Town Council, the police department and the MTPS have a lot planned for the New Year.
Another year has flown by, and with it the community has witnessed both change and progress. Continuing to strengthen politics, education, resources and outreach at the local level, the many institutions, businesses and organizations that make up Medford have already begun planning for a successful 2017.
Town Council
Each year, the financial well-being of the township is the chief concern of town council. The budget process occupies much of council’s time for the first part of each year, and 2017 will be no different.
“I am confident that we will work with Kathy Burger, as we have done the last few years, to carefully evaluate the revenues and operating expenses of the township and to adopt timely a budget,” Mayor Jeffrey Beenstock said. “We also began to look into this year’s options for a new municipal building and library. I hope that process continues next year to get us to a decision as to how to proceed.”
Beenstock added council recently approved a settlement of the township’s third round fair share housing obligation. He explained council will need to implement that settlement through the housing element of the town’s Master Plan. Council and the Planning Board will work together over the course of 2017 to do so.
In the last few years, council has included road repairs in its capital improvement budget. In 2016, this amount was $1 million, and council additionally engaged its engineer to prepare a comprehensive study of the conditions of the municipal roads. This study showed the township needs to spend approximately $10 million just to prepare roads that are presently in poor or failed condition.
“I am hopeful that council will work in 2017 toward a plan that will allow this work to be done in a prompt time frame,” Beenstock said.
Lenape Regional School District
For 2017, the Lenape Regional High School District is looking forward to the continuation of many programs. From new — such as the four-day rotating schedule and the second Transition Services Awards Ceremony — to the traditional — such as prom and graduation — carrying on LRHSD initiatives and events is something to be excited about.
“Our goals remain pretty consistent … which is to continue the high quality of programs associated with the LRHSD while remaining conscious to the ever changing world of the 21st century,” Seneca High School Principal Jeffrey Spector said.
Superintendent Carol L. Birnbohm said she is looking forward to the continuation of the four-day rotating schedule, benefiting students and teachers with the opportunity to get extra help, make up missed work and meet with clubs. Spector looks forward to ceremonial events such as prom and graduation.
She is also anticipating the second Transition Services Awards Ceremony. Transition Services provides students with a disability certain activities that facilitate the student’s movement from school to post-school activities. In 2017, the LRHSD looks forward to continuing to honor these students and is especially proud of the overwhelming community support of the program, she said.
Each year, goals are made to achieve the LRHSD mission. One goal is to ensure the academic programs prepare all seniors for college and a career. That goal is supported by the “Two Graduations” initiative, emphasizing the importance of reaching a second graduation, with high school being the first of two. A new portion of the LRHSD website, which will be coming soon, will feature the “Two Graduations” initiatives in one location.
“We hope that this site will be informative to parents and students. But, most importantly, we hope that this site inspires all students, especially those who may be first-generation college-goers in their family,” Birnbohm said.
Birnbohm wanted to remind parents about changes in the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers — New Jersey’s assessment for students in grades three to eight and high school — for this year that impact the classes of 2020, 2021 and thereafter. To view the changes and more information about the PARCC test and graduation requirements, visit www.nj.gov/education/sca/parcc/.
“I encourage all parents to be aware of these changes, which we have communicated via email to parents and at parent meetings. Parents should also visit our ‘Requirements for Graduation’ website, www.lrhsd.org/page/715, which provides information about the testing requirements for each grade,” Birnbohm said.
This year, in each of the high schools, the driver’s education classroom was outfitted with eight new driving simulators for all students to use. The purpose of using the most current and modern simulation equipment with the LRHSD curriculum is to better provide real-life driver training experiences for students in a safe environment.
“While there are not many new events planned, I encourage and invite people to come catch an event like a sporting event, the art show, the LRHSD robotics tournament, a concert, the musical and so much more. I promise the students will amaze you. A calendar of all these events can be found on our website or download the LRHSD App,” Spector said.
Birnbohm invites all members of the community to follow the LRHSD on Twitter, as well as club and sports pages.
“You can find a listing of all official Twitter pages at www.lrhsd.org/Page/6592. I encourage all students and their parents to select their school’s main Twitter account, as well as any of the other 69 official Twitter accounts that interest them. You can also follow me @cbeducator,” Birnbohm said.
For more information, visit the LRHSD website at www.lrhsd.org.
Medford Township Police Department
“As always, as a police department, our core function is to prevent and deter criminal activity within the township,” Chief Richard Meder said. “Beyond that, in 2017, The Medford Police Department will strive to build upon our community relations initiatives.”
Meder explained that, while the department was successful in instituting a junior police academy for middle school children, another very successful National Night Out and several other successful events in 2016, it hopes to build on and maintain trust and community partnerships with its citizens and businesses in the New Year. These partnerships are imperative to the success of the department, he said.
In the New Year, the department will also work to utilize advances in technology. Perhaps the most important technological advancement it will look to implement is the purchase of body worn cameras for all officers. This initiative will be another valuable asset ensuring the safety of officers while maintaining transparency with the public.
Pinelands Branch Library
According to Ranjna Das, director, Burlington County Library System, the Burlington County Library System is looking forward to sharing even more exciting opportunities for learning, growth and personal development.
In the coming year, the library anticipates placing an even greater, system-wide emphasis on initiatives focusing on literacy, technology and engagement. At the Pinelands branch, that means adding a variety of programming to increase its already robust offerings to the community. In doing so, the library will be exploring new technology resources, and it plans to revamp some furnishings within the branch to make the space even more inviting.
Recognizing how fortunate the library is to be located on Main Street in the heart of Medford, the Pinelands branch staff will continue to engage residents throughout the year by participating in local events. Overall, it’s New Year’s resolution is to better promote all the Pinelands Branch Library has to offer through personal interaction while illustrating the library’s ongoing commitment to the community.
Medford Sunrise Rotary
The host of various events in Medford throughout the year, Medford Sunrise Rotary will once again be preparing dinner for the Ronald McDonald House in Camden four times in 2017, according to Linda Mackey, a member of the Medford Sunrise Rotary and Medford Dickens Festival Chair. It will also host a drive for Operation Yellow Ribbon three times during the year, and will participate in the Stop Hunger Now food packaging day. Participation in more events may be announced throughout the year.
Additionally the Medford Sunrise Rotary will take part in two coin tosses in the New Year; one to go toward $3,500 scholarships to send 10 children to Camp Ockanickon, and one to go toward Dickens Festival expenses. Ultimately, the Rotary expects to host the 28th annual Dickens Festival in downtown Medford in December.
Operation Yellow Ribbon
According to Dave Silver, the founder of Operation Yellow Ribbon in Marlton, in 2017, the organization will continue to work hard to gather financial and care package donation items so it can continue to send morale boosting care packages to the brave women and men in the U.S. armed forces deployed to the Middle East. In addition, it will continue to partner with other organizations such as the Warriors Watch Riders to welcome home returning South Jersey heroes in “rock star fashion.”
To achieve its goals, Operation Yellow Ribbon of South Jersey is always looking for local support such as from schools, businesses, churches, synagogues and local youth groups including various scout groups. Service projects for the youth, such as running your own care package collection drive, are always encouraged. For more information, visit http://www.operationyellowribbonsouthjersey.org.
