IN THE LOBBY

BOTTOM OF THE BARREL
Posted on Thursday, April 26 by dailymuse

There\’s an empty lot where the old Chester A. Redshaw Elementary School used to stand in New Brunswick where we ought to place a sign that reads: \”Your tax dollars at work.\”

Instead of being the home to a brand new school, that lot now stands as a testament to the empty promises that the state has made to its students, and the empty wallets of the taxpayers who have been fleeced as the state continues to squander the money we give it.

Note by Bill: Gloucester City has a similar lot (s). Seventy homes along with one business were demolished to make way for a New Elementary Middle School that was promised several years ago. State and County politicians continue to tell Gloucester City residents that the school will be built. However, the more you read about what is going on around the state the more it appears this school like others will never be built. The reason is clear, there is NO MONEY!

(In The Lobby Continues)

And people wonder why New Jerseyans are cynical when it comes to how government spends their tax dollars.

Here\’s a perfect example why.

In its infinite wisdom, the Schools Construction Corp. (SCC) has run out of money long before it finished dozens of new school projects that were promised – and in many cases even begun – in the state\’s poorest school districts.

\”We\’re at the bottom of the barrel in terms of dollars,\” said Scott A. Weiner, CEO of the SCC.

Yes, we\’d agree that the SCC is at the bottom of the barrel – especially when it comes to promising what it delivers, guarding against waste, and making sure that the state\’s tax dollars are spent wisely.

Mind you, this is not an agency that was poorly funded. This agency received a staggering $6 billion in order to replace overcrowded and decrepit schools in the state\’s poorest school districts.

Somehow, they managed to run out of money. Several audits found that weak management and overspending on professional fees had cost the program hundreds of millions of dollars.

Two years ago the SCC had to reduce the list of projects they would fund to 59. Yesterday, they dropped that number to 32.

Who knows what they\’ll drop it to next year.

So where does the SCC go to fix its troubles – you guessed it, the Legislature, pleading that they need even more money, another $3.25 billion! That\’s another $3.25 billion, by the way, from us.

\”If the Legislature does not act within a number of months, the number of impacted communities will grow,\” Weiner ominously warned.

Question: why is it the Legislature\’s responsibility to fix a problem that poor management created? It wasn\’t the Legislature that went ahead and knocked down the Redshaw School without knowing if it had the money to actually build a new school in its place. For that, we can thank the SCC.

You might be wondering, what has the $6 billion we\’ve already plunked down for this sinking ship brought us so far? According to the Ledger, we\’ve gotten the following since 2000: 29 completed new school buildings and 55 others either under construction or on the drawing board. In other words, assuming they don\’t decide next year that they can\’t fund the 55 currently in the works, our $6 billion will have paid for 77 new schools.

That equals more than $77 million per school.

Quite the price tag, eh?

And, in case you were wondering if the SCC had perhaps learned its lesson, consider this fact: The state already has invested $120 million in the 27 school projects suspended yesterday, and plans to spend another $40 million completing design work so they will be ready to bid for construction if lawmakers approve additional funding.

\”The reality is, if the funding isn\’t forthcoming, these projects don\’t get built,\” Weiner said.

The reality is, Mr. Weiner, you\’re out of cash! So why are you spending $40 million more of our tax dollars on projects that you yourself admit may never be built?

Projects like the Redshaw school, which, as the Ledger tells us, is sitting in the cast aside pile of the 27 schools that the SCC has decided it can\’t fund. The students who used to go to school at that empty lot are now going to school in a warehouse, with no money to build them a new school, unless the Legislature comes up with more of our money.

Which wouldn\’t be necessary, had anybody at the SCC been watching how the money was spent in the first place.

Which is why, the SCC says, they need more of our money.

We\’d say it was unbelievable, but this is New Jersey.

Strapped SCC pulls the plug on 27 schools

Abbott school projects list pared as SCC funds run out

PHOTOS BY KAREN JACKSON

Gloucester City Little League Boys and Girls 2007 Baseball Season began on April 14 with a parade and opening day ceremonies held at the Johnson Blvd. fields. The album contains 182 photos, feel free to copy them, no charge. Or E-mail your favorites to grand mom, friends and relatives. If anyone has some photos of any games they like to share send to Bill [email protected]

View Album

Gloucester City LL Home Page

The 12th Annual Rams on Reef, Saturday, August 11th, from 2-7 pm at the LaCosta Bar in Sea Isle, NJ. $30 at the door entitles you to unlimited draft beer, wine and soft drinks. A barbecue buffet of grilled chicken breast, hamburgers, hot dogs, macaroni salad and tossed salad. For further information contact Colleen McIntyre [email protected] or Annamarie
Kinsey at [email protected].

. Father Sullivan Alumni Golf Tournament .This year\’s tournament will be held at Ramblewood Golf Club on Monday, June 4th. Registration will begin at 11:30. A putting contest will precede the 1:15 shotgun start. As usual, our format will be best ball of foursome. This golf tournament is named for Rev. John Sullivan who spent over twenty years of his life serving the Gloucester Catholic community. \”Sully\” was a friend to all who came in contact with him. We name the tournament in his honor to carry on the spirit of commitment that he gave to Gloucester Catholic. Profit from this tournament help fund Alumni Scholarships and the Athletic Department. For more information please contact Annette Reiter 856-468-4976 or e-mail [email protected] .

. Alumni Appeal is currently underway. Funds help support Alumni Scholarships, an Alumni Bus and provide financial assistance for hardship students. Donations can now be made up line. Please link to http://www.gchsrams.org/Alumni/Donate1.asp for more information. Visit our web page www.gchsrams.org , sign our alumni e-mail directory and visit our Guest Book.

Send us your alumni news. For more information on these events please e-mail [email protected]. If you are not receiving the newsletter to your home provide me your mailing
address and I will include you on the mailing list.

Pat Murphy, Alumni Relations

story written by Today\’s Sunbeam

Locals lead Roadrunners 

John McMullin and Chris Lingham, products of Gloucester Catholic and Overbrook, respectively, sparked Gloucester County College to a 7-1 win over Mercer County College.

McMullin went 3-for-5 with a home run, double, and two RBIs, and Lingham went 2-for-4 with three stolen bases and a run scored.

COLLEGE SOFTBALL 

Roadrunners end year with win

Gloucester County College ended the regular season with a 9-1 victory over Camden County College, and awaits its seed in the upcoming Region 19 Tournament.

The Roadrunners jumped on top with a four-run first and never looked back. Clayton\’s Shea Kucinski was 2-for-3 with a double, run scored and four RBIs. Winning pitcher Jessica Kelly (Gloucester Catholic) was 2-for-4 with two runs scored, Penns Grove product Tammy Hunt finished 2-for-3 and each starter had at least one hit.

MEN\’S TENNIS 

GCC keeps rolling on

Gloucester County College cruised to a 9-0 win over Ocean County College and 8-1 win over Brookdale to up its record to 8-1 on the season over the weekend.

Dmitri Athans (Kingsway) posted a pair of straight-set victories at first singles and teamed with Brian Crispin for a pair of doubles victories.

ClearysNotebook:

Cheers and Jeers

By Bill E. Cleary

A quick review of the good, bad and ugly to cross our radar recently.

Cheers to the Gloucester City Sportsman Athletic Club who are holding their 50^th Anniversary Awards Banquet on April 28^th. The members have sponsored hundreds of teams and events over the years including, but not limited to, baseball, softball, soccer, and basketball, American Cancer Society Relay for Life, the MS foundation and many more. The Sportsman AC is probably most proud of its community reach program. Year after year, the club has donated money and man power to so many worthy causes. Congratulations.

Cheers to Councilman Bill Hagan. If it hadn\’t been for Mr. Hagan joining forces with the \”New\” Democrats in January, Gloucester City would have remained in the grips of the old regime until after the next election. Can you imagine! The Lame Ducks would have had an additional 365 days to hide their mistakes. Much of their incompetence would have remained a secret. Thanks Bill for seeing the light. One vote can make a difference.

Cheers to the police officers from all over South Jersey and Pennsylvania who volunteered to help search for the City\’s K-9 dog, Scotty. And also a big thank you to those anonymous people who dug into their pockets for the $6,200 reward. The dog is still missing. Anyone with information should call 856-456-0900.

Jeers to the Gloucester City fireman who stole $7200 from the annual Softball Marathon. Monies raised from that event went to support the Crozier Burn Center in West Chester. You Sir are a thief and merit whatever punishment you receive and then some.

Cheers to Little League and softball coaches who volunteer their time to teach the game to youngsters throughout the area. Parents, these men and women are not babysitters. Come out to the games and support your kids. Remember too, it is only a game. The umpire is volunteering his or her time; give them the respect they deserve.

Cheers to the Mount Ephraim firemen who partook in Read across America Day last month. The firemen took time to read to the students of the Mary Bray Elementary School. Speaking of firemen, hats off to the members of the Gloucester City Fire Department who took some local kids to a recent Phillies game.

Jeers to Governor Jon Corzine for violating both the speed limit and the state law requiring that he wear a seat belt. Thank God his health is improving each day. And thank God no one was killed because of his carelessness. The reason he was speeding, according to the media; he was late for a photo op at the meeting between the Rutgers girls\’ basketball team and Don Imus.

Cheers to the Haddon Heights VFW Post 1958. The post offers borough residents a new American Flag free of charge in exchange for a worn/tatter flag. Resident John Morphew, a Navy veteran, said he was pleased with the program. He summed it up this way. \”I want the flag to be treated respectfully; I fought for it for 22 years. This flags means something to me.\”

 

Article written by Gloucester County Times

Rams fall 

Chuck Casey had six kills as Cinnaminson defeated Gloucester Catholic, 2-0. The Pirates won the first game, 21-17, before topping the Rams, 21-15, in the second.

Andy Poskus added six digs and one kill in the win.

Jeff Sciamanna had four digs for the Rams, while Dan McAteer chipped in with three kills and two blocks.

COLLEGE BASEBALL

Profs handle Pioneers 

Left hander Ryan Kulik only allowed three hits and struck out eight as Rowan blew out William Paterson, 14-2, in New Jersey Athletic Conference action.

Tom Ready led Rowan with four hits, three runs scored, three RBIs and two doubles as the Profs improved to 17-14 overall and 7-7 in the conference.

COLLEGE SOFTBALL

Camden CC gets split 

Colleen Boehm went 2-for-3 with a double and RBI and Lauren Tribeletti hit a solo home run as Camden County College won the back end of a Region 19 doubleheader with Brookdale, 7-4, to earn a split.

Brookdale scored two unearned runs for a 2-1 victory in the opener. Both teams entered the twinbill with perfect region records.

By Bill Bates

NEWS Correspondent

The April monthly meeting of the Mount Ephraim Board of Commissioners was packed with over 38 people in attendance. The meeting commenced at 8 o\’clock sharp with all current officials present for the meeting. Mayor Michael Reader presented former Freeholder Tom Gurick with a special recognition plaque for all of his work and assistance to the borough of Mount Ephraim. Former Freeholder Gurick has assisted our community in many ways such as the current traffic light at Kings Highway and Market Street, The John D. West Senior Center on Kings Highway, the Street Scape Project along Kings Highway from Market Street to the Black Horse Pike, and many other acute grants from repaving streets to replacing playground equipment. Mr. Gurick thanked the officials and also wanted to congratulate our teachers, parents, and children of the Mount Ephraim Schools for a job well done raising money for our troops in Iraq. (The article was in the Courier-Post on Thursday, April 5).

 

A second reading on ordinance No. 04-07 authorizing a special emergency authorization per NJSA 40A:4-53 for the preparation of the town code book. This will bring the current codebook for the borough up-to-date, which hasn\’t been completed in the past 15 to 20 years. The commissioners also have the option of making the codes viewable electronically, which they are also looking into. Resolution No. 27-07 authorizing the necessary appropriations for the payment of costs incurred for the preparation of the borough codebook was carried. The approximate cost for this project is between $15,000.00 and $22,000.00. The payment would be spread over the next five years.

A second reading on ordinance No. 02-07 raising the fee to be collected for licensing dogs and late charges for the same. The price will go from $7.00 to $10.00. The motion was carried. The increase is to make the system run self-sufficient.

Three officers were sworn in from the Mount Ephraim Police Department. The officers are: Class II Police Officer Jonathon Reichelderfer, Police Officer Michael Schaeffer, and Police Officer William Errigo were promoted to Police Sergeant.

Two Mount Ephraim Emergency Management officers were sworn in as well, Coordinator Jason Vilardo and Deputy Coordinator Ken Robertson. Both men are very experienced and are welcomed back for another year. The officials thanked them for their continued dedication and volunteering their skills to the borough of Mount Ephraim.

The Mount Ephraim Police Department received 509 calls for the month of March (1,099 year-to-date). 293 were assigned a case number.

The Mount Ephraim Fire Department received 22 calls for the month of March and conducted 4 drills. The volunteer fire department spent a total of 442 hours answering calls for the month.

Mount Ephraim – MEPRI EMS (Emergency Medical Services) received 51 calls for the month of March.

The Street Scape Project on Kings Highway has begun. The lighting is expected to take about three weeks until completion. Then they will start working on the brick pavers for the sidewalks.

A pre-construction date is being set-up for the Green Avenue re-pavement project. More information should be available by next meeting.

The borough collected $16,800 in construction permit fees for the month of March.

The Department of public works collected 215 tons of trash last month, 25,000 pounds of cans and bottles, and 32,000 pounds of cardboard. The borough is still saving money on operating its own trash collection program verses having an outside contractor completing the task.

The borough will soon be starting a Single Recycling day, which will most likely be collected on Tuesdays. The Single Recycling day will consist of the Department of public works collecting all recyclables on one day. This will be completed each and every week. More information is expected to become available by the end of the month on the starting date that this will occur.

Numerous stop signs were added in town within 500 feet of a school or playground to reduce the speed of cars traveling in these areas.

Mount Ephraim Water Meter Readings will take place during the next month.

The Public Participation section of the meeting was opened. Resident Theresa Armbruster commented on the amount of traffic from the Black Horse Pike onto 3rd, 4th, and 5th Avenues was still a problem. Numerous vehicles are speeding and using the side streets to cut through during rush hour to get to Kings Highway as the traffic backs up on Route 168 – BHP. She is very eager to have something done whether it is stop signs or making the streets a one way during rush hour. Mrs. Armbruster advised the Mayor and Commissioners that she would do whatever she would have to do to see that something is done for the safety of the children. Mayor Reader explained that they are un-able to make any changes to any streets that connect to the state highway (Route 168 – BHP) unless a special application is submitted and be approved by the state DOT. Mayor Reader said that after the meeting he would take the names and numbers of the concerned residents and would schedule a future meeting to rectify the situation.

Resident Gene Smith and another resident who have young children addressed their concerns for the storm drain that is located at Pennsylvania Avenue and the lake off 2nd Avenue. They stated that many children go fishing and play in that area during the spring and summer months. They were concerned that this enormous storm drain did not have a cover securing the structure. Commissioner Tony Chambers advised both residents that they were aware of the problem and a new storm drain cover was on order. He advised them that it would be complete with-in two weeks.

Resident Andy Gilmore expressed his concerns for the safety of the residents at the Walgreen\’s construction site. He had observed the main access gate open numerous times after hours, leaving access for anyone to enter and possibly get hurt, especially at the former White Tower site that has open access directly to the basement with a partial fence around it. He also touched on the subject about not having any sidewalk access on Kings Highway and the Black Horse Pike. He was advised that the fence had been moved back to accommodate pedestrians in that area.

Resident Joe Wolk questioned the availability of the 2007 budget and wanted to know when it would be ready for the general public to view. He was concerned going into the fourth month of the year with no operating budget and was wondering if the upcoming Commissioner Elections had anything to do with that. Commissioner Gaglianone advised him that it was still being finalized by the newly appointed Chief Financial Officer/Treasurer. She further explained that she was unavailable for a few weeks for some personal health reasons and also that the sudden resignation of the CFO also delayed the process by a few weeks as well. Joe Wolk asked when they expected the budget to be presented and Commissioner Gaglianone advised that a special meeting would be held. Joe Wolk strongly expressed that he was concerned about not having a budget available going into the fourth month of the year and he hoped that one would be available soon.

Resident Bruce Greenwald touched on several concerns he had. He inquired whether or not there was any type of ordinance in Mount Ephraim requiring residents to recycle and if there was anything that could be done. On many occasions he has observed that very few people were placing recyclables out at the curb. He also addressed the speeding motorists on Bell Road and suggested a stronger police presence, especially prior to and after school hours. He also asked if the town newsletter was still being circulated to the town. Commissioner Gaglianone advised him that one is currently being worked on and would be circulated soon to the town residents.

Resident Karen Herman commented on her concerns regarding driver safety at the intersection of Kings Highway and Davis Avenue. First she was concerned with the vehicles that park in front of the yellow painted curbs that make it hard for motorists to see when trying to make turns from Davis Avenue onto Kings Highway. Secondly she mentioned the dip that is really deep when you turn onto Davis Avenue from Kings Highway. Mayor Reader advised Mrs. Herman that the Davis Avenue dip will be corrected once the Kings Highway Project is complete and that himself and Police Chief Dobleman would address the driver safety issues to the officers.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:45 p.m. and the next monthly meeting will take place on Thursday, May 3, 2007 at 8 o\’clock in the Borough Hall, 121 S. Black Horse Pike.

 

 

VECCHIO, ANNA M.
(Marino), on April 22, 2007, of Bellmawr, age 86.
Loving mother of Lawrence M. Vecchio and his wife Maryann, Anita L. Hahn and her husband Gerard, Nadine Yackle and her husband William, and Teresa Sulpizio and her husband Dennis. Beloved sister of Eleanor Costanzo and her husband Joseph, Michael Marino, and the late Loretta Morrell and Linda Bittmann. Devoted grandmother of Eric M. Hahn, Thomas Vecchio and his wife Alexandra, Stephen Vecchio, Kathleen G. Hahn, and Alyssa, Justin, and Connor Yackle. Also survived by numerous nieces and nephews, and great nieces and nephews.
Ms. Vecchio was an active member of the ILGWU Retiree Club, Bellmawr Seniors and Bellmawr Democratic Club, and former PTA President.
There will be a viewing on Wednesday evening from 7pm to 9pm and on Thursday morning from 8:15am to 9:15am at GARDNER FUNERAL HOME, RUNNEMEDE. Funeral Mass 10am Thursday at Annunciation BVM Church, Bellmawr. Interment New St. Mary\’s Cemetery, Bellmawr.
Donations may be made to American Diabetes Foundation, 150 Monument Rd, Suite 100, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004.
Expressions of sympathy may be emailed to Condolences@ GardnerFuneralHome.com