COLUMBUS NEWS: From the Feb. 19 edition

By Peg Traino
Peg Traino   Tel: 298-7476   [email protected]
   The next Mansfield Township Committee meeting will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 7:30 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Mansfield Township Municipal building located on East Main Street. For more information please call 609-298-0542.

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   Mansfield Township School District has begun its kindergarten registration process. For eligibility of enrollment, a child must be 5 years of age on or before Oct. 1, 2009. If you know of a child in the district who is eligible for kindergarten, please contact Beth Pigott at 609-298-2037, Ext. 2010.

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   Mark your calendars now for June 13. The 71st annual Field Day parade and activities will be held. The theme this year is “Our Talented Town.” Everyone has a special talent; singing, dancing, sewing, baking, needle work, building, crafts – and the list goes on. Your Special Events Committee has started planning for Field Day. More help and ideas are always needed and welcomed. The next meeting will be held on Thursday, March 12 at 7 p.m. in the Municipal Building. Please show an interest in your community and attend the meeting to help with the planning. If you cannot attend but would like to help, please call 298-0542, Ext. 19 and express your interest.

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   Township Drive for New Jersey National Guard 50th Brigade Troops Deployed in Iraq:
   James Smith, is a member of Columbus Baptist Church Boy Scout Troop 45 and is currently in the process of completing the Eagle Scout Service Project. The project consists of drives that he is conducting for items to be sent to soldiers in the New Jersey National Guard 50th Brigade who are currently deployed in Iraq.
   The project is being completed under the supervision of ARMS (American Recreational Military Service). As a part of the project, he will be conducting a township drive during the first two weeks of March. He is working with members of my troop as well as members of Columbus Cub Scout Pack 72 to distribute donation bags to township homes on Saturday, March 7.
   The Scouts will then be returning to collect the donation bags on Saturday, March 14. Accompanying each bag will be a letter of explanation and a list of suggested items for donation.
   A sample list of suggested items is as follows: Individual microwaveable soups, stews, packs of crackers, cookies, granola bars, powdered drink mixes, cereals, gum, hard candy, mints, popcorn, tea bags, coffee packets, or popcorn; lip balm; small containers of foot powder; green or white crew socks; batteries; medical items (ex: Band Aids, Neosporin, etc.); packs of wipes (ex: Wet Ones); eye drops; small containers of mouth wash; or individual packs of tissues.
   If you do not receive a bag at your home, will be away during the first two weeks of March, or would like to get more information or find out other ways that you might be able to assist me with this most deserving cause, please contact James, at 298-8061. Thank you very much.

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   Dog and cat licenses for the year 2009 (3/1/2009 through including 2/28/2010) are due March 1, 2009. The deadline to obtain licenses is March 31. After this date a cumulative $15 per month late fee will apply.
   Please submit a completed application, which can be obtained in the clerk’s office or our website www.mansfieldburlington.com, with the correct fee, proof of rabies certificate (must be valid from March 1, 2009 through Feb. 28, 2010) and a self-addressed stamped envelope to the following address: Mansfield Township Board of Health P.O. Box 249 Columbus, NJ 08022. Your new tag will be mailed back to you.
   The free rabies clinic will be held at the Franklin Fire Company on Saturday, March 7, from 9 to 11 a.m. for dogs and 11 a.m. to noon for cats.
   Please note that all dogs and cats must be leashed or in a carrier.

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   School board candidate information:
   The deadline for filing nomination petitions to run for positions on the Mansfield Township Board of Education is 4 p.m., Monday, March 2.The following terms will be open on the Mansfield Township Board of Education at the April 21, Annual School Election: three seats, three-year term each.
   The legal requirements to become a member of the Board of Education are as follows:
   You must be a registered voter in the district, a U.S. citizen, at least 18 yrs. old, must be able to read and write, a Mansfield Township Resident for at least 1 year prior to the election, cannot be directly or indirectly interested in any contract or claim against the board of education, must fulfill the requirements of the NJ Ethics Act.
   Prospective school board candidates can obtain a School Board Candidate Kit which contains a nominating petition from the Business Office located at the Mansfield Township Elementary School.
   Questions regarding school board candidacy can be addressed by calling the Business Office/Board Secretary at 609-298-2037 ext. 2500.