Archived Township News

Since its installation in 2003, the excessive vandalism has cost the taxpayers thousands of dollars. The picnic tables and gazebos have been destroyed, replaced and repaired numerous times - picnic tables are removed from inside the park almost daily by our public works department. Apparently the tables were used as additional "ramps" for the kids to skate on. The cost to replace the picnic tables for use at the Pinecone Zone this time around is over $4,000.

In the latest incident, the entire gate was stolen. A replacement gate costs $1,000. The fence itself has been cut and repaired numerous times. The last act of vandalism resulted in a cost of $1,250 to replace the entire section of fence, plus the labor. Signs continue to be defaced and stolen. Sign replacement is a continuing expense to the township.

All the decking on the ramps need to be replaced (for the second time) because of the damage caused by the misuse of the facility. The cost to re-deck the ramps is approximately $3,600, not including the labor of the road department, which is estimated at 2-3 days. The decking was originally guaranteed for 5 years for "normal wear and tear", but we have only been attaining a life span of approximately 3 years, due to the deliberate damage and misuse that has been occurring.

For the last five years, the skatepark has required constant maintenance and repairs. Its one thing to maintain a facility that requires repairs due to normal wear, yet quite another when the damage is deliberate and on-going. No one regrets this decision more than the township, but with the vandalism escalating, we were left with no other alternative.

Important Election Information: THE FOLLOWING WAS A NEWS RELEASE RECEIVED SEPTEMBER 8, 2009 FROM EDWARD P. MCGETTIGAN, COUNTY CLERK.

A recent change in NJ law has changed the options for voting by mail. The County Clerk's Office is no longer required to automatically send voters a "Vote by Mail" ballot application (formerly known as "absentee" ballot application) for every November General Election. Now, voters have the option to instead receive all future General Election ballots with just one application.

As a courtesy to the voters who have previously requested automatic applications, the County Clerk's Office will be sending those voters a new Vote by Mail Application so that, if they wish, they can request all November General Election ballots, until they notify us to discontinue the service, or if in a four-year period they do not return a General Election ballot and do not respond to an inquiry from the County Clerk's Office regarding those ballots.

The new Vote by Mail Applications should be arriving in the next few days to voters who have elected to automatically receive applications for November elections. Vote by Mail Applications are also available on-line at www.atlanticcountyclerk.org (click on forms).

Voters will need separate applications to participate in other elections during the year, even though no further applications will be needed for all General Elections held in November. They can request those applications by calling our office at 609-625-4011 (Option 6 for the Elections Division) or by going online and printing an application.

West Nile Virus: The Atlantic County Div. of Public Health is submitting CROWS and BLUE JAYS to the State Health Department of West Nile Virus surveillance testing. A bird is considered acceptable for testing if it is NOT visibly decayed (not dead more than 24 hours), infested with maggots, waterlogged, hit by a car or eaten by scavengers.

A crow is large, all black, including eyes and feet and blue jays are blue with small white and black stripes and a white belly. If you see one which meets the above, please contact the County Division of Public Health 645-5971 ext. 4277 or 4367. The hours of operation are 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Night, weekend and holiday calls may contact the County Sheriff's Dispatcher 641-0111. For more information www.ac.ink.org/publichealth

 

 Last August alone, six children drowned in swimming pools across New Jersey. Already this year, four children have drowned.

Drowning is one of the leading causes of child deaths, and tragedies like these are a sad reminder that accidents can happen in a matter of moments. A child can drown in just a few inches of water within seconds - often without any splashing or screaming.  More information on keeping you children safe can be found at the State of New Jersey Department of Children and Family website: http://www.nj.gov/dcf/safety/campaigns/water.html  

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A RABID RACOON has been found in the Devonshire section of the Township - If your pet is bitten by a potentially rabid animal call your veterinarian immediately. Even if your pet is currently vaccinated against rabies, it will need to be vaccinated again. Unvaccinated pets exposed to a rabid animal may need to be euthanized (put to sleep) immediately, or placed in strict isolation for six months and then vaccinated prior to release.  If you are bitten by a potentially rabid animal, clean the wound immediately with soap and water, seek medical attention right away and report the bite to the local health department by calling 645-5971. (post date May 2009)

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JUNE 28, 2009 Elwood Vol. Fire Co. will be hosting a county fire drill at the Carpenter's Training Center on Rt. 30 and 2nd Ave. There will be various fill sites through out the Elwood section and Hammonton areas. There may be a slight inconvenience to some of the residents. Please use caution when traveling through these areas. There will be a lot of emergency equipment on our roads that morning. All roads will remain open with the exception of 2nd Ave for thru traffic. Roads that will be affected :Rt 30, Elwood section, Town of Hammonton up to Rt. 542
Boyer Ave. Hammonton Moss Mill Rd , Elwood Section & Hammonton section 7th Street between Rt. 30 and Moss mill Rd. ( Hammonton border line) Locust St. Elwood section Elm St. Elwood Section Elwood Road in Front of the fire house 2nd Ave (closed to thru traffic)Thank you for your cooperation Chief Anthony Tomasco Elwood Fire Co.

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Results of Township Landsale:  Block 10818, Lot 17 was sold to Ms. Eilene Moore of Elwood for $26,400.  Block 10818, Lot 18 was sold to Mr. James Fifth of Elwood for $26,400.

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Township Committee introduced the 2009 Budget at its April 14th meeting. The budget calls for a modest 2 cent tax increase. The average home owner will see an increase of approximately $20.00 in their local municipal property tax. The budget was amended at the May 12th meeting, and a public hearing on the budget is scheduled for May 26, 2009 at 7:00 pm.

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NOTICE OF PUBLIC LANDSALE:  The Township of Mullica will hold a public sale of Township-owned land on May 26, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. in the Municipal Building, 4528 White Horse Pike, Elwood, NJ.  Sales will be made to the highest bidder, subject to the Township of Mullica reserving the right to reject any and all bids.  Detail information on the sale is available here.

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Results of latest On Line Auction: 2003 Buick Century:  $ 3,110.00.

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The MTRA has announced that it will offer refunds upon request to anyone who signed up late for the 2009 baseball and softball season, and paid a late fee associated with that signup. According to Buck Seymour, Director of MTRA Baseball/Softball, "this offer has been in direct response to many parents asking for relief from the late fees due to harsh economic conditions. So, in an effort to help out families, we decided to offer it to anyone who makes the request for a refund." "The late fee was never meant to be a penalty, but rather an enticement to sign up on time," said Seymour. "Our volunteers work so hard prior to the season, getting things ready, and have to meet deadlines for submitting teams and rosters to the Babe Ruth and Cal Ripken leagues in which we play. Late signups make it very tough for us to effectively meet those deadlines. To request a refund, you must send a email to wrseymour@comcast.net with "REFUND" in the subject line. Include your full name and address. "We're very busy right now getting ready for the season," Seymour says, "but I promise, we'll get to them in a fairly timely manner.

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Online Auction Results: Total Amount of Gross Sale: $18,013.59.
2003 Buick Century: defaulted
2001 Ford Crown Vic $1,510
1992 Ford F150 $322.59
1988 Chevy Pickup $805.00
1993 Ford Backhoe: $12,526.00
2003 Dodge Intrepid: $2,850

The bid on the 2003 Buick Centry has been defaulted. The item will be re-auctioned March 16th - March 31, 2009. More information available at www.govdeals.com

Changes to Emergency Medical Services  As of December 15, 2008, Emergency Medical Services for the Township of Mullica will be provided by Hammonton Rescue Squad.  Hammonton Rescue Squad has been providing services during the daytime for Mullica. This new arrangement will be for 24-hour service. Mullica residents will not experience any interruption in service.  

For emergency service call 9-1-1
To prearrange transportation contact Hammonton Rescue at 561-0220

Effective January 1st 2009, the ACUA will begin Single Stream Collection. Single stream means people no longer need to keep bottles and cans separate from paper and cardboard; all materials can be combined in the same recycling container. The ACUA will also be accepting more types of plastics for recycling. All plastic containers with the recycling symbol and the number 1 to 7 are now recyclable. More information may be found at the ACUA's website: www.acua.com.   

The NJ Department of Agriculture has prepared a fact sheet for homeowners regarding Gypsy Moths. For more information click on the link below:
http://www.state.nj.us/agriculture/divisions/pi/prog/gmhomeowners.html

To contact the state regarding gypsy moths, please call (609) 292-5442.