Voorhees Township Committee approved the insertion of three items of revenue and passed additional resolutions at its meeting Monday, June 10.
Committee approved the insertion of $65,767.77 from the state Clean Communities Fund, $10,000 from a grant from Sustainable Jersey aimed at “Community Visioning,” and $190,000 from the state Department of Transportation for traffic signaling.
According to Township Administrator Larry Spellman, the $190,000 toward traffic signaling will be used to replace traffic lights in two ways.
“There are a few areas where we’re replacing traffic lights,” said Spellman. “Hopefully every light has the camera on top; now people think they’re traffic cameras [for tickets], but they’re actually just to make sure the cars are in line.”
Additionally, Spellman says the township will also be installing emergency power at an intersection within the township so that, in the event that power goes out, traffic can still navigate safely with the lights still being powered.
“We had issues a few years ago at the intersection of the White Horse Pike and Route 561 where the lights went out and, it being a major intersection, it can be a real mess,” said Spellman. “So now we won’t lose power again before we get an officer there to help direct traffic as well.”
Meanwhile, the $10,000 grant from Sustainable Jersey hopes to create or continue some sort of sustainable or green initiative within Voorhees Township. At the moment, a cause has not yet been determined as to what the money will be directed toward. In the future, Spellman says the township will look to hear thoughts from the public on what green initiatives they might hope to see in their community.
Also at the meeting, the committee passed a resolution “encouraging the use of recyclable paper bags and reusable bags instead of plastic bags.”
A township resident had approached both township committee and the township Environmental Commission in recent months interested in the discussion of banning plastic bags for the good of the environment.
Currently, the state is discussing implementing such a ban. Voorhees Township passed this resolution simply encouraging the use of alternative bags to plastic.
In other news:
- The committee renewed a transportation agreement between the township and Virtua Health Systems.
- Dominique Decker was approved to the part-time position of records clerk in the Voorhees Township Police Department.
- The committee approved the hiring of five emergency medical technicians in the Voorhees Township Fire Department.
