Dear Community Friends,
Code Enforcement Officer Graham Land retired from this position and his last day at-work was Thursday, Feb. 29. Recently retired MTPD Officer, Greg Sweeney Sr. has been hired to fill this role within the township. The township committee and I want to thank Mr. Land for his many years of dedicated service to our community both as a former police chief and code enforcement official. We also want to welcome Mr. Sweeney into his new job. Sweeney can be reached at gregsweeney@mantuatownship.com or 856-468-1500 x129.
Saturday, March 2 was our annual free rabies clinic hosted at our public works facility by our board of health. The weather was extremely dreary, however, we had a countless number of pet owners who brought their fur babies for vaccination and licensing. I’d like to commend BOH Chairman Robert Bamford and his daughter who volunteered, along with BOH members Mary Porter and Shawnequa Carvalho for working extremely hard in the pouring rain to serve the residents of our community at our annual clinic. Without this team of dedicated residents, the program would not have been a success.
Cub Scout Pack 45 is hosting its Annual Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, March 9 from 9 am until 12 noon at the Mantua Masonic Lodge located at 45 Mantua Blvd. The cost of breakfast is $13.00 for adults and $7.00 for those under 16 years of age. We encourage you to support our scouts while you enjoy a delicious breakfast at the same time. I plan on attending, and hope to see you there.
Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday, March 10 at 2 a.m. Please remember to move your clocks forward one hour at this time. Spring is certainly in the air as we have an early one this year that begins on Tuesday, March 19.
The Mantua Township Historical Commission just recently released their quarterly bulletin. There’s always a ton of great information relating to the yesteryears of our great community in each edition. If you haven’t seen it, and you’d like to receive it, please email the commission at mthc1977@gmail.com to get on their email list. Thank you Chairman Jeff Gellenthin, Vice Chairman of Herb Hood, and the entire commission for the valiant efforts put forth.
We live in a very safe community, however, we are not immune to crime. Early Wednesday morning, March 6 around 3:30 a.m. three bad guys broke into a resident’s home through a window. While inside the residence, the thieves obtained the key fob and stole a high end 2022, BMW X5 from the property located on Green Lane. Police believe the criminals fled the area by way of the NJ Turnpike northbound toward Robbinsville Township, NJ by exit 7.
It’s very important to keep the exterior of your home well lit at night. Lock your motor vehicles and secure the doors and windows to your homes. If you have a burglar alarm, activate it at night. Secure and hide car keys/fobs in a safe place inside your home away from main entry doors to not be easily accessible.
If you have any information that can assist the MTPD with this investigation please contact Det. Jefferey Krieger at jkrieger@mantuatownship.com or 856-589-0911. I can assure you that the MTPD is doing everything in their power to locate and arrest those perpetrators who committed this crime.
We recently received a Safe and Secure Communities Grant for the MTPD in the amount of $32,400.00 to help off-set the salaries of two police officers in our department. We also received a Body Worn Camera Grant in the amount of $73,368.00 to help pay for the body cameras worn by our police officers. These types of grants are extremely important as the funding takes some of the burden from our taxpayers. In these two cases it’s over $105,000.00 added to our coffers.
Upcoming township meetings and events:
- Township Committee Meeting is Monday, March 11 at 6 p.m.
- Tire Amnesty Week is from Monday, March 18 through Friday, March 22. Maximum of four tires per home. No truck tires and no rims.
- Green vegetative waste cart pick-up begins on Monday, March 18.
On behalf of Deputy Mayor Pete Scirrotto, myself and the entire township committee – we look forward to continuing our service with honesty, integrity and trustful leadership.
Respectfully,
Mayor Robert T. Zimmerman, MAS
