COMMISSION MEETING TIME CHANGE
The starting time of the April 11 Board of Commissioners meeting has been changed to 6:00pm, for reasons described below.

NEW HEARING ON BANCROFT
Last fall, the Planning Board scheduled a Public Hearing for November 9 on a report from Heyer, Gruel & Associates, a community planning consulting firm. The report presented the results of a preliminary investigation, requested by the Borough, to determine whether the Bancroft property would qualify as an “area in need of redevelopment” as defined by State law. Such a designation would give the Borough significant additional control over the development of the site.
On November 3, Bancroft requested a postponement, which the Borough granted as a courtesy, since no other parties were involved. On December 14, Borough officials were informed that Bancroft had decided to pursue a long- term strategy that included the investigation of a potential affiliation with one or more other organizations whose services and mission match its own. Bancroft’s representatives stated that selling the Haddonfield campus remained an option within the long-term strategy, but not the prime focus.
On February 6, Bancroft filed an objection to the Third Round Fair Share Plan that the Borough submitted to the NJ Council on Affordable Housing in December, saying “There is a likelihood that ... by the end of the year ... discussions with private developers will resume.” On March 20, Bancroft announced that it was no longer looking to form strategic partnerships with similar organizations, that it had decided to continue operating as an independent entity, and that it planned to investigate various options with respect to its Haddonfield campus.
The Planning Board will proceed with the Public Hearing that was originally scheduled for November 9. The new date is Tuesday, April 11 (7: 30pm in the Borough Hall auditorium).

BUSINESS DISTRICT BUDGET
The Commissioners recently received the proposed Partnership for Haddonfield budget for 2006. (The Partnership is nonprofit management corporation for Haddonfield’s Business Improvement District.) The Commissioners will hold a Public Hearing on the budget during their meeting on Tuesday, April 11 (6:00pm in the Borough Hall auditorium – NOTE THE TIME!).
The budget total of $358,046 is anticipated to be derived from three sources: the assessment on commercial properties in the District, the Crafts and Fine Arts Festival, and surplus funds.
The proposed assessment rate for 2006 is unchanged from 2005: 25¢ per $100 for properties in the commercial zone that have at least a partial commercial use; 12.5¢ for commercial properties in the residential zone that have at least a partial residential use.
The proposed budget may be viewed on the Borough’s Web site; copies are available at the Borough Hall (Room 101) and the Information Center.

OPINIONS SOUGHT AS PART OF VISIONING STUDY
A Planning Board project to formulate a vision for the future of our downtown is well under way. Brown Keener Bressi, a firm of planners, urban designers and architects, has been gathering and analyzing relevant data and has been meeting with members of an Advisory Committee.
Brown Keener Bressi now seeks input from the community. They are particularly interested to learn what residents and business owners think about downtown Haddonfield as it is today and about some of the choices that downtown Haddonfield faces.
To that end, they have prepared a survey which was to be inserted in the March 22 issue of the Haddonfield Sun. (Copies are also available at the Borough Hall, Information Center, Public Library, and Mabel Kay House, and the form may be printed from the Borough’s Web site: www.haddonfieldnj.org.)
The deadline for returning the forms – by mail or in person at Room 101 of the Borough Hall – is Friday, April 14. A Public Workshop will be held in the Middle School auditorium at 7:00pm on Wednesday, April 26 to discuss the results of the survey. All are welcome.

STORMWATER MANAGEMENT
During their meeting on March 14, the Commissioners introduced an Ordinance that establishes “minimum stormwater management requirements and controls for all development that adds footprint or hardsurface, with the exception of additions and renovations to single family homes.”
This Ordinance is separate from a previously adopted Ordinance that relates to stormwater management on public property. Both are required by state and federal environmental protection laws.
The Commissioners will hold a Public Hearing on the proposed Ordinance during their meeting on Tuesday, March 28 (7:30pm in Room 102). Copies are available in Room 101.

SPRING IS COMING (“CLEAN-OUT” TOO!)
Residents are reminded that during April the Borough relaxes the rules that normally apply with respect to the amounts and kinds of materials that can be put out as trash.
Residents may put out any quantity of regular trash and yard waste for collection – but not household hazardous waste (automotive products, paint- related products, household cleaners, pesticides, fuels, personal care products, and hobby wastes, for example), or unusually large items, unusually heavy items, or construction debris.

RECOGNITION FOR WEB SITE
The Borough’s Web site was one of only two government sites in the tri- county region that received a perfect score from the Courier-Post recently. The Courier checked to see whether all six of the following were available online: meeting agendas, meeting minutes, budget, audit, ordinances/ resolutions, and the ability to request public records. Congratulations to us!

TRASH & RECYCLING: A PUBLIC SERVICE
After leaving their proposed resolution “on the table” for two weeks to enable members of the public to become informed of their plans, and following a period of public discussion during their meeting on February 28, the Commissioners voted to reject all bids received from private companies for Haddonfield’s trash and recycling services.
Bids for the five-year contract were received from three companies :
Trash only
• Waste Management $2,113,728
• Republic Service $3,249,189
• Casworth Enterprises $2,112,000
Trash + Recycling
• Waste Management $3,265,272
• Republic Service $4,623,768
• Casworth Enterprises $4,030,065
Based on information received during the bidding process, and on internal analysis of the cost for the Borough to operate its own trash and recycling collection service, the Commissioners determined that privatizing these services is likely to yield only negligible cost savings, and may in fact be more costly in the short term. (The consequences of losing direct control of the operations were also considered.)
The Borough will use the recent study to track costs closely during the next 12 to 18 months. The Commissioners plan to revisit the issue again at that time.
Last year, the Commissioners postponed a plan to replace one of the Borough’s trash trucks, pending the outcome of the privatization study. With that issue settled, they have awarded a contract to Bergey’s Truck Center of Pennsauken to supply a new trash truck, for approximately $170,000.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING ORDINANCES
Following a Public Hearing during their meeting on February 28, the Commissioners adopted three ordinances relating to Affordable Housing.
Two of the ordinances deal with requirements for developments of five or more residential units, and those of five acres or more, to make at least 20% of the units affordable.
The other ordinances set up a new “Affordable Housing” chapter in the Borough’s Code. It includes language based on the State’s model for definitions of affordable housing, eligibility, procedures, and how affordable housing is advertised. It also includes regulations requiring Development Fees to be paid on new construction, additions, renovations, and improvements to existing residences, and commercial buildings where affordable housing is not provided.
The rules set a 1% fee on residential construction, based on the equalized assessed value of the improvement. For additions and other improvements to existing homes and business properties, the first $50,000 of equalized assessed value is exempt from the fee. Where a new home is built (after a tear-down or on an existing vacant lot), the fee is 1% of the entire equalized assessed value of the improvement. For commercial construction, the fee is 2%.
These ordinances – and the new Development Fees – become effective on March 13.
An explanation of the payment process and examples of how the Development Fee is calculated are available in the Borough’s Community Development office (Room 104). 856-429-4700 x 210.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING PLAN AND THE BANCROFT PROPERTY
As required by the NJ Council on Affordable Housing (COAH), the Borough submitted its Third Round Fair Share Plan in December. A legal notice announcing this action was published in the Courier-Post on December 23.
COAH rules provide a 60-day period for filing objections to the plan, and the Borough received advice recently that three objections were filed prior to the deadline. One was from the Fair Share Housing Center, a Cherry Hill organization affiliated with an affordable housing developer. Another was from a resident. And the third was from Bancroft NeuroHealth.
Last summer, Bancroft invited developers to submit proposals to purchase its 19-acre campus, putting the site into play with respect to Haddonfield’s affordable housing obligation. Subsequently, however, senior representatives of Bancroft expressed to the Commissioners and other Borough officials their intention to continue their operations in Haddonfield, perhaps in partnership with one or more similar organizations, and to remain in Haddonfield in the foreseeable future.
Acting on the basis of that representation, the Borough did not tag the Bancroft campus as a site that was likely to be redeveloped (and potentially produce affordable housing) and therefore did not include it in the plan submitted to COAH.
In the objection it filed with COAH, dated February 6, Bancroft objected to this statement in the Plan and said “there is a likelihood that the site will be available for redevelopment within the horizon of the Third Round Fair Share Plan ... and that by the end of the year ... discussions with private developers will resume.”
During their meeting on February 28, the Commissioners expressed concern about Bancroft’s tactics and said its actions suggest that the property may be actively marketed. They indicated their intention to take aggressive steps to protect the town’s interests.

RESPONSES TO BUDGET QUESTIONS
During the Budget Information Forum held in January, a number of questions about the budgeting process were asked by members of the public, and noted by Borough staff as requiring follow-up responses. Answers to those questions have been posted on the Borough’s Web site: www.haddonfieldnj.org.

CHILDREN’S LIBRARY CLOSED
The removal of old carpeting and tile and the installation of new tiles on the entire lower level of the Public Library has necessitated the closing of the Children’s Department for three to four weeks.
A small collection of children’s materials will be available on the main floor during the project. Story Times will be held upstairs at the usual times. Fewer public computers will be available during the project, and available time will be more limited than usual. The restrooms will be accessible by key access through the Haddon Avenue entrance. (The key will be available at the main circulation desk.)

TRASH PRIVATIZATION UPDATE
During their meeting on February 14, the Commissioners introduced and then tabled a resolution to reject bids received recently for private trash and recycling collection.
They are rejecting the bids in part because they have determined that privatizing these services is likely to yield only negligible cost savings, and may in fact be more costly in the short term. (The consequences of losing direct control of the operations were also considered.)
They tabled the resolution to their February 28 meeting to ensure that members of the public would have sufficient opportunity to peruse the various documents. Copies are available at the Borough Hall (Room 101) and the Public Library, and can be accessed on the Borough Web site: www.haddonfieldnj.org. Comments will be invited at that meeting before the vote on the resolution takes place.
In the conclusion to his report to the Commissioners, the Borough Administrator said: “... there is insufficient benefit in cost and non-cost areas compared to contract risks, to support a recommendation to make the change. However, what the process of evaluation that we went through tells me, is that it would be in the Borough’s best interests to take another 12 to 18 months to look further into the issues discussed above, make whatever changes in the existing operation that could cut costs, reduce risks or improve service, finalize the contract with the Teamsters union to fix future costs for a less risk comparison, learn more about the cost and service history of this type of contracting from our neighboring municipalities, and then re-bid the service. By minimizing the unknowns and increasing confidence in the assumptions, the chances are greater that a decision at that time will be clearer to all.”

PROCLAMATION: HEART MONTH
As the survivor of two heart attacks, and with a third hospitalization earlier this month – she’s fine, incidentally – Mayor Colombi is acutely aware of how important it is to spread the word – especially to women – about the relationship between a healthy lifestyle and a healthy heart.
During their meeting on February 14, the Commissioners issued a proclamation that noted: that heart disease in the number one killer of women over the age of 25; that heart disease claims the lives of more than half a million women each year, more than the next seven causes of death combined and nearly twice as many as all forms of cancer; and that of all women who die suddenly of heart disease, 63% have no previous symptoms.
The Commissioners join the American Heart Association in encouraging women to take charge of their cardiovascular health and pay attention to their hearts. Doing so may help them live longer, stronger lives by reducing their risk for cardiovascular disease.
Privately produced cards titled “Mayor Tish Colombi’s ABC’s of Preventing Heart Disease, Stroke & Heart Attack” are available at the Borough Hall and the Information Center, and the information on the card has been reproduced, also at private expense, elsewhere of this issue of What’s On.

POTHOLE PATROL
The Public Works Department has activated its Winter Pothole list and welcomes input from residents and business owners. Potholes in the most public locations are probably already on the list. The locations the Department particularly wants to learn about are those on less-travelled streets.
Works Department crews will begin filling potholes when asphalt plants reopen, after their winter hiatus.
To report potholes on Borough streets, call 429-0183 x 0.
To report potholes on County roads, call 566-2980.

RECYCLING RULES
The Public Works Department has detected a measurable decrease in the amount of materials that is being placed at the curb for recycling, and a measurable increase in the amount that is being placed as trash.
Aside from environmental considerations, there are significant cost implications of this imbalance. The Commissioners therefore urge residents and business owners to heed the following rules for recycling:
Materials to be recycled should be placed out for collection by 7am on the same day as trash, but separately from trash.
The following materials can and, by law, must be recycled:
• All glass, metal and plastic (#1 & #2) food, beverage and cleaning containers (including clear and colored glass, tin, and aluminum cans and plastic soda, milk, juice detergent and other #1- and #2- coded plastic containers). Rinse containers and discard loose lids (as trash). It is not necessary to remove paper labels. Flatten plastic containers. Place glass, tin, aluminum and plastic in Borough-provided red 20-gallon containers. (Replacements are available at the Borough Hall, Room 101, for $5.00.)
• Newspapers and other clean paper, magazines, books, etc. Bundle in paper grocery bags or tie in bundles.
• Corrugated boxes. Flatten and tie in bundles.

TRAFFIC CALMING ON MAPLE AVENUE
Since it is a County road, Maple Avenue is under County control, but by virtue of a first-of-its-kind agreement, the County has agreed to permit the Borough to install traffic calming devices on Maple Avenue, between Grove Street and the bridge.
Previously, the County’s position was that the Borough would have to take complete responsibility for the road, in order to have any direct influence on the way it is used. But under this pilot agreement, the Borough will be able to try to influence the volume and speed of traffic on Maple Avenue. In exchange, the Borough will keep the County informed of its plans and bear all costs and liabilities related to its actions. It will not, however, be responsible for maintenance of the road.

CALENDAR NOTES
Civic Association Forum on Open Space: Wednesday, March 15 at 7: 30pm, Borough Hall auditorium.
Environmental Commission’s Earth Day Celebration at Crows Woods: Saturday, April 29.

PRESIDENTS’ DAY HOLIDAY
Borough Hall offices will be closed on Monday, February 20, in observance of Presidents’ Day.
Monday’s trash and recycling collection will be postponed to Tuesday. Police, fire, ambulance, and emergency water and sewer service will be provided around-the-clock, as usual.
The Public Library will be open (10:00am to 9:00pm).

BUDGET 2006
The introduction of the Municipal Budget for 2006 will be delayed for several weeks, due in part to the Commissioners’ desire to address various matters that were raised during the Budget Information Meeting hosted by Commissioner Rochford in January and also due to delays in the certification of state aid figures that affect municipal budgets, anticipated as a result of the change in administration at the state level.
The Commissioners plan to introduce the budget during their meeting on March 14. In the meantime, they will take appropriate action during their February meetings to deal with annual routine issues such as setting the budget caps and authorizing the use of deferred school taxes.

TRASH PRIVATIZATION
Detailed analysis of two options available to the Borough with respect to trash collection – continuing the current municipal service, versus contracting for private service – has revealed that privatizing the service is likely to yield negligible cost savings, and that such action may in fact be more costly in the short term. Many non-cost issues were also considered.
The Commissioners intend, during their meeting on February 14, to introduce resolutions to reject the bids received recently for private services and to authorize the purchase of a new trash track, delayed during the review period. They plan to then table those resolutions until their meeting on February 28, to provide sufficient time for interested members of the public to familiarize themselves with details of the review, and to ask questions and offer comments during these meetings before any final action is taken.
The analysis referred to above will be available in the near future on the Borough’s Web site, at the Borough Hall, and at the Public Library, and made available to local media.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH PROCLAMATION
During the Civil War years, Haddonfield participated in the route of the Underground Railroad to help save African slaves from lives as treatment as merchandise rather than as human beings. For some years, the Borough’s Human Relations Commission has sponsored programs designed to enable residents to increase their knowledge and appreciation of the untold contributions to this country and the world by Black Americans.
The Commissioners urge all residents to take advantage of the many programs relating to Black history available in the Delaware Valley and through the media, and to support Black History Month in Haddonfield and throughout the nation.

NEW LIBRARY SERVICE
The Public Library recently launched a new service that enables cardholders to download audiobooks from the Library’s Web site, www.haddonfield.camden.lib.nj.us.
The service is compatible with many WMA/MP3 audio devices, pocket PCs, laptops, and personal computers. Many titles may also be burned to CD and used in car stereos and regular CD players. The technology was provided by Digital Library Reserve Inc, based in Cleveland OH.
The digital collection includes hundreds of popular fiction titles from authors such as Nora Roberts, Lemony Snicket, Orson Scott Card, Kate Wilhelm, and Elmore Leonard, with movie tie-ins such as the Chronicles of Narnia, Sideways, and King Kong. Nonfiction titles covering business, self- improvement, job interviews, biography and more are also available.
To check out materials, cardholders can browse the collection from a computer, choose a title, and then enter a current, valid library card number to download the digital book. Certain titles are always available; for others, users can place a hold and will receive e-mail notification when the title is in. After 14 days, audiobooks are automatically returned to the system and become available to others.
The initial funding for this service was made possible through a gift from the Friends of the Library. Downloadable Audiobooks is a shared services project of 15 local libraries working through the SJ Regional Library Cooperative, a consortium that includes over 600 academic, institutional, public, school, and special libraries in southern New Jersey.
For more details, contact Doug Rauschenberger, the Library Director, at 429-1304 (e-mail: dbr@camden.lib.nj.us).

EQUIPMENT PURCHASES
During their meeting on January 24 the Commissioners approved the purchase of two leaf machines, replacing others that have come to the end of their useful life.
The contract to supply the equipment, valued at $59,548.00, was awarded to ODB Co of Richmond VA. The machines will be delivered in time to be put into use this fall.

CHIPPING ... AND LEAVES
The Public Works Department’s program for chipping tree limbs is back on track, following delays caused by recent severe weather that felled a number of trees on public property and brought down numerous tree limbs that were subsequently placed at curbs for chipping.
Residents who have leaves to dispose of are reminded that this time of year there are four options:
• Leave them in place and let them decay.
• Leave them in place until April, when vacuuming will resume.
• Bag them now, and place them out for collection as trash, on trash day.
• Arrange for a contractor to remove them.
Raking leaves to the curb at this time of the year is not an option.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING UPDATE
The Commissioners plan to introduce three ordinances during their next regular meeting, on Tuesday, February 14, to implement the Affordable Housing Plan they submitted recently to the NJ Council on Affordable Housing (COAH).
The content of one of the ordinances, relating to the charging of a Development Fee, has already been approved by COAH. That ordinance cannot be adopted in isolation, however, so the Commissioners plan to introduce all three at the same time. This action is also intended to demonstrate to COAH that the Borough is taking appropriate action to implement its plan.
One ordinance will amend the Code of the Borough, adding a chapter titled “Affordable Housing.” It will include the Fair Share Plan itself (modeled on state regulations); an Affirmative Marketing Plan (describing actions the Borough will take to publicize the availability of affordable housing in the Borough); and details of the Development Fee the Borough will charge for all improvements to property, based on the increase in assessed value – in excess of $50,000 – of the improvements (1% for residential properties; 2% for nonresidential properties). Developments that include the required number of affordable units will be exempt from paying the fee. Development Fees received by the Borough will be used to help meet the obligation to provide affordable housing.
The second ordinance, covering “Set-Asides,” is part of the Land Development regulations and addresses the requirement to include affordable housing in new developments that have five or more housing units. The Borough will require that 20% of the housing units meet affordable housing guidelines.
The third ordinance, covering “Growth Share,” also part of the Land Development regulations, addresses the requirement to include affordable housing in developments that cover five acres or more. The Borough will require that 20% of the housing units be affordable units. When a development includes nonresidential construction, the developer will be required to include an additional affordable unit for every 25 employees in the nonresidential part of the development. The 20% requirement in the Growth Share section is greater than that required by the state. By setting a higher minimum, the ordinance acknowledges the requirement to provide for some of Haddonfield’s “unmet need” for affordable housing.
A Public Hearing on these ordinances will be held during the Commissioners’ regular meeting on Tuesday, February 28. Copies of the proposed ordinances are available in Room 101 of the Borough Hall.

DOWNTOWN VISIONING PROJECT A Planning Board project to formulate a vision for the future of our downtown is well under way. The Borough has retained Brown Keener Bressi, the firm of planners, urban designers and architects to work with Angelo Alberto, the Borough’s planner, who is coordinating the technical aspects of the project with the Board’s Long-Range Planning Committee.

The consultants have gathered and studied data about the Borough, including Land Use Ordinances and Master Plan, historic preservation guidelines, and recent development proposals. They have compiled maps and photographs of the downtown business district, toured the area and are speaking with various stakeholders and Borough officials.
An Advisory Committee, formed to advise the consultants and the Planning Board, includes individuals from many different walks of life in the Borough. Beginning in February, the consultants will begin a series of Community Conversations designed to get input from residents with respect to their views about the future of the downtown; these will be followed by a series of Community Workshops in which the entire community will be invited to participate. It is anticipated that the project will be completed in the Fall.

Brown Keener Bressi welcomes input from members of the community, direct to Todd Bressi at 215-751-1133 or e-mail todd@bkurbandesign.com, or through Angelo Alberto: 856-354-1223 or e-mail aalberto@aaplanning.com.

PET LICENSE DEADLINE LOOMS
If you own a dog or cat, you must obtain a license for your pet by January 31.

The license fee for dogs that have been neutered is $8; $11 for those that have not. The fee for cats that have been neutered is $6; $9 for those that have not. The fee increases by $5 after January 31 and by $10 after April 30.

Application forms are available at the Borough Hall (Room 101), Information Center, Public Library, Mabel Kay House, and the Borough website: www.haddonfieldnj.org.

Dogs and cats must be vaccinated against rabies. If the rabies expiration date on your pet’s current license is after January 1, 2006, you do not need to submit proof; we already have it. If the rabies expiration date is before January 1, 2006, or if your pet is not currently licensed in Haddonfield, you must attach to your application a new rabies certificate with an expiration date after January 1, 2006.

CHIPPING OF BRUSH
January is normally one of the heaviest months for chipping, with more than enough brush and Christmas trees to keep one crew busy. The storm on January 18 has significantly increased the amount of brush, and the number of tree limbs, that need to be chipped.

Normally, chipping takes place on Trash Day. That remains the goal, but please understand that if the chipping crew does not visit your street on the scheduled day, it will come by at the earliest opportunity.

LEAF COLLECTION
The supplementary, one-pass blitz collection of existing piles of leaves that the Borough announced by means of a direct mailing to residents on January 10 has now been completed. The collection began on Wednesday, January 11 and the first three days went according to plan. Time was lost at the beginning of the second week, first because of the public holiday on Monday, then the double pick-up of trash on Tuesday, and then the severe storm on Wednesday. Spot collection of piles of leaves resumed on Thursday and has now been completed.

The goal of the operation was achieved, and the Commissioners express their appreciation to residents for their cooperation. The vast majority of residents understood the need for this supplementary collection and of the need for the Borough to be very clear about the importance of cooperation and compliance.

STORM AFTERMATH
Weather services reported wind gusts of 50mph in the Haddonfield region on January 11. The result was that a dozen trees came down on Borough property and public roads. Kings Highway W, between Chews Landing Road and Avondale was closed for much of the day. A tree that fell across Reillywood resulted in lengthy cuts to telephone and power service.
The Commissioners thank PSE&G for their prompt response and commend Police Department, Fire Company, and especially the Public Works Department (whose members put in a 15-hour day on January 11) for their actions to ensure safety and restore normalcy.

CITIZEN OF THE YEAR
and held this year on Saturday, January 21, Mayor Colombi announced the name of the Citizen of the Year for 2006: David Hunter.

David has a long history of volunteer service to the Borough and to various community organizations, including the Haddonfield Business and Professional Association, First Night, HATCH, the Pick-Up Band, and the Rotary Club. During the past 15 years he has planned numerous large-scale events on behalf of the Borough – moslty as a volunteer – the most recent of which was The Concert for Katrina last October.

The Commissioners thank David Hunter for his many years of service to the community and congratulate him on receiving this prestigious award.

PUBLICATION OF OFFICIAL NOTICES
The Borough is required to designate annually a local subscription newspaper as its official newspaper for the publication of legal notices. During their meeting on January 10, the Commissioners so designated the Retrospect, with the Courier-Post as the alternate official newspaper for legal advertising.

CONTACTING THE BOROUGH
The Borough has added a section to its Web site – haddonfieldnj.org – designed to facilitate quick and easy communication with municipal officials.
Simply click “Contact the Borough” – the first item in “The Borough of Haddonfield” panel at the left side of the home page – to gain access to a form for sending messages to the Commissioners, Public Works Department, and Police Department, and for submitting General Inquiries.

PRIVATIZING TRASH COLLECTION
The Borough is close to completing a review of proposals it has received to privatize the collection of trash and materials for recycling. In soliciting these proposals, the Commissioners are seeking to determine whether it would be more economical and efficient – all things considered – for a private company to provide trash and recycling services than for the Borough to continue to provide the service itself.

COMMUNITY CONVERSATION
The Human Relations Commission held a Community Conversation on Martin Luther King Jr Day, paying tribute to the legacy of Rosa Parks by recognizing a number of individuals who have “made a difference” in our community.

Those invited to participate in the Conversation were Celeste Curley (recognized for helping establish the Camden County Interfaith Homeless Hospitality Network); Ilise Feitshans (who was instrumental in organizing a public Menorah lighting in Haddonfield), Peter O’Connor (an affordable housing advocate), Berty Lee Philips (an anti-discrimination activist), Virginia Ritchie (a local organizer of the annual CROP Walk), Fr. Robert Sinatra of Christ the King Parish (a chair of a regional organization dedicated to affordable housing and related issues), and The Rev. Dr. Charles Sayre, retired from the Haddonfield United Methodist Church (for his humanitarian work in Camden).

The Commissioners salute those whose contributions were acknowledged on this occasion and thank the members of the Human Relations Commission for their continued actions to improve the quality of life in Haddonfield.

POLICE AUXILIARY UPDATE
On January 9 Commissioner Ed Borden administered the oath of office to the following members of the Haddonfield Auxiliary Police Unit: Tim Chase (President), Christine Schroeder (Vice President), Jack Matty (Treasurer), Michelle Claffey (Secretary), Steve Harski (Captain), Peter Dobush (Lieutenant) and Patrol Officers Fred Chase, Guy Elzey, Gene Haag, and Max Herman. Auxiliary Patrolman Bill Elias is presently serving with the National Guard in Iraq.

The Auxiliary Police Unit assists the regular Police Department with crowd and traffic control, and patrol duties at Borough, school, and business functions such as parades, football and basketball games, Candlelight Shopping, Craft Fair, First Night. The Auxiliary Police Unit also has a Bike Patrol; members provide a minimum of eight hours of service per month.
Auxiliary Police Officers are trained by the Haddonfield Police Department, and are eligible to take certain courses at the Camden County Police Academy. Auxiliary Officers do not carry guns.
Haddonfield residents (aged 21 and older and in good physical condition) who would like to become members of the Auxiliary Police Unit should contact Lieutenant Ted Stuessy at the Police Department: 856-429 -4700 x 240.