio. Thank you to Fred Mossbrucker for bringing his Civil War tents, the style used at the first Camp Meeting, and to Mike Doughery, Nancy and Charlie Homeyer, and Walt and Josh Madison for sharing their private collections. Thank you also to Michelle LaPlante and Katy Hoh for giving tours in the museum and thank you to Michael Shaw for the graphics for the postcard and the banner, as well as Council President Blass and Laura Blass for their great support and efforts throughout the preparation and during the event. Finally, thank you to Sarah Mickle for preparing the period music for us to play, to the volunteers who weeded and mulched the weekend prior to the event, and to Keith Tetreault for cleaning the Auditorium. Senior Outreach Committee The first joint event with the VFW will be on Thursday night. The doors will open at 5:00 p.m. and at 6:30 p.m. we plan to show Casablanca. There will be light snacks available for free for attendees. We hope that all Seniors in Pitman will join us. Please feel free to contact me if you need anything. My cell remains 609-214-6342 and my e-mail is amy.rudley@pitman.org. Matthew Weng - The School Resource Officers, Sgt. Leach & P/O Stefanopoulos have been scheduled to begin their assignments with the Pitman School District this year. The officers will begin again at all the schools as Fall team sports begin. - P/O Khoury will be utilized again this school year whenever possible. P/O Khoury recently completed her School Resource Officer and begins the LEAD (previously DARE) training this week. P/O Khoury will be fully certified SRO upon completion of LEAD. - The PPD has begun statewide mandatory ICAT/ABLE training beginning this month. Every officer will go through the training at various times throughout 2021. - ICAT (Integrating Communications, Assessment, and Tactics) is a training program that provides first responding police officers with the tools, skills, and options they need to successfully and safely defuse a range of critical incidents. It is a new way of thinking about use of force training and focus on de-escalation. - ABLE (Active Bystander for Law Enforcement) is training, with the aim of creating a police culture in which officers routinely intervene as necessary to prevent misconduct, avoid police mistakes, and promote officer health and wellness. - Chief McAteer and Deputy Chief Zander will begin regularly attending the NJ State Intelligence and Information meetings again in September to hear updates, concerns and Best Practices concerning the Coronavirus Covid-19. Both have been alternating attendance during the summer months. The meetings were pivotal during the pandemic in keeping the PPD healthy & sustainable. Council Report 8-9-21 Councilwoman Vanessa E. James Vanessa.James@Pitman.Org 2021 Liaison: Parks & Recreation, Public Events, Library Board, Great Pitman Chamber of Commerce Many thanks to the Memorabilia Committee and Councilpersons Blass & Rudley on a great event this past Saturday celebrating the 150th anniversary of Pitman’s first camp meeting. I really enjoyed seeing on all the artifacts on display in the Grove Auditorium. Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce The last Pop-Up Park of the season will be this Thursday at Ballard Park from 6-8 p.m. Laurel Market Pitman will continue to operate every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Sunset Auditorium until the end of September. The Summer Swelter Craft Beer Festival is scheduled to take place on Saturday, August 28th at Total Turf Experience. Tickets are available online on the Uptown Pitman Website. https://uptownpitman.com/summer-swelter-craft-beer-festival/ VIP tickets are almost sold out, so don’t wait! If you have any questions, please reach out to Summer Swelter Chairperson Adam Mazzola at Summerswelterbeer@gmail.com The Fall Craft Show is scheduled for Saturday, September 18th. Crafters and food vendors can also sign up on the Uptown Pitman website. https://uptownpitman.com/lori-poisker-memorial-pitman.../ 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. Council Report 8/9/2021 Councilman Adam Mazzola Adam.Mazzola@pitman.org Administration: Interviews are being scheduled and will soon be underway for the Water & Sewer Clerk position. I want to extend a thank you to all of the interested candidates for their submissions. Updates are being made to the Borough's Property Inventory Record. All department supervisors update their equipment and supply list to ensure that the Borough is not insuring items that are not in active use. The Borough has received a grant in the amount of $4,000 from the Gloucester County Municipal Alliance toward educating the effects of drug and alcohol use.
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Council Report 7-26-21
Councilwoman Vanessa E. James Vanessa.James@Pitman.Org 2021 Liaison: Parks & Recreation, Public Events, Library Board, Great Pitman Chamber of Commerce Parks & Recreation Check out the newest Recreation Program for 2021 – GeoLocal Explorers Pre-K Program. This is a community program to engage children aged 4-5 years in local based environmental education programming that inspires exploration, science literacy, and environmental awareness. You can register from the Parks & Recreation page on the Borough Website. https://www.pitman.org/.../parks.../programs/fall.php Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce Pop-Up Park Thursdays continue this week at Ballard Park from 6-8 p.m. Laurel Market Pitman is open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Sunset Auditorium. Thanks to Councilman Mazzola for filling in for me at this month’s GPCC meeting while my family was on vacation. 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. Council Report 7/26/2021 Councilman Adam Mazzola Adam.Mazzola@pitman.org Administration: Today I met with Administrator O'Donnell, Councilwoman James, and representatives from the Gloucester County Chamber of Commerce to discuss Pitman hosting the Best of Gloucester County awards on September 20th. This is a very exciting opportunity to showcase our Uptown and our local businesses bringing hundreds of people into town for the evening to eat, drink, and shop locally. The Borough will be coordinating efforts with the Pitman PD, Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce, and County representatives to ensure a successful event. More details to come but in the meantime, please head to https://www.gcbestof.com/ to vote for your favorite Pitman businesses, events, etc Tax bills are being printed and should be going out to residents by the end of next week. The due date has been pushed back to Aug 31st. Bids open this Wednesday at 10:00 AM for the Eighth Avenue project. The TRICO JIF planning retreat is this Thursday and Friday and we will be sending 2 representatives from the Administrative office to attend and represent Pitman. Finally, there are open positions in the Borough for a Water & Sewer Clerk and for a Recording Secretary for Planning & Zoning and Historic. Interested applicants should apply to Administrator O'Donnell by August 9th at 4:00 PM. Amy E. Rudley, Council Report July 26, 2021 Senior Outreach Committee The Senior Outreach Committee met on Thursday, July 15, 2021 and put together plans for the first joint event with the Pitman VFW Post 6469 on Oakcrest Avenue. This event will be a movie night, showing Casablanca at 6:30 p.m. on August 12, 2021. Doors will open at 5:00 p.m. We will have playing cards and some games available for the early birds, as well as free snacks. 150th Anniversary of the Camp Meeting A few members of the Memorabilia Committee will meet tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. at the Grove Auditorium to finalize the plans for the August 7th celebration. August Reading Program Mayor and Council plan to recognize children up to 18 years of age who read (or who are read to) for 20 minutes per day during the month of August 2021. We will invite those who have completed the 20 minutes per day all month long to a September council meeting to be recognized. Simply email your confirmation of completion to me at amy.rudley@pitman.org or give me a call at 609-214-6342 if you do not have access to e-mail. As always, please feel free to reach out to me if you should need my assistance. Council Report – Amy E. Rudley
July 12, 2021 Miss Pitman Pageant The Miss Pitman Pageant was a wonderful event. Congratulations to all of the participants, including Miss Pitman 2021 Emma Rentzel, First Runner Up Evelyn “Grace” Hulitt, and Miss Congeniality Ashlynne Quinn. Environmental Commission The EC has not met since our last meeting, however, an enormous group of volunteers came out on Saturday to plant milkweed and Black Eyed Susans at Alcyon Lake Park in the area immediately below the overlook. A project which could have easily taken three hours took only one due to the great response. Getting water to this area while the plants root is going to be incredibly important. Public Property Administrator O’Donnell and myself had a very fruitful meeting with former Councilman Pierpont on behalf of the VFW regarding the possibility of using their property for various Borough purposes. They want to become a resource for the community in accordance with their mission statement. Additionally, there was some discussion of a possible partnership or even acquisition of the property in the future. Senior Outreach Committee The Senior Outreach Committee has not met since our last council meeting. Our next regular meeting date would be this coming Thursday, July 15. If a few of the members are available, we will meet. However, with vacations it is possible it will be cancelled. If you were interested in attending and want to be advised if is cancelled, please let me know. Finally, thank you to the Mayor and the Parade Committee for the fabulous job with the Parade. The Fourth of July festivities were great this year and especially appreciated. Should anyone need to reach me, please feel free to use my cell at 609-214-6342 or my e-mail at amy.rudley@pitman.org. Have a save and wonderful night. Council Report July 12, 2021 Council President Paul Blass paul.blass@pitman.org Historic Preservation Commission In a rare move the Historic Preservation Commission did not meet because there were no applications. Public Works Monthly totals for June: 245.28 tons of trash to Wheelabrator at a cost of $18,849.75 142.94 tons of trash to the county landfill at a cost of $11,030.68 Recycling totals for June: 88.86 tons of single stream recycling at a cost of $1,989.19 4.14 tons of metal to Sims Metal .8 tons of E-Waste recycled 88 cubic yards of mulch and brush hauled to various places 14 cubic yards of much delivered to residents. Public Works has been exceptionally busy the past few days. Since Friday there have been leaks: Lambs Road, Roosevelt Avenue, Michaels Lane, and East Holly Avenue. PW responded to a leak in the roof in the library. Today a crew removed graffiti painted over the weekend. We would like to remind everyone to, if at all possible, please mulch their lawn clippings. If grass has to be collected, please put it into the black trash tote. Brush or twigs can be piled or put in an open container for collection. We are trying to solve two problems: (1) because of possible residual pesticides, grass should not be put into the mulch and (2) grass can jam the grinder. This week the grinder jammed, and we are awaiting its repair. Council Report 7-12-21 Councilwoman Vanessa E. James Vanessa.James@Pitman.Org 2021 Liaison: Parks & Recreation, Public Events, Library Board, Great Pitman Chamber of Commerce Pitman 4th of July Thanks to all the volunteers and Borough employees for a wonderful Independence Day Celebration! Parks & Recreation Micro-Mini Soccer Registration is now live on the Borough Website under the Parks & Recreation tab. https://www.pitman.org/.../parks.../programs/fall.php Glen Lake Issues Our Parks and Rec Department heard back from the New Jersey Department of Environment Protection regarding the dead fish at Glen Lake in June. The DEP believes that the mostly likely cause of death was low dissolved oxygen in the lake. We have not received any further reports of fish dying. If there are additional deaths reported, the Office of Fish & Wildlife Health & Forensics would investigate further to determine a possible cause. Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce Pop-Up Park Thursdays continue this week at Ballard Park from 6-8 p.m. Laurel Market Pitman is open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Sunset Auditorium. The next GPCC meeting will take place on Tuesday, July 20 at 7 p.m. Location to be determined. McCowan Memorial Library During the month of May 2021, 3,049 people visited McCowan Memorial Library and there were 97 internet users. There were 16 live children’s programs with a combined attendance of 260 people. There were 2 virtual programs with a reach of 235. During the month of June 2021, 3,356 people visited McCowan Memorial Library and there were 111 internet users. There were 20 live children’s programs with a combined attendance of 231 people. There were 3 virtual programs with a reach of 445. 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. **these are my personal notes from last night’s meeting - while they are decent, I am only human and typed as fast as I could while participating and watching the zoom. The official minutes will be better, but for now, this could help catch you up if you missed the meeting. See my prior post with the PowerPoint.**
Amy Rudley – introduction Thank you, Mayor, The GCL leadership team is here tonight to give us an update regarding their project status and developments. We have with us tonight: John Hanson, CEO Michael Howard, Acting Manager Construction & Maintenance John Manzoni, STV Project Manager Michael Venuto, Chief Engineer Mike Williams, Manager of Corporate Communications Christina Maroni, Director of Strategic Initiatives William Shanahan, DRPA Governmental Relations Possibly, William Brooks, STV Project Director, though I do not see him. (Brooks - indicated he is here) In advance of our meeting tonight, I have shared with the GCL team the survey results of our Pitman residents. We had almost 600 responses and before I distributed it to them, I removed the name, address, and e-mail address fields for the privacy of our residents. I asked that they please address the Pitman unique concerns in their presentation as much as possible. They will not be staying on for our 8:00 meeting, but if we run short on time and members of the public leave public comment during the 8:00 meeting, the GCL representatives will review the minutes and incorporate responses to any questions in their future presentations. Thank you for coming to speak with us tonight and for your transparency to date. I turn it over to you for your presentation. -Introduction by member of GCL team: Thank you for having us. STV was involved in the EIS. They are nationally recognized experts. Turn it over to chief engineer – Michael Venuto. Michael Venuto: Thank you very much for the invitation to speak tonight. Amy, thank you for working with us over the last couple weeks to get us prepared for tonight. John Manzoni is going to run through the PowerPoint. John Manzoni: I’m going to go through the project and give you an overview. I’ll cover the concerns through the survey as best as we can with the time we are allotted, if anything comes up in the 8:00 hour and we are not here, please feel free to send them along and we will address them as soon as we can. 18 mile line from Glassboro to Camden. 14 proposed stations. 16,000 are anticipated to ride – most from 1 NJ town to another. (Referring to PowerPoint) Cross-section of what the GCL will look like in the Northern Half – from Woodbury to Camden. We have to share that area with the existing freight surface, 25 foot track centers between Conrail and the passenger service - Conrail wanted to leave room for themselves - GCL has a passing spot in Westville to maintain a 15 minute headway. Woodbury to Glassboro – two tracks. The upper cross-section will be through Woodbury and Woodbury Heights. Below Woodbury Heights – they would share from 9 p.m. – 12 a.m. and only Conrail after midnight. Operating Characteristics: Vehicles are similar to the Riverline (but those cars are a little bit older now. Styles are new, like car models change. Low floored, self-propelled, diesel electric). Low floored is important for ADA access. Average speed is about 30. It won’t reach 30 MPH in Pitman because of stopping at station. Two cars total of about 80 feet of length (same length as two-car Riverline system). Every 15 minutes during peak; off peak, 30 minute “headway” late at night. Station platform description – Pitman will have side platform option. This is the most minimal use of land. Center platform is in the Northern towns. They tried to avoid center platform because of the land it requires. (Referring to PowerPoint) This photo is one in Texas. The bottom is the Riverline. We will have 18 vehicles. Two locations for vehicle maintenance. Glassboro is larger, more heavy maintenance. Woodbury heights is more of a car wash and storage. We followed State of NJ EO [Executive Order] 215 for Environmental Process. Basically mimics the FTA “_____” (unsure of word – sounds like knee-fer) process. Basically we prepared, we looked at everything from trees, plant, animals, to historical properties and parks. We followed a prescriptive outline and worked with NJDEP to come up with potential impacts. With every impact that we identified we basically have to mitigate, avoid, or minimize. Acquisitions and displacement – 58 Commerce. 5 sliver where we will need some pieces of property for landscape purposes. They might go away as the design continues – we wanted to maximize possible impacts on the EIS to show worse case. They might minimize, they won’t grow. Noise and vibration come up a lot. 50 properties that will be potentially impacted. We are rebuilding the track to avoid vibration. There are other engineering solutions that we will be using to minimize the noise and vibrations. We will include all the infrastructure necessary for Pitman to apply for the Federal Railroad Administration. The equipment will be 4 point gates – two gates across the entire roadway. Even gates on the sidewalk. We do impact some of that parking within the right of way on West Jersey Avenue. There are some engineering solutions possible to minimize that. A lot of the concerns is the frequency of the train. It is comparable to a typical traffic light cycle – 90 seconds. EMS can radio ahead to have the train stop to avoid the ambulance, fire, PD from having to stop. The gate will be across the sidewalk as well. This is a walk-up station. There is a large park-and-ride on the Mantua and Pitman border across from the Sony site. This should capture everyone wishing to drive to the station and take the train. We have always envisioned Pitman as a walk-up station. Lastly, a final EIS was released on 2/17/21 it is in your library and your municipal building for access. It contains all public comment from the public hearings. We grouped comments in topics. If one comment had three topics in it, we put them in a grouping. Now we are doing ongoing project outreach meetings. There is also a media campaign that we are doing. Everyone knows that there are the FB pages. There is some information on the web that is not necessarily true. We are giving the most up-to-date information that we can to give information regarding the project and your town. The DRPA will solicit proposals from engineering firms for alignment design. And will continue to work with all of the towns up and down – to minimize the impacts. Councilwoman Amy Rudley Question: For the quiet areas you have described, will the mechanisms themselves make noise? Currently, our gate near Laurel Avenue has a ringing noise. Even that impacts the neighbors in that area. We have many homes very close to the tracks. If we are able to get obtain a quiet zone designation, will the gates themselves chime or ring? Answer: NJ Department of Transportation has certain requirements. The gates will ding – when they come down. We will provide support and engineering. You will not need a consultant or to incur that cost. Mayor Michael Razze Question: – Should it be us or the County to apply for quiet zones, because our railroad crossings are all County roads. Answer: You could work together, but the County would have to apply. Councilman Weng: Is there a time of night when the horns would not be used? Would the horns be used during the testing period? Answer:They have to blow their horns at every fixed object. Riverline switched from a horn to a ringing bell. The Riverline uses the bell chime instead of the horn to cut down on the noise in the neighborhood. We would have to apply for the FRA for the ringing bells instead of the horns. Councilman Weng: Vibration is a concern. Can you talk a little bit more about the engineering solutions that you have? Answer:Certain way of adhering the tracks. Some plantings and trees. They have gone as far as to replace some people’s windows Councilman Weng: How did you get to the ridership model number for the number by 2040? Stops Model. Answer:This is what the Federal Transit Administration puts out. Your existing network of transit opportunities. It looks at origin and destination pairs. It estimates a certain percentage of people who will shift from their auto to the train. Councilman Weng: Does that number factor in any changes that have occurred as a result of the pandemic? You hear a lot about how a lot of industries are no longer going back into the offices. Answer:That number was developed pre-COVID. As the project advances, we will have to revisit that. No doubt that the transit world is going to change due to COVID. Some will go virtual, but there are others that are true brick and mortar businesses that will never go virtual. It will be at least another 6 years. By that point, things will be back to normal. Manhattan lost a lot of residents (400,000w hen COVID hit), but just this week they said the rental market is hot again. So just as many moved out are moving back in. It is kind of hard to predict, but most studies are saying that things are going to go back to normal. John Hanson, CEO – the other side of that is that people who live within public transit areas, have greater access to jobs within a 30 minute area. We are going to be dealing with displaced workers who are not able to work remotely. To the extent that there are those of us who are able to work remotely, there are also those whose skills are not transferable to a virtual world. Councilman Weng: You mentioned 6 years. This project has been talked about for a while. I’m curious is there a reasonable range that you can give us the best case scenario where it will be taking passengers. Answer: Mike Venuto - two process selections, followed up by RFP. That selection process in itself takes about 6 months. We also have the entire preliminary engineering. 2-3 years. Then the competitive selective process for the --- 6 months, then another 2-3 years. I think it would be more than 6 once we do all the steps of getting all the contracts. John Hanson – another thing is that it has been kicking around for a long time. Part of the delay has been trying to arrange for funding. It is not that common to see this level of investment into Southern NJ. The opportunity is here now. We have $200 million committed now with more opportunity. This is an opportunity for investment in Southern NJ. 6-8 years is fair. Mike Venuto – yes. Fair to say. If all goes well, it could be 6. Councilman Fitzpatrick – Pitman is going to lose 110 parking spaces. How would that be mitigated. Manzoni – I’ll give you a for instance. We will push out into the right of way a little bit, we will take some of those parking spaces. In the project we looked at giving you some. To keep the same width, we could go parallel versus head-in. Another opportunity is to narrow that roadway and give you back the head-in. Another option is to extend the head-in toward Broadway. You have a drainage issue that we could solve and give you some additional spots. I don’t have time to go through all 110, but we would definitely look at mitigating all 110 spaces if possible. Michael Howard. If I may, the EIS is the worst-case scenario. The parking number may also come down. Councilman Fitzpatrick Second parcel on Commerce Avenue Answer: the draft said two – final should have been reduced to one. Councilman Fitzpatrick - 95 trains per day. Is that times two or is that trains going back and forth. Manzoni – that should be trains going back and forth, but I don’t have that number in front of me. Councilman Fitzpatrick: Will gates be down when the train is parked: Answer:Gates will not be down when the trains are dwelling at the station. Councilman Fitzpatrick: The bike plan adjacent in the EIS – is that something that will be built? Or someone considered for the future. Manzoni – we do not construct any bike trails as part of this. That was one possibility. Page ____. There is a lot of push to include shared areas, but there is not enough width. On the local roadway system, there appears to be space to have a bike line. That is what this was referencing. Councilwoman Rudley: If we were able to obtain a quiet zone designation, would we have to reapply or reup each year? Are there fees: Answer:There is no reup required. Mayor Michael Razze: what was the estimated ridership of Riverline versus ridership. Manzoni – I would discourage that comparison. That is a 30 mile line with less dense areas. The only thing that is comparable is the --- John Hanson – I think you are looking at projected versus achieved. If you give us a chance to take that question back and bring it to the team to find a benchmark for it. Councilwoman Rudley – How will criminal acts on the trains or to the train be handled? Would our Police Department/Borough incur the costs of increased policing? Answer: NJ Transit is the owner. DRPA and NJT have police departments. Both do police their trains and their buses. I would expect that for things that happen on the trains, we would have an enforcement mechanism for that. In addition to that, the newer trains, have tremendous communication enhancements and communications abilities. We are finding it much greater success even for people who we need to identify on trains, for a variety of reason, sometimes includes bad behaviors. WE are able to identify them with a lost more ease and more quickly than in the past. We sometimes rely upon mutual aid from our local municipality. Mayor Michael Razze: Brief public session. Try not to ask a question that has already been asked. Ask questions rather than use this for public comment, we want to take advantage of the time that we have with this team while they are here with us. Use the raise hand. We will try to get to as many as we can. We will ask for your full name and address for the record. Megan Robinson, Pitman I am trying to be supportive of this. I just really believe that having this at grade is not ideal for our town. Is there any mechanism that we can work with the GCL folks to discuss options. The at-grade is a struggle. Are there any other options? Could it go underground or as a raised platform. Mike Venuto – during the alternative analysis phase. First feasibility, then second alternative analysis. During that phase, we did look into a grade-separated system. That would be more than two times the cost of this. That was not a feasible solution. Ultimately, what came out of this was the at-grade system. M.R. - I’d like to know that we really beat the bush on every available option. I think if you invest in a community planner for our town. I would ask that we look at some additional considerations if we really are going to move forward. Mike Venuto – the alternative analysis is on the website. Megan Robinson - It does not give me the cost options. Bill Ritzler, Pitman To kind of build on the last comment to anyone who wants to address it. If I understand the process correctly, there is not really a significant amount of room for change to the project as it is presented in the EIS. Correct. B.R. - Quiet zones – it does appears to be the county that is responsible. So to the extent that the Borough wants this, they would really need to interface with the County planning department to work with the NJDOT rather than interface with the DOT correctly. John Manzoni – you can do it jointly, but yes, the County would have to lead. B.R. - Not necessarily Pitman specific – it is the expectation that the GCL team that the implementation policy will move forward will move forward like the Riverline did. Mike Venuto – yes. And the quiet zones will be supported by our team. B.R. - Some of the “D-bomb” (phonetic) contracts also include financials models. Is that we expect to move forward? Mike Venuto - That is an option for us to consider. Jennifer Grenier –Pitman,NJ This is going to take a much wider spot going through town. Is there going to be anything to keep kids and people from wandering over onto those tracks? Is there a plan for security? There are always kids walking up and down those tracks? Is there a plan to keep people out? Manzoni – there will be a fence in between the tracks and also landscaping to prevent wandering into the corridor. Suzanne Lawton –Sewell I looked at your alternatives. You talked about this is needed, .. I think that buses is better, but you said that buses would only increase traffic on the roads. You have $200 million now. It makes so much more sense to me to increase buses and use electric buses. It doesn’t make sense to me. It is ridiculously expensive. I wanted to know what you really looked into with respect to buses? Manzoni – for alternative analysis we looked at a no-build. There is not much you can do with buses on the network. If you look at the roadway network throughout South Jersey – there is nothing, in terms of roadways, that runs North South from Glassboro to Camden. S.L. You are talking like this is a done deal. Nobody has told me – is this a go? Are you doing this project? Venuto – we do have the funding. We are proceeding to the next step. It is not the last time that we are out speaking to the public and to the towns to make sure we are mitigating the concerns. Steve Roth –Pitman Basically, this is two questions. How will you be communicating with Conrail to use their tracks? Answer:That will be through an operating agreement. They use a communicating system. S.R.What you stated to Council, it would be the NJT police. Why can’t the Pitman Police handle that crime when they are closer? Hanson – crimes and emergencies come under the jurisdiction of the operator. DRPA envisioned and also NJT. We also typically do receive mutual aid from the communities. We also provide support to the police officers in the towns that we are in. S.R.For the County roads – are you going to be communicating with Gloucester County regarding the building on their roads. Michael Howard – yes, we have reached out to all of Glo Co and Camden County. They are a key stake holder Kevin Austin, Pitman We are going to have a train every 7 or 15 minutes? It is every 15 minutes. K.A. I am concerned – I have been a firefighter in town for __ years. I do all the fire investigations. Any type of fire in a room flashes over in a room in about 4 minutes. I really think you should look at elevating this whole thing. I know it is going to happen bc that is what Rowan wants. I am concerned about the response time. Parking – people will be coming to Pitman to get on this train. Is there any thought about having cameras on the platforms. Have you spoken to PPD regarding tying into the cameras into them? Venuto – we are in EIS right now, so we have not spoken to PPD or other PD’s yet. But we will. K.A. I am firmly against this. I think it is an injustice. We are only two miles and we have three crossings we will have to apply for. Liz McLeod, Pitman I lived in Gloucester Township for 8 years. There is a big reason I no longer live in Gloucester Township. There is a reason why people live in Gloucester County – they like having to have longer drives without having to stop every 30 seconds. I don’t understand the need for this. I understand that Rowan is a big part of it. Why can Rowan amp up their shuttle? Why wasn’t anyone notified along the rail line. Mayor – is your question, essentially “can we ax this whole project?” L.M. - Yes, Why can’t Rowan amp up the shuttle they already have. Why can’t we go up to Woodbury Glassboro Road? Answer:The Riverline doesn’t just serve Rowan or Rutgers. There is much more to it than busing from Rowan to Rutgers. Venuto - Through the EIS, we did a number of public hearings and public outreach. We have been out in the public. L.M. – why aren’t the citizens of Glo County not able to vote on this? Why are we forced to have it. Venuto – if you go to the website, there is a list of all the outreach we have done and all the materials that has been presented. Hanson – it has not been a secret. This has been going on for a long time. We have advertised and solicited feedback and input. We have done it the way that Governmental entities do that and are required to do that. We have also used social media tools. It has become a bigger issue now that the funding is in place. We have advertised the public hearings and we have received a large number of comments over the years. L.M. – I understand that. It just doesn’t seem like anyone is listening with those with opposing views. Thank you. Arelene Papadopoulos – Pitman 100% against the line. Reason being, we bought our home 22 years ago with the freight train going by. Our foundation is cracking and the walls, that we have to repair every few years. Damage to my property? My personal opinion is that they have done studies on properties that it does not impact. Manzoni – we have done them at random locations. We cannot do them at every single spot. We can capture what impacts there are to properties. When the project advances, we will look more into that as time moves on. We identified 50 properties in Pitman and they will be looked at in finer detail. Venuto – some of the engineering measure – track bed, continuous – rail, things to improve, will improve Conrail’s tracks as well. A.P. – you are just giving an idea. It is just an idea. Manzoni – yes, but it is proven technology. It is not new ideas. Hanson – began speaking, interrupted by Mayor by accident, who thought he was a member of the public A.P. – I grew up in Burlington County my entire life. They have a lot more congestion. Manzoni – I did not say they have less people, but just that their trip patterns. There is less density along that alignment than along this alignment. A.P. – I disagree. April Miller, Pitman Stops model utilized to assess ridership. I know you are qualifying that the Riverline has a different – 12% decrease in mass transit. The stops model does not seem to account for that decrease. It also does not anticipate the decreased ridership and changes to the work – Manzoni - The stops model has to use adopted census data – so these were approved and adopted forecasts. Whatever data is availabe. A.M. – I am referencing the ridership data from the Federal Transit Authority. Manzoni - It could have been on PA it could have been on the NJ side. I can’t speak to it without seeing the data. A.M. – it feels concerning to see it put forth in our region with such huge concerns in our region. Hanson – it is our experience on the PATCO line that we have seen high growth, increases in ridership pre-COVID. The numbers are still fighting to come back. We were getting the best ridership than we had seen since the 1990’s until March when COVID stopped everything. Our experience is that ridership was riding and pretty dramatic. ------------------------------------------------------------ Public Comment 8:00 p.m. meeting Cheryl Reardon, Pitman I have a couple of questions. EIS at the library and municipal building? 97 trips? One way or both ways They are suggesting that mostly pitman residents will be using it. But it is pretty far from one end of Pitman to the other. Could there be a shuttle to the station? Has Pitman done a cost analysis to the impacts to the Borough? Certainly more police needed. Police officers would need special equipment. Fire trucks and equipment. Emergency equipment. All costs that would be coming back to the borough. Referred to as an Environmental Impact Statement – most of what I heard has to do with the infrastructure. I am an Environmentalist. I have a great concerns with things like storm water runoff? Infrastructure analysis. Emissions from diesel engines. How would that effect the air quality in Pitman? In putting the infrastructure in? Are there areas where special habitats are impacted? Threatened and endangered species? Climate change? Small borough that is mostly all covered by asphalt and homes. What will the impacts to storm water and flooding be in the impacts in town. Charles Hughes – I’m going to have to ask you to mute yourself and raise your hand. I don’t have that in my menu. Barry Owen, Pitman EDC Citizen – I promise I won’t get political. I’m not clear as to how many times a northbound train and how many times a southbound train will be going through on peak hours. (Mayor Razze and Councilwoman Rudley– also heard that. Was it 95 each way or roundtrip. GCL wasn’t clear in their answer.) B.O. The station is between Holly and Pitman. Just because gates are down over those sidewalks – during school hours it is going to be a gate. You will need a crossing guard there. The potential for ratable losses, looking at the report. The bank – Fulton – de minimus loss of property. Is that really true? Are they going to be able to operate losing the shrubbery? George’s auto body? He’ll be adequately compensated, but will we lose him. Cold storage plant. They are parked very close to the railroad. They probably won’t physically be able to stay there. EDC is going to have to become involved in this. Maybe figure things out and get them moved, but there is a lot to be asked here. When Jennifer Grenier say that the kids cutting across. I heard the gentlemen say there would be landscaping and fencing across the middle. Landscaping isn’t going to cut it. There is going to need to be a lot more to make the kids think twice. Jim Pierpont, Pitman I sent a text message to you during the chat. I believe this has been around since 1998. I believe we were in the last public discussion in 2008. The changes since 1998 and 2008. If I am wrong, I remember them saying they were going to use the existing track with some upgrades to be used. Now I am hearing that they are going to be using two sets of tracks. They just changed it without any public hearings at all – the changes have made a big impact from a single rail to a double rail. I would appreciate it if you could forward my comment through to the people with the project. Mayor Razze - My recollection is the same. I also do not remember during the 2008 public hearings, the number of trains has increased. Jim Pierpont – I understand that changes happen. But changes without any public comments, that is unheard of. No transparency. Charles A. Hughes, Woodbury First comment, that I’d like to make is that I heard people make a comment about no public input. I look up a lot of old newspapers. In October 1996 the Glo County freeholders passed a resolution 6-1 condemning the GCL. The GCL was stopped for a couple of years. In Woodbury, two meeting ago, they passed the resolution supporting a new exit on the turnpike. I believe any municipality has the ability to pass a resolution condemning or supporting the GCL. Steve Roth - Pitman. I’m really sorry. They did say there would be fencing. An electrical fence or a wooden fence. If it is a wooden fence, it will just get knocked over. Why aren’t you voting on this? W Mayor – we will definitely address with them the safety. That is something we will bring to their attention. (Unrelated public comment – regarding Glen Lake dam) Bill Ritzler – Pitman Having been the historic commission chairman, I appreciate brevity at meetings. I just want to cover some points. One quick disclosure. I am a ____ railway passengers. We are a 501c3, we advocate for railway passengers. We are on behalf of membership not for the trains. The first study was issued in 1993, 1996 second study, feasibility study began in 2003, alternative analysis was released in 2009. All of these included public input. And then the EIS also. This is all consistent with FTA and DEP. … Quiet zones – would it apply to Conrail? That is a discussion that is occurring at a governmental level above council. It is occurring through NJDOT. DBOMB contractor who operates GCL. You actually need to talk to Conrail to get them to follow that. That is something that should occur during the entire negotiation process. Finally, I know folks talked about elevation. When I asked that question, all of the things that the folks are looking for – like elevation and other options. Much of that should have already come out of the final EIS. We are beyond the point where the significant modifications can be done. Within the scope of what can realistically be asked, the fencing is within that area. Stephani Schiap . . (no spelling provided)Pitman Do we have a say if the train even stops here or no? Can it just blow through? My concern is obviously that we are thriving pretty good downtown. Now no parking and every 15 seconds an obnoxious train blowing through - changing drastically. Lots of funding will be needed. I know we can only do so much. The train has obviously left the station, but I would really try to fight hard for the people that live here and why they live here. Maybe you can move the craft fair. I would like it to move forward. I am just a little concerned with funding all of this. I don’t know who we can keep the good - good without a love of money. I hope we are going to work to try to balance that out if we have no other option. Councilwoman Rudley – my understanding from the presentation the GCL team gave to us in 2016 is that the 2012 Council requested a stop in Pitman, reasoning that if it was going to come through anyway, we would want the benefits of a stop. This request was made and a stop was added for Pitman. Ryan Ri .. (no spelling provided), Pitman On the initial call, someone mentioned that there were 50 pitman addresses that will be impacted by the horns. Maybe there is a list of these addresses. Financial implications from a taxpayer perspective. What that financial burden will be like. Impact to tax payers? Benefit to towns? Mayor Razze – I didn’t see the list of addresses. Councilwoman Rudley – there was a short list included on the EIS, but I did not see 50 addresses. Perhaps it was in a footnote or an attachment. Kathleen Daffin, Sewell I am an admin for a Facebook which is say no the GCL. We have more than 1900 members. All of the information is based upon data that was collected between 2003 and 2012. They expected growth of 35% and the real growth was more like 1% The FTA says they are no longer funding this project. I imaging it is going to be private funding. Have they given us a final cost for the actual cost for the final build out? I know that they are saying that 110 parking spaces. Have they talk to Pitman about what they are going to do in the town in Pitman. Ellen Brooks, Pitman How likely is it that the County will be willing to take on the liability and the expense? It is going to seriously change the aesthetic in the town – chain link fence, tree removal. Something in historic or environmental? Increased insurance costs? How likely they would be to incur that? How cooperative is the County in that regard? Liz McLeod, Pitman Was communication placed to residents along the tracks? A lot of the fencing is barbed wire along patco and riverline. Will there be barbed wire? Stephanie Schiab --- hand is still raised. No comment given Jennifer Duffy, Sewell We had the same meeting. We had the same discussion. It was our understanding that we are responsible for the quiet zones. We were also told that we have to cover the maintenance. Check into that again because we were told something different. That the four points were to make installation easier. Please see our Council Reports from the (2/22) Pitman Borough Council Meeting below. 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 February 22, 2021 Council President Paul Blass paul.blass@pitman.org Economic Development Committee The EDC met via Zoom on February 18th. Much of the discussion was directed at an examination of the group’s purpose based on Borough’s ordinance and refocusing back on those expectations. Plans are in the works to meet with representatives of other committees to help streamline efforts at making Pitman work better for its businesses. Historic Preservation Commission The HPC met via Zoom on February 11th. Three applications were reviewed – involving a roof, door, and fence. All were approved. The application involving the doors really demonstrated the type of service the members try to provide. There were a few questions involving the doors, but the applicant was not present. Chairman Madison called the applicant and held the phone up for all to hear. This way the situation could be resolved and not have to wait until the next meeting. Public Works I must once again thank our Public Works Department for their dedication and hard work more winter storms. The crews spent approximately 120 hours dealing with winter weather. Since our last meeting, the Highway Department …. Collected 11 Loads of trash (111.91 tons) Collected 12 Loads of recyclables (47.87 tons) Collected 10 Yards of brush Collected eight truckloads of bulk trash Spent five hours patching and repairing potholes and sink holes. Delivered one new trash can and one recycle can. The Water and Sewer Department… Performed 16 water and sewer mark outs requests. Plunged out five sewer stoppages. Performed routine well work, (painting, cleaning, etc.) Took Water samples. Read ten meters for settlement. Replaced one meter body. Opened water tower for AT&T. Did one data logger reports (both daily and hourly) from the flow report, ahead of billing. Checked out a water leak (broken pipe) inside a vacant house. Amy E. Rudley, Council Report February 22, 2021 Environmental Commission Environmental has not met since our last meeting, but will meet via zoom for the monthly meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 4. Please see the Borough website for the zoom link. The recycling subcommittee will meet on Wednesday, March 3, also via zoom. Someone has been breaking off the small trees planted by the Environmental Commission around town. If you have any information regarding this destruction of public property, please contact the Pitman Police Department. Senior Outreach Committee The Senior Outreach members remain engaged in finding new ways to reach our Pitman Seniors. In the last month, they have reached out to local Senior Centers to see if anyone is offering any services that may benefit our Seniors, as well. Currently, Glassboro is offering Zumba via zoom and our Seniors are welcome to participate. We are working to compile a list of local discounts for Seniors and will make that information available, as well as the very comprehensive national list compiled by the AARP, after our March meeting. If you are aware of a local “Senior Discount,” please let me know so we can be sure that they are included on the list! Please feel free to contact me if you ever need my assistance. I can be reached on my cell phone at 609-214-6342 or via e-mail at amy.rudley@pitman.org. In the meantime, stay safe and be well. Thank you. Councilman Matthew Weng Council Report 2/22/2021 The PPD is in the process of setting up re-certification training for CPR. Special Officer/Medic Tom McEvoy will be setting up and assisting with this specialized training. Chief McAteer has been accepted into a Certificate program on Diversity & Inclusion at Cornell University. Classes will begin in the next few months. Council Report 2/22/2021 Councilman Adam Mazzola Adam.Mazzola@pitman.org I would like to extend a formal thank you to the Borough office personnel who have continued to work and support the residents of Pitman through the pandemic and now through one of our snowier winters in quite some time. These essential workers continue to keep our town running and I am thankful for their efforts and dedication. Administration: 1. The Aid to Firefighters Grant Application has been submitted to FEMA. 2. The first publication of the Notice to Bidders of the Plenary Retail Consumption License to be Sold by the Borough was advertised on February 12. The second notice was advertised on February 19. A copy of the Notice can be obtained at Borough Hall and is available on the Borough’s website. Qualification packages are due to the Borough Clerk on February 26 at 10:00 am. No Qualification packets will be accepted after that time, and submission of a packet is required from all prospective bidders. 3. The TRICO JIF has announced that for the foreseeable future, all training seminars will be held virtually. This includes: · Training for Safety and Wellness Coordinators on March 3. · The Elected Officials Training Program to be completed by Mayor Razze and all members of Council by May 1. · Anti-harassment training for non-supervisory employees should be completed by June 1. Department Supervisors will be provided with the link to the course. · The first meeting of the Borough’s Safety Committee will be held on March 3. The meeting forum will be determined as the date gets closer. 4. As the COVID guidelines for gatherings are relaxed, the Pitman Municipal Alliance looks forward to sponsoring some events for outreach to the community to promote awareness of the abuse of drugs and alcohol, as well as anti-bullying initiatives. The Alliance also sponsors events to provide alternative activities for at-risk individuals in the community. The Pitman Alliance is funded through the Gloucester County Municipal Alliance with funds granted by the New Jersey Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. Our Council Reports from tonight's (2/8) Pitman Borough Council Meeting are below. 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 February 8, 2021 Council President Paul Blass paul.blass@pitman.org Sustainable Pitman Sustainable Pitman met via Zoom on January 28th. The Committee once again chose Jimmy Aspras as their chairman. The Committee discussed options on maintaining its bronze certification this year. It also discussed options for grant applications. Public Works I must wholeheartedly thank the Public Works Department for their dedication during our two recent snowstorms, both of which hit on a weekend. The crews spent 146 hours getting the town back in shape after the storms, which included plowing streets, clearing Borough lots, and Borough sidewalks. It also involved putting sand and salt in troublesome areas. Solid Waste Collection for the month of January totaled 294.69 tons and cost the Borough $22,685.12. 82.93 tons of Single Stream of Recycling was collected and cost the Borough $5,833.75. We sent 2.4 tons of metal to Sims Metal and received $510.15. Public Works Since our last meeting, the Highway Department …. Collected 10 Loads of trash (89.82 tons) Collected 8 Loads of recyclables (32.21 tons) Collected 29 Yards of brush Collected three Truckloads of bulk trash Repaired or replaced street signs in town. Spent three hours patching and repairing potholes and sink holes. Spent two hours grinding leaves and brush for mulch. Delivered one new trash cans to residences and three recycle cans. The Water and Sewer Department… Performed 25 water and sewer mark outs requests. Plunged out six sewer stoppages. Performed routine well work, (painting, cleaning, etc.) Took Water samples. Read six meters for settlement. Replaced one meter bodies. Opened water tower for AT&T. Did four data logger reports (both daily and hourly) from the flow report, ahead of billing. Repaired damaged fire hydrant at Cedar and Cleveland Avenues There have been a rash of water main breaks: Montgomery-Kenton-Colonial Avenues; Hudson & Elm; Franklin-Pitman-Wayne Avenues; Wildwood Ave. Service leaks on Albert Ave and Boundary Road. Amy E. Rudley, Council Report February 8, 2021 Environmental Commission The Environmental Commission met on Thursday night, February 4, via zoom for its regularly scheduled meeting. We discussed holding an Earth Day celebration despite the cancellation of the Spring Craft Show. Usually the Earth Day events are actually held at the Craft Show. We have decided to seek approval for an educational – and fun- Earth Day event to take place on April 17, 2021, with a rain date of April 24, 2021. More details will be released once approval is obtained and plans for finalized. The first meeting of the Recycling subcommittee took place on February 3, also via zoom. This was an introductory meeting where goals were discussed. Senior Outreach Committee Senior Outreach will next meet on Thursday, February 18. Public Property As of 10:30 a.m. today, there were 506 responses to the survey regarding the Glassboro Camden Rail Line. Please share the link and ask your friends and neighbors to provide their comments. If you are aware of someone who would like to complete the survey, but is unable due to lack of technology or difficulty navigating the electronic format, please have them contact me. I want to make sure that all voices are heard. Senator Madden’s office was extremely helpful in putting me in touch with the Project Manager, Mike Venuto, for the DRPA. Mr. Venuto has agreed to to virtually attend our March 8 work session to provide an update to Council and the Mayor regarding the GCL line. The Chief Engineer, John Hansen, is also scheduled to attend. Memorabilia The Memorabilia Committee hopes to hold a celebration of the 150th year since Pitman’s first Camp Meeting in 1871 sometime over the summer. Plans are in the works, though Memorabilia is not scheduled to meet again until April. Please feel free to contact me via telephone or e-mail if I can assist you in any way. My cell phone is 609-214-6342 and my e-mail is amy.rudley@pitman.org. Finally, contact me if you would like to be included in the plans for the Earth Day celebration or the 150th Anniversary of the first Pitman camp meeting. Councilman Matthew Weng Council Report 2/8/21 Chief McAteer and I would like to applaud and thank Det. Nick Barbetta for his work along with the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office and the New Jersey State Police - Trafficking South Unit, for his assistance and participation on a long-term electronic surveillance narcotics investigation throughout South Jersey. The investigation ultimately lead to the arrest of three subjects on various narcotics and weapons related offenses and and the seizure of approximately 1.3 kilograms of heroin and fentanyl, 1.5 pounds of marijuana, one firearm and over $11,000 of US Currency. Chief McAteer and I commend and thank Detective Barbetta for his hard work and dedication on a job well done. All PPD officers who were given their first round of Covid-19 vaccination shots and subsequently received their second shot. The PPD will return to a “normal” work schedule on Monday, March 1st but will remain working under Covid-19 precautionary restrictions & guidelines outlined in the General Order issued by Chief McAteer. Council Report 2-8-21 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 Recreation Commission met on February 4th at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. There was discussion about resident volunteers restoring a wildflower garden in Alcyon Lake Park. We also discussed plans to have a COVID-safe Youth Week at the beginning of May. The Parks & Recreation Department is hosting the Middle School Baseball Program this year. If your child is interested in participating, please contact the Recreation Department at recreation@pitman.org The Parks & Recreation Department also plans to host T-ball this spring. You can follow the Recreation page on the Borough Website for more details. Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce The Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce will meet again via Zoom on February 16th at 7 p.m. Love is in the air in Uptown Pitman this week, so please support our Pitman businesses by shopping and dining local for Valentine’s Day. McCowan Memorial Library During the month of January 2021, 2,338 people visited McCowan Memorial Library and there were 94 internet users. There were 19 virtual programs with a reach of 3,551. There were 80 Grab ’N Go Craft Kits distributed and four accompanying craft videos. Task Force on Diversity & Inclusion The Task Force on Diversity & Inclusion met via Zoom on January 28th. Each of the subcommittees gave reports on their progress to date. Chairperson Lauren Canna also reviewed the results of the Diversity and Inclusion Survey to date and plans were made to make sure the survey was more widely circulated over the next several months. The next meeting of the Task Force will be on Thursday, February 25th at 7 p.m. via zoom. The link to the virtual meeting can be found on the Borough website. 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. Council Report 2/8/2021 Councilman Adam Mazzola Adam.Mazzola@pitman.org Board of Education: Superintendent McAleer will be sending a survey to Pitman families soliciting feedback on some potential changes to the hybrid instruction model. Please keep an eye out for that survey and provide any feedback you have at that time. The school lunch program is continuing with pickups on Tuesday 1pm – 4pm, Wednesday 4pm – 6pm, or Thursday 4pm – 6pm near the PHS Auditorium entrance. Meals are free for all children under the age of 18 in the district and consist of a week of breakfasts and lunches for each child. As a reminder please follow all protocols when any child or their cohabitants are ill and please communicate with your child's school nurse regarding any symptoms or illnesses.  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.  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 |
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