Also, efforts of two local groups help earn Medford distinction for 39th year in a row
Medford Township Council unanimously approved the first reading of an ordinance Tuesday night that authorizes the issuance of a bond for more than $3 million to be used for capital improvements. This money was part of the 2017 budget.
According to Mayor Charles Watson, some of the money, if approved May 2, will be used for items such as the 2017 Road Program, a police vehicle, portable radios, an interview recording system, a fire command vehicle, a new ambulance, two mini dump trucks and new “Welcome to Medford” signs on several roads around town.
“I think it is appropriate for people to understand that these are capital investments,” Councilman Christopher Buoni said. “These are things we are funding over the life of the project. That is relevant because that means as people are using different roads and services that they are seeing the benefit of it. You are paying for that over the course of time rather than trying to fund these things in one year. It is good to be in a position now where we can really revisit our roads which are so critical. I think we will see a big difference in that and also investing in our infrastructure and our ability to deal with our infrastructure with the proper equipment. It is nice to be in the position to address our longer-term needs.”
“I just wanted to point out that the majority of these funds are going toward road improvements this year, more than three times of the amount that we spent last year,” Councilman Jeffrey Beenstock said. “I think we have shown a commitment to try to get road improvements done because we did the study last year that showed that there needed to be some road improvements within the town. I am really pleased that we were able to do that, and hopefully we will be able to continue to do that … over the next few years.”
According to township engineer Christopher Noll, the streets that will be targeted in the 2017 Road Program include Woodthrush Trail East, Woodthrush Trail West, Townsend Court, Mill Street, Indian Spring Lane, Pin Oak Court, the Iron Rock Lane cul-de-sac, Sunny Jim Drive (Indian Spring Lane to Schoolhouse Drive), Greenbriar Lane, Pine Valley Drive, Tavistock Drive (Micro Surface), Normandy Drive and Court, Saxony Court, Sherwood Court, Jackson Road (Between Stokes Road and Tavistock Drive), Bende Park Parking Lot, Guide Rail at Pontiac Drive and Shanty Dam Drive at Upper and Lower Mimosa Lakes Dams.
A public hearing on the matter will be held during the next council meeting May 2.
In other news…
Council issued a proclamation for Arbor Day, which is nationally celebrated and focuses on the importance of planting trees in communities. The Environmental Affairs Advisory Committee and Pinelands Garden Club once again helped the township become a designated “Tree City USA.” This is the 39th year in a row that the township has earned the honor. Arbor Day takes place Friday, April 28.
