Everything that went down in Burlington Township this past year
By STEPHEN FINN
The Sun
Another year is almost over in Burlington Township. The area saw significant changes with some long-standing local establishments. The Burlington Center Mall officially closed its doors, and the nonprofit organization Burlington Township Food Pantry was forced to seek new lodgings. Local schools also saw a number of changes in both personnel and policy.
Burlington Township kicks of 2018 with annual reorganization meetings
The Burlington Township Board of Education welcomed its members on Jan. 3 at its reorganization meeting.
Incumbent Maryann McMahon-Nester, was re-elected in November, tallying 1,916 votes, according to Burlington Township Schools. Challengers Lisa Bungarden and Christopher Holmes won the two remaining three-year, full-term seats with 2,150 and 2,086 votes, respectively.
Longtime board member Israel “Izzy” Rivera retired, effective Dec. 31, 2017, after serving the district for 17 years. He received an emotional send-off and an outpouring of praise from his fellow volunteers, community members and school staff and faculty.
“Thank you for letting me be part of your family all these years,” Rivera said at the public session Nov. 29. “I appreciate all your kind words, and I’m humbled.”
McMahon-Nester and board member Susan Eichmann were unanimously chosen as president and vice president at reorganization. They maintained these appointments for one year.
Superintendent Mary-Ann Bell welcomed the new and returning board members in her report and extended congratulations to McMahon-Nester and Eichmann on their appointments.
Burlington Center Mall closes
On Jan. 9, the Burlington Center Mall closed its doors due to extensive damage from burst water pipes. That evening at Burlington Township’s Council meeting, Mayor Brian Carlin revealed the owners planned to shut them for good over the course of the following months.
Township Administrator at the time, Walter Corter, said most of the mall would officially become a vacant property in late February or March. The Sears located on the property, which was under separate ownership than the rest of the mall, was still open and operating. Though the mall’s owners, Moonbeam Capital Investments, could not force Sears to leave the property, Carlin and Corter said it would also likely close within the same time frame.
Moonbeam Capital had ambitious plans for a bustling marketplace when it purchased the retail space for more than $4 million in 2012, but its vision was never realized as it failed to attract retailers.
Developers MRP Industrial proposed a plan to the township for a mixed-use retail space that would include up to 1,000 units of rental housing and four- to five-story buildings, but the council felt it was not appropriate for the Burlington Township community.
“Our schools can’t handle that, not without a referendum,” said Carlin. “We’re in a holding pattern with the mall that, unless you want an [industrial space] with mixed use in the front of retail like we saw with the plan, we’re leaving it where it is and seeing what develops out there. The economy could change. It’s certainly something that we have no control over, we’ve done everything we can to make the site attractive.”
Above all, Carlin assured, the council is working to make sure the center stays safe for the community.
Displaced Burlington Township Food Pantry finds new home on Route 130
On Nov. 10, 2017, Moonbeam Capital Investments, the owners of the old Burlington Center Mall, issued an eviction notice to the nonprofit food pantry, giving the small team of volunteers only 30 days to move industrial equipment and countless donations ahead of the mall’s closure in the spring.
The Burlington Township community rallied to help BTFP, and two months later, President Mickey Folinti and Director Domenic Zulla said the doors of their new, upgraded home on Route 130 were open to people in need.
Zulla said his initial attempts to contact Moonbeam and request an extension resulted in three unanswered messages and not much sympathy for the pantry’s plight. After Zulla explained the pantry, which serves about 80 families a week, did not receive the eviction notice until 12 days past the date it was issued, Moonbeam’s legal team said the best they could do was give BTFP until Dec. 22.
“I didn’t get the letter on Nov. 22, and I thought, ‘There is no way in the world we can get this done in 30 days,’” Zulla recalled. “Are you for real? Do you know what kind of undertaking it is to move a food pantry with 24 refrigerators and 30,000 pounds of inventory?”
The answer to Zulla’s question, as it turns out, was two trucks, five men, 48 hours and, thanks to the altruism of a local business owner, zero dollars.
Robert Kandetzke, owner of Simonik Transportation & Warehousing Group, saw BTFP’s plea on Fox 29 News Philadelphia and hurried to assess the situation.
With the eviction deadline looming, Kandetzke, his men and 35 other volunteers from around the township had little time to waste. Burlington Stores, which BTFP praised as “wonderful people,” donated their property at 1200 Route 130 for the operation to use as its homefront.
Burlington Township Board of Education approves 2018–2019 budget
The Burlington Township Board of Education voted unanimously April 25 to adopt a 2018–2019 budget.
Though it called for a 2 percent local tax increase, residents with an average assessed home of $234,226 actually paid $99 less in school taxes under the new budget.
This was the result of a township-wide reevaluation that led to a $91 million increase in taxable property and a small decrease in the value of the average assessed home.
In total, township taxpayers contributed about $45 million toward the school district’s $69 million budget. State aid to the district increased by $953,341 to a total of about $20 million.
Gov. Murphy’s budget proposal called for an increase of more than $9 million in state aid for Burlington County schools, and Burlington Township received more of that money than any other district in the county.
However, district officials said the school district is still underfunded by the state.
“If the state were to uncap and fully fund the school funding formula, Burlington Township would see an additional $5.7 million in state aid,” wrote Bell and Business Administrator Nicholas Bice in an open letter to township residents.
No residents spoke during the board of education’s April 24 public hearing on the budget.
The approved budget maintained all programs, services and positions from the previous budget, according to documents provided by the district.
It also allowed the district to double the number of school resource officers from two to four — allowing for one to be stationed in each of the district’s school buildings.
Burlington Township High School student looks to promote positive message through music
Zon’ya Lanier wants to be a different kind of rapper.
The 17-year-old junior at Burlington Township High School performed at a show in North Jersey after being selected as a finalist in a statewide anti-drug music competition.
“If I do become successful in the music industry, I plan to have a totally different game plan,” Lanier said.
“I want to have all my songs (with) no profanity,” he added. “No objectification of women. No drugs. It’s going to be totally different.”
Lanier’s song, “Life is a Gift,” features verses about the dangers of drug addiction and why young people should take a different path in life. He entered the track in “Shout Down Drugs,” an annual competition held by the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey.
“Life is a Gift” was one of 17 songs from across the state picked to advance to a final round by a panel of judges as well as online voting.
Lanier performed along with the other finalists at a show held April 27 in Mendham, Morris County.
“It was nerve-wracking,” he said. “That was my first time ever performing in front of people, and there was like a lot of people there.”
Township Administrator Walter Corter retires June 30
Township Administrator Walter J. Corter retired on June 30 after 44 years in government, including 35 years in Burlington Township.
Corter’s decision was made public during the May 8 Township Council meeting. Mayor Brian Carlin said he planned to appoint Public Works Director Stephen Fazekas as acting administrator when Corter stepped down.
“The time has come to turn to the next chapter in the book of life,” Corter wrote in a public retirement letter to the mayor and council. “After so many years of climbing the mountain, it is time for me to finally enjoy the view.”
“Serving the residents of Burlington Township for 35 years has been an honor and privilege,” he added. “Hopefully during my rewarding career, I helped contribute to making Burlington Township a better place to live and work.”
In the letter, he also thanked current and former township employees and wished the municipal government the best in the future.
Corter was not present at the meeting when his retirement was announced, but councilmembers praised his work and service to the township.
“In my personal opinion, if there was a hall of fame for township administrators, I think Walt Corter would be one of the first people to make it,” said longtime Councilman George Kozub.
Carlin said he trusted Corter’s integrity and moral compass.
“He has been outstanding as an administrator,” the mayor said. “I always got an honest, unfettered opinion from him.”
Longtime Burlington Township Middle School principal retires
Few school principals can say they had the experience Larry Penny did in 2007.
Penny oversaw the move from the Thomas O. Hopkins Middle School to the newly constructed Burlington Township Middle School at Springside.
After 18 years in the Burlington Township School District, Penny announced he would be retiring on Aug. 31. He cited the transition from the old school to the current facility as his biggest accomplishment.
“It was one of the toughest things that I had to do as an administrator but the most rewarding,” Penny said.
Penny, who became the middle school’s principal in 2004, and his staff had to pick the carpet, the ceiling tiles, the types of fabrics used for the furniture and other details for the new building.
It was a daunting task, but the reward was greater, he said.
“It was nice because one of the biggest things that it did for my staff was to give them more space,” Penny said. “They had the technology that they needed.”
In total, Penny had worked in education for 38 years.
“I will still probably do something down the road in education, whether it be to mentor other teachers who want to become administrators or just find a job in education that is not going to consume me every day,” said Penny.
Penny said he was confident Burlington Township Middle School’s future would be bright after he stepped down.
“I believe this building — and I’ve said this to many people — I think I have the best middle school here in the district,” he said. “I’m not worried one bit.”
Burlington Township Board of Education talks school security
During a meeting on June 27, the board of education discussed measures to increase security at schools.
Bell said she had received confirmation the district would be adding two new school resource officers, taking the total number of armed police officers in the school system from two to four.
Bell said the additional officers would reduce response time as there would be one for each of the district’s schools.
“That is absolutely phenomenal,” she said. “Obviously, we hope it’s never tested, and we don’t have to get to that point, but that certainly will be a huge deterrent.”
Bell said the officers would be in place by the end of the 2018–2019 school year.
Funding for the increased police presence was included in the budget the board of education approved in April. The township and the district will split the cost.
Fountain Woods Elementary pays tribute to heroes
Representatives from Burlington Township police, fire and EMS gathered at Fountain Woods Elementary School for the annual Heroes Day Commemoration on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
What began as a relatively small event in 2002, where a tree was planted to memorialize the sacrifices of the first responders, has since grown into a yearly ceremony involving the entire school.
Eichmann was present and stressed the importance of teaching the students about the heroes in their community. “Although our children weren’t alive on 9/11 we try and communicate a message in an age-appropriate way and introduce them to our heroes,” she said.
A number of local heroes were also in attendance, like Police Director Bruce Painter, who comes to the ceremony every year.
“To me, heroism is acts of selflessness that help others,” said Painter. He believes it is critical to the children’s development that they are introduced to police and emergency personnel at an early age. “They should get to know them as people who are there to help rather than as an adversary.”
BOE cuts early elementary honor roll program
A final decision on a controversial proposal was decided at the Burlington Township Board of Education meeting on Oct. 17.
The board voted almost unanimously to eliminate the honor and high honor roll programs at the lower elementary level, grades three through five.
In August, principal of Fountain Woods Elementary John Johnson approached the curriculum committee with the proposed change to the honor roll program to address rising levels of anxiety in children. The proposal set off a number of discussions over the following months, during which both the school board and parents of Fountain Woods students all voiced their questions and opinions on the matter.
At a work session meeting on Oct. 10, where the board heard from a number of parents mostly opposed to the change, the proposal was tabled until the Oct. 17 Burlington Township Board of Education meeting, where final votes were cast.
When the change in policy came to a vote it received a “yes” from each member of the board, save for one “no” cast by board member Christopher Holmes.
Holmes believed the issue was an emotional one, and felt there wasn’t sufficient data presented to support the argument that honor roll has had a negative impact.
“I don’t make decisions based on personal feelings,” said Holmes. “I think you had two professionals, the principal and the guidance counselor, and neither of them presented any statistical data or scientific data to say that this has an impact on students.”
Eichmann concluded with her hopes that Fountain Woods would continue to acknowledge student achievement outside of the honor roll program.
Mayor hosts annual Health and Wellness Fair
Burlington Township residents came out to take advantage of the wide variety of services and information available during the annual Mayor’s Health and Wellness Fair held at the township municipal building on Saturday, Oct. 20.
Carlin was present and made sure to stop by Burlington County Health Department’s mobile clinic for a flu shot. According to Carlin, the yearly event is helpful for locals who may have a hard time working regular health checks for their family into their schedules.
“We’re all so busy, we’re a diverse economic town so we’ve got families who are working two jobs, we’ve got parents who are working in New York or Philadelphia, where they’re traveling an hour and a half a day,” said Carlin. “This is an opportunity to just come out and bring the family. You can get a screen to get a feel for what’s going on, and hopefully everybody is fine, but if you have something we catch it early.”
Inside the municipal building tables were set up offering a number of services from hearing checks, to skin and blood pressure checks.
Kimberly Mattson is a health educator with the Burlington County Health Department. Along with providing information about various programs offered by the health department, her table offered a free dermatological check.
“This is to remind people to go to the dermatologist. We have a DermaScan machine that looks for skin damage on your face. We’re trying to remind people to wear sunscreen even in the winter,” said Mattson.
Despite all the services available to the public, it can be difficult actually making people aware of these services, which was the driving force behind the planning of the fair.
“It’s hard to get the township out, so we want them to learn that there are things you can do to help your health,” said organizer Dr. Annette Minors.
Incumbent Carlin wins race for mayor, incumbents Cantwell, Kozub and Howell win council
Burlington Township Mayor Brian Carlin was re-elected on Tuesday, Nov. 6.
Incumbent Carlin, the Democratic nominee for mayor, defeated challengers Licardo Gwira, the Republican nominee and Zak Kirsch-Dziki, who ran as an Independent. Carlin earned 74.64 percent of the vote over Gwira’s 24 percent and Kirsch-Dziki’s 1.35 percent.
Incumbent candidates also fared well in the race for Burlington Township Council. Democratic candidates Michael Cantwell, George Kozub and Joyce Howell defeated Republican candidates Nasir Jones and Stephen Riggi. Cantwell earned 26.95 percent of votes, Kozub earned 26.61 percent and Howell earned 26.83 percent. Challengers Jones earned 9.78 percent of votes and Riggi 9.75 percent.
Running uncontested for seats on the Board of Education Velina Marie Riggi earned 33.33 percent of votes, Antoinette Minors-Ferguson earned 34.10 percent and Lisa Hodnett earned 32.08 percent.
Retiring Director of Guidance Jim Mills shares what made him fall in love with Burlington Township
After 30 years of working with Burlington Township schools, Director of Guidance Jim Mills set his retirement date for Jan. 1. During his final month at the high school, Mills shared the story of how he came to Burlington Township and fell in love with the community and his work with the students.
Mills felt drawn to counseling from a young age. His earliest recollections of a school counselor come from his high school days at Camden Catholic.
“While I was there I had a guidance counselor that was a very strong counselor. I thought that would be a neat area to go into,” said Mills.
In college, he considered pursuing law and began working toward a political science degree. By the time he was a senior, however, his interests shifted and he felt like he wasn’t quite ready for law school.
He spent the next three years as a volunteer teacher in an economically depressed area.
“I just fell in love with education, I loved connecting with students and families and I found it tremendously rewarding,” said Mills. “The amount you got back was always more than you gave.”
While teaching, he met his wife, also a volunteer at the time, and the two moved back to Mills’ home state of New Jersey where job opportunities were more plentiful. Upon his return, he wasted no time earning certifications first at Rutgers University for teaching, and then at Rowan University for counseling.
His first job as a guidance counselor lasted six years at Paul VI High School. During this time, Mills and his wife had three children.
“The reality became we couldn’t raise three kids on this salary unless I had three or four other jobs,” said Mills.
When the opportunity for a better paying job as a counselor at Burlington Township Middle School presented itself, Mills jumped at the chance and was hired. As he settled into the new position, he found a lot to love about Burlington Township’s students and the wider community.
“One of the things I loved about the district was the diversity. It was a very diverse student population, and the students just got along and interacted so wonderfully with each other. When I first came here, I found that to be the case and it’s still the case today,” said Mills.
