by Robert Holt
SWEDESBORO — At their meeting on Feb. 17, the Swedesboro Council talked about potential safety issues at a school bus stop on Glen Echo Court and Glen Echo Avenue. According to Woolwich Township Police Lt. Sheldon Lewis, students are not necessarily crossing the street at the designated area.
Lewis pointed out that dump trucks and tractor-trailers are not seeing signage until they get very close to the area. “They’re going to paint a crosswalk there and add signage, but the county can’t come out until the weather is warmer,” Lewis said.
“If there’s a safety issue, we need to contact Kingsway,” observed Swedesboro Mayor Tom Fromm. About 15 to 20 Kingsway High School students are picked up at the stop.
Lewis mentioned that he’d been in contact with Kingsway, and would continue conversations with the school. The lieutenant said he intended to get the roster of the buses that make pickups in that area.
Fromm thought a letter to the parents co-written by Kingsway High School and the police to get the children to cross properly would be another possibility.
Local resident Tom Fink said that a radar sign showed vehicles going about 15 to 20 miles over the speed limit on the street. Fromm suggested having a patrol car watch the area, but Lewis noted that drivers would warn each other.
“Glen Echo has always had an issue with speeding,” the mayor countered. “I think drivers will talk if they knew their CDL was in jeopardy.”
Fromm acknowledged that the purchase of four pole-mounted radar signs was already in the community’s next budget. “They will display the speed, and also a message,” Fromm explained. “One or two will go on Franklin Ave., and they’re solar.”
“They are Bluetooth capable, and can contain data,” added the mayor.
Fromm later informed Lewis that according to a recent report, Swedesboro and Woolwich Township had been named the 14th safest community in New Jersey. The police information is combined for both communities because they share police services.
In other news, another crosswalk of concern to the community at Kings Highway and Lake Avenue will be painted when the temperatures get warmer, according to Gloucester County employee Bob Jonas.
Elsewhere, after a public hearing, Council passed an ordinance to exceed municipal budget appropriation limits and establish a cap bank. And in Parks and Recreation, Councilmember Joanna Gahrs announced that Father-Daughter Dances would be coming up on March 20 and 21, and the Easter Egg Hunt would take place on March 28.
Also, Councilmember Sam Casella reported that 20 signs had just come in enforcing non-smoking in Swedesboro’s parks and recreation areas.
In Finance, Fromm said that he had gone over a preliminary budget with the CFO. The mayor thanked those who got their 2015 requests in early. “The budget’s going to be tight, and it’s going to be finalized pretty quick,” commented the mayor.
And Councilmember Diane Hale told the Council that a new East-West shuttle bus service would be stopping in Swedesboro in April. The shuttle is being financed through a $1.2 million grant from the Pascale Sykes Foundation.
Residents of Swedesboro, Williamstown, Mullica Hill, and Glassboro will be able to take advantage of the service. Hale said that the community hadn’t been told of the scheduled stops for the shuttle at the time of the meeting.
“It’s also going to stop at the medical facilities,” related Fromm. “We have people now who can’t get to the local CVS, so they have to take a bus to Woodbury.”
