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| L to R: Chief Chew, Councilman DiEnna, Councilwoman Cooper, Officer Kinner, Mayor Veasy, Councilwoman Hansen, Councilman D'Andrea |
The Evesham Town Council met on January 15, 2019, beginning with a presentation on the LEAD Program. Mayor Veasy mentioned that since she does not have children in the school district, she was not really familiar with what the LEAD Program does and asked Officer Kinner to familiarize the Council and the public with the program.
Officer William Kinner has been with the Evesham Township Police Department since 1985. He was a DARE Officer (the precursor to the LEAD Program) from 1995-2001. The topic is personal for him, since he lost a brother to drugs. LEAD stands for Law Enforcement Against Drugs and LEAD Programs are taught to the 5th grade students (along with a follow up in 7th grade). Lessons are geared towards setting goals, controlling emotions, consequences of drug use (jail, homelessness), effective communications ('say what you mean and do what you say'), peer pressure, and risk. Officer Kinner stresses a saying he created: "the worst drugs is the first drug".
Chief Chew mentioned that the township pays for a full time LEAD officer, and that Evesham is one of the few townships in the area with such a comprehensive program. It is also one of two townships in South Jersey (along with Pemberton) that has the Straight to Treatment program.
Mayor Veasy then read a proclamation to Officer Kinney, thanking him for his 26 years in service and running the LEAD program.
The meeting then commenced with the rest of the agenda which can be found here. All votes were 5-0 unless otherwise noted. Some notable ordinances/resolutions are listed below.
Ordinance 1-2-2019 - Allows for Title 39 enforcement for roads in Devonforde (off Sharp Road) and Berkshire Woods (off Elmwood). While these new neighborhoods are being built, the roads are considered private. Title 39 enforcement allows the local police department to enforce local traffic rules. (Public hearing set for 2/5/2019.)
Resolution 24-2019 - Appointment of Michael Schmidt to Evesham Municipal Utilities Authority. Councilman DiEnna noted he would be abstaining from the vote, as the current member who Mr Schmidt would be replacing is a friend of his, and he didn't want to lose a friendship over the vote. Mr D'Andrea noted he would be abstaining, as he didn't have the opportunity to interview both candidates. Resolution passed 3-0-2.
Resolution 25-2019 was tabled until a later date.
Resolution 26-2019 - Appointment of Sergeant Dan Burdette as Township Humane Enforcement Officer.
Resolution 27-2019 - Authorization for a lease agreement with our new Congressman Andy Kim, who will lease space in the Gibson House, much like former Congressman Tom MacArthur did. Whether you voted for him or not, having our local representative have an office in town and having access to him is a positive for the voters.
Resolution 27-2019 - Authorization for a lease agreement with our new Congressman Andy Kim, who will lease space in the Gibson House, much like former Congressman Tom MacArthur did. Whether you voted for him or not, having our local representative have an office in town and having access to him is a positive for the voters.
During public comment, several residents spoke:
- A resident from Village Greenes expressed concern regarding over-development on Elmwood Road, that the increase in traffic makes it difficult to exit their development.
- A resident requested clarification on whether ratables in Evesham were going up or down, as he believed their was conflicting information provided, and was concerned about how that affects school funding.
- A resident from Union Mill Colony Club asked for an update regarding the dam in their community and requested a meeting with the council. Town Engineer Tim Staszewski agreed that a meeting is warranted. He advised that the State Department of Environmental Protection approved their temporary repairs, but that it was not acted upon by the previous Town Council.
- Hank Sedowski of the Evesham Historical Society just wanted to introduce himself to Council and ask them to keep the Historical Society informed of any issues that they would be concerned about.
- A resident asked about the new Vision Study and some of the suggestions made. He did not want the library moving to the town center. If it does move, he wants to make sure there is plenty of parking and handicapped parking available. He also suggested moving the Gibson House, as that is the town 'community center'.
Township Manager Barth provided an update on technology usage by the town. The town has begun investigating and pricing with Comcast in regards to their technology grant. Within the next 2 or 3 council meetings he expects to be able to have a workshop to present ideas. Councilman D'Andrea supported this effort, pushing to get live-streaming of meetings on social media as a first step, followed by broadcasting meetings on a public access channel. This capability would also be provided to the planning and zoning boards, as well as the MRC.
Plans were discussed to have Town Halls in the future (at locations other than the municipal building) so people could come out and ask their council questions in a less formal setting. Council expressed gratitude for the people who came out to public meetings and encouraged town residents to get involved and make their voices heard.
The next Town Council meeting is scheduled for February 5th at 7pm.
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