Council Report 12/27/2021
Councilman Adam Mazzola Adam.Mazzola@pitman.org I will keep my report brief tonight and take a minute to thank Council President Paul Blass and Councilwoman Amy Rudley for their years of service to the Borough of Pitman. They have both left their mark in town through their countless hours of volunteer work and assistance to our residents. They have worked tirelessly over the years to improve public services, create new committees, and preserve the rich history of Pitman. I am honored to have served alongside them. Paul Blass Council President paul.blass@pitman.org Sustainable Pitman: Through the collective efforts of the team members, Pitman maintained its bronze certification and is diligently working towards silver certification, which will be a big accomplishment for a small town. Economic Development Committee: The EDC has now finished most work on the Theatre Avenue project. The one final component will to be install some type of sun shades. This year the EDC reorganized itself to better reflect its mission. They did a survey of the Borough’s businesses to get feedback on their needs, etc. Historic Preservation Commission: The HPC reviewed 46 applications this past year. The vast majority were approved with no changes to the original application or with minor adjustments. Public Works: Since our last meeting …. • Collected 218.9 tons of trash • Collected 52.53 tons of recyclables • Collected 205 Yards of brush. • Spent five hours patching and repairing potholes and sink holes. • Ran the street sweeper for eight hours • Dropped off a truck for yard debris to one resident and picked up the next day. • Completed about 40 curbside inspections per week of recycling containers. • Spent 30 hours cleaning the tops of storm drains The Water and Sewer Department… • Performed 15 water and sewer mark outs requests. • Plunged out two sewer stoppages. • Performed routine well work, (painting, cleaning, etc.) • Took Water samples. • Read 9 meters for settlement. • Replaced one meter body. • Upgraded 18 meter heads. Public Works is truly the “go to” department whenever any issue arises. It seems we all check with them first whenever a job needs to get done. The Borough is truly lucky to have such a dependable and dedicated group of employees at the end of Elwood Avenue. This year has been particularly challenging for our two mechanics. We had many, many breakdowns this year. This is, in part, because many of our vehicles are well past their prime, and we also use a lot of vehicles: Summer average daily usage is 16 vehicles (24 if you count the back-ups). Fall usage is 18, while winter is 16 (18 if it snows). This year our mechanics also took on a new task – proactive maintenance of our police vehicles. Public Works dealt with four snow events this past year. The Borough installed a new data collection system, which should help with PW billing. All residents are reminded to call PW and have their water meter replaced. The Borough installed new pumps at the Lakeview/Lakeside Lift station. Recycling continued to be an issue this year. PW did begin curb inspections, which has helped somewhat. I remind everyone – no plastic bags in the recycling can. The Borough continues to be fined for this. This year was especially tough on the water & sewer department. There were over a dozen water main breaks: Albert Avenue, Broadway, Boundary Avenue, Canterbury Avenue, East Avenue, Esplanade Avenue, Glen Lake Avenue, East Holly (several times), Hudson Avenue, Lambs Road, Linden Avenue, Michaels Lane, Roosevelt Avenue, Vassar Avenue, Washington Avenue, First Avenue (several times – including Dec 26), and just today, Mansfield Avenue. There were several road repaving projects completed this year: Adams, Glen Lake, Seneca, and Tuohy Avenues. During the past year I heard from about 20 residents thanking the PW department as a whole or singling out individual workers, whether they knew their names or not. I want to wholeheartedly thank the entire Public Works Department for all they do. I also want to thank the director, Fred Rodi. Mr. Rodi is a consummate professional who works tirelessly to keep the Borough running smoothly and looking good. He and I texted, emailed, and talked all the time. I know how much he cares about the Borough. I personally appreciate all his help. Matthew Weng - Overnight Parking Enforcement remains suspended for Christmas and the New Year holidays. Beginning January 10, 2022, enforcement of Overnight Parking will begin once again. - PPD Administration, Sergeants and Detective Bureau all attended the Mid-Year Training Conference held by the NJSACOP on December 2nd. The focus of the training was active shooter preparedness and response. - The PPD hosted and several officers (11) attended the Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement (1-day presentation) on December 8th. The event was graciously co-hosted by the Broadway Theater. We would like to thank the Broadway Theater, Mr. Peter Slack, Mr. Darrell Blood and all the staff for their support. - The entire PPD throughout November and December received the following training: 1. Law Enforcement and the LGBTQ Community and continued ICAT/ABLE training for every officer (mandated by NJ OAG) 2. Cultural Diversity, De-Escalation, Bias Crime Reporting, and Law Enf. Interaction with Transgender Individuals (mandated by Chief McAteer) 3. Updated Use-of-Force Training for the entire PPD and Use-of-Force Policy update by Sgt. Carson (Accreditation Manager) Council Report 12-27-21 Councilwoman Vanessa E. James Vanessa.James@Pitman.Org 2021 Liaison: Parks & Recreation, Public Events, Library Board, Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce ● New for 2022! The Chamber will be moving its regular monthly meeting nights to the first Monday of the Month at 7 p.m. at Borough Hall. The Chamber will also be holding a “Chamber Check-In” at 10 a.m. on the day of the monthly meeting for members of the business community who are not able to make the evening meeting. Stay tuned for more details! I would also like to take a moment to thank Council President Paul Blass and Councilwoman Amy Rudley for their many years of service to the Borough of Pitman. It has been my great privilege to serve on Council with both of them, and I am confident that the positive impact they’ve made on Pitman will benefit our residents for many years to come. Paul and Amy, thank you. 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. Happy New Year! Amy E. Rudley Council Report – Year End December 27, 2021 Senior Outreach The Senior Outreach Committee continued to meet despite the COVID pandemic, holding many meetings outside. After a very successful movie night and also a game day with the VFW, the Senior Outreach Committee plans to hold twice-monthly events at the VFW on a regular schedule moving forward. The Committee also held their annual Pop-Up Park in coordination with the Chamber of Commerce. In addition, while the current ordinance provides for only limited appointments for membership, I have moved for an amendment to the ordinance to allow for 11 members in addition to the assigned council representative. I have asked that the current 11 active and dedicated volunteers be appointed to the committee once again. They are: Former Councilwoman Debbie Higbee Don Forman Jim Naphas Lucille Petrillo Sharon Yesner, representing the United Methodist Homes as their Volunteer Coordinator Sharon Furguson Former McCowan Memorial Library Director Ashley Mason Walt Friedrich Keryl Hausman Marcie Geyer and myself Environmental Commission The Environmental Commission held a number of very successful events of their own this year including volunteer planting days at Grove Auditorium, at Ballard, Shertel, Alcyon, and the various smaller parks throughout town. Earth Day was another success with an emphasis on recycling education. The EC has been in ongoing discussions with a local organization to bring some Environmental Assemblies into our Pitman Elementary and Middle Schools. The establishment of the Recycling Sub-Committee helped to develop the education partnership with the Public Works Department and the efforts to inform the public of the current recycling mistakes which were resulting in fines to the Borough. Various trees were trimmed by volunteers, as well as vendors. Dangerous or dead trees were removed and were replaced where possible. The EC volunteers also focused their energies on the eradication of Lantern Flies in the Borough. Please scrape and destroy any eggs that you see. You destroy them by scraping them into a plastic bag, dousing it with rubbing alcohol, and then closing it up for trash. Merely squishing the eggs is not sufficient as they are pretty difficult to destroy. Memorabilia The Museum is open routinely on the Second Saturday of the month and the Fourth Friday and is always staffed by volunteers. The Memorabilia Committee also held a very successful 150th Anniversary Commemoration and learning event relating to the origins of Pitman. Thank you and best wishes to everyone in the New Year.
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