Tag: cherry hill

During his years on council and inaugural year as mayor of Cherry Hill, Dave Fleisher has been vocal about his commitment to open-space preservation.

That commitment is only getting stronger with the recent introduction of an ordinance that would enhance the township’s Agricultural-Horticultural Commercial Overlay Zone, creating the opportunity for future farmland preservation. 

The proposed ordinance had its first reading during the Feb. 10 council meeting, and will have a required second reading and public hearing at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, March 10, in council chambers. If approved, the expanded zone will include Springdale Farm Market, Springhouse Farm, McNaughton’s Garden Center and 200 Evans Lane, a total of 248 acres. The overlay zone currently applies only to Holly Ravine Farm.

“This ordinance formalizes the existing agriculture and horticulture uses of these properties, and will enable the property owners to apply for farmland preservation funding in the future,” Fleisher explained. “Without the official overlay, the land is not eligible for state or county farmland preservation funding.” 

Fleisher added that the AHC Overlay Zone will not change or supersede current zoning regulations for any of the properties. Under his leadership, the township preserved Holly Ravine Farm in January 2024, ensuring the 23-acre property remains protected open space. Cherry Hill currently has about 1,392 acres of such space. 

“This is all consistent with our ongoing commitment to preserve open space and encourage agricultural use,” Fleisher noted, “memorialize it in places where it’s currently occurring, and potentially open up opportunities for landowners who do or are participating in agricultural activities to be able to capitalize on potential funding sources as well.”

During the Feb. 11 board of education meeting, students of Cherry Hill High School East were understandably still feeling the effects of the morning’s stressful events. 

At about 9 a.m., the Cherry Hill Police Department was made aware of a threat at the school, with patrol and investigative resources deployed to assist campus police. After more than an hour of sheltering in place, all students and staff were relocated to Cherry Hill West.

According to police, more information and specifics on the threat have yet to be available.

East students were in attendance at the meeting, both in person and virtually, to express concern about what they felt was a severe lack of communication that day. They described “chaos” in the morning, as approximately 2,000 students and staff were moved to West. Many said they felt like they were being “shoved around,” all while in the dark as to whether or not there was truly a life-threatening situation.

Senior Matt Berkery recalled seeing his peers crying and possibly experiencing anxiety attacks, wondering why they weren’t being evacuated sooner. Since the Columbine High School massacre that killed 12 students and one teacher in 1999, there have been well over 100 deadly school shootings in the United States that now seem all too common. 

The teens called on board members and Superintendent Dr. Kwame Morton to be more transparent about protocols in emergency situations. 

“The protocols that we implement are those that have been designed by security experts,” Morton explained in his response. “When the threat was initiated, we referred directly to that protocol. This protocol is one that is designed by the New Jersey State Police and the New Jersey Department of Education, and that’s what we followed.

“The additional evacuation of the building came into effect upon the reality of where we are in society and things that have occurred as we’ve liaised and discussed with Cherry Hill Police Department.”

Morton added that East underwent a complete screen by trained K-9s and the threat was deemed non-credible. As for further details on the protocols in place, he and the board were unable to provide in-depth information.

Still, board President Gina Winters stressed that students’ concerns were heard and – as with anything in life – there’s always room for improvement.

“I’m taking all of this seriously,” she assured meeting attendees. “I am seeing other board members do it, too. And my hope is that, if we ever have to activate something like this again to keep you safe, that we will do it with a lens toward greater communication and improvement, so that you all feel taken care of, not just physical safety, but your emotional safety as well.” 

In other news, the board approved a four-year contract for teachers and non-certified staff who are members of the Cherry Hill Education Association (CHEA). Non-certified staff members include secretaries, as well as employees who work in facilities, support and technology. 

All nine board members ratified and adopted the memorandum of agreement between the board’s negotiating team and the CHEA, which represents close to 1,200 members, and the contract vote was unanimous. In addition to salary increases, there is new contractual language to help promote staff wellness. The agreement is effective July 1 through June 30, 2029.

“I am beyond thrilled by the settlement agreement that has been reached with CHEA,” noted Morton, who described the negotiations as “extremely amicable.” “Kudos to the board of education, its negotiating team and CHEA for their collaboration in reaching an agreement that solidifies Cherry Hill public schools as a premier district to work in.” 

“We can’t do anything we do without talented, qualified teachers and staff,” said board member Bridget Palmer, “and we know what we need to do to be competitive with other districts. I think that is critically important, especially given the shortage of teachers.”

“This round of collective bargaining was the most productive and collaborative in decades,” said Steve Redfearn, president of the CHEA. “This new agreement definitely sends a message to the staff that they are valued and appreciated by the Cherry Hill board of education.” 

Assistant Superintendent Lynn Shugars also provided a monthly update at the meeting on the district’s bond referendum projects. The all-purpose rooms are nearing completion, with Kingston Elementary the farthest along. A dividing curtain has been installed to allow for more than one gym class to go on at the same time. Sound speakers for assemblies and performances have also been installed, as well as rigging for the stage’s curtains and lighting, a score board and basketball backstops.

Carusi Middle School is moving onto Phase 2, which includes the abatement and renovation of the B wing, along with the renovation of C wing spaces between the cafeteria and gym. That work will begin in June and run through May 2026. Next steps include the purchase of TCUs (temporary classroom units) and plans for installation. 

For Mayor Dave Fleisher, 2024 was a successful and productive inaugural year in office. In a recent interview with The Sun, he reflected on Cherry Hill’s biggest accomplishments over the past 12 months, as well as his primary goals for 2025. 

When asked about the township’s greatest achievement of last year, Fleisher didn’t hesitate to name the return of Independence Day fireworks on July 3.

“(It) was important because we needed to reinvigorate a sense of pride in the community,” he recalled. “It’s been over a decade since we had it, and the residents exceeded my expectations with their interest. There were over 6,000 people. It’s rare, if I’m out and about in the community, that I’m not stopped and people express gratitude and excitement for next year’s (fireworks). 

“The entire township team, police, recreation, public works – we started working on that my first day in office,” Fleisher added. “Everyone delivered professionally.”

Now, with the new year well underway, Fleisher has a number of initiatives planned. A primary focus will be the newly launched mayor’s wellness campaign, which kicked off Jan. 29 with a 1-mile indoor walk at Cherry Hill Mall led by Fleisher and his wife, Jen. 

More than 100 residents of all ages participated in the kickoff and took the mayor’s wellness campaign pledge, promising to exercise at least three times a week for 30 minutes; increase consumption of fruits and vegetables; drink more water and limit junk foods; and consult with a doctor to understand their weight, BMI, cholesterol and blood pressure. 

“This really is an opportunity to bring residents together to promote healthier lifestyles,” Fleisher noted. 

The walks will be held monthly, with Jefferson Health serving as the primary sponsor of the wellness campaign. 

Another major area of focus for Fleisher is public safety, which he’s working on with the township’s new Police Chief, John Ostermueller. 

“He has really hit the ground running, everything from addressing speeding in the neighborhoods through our Slow Down in Our Town initiative to assessments and increased investments in technology,” Fleisher said of Ostermueller. “Under his new leadership, I expect us to really move public safety forward in 2025.”

The Slow Down in Our Town initiative, launched last June, focuses on the three Es – enforcement, education and engineering – to holistically address the issue of speeding in the township. Since it began, there have been 7,124 motor vehicle stops; of those, 4,963 traffic citations were issued. The stops are opportunities for officers to educate drivers on the dangers of driving too fast. 

The initiative has also included various traffic calming measures, such as painting crosswalks to improve pedestrian safety, especially near neighborhood schools. More than 40 “slow 25” markers were painted on high-traffic streets to serve as a visible reminder for motorists to watch their speeds, with more locations coming soon. And Slow Down in Our Town mobilized temporary digital speed signs on neighborhood roads as further warnings for drivers.

Throughout 2025, Fleisher shared, 75 of the township’s 300 miles of municipal roads will be paved. ADA improvements are also on the schedule to increase access. 

Regarding open space, all 50 township parks will continue to receive regular maintenance. The final stages of planning are also underway for three major parks in the neighborhoods of Kingston, Surrey Place East and Brookfield. Residents in those areas got the chance to give feedback on the respective designs. As part of the commitment to “keeping Cherry Hill green,” a number of trees will be planted across the township. 

Also this year, Fleisher is bringing back Student Government Day, which hasn’t taken place since before 2020. Students from the two high schools will learn about local government and, at the end of the day, participate in a mock council meeting. 

“It’s often very enlightening because many times, there’s both issues and solutions that come out of that Student Government Day that we are able to implement in real life,” Fleisher reported.

So far, 2025 is shaping up to be a good one for Cherry Hill. Fleisher is excited about what’s to come, and he hopes that the residents are, too.

“Cherry Hill is on the move,” he emphasized. “We continue to have strong neighborhoods, outstanding community groups, everything from our houses of worship, our swim clubs, our youth rec programs. And Cherry Hill remains a place where people want to do business.

“It’s a matter of balancing all three to ensure that Cherry Hill remains a great place to live, work and raise a family,” Fleisher added. “That is my and council’s top priority every morning when we wake up.” 

The Cherry Hill board of education has unanimously approved its first governance committee.

Chaired by Kimberly Gallagher, the panel’s key goal is to ensure that all nine volunteer board members are on the same page about their duties. 

“It’s a committee that essentially monitors and manages the board,” Gallagher explained. “So training, roles, responsibilities, making sure evaluations are done on time, compliance and other things – but those are the bigger items.” 

The first order of business, she announced, will be to create official job descriptions – with guidance from the New Jersey School Boards Association – for the board, committee members, the vice president and president.

“If we don’t know what we do, we can’t really go forward, right?” Gallagher noted. “And everybody will have input (on drafting the descriptions),” she added, while acknowledging she didn’t understand the full scope of being a board member until she was elected.

Official job descriptions will help the public better understand what board members can and cannot do, Gallagher believes. 

“On occasion, friends will come to me and say, ‘Oh, I’m having this issue, can’t you do something?,’” she noted. “And I’m like, ‘No, I can’t.’ So it might be nice to have something where we can point people to.”

Members of the governance committee will rotate depending on a number of factors, including interest levels and expertise on the topics at hand. The first meeting is slated to be held this month on a day to be determined. 

“I’m glad that you’re doing this and I’m glad you’re enthusiastic about it because what you described, I think, is gonna be really useful,” observed board member Kurt Braddock.

“It’s a lot,” added Miriam Stern, another board member. “It’s a lot of organizing and tracking and ensuring compliance for nine volunteers who all have very different competing needs, but it will be incredibly beneficial to the board and to the success of the board. If the board is successful, it can only support the success of the district and, ultimately, the students who we’re here for.” 

In other news, Superintendent Dr. Kwame Morton briefly addressed how President Trump’s newly signed executive orders may impact the district, including “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling,” which would essentially eliminate DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) practices in the schools. 

That executive order calls on the federal departments of education, defense and Health and Human Services, in consultation with the attorney general, to recommend a strategy for “eliminating federal funding or support for illegal and discriminatory treatment and indoctrination in K-12 schools, including based on gender ideology and discriminatory equity ideology.” 

“We have received many questions surrounding the executive orders recently signed by the president, and things are changing rapidly,” Morton pointed out. “At this time, we do not have complete information as a district. I’m monitoring developments and we’re following guidance that is provided by the New Jersey Department of Education.

“As information becomes available, we’ll continue to keep the community informed.” 

Some Smart Goals at the high schools this academic year include hiring and retaining staff for a diverse workforce that reflects and promotes DEI practices, and establishing an environment where every student feels safe; welcomed; and respected, and benefits from an inclusive culture.