Check out this past week’s biggest stories from Burlington Township!
Rev. Connor Haynes, helping listen to others throughout their lives
For many religious leaders, the church has been a key instrument in their lives even as a child. Attending church services each week was a normal part of their schedules, even if they truly didn’t want to go. The Rev. Connor Haynes, the leader of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Burlington Township, was a child who didn’t regularly take part in church services. “Growing up in Illinois, I wasn’t raised in a very religious household,” Haynes said. “It wasn’t until my time in college that I really became involved with the church.” Haynes was studying history and law during his early college years, and was set to apply to law schools before he received the call into ministry. Haynes earned a master’s of divinity degree from Nashotah House seminary in Wisconsin, and was ordained as a deacon and then a priest in 1986.
Burlington Township High School kicker Russell Gawlak defying the odds
For many football players, picking the position they want to try out for can be a very simple decision. For others, it may not work out as they planned, and they are forced to try something new for the good of the team. Burlington Township High School senior kicker Russell Gawlak was a soccer player for most of his life, but decided to give football a try his sophomore year. “I played soccer since I was 8 years old, and was a goalie for most of my career,” Gawlak said. “My friends told me that the team needed a kicker and said I should try out, so I did.” After making the team, and practicing hard at his craft, the 17-year-old defied the odds and was named first-team all conference his junior year in 2016. He helped the Falcons finish 9–2 in the WJFL Capitol Division, which was good for second in the standings.
BTPD Issues Charges Against Driver from Aug. 3 Pedestrian Motor Vehicle Collision
A 20 year-old female from Burlington, N.J. was charged with one criminal count of Operating a Motor Vehicle While Being Suspended and Causing Serious Bodily Injury. In addition, she was issued two motor vehicle summons, one for Operating a Motor Vehicle While Being Suspended and one for Operating an Unregistered Motor Vehicle. These charges stem from the joint investigation that was conducted by members of the department’s Investigation Bureau and Traffic Safety Unit. That investigation revealed that at approximately 11:25 p.m. on August 3, 2017 the female was operating an unregistered vehicle with a suspended driver license. As she travelled westbound on Sunset Road in the area of Classic Drive, her vehicle struck another female, who was standing in the roadway. The stricken female suffered severe head trauma as well as several fractures to her pelvis and legs.
B. Bernice Young School Gymnasium Mercury Update
Burlington Township School District has remained committed to providing information to our families and community. It is with great relief that we can inform our families that mercury containing flooring, subflooring, concrete and stone has been removed from B. Bernice Young School’s gymnasium. The soil under the new concrete was tested and shown not to have elevated levels of mercury. As an added precaution, an extraordinarily thick vapor barrier was installed. The final report from our consultant includes information on the monitoring and sampling of the air in the gymnasium and other areas of the building during the abatement. The abatement project increased in scope. After removal of the rubberized flooring, the mercury levels increased. It became necessary to remove the concrete as explained in my letter dated July 21, 2017. After the removal of the concrete, which was treated as hazardous waste, it became necessary to remove the stone and some soil mixed with the stone layer. Testing determined that it was not necessary to treat the stone and soil as hazardous waste.
