Heavy flooding on Temple Boulevard, a plan for a new fence at Legion Field along the railroad tracks and issues with the Palmyra Arms apartments were all discussed during the Palmyra Borough Council meeting on Oct. 19.
Heavy rain several weeks ago caused severe flooding at the convergence of Firth Lane, Second Street, Leconey Circle and Temple Boulevard and was caused “by a blockage in the storm drain by the Sewer Plant” on Firth Lane, Borough Engineer William Kirchner said during his report to Council.
“There has been a buildup of material in that area. The fear is that years of sediment has built up,” said Kirchner of Environmental Resolutions, Inc (ERI), adding that his company is looking into solutions to the problem. “We were already trying to clear it out but we couldn’t get rid of the blockage.”
As for the new fence at Legion Field, Kirchner said that NJ Transit is pitching in on the plan to build an unscalable six-foot high fence that will be 13 feet offset from the railroad tracks.
Council members unanimously approved a resolution “awarding the engineering design services contract for the Legion Field Safety Fencing Project to ERI per their proposal dated Aug. 26 in the amount of $22,000.”
Other resolutions Council approved by consent agenda included appointing part-time employee Donna Condo, CMFO, as the borough’s full-time certified chief financial officer and qualified purchasing agent effective on Dec. 2, 2026; appointing Gray Garemore to the Shade Tree Advisory Board; and rejecting the application of Milmarian, Inc. without prejudice for a place-to-place transfer of its liquor license.
Two resolutions approved separately with Councilmen Richard Dreby and Anthony Foster recusing themselves were appointing Mark Sigmund as a member of the Palmyra Borough Fire Department and authorizing a capital purchase to exceed $15,000 for a Fire Department purchase of equipment totaling $22,821.60.
In other business, Mayor Gina Ragomo Tait said that representatives from the NJ Department of Community Affairs (DCA) will reinspect the Palmyra Arms apartments at 50 W. Broad St. after problems had been reported by Sean McCarthy, whose father lives at the complex.
“Palmyra Arms has switched management two times in the past two years,” McCarthy said during the public comment section of the Oct. 19 meeting. “We have been asking for repairs. They don’t fix anything or any of the problems.”
“This Council responded quickly to your grievances,” Borough Solicitor Ted Rosenberg said, adding that the DCA monitors conduct at multi-family structures.
As for local enforcement laws, Rosenberg said the borough “can enforce problems with trash removal and disorderly behavior.”
McCarthy complained about the trash and recycling dumpsters overflowing. By Wednesday, Oct. 21, two days after the Council meeting, both dumpsters had been emptied.
As for disorderly behavior, Mayor Tait said Palmyra Police officers responded to a recent gathering at the apartment complex and people were arrested.
During her report on upcoming events, the mayor said Virtua health screenings will be available to residents at the Community Center on Dec. 1 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. The screenings scheduled for Nov. 3 were cancelled because the center will be used as a polling place for the General Election.
The Virtua mobile grocery store provides free fresh produce to residents every Tuesday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. The mayor added that family game nights at the community center will be held on Nov. 20 and Dec. 18.
The next regular meeting of Palmyra Council will be on Monday, Nov. 16, at 6:30 p.m. in Borough Hall.
