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Bellmawr Council approved several Resolutions at their January 25, 2018 meeting regarding the Bellmawr Waterfront Redevelopment project.
- Michael McKenna, Esquire was approved as special counsel for redevelopment.
- Econsult Solutions, Inc. was approved as financial advisor for redevelopment matters.
- Davis Weinstein, Esquire was approved as special counsel to assist Michael McKenna, Esq. for redevelopment contracts.
Resolution #01:52-18
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Resolution #01:55-18
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Resolution #01:56-18
Agenda & Resolutions
All other items on Council’s agenda were approved.
Councilman Jim D’Angelo voted no on Resolution #01:54-18 — authorizing an agreement for professional services for Garrison Architects.
Councilman Steve Sauter voted yes to the bill list with the exception of those bills that pertain to pest control.
Click to view the meeting Agenda, supporting Resolutions and the bill list in greater detail.
Borough Employees Congratulated & Thanked
During the meeting, Mayor Frank Filipek and all of the Councilmen congratulated Joe Ciano for his appointment as Director of Public Works and Pat Gallagher for his appointment as Highway Department Superintendent.
Ciano said: “I would like to thank Mayor and Council for having the faith in me to do the job that they appointed me to do, which is to direct the whole Public Works.”
Ciano continued by saying he watched Pat Gallagher come up through the ranks. “He threw trash for many years. He learned every aspect of Public Works and worked his butt off, went to school, and passed a very difficult test. I know because I took it. I am proud of him and all of these other guys. Every one of them works hard everyday.”
(All Photos & Video by SJO)
The Bellmawr Highway Department’s Mike “Juice” Williams received a letter of appreciation from a resident thanking him for his hard work. The letter was read aloud by Borough Clerk Frani Wright.
In response to the letter, Williams stressed: “It’s always a team effort.”
Highlights From Council’s Committee Reports
Councilman Paul DeAngelis spoke about Bellmawr Municipal Court and the possibility of expanding the court system. “It is in the early stages and I don’t have a lot of information on it. Last year, there were over 54,000 cases. We also take care of Route 42 and 295.”
DeAngelis said that tickets written by the State Police out of the Bellmawr station also come before the Bellmawr Court system.
In 2016, 44,000 cases were heard. “We increased it by 10,000 in one year,” he said.
Councilman Steve Hagerty said that in 2017, the Fire Department responded to 960 calls and the EMS responded to 3,200 calls.
The Fire Department’s new ladder truck has been delayed because of the holidays, but it should be arriving soon, Hagerty said.
Councilman Ray Bider said that the budget is being worked on. The auditors will be finished and submitting by February 10. The Annual Debt Service Statement is also due in February and will be uploaded to Bellmawr.com.
Bider also said that there will be a budget presentation this year.
Mayor Frank Filipek said he recently called former Gov. Chris Christie’s office to ask when the governor was going to give him a report on the Hugg Harrison Glover House that was demolished last year. The mayor said he was told it was the aide’s last day on the job.
Filipek also stated that a lawsuit was filed, but could take years to resolve.
Public Portion
A Spruce Avenue resident asked about the status of his neighbor’s bush.
Lou DiAngelo presented a dividend check to the Borough from the South Jersey Regional Health Insurance Fund for $332,000. “You can apply this towards your next premium or whatever Mayor and Council decide to do with it,” he said.