Dear Community Friends,
On Monday, Nov. 18 at our township committee meeting, we were privileged to celebrate our incredible friend and colleague, Peter “Pete” Scirrotto. Pete is retiring from the township committee on Nov. 30.
As I mentioned last week, Pete has served on the Mantua Township Committee for 33 consecutive years as both a Republican and Democrat. He was the mayor for 10 years from 2012 until 2022 and Deputy Mayor for many years, including the past two.
It was my extreme privilege to bestow on Pete two very special honors at his last regularly scheduled committee meeting. Since his commitment to public service is like no other, his send-off paralleled his greatness. With a packed meeting room of Pete’s family, friends and dignitaries, the township committee passed two very special resolutions.
The first resolution appointed Pete mayor for his final meeting, enabling him to retire as the highest ranking official in our government. The second resolution named the committee meeting room in the Mantua Township municipal building as the Peter Scirrotto Committee Chambers. The beautiful, wood-carved sign was unveiled and now graces the room forever in honor of no one more deserving than Mayor Peter Scirrotto.
We are thrilled to learn that the grand opening of the Edelman Fossil Park and Museum of Rowan University is finally slated for March of 2025. I’ve been involved with this Rowan partnership since the very beginning, and I am excited to be able to represent Mantua Township as mayor at the official grand opening early next spring.
Mantua is on the verge of having a world-renowned Fossil Park and Museum right here in our own backyard, behind the Lowe’s store on Woodbury-Glassboro Road. It’s hard to believe this was once the home of 66-million-year-old fossils and a 55-foot mosasaur from the Cretaceous period.
Approximately 200,000 visitors are expected annually, and the museum will provide jobs to locals, educate our youth, and help boost our economy by way of visitors patronizing local restaurants and other local businesses. The added bonus is that our community will generate $623,000.00 in revenue from this project by the end of next year. This is a win-win for our great community.
On Tuesday, Nov. 19, at the Land Use Board (LUB) meeting, Driscoll Foods was seeking preliminary and final major site-plan approval to build two warehouse buildings at 320, 340 and 380 Columbia Drive. The first warehouse is 284,102 square feet, and the second 72,524 square feet. The proposed warehouses will be utilized by the food distribution company. The subject site is currently wooded and is undeveloped land with a frontage on Lambs Road (County Route 635).
The LUB is requiring a tree survey, and Driscoll Foods also needs to obtain approval from the NJDEP for wetlands and a wildlife survey prior to final approval. Driscoll Foods received preliminary approval at the meeting and will need to return to the board for final approval once these requirements have been fulfilled. The subject site is zoned for industrial use and warehouses meet the zoning criteria at this location.
You may have noticed that our Christmas lights are up at both Chestnut Branch Park and McCarson Park. The lights look absolutely beautiful. We encourage you to visit at night to boost your holiday spirit. Speaking of holiday spirit, we’ve extended the registration deadline for our Deck the House decorating contest until Saturday. To sign-up, go to our website at www.mantuatownship.com.
Upcoming meetings and events:
- Thanksgiving is Thursday. We want to wish everyone a very joyous and blessed Thanksgiving Day.
- Friday, Nov. 29, is a holiday, and municipal offices will be closed. Trash and recycling will still be picked up.
On behalf of Deputy Mayor Pete Scirrotto, myself and the entire township committee, – we look forward to continuing our service with honesty, integrity and trustful leadership.
Mayor Robert T. Zimmerman
