At the Aug. 10 meeting of the Voorhees Township Committee, committee was able to insert about $266,000 of revenue into its budget thanks to receiving two state grants.
The larger of the two grants, valued at $192,000, stems from the NJ Bikeway Grant Program.
The state Department of Transportation runs the program that allows counties and municipalities to receive funds to promote bicycling as an alternative to using other forms of transportation.
The grant is awarded to counties and municipalities with the priority given to the construction of new bike paths, although the construction of new bike facilities is also considered.
The smaller of two grants Voorhees received was valued at $74,000 through the New Jersey Safe Streets to Transit program.
The program, also run by the NJDOT, provides funding to counties and municipalities to use in improving access to public transportation.
Uses of the grant can range from a goal such as improving the safety of those walking to transit facilities, or promoting transit users walk to their station instead or use an automobile.
In other news:
-Committee held a second reading for and passed an ordinance to prohibit parking on parts of Dumont Circle.
According to the ordinance, parking on the east side of the street will now be prohibited from 190 feet south of Laurel Oak Road and then prohibited further from between the points of 375 feet south and 485 feet south.
On the west side of the street, parking will be prohibited from 475 feet south of Laurel Oak Road.
According Voorhees Township administrator Larry Spellman, the ordinance was originally prompted by complaints the township received from drivers who had their line of sight blocked by cars parked near and up to the stop sign on Dumont Circle next to Kellman Academy.
-Committee approved a shared services agreement with the Borough of Stratford for fire subcode services. Voorhees will partner with Stratford to provide the borough with fire subcode services and ultimately reduce costs for both municipalities.
-Two bids were awarded at the meeting. The first dealt with public works uniforms, with the lowest bid submitted by Specialty Graphics of Marlton at $486.50 per unit. The contract is set to be in effect for one year.
The second bid was for a compressed natural gas trash truck. With the lowest bid of $314,654, committee awarded the bid to McNeilus Truck & Manufacturing.
-Committee approved a treatment works application for Samaritan Healthcare.
Engineers for the township determined that Samaritan paid all sewer connection fees and met all requirements for the sewer installation, and Samaritan has paid all sewer connection fees.
Samaritan plans to open the area’s first free-standing inpatient hospice in Voorhees off of Route 73.
-Committee authorized hirings to fill two positions, one a laborer in the Department of Public Works, the other a school traffic guard in the police department.
-The next meeting of the Voorhees Township Committee is currently scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 8. The meeting’s normal meeting day of Monday was moved due to the observation of the Labor Day holiday.
