The Historical Society has created a new virtual tour of Greenfield Hall, its headquarters.
The tour includes brief videos about the history of Greenfield Hall and some of the artifacts in the Society’s collection. These vignettes are titled Bonecrusher Bicycle, Fire Buckets, Hearth and Stove, Potty Chair, and Samplers.
Connect HERE to view the videos.
During their meeting on Tuesday, May 12, the Borough commissioners changed the date for payment of property taxes without penalty from May 31 (a Sunday) to Monday, June 1.
The regular due date for second quarter tax payments was May 1. The commissioners extended the usual grace period to the end of the month, at 0% interest, provided payment is received on or before May 31, 2020. That “drop dead” date is now June 1.
The commissioners’ action recognizes the financial difficulties some residents are experiencing, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Property taxes that are not paid by June 1, 2020 will be subject to interest at the rate of 8% per annum up to $1,500 owed and 18% per annum over $1,500, calculated from the due date (May 1) until the date the payment is actually received.
Although the Borough Hall is closed to the general public, payments can still be made “in person” by placing them in the black mailbox in front of the building. Place the tax bill and check in an envelope marked “Tax Office.” The box is emptied daily.
Paying by mail? The address is 242 Kings Highway E, Haddonfield NJ 08033.
The Board of Commissioners will meet virtually on May 12 at 7:30pm. Details HERE.
In normal times, Haddonfield celebrates the nation’s independence with a celebration downtown and fireworks on July 3 and a parade on July 4.
But these are not normal times.
The Haddonfield Celebrations Association, the not-for-profit community group that plans and raises funds for these and several other annual events, has decided that a public celebration of America’s independence will not be practical in 2020.
“We’re disappointed, of course,” said Ken Tomlinson, the Association’s president, “but we decided it was best to be safe rather than sorry.”
Arrangement for the fireworks and parade are typically made several months in advance. “Each year, we pay deposits to vendors and bands,” Tomlinson said, “but it didn’t make sense to do that this year, since there are many unknowns, and many decisions are out of our hands.”
Tomlinson said the Celebrations Association recognized that its decision will disappoint not just residents, but many others from throughout the region.
“Hundreds of out-of-town folks come to Haddonfield for our spectacular fireworks and one of the best parades in the Delaware Valley,” he said. “We will look forward to welcoming them back in 2021.”
The Board of Commissioners will hold their scheduled May 12, 2020 meeting via video, beginning at 7:30pm.
Members of the public who register HERE may watch, and participate at appropriate times. Those who register will receive instructions and a personal link by email. Instructions also will be provided for those who prefer to listen by phone.
Photo: Susan Baltake
After a traffic-stopping ride through downtown Haddonfield early this morning, a 1,000-pound, 15-foot tall bronze giraffe was installed in the Children’s Sculpture Zoo, within Tatem Memorial Garden, at the corner of Kings Highway East and Evergreen Avenue.
Now all he needs is a name. To suggest a name, enter on the Haddonfield Outdoor Sculpture Trust’s website, HERE, through May 31.
A CBS-owned website that specializes in coverage of American high school sports has ranked the athletics program at Haddonfield Memorial High School number 1 in New Jersey and number 14 in the United States.
MaxPreps calculates its rankings by assigning points for state championships and runner-up finishes and by factoring in the popularity of each sport, size of each state, state enrollment divisions, and the number of schools in each state enrollment division. Points also are awarded for national rankings, where available.
This school year, Haddonfield athletes brought home state championship trophies for boys’ cross country, girls’ indoor track, boys’ swimming, and girls’ swimming. They were state runners-up in girls’ field hockey and girls’ cross country.
The state rankings are HERE. The national rankings are HERE.
Students in New Jersey will not return to their brick-and-mortar schools any time soon. Governor Phil Murphy today ordered all schools in to remain closed for the remainder of the school year.
Public schools will continue to provide remote learning for students to allow districts to meet the state-required minimum of 180 instruction days.
In a statement released in conjunction with his order, Gov. Murphy said, “This is a difficult decision and I know that many students, parents, and staff would like to be able to return to school. However, I have been unwavering on the message that we need to make decisions based on science, not emotion. And while New Jersey is making great strides in mitigating the spread of COVID-19, science tells us that at this point, we can’t safely re-open our schools.”
The governor’s complete statement is HERE.
Among the 48 new COVID-19-related deaths reported today by the Camden County Department of Health were those of two male residents of Haddonfield: one in his 50s and one in his 90s.
The reporting period covers April 13 to 30 — hence the relatively high daily tally. It is not known how recently these two residents succumbed.
The total number of deaths of Haddonfield residents attributable to the novel coronavirus now stands at 4.
In Camden County, Haddonfield ranks relatively low with respect to cases reported. It is 30th out of 37 municipalities (27 cases vs. 3,542 county-wide), and 13th out of 14 municipalities with population greater than 10,000 (2.33 per 1,000 versus 6.85 county-wide).
The Planning Board will meet via Zoom on Tuesday, May 5, at 7:30pm.