Dear Community Friends,
The autumnal equinox arrived this past Saturday, Sept. 23 which marked the first official day of this fall season. This is without a doubt my favorite time of the year. I just love the cooler temperatures, the beautiful colors of the fall leaves on display around our community, and of course football season and playoff baseball to be in full swing. Enjoying bonfires and the anticipation of Halloween and Thanksgiving in Mantua Township always provides me with a great deal of satisfaction. Hopefully, you have similar feelings this time of year.
One downside to this time of the year is the abscission of leaves. We try to make the clean-up process as convenient and seamless as possible. Fall leaf season for the township begins officially on Monday, Oct. 30 and runs through the end of the year. Please rake leaves loose to the curb line – no bags. Leaves should be free of any sticks, rocks, trash, brush, and other debris that could damage or clog the leaf vacuum machines. Please keep leaves at least ten feet away from any storm drains and approximately one foot away from the curb line to allow rainwater to flow freely. Do not place leaf piles in close proximity to mailboxes, telephone poles, street signposts, fire hydrants, or any object that would prevent us from collecting.
We received some concerns regarding the safety of parents and children on Mantua Boulevard near Sewell School and McCarson Park while crossing the roadway during school hours. Our police department and the school district’s administration have been working together and seemingly have this situation under control. We expect motorists in the area to obey the posted speed limit and to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians. The police will be monitoring this area closely and strictly enforcing violations to ensure resident and student population safety. If you encounter or observe any problems in this immediate area, please be sure to call the Mantua Township Police Department at 856-589-0911 to file a report.
The Township Committee is in the process of evaluating our current ordinance as it pertains to owning chickens in Mantua Township. Our current ordinance defines chickens as “livestock” and only makes their ownership permissible on farmland of five acres or greater. This issue was magnified after an anonymous complaint was made against chickens being raised in a high density residential (R-11 Zoned) neighborhood in our community in violation of the current code. Some have requested that the current ordinance be reviewed and softened to allow for chickens on smaller parcels of land.
A subcommittee made-up of our Solicitor, Township Administrator, Zoning Officer, Committeeman John Legge and Committeewoman Eileen Lukens will be reviewing pilot ordinances used by some neighboring communities and begin meeting next week in order to take a hard look at this issue. The subcommittee will evaluate the pros and cons and make a recommendation to the Township Committee. Ultimately, we will determine the best course of action for our community which could range from no changes at-all to amending the township’s long standing code.
Rowan College of South Jersey is hosting a Mega Job Fair in the RCSJ gymnasium on Friday, Oct. 13 from 9 a.m. until noon at 1400 Tanyard Rd. in Sewell, NJ. This event requires no signup or registration. If you anticipate attending this event, you can also register for a free workshop on Tuesday, Oct. 3 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and Wednesday, Oct. 4 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. These will be in the Career and Technical Education Building Room 801 at RCSJ. Registration is required for the workshops only.
The township’s fall newsletter will hit mailboxes during the month of October to help keep you up-to-speed on the happenings around our community.
Upcoming Township Meetings and Events:
- The Mantua VFW Post 7679 annual “5K & 1 Mile Running for Vets” is on Sunday, Oct. 1 at Chestnut Branch Park. To learn more, and to register and donate please go to https://runsignup.com/Race/NJ/Mantua/MantuaVFW5KRunningforVets.
- Bulk pick-up is Monday, Oct. 2 through Friday, Oct. 6 on your normal trash removal day.
- Thursday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. is the next Historical Commission meeting to be held at the Historical Museum.
- Thursday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. is the next Fire District meeting to be held at the Sewell Fire Station.
- Mantua Township Police Department will be hosting a “Coffee with a Cop” on Tuesday, Oct. 10 from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. at Target and Starbucks on Woodbury-Glassboro Road. Stop by for a free cup of coffee and chat with our officers from the PD, myself and other township committee members.
- Saturday, Oct. 14 at 10 a.m. is the grand opening of our new Disc Golf Course at Chestnut Branch Park which will be named, “Tornado Crossing.”
On behalf of Deputy Mayor Pete Scirrotto and 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
