The Borough will conduct an auction of abandoned, unclaimed bicycles on Saturday, October 17.
The auction will take place at the Public Works facility, 555 Centre Street.
Items to be auctioned may be inspected from 8am, for one hour. The auction will begin at 9am.
During their regular meeting on August 17, 2020, the Borough commissioners introduced the municipal budget for 2020.
The budget proposes total expenditure of $19,181,684.00, of which $12,232,816 will be raised through property taxes. The proposed local purpose tax rate is 0.5284 cents per $100 of assessed property valuation.
For the owner of a property assessed at the borough average of $ 488,481, local purpose taxes will be $2,581, an increase of $26 over last year’s taxes.
Two other examples:
Local purpose (municipal) taxes represent a little over 17% of the total property tax bill.
Apart from employee salaries, benefits, and pension payments ($8,634,733), which make up 47% of the budget, the largest expenditures include stormwater improvements ($2,995,000) and the Borough’s annual road program ($2,240,000).
The Budget Recapitulation document is available HERE.
A public hearing on the budget will be held during the Commissioners’ regular meeting on Tuesday, September 22, 2020, after which the Commissioners may vote to adopt.
The Borough commissioners will hold a regular work session on Monday, August 17 at 4pm.
To attend virtually, register in advance HERE. Access the agenda HERE.
They will hold a regular meeting on Monday, August 17 at 7pm. The agenda will include the annual municipal budget.
To attend virtually, register in advance HERE. Access the agenda HERE.
The owners of Villa Rosa Italian Restaurant at 51 Kings Highway East announced on Friday (August 14) that they will close their business on Sunday.
The restaurant operated at the top end of Kings Highway, adjacent to the Speedline, for several decades, before moving to its present location two years ago.
“After 33 years of serving our amazing communities,” the owners wrote on their Facebook site on Friday afternoon, “we are saddened to announce that tomorrow, Saturday August 15, will be our last day in business.
“Due to the long-lasting impacts of COVID-19, we have made the difficult decision to permanently close. This Pandemic has really hit our business hard, and as hard as we tried to stay afloat, some things just aren’t meant to be. Thank you to all of our guests for your loyalty & for keeping us in business for so many years. You have all become family to us! We will miss you all! But it’s time to search for new horizons & see what the future has in store for us. We appreciate everyone’s support during these hard times.”
Fans of the restaurant responded in droves, with the result that the restaurant ran out of dough to make pizza. “We want to thank EVERYONE who came out today or called in to show your support! We’re sorry if we couldn’t take care of all of you today; we got slammed with orders, BUT we will be open all day Saturday from 11am-11pm.” the owners wrote on Facebook.
One fan – Alex Kadar – set up a GoFundMe site, with a goal of raising $100,000.
READ MORE: “Last Bites: Haddonfield Bids Farewell to Villa Rosa After 32 Years” by Matt Skoufalos for NJPen.com
The NJ Department of Health released new rules today (August 13) for closing schools in response to positive tests among students and/or teachers.
The 19-page document includes the following:
Access “COVID-19 Public Health Recommendations for Local Health Departments for K-12 Schools” HERE.
On Tuesday, August 11, the New Jersey Education Association called on Gov. Murphy and the New Jersey Department of Education to direct all New Jersey public schools to open remotely this fall.
The New Jersey Association of School Administrators and the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association joined the NJEA in making the call.
“For months, New Jersey educators and administrators have been working tirelessly to find a way to safely bring students back into school buildings in September. Now, with less than a month remaining before schools are scheduled to reopen, it is time to reluctantly acknowledge that goal is simply not achievable. Reopening schools for in-person instruction under the current conditions poses too great a risk to the health of students and schools staff. The question of whether and when to reopen for in-person instruction is first and foremost a public health decision that cannot be left in the hands of nearly 600 individual school districts. The stakes are too high, and the consequences of a wrong decision are too grave. That is why we are calling on Gov. Murphy and the New Jersey Department of Education to direct all New Jersey public schools to open remotely this fall. We fully support and share the governor’s goal of moving to in-person instruction as soon as the science and data say we can do so responsibly and when the resources are available in our school buildings to do it safely.
“We wish it could be different, but the facts are not in our favor. Our nation is in the middle of an uncontrolled pandemic. Our state, while doing better than many others, has not yet stopped the spread of this virus, particularly among the same young people who are scheduled to return to school in under four weeks. New Jersey’s communities are still at risk, and putting students and staff inside school buildings, even with exceptional precautions, increases that risk.
“We have seen what is happening elsewhere in the country where, within a few days of opening, schools are having to transition to remote learning following outbreaks of COVID-19. Every day, through research and the experience of other states, we are learning more about the effects of this disease on children and their ability to contribute to community spread.
“We have repeatedly asked for universal statewide health standards, which have not been provided. Despite the tireless efforts of all school stakeholders, districts have struggled to meet even the minimum standards that were provided. Inadequate levels of funding, staffing, equipment and facilities will result in inequities in the level of safety afforded to all New Jersey students.
“We urge the governor to act quickly and decisively. We need the rest of the summer to focus our attention and resources on building the most effective remote learning plans possible. While remote education cannot replace in-person instruction, we believe that a carefully planned, well-resourced remote education plan is better than the dangerous, uncertain in-person alternative currently available to us.
“We also need consistent statewide guidance to allow us to focus on addressing critical equity issues. From closing the digital divide to ensuring that students have access to adequate nutrition to figuring out how to provide critical individual therapies and specialized educational services, there will be many challenges ahead. We will be better able to address those issues by all districts starting in a virtual environment, rather than investing our time and scarce resources in a likely unsustainable in-person beginning of the year.
“We remain committed to getting back to in-person instruction as soon as it is safe. It is not safe yet.”
On Wednesday, August 12, Gov. Murphy announced that school districts that cannot meet health and safety standards for safe in-person instruction will begin their school year with all-remote learning.
Public and non-public schools must certify to the Department of Education that they are able to meet the state’s standards for safe in-person instruction. If they cannot, they will be required to provide remote learning for all students.
The Reverend Dr. Charles A. Sayre, the senior pastor at Haddonfield United Methodist Church from 1965 to 1990, died peacefully at home on Monday, August 10, 2020. He was 100.
He was revered not just by the church’s congregation but also by thousands of residents of Camden, where he planted and nurtured numerous seeds, and by fellow members of the Rotary Club of Haddonfield, of which he had been a devoted member for 55 years.
In a note to members of the congregation on August 11, The Reverend Chris Heckert wrote:
“It is with a sense of profound loss that I share that Rev. Dr. Charles Sayre passed away of natural causes, surrounded by his family, and entered into God’s eternal rest yesterday, August 10th. Rev. Dr. Sayre served as the Sr. Pastor for 25 years, from 1965-1990. In that time he had a massive impact for the witness of Jesus Christ in our church, community and greater world, in helping people to live into the kingdom of God, on earth, as it is in heaven. Under his leadership, HUMC grew exponentially, and expanded its mission and ministry into Camden with the founding of Respond, Inc. Beyond the local church, he was a leader in the United Methodist Church worldwide, as he was elected to the Methodist World Council, and served as the lead clergy delegate to the General Conference for 8 quadrennia. Upon his retirement he remained an active resident of Haddonfield as an influential friend, leader, Rotarian, and mentor to countless people. On April 19th, 2020, he celebrated his 100th birthday, remarking how blessed and happy he was to be surrounded by loving friends and family via Zoom.
“Although we grieve his loss, may we share the profound gratitude that Dr. Sayre held in his heart. During both of my visits with him this past week, he reiterated how thankful he was for his life, for his loving family, and for this church community. Just this past Sunday he listened to our worship service online and shared with me afterward that he believed that serving Haddonfield UMC is the best job in Methodism. For each life that has been touched, inspired, blessed and enriched by the ministry and witness of Rev. Dr. Charles Sayre, we now carry his mission of leading others to follow Jesus Christ within our hearts and our lives.
“During this time I ask that you keep his daughters Jill, Judy, and their entire family in your prayers. A graveside service will be private for family only, but we will share plans for public celebration of his life at a later date as they develop. Gifts in his memory may be sent to the church with “In memory of Charles Sayre” in the memo line, or an accompanying note. Gifts made in his memory will benefit the Lucile B. Sayre Meditation Garden across from the church.
“One of Dr. Sayre’s favorite hymns of faith was “It is Well with my Soul,” which offers these words of comfort:
When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well, with my soul
It is well
With my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul
“Because a life lived for others has now transitioned into God’s eternal, loving embrace, may we find God’s comfort and peace. Because of Dr. Sayre’s leadership, loving heart and friendship to many, may we say now, ‘it is well with my soul.'”
Treble voice singers aged 8 to 18 are invited to join ChildrenSong in a summer workshop in voice development on Zoom for four days from Monday, August 24 thru Thursday 27.
There are three divisions:
Auditions are required for those interested in participating in the Select Choir program. Auditions are NOT required for the other two programs.
Singers will develop vocal technique, learn how to read music, create a virtual performance, and meet new friends with similar interests!
This program is free and can be accessed anywhere via Zoom. Registration is required, at childrensong.org/events.
In normal times, ChildrenSong’s home base is at the Lutheran Church of Our Savior in Haddonfield.
The Haddonfield School District has added a new tab on the home page of its website: Reopening.
The drop-down menu provides access to a variety of topics related to the district’s planning and plans for school in September:
Access the district’s website HERE.