As we welcome 2016, we should take one last moment to reflect on 2015:
–The Virtua Medical Campus continues to be an economic magnet for the Route 73 corridor. A new medical office opened on the site of the Voorhees Diner and Hampton Inn. Samaritan Center at Voorhees broke ground on a multi-million dollar facility. The “Medical Mile” continues to generate jobs and significant tax revenue.
–The Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT) was approached by Mason Asset Management about purchasing the Voorhees Town Center and the sale was finalized in October. Mason Asset Management now owns 12 malls. The new owners are excited to become part of the Voorhees community and look forward to continuing the evolution of our “downtown.” The retail portion had a successful holiday season. With the opening of a new Friendly’s in December, “Restaurant Row” continues to thrive with Iron Hill Brewery, Elena Wu, Burger 21, Rodizio Grill and Catelli Duo. The Town Center hosted such popular events as “Dining Under the Stars,” Thriller Night and a carnival.
–Voorhees’ five-year road program continued with the repaving of Sandpiper Drive, Battery Hill Drive, Hollybrook Way, Hartley Avenue, Las Brisas Boulevard, Barbet Drive, Camden Avenue, Poplar Avenue, Great Oak Road and the Connolly Park access road.
–Improvements were made to the township infrastructure. Drainage improvements were made at the great lawn at Connolly Park. With grants from Camden County, a circuit course was installed at Connolly Park, new swings were installed at the Green Ridge and Sandpipper playgrounds. New dugout roofs were installed at the softball complex at Lions Lake and improvements were made to the access area and parking at Stafford Woods.
–Voorhees continued to work to protect our environment. Over the last three years, our residents recycled 62 percent of municipal waste; saving $2.5 million is disposal fees. We continued our use of Compressed Natural Gas trash trucks that emit 30 percent less greenhouses gases and make 90 percent less noise than traditional diesel trucks. The township continued a partnership with the residents along Kirkwood Lake to monitor and hasten the cleanup of the lake by the EPA and DEP and improve the quality of life in and around the lake. Our partnership with VECEF and Rutgers University continues as the Voorhees Environmental Park evolves along Centennial Boulevard. We hosted our Third Annual Earth Day at the Park on April 26.
–The Voorhees Township Committee worked hard to reduce spending and control costs. There are 23 less full-time employees in Town Hall than in 2009. Voorhees engaged in sensible shared services programs with Camden County, Eastern Regional High School, Voorhees Towship Schools, Laurel Springs, Brooklawn, Stratford and Evesham. In addition to our side-arm trash collection program, we initiated a side-arm single stream recycling program allowing our manpower to be used more efficiently. We again partnered with an energy company to buy utilities directly from the provider, saving approximately $125,000 per year. Our CNG trucks saved the township approximately $35,000 a year in fuel costs. The new fuel tank at the Department of Public Works dispenses both gas and diesel fuel, saving $25,000 per year. Due to these efforts there was no local tax increase in Voorhees Township in 2015. In fact, a survey by the Asbury Park Pressfound Voorhees to be the most “tax friendly” municipality in Camden County over the past seven years.
–Over the last two years, Voorhees has received $3,376,000 in grants.
–We took steps to improve public safety and keep our families safe by hiring seven additional police officers. We again partnered with the schools to place a police officer in every school to make sure our children are safe. All of our police officers were equipped with body cameras for their protection and the protection of our residents. A DNA Home Asset Marking Program was introduced, allowing residents to mark valuables with an indelible and invisible liquid to deter crime and identify the rightful owners of lost or stolen property. We established a Safe Exchange Zone at Police Headquarters to allow online transactions through such sites as Craigslist to occur safely. The NextDoor app now allows residents to sign up to share information via the Internet, similar to a community bulletin board. We continued our E-Ticketing System, allowing our officers to issue summons more efficiently. We also continued our Project Medicine Drop, Nixle, Kids I.D. and the Anonymous Crime Tip Line.
–We upgraded our website to be more user friendly and our Facebook page now has over 1,400 likes. Voorhees Township is now on Twitter (@voorheestwp.).
–In cooperation with the Economic Development Committee, we improved our Shop Voorhees Property Tax Reward Program that allows a portion or your normal purchasing dollars spent on goods and services in Voorhees to be applied toward your property tax bill, thereby reducing your taxes at the end of the tax year. We now have over 7,000 residents participating. Over the last two years, the program has seen sales of $1.2 million with tax credits close to $100,000.
–On May 5, Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government recognized Shop Voorhees as a top 25 program in this year’s Innovations in American Government Awards competition.
–Due to the combined efforts of the Voorhees Township Committee, the Economic Development Committee and the Voorhees Business Association, 56 new businesses opened in Voorhees in 2015.
–The 12th annual Summer Series at Connolly Park was bigger and better than ever and included tributes to Chicago, Journey, The Beach Boys and our Movie in the Park.
–On August 4, our first “National Night Out” was held at the Town Center. It was sponsored by the Voorhees Township Police Department and included members of our Fire Department, EMS, the Domestic Violence Task Force, the VBA and Safe Kids New Jersey.
–On Oct. 10, the Voorhees Township Citizens Cultural and Diversity Advisory Committee sponsored “International Day 2015” at Eastern Regional High School. The event included international foods and multicultural displays to celebrate and embrace our community’s diversity.
–On Oct. 13, the Voorhees Township Committee was one of the first in the state to adopt an ordinance banning the sale of dogs or cats obtained from puppy mills or kitten mills. The ordinance ensures that profits will not be made off of the inhumane treatment of animals and will increase the demand for dogs and cats in shelters and rescue organizations.
–On Oct. 19, 69 heroes were added to the Veterans Wall of Honor in Town Hall. The Wall now honors more heroes with Voorhees ties who bravely served our country. The Wall will be an ongoing tribute to our veterans and names will be added every year. Voorhees will never forget.
–On Oct. 25, thousands gathered at Connolly Park for our Annual Halloween in the Park that included a hayride and the Voorhees Business Association’s Pumpkin Patch.
–On Nov. 3, Jason Ravitz and Michelle Nocito were elected by our residents to fill the Voorhees Township Committee seats of Mario DiNatale and Andi Ayes.
–In an effort to make our community safer by reducing the incidence of drunk driving, Voorhees joined the Evesham Saves Lives Program. Through contributions from private donations, free Uber rides are provided to Voorhees and Evesham residents from participating establishments in both townships between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. No tax dollars are used for the program. Residents can simply open the Uber app and see a “safe ride” option at the bottom of the screen. Evesham has seen a 66 percent drop in DUI arrests since the inception of the program in September.
–The Philly Voice named Voorhees Township, along with Haddonfield and Moorestown the three best towns in South Jersey in which to raise a family.
–When tragedy strikes, the Voorhees Community answers the call. In 2015, tragedy struck in May when a fire displaced 10 families in an apartment complex on Echelon Road. Tragedy also struck in June when a horrific storm hit our community. Our police, firefighters and EMTs handled each event with professionalism and sensitivity. As expected, our residents stepped up to provide food, shelter, clothing, money and much-needed hugs to the affected families.
Thank you to the many volunteers who sit on our Township’s boards, committees and commissions.
Thank you for allowing me the privilege of serving as your Mayor in 2015 and I will again embrace the honor in 2016. On behalf of the Voorhees Township Committee, we look forward to another successful year.
