As we turn the page on the year that was and prepare ourselves for a fresh calendar, we peak ahead at what there is to look forward to in Medford.
Though the 2016 budget numbers have not been crunched yet, Mayor Charles Watson has a strong feeling that a good portion of the significant capital for the upcoming year will be bonded for road repairs and budgeted for the Route 70 project that will be complete in 2017.
This ordinance was first publicly discussed in January 2014 during a Medford Town Council meeting held to obtain suggestions on how the township could better attract businesses to the Route 70 commercial corridor.
Council has been taking steps to make the corridor more business friendly since October 2013, so it’s been a long time coming for a project council hopes will bring new business to the area, while keeping it “in the character of Medford.”
“The Route 70 ordinance will be ready to go relatively early on in the new year,” Watson said.
Along with this ordinance, he also expressed his hope to get deeper into the township’s noise ordinance and hunting issues in the new year.
Watson will not likely be the township’s mayor in 2016, as council historically changes mayor every year, so the timing of things being heard and certain meeting topics will ultimately be up to the new mayor, but Watson would like to see what he started get finished.
Other than the changing of the mayor, most everything else in the township will be staying the same, including its annual events.
Residents can still look forward to the traditional parades and special events such as the Easter egg hunt in March and the Memorial Day parade and ceremony in May.
There will also likely be an event in the spring that will put a stamp on the changing of the name of Cranberry Hall to celebrate the remarkable life of Medford’s own Dr. James Still.
The Medford Township Public Schools also had an eventful 2015 and will look to carry that momentum into 2016.
The 2015 school year marked the first year the district has instituted a full-day kindergarten program. The district plans to start off 2016 with an informational night in January at which parents will be invited to learn more about the program as it is presented to them by social, emotional, development and language experts who will be fielding any questions they might have.
According to Superintendent Joseph Del Rossi, there has been a great response to this event since it was announced to the public, as more than 100 parents have committed.
All parents are invited to attend and those who do so will receive materials and instruction on the best ways to prepare their child for kindergarten.
For those who are interested in kindergarten, there will be a program held this summer to assess a target population of students who may need additional support to help them have a successful kindergarten year.
“It’s such a critical year,” Del Rossi said. “It really sets the tone for these young students.”
When discussing any capital improvements projects that would be taking place in the new year, Del Rossi said he and the board of education were very conscious about the budget and they’ve consistently demonstrated this attitude through their track record.
A big reason why the district got involved with the E6 energy saving improvement program was to secure dollars for the budget through green initiatives. The program has made the schools more efficient by leveraging funding opportunities that would typically not be available in the long run without raising taxes.
“We try to be progressive in adopting these opportunities to aid capital improvement project funding without taxing folks,” district Director of Operations Joe Biluck Jr said.
An example of this that will be taking place is the replacing of a number of lights with LEDs, which are far more efficient and will further help with other upgrades in facilities without raising the tax levy.
“We call this concept a budget neutral project,” Biluck said.
The district has been going through an 11-step process for about two years to join this energy saving improvements program, and the district plans to go out to bid for it early on in the new year.
Medford Township Public Schools will also put a district-wide technology strategic plan in place.
“Technology is always evolving and we’re looking to make great decisions for our future,” Del Rossi said.
Part of the plan was to take a hard look at what types of tools the board thought would be most beneficial to make accessible to the students to get them to be more engaged.
“When the big Chromebook initiative swept through the schools in our area, everyone immediately purchased thousands. We wanted to take our time and use our strategic planning group to evaluate the progress,” Del Rossi said.
The district also recently received its results for its first attempt at the new PARCC test.
Del Rossi said student reports were sent home. He also pointed out that when more data is released to make comparisons, they will analyze the results and start making future instructions to help better prepare students for this year’s test.
The students will have a lot to look forward to as well when they return from their holiday break, as basketball will be in full swing and baseball, softball, wrestling, field hockey, lacrosse and track won’t be far behind.
For years, the middle school did not have a safe playing field for field hockey, soccer or lacrosse. The district decided the amount of work the old field required was no longer worth it, so it recently agreed to scrap it, resurface it with sod and install a sprinkler system in to keep it watered and take appropriate care of it.
Del Rossi plans to dedicate this field sometime in the spring.
