The Cleanup of Gloucester City\’s Superfund Sites Continues; $384 Million Spent So Far

William E. Cleary Sr. | CNBNews

GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ (January 26, 2020)–The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is continuing the cleanup of contaminants in Gloucester City that came from the defunct Welsbach Factory located at King and Essex Streets and the Delaware River. Presently the property is the home of the Gloucester Marine Terminal/Holt property.

The same area was also the home of Armstrong Cork for many years.

The EPA is preparing the plans to remove contaminants from the Gloucester Marine Terminal/Holt property at King And Essex Streets (gloucestercitynews.net photo)

The Welsbach factory manufactured gas mantles in Gloucester City from the 1890s to the 1940s. Using state-of-the-art technology at the time, the wicks for the gas lamps were dipped into radioactive thorium so they would “glow in the dark.”

The company, not knowing the thorium was radioactive, discarded the wicks throughout Gloucester City. A similar manufacturing company, General Gas Mantle, located in Camden City did the same with the waste coming from their plant.

Since 1999 the EPA has been removing the thorium at various sites such as the baseball and football fields on Johnson Blvd. The same cleanup process has been ongoing in Camden.

In 1980, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) sponsored a flyover radiological survey in Gloucester City and Camden City. Based on the survey, the EPA investigated more than 1,000 properties surrounding the two former gas mantle facilities – Welsbach in Gloucester City and General Gas Mantle (GGM) in Camden City.

As for the upcoming work at the Gloucester Marine Terminal, a source told us that an above ground tank 42 feet in diameter and 16 foot tall was going to be erected at the site.

Elias Rodríguez,

Public Information Officer, Region 2, New York, was asked to explain the purpose of such a large structure.

A similar tank like this one will be erected on Gloucester Marine Terminal/Holt property (Gloucestercitynews.net files)

\”

You are likely referring to the tank for the groundwater treatment system. Groundwater treatment will be conducted using physical and chemical treatment processes. The final design of the groundwater treatment facility including the treatment equipment/tanks has not been completed. However, one of the tanks to be designed/constructed is expected to be an open tank and would be used as an emergency back-up storage tank. So, it would not regularly contain impacted groundwater. In addition, the contaminants of concern are not ones where movement from the water to air is a concern,\” said Rodriquez.

\”

Construction of a groundwater treatment facility has been initiated and is part of existing work addressing excavation of radiologically contaminated soil at the port facility. Water encountered during the soil excavations will require treatment/disposal and that necessitates the design/construction of the groundwater treatment facility,\” he said.

\”

The Holt Cargo/Gloucester Marine Terminal parking lot is the location of the groundwater treatment facility. The port is the location of the former Welsbach facility. The former Welsbach facility operated from the turn of the century to roughly the 1940s and a waste by-product from their manufacture of gas lanterns contained low levels of radioactive material that was used as fill material in areas of Gloucester City and Camden City. One of the remaining buildings on-site at the port facility is the Armstrong Building.\”

Rodriquez said

the Welsbach Company (Gloucester City) and GGM (Camden City) produced gas mantles from the late 1890s to 1941. The companies used radioactive elements in the production of the mantles to help them glow brighter when heated. In the early 1990s, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection found elevated levels of radiation at the site and in many residential areas. EPA added the site to the Superfund National Priorities List in June 1996.

Cleanup activities completed to date include:

¨ Excavation/disposal of contaminated soil and waste materials from numerous properties in Gloucester City and Camden;

¨ The demolition/off-site disposal of the former GGM building in Camden;

¨ Cleanup of radiologically contaminated building surfaces in the Armstrong Building, the last standing building associated with the former Welsbach Company at the port in Gloucester City;

¨ Cleanup/restoration of the William Flynn Veterans Complex, which included rebuilding three baseball fields, a football practice field, and a parking area; and

¨ Cleanup/restoration of the Nicholson Road Sports Complex, which included restoration of three softball fields, a Little League baseball field, bathroom facilities, and a concession stand. Current cleanup activities include:

¨ Excavation/disposal of radiologically contaminated soil at fifteen locations at the port facility; and

¨ Relocation of utilities (e.g. electrical, gas, telecommunication) within the port facility to facilitate subsequent large excavation of radiologically contaminated soil.

The prime contractor for the groundwater treatment facility is APTIM Corp.

APTIM specializes in engineering, program management, environmental services, disaster recovery, complex facility maintenance, and construction services. They have offices in Philadelphia and New York City and throughout the United States and Canada.

https://www.aptim.com

The value of the groundwater treatment facility project being built at the marine terminal is estimated to be $7 million Rodriquez said.

According to Rodriquez a

n estimated $384 million has been spent for investigations and clean-up and that includes work in Camden and Gloucester City.

When asked how much longer will it take to finish the projects in Camden and Gloucester Cities Rodriquez said, \”The current projection for the complete cleanup of these two communities is 10 years.\”

From the EPA\’s

WELSBACH & GENERAL GAS MANTLE Superfund website;

To address long-term site risks, EPA has investigated close to 950 properties in Camden and Gloucester City and has completed the cleanup on 163 of the nearly 175 properties identified as contaminated. To date, EPA has excavated and disposed of more than 350,000 tons of radiologically contaminated soils and waste materials. These cleanups included removing about 105,000 tons of contaminated soil from Gloucester City Swim Club and adjacent residential properties; about 23,000 tons from the site of a Gloucester City middle school; 35,000 tons from residential properties along Highland Avenue and Klemm Boulevard in Gloucester City; more than 55,000 tons from the General Gas Mantle area in Camden, more than 16,000 tons from residential properties and wetlands areas along Temple Avenue in Gloucester City, and about 130,000 tons from the recreational properties along Johnson Boulevard in Gloucester City.

(See More)

Video (s): $25 Million Spent on EPA Cleanup of Johnson Blvd. Sports Complex

www.gloucestercitynews.net › clearysnotebook › 2009/08 › epa-to-ho…

GLOUCESTER CITY: EPA to Hold Meeting On Welsbach …

Aug 18, 2009 –

Road

. To better understand how the community uses these ball

fields

, EPA … EPA plans to begin the

cleanup

at the

Gloucester City

Land Preserve by early fall 2009. … be working on, plug in

Johnson

Boulevard,

Gloucester City

, NJ 08030. … and Common Council of

Gloucester City

(

gloucestercitynews

net

) …

source of graphics EPA

Rutgers-Camden Men Fall at Division I Princeton

PRINCETON, N.J. (Jan. 26, 2020) – As first-year Head Coach

Stuart Pradia

strives to build the Rutgers University-Camden men’s basketball program, one of the experiences he is introducing to his student-athletes is the chance to play a higher level of competition against a Division I team.

The Scarlet Raptors had that experience here Sunday as they lost to Princeton University, 87-41.

The game marked the first time the Scarlet Raptors had played a Division I team since Nov. 16, 2011, when they lost their season opener, 87-53, at Elon University. The last time Rutgers-Camden played a team from a higher division came against a Division II club on November 16, 2013 during a 69-50 season-opening loss at Millersville University.

Princeton improved to 7-8 with its fourth straight win, while Rutgers-Camden fell to 6-12.

After Princeton scored the game’s first point on a foul shot by freshman forward Tosan Evbuomwan, the Scarlet Raptors took a 2-1 lead on a layup by senior center

Isaac Destin.

Junior guard Ryan Schwieger countered with a layup for the Tigers, but junior guard

Arian Azemi

had a layup to put the Scarlet Raptors back on top, 4-3.

Princeton took the lead for good, 6-4, when sophomore guard Ethan Wright hit a three-pointer 1:29 into the contest and senior center Richmond Aririguzoh followed with a layup. The closest Rutgers-Camden came after that was 8-6 on a jumper by Azemi.

After the Scarlet Raptors made it a 13-8 game, Princeton scored the next 20 points to take command with a 33-8 lead. Azemi broke the Tigers’ run with a foul shot midway through the first half.

Princeton added a nine-point run later in the half on its way to a 53-16 halftime lead. Azemi had seven points and Destin added six to account for 13 of the Raptors’ first-half points. Princeton, meanwhile, had 11 players in the scoring column by halftime, led by Wright (nine points) and junior forward Elijah Barnes (eight).

Both Destin and Azemi finished with 16 points for Rutgers-Camden, while adding three steals apiece. Destin had a team-high six rebounds and Azemi had five boards and a game-high four assists.

Junior forward

Ian McCarthy

had a game-high eight steals, doubling his previous career high of four, set against Ramapo College on Feb. 8, 2018.

Destin’s 16 points allowed him to tie James Washington (1995-98) for 11th place on the program’s all-time list at 1,141. If he gets at least 11 points in his next game, he would move into eighth place past Dane Nicholson (1,144), Jim Kiefer (1,146) and Pete Verling (1,151).

Princeton placed 14 players in the scoring column, led by 20 points from freshman forward Keeshawn Kellman. Barnes added 10 points, while freshman guard Konrad Kiszka collected a game-high seven rebounds. Princeton held a 44-17 advantage off the boards.

The Tigers shot 34-for-55 (61.8 percent) from the floor, including 8-for-20 (40.0) from three-point range. Rutgers-Camden shot 18-for-52 from the floor (34.6) and didn’t hit a trey in 13 attempts.

Rutgers-Camden returns to Division III and New Jersey Athletic Conference play on Wednesday with a 6 p.m. game at Stockton University.

FBI History: The Volstead Act

Capitol Police catch up to bootleggers in a 1922 car chase. Photo credit: Library of Congress.

For some, it was the start of a “great experiment” that would free society from the ills of demon alcohol. For other Americans, it was a time to mourn the loss of an integral part of their lives and social cultures.

For another group—those willing to violate the law—Prohibition was a chance to grow rich and live the high life at the expense of law and order.

A century ago this January, the Volstead Act authorized the federal government to ban the manufacture and sale of intoxicating beverages.

The Bureau of Investigation (BOI)—the FBI’s predecessor—had already been investigating certain liquor-related matters. During World War I, the Bureau helped enforce the Selective Service Act, which included sections aimed at keeping American soldiers dry so they would be fit for fighting. In the Alaskan territories, the BOI worked with Canadian law enforcement to intercept smuggled booze. And as the Volstead Act started to go into effect, it pursued these new criminal violations as well.

As Prohibition really kicked off, the Treasury Department’s Bureau of Internal Revenue took over enforcement duties, supported by BOI where the Bureau of Internal Revenue was stretched thin.

By the end of the first six months of Prohibition, BOI special agents had conducted investigations that led to the arrests of 269 people for violations of federal prohibition laws and reported an additional 334 possible violators to the Bureau of Internal Revenue for further investigation.

Over the next several years, the BOI found that prohibition violations often involved other crimes. In one case, the Detroit Field Office investigated a Michigan sheriff’s office where four deputies and two former deputies participated in a fake raid to steal bootlegged alcohol for themselves. Bureau agents secured their arrest—and a large supply of contraband booze smuggled in from Canada. All the deputies received fines and jail time.

The Bureau’s emergency role in enforcing the Volstead Act also led to significant cases. In Savannah, over the course of 1922, more than 50 agents were called in to investigate a large-scale conspiracy to violate prohibition laws. By the summer of 1924, 142 people had been sentenced for criminal violations related to the case.

By the end of the first six months of Prohibition, Bureau of Investigation special agents had conducted investigations that led to the arrests of 269 people for violations of federal prohibition laws.

The BOI also found that when they investigated the ownership of cars seized in bootlegging operations, some of the cars had been stolen. And of all the criminal matters linked to prohibition, fugitives were the most significant concern as the Bureau worked with the U.S. Marshals and others to track bootleggers who went on the lam.

Impersonation of a federal officer was another problem as criminals would sometimes represent themselves as federal officers to extort money or otherwise threaten their fellow-criminals or members of the general public. A few deeply corrupt individuals, like Gaston Means, used their legitimate connections to the federal government to conduct criminal work.

Means had a long record of unsavory and unlawful actions even before Prohibition—he was accused of spying for Germany, he was suspected of murdering a widow and forging her will (which left him a sizable inheritance), and he was a close and shady confidant of U.S. Attorney General Harry Daugherty.

Gaston Means in 1924. Photo credit: Library of Congress.

With this connection, Means became a Bureau agent in 1921 and was soon using his position to extort significant sums of cash from bootleggers in return for promises of using his influence to get them out of jail. When J. Edgar Hoover took over in the Bureau in 1924, Means was shown the door. He came back to the Bureau’s attention in 1932, though, when he swindled a wealthy Florida woman. His false promise to her to find Charles Lindbergh’s son, who was

kidnapped in March of that year

, landed him in to jail.

In 1927, Congress moved prohibition enforcement to the Department of Justice, creating a Bureau of Prohibition that stood apart from the Bureau of Investigation. Although better organized, this new law enforcement body struggled to keep up. Too many people wanted a drink, too many people were willing to supply that drink, and too much violence and corruption followed.

Prohibition agents like Eliot Ness sought to bring down the bootleggers but had limited success. Despite Ness’ famed hunt for Al Capone, it was the IRS that

arrested the notorious bootleg

king of Chicago. The Bureau played a minor, but

important, role in the matter

, too.

At the end of 1933, Congress passed the 21st Amendment to repeal prohibition. The Bureau of Prohibition, with its more than a thousand investigators, was no longer needed. The attorney general considered integrating them into the Bureau of Investigation, but Hoover convinced him that such a move would destroy the BOI and the work it had made to reform itself since the problematic days of the mid-1920s.

And Ness? Like his fellow prohibition agents, Ness was offered the chance to apply to Hoover’s Bureau. And, like his fellow-agents, he was told that he would have to start as a new agent and complete the extensive required training.

Ness, understandably, wanted to enter BOI in a leadership role, but when he was overheard trying to see if political supporters in Washington would back his plea, Hoover

marked his application “unacceptable.\”

Resources

The FBI and the American Gangster, 1924-1938

Famous Cases and Criminals: Lindbergh Kidnapping

Solving Scareface: How the Law Finally Caught Up with Al Capone

Famous Cases and Criminals: Al Capone

A Byte Out of History: Eliot Ness

Republicans Blame Nadler For Holding Up A Ban On Fentanyl During Impeachment Trial

CHRIS WHITE

TECH REPORTER

Republican Oregon Rep. Greg Walden believes House Democrats’ “obsession” with impeaching President Donald Trump is distracting them from passing a temporary ban on fentanyl substances.

Democratic New York Rep. Jerry Nadler is

holding

up legislation preventing the distribution of a substance health officials say is responsible for tens of thousands of deaths, Walden said in a statement Friday to the Daily Caller News Foundation. The Oregon Republican said time is of the essence on this matter.

“Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee’s partisan obsession with impeachment is preventing us from taking common-sense action to extend a critical tool for law enforcement to combat the trafficking of fentanyl-related substances,” Walden said.

He added: “The Senate has passed an extension, but the House has yet to act. The House leadership needs to put the Senate bill on the floor next week so this critical authority does not lapse.”

Nadler spokesman Daniel Schwarz told the DCNF that Nadler is aware of the legislation.

The Drug Enforcement Administration

invoked

a ban on all fentanyl analogues in February 2018, but the ban expires Feb. 6. The Justice Department is pressuring Congress to enact a law allowing the DEA to ban the substances indefinitely, the Washington Post noted in a Jan. 5 editorial

A bipartisan group of senators

passed

the “Temporary Reauthorization and Study of the Emergency Scheduling of Fentanyl Analogues Act” on Jan. 16. The House of Representatives, meanwhile,

voted

on Jan. 15 to send the articles of impeachment against Trump to the Senate. Nadler was selected as one of the House’s impeachment managers.

“I believe we are having a hearing on it early next week (Tuesday morning), which is needed before we can vote on anything,” Schwarz said, adding, “Not sure what the complaint is.”

Walden is not the only Republican who is criticizing the New York Democrat.

“While Chairman Nadler wastes taxpayer time on a partisan impeachment sham, he is failing to do his actual job on the Judiciary Committee,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy

wrote

in a Jan. 22 tweet. “

The Senate has unanimously (!) passed a ban on fentanyl. The same legislation languishes on Nadler’s desk.”

Walden is the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which handles opioids.

(RELATED: DOE’s Los Alamos Facility Lost Track Of Enough Fentanyl To Kill More Than 1,750 People, Report Shows)

Fentanyl was

found

in more than 50% of 5,000 opioid overdose deaths in 10 states in 2016. A dose of 2

milligrams

of fentanyl can kill a previously unexposed adult, meaning the loss or misuse of 3.5 grams of the substance due to an inventory error can potentially cause 1,750 deaths, federal research shows.

U.S. officials say the

bulk

of the drug is pouring into the country through China and parts of South America. Media

reports

show Trump is considering an executive order to halt shipments of fentanyl, a move designed to apply pressure to China as the U.S. continues fighting the opioid crisis. Meanwhile, the problem continues apace.

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact

licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org

GUEST OPINION: Trump Champions Pro-Life Cause

Bill Donohue | CNBNews Contributor

January 24, 2020

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on

President Trump\’s decision to address the March for Life crowd

Other presidents have offered their support to the pro-life cause, but only President Donald Trump has decided to participate in the March for Life. His pro-life record, coupled with his record in defense of religious liberty, makes him the most important Christian voice in the United States. No president, including President Ronald Reagan, can match his stellar achievements on these twin issues.

By contrast, we have the likes of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, both of whom have endorsed infanticide: there are no penalties for doctors who intentionally allow an innocent baby to die if he or she survives a botched abortion. However, First Prize goes to California Governor Gavin Newsom: he out-Hitlerized both men.

Earlier this month, Newsom said he wants to stop euthanizing animals. \”We want to be a no-kill state.\” Yet last year he issued a California Proclamation on Reproductive Freedom, one part of which was designed to welcome \”women to California to fully exercise their reproductive rights.\” In other words, his enthusiasm for killing the least among us is so passionate that he extended an open invitation to pregnant women across the United States to have their babies killed in his home state.

It will surprise no one to learn that Newsom is also a proponent of assisted suicide. Indeed, he likes it so much that he boasts of his role in assisting a person to commit suicide in 2002.

That person was his mother

. [At that time assisted suicide was a felony in California—he put her down in San Francisco.]

It\’s too bad Mr. \”No-Kill State\” Newsom didn\’t think of his mother the way he thinks of hamsters.

These are sick times. Kudos to President Trump for standing up for the most defenseless human beings. He looks positively angelic next to these monsters.

Lehigh University announces names of NJ students who attained Dean\’s List

BETHLEHEM, PA (01/21/2020)– Students at Lehigh University attained Dean\’s List in Fall 2019. This status is granted to students who earned a scholastic average of 3.6 or better while carrying at least 12 hours of regularly graded courses. The following local students were named to the Dean\’s List at Lehigh University in the Fall 2019 semester:

Elora Marvasi of Maple Shade, NJ

Mackenna Brody of Woodstown, NJ

Albin Rosado of Pennsauken, NJ

Anastasia Citsay of Port Elizabeth, NJ

Dana Teach of Roebling, NJ

Sean Ellery of Haddonfield, NJ

Sean McKenna of Cherry Hill, NJ

Beverly Passos of Delran, NJ

Alexis Romeo of Maple Shade, NJ

Luke Kim of Moorestown, NJ

Evan Umstead of Cinnaminson, NJ

Brian Nasielski of Mount Laurel, NJ

Julia Zak of Mount Laurel, NJ

Larissa Chow of Hainesport, NJ

John Cantwell of Moorestown, NJ

Briana Boulton of Riverton, NJ

Ryan Ferdinand of Merchantville, NJ

Brad Edgerton of Roebling, NJ

Monica Powers of Cape May Court House, NJ

Matthew West of West Deptford, NJ

Madison Kahn of Ocean City, NJ

Renali Patel of Voorhees, NJ

Ann Foley of Merchantville, NJ

Gabriela Montes of Willingboro, NJ

Thomas Bolte of Moorestown, NJ

Cynthia Coleman of Mount Laurel, NJ

Alyson Duffin of Bellmawr, NJ

Isabella Cammisa of Cherry Hill, NJ

Kara Bonner of Medford, NJ

Mason Bitar of Voorhees, NJ

Andrea Pecora of Marlton, NJ

Destiny West of Cape May, NJ

Elizabeth Kolaski of Haddonfield, NJ

Dayna Pfau of Ocean City, NJ

Conor Gaffney of Haddon Heights, NJ

Bradford Geyer of Cinnaminson, NJ

For more than 150 years, Lehigh University (

lehigh.edu

) has combined outstanding academic and learning opportunities with leadership in fostering innovative research. The institution is among the nation\’s most selective, highly ranked private research universities. Lehigh\’s four colleges – College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business and Economics, College of Education and the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science – provide opportunities to 7,000 students to discover and grow in a learning community that promotes interdisciplinary programs with real-world experience.

Philadelphia Union Announces New Partnership With Ardent Credit Union

Ardent Credit Union named the Official Credit Union of the Philadelphia Union and Talen Energy Stadium

CHESTER, Pa. (Jan. 23, 2020)

– Today, the Philadelphia Union announced a new partnership with Ardent Credit Union, a Philadelphia-based member-owned financial cooperative, to become the official credit union of the Philadelphia Union and Talen Energy Stadium. As a part of the agreement, Ardent will be the presenting partner of year-round youth programming, community initiatives in the Philadelphia-area, and pregame activities for fans on the plaza.

“Serving the greater-Philadelphia area is a top priority for the Philadelphia Union and something that we aim to include as a part of every partnership agreement,” said Jean-Paul Dardenne, Senior Vice President of Corporate Partnerships at the Philadelphia Union. “With a strong focus on the counties immediately surrounding Philadelphia, we found a perfect partner in Ardent to continue our mission to create change in our own backyard.”

Ardent Credit Union will be the presenting partner of year-round youth soccer programs in the five counties served by Ardent – Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia. In addition, Ardent and the Philadelphia Union will produce a youth program which will provide financial education materials to schools in the greater Philadelphia area.

“We\’re thrilled to kick-off our partnership and financial education program with the Philadelphia Union,” said Rob Werner, President & CEO of Ardent Credit Union. “We have established a legacy of supporting financial literacy and are proud to align ourselves with an organization that offers youth programs that encourage learning. As two innovative, challenger brands with grit, we are looking forward to working together.”

For more information, please visit

www.philadelphiaunion.com

ABOUT PHILADELPHIA UNION

The Philadelphia Union is an innovative, forward-thinking professional soccer club competing in Major League Soccer (MLS) and one of Philadelphia’s five major league sports teams. Driven by unprecedented fan support, MLS awarded the Philadelphia expansion franchise rights to Jay Sugarman in 2008 and the Union kicked off its inaugural season in 2010. The club has reached the finals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 2014, 2015 and 2018, and has appeared in the MLS Cup Playoffs in 2011, 2016, 2018 and 2019.

The Philadelphia Union is part of parent company Keystone Sports & Entertainment, which also operates USL Championship side Philadelphia Union II, the Philadelphia Union Academy, Philadelphia Union Foundation and Philadelphia Union Youth Programs. With a commitment to developing talent from the Delaware Valley, the Union have signed nine local players from their academy to a first team contract.

The Union play at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, PA on the banks of the Delaware River. The custom-built stadium is part of the Union’s unique waterfront campus, featuring an historic power plant rebuilt into a 500,000 sq. ft. creative office building, a state-of-the-art Training Complex, over 7 acres of professional grade practice pitches and multiple onsite parking fields. For more information about the Philadelphia Union, visit

www.philadelphiaunion.com

and follow @PhilaUnion on Twitter or Instagram.

ABOUT ARDENT CREDIT UNION

Ardent Credit Union is a member-owned financial cooperative. Originally founded in 1977 by the employees of the SmithKline Corporation, Ardent has more than $700 million in member assets. Headquartered in Philadelphia, Ardent serves Philadelphia, Montgomery, Delaware, Bucks and Chester Counties. For more information, visit

ArdentCU.org

or call 800.806.9465.

MAKING 500 MILES OF TRAILS BY 2025 A REALITY

CIRCUIT TRAILS COALITION RELEASES ACTION PLAN TO REACH INTERIM GOAL FOR REGIONAL TRAIL NETWORK

Report details 12 policy recommendations for advancing 171 miles of trails

across the Circuit’s nine-county region

PHILADELPHIA

(Jan. 23, 2020) – Today, in a critical step forward for the continued development of the region’s growing Circuit Trails multi-use trail network, the Circuit Trails Coalition released its report,

“Moving the Circuit Trails Forward to Reach 500 Miles by 2025.”

The report includes 12 policy recommendations to advance the progression of 171 miles of trail that are currently funded or planned, in order to reach an ambitious interim goal of developing 500 miles of trail by 2025.

These policy recommendations are designed to accelerate trail development in a meaningful way in order to stay on track to complete the eventual 800-plus mile trail network by 2040, which is the timeline defined by the region’s long-range transportation infrastructure plan. Currently, more than 330 miles of trails in the network’s nine-county region in Greater Philadelphia and South Jersey are complete.

“Our goal to complete the Circuit Trails network by 2040 is not a pipe dream. We know it can be accomplished, and this plan maps out the steps that our regional partners, including public agencies and municipalities, must act on for us to collectively reach the finish line on schedule,” said Sarah Clark Stuart, chair of the Circuit Trails Coalition. “For more than a year, our coalition members dug in to identify the trail opportunities that are most ripe and realistic for completion. Now, we need the support and action of key public agencies and public officials to make it a reality,” she said.

The report’s policy recommendations are tailored to the various key entities that impact the Circuit Trails: the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC), key state agencies, counties and the Circuit Trails Coalition. The recommendations are aimed at eliminating identified obstacles at state, county, and regional levels to advance the construction of more miles of Circuit Trails. The recommendations are as follows:

For the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC)

Create a right-of-way acquisition team to enable trail projects to move expeditiously past feasibility into engineering, design and construction.

Support creation of multi-municipal authorities to accelerate trail development.

Enhance dedicated capacity for trail planning and development by procuring consultant services on behalf of municipalities or counties.

For Counties

Adopt best practices to advance Circuit Trails development, including full-time employees to manage trail planning and development projects and county leadership support of significant trail corridors.

For the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT)

Enhance coordination of Circuit trail projects with state road projects with a full-time, district-level Bicycle-Pedestrian Coordinator.

For the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT)

Create new positions to accelerate New Jersey trail projects.

Incorporate trail projects into the Complete Streets checklist and better coordinate trail development with the highway planning process.

Use existing federal funding sources for design of trails and increase the maximum size of Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside program funding for trail construction awards.

For the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP)

Enhance staffing and capacity for NJDEP’s Recreational Trails Program.

Create a larger “Trail Planning, Design and Construction Fund” for NJ Circuit Trails Projects.

For the Circuit Trails Coalition

Convene stakeholder working groups or task forces around specific trail segments.

Prioritize particular trails and identify critical gaps.

“Trails on the Circuit connect our urban, suburban, and rural communities across nine counties and two states; offer a place for active recreation and transportation; bring us closer to our waterways; and link our region’s destinations together. With the support of our region’s key players, and the many trail enthusiasts who advocate for and use the Circuit Trails, a completed network of more than 800 miles of trails is not just a vision, but a reality we can collectively achieve,” said Clark Stuart.

The Circuit Trails Coalition is comprised of more than 60 non-profit organizations that work in collaboration with 25 state and local agencies and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission to promote Circuit Trails development, marketing it to the general public and highlighting the Circuit Trails multiple benefits. For more information about the Circuit Trails, visit

www.circuittrails.org

About the Circuit Trails:

Greater Philadelphia is the proud home of the Circuit Trails, a regional trail network of hundreds of miles of multi-use trails that is growing in size each year. One of America’s largest trail networks, the Circuit currently includes more than 330 miles of completed multi-use trails with a vision of including more than 800-plus miles of interconnected trails across a nine-county region in Pennsylvania and New Jersey by 2040. Nearly 65 nonprofit organizations, foundations and agencies are working together as part of the Circuit Trails Coalition to advance the completion of the trail network. A premiere regional amenity, the Circuit Trails connect our people to our local communities, providing endless opportunities for recreation and commuting. So whether you bike it, walk it, run it or paddle alongside it, the point is—just enjoy it. Learn more at

www.circuittrails.org

, and connect with the Circuit Trails on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to find out what is happening #onthecircuit.

DNREC Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police Blotter: Jan. 13-19

Reminder for the week: Be cautious when boating icy waters or walking on frozen waterways

DOVER (Jan. 24, 2020) – DNREC’s Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police conserve Delaware’s fish and wildlife resources, promote boating safety, and protect the public through outreach, education, and law enforcement. To promote public compliance with laws and regulations, officers from Jan. 13-19 made 1,709 public contacts and responded to 45 complaints regarding possible violations of laws and regulations or requests to assist the public.

Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police Actions

Officers issued a total of 45 citations for the following listed violations related to:

Wildlife Conservation:

Hunting at night, hunting illegally on a Sunday other than for deer, hunting on a refuge, hunting migratory waterfowl without required HIP number, hunting migratory waterfowl without required federal waterfowl stamp, hunting migratory waterfowl over illegal bait, unlawfully taken goose, hunting with an unplugged shotgun capable of holding more than three shells, removing antlered deer parts prior to checking, failure to tag antlerless deer, failure to check antlerless deer within 24 hours, possession of unlawfully taken red fox, wildlife area map violation – not hunting in assigned waterfowl blind, no conservation access pass, and unlicensed hunting.

Public Safety:

Failure to display required hunter orange during a firearms deer season, possession of heroin, possession of marijuana – civil, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Other:

Trespassing after hours on a state wildlife area, camping in a state forest without a permit, possession of alcohol on a state forest, obstructing gate on state forest lands, criminal trespass 3

, operating a motor vehicle off an established roadway on a state wildlife area, loitering, and driving with a suspended or revoked license.

DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife recognizes and thanks the majority of anglers, hunters, and boaters who comply with Delaware’s fishing, hunting, and boating laws and regulations. The public can report fish, wildlife, and boating violations to the Delaware Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police by calling 302-739-4580 or using the free smartphone DENRP Tip app downloaded from the Google Play Store or iTunes App Store. Wildlife violations can be reported anonymously to Operation Game Theft by calling 800-292-3030, going online to

http://de.gov/ogt

, or using the DENRP Tip app; Verizon customers can connect to Operation Game Theft directly by dialing #OGT.

Are you AWARE?

With the cold weather, anglers, hunters, and winter outdoor enthusiasts are reminded of the potential hazards of ice and winter weather and encouraged to follow these safety tips:

Waterfowl hunters using a boat should watch ice conditions and currents carefully to avoid becoming locked in by ice. Drifting ice in tidal marshes and waterways also can complicate rescue efforts.

Anglers and outdoor enthusiasts should exercise extreme caution when venturing out onto ice, and should always take along someone who could provide or summon help in an emergency situation.

Examine ice carefully before walking on it. Freshwater ice should be a minimum of 2 to 3 inches thick, clear, and solid, with no thin spots caused by springs or currents. Be wary of snow on the ice, which can hide weak spots. For ice fishing, ice should be at least 4 inches thick.

Driving ATVs, snowmobiles, or passenger vehicles on ice is

strongly

discouraged. To support the weight of a vehicle, ice must be at least 7 to 10 inches thick. Without an extended period of extreme cold, ice is unlikely to reach this thickness in Delaware.

Pet of the Week: Toby

I\’m a super lovable little guy who loves people. I\’m a little spoiled here – I have a favorite blanket, and I get tucked in most nights! But I\’d truly love to go to my forever home. I\’m really not interested in toys at this time, but people, oh yeah. I\’m just looking for a family to hang out with and maybe some day I\’ll find a toy that strikes my fancy. I\’m good with other dogs and hope to make new friends someday. I\’m learning how to walk nicely on a leash and should be good at it in no time flat. I would enjoy a fenced yard so I can run around if the mood strikes me. I should be fine children of around six years old and older only because I might accidentally knock a toddler down while exercising. With a little training, I\’ll be fine. Please come see me at

Homeward Bound Pet Adoption Center

– I won\’t disappoint!