PREPARING FOR THE REVALUATION
From time to time, municipalities are required to revalue all of the taxable real property within their borders. Typically, revaluations take place every 10 to 15 years. The last revaluation in Haddonfield took place 13 years ago, and went into effect in 1995. The County Board of Taxation ordered the Borough in July 2005 to conduct the revaluation at this time.

The purpose of a revaluation is to establish equity among property values, so that all taxpayers are paying their fair share of property taxes, neither too great a portion of the total to be collected, nor to small a portion. The purpose is not to increase the total amount of taxes collected. In fact, after a typical revaluation, about one-third of properties will pay less in taxes, about one-third will pay the same, and about one-third will pay more.

The Commissioners received proposals from two revaluation companies recently and compared their fees with the estimated cost of carrying out the work internally. They estimate that the Borough will save at least 10%, and considerable supervision time, by handling the work in-house. The total cost is expected to be about $450,000.

During their meeting on July 25, the Commissioners introduced an Ordinance to fund the work over five years, as permitted by state law. It is likely that short-term notes will be used for funding purposes.

It is expected that inspections will begin in the fall, after notices have been mailed to all affected property owners. The borough will publish detailed information about the process from time to time. The work should take about one year to complete; it will take effect in the 2008 tax year.

NEW POLICE VEHICLES
During their meeting on July 11, the Commissioners approved the purchase of two new vehicles for the Police Department. A Ford Crown Victoria from Winner Ford of Cherry Hill and a Dodge Durango from Warnock Dodge of Hanover were both purchased under state contracts which guarantee the lowest possible price. Both vehicles were leased three years, with a $1.00 option-to-purchase price at the end of the term.

Accessory equipment for use in emergencies was purchased from Winner Ford and Autoport of New Castle DE.

The total cost for the leases and purchases is about $11,000 per vehicle per year, over three years.

RETIREMENT PLANS ANNOUNCED
Borough Commissioner Richard Schwab has informed the Commissioners that he plans to retire next summer, by which time he will have been with the Borough for 28 years.

In giving the Commissioners a year’s notice, Mr. Schwab is seeking to ensure that the Borough will have ample time to plan the transition to a new Administrator.

In responding to the announcement, the Commissioners expressed their appreciation for Schwab’s past service and willingness to work with them on the transition.

TAX BILLS
Tax bills for 2006 are “in the mail.” Once again, the mailing was later than scheduled because of delays in receiving vital information from the state. Accordingly, the Commissioners have extended the grace period for paying the third quarter portion.

Normally, payment would be due on August 1 but the Borough will accept payment of the third quarter portion until 4:30pm on Monday, August 21, without penalty.

NOTE, however, that if payment is received after August 21, state law requires the Borough to charge interest from August 1. The interest rate is 8% for amounts up to $1,500 and 18% for any delinquency over $1,500 for the length of the delinquency.

ROADWORKS = DETOURS
The reconstruction of Lincoln Avenue between Park and Chestnut Street is proceeding and it is expected that the intersections with Walnut and Centre will be closed soon to permit the construction of raised intersections.

Motorists are urged to avoid Lincoln Avenue in the coming weeks and to use Kings Highway as an alternate route.

The work involves laying new drainage pipes, pouring new curbs and driveway aprons (where necessary), constructing bulb-outs on the south side of Lincoln, installing brick crosswalks, constructing raised intersections, and repaving the road surface.

It is expected that the work will be completed by Labor Day.

EASEMENTS IN KINGS COURT
Some years ago (as far back as 1977), the Borough granted several easements for 150 Kings Highway E, the block of shops in Kings Court that was redeveloped recently. The easements covered overhangs that were removed during reconstruction. Another easement was granted in 2005, for construction purposes.

Now that work has been substantially completed, the Commissioners passed a resolution during their July 11 meeting, updating the easement arrangements to cover the small overhangs along the Kings Court property line.

The Borough is also holding discussions with the developer with respect to work in Kings Court, work the developer would normally have done towards the end of the construction process. Since it is possible that the whole of Kings Court will be redesigned in the near future, it has been agreed that rather than undertake his work as planned, the contractor should pay the Borough a sum equal to the estimated cost of that work, with the money to be put towards the cost of the larger job.

VACANCY: VOLUNTEER SOUGHT
There is a vacancy of the Historic Preservation Commission and the Commissioners invite expressions of interest (letter plus resume) from residents, especially architects, engineers, persons familiar with buildings (particularly historic buildings), and residents of the Historic District.

LINCOLN AVENUE CLOSURE
Roadwork is being carried out on Lincoln Avenue, and the street will be closed on weekdays from 7:00am to 4:00pm for about six weeks. During this time, drainage pipes will be laid and concrete will be poured for new curbs and driveway aprons, where necessary.

The second stage of the work will involve the construction of raised intersections at Walnut and Center, bulb-outs on the south side of Lincoln, and the installation of brick crosswalks. These devices are designed to slow and reduce the volume of traffic on Lincoln, make pedestrians more visible to motorists, and make it safer for pedestrians to cross Lincoln.

During this stage, Lincoln Avenue will be closed around-the-clock for up to two weeks. Motorists should follow detours along Ellis Street and Kings Highway.

The Commissioners express their appreciation to residents in the area for their cooperation. By its nature, this type of work causes inconvenience, but it must be done, and every attempt is being made to minimize inconvenience and to have the work completed as quickly as possible.

CHIPPING BRUSH AND LIMBS
Recent thunderstorms brought down a number of trees throughout the town, both on private property and in public parks. They also caused large numbers of limbs to fall, resulting in extraordinary demands the Public Works Department’s chipping crews. As it was, the amount of vegetative matter placed for collection each week has been greater than usual, thanks to growth spurts resulting from heavy spring rains.

At times like this, the Commissioners hope that residents will understand that the normal schedule, which calls for chipping crews to visit every street in town once a week – ideally on trash day – simply cannot be maintained.

They have two requests:
1. Please be patient. Chipping crews will get to you as soon as they can.
2. Please be considerate. Place only a “reasonable quantity” of material out for collection at any one time, in other words, no more than a two-man crew can process in fifteen minutes. If there is more than a “reasonable” quantity of material, the crew will leave for its next stop, and return another day to process another “reasonable” quantity.

Note that the Public Works Department does not collect limbs that are greater than six inches in diameter, entire trees, or tree stumps. Residents should retain a contractor for such work.

Questions? Concerns? Please call 429-0183.

SPEAKING OF TREE REMOVAL... The Commissioners recently authorized the Borough’s tree contractor, Elite Tree Removal, to take down 30 dead trees in a 60-day period, in addition to removals already scheduled. The work will cost about $36,000.

The Borough is having to deal with more dead trees than usual, a result of oak blight. Even after these 30 have been removed, another 30 will remain, to be dealt with in time.

TAX BILLS
Because the State’s budget process was delayed this year, the normal delay in receiving critical data from the State and County has been even longer this year. As of press time, the Borough had not received the data it needs to print the bills.

FUN ON THE 3rd AND 4th, 8th AND 9th
The Commissioners express their thanks to the Celebrations Association for again presenting a spectacular pyrotechnics display on July 3, and a festive parade on July 4. They also thank the many residents, business owners, and community groups that made these privately funded events possible.

The Partnership for Haddonfield “lucked out” once again, with great weather for the Crafts & Fine Arts Festival on July 8 and 9. Huge crowds came to town on both days, and many business owners reported excellent sales. The Commissioners thank the members of the Partnership for their work on this major project.

HIGHWAY CLOSED ON FRIDAY NIGHTS
Kings Highway between Haddon Avenue and Tanner Street will be closed from about 6:45pm to about 8:30pm on each Friday night in July, for a summer concert. The free concerts, sponsored by the Rotary Club, begin at 7: 00pm.

BEAT THE HEAT!
When the temperature rises above 90 degrees, the Mabel Kay House, which is air-conditioned, will be open from 10:00am to 5:00pm to provide relief for residents – especially seniors – who do not have air conditioning in their homes.

BOND SALE A SUCCESS
The Borough recently consolidated some existing debt with some new debt (all for capital projects) into a single $8,000,000 bond. In the past, the Borough has used one-year Bond Anticipation Notes for debt purposes. But, taking into account short-term and long-term interest rates and a number of factors, the Commissioners determined that it would be appropriate to authorize the issuing of 15-year general improvement bonds at this time.

After ratings representatives from Moody’s visited Haddonfield and met with Borough officials, the Borough auditors, and others, the company issued a rating for Haddonfield of Aa3, the highest possible for a community of our size in our region.

Subsequently, six pre-qualified companies bid on the bonds, with UBS Securities emerging as the winner, with a net interest rate of 4.2109%. Similar bonds are bringing around 4.5%, so the Borough got a good deal. (Plus, if rates should drop significantly, the Borough can refinance to benefit from lower rates.) Maturity dates for the bonds range from July 15, 2008 to July 15, 2022.

The Commissioners thank staff members Sharon McCullough, Terry Henry, bond counsel, and auditors for their excellent work on this project.

DOWNTOWN PLANNING UPDA TE
The Downtown Planning Workshop held at the Central School on June 22 was well-attended and provided an opportunity for interested members of the community to discuss a variety of directions that the development of Haddonfield’s downtown (including the PATCO lot) could follow.

The Borough’s urban design and planning consultants, Brown and Keener Bressi, presented a summary of the process and prior input. They outlined four topics: Design and Land Use (focusing on Kings Highway and North Haddon); Tanner Street and the PATCO lot; Affordable Housing; and Vehicular and Pedestrian Circulation. Participants then broke into four groups and discussed each topic in rotation.

The planning team will now prepare preliminary recommendations and present them to the steering committee and the Planning Board, in late summer or early fall.

The planners’ presentation will be available on the Borough’s Web site (haddonfieldnj.org), along with additional material relating to the downtown visioning study.

The Commissioners express their appreciation to all who participated in this most important workshop.

BANCROFT FUTURE UPDATE
A workshop on the future of the Bancroft site was held in the Borough Hall auditorium on June 26. Its purpose was to enable the Borough’s planning consultants (Heyer, Gruel & Associates) to first present key issues and a preliminary list of key objectives and recommendations for the “reuse” of the site, and then to narrow the list of options to two or three scenarios for further study (in addition to the possibility of acquisition for open space).

The Commissioners express their appreciation to all who participated in this most important workshop.

SUMMER FUN
The Summertime Recreation Program sponsored by the Borough got under way on Monday, June 26.

Copies of the schedule of activities are available at the Borough Hall, Information Center, Public Library, and on the Borough’s Web Site haddonfieldnj.org.

The Public Library’s Summer Reading Program for children began on June 12 and will run through August 30.

These summer program are free and open to all Haddonfield residents and students attending schools in Haddonfield.

IMPORTANT CRAFTS FESTIVAL NOTES
The Crafts & Fine Arts Festival will take place on Saturday, July 8 and Sunday, July 9. Kings Highway will be closed between Washington and Haddon Avenues from early Saturday morning until late Sunday night.

Those coming to the Festival from a distance are encouraged to use the Hi-Speedline. If driving is unavoidable, note that free parking will be available in the PATCO lot.

ATTENTION BUSINESS OWNERS: Please do not place trash out for collection on Friday night. Hold it until Sunday night (after 5:00pm) or Monday morning (before 7:00am).

FUN ON THE FOURTH
Haddonfield’s annual Independence Day Parade will take place on Tuesday, July 4, starting at 10:00am.

The parade will pass along Kings Highway E, starting at Chestnut Street and ending at the High School. For information about floats, etc., see the Celebrations Association notice on page 20. There is no rain date for the parade.

The fireworks display, also sponsored by the Celebrations Association, will be presented in the High School stadium on Monday, July 3, with musical entertainment at 7:30pm and pyrotechnics at about 9:30pm. The rain date for the fireworks display is Saturday, July 8.

Borough offices will be closed on Tuesday, July 4, as will the Public Library.

Police, fire, and ambulances will be available around-the-clock, as usual, as will emergency water and sewer services.

Tuesday’s trash and recycling collection will be postponed to Wednesday.

ATTENTION DOWNTOWN BUSINESS OWNERS: Please do not place trash out for collection on Monday night or Tuesday morning. Hold it until Tuesday night (after 5:00pm) or Wednesday morning (before 7:00am).

HIGHWAY TO CLOSE ON FRIDAY NIGHTS
Kings Highway between Haddon Avenue and Tanner Street will be closed from about 6:45pm to about 8:30pm on each Friday night in July, for a summer concert.

The free concerts, which are sponsored by the Rotary Club of Haddonfield, begin at 7:00pm.

AUDIT REPORT RECEIVED
The Borough has received copies of the audit for 2005, carried out by Bowman & Company, as required by state law. The Commissioners were scheduled to accept the report formally during their meeting on June 27.

As in previous years, the auditors have reported that the Borough’s financial operations and records are in good order. As usual, they made several recommendations of a minor nature.

The Borough has completed action on recommendations in the report for 2004.

PLEASE NOTE!
Borough ordinances prohibit the placing of construction materials (sand and gravel, for example), landscaping material (dirt and mulch, for example), and recycling material (leaves and other vegetative waste) in the streets.
• Construction and landscaping materials, when delivered, must be placed on private property.
• Vegetative material for recycling must be placed in the park strip or behind the curb, and not within 10 feet of a stormwater inlet.

Residents are asked to not only abide by these prohibitions themselves but also to ensure that their contractors are aware of the law, and that they comply.

COURTS AT RADNOR REMOVED
One basketball and two tennis courts at Radnor Field, the surfaces of which had deteriorated in recent years, were removed recently under an agreement between the Borough and the Board of Education. (The School Board owns the land; the Borough owned the courts.)

Soil conditions below the courts had caused cracks and ridges to develop to the point where the surface was no longer viable, and safety became an issue. Those conditions also made it impractical to simply resurface the courts; the same problems would have occurred again, sooner rather than later.

The work was carried out on short notice by a contractor who was currently working on a School District project, at a substantial savings over the estimated cost.

No funds are currently available to replace the courts. Public tennis facilities (five courts) are available at Centennial Field, off Lakeview. Two basketball courts accessible to the public are available at each of Tatem and Haddon Schools.

SUMMERTIME RECREATION
The Summertime Recreation Program sponsored by the Borough will begin on Monday, June 26. For the schedule of activities, click here.

Note that several changes have been made since the schedule was originally published, on June 2:
• Tot-Lot and Playground will be at Tatem and Haddon schools only. Central tots should go to Tatem. Central Playgrounders should go to either Tatem or Haddon.
• Art for Ages 11 to 14 will be at Haddon, not the Middle School.
• Art for Adults with Young Adults will be at the High School (room to be determined), not the Middle School.
• Body Sculpting & Stretching for Adults will not be offered this year.

The Summer Recreation Program is free and open to all Haddonfield residents and students attending schools in Haddonfield.

TWO PLANNING WORKSHOPS
• The next Downtown Planning Workshop will be held on Thursday, June 22 at 7:00pm in the Central School’s All-Purpose Room.
• A workshop on the future of the Bancroft site will be held on Monday, June 26 at 7:30pm in the Borough Hall auditorium.

Documents relating to these workshops are available on the Borough’s Web Site: www.haddonfieldnj.org.

BACK TO KINGS COURT
With construction work close to being completed, the Haddonfield Information Center is preparing to return to Kings Court. The Center will be in a new store, however, right behind Davison’s Menswear (the former location of NK Thaine).

It is expected that the move will take place on the weekend of July 1.

The Center will have a public bathroom which will be accessible to those in wheelchairs.

MEETING CHANGE
The Planning Board normally meets on the first Tuesday of each month. Since the first Tuesday in July is the Fourth, the Board’s meeting has been rescheduled to Wednesday, July 5. Same place (Borough Hall auditorium), same time (7:30pm).

SPEAKING OF THE FOURTH…
Haddonfield’s annual Independence Day Parade will take place on Tuesday, July 4, starting at 10:00am.

The parade will pass along Kings Highway E, starting at Chestnut Street and ending at the High School. For information about floats, etc., see the Celebrations Association notice on page 20. There is no rain date for the parade.

The fireworks display, also sponsored by the Celebrations Association, will be presented in the High School stadium on Monday, July 3, with musical entertainment at 7:30pm and pyrotechnics at about 9:30pm. The rain date for the fireworks display is Saturday, July 8.

Borough offices will be closed on Tuesday, July 4, as will the Public Library.

Police, fire, and ambulances will be available around-the-clock, as usual, as will emergency water and sewer services.

Tuesday’s trash and recycling collection will be postponed to Wednesday.

ATTENTION DOWNTOWN BUSINESS OWNERS: Please do not place trash out for collection on Monday night or Tuesday morning. Hold it until Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.

STREETS ARE NOT FOR STORAGE!
Residents are reminded of new Borough ordinances that prohibit the placing of construction materials (sand and gravel, for example), landscaping material (dirt and mulch, for example), and recycling material (leaves and other vegetative waste) in the streets. Construction and landscaping materials, when delivered, must be placed on private property. Vegetative material for recycling must be placed in the park strip or behind the curb, and not within 10 feet of a stormwater inlet.

One reason for this prohibition – mandated by federal and state environmental laws – is to keep “foreign” materials out of the stormwater drains and therefore out of waterways. Another reason is that this material (and grass clippings and leaves) can clog stormwater grates, preventing water from entering the stormwater drains and potentially causing local flooding.

The Commissioners ask residents to ensure that their contractors are aware of the law, and that they comply.

WATER QUALITY REPORT
The Borough’s annual Water Quality Report is “at the printer” and will be “in the mail” by the end of June.