Last week at the Moorestown Township Council meeting, township manager Scott Carew said the replacement of parking meters in town will most likely take place in two phases, and the new township website should be ready to be launched in May.
The first phase is to replace the parking meters along Main Street, and the second phase is to get new meters in the Second Street parking lot, also known as the Peter Pan Parking lot.
For Main Street, there is a possibility that kiosks could replace the individual parking meters. With the kiosks, the idea is that each parking space would be numbered and kiosks would be placed within a reasonable distance from parking spaces.
“The idea is to have it that, no matter where you park, there is a kiosk on the way you need to walk,” Carew said.
Kiosks also allow police to use handheld devices to hand out tickets based on a color-coded system. Six to 10 kiosks could replace the town’s 80 parking meters.
The second phase in the Peter Pan parking lot would use the same system as the Main Street in consideration. However, there is some concern with employees having to pay for parking, which the township is still looking into, and is thinking about adding designated employee parking spots in the area.
Carew also announced the new township website would be ready to be launched in May. He said not only will it be aesthetically pleasing, but it will be efficient and easy to use.
“It’s going to be a fantastic website,” Carew said.
He also said the township was exploring the possibility of using a Computerized Maintenance Management System. The township would choose a type of system and township employees must be trained in the use of the system. According to Carew, a CMMS would allow the township to keep close track of all of its assets, keep on track for schedules and make large organizations efficient. He feels the organization is large enough to utilize these systems.
In other news:
• Council unanimously approved an ordinance to cut the township’s debt. The ordinance provided for a refund on all or part of the township’s debt stemming from general obligation bonds dated May 15, 2006, consisting of $9.66 million in general improvement bonds and $1.51 million of water and sewer utility bonds, appropriating $4.85 million and authorizing the issuance of refunding bonds. The goal is to cut down on interest related to the debt.
• Lenola Center District Ad-Hoc Committee members were chosen and announced to be Carew, Mayor Victoria Napolitano, Councilman Manny Delgado, Lenola Advisory Committee Chairwoman Jamie Boren, Director of Community Development Tom Ford and community member David Hess. The members will select a seventh committee member at a later date. This new committee will evaluate the Lenola section of the township.
• Proclamations were given to Donald Mishler, who recently retired from his post after 25 years as president of the Moorestown Township Public Schools Board of Education; Catherine Ward for being previous chairperson of Sustainable Moorestown and helping the township achieve both its bronze certification in 2013 and silver certification in 2014; to name 2015 a year to show kindness by doing acts of kindness every day; and the Alice Paul Institute for encouraging leadership in young people.
• Council passed two resolutions after pulling them from the consent agenda to hold public hearings. Both resolutions were for the transfer of liquor licenses for Moorestown Beverage to Harvest Moorestown and Moorestown Beverage to Yard House USA.
• The next Township Council meeting is Monday, Feb. 23 at 7:30 p.m. with a workshop at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall.
