Mount Ephraim Honors Mr. John Covely & The Hawks

By Bill Bates

NEWS Correspondent

 The September monthly meeting of the Mount Ephraim Board of Commissioners began with a proclamation declaring September 3, 2007 as John H. Covely Day in Mount Ephraim. Mr. Covely was born in Mount Ephraim on September 3, 1922, is a lifelong resident, graduated from Mount Ephraim Elementary School, graduated from Audubon High School, Served his country during World War II in the Army Air Corps (European Theatre) where he earned the rank of Sergeant; Helped found the M.E.P.R.I. First Aid Squad and served as their first Captain of the organization; John H. Covely is a former President of the Mount Ephraim Lions Club and last living Charter Member; John H. Covely is a former Commander of the Mount Ephraim V.F.W. and American Legion Posts; He was Mount Ephraim Citizen of the Year in 1979; and John H. Covely designed the Borough Seal which is still in use today. This proclamation came on a day when Mr. Covely was celebrating his 85th birthday. After Mr. Covely received his proclamation, he thanked everyone for their time and effort to honor him. Mr. Covely also stated that he was glad to be a part of a noble cause. This award and honor was beyond his wildest dreams! Congratulations Mr. Covely!

JOHN H. COVELY DAY – Mount Ephraim Commissioner Andy Gilmore reads the proclamation to Mr. Covely declaring September 3, 2007 (also the day of his 85th birthday) as John H. Covely Day in the borough of Mount Ephraim. Mr. Covely was born and raised in town and was involved in many organizations throughout the years. Photo by Bill Bates 

Another proclamation was read congratulating the Mount Ephraim Little League Hawks Baseball Team on winning the first District 14 Championship in the towns 55 year little league history. An awesome accomplishment for our small community! Congratulations to the following players and coaches who helped make this dream a reality. The players were Donald Eaise, Joe Granato, Kyle Barbara, Brian Kraemer, Matt McLean, Mike McHugh, Scott Simonds, Mike Shirk, Pat Tassi, John Longo, Ryan Holmes, Wade Gies, William Hamilton, and Sean Brunett. The Coaching staff consisted of George Gies, John Granato, Greg Prinski, & Dan Callahan. On Thursday, September 27th, the Camden County Board of Freeholders will honor the Hawks at their monthly meeting that is being held in Cherry Hill at 7 p.m.

DISTRICT 14 CHAMPS COACH RECEIVES AWARD – Mount Ephraim Little League Hawks Head Coach George Gies receives a hand shake from Commissioner Andy Gilmore after reading the proclamation congratulating the entire Hawks team in winning the District 14 Championship this past season, during the September Board of Commissioners meeting. The win is a first in Mount Ephraim\’s 55 year little league history. From left to right are Commissioner Andy Gilmore, Little League Hawks Coach George Gies, Commissioner Bruce Greenwald and Mayor Joe Wolk. 
Photo by Bill Bates

 

A third proclamation was read declaring September 2007 as National Alcohol & Drug Addiction Recovery Month. Join the voices of recovery, saving lives and saving dollars.

A resolution was read authorizing the insertion of an item of revenue in the 2007 budget in the amount of $5,422.81 from the State of NJ Clean Communities Program. Another insertion of an item of revenue in the 2007 budget in the amount of $902.09 from the State of NJ Alcohol Education, Rehabilitation & Enforcement Fund was read and carried.

Commissioner Andy Gilmore, Director of Public Safety, read the following reports for the month of September; Mt. Ephraim Fire Dept; total fire calls for the month were 33 (Year To Date – 456), total fire training drills conducted by the fire dept. for the month were 4 (Year To Date – 27). A total of 407 man hours were recorded for the month of August. The Mount Ephraim Police Department received 536 calls for the month (Year to Date – 3,882) with 294 being assigned a case number. There were 32 adult arrests, 20 juvenile arrests, and 49 out of town warrants served. There were 39 total Emergency Medical Services calls answered in Mount Ephraim for the month of August.

Commissioner Bruce Greenwald, Director of Public Works, reported for the month of August that 22 construction permits were recorded and collecting $2,315.00. Recycling collected 66,000 pounds for the Single Stream Recycling Program and 255 tons of trash were collected. The Borough Engineer announced that they were modifying the design to the Green Avenue Re-pavement Project to reduce the total cost of the project. The plans will then be re-submitted to the Department of Transportation. The plans for the Third Avenue Re-pavement Project are being finalized. The Kings Highway Street Scape Project, Phase 1, is scheduled to begin on Monday, September 17th. The borough will be applying for the Community Development Block Grant to receive additional funding to complete more handicapped walkways and crossings at intersections.

Mayor Joe Wolk announced that he is in contact with representatives from the United States Postal Service every two weeks to be kept up to date with the progress of the project. He was told that once the prep work of the site begins, the store will then open 4 to 5 weeks later.

The meeting was opened for public comment where Former Commissioner Tony Chambers spoke on behalf of the Girls Softball League. He explained that in the past several weeks, a gentleman had been going door to door asking to cut lawns for residents. It was further found out that this gentlemen does not have any lawn equipment and that he is believed to be a sex offender. Mr. Chambers had notified the police of this incident and they were aware of this gentleman. He wanted to address the board about information about sex offenders residing in the community and what can be done to further educate the organizations in town, such as the girls softball league, to keep the coaches and staff aware of these certain individuals. Mr. Chambers stated that he felt this item was key in helping to keep the children safe in their community. He made several suggestions to the board and asked for their consideration and to share these ideas with the Mount Ephraim Police as well.

Commissioner Gilmore referred several public questions that arose after Mr. Chambers spoke to Police Captain Brian Beppel who was present for the meeting. Captain Beppel stated that all of the officers are aware of the situation and that if they continue to happen in the future, notify the police and they will respond. Captain Beppel further stated that the police department\’s hands are tied; they are bind by law what they are allowed and not allowed to do. He further stated that he, the police chief and the officers of the department will do everything in their power to keep the residents and more importantly the children safe. Residents who are concerned about sex offenders in your neighborhood can log onto the New Jersey State Police official website (www.njsp.org),

Once you are on the main page you will see a search box in the top right hand corner of the screen, you can then enter the words \”sex offender\” and then click on one of the sex offender pages. From there you just follow that page where you can search by county or by zip code. Information such as last arrest, current status, address of residency, vehicle and all information if registered in the state of NJ, name, age, date of birth and a picture is provided. This information is being made available on the Internet to facilitate public access to information about persons who have committed a sex offense, to enable you to take appropriate precautions to protect yourself and those in your care from possible harm. Public access to registry information is intended solely for the protection of the public, and should never be used to threaten, intimidate or harass another.

The Second Avenue Playground Grant that was underway is currently in the re-planning stages. A request for site relocation was received several weeks ago to have the playground plans relocated from Second Avenue to the rear of the Mary Bray School. Many residents applauded once this information was announced. There are currently 273 students at the elementary school that will get great use out of this playgrou nd.

Several residents raised questions for the board regarding the new American Water system and its billing procedures. Mayor Joe Wolk stated the board is setting up a meeting with the American Water Company to schedule a public meeting to be located at the MEPRI Banquet Hall in the near future. Once a date is chosen, the public will be advised.

The next monthly Board of Commissioners meeting will be held on Thursday, October 4, 2007, commencing at 8 p.m. at the borough hall court room located at 121 S. Black Horse Pike.