Here is a brief look at some of Medford Township’s significant events in 2017
The year has brought a lot to the town of Medford. A new mayor was elected by council, board of education members were chosen, a town budget was adopted, a new center for Girl Scouts opened, numerous citizens were honored for their achievements and contributions to the community, and much more.
Medford adopts 2017 budget
After much planning and two budget meetings earlier in the year, Medford Town Council introduced the 2017 municipal budget at its meeting on March 17. This year’s proposed budget totals $20.46 million.
With a sum just a couple hundred thousand dollars less than last year’s budget of $20.63 million, there are still a number of beneficial additions. Additionally, council plans to maintain no tax increase on the municipal budget for the fifth consecutive year.
With the budget being approved as it was introduced, it will reduce the open space tax from 3 cents to 2.5 cents per $100 of assessed property value, and will use the budgetary funds to hire two additional police officers. With a number of officers eligible for retirement in the next few years, these hirings will provide the new officers with the time and training necessary to succeed in patrol. Council additionally built the promotion of a lieutenant and a sergeant into this year’s budget.
“I discussed with council years ago after a downsizing that having between 35 and 38 officers is ideal to give me the ability to have the appropriate manpower, supervision and staffing throughout our various units,” Chief Richard Meder said.
Council also intends to hire a new firefighter to better ensure the preparedness of the department, and it planned to purchase a new fire command vehicle. In addition to this, they plan to hire a new inspector for its tax inspector’s office.
Within the proposed budget, $2.5 million will to be used for road repairs, ranging from the bigger roads to numerous neighborhood roads as well. Other funds will be used to purchase a dump truck for the Public Works Department and a new ambulance to keep the emergency fleet safe.
“They answer an awful lot of calls in those ambulances,” Mayor Charles Watson said. “2,400 calls last year, that’s a lot of calls.”
Overall, the mayor commended his fellow councilmembers and the township staff on completing this year’s budget, and especially in maintaining no tax increase. As in years past, council also recognized the efforts of township Manager Kathy Burger.
“It’s a team effort, everyone,” Burger said.
Elections
• A familiar face returned as mayor in 2017.
Watson was unanimously elected as the new mayor of Medford Township at the town council reorganization meeting that was held on the evening of Jan 3. This is his second time being sworn in as mayor. The first was in 2015.
“I would like to thank Mayor [Jeffrey] Beenstock for doing a really great job this past year. We had a lot to do, and some difficult things, and [his] leadership was very much appreciated,” Watson said at the meeting. “It was an honor to serve as your deputy.”
Watson then thanked council for presenting him with the opportunity to assume the role of mayor, and said he found the nomination very humbling as a man who has lived in Medford all of his life.
“The opportunity to be the mayor of the town in which I was born and raised is an honor,” Watson said.
Watson concluded his acceptance speech by explaining there is still work to be done within the community, but he was confident council would continue to be able to accomplish great things this year. Included in his plans were to focus on maintaining a fiscally responsible budget with capital improvements and to “make moves” on a continued project that would involve relocating the Pinelands Branch Library and the municipal building. Watson also wished to continue making necessary repairs to many of the community’s roadways.
“I’m confident that we have the right people in place to do the right thing for the residents of Medford,” Watson said.
After passing the role of mayor onto Watson, who was his deputy mayor last year, Beenstock said he believes Watson will do a great job serving the community.
“He was the mayor in 2015, so the transition will be very smooth,” Beenstock said. “He’s been involved in everything town council has done, and been on council for five years, just like me.”
Councilman Bradley Denn was elected as deputy mayor for 2017.
• Medford Township voters cast their ballots in the General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 7, electing three full-term council members, as well as three Medford Township Board of Education members.
According to the Burlington County Board of Elections’ official results, Republican incumbents Watson, mayor, and Bradley Denn, deputy mayor, were joined by newcomer Republican Erik Rebstock to fill the three open council seats. The candidates were challenged by Democrats Stanley Czyzyk, Kelly Clark and Linda Goldman.
“We won on our record of being fiscally conservative, providing necessary services, respecting and listening to all residents, and the fact that Medford is in a much better place than when we took office,” Watson said of the win. “The addition of Erik Rebstock to our team gives us a man with high integrity, a history of involvement in Medford and a deep desire to keep Medford a great place.”
The official results reported Watson, with 4,312 votes, Denn, with 4,161 votes, and Rebstock, with 4,091 votes, finishing ahead of Czyzyk, who received 3,321 votes, Clark with 3,323 votes, and Goldman, with 3,285 votes.
• The Lenape Regional High School District Board of Education held its annual reorganization on Jan. 4, seeing the induction of new board member Bonnie Olt, representing Evesham Township; the reappointments of Woodland Township representative Margaret M. Estlow and Medford Township representative Dr. William J. Bisignano, Jr.; and the re-election of the BOE president and vice president.
Before swearing in the new board members, LRHSD Business Administrator and Board Secretary James Hager read aloud the results of the election for the LRHSD open seats from November. For Evesham, Olt received 99.32 percent of the votes with 14,441. For Medford, Bisignano received 99.2 percent of the votes with 9,231. For Woodland, Estlow received 98.6 percent of the votes with 432 votes.
Tabernacle representative Dr. Robert H. Bende Jr. was not in attendance at the meeting, but was also to be reappointed to the board that night. The results for his election were 2,492 votes, or 99.4 percent of the votes.
Medford Police
The Medford Police Department reached out to young citizens once again this year with its weeklong Junior Police Academy Day Camp, held from July 17 to July 21.
Providing young citizens with an introduction to law enforcement, the camp covered a multitude of topics, including the history of law enforcement, gangs, motor vehicle and criminal law, DWI enforcement, teens and drug/alcohol use, crime scene and evidentiary processing, fire/EMS services, CPR training, police K-9 units and more.
On Aug. 2, residents of Medford and the surrounding communities participated in National Night Out at Freedom Park, an event designed to increase awareness of local anti-crime efforts. Sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch in the U.S., these awareness efforts included drug, theft and burglary prevention as well as many other deterrents to common community problems.
Many in the local police department viewed the event as a positive for the community.
“I think it helps humanize the police,” Lt. Arthur Waterman said. “It gives us an opportunity to interact in a positive manner with the community and gives them a chance to see who we are and better understand our relationship.”
Meder agreed.
“This is one of our favorite nights of the year,” he said. “Now more than ever, for our community, it’s important for the kids of our community to see the police in a positive way. We are mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters just like they are.”
Meder also felt the need to highlight the importance of the police department’s relationship with the community.
“It’s important for us to work together to solve the community’s problems,” he added. “We can’t do it alone. We can’t solve the crimes. We can’t meet the needs of the community if they don’t tell us what they are and how we’re doing and what we can do better. So this is just a way for us to get together, for them to ask us questions, to give feedback and let them know what we’re all about.”
Lenape district news
• The LRHSD Board of Education unanimously approved a four-year employment contract with the Lenape District Education Association at its meeting on June 21. The LDEA, which represents approximately 850 teachers and other staff including school counselors, child study team professionals, media specialists, nurses and athletic trainers, as well as administrative support staff, interpreters and paraprofessionals, ratified the contract on June 8.
The four-year agreement included an average salary increase of 3.19 percent, a move to a less-costly health insurance plan and the implementation of a more evenly distributed method for the contribution of each employee’s share for health benefits. In addition, the board of education gained additional flexibility in the scheduling and hiring of special education paraprofessionals.
“Negotiations with the LDEA went very well,” said Bende, who chairs the negotiations committee. “Everybody was in agreement and very content with the final outcome.”
• Eric O’Neill, a social studies teacher at Shawnee High School since 2008, has spent much of his life furthering his education. Now using his knowledge to teach others, his dedication to and passion for education was reaffirmed when he was named “Teacher of the Year” in December.
“I was incredibly surprised, honored and humbled because there are so many wonderful, dedicated and passionate teachers at my school,” O’Neill, a 30-year-old Cherry Hill native, said. “[This award] has made me want to redouble my efforts to improve my teaching each year so that I can try to live up to the award.”
In the letter of nomination submitted by Chris Lorenz, the coordinator of the Social Studies Department, she wrote, “Eric O’Neill embodies all the qualities that a teacher of the year should possess. He epitomizes the term ‘lifelong learner’ and highly values education.”
While O’Neill did not give a speech after being recognized, he later forwarded an email to the Shawnee High School staff stating he was very honored, humbled and surprised to be named Teacher of the Year. He also explained he considers himself lucky to be able to work alongside such a dedicated staff.
“There are many deserving teachers out there, and many of you have helped me along the way. I’ve been grateful to work with all of you, and I look forward to many more years here with you. Thank you very much, and good luck with the rest of the semester,” his email concluded.
• Lenape Regional High School District Board of Education member David Stow described it as “Groundhog Day” 2017 as he presented the district’s 2017–2018 school year budget at the LRHSD board meeting on April 26 and the board adopted the final budget.
Stow used the joke to let members of the public know the budget was unchanged from the figures released to the public in March when the board adopted its tentative budget for submission to the county.
For a Medford homeowner with a home assessed at the average value of $327,100, residents saw a regional school tax levy decrease of .21 cents per every $100 of assessed value, equating to a decrease of $10.49 for the year. The budget’s overall tax levy increased 2.23 percent.
Similar to the budget presented in March, Stow said the total 2017–2018 school year budget was still set at $159.1 million.
Stow also noted the budget added no new programs, no additional staff and no new special education positions.
According to Stow, state aid remained flat, with the district receiving the same $29,207,977 for the 2017–2018 school year it received for the 2016–2017 school year.
Student accomplishments
• What started off as a tasty hobby turned competitive when 12-year-old Allie Dubler was asked to compete on Food Network’s show, “Chopped Junior.” For Allie, a seventh-grade student at Medford Memorial Middle School, this opportunity not only gave her the chance to show off her vast cooking skills, but to also witness television production firsthand.
“I was so happy when I found out I would be on the show that I was almost on the verge of crying tears of joy,” Allie said. “It was one of the best moments of my life and definitely made me more interested in cooking.”
Dating back to August 201, Allie’s mother Janice first found an application to participate on “Chopped Junior” on jscasting.com, and she immediately thought of her daughter. After expressing a clear interest in baking and cooking, Janice believed her daughter stood a fair chance of being selected for the show.
“It was such a great experience for her, and I was so happy that she was selected to showcase her talent,” Janice said. “Allie’s a great cook for her age, and she works really hard, is creative and has a lot of fun with it.”
• Two-time FIFA World Player of the Year award winner Carli Lloyd dedicated her second trophy to the Medford Strikers and Universal Soccer Academy students. Lloyd, who grew up playing on these teams said, “I owe a lot to the kids from Medford Strikers and Universal. I have always been able to come home and hop into their practices, giving me a realistic environment and helping me continuously improve my game.”
The soccer community welcomes her back with open arms every year and is eager to meet and learn from her.
“When I first came to the Strikers and Universal, I knew I would see Carli. She’s my favorite player and role model, and I was pretty star-struck. But then I realized she is really nice and doesn’t act like a celebrity. She’s friendly, but she’s here to work hard. She’s just one of us when she’s at training,” said Nikki Deedes, 12, a Universal Soccer Academy student and Medford Strikers player.
Since leaving Medford, Lloyd has played with the US Women’s National Team and several other professional teams.
• Scoring a perfect 6.0 GPA while participating in a slew of extra-curricular activities, Shawnee High School senior Steven Campbell was named his school’s valedictorian.
“I’m excited and proud of my accomplishment,” Campbell said.
In addition to maintaining perfect grades, Campbell also participated in a lot of extra-curricular activities, including the robotics team, National Honor Society, Latin Club, Greendot and the Science League. He was a leader of the robotics club and president of his NHS chapter. Campbell accomplished a lot outside of school as well. He participated in Boy Scouts, where he earned the rank of Eagle Scout. Campbell headed to Virginia Polytechnic and State University where he will major in computer engineering.
Shawnee’s salutatorian this year was Meghan Strathan. She finished high school with a perfect 6.0 GPA and participated in many school activities as well. Strathan was a member of the Latin Club, Greendot, NHS and the Animal Welfare Club. She was also a member of the varsity swim team for all four years of high school. She is attending Swarthmore College, where she planned to be a member of the swim team and pursue a degree in engineering.
• Shawnee High School Principal Matthew Campbell announced Jun Choi, Aaron Eiseman, Sean Etter, Jesse Hartman, Aidan Khelil, Andrew Lee, Andrew Ozazewski, Sharon Pantano, and Ashley Wetzel were named Commended Students in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program. Commended Students placed in the top 5 percent of the more than 1.6 million students who entered the 2018 competition by taking the 2016 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
Eagle Scout inductions and awards
This year was a busy one for the Eagle Scouts, having seen several new members added to its ranks and being acknowledged for their efforts in bettering their communities, as well as honoring former members for heroics and lifelong accomplishments.
On May 21, 18-year-old Brad Devlin was inducted into the Eagle Scouts for his loyalty to his organization and community. Devlin had been in the Scouts for 11 years before reaching the pinnacle of its ranks. He started at the age of 7. Because he started so young, he had a hard time remembering what got him into it to begin with. But he remembered always being in the woods and enjoying the outdoors. His father, Todd, was also a Cub Scout. Unlike his son, Todd didn’t stick with it and never made it into the Boy Scouts when he was younger.
The project that earned Devlin his Eagle Scout honor was the rehab of the Memorial Stone site at Freedom Park in Medford. This included redoing the landscaping around the stone completely and moving the stone itself. He also moved the sitting area around the stone to better accommodate those wanting to sit in the park and admire the stone.
Devlin was accepted into University of Vermont, where he plans to major in business.
• John Polites, 18, of Troop 20, was honored at Medford Town Council meeting on April 4, earning the rank of Eagle Scout. For Polites, being a member of the Scouts is a family affair. His father, Jim, is an assistant Scoutmaster with Troop 20. His uncles, Jim and William Buckley, achieved the rank of Eagle Scout as well.
“It feels great,” Polites said after receiving the proclamation. “I have worked on this as far as I can remember. It is great to get there finally.”
For his service project to become an Eagle Scout, Polites improved the fencing at Freedom Park as well as improved the fencing at the 9/11 and Vietnam memorials. He also created a fence to surround a retention pond in the park.
“Being an Eagle Scout itself means I had enough dedication and hard work to do something and get the award of Eagle Scout. To me, it is a bit of a relief because I finally got there and it is a great feeling. Scouting has made me who I am today,” he said.
• Medford resident Lee Bealuk was honored at Medford’s Town Council meeting on Feb. 21 for more than 50 years of service in a leadership capacity, with Boy Scouts of America Troop 20. The 79-year-old Philadelphia native serves as the troop’s committee chairman and mentor of Scouts who wish to attain the the highest rank within the organization. Over the years, he has mentored 84 young men on their journey to obtaining the title of Eagle Scout.
Furthermore, Bealuk served and continues to serve as a liaison between each Eagle Scout of Troop 20 and the entities through which it conducts its Eagle Scout projects. As a result of many of these community enhancement projects, Medford Township has been a beneficiary.
“My greatest achievements come through helping these boys advance to Eagle Scout through helping and teaching them exactly how to do so. It’s important that they be guided properly,” Bealuk, a member of the Boy Scouts of America since 1949, said. “I get the greatest satisfaction out of helping people live up to their dreams.”
• Eagle Scout, and now Midshipman 3rd Class, Jonathan Dennler of Medford received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, the highest non-combat decoration awarded for heroism by the U.S. Department of the Navy, on Tuesday, Jan. 10 in front of the entire Brigade of Midshipmen assembled in Alumni Hall. He was given the award for his heroic actions while leading a Boy Scout troop in July 2016.
While camping in Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada, the troop experienced a major storm with up to 80 mph wind gusts and lightning strikes. Two trees fell on the campsite, killing a Scout and an adult volunteer and severely injuring others.
When Dennler couldn’t contact anyone on the radio for help, he canoed more than 1.5 miles at night in 60 mph winds to a ranger station to bring back help and medical supplies.
The award wasn’t a surprise to his parents, who also attended the award presentation. Dennler’s mother, Monica, described her son as “persistent and tenacious.”
“He knows how to persevere, and has a kind heart,” she said. “He was the only one who knew what to do back in high school when a classmate broke their leg at a basketball game, because he was an Eagle Scout.”
Dennler is a political science major and member of the 20th Company. He completed two years of college at George Washington University before transferring to the Naval Academy.
Other township news
• HerStory Center made history this year. Designed as a place to display Girl Scout collections and to give area Scouts an opportunity to learn about the organization’s rich history, the Girl Scouts “HerStory” Center opened its doors on Sunday, March 12 at Camp Kettle Run, located at 30 Sawmill Road.
On the same day as the official Girl Scouts’ birthday, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held, followed by an open house. The community was invited to come to the site on this day to admire Girl Scout memorabilia dating back over the course of the last 105 years of the organization’s operation.
• Medford Cub Scouts held their first-ever Pinewood Derby Grand Race. The idea came from retired Cubmasters Leo Pratte, of Pack 26 and Jeff Stavash, of Pack 47. All cars had to adhere to strict guidelines, regarding weight, length and materials used. Christian Ciliberti, an 11-year-old member of Pack 47 in Shamong, won the event.
• A volunteer opioid addiction nonprofit organization made its way to Medford. Heroin Kills, founded by Tom Clark, is an organization that helps those addicted to drugs find treatment facilities, assists in interventions, and helps addicts and their families learn more about addiction itself. More information about Heroin Kills can be found on its website, heroinkillsnj.org or by calling or texting (609) 222–2189.
• Town Council voted to authorize Hartford Square Associates, a developer in Medford, to build a medical office building along with 70 senior affordable housing units on open land near the strip mall at the corner of Route 70 and Hartford Road. Currently, the strip mall features a CVS, ESCAPE Fitness Center and a Columbia Bank.
• A roughly 300-acre forest fire blazed through Wharton State Park. Although severe, no homes were damaged and no evacuations were made.
• Medford Memorial baseball team won the Simon Cup Final in July, for the first time in 12 years and second time overall. The team was honored at the Medford Town Council meeting on July 5.
• The Burlington County Bar Association appointed Douglas L Heinold, a partner at the law firm of Raymond Coleman Heinold, LLP as its 86th president.
• Medford School District Business Administrator Marie Goodwin was sworn in as the Medford Sunrise Rotary Club’s newest member in August.
• On Aug. 5, one year after finishing as runner-up, the New Jersey Mystics won the WFC World Series National Championship. The team, which features players from Medford, Tabernacle, Cinnaminson, Lumberton, Southampton, Woodbury and Pemberton, defeated the Wisconsin Bandits, 8–0, at the World Series Final in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
• The Medford Board of Education adopted a new harassment, intimidation and bullying policy that will allow the principal to decide whether an incident is a case of bullying or an individual occurrence of conflict between students.
• Members of the Pinelands Commission approved the construction of New Jersey Natural Gas’ Southern Reliability Link Pipeline on Sept. 14 at a special meeting. The pipeline will connect the Trenton-Woodbury Lateral Pipeline in Chesterfield Township to a network of pipelines in Lakehurst Borough if constructed. The pipeline was approved by an 8–4 vote.
• Troy Gentry, 50, of the country music duo of Montgomery Gentry, was killed in a helicopter crash on Sept 8, at Flying W airport in Medford.
• A WWI Dedication Ceremony was held in Freedom Park in Medford. Town council approved the addition of a monument dedicated to the participation of the United States in WWI to Freedom Park. The ceremony was held on Nov 4 and featured an honor guard, local school choirs and speakers, as well as keynote speakers. The project was funded by donations and sponsorships from local businesses. It now stands adjacent to the Vietnam and post-Vietnam tributes in Freedom Park.
• Burlington County completed a 2,400 square-foot expansion project on the Burlington County Animal Shelter. The improvements included three new community cat rooms, improved dog runs, new electronic display screens, and a new pet drop-off office.
• Medford Sunrise Rotary held the 28th annual Dickens Fest on Dec. 2 in downtown Medford.
