The Year in Review: Looking back at Mullica Hill

Things started out relatively calmly in 2022 as Mullica Hill gradually picked up the pieces from the tornado that struck it in September 2021. Things heated up though, with the consistent opposition of residents to a plan that would bring two large warehouses to town, a project the community fears could have devastating effects, including on the environment.

Municipal news

The year kicked off with a reorganization meeting for the Harrison Township Committee that saw Mayor Louis Manzo and committeewoman Michelle Powell sworn in after their November 2021 election wins. Manzo was reelected and Powell was sworn into a first term on the committee. 

“As I was preparing to get sworn in tonight, the word that kept coming to mind was gratitude,” Powell said. “When I moved here over 16 years ago, I knew this was a special place to live and to raise my children.”

“I would like to congratulate committeewoman Powell,” said committeeman Adam Wingate over Zoom. “You’ve been involved, you’ve been on different boards. It’s going to be nice to work with you and to get things done with you.”

At the same committee meeting, Julie DeLaurentis was approved as deputy mayor. 

“I’m beginning my fifth year as a member of the Harrison Township Committee and people often share their vision and their definition of what our township is or is not,” she noted. “I think it’s very important to hear the different perspectives, so I thought tonight I would like to share my perspective.”

Still fresh in the minds of those at the meeting was the F-3 tornado that tore through the community and destroyed several homes. A remnant of Hurricane Ida, its winds were reported by 6ABC as high as 150 miles per hour.

“History will show when looking back on the tornado in 2021 it was the only time, at least that I’ve been able to look back on, that a mayor of this town was summoned to meet with the president of the United States,” Manzo said of his meeting with Joe Biden.

“The most terrible circumstances for that to happen,” he added. “But the reason I bring it up is, we are in such cynical times … and the lack of connection with people that are elected is something that bothers all of us. And while we would love to see a change, we all really don’t think that it can. But the tornado proved that it can.”

The tornado recovery continued throughout this year, as the rebuilding of what was lost was slow and gradual. The places hit hardest were designated as tornado damage areas by the township.

“The hardest hit areas are along Marvin and Josephine Lane, Gangemi Lane, Salvatore and Turtle Creek Drive, Clems Run, Winding Way and Timber Lane,” Manzo explained. “That was the path, north to south, in Mullica Hill.”

The Harrison Township Historical Society opened an exhibit at its Old Town Hall Museum in October that was dedicated to the storm and its aftermath, to show people in the region just what had happened. A slideshow presentation shows CCTV video and photos of the storm. Artifacts such as a damaged and bent mile marker sign were on display. On the walls were quotes from Mullica Hill residents and prominent people in the community.

“I laid on top of my girls and Troy (Thomas) laid, and within, I mean literally three seconds, I looked up and there was the sky,” said Ashley Thomas, a resident whose quote is displayed on a wall.

Also highlighted at the exhibit was the story of how those in the community came together to support each other in the hope that everything would be alright.

“The first time I saw the exhibit I was truly moved by the attention to detail and the sequencing, which ultimately included the outpouring of support from our residents and the region,” Manzo noted. “And that’s what I hope the message is: That regardless of what happens, we all are motivated to drop everything and help those in our community who are the most impacted by an event. 

“The resilience displayed was inspiring,” he added, “and proves the Maya Angelou quote, ‘We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.’ Imagine if that sentiment was the overriding mindset of everyone, especially our elected leaders?”

Toward the end of the year, residents came together yet again, not to recover from a major storm but to fight a proposed 2-million-square-foot warehousing project on Route 322 and Tomlin Station Road planned by North Jersey-based Russo Development. Residents opposed to the warehousing formed a Facebook group, People Against Warehouses in Mullica Hill, that has drawn about 1,500 supporters.

“There hasn’t been any updated traffic or studies on environmental impacts from trucks,” said group member Clint Guest. “It’s a 24/7 operation that has no limitations on what can be in there and the place will be phenomenal in size. I’m disappointed that local officials haven’t done any studies into this, at least to my knowledge.

“It’s not ideal,” he added. “There’s no ability to absorb the sound generated from all this.  Additional traffic will be added, most roads are only two lanes, and the infrastructure is not here to support this.”

Those who oppose the plan packed the Harrison Township Municipal Building courtroom for a Dec. 1 Joint Land Use Board meeting that saw some of them standing outside the door. The decision regarding whether to approve the project had to be delayed until a Dec. 15 session at the Pleasant Valley School gymnasium.

“The atmosphere was definitely charged to say the least,” said Scott Scheyer, a resident at the earlier meeting. “The fire marshal first closed the door on the residents outside once the capacity was reached.”

Residents also had strength in numbers at the later meeting, where the Joint Land Use Board voted no on the warehousing project.

Education

The Clearview Regional High School District Board of Education reintroduced residents to a bond referendum this year that will pay for improvements and renovations at both Clearview Middle School and the high school. They include a roof replacement at the middle school, synthetic turf for the high-school football field and new emergency generators, among other items.

The referendum was on the ballot on Election Day: It got 6,527 yes votes and 4,748 no votes, according to Clearview.

“We appreciate everyone coming to support (the bond referendum),” said Clearview Business Administrator Esther Pennell. “We appreciate the time they took to study it. We’re excited to get the projects.”

Once the referendum was approved, the Clearview board of education took the next steps by approving a voice-activated fire alarm system at its Nov. 22 meeting. Emergency generators and middle-school roof repairs were approved at the Dec. 15 session.

“They will be the first (projects) to get started,” said Pennell. “A lot of our systems are beyond their useful life. They’re old. The roof replacement should happen this summer (2023). The fire alarms will happen in both schools this summer as well.

“The emergency generators depend on when they arrive, which is 12 months after we’ve ordered, so it should arrive sometime next year,” she added. “But they probably won’t be installed until February or March of 2024.”

Meanwhile, the Harrison Township School District Board of Education increased its accessibility by introducing a virtual option for meetings, beginning with the Feb. 22 session, keeping parents in the know at home.

“After discussion, the board of education has determined that, beginning in February 2022, regular meetings will be available virtually for community members to listen into live,” Superintendent Missy Peretti said.

“However, any person wishing to participate in the public meeting during the audience participation portion must do so in person,” she added. “This change was made in direct response to public inquiry and supports the board’s priority of full transparency.”

Police news

The Harrison Township Police Department established its very own K-9 unit in February by pairing officer Gregory Germscheid and dog Dunkin, who is trained in both narcotics and patrol.

“We have no doubt that Dunkin will be a valuable asset to this community due to his ability to track and search for missing persons, suspects, evidence, apprehend criminals, conduct building searches and be utilized as a community policing tool,” Police Chief Ronald A. Cundey said.

Officer and animal graduated from the John “Sonny” Burke Academy, where they also received an award named after the facility’s namesake. 

“This prestigious award is given to the K-9 team that demonstrated the highest level of performance and dedication during their training and is voted on by his peers and academy staff,” Cundey said.

The new K-9 unit was made possible by local businessman Kenny Patel, who donated $50,000 to police. Patel owned both Dunkin’ locations in Mullica Hill, which is how the dog got his name. 

“Without Kenny’s extremely generous donation, the creation of this unit would not be possible,” Cundey noted. “Kenny is consistently giving back to the police department and the entire community, from donating masks to residents during the peak of COVID, monetary donations to various community-oriented organizations and of course donating Dunkin’ coffee and donuts to them as well.”

Sadly, Patel passed away at the age of 57 in June, after having been a Mullica Hill resident for 15 years. The K-9 unit still relies on donations from the community to pay for training Dunkin.

“Donations help with training Dunkin, as well as providing food, veterinary care and special equipment,” said Capt. Adam McEvoy. “We would like to add another dog to the unit. We’re appreciative of all the donations we’ve received.”

In one K-9 donation drive, five randomly selected families who donated $250 or more got the chance to meet Germscheid and Dunkin and tour the police vehicle designed for the unit.

“I wouldn’t call him a mascot, as he is one of our officers,” McEvoy said of Dunkin. “If there’s a township event or if a school has an opening, then we’ll do a mini-demonstration.”

Township events

Mullica Hill provided residents with many different events and activities throughout the year, a few of which were hosted by businesses associated with the Mullica Hill Business Association (MHBA). One of them was the Cars on Main event on Sept. 18, when plenty of vehicles from the past and present dotted Main Street for visitors to see.

“It’s a very collective show and we’re open to everything from 1900 to 2022,” said George Murphy, MHBA president. “We try to base it around Wildwood’s (car show), which is huge.”

The centennial of the township’s asparagus festival was held in May for residents to dine on a series of bizarre, yet delicious dishes with an asparagus twist while helping the historical society, the event’s host, secure funds.

“The asparagus festival was a great success despite Saturday’s rain,” said Anthony Marino, executive chef and owner of Marino’s in the township, about the day. “Our mission was to promote and celebrate this historical event that happened right here in our backyard, and I think we pulled it off.”

The event came to be in order to commemorate the first-time local produce was shipped by air more than 100 years ago, with the crop moving from Mullica Hill to Boston.

Perhaps the largest event of the year was Mullica Hill’s Lights on Main on Nov. 26, which ushered in the holiday season with a bang. Thousands attended, and numerous businesses, food trucks and other vendors were on hand as the bright lights brought some holiday cheer to residents. It included an opportunity for guests to see the aforementioned tornado exhibit.