MANCHESTER – The Township Council introduced an ordinance approving a redevelopment plan for the Whiting Landfill Redevelopment area at 1501 Route 70.
“This property is part of the landfill. It will not impact the ongoing work that is being done currently and it involves putting a cap on the old dump and at that the end of that completion we can move on,” Council President Samuel Fusaro said.
The ordinance was unanimously introduced by members of council.
Township officials also approved an ordinance concerning the land sale of 2909 Wilber Ave.
Fusaro said the Wilber Avenue property is “outside of Route 70 behind the site of where a new Dollar General store is going up. It goes perpendicular to (Route) 70. It is at the end of Richwood Estates where there are homes and the homeowner at that last home in the Estates asked to purchase this undersized lot.”
No one commented on the ordinance and the measure was unanimously adopted.
On first reading were two ordinances, one of which amended and supplemented taxation and refunds for disabled veterans. “It is basically an ordinance to bring our ordinances in step with the state’s,” Fusaro explained.
Township Clerk Sabina T. Martin said a public hearing on this ordinance would be held on March 23. That meeting was cancelled however due to concerns of the COVID-19 virus and the promotion of social distancing. The ordinance was passed during a March 30 meeting of the council which was done online.
The Township Council also passed a resolution urging Ocean County’s transportation department to install a traffic light at the corner of Northampton Boulevard and Commonwealth Boulevard.
Fusaro added that this was not the first time the township reviewed and took action on that accident-prone intersection. He noted that the results of a traffic study by the county were expected to be reported in the weeks to come.
“The township has already been pushing the county towards a light. This isn’t the first time they have looked at this. They have done many improvements to that crossroads but there have still been accidents and they are doing a traffic study now so we wanted to push the county a little more with a resolution. We shall find out shortly.” Fusaro said.
Councilman James A. Vaccaro Sr. said during the council report portion of the meeting that he and several members of council and Mayor Kenneth Palmer had attended a ribbon cutting ceremony on Feb. 28, for the opening of Freemont Avenue “which is a secondary access road to the Renaissance community.”
Applause and laughter were heard from the audience and dais concerning the much-awaited grand opening of that road.
“Through the efforts of the mayor, the council the roadway after 20 plus years was finally paved and opened for the residents of the Renaissance community,” Vaccaro said.
Vaccaro congratulated Police Chief Lisa Parker and Capt. Bolan and the new EMS director in getting the new EMS service “up and running on March 1. Our residents can now receive emergency service response on a 24-hour basis.”
The councilman once again urged the council to discuss an ordinance “banning the growth of marijuana within Manchester Township and distribution itself of recreational marijuana. I know the ordinance would become null and void once the pending marijuana bill gets passed by voters in the November general election but until then we are being proactive with the issue.”
Councilwoman Joan Brush noted that she was among those on the council who read to students in the township in observation of Read Across America Day at Manchester schools. “I read to a kindergarten class at the Whiting School. They students wanted to know how old I was and I told them I was younger than Dr. Seuss.”
“I want to also add that our Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office recognized our police chief for international Women’s Day,” she said.
Mayor Kenneth Palmer said that within the first eight days of the new EMS system starting “there was 259 calls. Our EMS service handled 235 of those calls and the average response time was eight minutes 17 seconds. I am very confident in the staff we have. So far so good.”
