By Charley Falkenburg, Special Writer
FLORENCE — It appears residents can expect new and improved sidewalks in town heading into the New Year.
Following a brief public hearing, the council unanimously voted Dec. 5 to file for a two-year Community Development Block Grant that would be used to make repairs and install handicapped access ramps and sidewalks at various locations starting next year.
Assistant Municipal Administrator Thomas Sahol said the application, just shy of $180,000, would cover sidewalk and handicap accessibility improvements in the 1,000 block of Third, Fourth and Fifth streets along Park, Richardson and Bodine streets.
The grant also would address sidewalk infrastructure concerns in the 600 block of West Second Street, Iron Street and Union Street.
In addition, Mr. Sahol said the application involves the section of Hamilton Avenue that extends from Delaware Avenue to Sixth Street, nearing Jar Memorial Park as well as some areas of Hoffner Court.
The town will submit the application to Burlington County and will prioritize the improvements based on what it receives.
The council also passed a resolution that gave the Florence Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 210 the green light to lease the newly renovated Roebling Fireman’s Hall as a community recreational center.
Mayor Craig Wilkie was particularly pleased with the council’s support of the resolution.
”One of the commitments I asked from this council is that it would support making this facility available for the community,” Mayor Wilkie said. “Now anyone in the community who wants to use the facility now has access to it.”
The FOP will host a Christmas program Dec. 9 at 4 p.m. at the community center on Main Street.
”There will be a special visit from someone at 5 p.m., who is much larger than me, and I won’t go any further than that,” said Mayor Wilkes, eliciting laughter from the handful of attendees.
He added the Fire Department plans on doing a Santa run Dec. 15.
In other news, the mayor recently received a letter from Marilynn Coates Parkinson, the sister of Richard Coates, a 22-year-old Florence native who was killed in the 1960s during a training run as a seaman apprentice in the Navy and a member of the Under Water Demolition Team 11, now the Navy SEALS.
Mr. Coates was well known as a local all-star athlete, earning 11 out of 12 possible letters during his time at Florence High School. His untimely death took his hometown and county by surprise.
Mayor Wilkie read the letter aloud, which informed him Mr. Coates’ name will be placed on the granite wall at the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida.
The granite wall was added to the museum in November 2010 and has the names of 273 UDT and SEAL members killed in the line of duty.
The inscription event is scheduled tentatively for March or Memorial Day weekend in 2013.
”I, unfortunately, did not know him, but often heard of him. I knew Marilynn personally, and the town named a Little League here in honor of him,” Mayor Wilkie said. “Hopefully, we will do something to recognize that and memorialize those contributions.”
Before the 27-minute meeting came to a close, the council agreed to cancel the Dec. 12 meeting. The mayor said there was nothing on the agenda that needed to happen, and the date conflicted with a basketball fundraiser between the police and teachers called “Books Versus Badges.”
The next meeting is Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. at the municipal building.
