Council Reports 7/27/20

Check out our Council Reports from tonight's (7/27) Pitman Borough Council Meeting. As always, please feel free to reach out at any time with questions or concerns:
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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

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Council Report July 27, 2019
Council President Paul Blass
paul.blass@pitman.org

On July 20th a subcommittee of the Economic Development Committee met with Councilman Mazzola and Administrator O’Donnell to discuss putting the finishing touches on the Theater Avenue project. We all came away with a vision and steps to make it happen.
Since our last meeting Public Works completed many projects to help keep the Borough looking good:
• They sealed the new pavers on Theater Avenue
• Hung the new street signs within the historic district
• painted light posts along Broadway
• grated the alley behind West Avenue
In addition, the sweeper has completed a circuit of the entire Borough. Unfortunately, it is now out of commission because of an electrical issue.

Amy E. Rudley – Council Report
July 27, 2020

Parks and Recreation
Director Fox and I met on Friday to look at the area at the end of Beechwood for a possible location for a dog park. The area is largely open, but lined with trees. Parking is an issue, as there is only very limited street parking available. However, there is easy access to public works and there are two driveways in and out, aside from the public works entrance.
The three residents who have expressed interest in the dog park idea met with me at the same location on Saturday. They each discussed among themselves the pros and cons of that location versus some of the others. They were then going to take a separate trip over to Shertel to give that area another look.

The Recreation meeting will likely take place on the Second Thursday of August.

Environmental Commission
The Environmental Commission continues to seek a secretary. This position is paid $65 per meeting and includes attending the meeting, preparing the meeting minutes, submitting them for approval by the commission, and then distributing them to council. If anyone is interested in this position, please contact our Borough Administrator, Mrs. Judy O’Donnell. This need is immediate.

Senior Outreach Committee
We are deviating from our regular schedule of third Thursday meetings and are meeting this coming Thursday, July 30. We are going to meet outside at 6:30 p.m. We are going to brainstorm ways that we can still serve our Seniors in town given our current limitations and restrictions. All are welcome. If you are interested in attending, please let me know by e-mail at amy.rudley@pitman.org or by phone at 609-214-6342.

In closing tonight, I ask that we take a moment to recognize the passing of Judge Esther Salas’s son, Daniel. Judge Salas sits on the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Her son was killed last Monday by a self-proclaimed anti-feminist who came to the Judge’s home and shot both her son and her husband. Our District Court Judges are appointed to their position by the President of the United States. This loss to one of our trusted New Jersey Jurists, and the reasons behind it, are unthinkable.

Thank you and stay safe.

Council Report 7/27/20
Councilwoman Vanessa E. James
Vanessa.James@Pitman.Org

Liaison: Finance & Audit, Personnel, Welfare Office, Library Board, Chamber of Commerce, Municipal Alliance, Task Force on Diversity & Inclusion

Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce

The Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce issued the following statement late this afternoon.

The FALL 2020 CRAFT SHOW HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

While health concerns continue to change every day during this challenging time, and in consideration of the current guidelines set forth by state and local health officials, the Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce has made the difficult decision to cancel the Lori Poisker Fall Craft Show scheduled for September 19th. Public safety and the health and safety of our crafters, vendors, and visitors alike is our priority.

In brighter news, a new store, Crave, will be opening in the next couple weeks in the space that was formerly occupied by Press 10 on Broadway. They have a ribbon cutting tentatively scheduled for Saturday, August 8th. Once details are finalized, they will be announced to invite any interested Chamber and Council members.

I urge everyone to please continue to support all our local businesses during this challenging time.

McCowan Memorial Library

The library is in their third week of being open inside. They are open during their regular hours and have begun their summer reading program and in-person story time programs outside in the Park. Patrons of the library have been in compliance with the restrictions in place and are happy to have the library back.

Task Force on Diversity & Inclusion

Pitman's Task Force on Diversity & Inclusion met for the first time on Thursday, July 23rd and selected their leaders. I am very excited to see what this group of dynamic volunteers will accomplish over the next year.

Congratulations to all those elected!
Lauren Canna - Chairperson
Marla Newsom - Vice-Chairperson
Alexandra Oasin - Secretary
Robert Andersen- Chairperson - Subcommittee on Pitman, Policies, Procedures & Training
Jacob Bernard - Chairperson - Subcommittee on Community Outreach & Education
Marla Newsom - Chairperson - Subcommittee on Business Outreach & Accessibility

The Task Force will meet on the Fourth Thursday of the month in Borough Council Chambers at 7 p.m. Meetings are open to the public. *Please wear a mask.

Council Report 7/27/20
Councilman Adam Mazzola
Adam.Mazzola@pitman.org

Liaison: Public Property, Board of Education, Clean Communities, Memorabilia Committee

Board of Education - There will be a special meeting on Wed 7/29, presumably to address the upcoming school year.

Public Property - We are working on the removal of 2 trees in the Grove that present a danger to surrounding homes due to the poor health of the trees.

Administrator O'Donnell and I met with representatives from the EDC, including liaison Council President Paul Blass, to discuss Theatre Ave improvements. The improvements discussed include a gate at the intersection with Simpson Ave, planters at the end of the pavers provided by EDC as well as new planters along the sides, sail shades to be attached to the buildings on either side to provide shade and eliminate the need for table umbrellas, and new tables and chairs. The planters would likely contain cluster bamboo as it would be lower maintenance and would thrive in the planters as opposed to trees which our Shade Tree Commissioner feels would not fare as well. We are currently awaiting some discussion and approvals on the sail shades before moving forward as that will determine how we proceed with additional purchases.