Voorhees deputy mayor: Township to save almost $140K

Voorhees Township will save $138,000 on the cost of trash disposal in the next 14 months as a result of a shared services agreement with seven other Camden County municipalities.

[caption id=”attachment_18548" align=”alignleft” width=”125" caption=”Deputy Mayor Mario DiNatale”]

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On Sept. 26, Mayor Michael Mignogna joined officials from Cherry Hill, Haddon Township, Merchantville, Winslow Township, Somerdale, Gibbsboro and Collingswood in announcing a new contract for trash disposal. The bids were received on Sept. 23 and the deal is now done. It is the largest agreement of its kind in South Jersey. The eight communities involved are home to 175,000 residents, about one quarter of the population of Camden County, spanning 103 square miles.

Voorhees previously paid $65 per ton for disposal. Under the new agreement, the cost will be $52.50 per ton, a savings of more than 20 percent. This will not affect trash pick-up. Your trash and recyclables will continue to be picked up as usual by our Public Works Department.

This agreement is another step in our continuing effort to save taxpayer dollars by participating in sensible shared services agreements. These coalitions allow our local government to continue to provide efficient municipal services for less taxpayer dollars. Voorhees is in other such agreements with Cherry Hill, Gibbsboro, Eastern Regional High School and Camden County. Representatives of Voorhees meet regularly with those of Cherry Hill and Evesham Township to find other ways to share services and save money.

**The Voorhees Fire District will hold its Annual Fire Prevention Night on Wednesday, Oct. 12 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Eastern Regional High School. The theme this year is “Protect Your Family from Fire.”

**The Alicia Rose “Victorious” Foundation will hold its 9th Annual Birthday Bash held each year near Alicia’s birthday. This year’s event is Friday, Oct. 14 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Lucien’s Manor in Berlin, New Jersey. The cost is $130 per person and includes open bar, a full course dinner and live entertainment. Sponsorships are also available. For more information about the Alicia Rose “Victorious” Foundation or the upcoming Birthday Bash, visit www.victoriousfoundation.org.

** On Oct. 15 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., “International Day 2011” will be held at St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Gibbsboro. The event is free and affords us the opportunity to embrace and appreciate the cultural diversity in our community with ethnic food tasting and multicultural displays. The event is sponsored by the Voorhees Township Citizens Cultural and Diversity Advisory Committee as well as the Camden County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Camden County Human Relations Commission.

**The Voorhees Town Center will host the Annual Fall Harvest Festival on Saturday, Oct. 15 from noon to 4 p.m. at The Boulevard and Special Events Plaza. Activities will include hay rides, a petting farm, face painting and many other fun activities. On Friday, Oct. 28, the Voorhees Town Center will host Thriller Night from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the same location. Classic Halloween movies will be shown on a big screen. There will also be live music, square dancing and a re-enactment of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” music video. The grand opening of Doghouse Burgers will also be held.

Editor’s note: The Sun asked Mayor Mignogna to temporarily suspend his weekly column until after the upcoming township committee election. In his place, the deputy mayor will offer a weekly column about news and events in the township.