I, Deputy Mayor Pete Scirrotto, Committeeman John Legge, Committeewoman Eileen Lukens and Committeeman Shawn Layton all participated in the Opening Day ceremonies at Mantua Little League and at the Sewell Raildogs Baseball and Softball this past Saturday. Whether it’s throwing-out the first pitch or just being there to support our youth sports programs, it’s always one of the most engaging and enjoyable responsibilities as your elected leaders. Be safe and have fun this season.
At our last township committee meeting, the approval was made to enter into a shared service agreement with the Borough of Glassboro for Certified Financial Officer and Qualified Purchasing Agent services. After evaluating alternatives, this was the most prudent and cost-effective way to fill this vacancy. We would like to welcome Glassboro CFO Karyn Paccione to our team.
Also, at our last township committee meeting we approved the promotion of Enrico “Rick” Ciarrocchi to class 4 laborer in the public works department. This promotion was the result of a vacancy from a retirement within the department. We want to congratulate Rick on the promotion and thank him for his dedication to our community.
On April 12, myself and Township Administrator Jennica Bileci had the pleasure of meeting with the Country Gardens Community HOA Leadership, President Laura Valenti and Treasurer Bob Knecht. The purpose of the meeting was to get acquainted and to discuss some quality-of-life issues in their development which is an over 55 community situated off-of Lambs Road in the Sewell section of the township. We encourage residents to reach-out and partner with our elected officials so that we can learn and improve the services throughout our great community.
Every Monday evening from now through Oct. 9 beginning at 5:00 p.m. there is a Car Show held at Toll House Plaza on Route 45. I attended this past Monday and really had an enjoyable time. I was fortunate to have a personal tour guide, Bill Wilkinson who is a long-time resident and car enthusiast. I would encourage you to check things out, and stop by our local establishments in the area for dinner or ice cream, etc.
Mantua Police Department updates:
- Our police department is currently going through a hiring process and the application deadline was on April 14. According to Lt. Bill Murphy, the number of those interested in becoming police officers has drastically decreased over the past 10 years or so. Not just in Mantua Township, but around our county and presumably beyond. We recently amended our salary guidelines to make it more appealing for lateral transfers. The salary amendment was done in an effort to attract experienced, already trained and better qualified candidates.
- Our police department is also currently testing internal candidates for the promotion of sergeant and corporal. By contract, we are required to staff each platoon with certain supervisory ranking positions.
- Our School Resource Officers, Carmen Rabottino, Ed Wiley, Ed Kiermeier and Jim Fellon are all going through or have recently been trained in school threat assessment. We thank each for their commitment to our school community.
- According to Lt. Brian Hauss, our police department received $4,200 in Distracted Driving Grant Funding. This funding is allowing 15 shifts to patrol our streets looking specifically for those illegally using cell phones and other forms of distracted driving. Making our community safer at no cost to the local taxpayer is always a tremendous win for Mantua!
- Lt. Hauss also advised that our police agency is currently working on a grant application to obtain special equipment to help our detective bureau with digital extractions from phones and computers. This is another example of our township (and in this case our PD’s administration) being proactive and seeking out ways to enhance policing services at no cost to our resident taxpayer.
I’d like to commend our police department under the direction of Chief White for being one of the finest policing agencies in our area. Keep up the great work.
Upcoming township meetings and events:
- Fire Hydrant flushing will occur during the week of April 24 through April 28.
- The next Veterans Commission meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 27 at 7:00 p.m. at the township municipal building.
- Property taxes for the second quarter are due Monday, May 1. You can pay online through our website at www.mantuatownship.com.
- The next Convenience Center Drop Off at the Public Works Facility will be Saturday, April 22 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
On behalf of myself, Deputy Mayor Scirrotto and the entire Township Committee, we look forward to serving you with honesty, integrity and trustful leadership.
