WOOLWICH TWP — At their meeting on Feb. 18, the Woolwich Township Committee adopted an ordinance that would create the position of Deputy Chief for the township police department. Positions authorized along with the Chief of Police in their order of rank are now deputy chief, captain, lieutenant, sergeant, corporal, patrolman, probationary patrolman and special officers.
Appointments and promotions are made through action of the township committee after consultation with Chief of Police Richard Jaramillo. The Committee also amended the 2019 Salary Ordinance for Woolwich Township to a range from $115,00 to $125,000.
Later, the Committee adopted a resolution elevating Lt. Joseph Morgan to the Deputy Chief position. Morgan has served Woolwich Township since 2002 and has been a lieutenant since Dec. 3, 2012. Also in the Woolwich Township Police Department, Lt. Peter Massing Jr. has been elevated to the position of Captain. Massing has served with Woolwich since 2000 and has served as lieutenant since Dec. 3, 2012.
According to the resolution, since there was not currently a captain with the Woolwich Police, the Woolwich Township Committee agreed that it was in the best interests of the township to fill the position.
The Committee also elevated Police Sgt. Thomas Daniels to the position of lieutenant in the Woolwich Township Police Department. Another resolution saw Detective Corporal Chris Beckett elevated to the position of Detective Sergeant. Beckett was hired as a 6th class patrolman in May 2009.
Woolwich Township saw more new faces in other departments in March as Michael Whitecraft and Thomas Short were hired as laborer/operators for the Woolwich Public Works Department. One more hiring within the township saw Denise O’Rourke join the Woolwich Joint Municipal Court as part-time secretarial support.
Last year, Woolwich tried to help its residents learn energy efficiency and how to reduce their home energy use. The township partnered with SPS Mechanical to make a home energy assessment for $49. The Woolwich Home Energy Awareness Program was established to help residents save energy and money while increasing greater overall community sustainability.
But SPS wants to raise the price of the home energy audits. SPS is said to want to continue the program but was not represented at the Feb. 18 meeting.
This program is based on a Sustainable Jersey model to encourage participation in the NJ Home Performance with Energy Star Program. This program can help homeowners qualify for up to $4,000 in cash rebates and up to $10,000 in zero interest financing for home energy improvements that could reduce their energy use by up to 30 percent.
Committeewoman Gina Santore moved that any action be tabled.
Elsewhere, the town’s new vegetative carts were scheduled to be distributed on Feb. 18. Vegetative collection starts on Monday, April 6 and April 20, then will be collected every Monday after May 4 until November. Yard waste consists of grass clippings, leaves and brush, and will be placed in the green yard waste containers provided by the township. The carts must be properly placed at the curb by no later than 6 a.m. on pickup day, and no earlier than 6 p.m. prior to your collection day, and the lid has to close.
More carts can be purchased by residents. Woolwich Township purchased and distributed carts are specially constructed to be used in an automated or semi-automated collection system. The cart is designed for ease of handling, durability and has a lid which keeps odors in and moisture out. The blue (recycling), gray (trash), and green (vegetative) carts are the only container which can be used in the township collection system.
The cart is being provided by the township and has a serial number for each address. The cart is the property of the township. If a resident sells their property, the cart must remain at the address.
All residents have received or will receive a 95-gallon cart for trash in early December and in late winter for vegetative waste collection. The 95-gallon cart is more than three times greater than the standard residential can.
A cart filled with standard household waste should not exceed your cart capacity. Garbage placed outside the cart will not be picked up.
Trash and recycling carts are to be set at least four feet apart from each other and clear of any stationary objects such as cars, trees, electrical boxes, and mail boxes. Carts should be placed with can opening accessible from the street and the wheels against the curb line to ensure proper dumping. Failure to comply will result in a missed pickup.
Woolwich Township will continue to place all recyclables (plastics, glass, cans, paper, and cardboard) in the blue cart, while regular household waste is placed in the gray 95-gallon cart.
by Robert Holt
