Reprinted with permission of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 

Sunday, May 04, 2003

By Paul Zeise, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

If the five youngest children of Theresa and Peter McGlade had their way, it is likely that new Pitt women\’s basketball coach Agnus Berenato would have been a world-class swimmer. Or, perhaps, one of the finest swimming coaches in the country.

	Agnus Berenato was introduced as Pitt\’s new women\’s basketball coach Thursday. (John Heller, Post-Gazette)

\”All five of us voted for a swimming pool in our back yard, but dad cast the only vote that counted and he put in a basketball hoop instead,\” said Berenato\’s youngest sister, Theresa McGlade. \”So I guess that\’s how we got started playing basketball.

\”But I have no doubt that whatever career path Agnus chose, she\’d have become a rousing success at it. She\’s just a dynamic person and someone who I have always envied because of her energy and her ability to do such a fabulous job in all aspects of her life despite the fact that she has to juggle so many activities and wear so many hats.\”

Basketball may have become the family sport when Peter installed a basketball hoop next to the garage at their Gloucester City, N.J., home, but the most important lessons Berenato learned in ultra-competitive games on uneven concrete had little to do with the game itself.

It was there, with her family and friends, that she learned valuable lessons about family, love, commitment, competition and maximizing her potential. And those lessons have pushed her to the top of her profession.

\”I fell in love with basketball at an early age, and that has always been my passion,\” she said. \”But I\’m not defined by it. I\’ve always kept it in perspective and believed that, in order to be a success on the court, you have to first be a success off it as well. That\’s why family is so important to me, and that\’s why I work so hard to instill values like character, integrity and discipline into my players.

\”I\’ve never believed that you can\’t have it all; you just have to make the commitment to go get it.\”

The values that are dear to Berenato — family, community, charity, hard work, commitment, loyalty — are the ones Pitt officials looked for in their search for a new coach when they fired Traci Waites after five seasons.

And while Berenato\’s successful record as a coach vaulted her to the top of the list of candidates, it is her magnetic personality and seemingly boundless energy that made her a must-hire.

That\’s because what the university needed to find was a miracle-worker capable of breathing life into what recently has been one of the worst major Division I women\’s programs in the NCAA. Pitt is certain it found that person in Berenato and believes she\’ll build the Panthers into a national power within a few years.

\”We weren\’t just looking for a coach,\” said Carol Sprague, the senior associate athletic director at Pitt. \”We needed someone who was a coach, a recruiter, someone who could generate a lot of interest in the program, someone who values hard work, someone who wouldn\’t be intimidated by the size of the job or the level of competition in the conference and someone with the commitment level to get things done right.

\”That\’s what we found in Agnus. She is the complete and total package. A complete coach for all of our needs. Are there challenges here? Absolutely, but I believe she can overcome any of them and will do a great job for our program.\”

Bernadette McGlade, the associate commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference and Agnus\’ younger sister, has little doubt that Pitt made the right choice. Maybe she\’s biased, but her sentiments are echoed by most everyone who knows Berenato.

\”Agnus\’s enthusiasm is infectious,\” said McGlade, who hired Agnus as an assistant coach at Georgia Tech when she was the head coach.

\”She has very strong commitments and beliefs and she has succeeded at whatever she has put her mind to. She is one of those people who puts all of her energy into whatever it is she is going to do — whether it is going to McDonald\’s to eat or preparing to beat an opponent.\”

Berenato, who spent the past 15 seasons as head coach at Georgia Tech and led the Yellow Jackets to postseason berths in each of the past four seasons, has a huge task ahead of her, and she knows it.

But to fully appreciate and understand who she is, one must understand where she comes from and her values.

Loyalty and commitment

In 1985, Berenato had just finished her fourth season as women\’s basketball coach at Rider University when the family learned her mother had advanced breast cancer. She would no longer be able to take care of herself.

But her 10 children were raised with family values so strong that a nursing home was not an option. And since most of her brothers and sisters were not able to drop everything and take care of their mother, she knew there was only one thing to do.

The Berenato clan, from left: Sons Joey and Andrew, daughters Theresa and Clare, husband Jack and daughter Christina. (Lake Fong, Post-Gazette)

\”While we were all trying to figure out what we were going to do, Agnus resigned from her job,\” Bernadette said. \”Then she moved from Trenton back in with our mother and took care of her until she died later that year. She was trying to make a career, but didn\’t even think twice about dropping it to help out the family.\”

Berenato said she learned that value from her mother, which is why such a decision was a no-brainer.

\”My dad died when I was in seventh grade,\” said Berenato. \”There were still seven of us in school, and the three others were in college. But my mom, she rolled up her sleeves and kept us together. We didn\’t have much, we were poor. But we did have each other, and that\’s why I believe so strongly in family and commitment.

\”I learned to appreciate what we did have instead of complaining about what we didn\’t have because that\’s the approach my mother took despite the difficult circumstances. That\’s why I look at everything as an opportunity to succeed rather than a chance to fail.\”

Berenato has five children despite being in a profession not conducive to raising children. The job of a Division I head coach requires long hours, seven-day work weeks, few vacations and little free time.

But her children, Theresa (20), Andrew (18), Joey (14), Clare (13) and Christina (9) and her husband, Jack, all have worked together to overcome those obstacles.

\”My mother is amazing because she\’s done so many things, yet she\’s always made time for us,\” said Andrew, who will be a freshman at Georgia Tech next year. \”Like family dinner. She always makes sure to make it home for dinner. I have a lot of friends who can\’t say that about their parents, but mom always juggles things in order to be home with us for dinner.

\”That means a lot because it shows that we really are the most important thing to her and, in turn, we make the effort to help her any way we can.\”

Berenato believes her strong family values reach her players because, in her eyes, they are part of her extended family. That\’s why it is not uncommon for her to have players over for dinner and why she works so hard to build a family-like atmosphere in the locker room.

It also is why she is so involved in the community wherever she is and why getting her players involved in numerous community projects will be a high priority.

She credited her husband for allowing her to pursue her dreams.

\”He knew from day one that basketball was my passion,\” she said. \”But he has always gone with the flow. He\’s an incredible man in many ways and he\’s been a huge part of my success. I believe family is always right behind faith among priorities, but I don\’t believe you have to choose career or family.

\”To me, it is a matter of making time for all of those things that are your priorities.\”

\’E\’ for effort

When Pitt interim athletic director Marc Boehm introduced Berenato for the first time, he said \”nobody will outwork her.\”

Former Georgia \’Tech men\’s basketball coach Bobby Cremins, a close friend of Berenato\’s, agrees. He also said that along with work ethic, Berenato brings enthusiasm and energy to every task.

\”She is a live ball of action, a real go-getter,\” Cremins said. \”Nobody will ever know the things she had to fight through in order to have success at Georgia Tech, but she\’s worked so hard to get to where she is it is great to see her have success. Through good times and bad, she\’s always been supportive of me, and I\’ve always appreciated that.

\”But the thing about her beyond her genuineness and integrity that stands out is how hard she works and how competitive she is. She will win there, I know it.\”

It is not uncommon for Berenato to work long days, but with five children and a husband to attend to, that has caused her to be creative. At Georgia Tech, she held 5:45 a.m. practices so she could be home in the early evening with her kids. Then, she would break down film and do other tasks late at night when they were in bed.

She doesn\’t waste a minute and won\’t allow her kids or players to do so, either. There is no television from Sunday to Friday because she believes it fosters laziness. Without it, her children are forced to be creative and find other activities.

Despite the fact that all five of her kids were born during her coaching career, she never took a maternity leave. In fact, her oldest child, Theresa, was born on a Thursday, the day of a game. She missed that game because she was in the hospital, but was released on a Friday night and shocked her assistant coaches by showing up Saturday to coach an afternoon game.

\”I\’d use some vacation days to visit Agnus,\” Theresa said. \”But I\’d only be at her house for about half-hour and I\’d already be tired and stressed out just watching her. It is amazing. She\’d have a phone in one hand while she was cooking dinner, doing laundry, changing diapers, cleaning the house, visiting with me — there was never a moment to relax.

\”But that\’s who she is. She doesn\’t believe that there is ever too much for her to handle.\”

Hard work has always been a major part of Berenato\’s success and her greatest asset as a player. She was an excellent shooter, but more of a feisty player who scrapped for every inch. She played high school basketball for Gloucester Catholic and helped it win three consecutive state titles. At the time, there weren\’t many scholarships in women\’s basketball.

So she signed with a French professional team (Entente Senonaise) and played one year there.

Then, Title IX kicked in and women had the same opportunity to play college basketball as men.

Berenato, along with her two sisters, Mickey and Bernadette, accepted a scholarship to North Carolina and played one season for the Tar Heels. But the school was too big and too far from her Jersey roots, so she talked to her mother about possibly transferring to Mount St. Mary\’s College.

Her mother gave her the blessing, but said she would have to pay her way. That\’s probably the summer she developed her skills as a saleswoman because the only job she could find was as a traveling-bible saleswoman in Kentucky.

\”I think I made $8,500 that summer selling those bibles,\” she said. \”But I was fortunate enough to earn a scholarship, so I didn\’t have to go back the next summer. It was a great experience in learning how to meet and sell people.\”

Teacher and motivator

Clemson women\’s coach Jim Davis, who has coached against Berenato for a number of years and is one of her closest friends in the profession, also is sure that Berenato will be successful.

But unlike some, he thinks her impact will be immediate because he said she is a master motivator with a knack for getting players to achieve things they never thought possible.

\”She is one of the best at convincing kids that they can be better than they really are,\” Davis said. \”But don\’t get me wrong — she is not a con artist. She is genuine. She really believes in her players, and you can see it in the way they play. There is never any quit in her teams. They are a lot like her — they fight and scratch until the end. They will work hard, you can believe that.

\”And I\’ll say this — I don\’t know what the talent level is at Pitt because I\’m not familiar with the program, but, if there is any talent base at all there, she\’ll turn that thing around, and they\’ll be competitive next year.\”

It only took Pitt sophomore point guard Amy Kunich about five minutes of listening to Berenato address the media before she was convinced that great things are coming. And she already believes in Berenato despite the fact that the team is six months from its first official practice.

\”As far as first impressions go, that was amazing,\” said Kunich. \”I was sitting in my chair listening to her and getting restless because I wanted to get my shoes on and go play for her. I\’m excited already. She clearly is going to be a motivator and a welcome change for us. You can\’t help but get excited when you listen to her.\”

Program builder, recruiter

One of Berenato\’s highest priorities will be to reconnect the program to Western Pennsylvania\’s fertile recruiting base. Many top players in the area over the past decade have been stars elsewhere, but that\’s a trend that Sprague expects to end once people get a chance to meet Berenato.

Kunich agrees.

\”I\’ll tell you this, if she came to my house when I was being recruited, I\’d sign up that day,\” she said. \”I have no doubt she\’s a coach that kids will want to play for. No doubt at all. There is just something special that draws you to her.\”

At Georgia Tech, Berenato took an urban program that was second-fiddle to the University of Georgia and made it competitive. When she arrived in Atlanta, the best players who stayed home went to Georgia.

By the time she left, she had built a program that could attract top-caliber players from Georgia and elsewhere.

This past season, Georgia Tech went 20-13, made the NCAA tournament and featured seven players from Georgia. She has coached 11 all-ACC players and many others who have played in the WNBA or professionally in Europe.

That is the vision she has for Pitt, and she believes that her straightforward approach and commitment to excellence will help her fulfill that vision.

\”Like everything else, you don\’t have to choose academics or athletics or community service,\” she said. \”I learned that early in my career. You can have great players who are great students and great people. That\’s what we want here.

\”I know it will take time, but I am committed to going out into the community and working with high school coaches and AAU coaches, but I\’ll do what it takes. Pitt has given me a great opportunity, and I take it seriously. I want to succeed, but we will do the right thing and do things the right way.

\”That is the only promise I can make.\”

Related: Rams Alumni

Related: Pitt U Womens Basketball 

Related: Agnus Berenato Profile

I have lost too many friends in Iraq to keep quiet. My stepbrother and my best friend were both killed on their first tour. We are over there fighting for freedom and the right to call ourselves, U.S. citizens. We fought since the Revolutionary War for freedom and we are still fighting.

I serve my second tour now and anyone writing me would be really nice. My email is [email protected].

Please when you have five minutes kneel down and say a prayer. Pray that all of those serving in Iraq will make it home safe
to see their family another day.

Commenter name: Cpl. Robert T. Wolf U.S.M.C.

GLOUCESTER CITY LITTLE LEAGUE IS STILL IN NEED OF 7, 8, 9, AND 10 YEAR OLDS FOR THE 2008 SEASON. 

IF INTERESTED IN PLAYING, PLEASE CALL 456-1776 AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

Holland, MI–The College of New Jersey women’s basketball junior center Hillary Klimowicz (Scotch Plains, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood) was named to the 2007-08 State Farm Coaches’ All-America Team Honorable Mentions for NCAA Division III on Friday.

The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and State Farm announced the 2008 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III State Farm Coaches’ All-America Basketball Team. This year’s team marks the first State Farm Coaches’ All-America Team, as Eastman Kodak held the previous sponsorship for 25 years. Selection committees in each of the eight WBCA geographical regions select 10 of the top women’s basketball players in the nation to be honored. In addition, an honorable mention team was also selected.

Klimowicz was one of five players from Region 3 named to the national ballot for the 2008 State Farm Coaches’ All-America Basketball Team for the Women’s Coaches Basketball Coaches Association for Division III. There are eight different regions and the 40 finalists, who were voted upon by WBCA member coaches in each of the eight WBCA award regions.

The State Farm Coaches\’ All-America Basketball Team was announced at the NCAA Division III Women\’s Basketball Banquet at Hope College in Holland, Mich.

The 2007-08 Lions went 22-7 on the season and won the New Jersey Athletic Conference South Division with an 11-2 conference mark and advanced to the conference championship game. The team then earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Championship and moved into the second round of the tournament.

Klimowicz has reeled in numerous conference honors as she was selected as the 2008 NJAC Player of the Year and a First Team All-NJAC honoree.

The center had a banner season leading the team in a host of categories. She was the team’s top scorer and rebounder averaging 16.9 points and 11.0 boards. Those numbers rank her second and third, respectively, in the New Jersey Athletic Conference. She also leads the conference in field goal percentage hitting on 64.4 percent of her shots (206-for-320) and blocked shots per game at 4.10 per contest. Those numbers rank second and fourth nationally.

Klimowicz has received a host of other honors this season, including being named the NJAC Player of the Week seven times and ECAC Metro Player of the Week twice. She was named the most valuable player of the Gwynedd-Mercy College Classic and earned a spot on the Marymount University Tip-Off Classic All-Tournament Team. She recorded 20 double-doubles this season and scored in double figures in 27 of 29 games.

Klimowicz was previously recognized for her effort in the classroom as she earned CoSIDA’s ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II College Division honors. She was named All-District II Third Team as a psychology major and boasts a grade-point-average of 3.318.

Klimowicz was a 2006-07 All-NJAC First Team selection after joining the Lions from NCAA Division I St. Joseph’s University where she was selected the 2005-06 Atlantic 10 and Big Five Rookie of the Year.

SCHEFSECK Josephine E.

On March 14, 2008. Age 93. Of Deptford. Formerly of Boonton and Plainfield, NJ. Devoted mother of Linda M. Shafer and her husband Robert Stone Shafer of New York. Beloved grandmother of Robert P. Shafer and his wife Karole A. Shafer and the late Robyn Lynn Shafer. Cherished great-grandmother of Rebecca Ann Shafer and Joshua Stone Shafer. Loving cousin of Carey Pohrishak.

Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend her graveside burial and prayers on Monday, March 24 at 1 pm in the Hillside Cemetery, Scotch Plains, NJ. There will be no evening viewing.

Expressions of sympathy can be e-mailed to the family through our funeral home website www.mccannhealey.com under online obituaries of Josephine Schefseck. Funeral Arrangements and Inquiries may be made through: McCANN-HEALEY FUNERAL HOME: 851 Monmouth Street, Gloucester City, NJ 08030. Phone: 856-456-1142

BILL\’S POINT OF VIEW:

Thank you to the Gloucester City Little League for sharing the information about the organization\’s finances. It helps to fill in some holes for example how the $52,000 was accrued. Besides the money being stolen some of us wondered either to themselves or out loud how come the Little League had so much money in their treasury. Your explanation answered some of those questions.

For those who are just tuning in the former treasurer of the Little League, Harry Fox Jr., was recently charged with embezzling $52,000 from the organization. And as many residents are aware this isn\’t the first time something like this has happened in Gloucester City.

Over the years I have watched, as you, in 1980 money stolen from the Mustangs Football organization cookie sales (a mother of one of the players stole the funds).

Also in the 1980\’s there was a City fireman who took $10,000 plus from the annual Softball Marathon.

Then again in 2007 there was another City fireman caught stealing funds from the same account.

And now the latest, $52,000 being stolen from the Little League organization.

There have been some recent comments posted about what could be done to stop the thieves. The most recent from an unknown person who signed their name Tired of Donating to Thieves makes the most sense, have the treasurer bonded. \”If the treasurer was bonded the organization would get their money back and the bonding company would go after the thief, \” he/she said.

I also feel it is not too much to ask that all organizations disclose full financial statements to the public each year. Some organizations feel if they give out that information the public will not be as generous. I don\’t believe that would happen. And on the other hand other organizations feel the public has no right to know how their donations are being spent.

Recently in one of my columns I suggested that all clubs and organizations require two even three signatures to withdraw money from their bank account. And give full financial disclosure to the members each month. Following the publication of the column I received a call from Mike Kenney, treasurer of the Mustangs. He said after reading my thoughts he made the motion to do just that at the Mustang meeting and the organization approved it. Let\’s have a Cheer for the Mustangs!

All groups who solicit donations from the public should be required to release their financial statements on a yearly basis. That includes coin drops, golf tournaments, firemen\’s softball tournaments, fishing tournaments, cookie and candy sales, beef and beer events, door to door solicitations and so forth on.

As mentioned before, openness would help discourage those with \”sticky\” fingers.

If you look back to what type of punishment the thieves mentioned in the past received all of them got off with just a slap on the hand. They get no jail time, instead the Courts sentenced the crook (s) to community service, a few years probation, and the thief can take their time making restitution. Is it any wonder we are reading more and more about corruption in volunteer organizations?

To put it in simple terms the thief has gotten away with highway robbery and received a free interest loan to pay back at their leisure.

The time has come to put measures in place so this won\’t happen again in our community. And if organizations are not willing to be forth coming then the public should withhold their donations until they make full disclosure of their expenses and expenditures.

Related: Harry Fox Jr. Arrested

 Joseph F., Jr. \”Frank\” Corson Retired Captain / Current President March 15, 1931 – March 18, 2008

By Bill Bates

NEWS Correspondent

It is a very sad week for the MEPRI Organization and the entire community of Mount Ephraim, as a well respected and dedicated member of the community has passed on.

It is with deep regret to announce the passing of Frank Corson, EMT who was a long time member of M.E.P.R.I. (Mount Ephraim Police Reserves Incorporated) Ambulance, Squad 4 for more then 22 years. Frank ran countless hours of volunteer service on the ambulance for Mount Ephraim as well as surrounding communities where they were called upon often. Frank answered calls with many members from the community and touched everyone with has charming personality and sense of humor. Frank was the most dedicated heart and soul members of MEPRI Ambulance and adored his hobby enough to have it as his custom license plate \”Squad 4\”.

 A younger picture of Frank (second from Left) with his wife Mary in front of him, after one of the town\’s annual July 4th Parades. (click on photo to enlarge)

As you can imagine, Frank\’s talent and continuous dedication did not go unnoticed as he received several awards over the years. Many meals were missed and many nights were spent away from home and from his loving family. Frank shared his passion of running on the squad with his beloved wife Mary as well as his oldest daughter Debbie over the years and they answered many calls together. Frank also was an avid collector of trains as his entire basement reflected that. Frank showed off his second favorite hobby every chance he got to family and friends that stopped by. Frank was always working on something whether it was the house, his trains, or something for the MEPRI organization. Just about every Friday night, you could find Frank at the MEPRI building where they were conducting BINGO to support the self funded volunteer ambulance. Frank always worked the card window..

 A older group shot with the members from MEPRI Ambulance – Squad 4. From Left to Right are John Haggerty, Patty Haggerty, Henry Hartman, Mary Corson, Frank Corson, Cindy Holmes, Kenny Robertson, Marietta Engle, & Mary Anderson. (click on photo to enlarge).

Frank passed on March 18, 2008, after a two week stay at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden. Frank and Mary most recently lived in Deptford for the past 2 years, and were formerly of Mount Ephraim for 47 years. Beloved husband of Mary M. (nee Ventura) for 54 years. Devoted father of Debra Day of Camden EMS (Larry), Patricia Hollen (Jim), Barbara Fedorak (Wayne), Denise Creato (Jeff) and Kirk Corson (Anna). Loving grandfather of Drew, Ryan, Greg, Jim (Jess), Doug, Kelly, Jeffrey, Jessica, Sara and Emily.

Frank was the originator of Mt. Ephraim Girls Softball and served as President for 14 years. He served as President of MEPRI for over the past 10 years and was Captain of the Mount Ephraim Ambulance Squad for 20 years. After 30 years with Abbotts Dairies, Frank started a second career as an EMT with the Camden County Board of Social Services for 13 years after retiring in 2005.

To honor a member of the emergency services community who gave so much of himself to his community for so many years, relatives and friends are invited to attend the viewing from 6 to 9 pm Friday evening and again 9 to 10 am Saturday morning at GARDNER FUNERAL HOME, RUNNEMEDE. Funeral Service 10 am Saturday at the funeral home. Interment will be at Bethel Memorial Park, Pennsauken.

Expressions of sympathy may be e-mailed to Condolences@Gardner FuneralHome.com

Related: Fire

Related: Mt. Ephraim

By Sara Martino

\” I was ready to retire from the Camden City Police Department and wanted to start a business. Robert Duffy, who was my wife Barbara\’s uncle, suggested that we purchase his family candy business. Barbara had been working in the business already since she graduated from High School and we decided to go for it,\” Michael Hall said.

\”I apprenticed with Robert Duffy for only two weeks before he became ill and passed away. By studying the candy making processes and with the help of Barbara and the candy recipes handed down from Barbara\’s great grandfather, Charles Duffy, we have kept the tradition of a family run business serving the public with the finest freshest hand-made candies,\” Michael said.

Charles Duffy and his wife, Elizabeth, lived in the house on Broadway in the \’40\’s and started the business after once working at Whitman\’s Chocolates. The bell that now announces that a customer has arrived also signaled the Duffy\’s that they were needed in the store and they left their living area to answer the call.

Barbara runs the front end, taking orders, completing sales and informing Mike about what is needed. Mike makes the candy along with the help of his assistant candy maker, Greg Bulzak

During the special holidays, eight employees may be working in the shop including the Halls\’ daughter Michelle.

Duffy\’s uses the best butter, cream, sugar, vanilla and chocolates. Only American ingredients and products are used in making the candy and no preservatives are added. Special plaster of Paris molds from the 1940\’s are used to make fruit and cream candies and mints. Other molds are used for making the famous \”Irish Potatoes\” which are now a year round favorite. Candy is cooked in a 1904 copper kettle. Ingredients are weighed on a 1902 scale. Everything comes together with the capable ability of the hands that create the delicious candies.

\”In order to keep our high standard of quality, I would rather make less candy. If the candy is not perfect it is not going out,\” Mike said. Minor renovations or a face lift may occur but the character of the business will remain the same. Even with the increased costs of products and fuel surcharges, Duffy\’s prices are still lower than other candy sellers. \”You have to have a passion for this type of business. One must have knowledge of science, chemistry and business know-how,\” Mike said.

Duffy\’s takes part in the community. Girl Scouts can tour the operation and earn a \”Make It- Eat It\” badge made by their own hands. During birthday parties the participants can make special chocolate pizzas.

At times, Mike has made candy deliveries to shut-ins. Curb-side deliveries and phone ahead orders are part of the service and fax and e-mail orders are taken.

Previous residents of Gloucester City often return to Duffy\’s. One customer orders frozen chocolate bananas. Another customer requests Granny Smith apples covered with caramel, white chocolate and cinnamon sugar several times a year for his mother. \”The customers are like family. It is so rewarding when people enjoy the candies generation after generation,\” Mike said. Gourmet and personalized chocolates can be ordered and shipped anywhere in the states.

\”We are grateful to the city and to the UEZ. Gina Dunphy has been a great help in assisting us with UEZ façade improvement loans, a new roof and new equipment. We wouldn\’t relocate but perhaps have a branch in the waterfront area, if an Irish Village is realized in the city,\” Mike said.

The sale of Duffy\’s Easter candy is a well-known tradition. Customers are coming in to purchase their dark and light chocolate Easter eggs, chicks, bunnies, etc. etc.

A meeting at a Cherry Hill skating rink that brought Mike and Barbara together years ago has led to the continuation of a Gloucester City favorite. Duffy\’s is open Monday through Friday from 10am to 7pm, Saturdays 10am to 6pm and on Sundays 12 to 4pm for two weeks prior to special holidays. Please call 856-456-2955.

Related: Buy Local/UEZ

Thursday, March 20, 2008

313 Monmouth Street

AGENDA

1. Call to Order:  
2. Pledge of Allegiance:

3. Roll Call:

4. Sunshine Law: This meeting is being held in conformance with the New Jersey Open Public Meetings Act, otherwise known as the \”Sunshine Law\”. It has been legally noticed in accordance with the law and copies have been given to those requesting the same.

5. Public Comment Period: The Governing Body, in accordance with P.L. 2002, c. 80, have adopted the following guidelines relative to the Public Comment Period (PCP) at Caucus, Worksession, Special and Emergency Meetings of the Mayor and Common Council of Gloucester City: The PCP shall occur at the beginning of each meeting; it shall be no longer than one half-hour in length; every person wishing to speak may do so once during the period for no longer than five minutes. No changes have been made for the PCP of the regular monthly meetings.

6. Minutes of the Previous Meeting(s): February 21, 28, March 3 (pending)

7. Ordinances:

for second reading and public hearing this evening

O05 Bond Ordinance Authorizing the Financing of a Redevelopment Project in and for the City of Gloucester City; County of Camden, New Jersey; Appropriating the Sum of $4,350,000 Therefor; Authorizing the Issuance of General Obligation Bonds or Bond Anticipation Notes of the City of Gloucester City, County of Camden, New Jersey in the Aggregate Principal Amount of Up to $4,350,000; Making Certain Determinations and Covenants; and Authorizing Certain Related Actions in Connection with the Foregoing

8. Resolutions:

R090 Adopting Emergency Temporary Budget Appropriations

R091 Providing for Transfers of 2007 Reserved Budget Appropriations

R092 Authorizing Senior and Veterans Deductions

R093 Returning Over-Payments on Various Tax Records

R094 Correcting Billing Charges on Utility Records

R095 Awarding a Contract for 2008 Supply of Chemicals for the Environmental Utilities Department, Gloucester City, New Jersey

R096 Authorizing Refunds on the Planning and Zoning Board Application Fees

R097 Authorizing Refunds on the Planning and Zoning Board Escrow Accounts

R098 Authorizing the Sale at Public Auction of City Owned Vehicles

R099 Authorizing Change Order to the Contract Between G. Helmer Construction Co., Inc. and the City of Gloucester City for the Replacement of the Koehler Street Combined Sewer Railroad Crossing

R100 Authorizing Subordination of Mortgage Held by the City of Gloucester City to Secure Housing Rehabilitation Loan

R101 Introduction of the 2008 Municipal Budget for the City of Gloucester City

(This budget shall be advertised in summary form in the April 3, 2008 edition of the Gloucester City News and the Public Hearing for the same to be held at the regularly scheduled meeting of the Mayor and Common Council April 24, 2008 at 8:00 p.m. in the City Hall, 313 Monmouth Street, Gloucester City, NJ

9. Old Business:

a)

10. New Business:

a)

11. Communications:

a) From John and Kathy Buri – fire at 611 Hunter Street

b) From DEP – Welsbach

c) NJSLM Legislative Bulletin

d) From Chief Brian Hagan – placement of Ryan Walters to Gloucester City Fire Dept. as volunteer

e) Welsbach Progress Report

f) From Camden County Board of Freeholders – Breakfast Meeting April 17^th a.m. Camden County Boathouse

12. Round Table:

13. Closed Session: Resolution #R -2008 to enter into closed session for discussion of:

14. Adjournment

By Staff Sgt. Brandon Aird, USA Special to American Forces Press Service NURISTAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan, March 19, 2008 – Mechanics from Bravo Troop, 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, have their work cut out for them here. Army Spc. Nathan Bolt-Ray, a mechanic in Bravo Troop, 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, turns a wrench while fixing a radiator on Forward Operating Base Keating in Afghanistan\’s Nuristan province Feb. 28, 2008. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Brandon Aird (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The mechanics are stationed at Forward Operating Base Keating, located in a valley between two snow-melt-fed rivers in the Hindu Kush mountain range. Vehicle rollovers, flash floods, road washouts and rock and snow avalanches are just a few of the hazards that make maintaining vehicles a challenge. During the winter, Taliban extremists and coalition forces alike are forced to stay near their homes and bases, or face battling the elements. \”One of the things about the snow, when it fell, it made things very difficult around here,\” said Army Spc. Larry Gonzales, a 33-year-old construction and vehicle repair mechanic. More than four feet of snow fell in the valley this winter. Combat Outpost Warheit, which overlooks FOB Keating, had more than eight feet of snow. The snow made movement extremely difficult. \”Mobilewise, airwise, waterwise — everything was freezing up,\” Gonzales said. \”The fuel even started to gel.\” When the snow receded, soldiers on FOB Keating were able to start on projects the snow had hindered. Gonzales and Army Spc. Nathan Bolt-Ray, a mechanic in Bravo Troop, worked on a Humvee that was damaged during a Feb. 22 firefight. \”We\’re replacing the radiator in the Humvee,\” Bolt-Ray said. \”The radiator took shrapnel from a (rocket propelled grenade).\” But enemy action is only part of what keeps the unit\’s mechanics busy. \”As you can see by the bullet holes in a lot of these vehicles\’ trunks, they\’ve taken quite the beating,\” Bolt-Ray said. \”The roads — I guess you can call them that — also take their turn beating on the vehicles.\” But damage is damage, whether it\’s from bullets, rocks or the elements. All that matters to the mechanics here is keeping the unit\’s vehicles rolling. (Army Staff Sgt. Brandon Aird serves with the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office.)

Related Sites: Combined Joint Task Force 82 NATO International Security Assistance Force

Army Spc. Nathan Bolt-Ray (right) and Spc. Larry Gonzales (left), mechanics in Bravo Troop, 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, work on a radiator that was damaged by a rocket propelled grenade on Forward Operating Base Keating in Afghanistan\’s Nuristan province, Feb. 28, 2008. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Brandon Aird Download screen-resolution Download high-resolution Army Spc. Larry Gonzales, a mechanic in Bravo Troop, 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, turns a wrench while working on a radiator damaged by a rocket propelled grenade on Forward Operating Base Keating in Afghanistan\’s Nuristan province, Feb. 28, 2008. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Brandon Aird Download screen-resolution Download high-resolution