We’d like to welcome two newly appointed full-time police officers to the Mantua Township Police Department. At this past Monday’s Township Committee Meeting, I had the distinct honor and privilege of administering the oath of office to both Patrolman Thomas Cirone and Patrolman Gregory Sweeney Jr.
Cirone has been with the Mantua Township Police Department in a part-time capacity since June 2021. Prior to his employment in Mantua Township, he worked for the Woodbury Police Department as a SLEO I (Special Law Enforcement Officer I). He grew up in West Deptford Township and attended Rowan College of South Jersey. Our agency sent Officer Cirone through the SLEO II Police Academy.
“He has proven himself to be a good employee with excellent peer relationships. Several of his past references have stated that he is morally sound, hard-working and competitive with good manners. We are looking forward to having Officer Cirone as a full-time employee, and witnessing his continued development with our department,” said Chief Darren White.
Sweeney resided here in Mantua Township from 2014 through 2019 and he attended Clearview High School. Both his father and stepfather are recently retired officers from the Mantua Township Police Department. Officer Sweeney is the father of two daughters.
“His past employers have described him as a hard worker and one who never calls out sick. He’s further described as a great person who is mild mannered and is a great family man. Officer Sweeney started his full-time law enforcement career with the Camden County Police Department before coming to Mantua Township. We are looking forward to Officer Sweeney following in the footsteps of his family and seeing what he can do in our department,” said White.
Also, at Monday’s Township Committee Meeting we appointed a new park director who will oversee our beautiful Chestnut Branch Park. Scott Hellerman recently retired from the County’s Pitman Golf Course after serving twenty-seven years as the Golf Course Superintendent. He has many years of experience and training and has a certificate from Rutgers University in Turf Management. Scott is a Mantua resident and has served on our Environmental Committee. We’re thrilled to welcome Scott aboard and look forward to having someone with his expertise overseeing our park. I had the opportunity to speak with Scott this past week about his appointment and he said the following:
“In my new position I will maintain, and ultimately improve the conditions of the park. Hopefully, we can move the park into the future for generations to come. As a dad of grown children, I know how a park can be a place to grow from infants on the playground, through kids on the fields, to teens on the courts. And, eventually evolving to them as adults bringing their own children to the playground. I am proud to be a small part of the township and its commitment to improving the quality of life for its park users.”
We’ve recently received complaints with supporting evidence of ATVs (All Terrain Vehicle’s) being operated illegally at Ceres Park. Let me be clear, ATVs are NOT permitted at Ceres Park, or for that matter, at any park or any publicly owned property in Mantua Township. Our parks are clearly posted with signs that indicate, “No ATVs.” We have secured and locked the gates off-of Main Street, and our police department has been tasked with the strict enforcement of those operating ATV’s illegally on township property. Our police chief is looking into some alternative ways to proactively and strategically increase these enforcement efforts.
We’ve gotten wind of some recent inquiries about why Mantua Township doesn’t have a grocery store. There have been past criticisms about this issue, which is why we had an independent company conduct a comprehensive feasibility study for a grocery store. This study took just about a year to complete and we had a market analysis finalized back in September 2021. In gist, here are some points of interest relative to this study that hinder our ability to entice a grocery store into our community:
Threats:
- The number of existing traditional grocers surrounding and already serving Mantua Township within a ten (10) minute drive.
- Lack of population density.
- Lack of daytime population.
- Limited economic growth.
- An aging population.
- Lack of suitable sites to accommodate a new grocery store.
- Limited commercial presence.
- Proposed developments that include potential grocers in the trade areas.
Weaknesses:
- Size of our residential population.
- Vehicular traffic below thresholds for many grocers and retailers on several corridors.
- Low population growth and an aging population.
- Low rate of educational attainment.
- Limited daytime population.
- Lower than preferred traffic counts for retail tenants.
- Retail rental rates are higher than in nearby markets.
- Mantua Township is not a priority market for many tenants.
Note: This does not mean we’re not trying, and that we’ll never have another grocery store here in town – it just means it’s going to be a challenging feat. You may recall, “Lidl” was slated to build a stand-alone store at our Timberline Shopping Center on Woodbury-Glassboro Road a couple years ago. They eventually backed out and moved their location to an existing storefront within the Collegetown Shopping Center in Glassboro. If anyone has viable ideas or suggestions, please feel free to reach-out to me at rzimmerman@mantuatownship.com.
- The Township has not received any work permits for the store location of the old “Shop n Bag” in Timberline Shopping Center. We have no knowledge of anything projected for this site location.
Upcoming Township Meetings and Events:
- Our Township’s Municipal offices and operations will be closed for business on Monday, Feb. 20 for “Presidents’ Day.” There will be no trash or recycling pick-up on this date. This service and all others will resume on Tuesday, Feb. 21.
- Our Public Works Garage will have its monthly “Convenience Center Drop-Off” on Saturday, Feb. 25 from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
On behalf of myself, Deputy-Mayor Pete Scirrotto and the entire Township Committee, we look forward to serving you with honesty, integrity and trustful leadership.
