From The Mayor's Desk: Manchester's 150th Anniversary Celebration Is Around The Corner

From the desk of Mayor Kenneth Palmer:

I’ve had the honor of serving as your mayor for 150 days. Spring is upon us and plans are underway for sprucing up our parks and playgrounds.

Manchester’s 150th Anniversary will be celebrated on June 27 at Harry Wright Lake Park with kiddie rides, food vendors, concert, fireworks and more. Be sure to join the fun for all ages. Please visit our website and click on the 150th Anniversary Flag for an itinerary of events and the bus schedule.

We are wrapping up our “Neighborhood Meeting” series with just a few more communities still to meet. It has been an enlightening and pleasurable experience meeting residents from throughout the township.

The 2015 budget has been introduced with a small tax decrease. It’s the first step in the right direction. Our next financial project is to evaluate and consider a number of the town’s capital needs.

I’ve met with Berkeley Mayor Carmen Amato and we will be meeting again to formulate a plan for the best way to approach state officials regarding the current school funding formula. Manchester residents know all too well that the state’s school funding formula does not treat Manchester fairly and we will pursue how best to change this situation.

The Manchester Recreation Department brochure has been issued. It contains registration information for youth and adult recreation programs, concerts, camp information, and more! The brochure is available on our website www.manchestertwp.com (click on the Recreation Spring/Summer Brochure icon on the right), at our Recreation Office, the Manchester Library, and copies were also sent home with our school students.

I want to publicly thank all the residents who came to the Township’s Memorial Day Parade and paid their respects to those heroes who gave their lives serving our country. I loved seeing all the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and ROTC members marching with veterans groups, our police department’s color guard and our emergency service volunteers. It was a wonderful experience to see the large turnout. A special thanks to our Recreation Director Tracey Lynch and her staff for coordinating the event, as well as the Department of Public Works and Police Department for their work.

In June, Hovson’s Corp. will commence remediation of the Heritage Minerals site and large earth-moving equipment will be in operation. I am requesting that motorcyclists and ATV riders not ride on the tract of land. In addition to being a trespass violation, with the heavy earth-moving equipment at the site, any dirt bike riding on the site can be a significant safety issue. Please be mindful.

Personally, I truly enjoy being the mayor. With each day, I am learning new information about our town. For instance, did you know that AristaCare operates Manchester Pediatric Medical Daycare, which is a specially designed daycare program for children with disabilities?

Please enjoy the wonderful weather and be safe.