Welcome to all in attendance tonight.
I want to acknowledge a few dignitaries who are in attendance tonight.
NJ State and Assemblyman William Moen. Special thank you to Assemblyman Moen for swearing us all in tonight.
Gloucester County Board of Commissioners, Director Frank DiMarco and Deputy Director Heather Simmons.
I’d like to congratulate Councilman Lawrence and Councilman Gayle on being reelected and sworn into their council seats tonight for the next three years. I would also like to congratulate Councilman Murtaugh for being selected to continue to serve as council president for a third year. I thank the residents of Westville for electing me to my first four-year term as their mayor. It was a special moment tonight to be sworn in as mayor for the first time in person other than over Zoom meetings and having my two grandsons Liam and Thomas and my family by myside.
I consider it a privilege and continue to be honored to serve as your mayor and to represent the town and its residents as I have done for the past two and a half years. I look forward to working with all of the council along with our professional appointments and all department heads and staff with keeping the town moving forward in 2023.
In an effort to continue to communicate with our residents, in 2022 many Facebook messages were posted on the borough’s official Facebook page along with summaries of council meetings, actions taken by the council, scheduled events, code enforcement, police and fire department monthly activity reports. I’d like to thank our Deputy Clerk Kate Carroll for working very closely with me as I provide her with wording in my own words. She then edits my wording and coverts into a very professional message with fantastic graphic imagery to be posted to facebook and the borough’s website. I encourage everyone to visit these official sites to review these important and informational messages. These type of messages, reports and announcements will continue in 2023. Please do not rely on unofficial social media sites to obtain factual information regarding the Borough of Westville. When in doubt please call the Borough Offices for the correct information.
Our regular monthly council meetings in 2023 will continue to take place on the fourth Monday of each month at 6:00 p.m. here in these council chambers. There will be no work sessions scheduled for 2023. However, special council meetings will be scheduled on an as needed basis.
I’d like to thank all department heads along with all borough employees for all the hard work and services they provided to the town and its residents in 2022. Thank you to the Police Department and Fire Department for their exceptional services and all that they do in protecting the town in any emergency that may occur and working hard keeping our residents safe.
In October the police department in conjunction with the Gloucester County Prosecutors Office started participating and offering to any person needing assistance with drug and/or alcohol addiction a program called “Straight to Treatment.” All that person needs to do is asked for that help.
In 2022, as requested by the Parkview School Board, Mayor, Council and Deputy Police Chief Packer worked closely with school administration to discuss and prepare a shared service agreement to assign a Westville Police Officer as a fulltime school resource officer at the school during school hours. Starting tomorrow, January 4th, Officer Tom Curl will be assigned to the school to fulfill those duties.
The fire department in conjunction with the Gloucester City Fire Department have received a FEMA, Swift Water & Ice Water grant to train members in this area of emergency response and purchase equipment such as inflatable boats, bodysuits and vest. The fire department now has 18 members certified in Swift Water & Ice Water Rescue. Various members have also been certified as Repaid Intervention Team (RIT) members.
Thank you to the Public Works Department for continuing the exceptional services they also provide. Thank you to the borough administrative staff along with the office staff for continuing to provide excellent service to the residents as they come to the borough hall to take care of their needs. In 2023 all of the departments I have just mentioned, I’m sure, will continued to provide the level of service our residents have grown accustomed to.
Thank you to all the volunteer Boards, Committees and service organizations such as the Lions Club, Women’s Club, Rolling Badges, Town Watch, Westville Business Association and the Sports Organizations for volunteering their time, giving back to the community and making Westville a better place to live. Thank you for “Getting Involved and Making a Difference.”
Thank you to the Westville Democrat Committee for donating and providing the
three flower arraignments you see here tonight. As a token of our appreciation
those flower arrangements will be given to the wives of the elected officials who
were sworn in tonight. Which is my wife Linda, Councilman Lawrence’s wife
Amanda and Councilman Gayle’s wife Carrie.
Summary of 2022 and moving forward in 2023
Westville will continue to be open for business to anyone who is interested in working with Mayor and Council to fill vacant buildings and houses for the betterment of the town along with listening to and reviewing any proposed projects, town wide to enhance the future growth of the town.
In 2023 the Borough will continue with its downtown redevelopment plans.
Mayor, Council and the Borough Administrator continued to meet with several developers and private businesspersons throughout 2022 who seem to be very interested in Westville. In fact, we are currently finalizing an agreement with a developer to purchase 201 Broadway, (Westville Square) from the Borough and make renovations to the building to be the cornerstone of our downtown redevelopment project.
The borough welcomed three new businesses to the downtown business district in 2022 which are: Erin Layton Photography, Hugs Ceramics, new owners to the Westville Brewery along with other business around town including the Galaxy Car Wash, Arde Group Auto Repair Services, Full Moon Restaurant and the Professional Office Building. We are hoping to see other businesses open in the downtown area in 2023. The borough continues a working relationship with the Gloucester County Chamber of Commerce and the Gloucester County Economic Development Committee to promote the town’s business district and attract other businesses to invest in Westville. This is ongoing and will continue in 2023.
We continue to work with an investor to redevelop the old Mars Graphics property.
Over the last year or so we worked with a company called EVgo to have two
electric car charging stations installed in the borough parking lot for the general
public to use as needed. The charging stations are currently open for anyone to use.
There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony in the near future to promote and
announce the opening. This project was no cost to the borough. It is our hope that
people using the charging system to charge their electric cars, visit our downtown
businesses while waiting for their cars to be charged.
In 2021 a private developer purchased the old West Park Apartments at 910 Gateway Boulevard. In 2022 this same developer purchased the Woodbine Apartments at 300 Broadway. These apartment complexes have been an eyesore and endured quality of life issues for several years with the West Park apartments actually being shut down. The private developer started redeveloping these complexes in 2021 and continued in 2022. Once the redevelopment is completed in 2023 these apartment complexes will become a viable, beautiful places to live as they once were.
Phase #3 of our water main infrastructure replacement project is anticipated to
begin around the end of January or the beginning of February. This project
includes replacing the water mains on Pine Street and along Broadway between
Olive and Delsea Drive. This project has been moved up due to the County
planning to repave all of Broadway in 2023.
The Borough is currently working with State and County Officials to have pedestrian activated crosswalk lights installed at Broadway and Pine Street, Delsea Drive and Duncan Avenue, Almonesson Road and Delsea Drive and Olive Street at High Street for pedestrian safety and to help reduce the speed of traffic in those areas.
In 2022 council approved having our water and sewer bills combined into one bill, mailed out to residents and businesses each quarter which will reduce operational \
and postage cost to the borough. The first of the combination bills were recently mailed out.
There is also a water/sewer senior citizen discount available to those who are eligible.
In 2022 council approved having PSE&G update all 45 decorative light poles with LED light bulbs and new lamp fixtures within the downtown business district. This project is on-going.
In 2022 all borough community events such as the Memorial Day Services, Fireworks Festivities, Fall Festival, Christmas Tree Lighting, and Parade were well attended and will continue in 2023. A big thank you to the Celebrations of Public Events Committee for continuing to meet on a monthly basis to plan, prepare and make changes where needed to make these events successful each year. I’d also like to thank all businesses and the borough’s professional appointments for their donations and for supporting these events. Without their generous donations and support these community events may not happen.
Continue to use shared service agreements with the Borough of Brooklawn to share Borough Administrator Services and Public Works Departments.
In 2022 Boundary Lane to Birch Street along with the entire length of Birch Street was repaved which was funded in part through specific grants awarded to the borough. Within this same project parking areas around Parkview School specifically, Boundary Lane, Duncan Avenue and the tennis courts were reconfigured to address school safety concerns, and enhance traffic flow as parents are dropping off and picking up students. This project also addressed and has minimized flooding issues on Duncan Avenue. There is now a pickleball court located on one of the old tennis courts which will be opened in the spring.
Pine Street, Lehigh, State and High Street between Duncan Avenue and New
Street is listed project to be repaved in 2023. Delsea Drive which is a state project is supposed to be repaved in 2023. The County is planning to repave all of Broadway in 2023.
Four years ago, the Borough entered into a shared service agreement with the Fire District to enhance our efforts with code enforcement and to address quality of life issues. This arrangement will continue in 2023.
We will continue to address maintenance issues with the pond at Thomas West Park. In fact, the State of New Jersey, Department of Environmental Protection notified the borough in November of 2021 that the Borough was awarded a $65,540 matching fund Green Acres Grant for improvements to the pond at Thomas West Park. The Borough Engineer is currently working on obtaining NJDEP permits for this project.
Applied for and received various grants for special projects around town including grants for repaving streets and projects within the police department. We will continue applying for grants in 2023.
On September 11, 2021, the Borough dedicated a new 911 Memorial in Thomas West Park with a beautiful and moving memorial and dedication ceremony honoring all who lost their lives in the tragic events of September 11, 2001. In 2022 four new benches were finally delivered from being back ordered for over a year and installed by our public works department. In December a new brick pillar was erected at the 911 Memorial to display limestone from the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia which was the crash site of American Airlines flight 77 and soil from Stoneycreek Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania which was the crash site of United Airlines flight 93. Once the protected glass display cases of these artifacts are mounted the 911 Memorial project will be completed.
In August of 2022, the fire department held a beautiful 100th Anniversary Building Dedication of the Independent Fire Company with the return of the fire bell outside of the firehouse along with the remembrance of George W.A. Bishop’s line of duty death that happened on May 19, 1939.
In 2022 Mayor and Council worked along with the Westville Environmental
Commission and professional engineers to complete an Environmental Resource
Inventory or ERI Study which is a compilation of text, tables, maps and other
visual information about the natural resource characteristics and environmentally
significant
Addressed and held on-site meetings with Congressman Norcross and our 5th
Legislative District officials regarding flooding issues in town and will continue
the same in 2023. We will continue to work with Federal and State officials to
continue addressing our flooding issue.
Due to safety and maintenance concerns, the Borough worked with New Jersey Transit to update and replace two different bus shelters along Delsea Drive. This project is now completed.
At the requests of several residents’ the council approved adding stop signs at two intersections along Boundary Lane at Cedar and Oak Avenues in hopes of slowing down traffic and the safety of school children walking to school in that area.
Mayor and Council approved updating various playground equipment within the
borough parks. Thank you to the public works department for installing the
playground equipment and maintaining our parks and playgrounds.
In 2022, the borough implemented a town-wide security camera system which included the installation of forty-four security cameras in strategic locations around
town. This project is now completed.
Reconstruction of Route 130 or Westside Bridge and Broadway/Delsea Drive or Eastside Bridge is expected to start in 2023. There is now some question to which bridge the State will reconstruct first. We have been working with the State and NJ Transportation Department to confirm and to hopefully minimized traffic issues that may arise during both bridge projects. Once the first bridge is completed the reconstruction of the second will be started.
