As 2023 comes to a close, it’s time to review the year in the Cherry Hill Sun. This year, residents preserved an historic farm and said goodbye to a school stalwart, among other news.
Larry Rutan (right) and Ronan Kelly got to work expanding the Bowling Green Trail in 2020.
“A community project”
Fresh from the pandemic, one man’s passion project quickly evolved into a two-person effort to transform “the worst trail in Cherry Hill” into an expansive area.
Since Larry Rutan first started the trail in 2020, the project has included a pollinator garden, the removal of invasive species and the planting of native ones. Thanks to the actions of Rutan and Ronan Kelly – who serves as the official trail ambassador and works with the Environmental Board – the Bowling Green Trail has become something well used and cared for by residents.
The new trail showed what can be achieved when people take action and together turn an idea into reality, and expressed the impact that the actions of one or two people can have on both the community and the ecosystem.
Rutan and Kelly noted that where it had previously been a small mowed loop, the area has been converted to the trail and people tend to take better care of it since they use it. Today there are around four trails with different lengths and more pollinator gardens have been added
Cherry Hill ACTS adminstrator Eileen Doran uses hopes to see more education-based discussions in her online group.
Rena Margulis founded Cherry Hill United to help improve transparency in the towsnhip.
Township transparency
The Cherry Hill Sun was able to meet with two administrators for Cherry Hill online Facebook groups, including Eileen Doran of Cherry Hill ACTS (Advocating Collaboration and Transparency in schools) and Rena Margulis, who is an adminator for the group Cherry Hill United.
Both groups were born out of a desire from residents to have more transparency on township events. ACTS is focused on the township school district and Cherry Hill United is a bit wider in the range of topics its members discuss.
Though it may seem simple, the adminators are hard at work behind the scenes to help ensure the content shared in the groups is relevant – not spam or advertising – and that the groups remain a safe space for discussion.
Hearts and minds
Firefighters go through rigorous training, involving everything from building physical stamina and strength to learning how to cope mentally with the situations they may face.
In the past five years, the township fire department has received more than $4.3 million in grant funding in the last five years to expand training that can give firefighters a better understanding of how to manage stress not just at work, but in their day-to-day lives. The department has also created a program using the training its members received so it can be passed on in house.
In November, the fire department celebrated receiving $2.6 million in funds from the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) and the Assistance to Firefighter Grant (AFG) programs to fund the hiring of eight new firefighters.Â
