Road Maintenance Program making remains on-schedule
Our annual Road Maintenance Program, which is targeting 17 municipal streets this year, has completed resurfacing projects on Massachusetts and Rhode Island avenues, Windsor Circle, Mimosa Place and Ann Drive. Up next are Chestnut Street, Provincetown Circle and Wicklow Court. Currently, Barby Lane, Queens Road and Hadleigh Court are under construction. Households along capital-improvement-targeted roadways this year will be notified about the impending work prior to its start. If you have questions about this annual initiative that maintains are critical neighborhood infrastructures, please call the Township Engineering Dept. at (856) 424-3203.

Leaf collections begin Oct. 26; free bags available at Town Hall, DPW
The last week in October will be the first week of our annual town-wide neighborhood leaf collections. Residents are permitted to rake leaves to their curb-lines for this operation, which aims to fan through each section of the township at least twice this year to gather buildups of leaves. A notice will be posted in individual neighborhoods prior to the scheduled service dates.

To offset the cost of this seasonal program, we are offering free 30-gallon brown-paper standup leaf bags, which can be picked up with a household’s weekly yard-waste collection (occurring the same day as trash pickup) when filled. Stop by my office (Room 105) in Town Hall or head to the Department of Public Works at 1 Perina Blvd. to pick up a bundle. Bagging leaves in these environmentally friendly bags saves labor expenses and time because the action reduces curb-side leaf collection amounts by more than 10 percent. If you have questions about the collection or the leaf bags, call the DPW at (856) 424-4422.

Camden County hosting hazardous-waste collection on Oct. 17
If your garage is currently storing hazardous waste (see below), an opportunity to properly dispose of it is just around the corner. A special collection site will be hosted on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Camden County Public Works Complex in Lindenwold (2311 Egg Harbor Road). 

Automotive waste, household cleaners, pesticides, fuels, paint-related products, mercury thermostats, pool chemicals, glues and adhesives, and personal-care items, such as fingernail polish, hair-color treatments and hydrogen peroxide, can be brought to the collection, where they will be disposed of in a way that protects the environment and public health. Not accepted are cans of latex paint (let them dry and put them out with regular trash), air conditioners, cooking oil, heating oil tanks, landscape refuse, medications, scrap metal, smoke detectors and tires. For more information on the County’s Household Special Waste collections, or to learn about other hazardous-waste disposal options, call my office at (856) 488-7878 or email me at MayorPlatt@CHTownship.com.

2010 Handy Helper senior program contract awarded
At Oct. 12’s Township Council meeting, we awarded a contract to Clover Construction for the 2010 Handy Helper program. Continuing this state-funded program is inline with my goal to provide exemplary senior services to our community. The Handy Helper program, which has been in place for more than 16 years, is available to any Township senior who needs minor home repairs, property maintenance or basic revitalization projects done. No-cost services include carpentry, plumbing, painting, and gutter-cleaning. If you would like to apply to the program or have any questions about it, please call our Community Development department at (856) 488-7870

‘Live Where You Work’ housing fair in community center Oct. 24
On Saturday, Oct. 24, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., we will be hosting a housing fair in the Carman Tilelli Community Center (820 Mercer St.) to kick off the “Live Where You Work” (LWYW) program Cherry Hill is participating in. Administrated by the state’s Housing & Mortgage Finance Agency, the program offers incentives to prospective first-time homebuyers who work in the township to purchase a residence here, shortening their daily commute and bolstering our local economy, among other benefits.

The housing fair will feature participating lenders – who can offer LWYW applicants flexible underwriting, low fixed mortgage rates and assistance with closing costs – as well as area Realtors, and representatives from the HMFA. If you know someone who works locally, please encourage them to attend and learn more about this sustainability-oriented program. Please call me office at (856) 488-7878 if you have any questions.

Police Traffic Unit, group of local volunteers awarded proclamations
Also at the Oct. 12 Township Council meeting, I awarded a proclamation to our Police Department’s Traffic Unit in honor of Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day, which aims to reduce the number of traffic fatalities suffered on our highways each year. In addition, a proclamation was awarded to a hard-working group of local residents who volunteered at Croft Farm and the Barclay Farmstead gardens for National Public Lands Day on Oct. 10. Both of these worthy initiatives play a role in preserving our quality of life, and I once again would like to extend my gratitude to the officers who keeps our streets safe, and the volunteers who keep our walking trails maintained. If you have a suggestion for a proclamation, please call my office at (856) 488-7878.