SWEDESBORO– –At their meeting on May 15, the Swedesboro Council touted the success of their trip to New York in May, where two Councilmembers accepted two artifacts from the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center. Councilmembers Sam Casella and Mary Alice O’Blennis went on the trip, escorted by members of the Woolwich Fire Department and a Military Color Guard formation.
Swedesboro received two pieces of train rail steel from the WTC. Casella had expressed interest in Swedesboro obtaining 9/11 artifacts for a long time, and composed a letter to the Port Authority requesting an artifact for the community. The Councilmember noted that Swedesboro had responders at the World Trade Center on the day of the attacks.
Casella said, “This will also honor all of those first responders, the military and the
volunteers that have and continue to defend our country in the name of freedom.”
After returning from New York and a ceremony at the Woolwich Fire House, the procession went past the Walter Hill School where more than 100 students stood outside the school and recited the Pledge of Allegiance, impressing Casella. “They could hear the kids reciting it back in New York City,” Casella commented.
The Councilmember thanked Municipal Clerk Tanya Goodwin, the local police, and everyone else involved in helping to complete the trip. “We are part of that day not just today, not just tomorrow, but forever,” Casella added.
The rails are being stored in Swedesboro’s Public Works until the community decides how to permanently display them.
In other news, Woolwich Township Director of Community Development Matt Blake gave Swedesboro Council a presentation about the Open Space and Recreation Plan between the two communities. The OSRP is a listing of goals and ideas for recreation facilities, on and off-road trails, and timelines for land use throughout Swedesboro and Woolwich.
“We have a mingled destiny between our two towns,” Blake observed. “We own a lot of land, and this is a blueprint on what to do with it.” It took online and telephone surveys, a task force and public meetings to come up with the plan, according to Blake.
Blake sees the plan as “something really big that serves as a destination.” He noted that nearly 70 miles of trails are under consideration.
“The plan is adaptive, and some of these will fall by the wayside,” Blake added.
“Together we can make our two communities two of the most desirable and sustainable places to live, work and play in South Jersey,” Blake concluded.
In resolutions, Council authorized outdoor seating for Restaurante Colosio, and approved outdoor seating and consumption of alcohol for Tavro 13. They also accepted an expansion of premises application for Botto’s Italian Line Restaurant.
Elsewhere, in Public Safety, Woolwich Township Police Chief Richard Jaramillo emphasized that his forces were “conscientiously trying to make more of a presence in town.” When Mayor Tom Fromm asked about the investigation into the murder of local homeless man Sylvester Combs, Jaramillo assured him the case remained open.
“We are leaving no stone unturned,” stated Jaramillio. “We are working to get every bit of evidence we need to build a solid case.”
Jaramillio mentioned that the reward for information on Combs’ murder was now $7,500.
— by Robert Holt
