Dear Community Friends,
What an exciting time to be a Philadelphia sports fan. If you are, that’s awesome, and if you are not, please don’t hold a grudge against your mayor (lol). (As of deadline), the Eagles were 4-0 and the Phillies were about to take on the Atlanta Braves after sweeping the Miami Marlins in the wildcard round.
On Thursday, Sept. 28, I attended the monthly Gloucester County Mayor’s Meeting with Mantua Township Administrator, Jennica Bileci. This meeting was held in West Deptford at Riverwinds Restaurant. These meetings are a great way for the county mayors to network and collaborate as a team for the benefit of all our constituents. It’s great to be a part of an organization of local leaders who work in a non-partisan manner to help one another and their respective communities.
On Saturday, Sept. 30, I spent some time at Mantua Little League’s “Fall Fest.” What a great fundraising event for little league on a beautiful fall evening at the ball fields. Great job by President Jack Steen and his board. It was also gratifying to see our public works department and our police department engaging with the kids at this event.
On Sunday morning, Oct. 1, Deputy Mayor Pete Scirrotto, Committeewoman Eileen Lukens and I were involved in the opening ceremony for the VFW’s 5K Running for the Vets. Our Veteran’s Commission Liaison, Committeeman John Legge participated in the run/walk. It was a perfectly sunny and crisp fall morning for a race, and was a great opportunity for our community to gather in support of our veterans. Awesome job by Commander Martin Valdez, Joe Heitman and all those involved from Mantua’s VFW Post 7679.
On Tuesday evening, Oct. 3, Mantua Pack 45 (Webelo Cub Scouts) – Oliver Kenny, Lillian Weber, Nate Goff and Joey Tornese stopped by the Mantua Township Administration Building for a visit. The scouts fulfilled a requirement for this year by meeting with a community leader.
It was a pleasure meeting with the scouts, answering questions and giving them a tour of our building. What a great group of future leaders!
Mayor’s Message Video #14 will feature long-time resident and retired engineer, Jim Kiel and resident surveyor, Jason Moore. Jim and Jason designed and are both primarily responsible for the creation of our new disc golf course at Chestnut Branch Park which is slated to open on Oct. 14.
Jim and Jason will discuss the game of disc golf; why they wanted to create the course in our community; when the course will be open for play; and what they see for the future of disc golf.
Look for this video over the next couple weeks on our social media platforms and on our township website at mantuatownship.com.
Sealcoating of the basketball courts at McCarson Park has recently been completed, and the new striping of the courts should be completed very shortly.
Twelve trees were just installed between the volleyball court and the walking path at Chestnut Branch Park. These trees will serve as a wind barrier for volleyball play, and will also help to prevent park goers from getting hit by any potential stray balls.
We’ve recently removed the old split rail (log style) wood fencing on both sides on the main entrance to Chestnut Branch Park, and will soon be replacing it with white vinyl fencing to match the rest of the park facility.
The Township Committee will pass a resolution at our October meeting designating that Halloween will be celebrated on Tuesday, Oct. 31, and that the trick-or-treat hours will be from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m.
Upcoming township meetings and events:
- Monday, Oct. 9 is the Columbus Day holiday and our municipal offices will be closed for business. There will be no trash or recycling removal on this day, however, these services will resume on Tuesday, Oct. 10. Expect possible delays.
- Tuesday, Oct. 10 from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. our police department will be hosting Coffee with a Cop at Target and Starbucks on Woodbury-Glassboro Road.
- Saturday, Oct. 14 at 10 a.m. is the grand opening of our new Disc Golf Course at Chestnut Branch Park which will be named, Tornado Crossing.
Have a great week ahead, and Go Birds and Phils!
On behalf of Deputy Mayor Pete Scirrotto, myself, and the entire township committee – we look forward to continuing our service with honesty, integrity and trustful leadership!
Respectfully,
Mayor Robert T. Zimmerman, MAS
