In the Richland Village section of our town, we have a giant white oak tree that reached the age of 235 years old.  It died last year.  It was a beautiful tree.

We are making an effort to fund raise to make a carving out of the tree trunk and lower limbs featuring highlights of our Township’s 150 years in existence.  The tree is huge and we need the funds to hire a well-known chainsaw carver to make a permanent memorial out of this historic old tree located in the center of Saw Mill Park on Route 40.

The design will feature carvings around the entire trunk of the tree.  Ideas include a tractor for the farming industry, a chicken for the former poultry industry, deer to represent the abundant wildlife in the Township, a soldier, a locomotive, an eagle and the Township’s logo.

The trunk will be sealed and preserved with polyurethane and a fence around the tree will help keep it protected.  The monument will be lighted and capture the spirit of the fine tree this once was.  It will feature a semi-circle of six young white oak trees that will grow in the future behind the huge carved tree.

Preliminary work to remove excess branches will begin in October.  The largest and strongest branches will remain intact.

To make a donation, please send a check or money order payable to the BVT Special Events Committee, P.O. Box 605, Buena, NJ 08310.  All funds raised will go directly to this project.

The New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency invites you to learn how to avoid foreclosure at a free Foreclosure Resource Event to be held on Tuesday, October 18, 2016, from 3-8 p.m., at All Wars Memorial Building, 1501 Adriatic Avenue, Atlantic City, NJ 08401.

For more information, please e-mail Jesse Crawford at jcrawford@njhmfa.gov or call 609-278-7587.

On June 24, 2016, Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno was present, along with the Township Committee, County and State officials plus executives and employees as the ground was broken for the new Teligent, Inc. complex on Lincoln Avenue in Buena Vista. After shovels hit the ground, the project began its new construction phase.  When completed, the Teligent project will be a $50 million dollar business expansion for our otherwise small Pinelands community.  The project means 75,000 sq. ft. of new warehouse, manufacturing plus research and development space for Teligent.  This will bring their total square footage up to 110,000 sq. ft. and will lead to a doubling of the company’s employees to 200 by sometime in 2017.  The company formally known as IGI has new leadership since 2012 and has taken huge steps forward in the generic pharmaceutical marketplace.  Instead of leaving Buena Vista Townhip for greener pastures, they worked with our community for more than a year to make this project a reality.  Mayor Chuck Chiarello and Township Committee plus our staff worked very closely with the corporate leadership of Teligent, especially their Vice President, Peter Gallagher.  This project helps with long-term stability for our community.

The Township Committee has also been working with Comar, Inc. another large employer in the plastics manufacturing business located on Tuckahoe Road.  Their property is directly in the Pinelands and provides bigger challenges to keep them here and to help them expand in Buena Vista.  Comar has hopes for more employees along with bigger and better facilities to manufacture and warehouse their products which includes many well-known pharmaceutical-type plastic bottles and containers.  Mayor Chuck Chiarello, Committeemen Steve Martinelli and John Armato along with staff and professionals have worked hard to move this project forward.  One specific challenge was having legislation adopted in Trenton that would allow for economic funding to come to Comar for their expansion project since they were considering leaving the area.  In June, State Senator Jim Whelan and Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo introduced a Bill that would modify the current State Law allowing this type of funding to help Comar.  The Bill has been introduced in both the Senate and Assembly.  Mayor Chhck Chiarello spoke in front of the Senate Economic Growth Committee in Trenton to push for the Bill’s passage.  There are still various steps to go through till the Bill reaches the Governor’s desk and we hope this can be accomplished by fall.  Our community needs Comar and the 350 jobs it presently has.  The planned expansion includes additional employees along with new buildings that will replace existing structures for better use of their space.

Earlier in 2016, the new Inspira Medical Complex on Route 40 opened to the public.  Future expansion of doctors and services is expected at their location.  The site offers a new ratable for our taxpayers during difficult economic times.  This year also brought the opening of Buenapac on Route 40 which provides flash-freeze fruit and vegetables for shipping to other parts of the United States and Canada.  Business has been developing at the site and they will be an asset to our farm community in Buena Vista and the region.

While we are a small town with limited resources, Buena Vista Township has worked towards making our business community feel that they are at home here.  We have worked on events such as the Richland Village Festival that is good for our locals and visitors to see our activities, businesses and restaurants that we have.  While limited in staff, we work with Atlantic County Economic Development, the NJ Business Action Center and the State Economic Development Authority to find incentives to help keep businesses here in Buena Vista.

Mark your calendar for the 12^th Annual Saw Mill Park Halloween Fun Day.  This FREE event will be held on Saturday, October 15^th, 11 am to 1 pm at Saw Mill Park, Route 40 in Richland Village.  There will be hayrides, apple cider, a costume parade and judging of the coloring contest.  Reasonably priced refreshments will be available.  More details will follow.

Buena Vista Township invites you to join us in a Special 9-11 Memorial Service on the 15^th Anniversary of this tragedy.  The Service will be held on Sunday, September 11^th, 12 noon to 1 pm at Saw Mill Park, 1316 Harding Highway (Route 40) in Richland Village.  Attending will be VFW Post #158, the US Coast Guard Color Guard, Buena Regional High School Band, members of the clergy, elected officials, and a special guest speaker.

Please invite any friends, family and members of your organizations to attend.  For additional information, contact Buena Vista Township Mayor’s office, 856-697-2100, then Press 8.

The Route 54/40 free shuttle from Richland to Hammonton has been a welcomed sight.  It is a service that is not funded by local taxes!  Federal transportation funds awarded to Atlantic County partially fund it;   but substantial funds from the Pascale Sykes Foundation makes this pilot initiative possible.

Kudos to the Pascale Sykes Foundation which funds programs that strengthen families. Over the past four years it has purposely focused resources in four counties in southern New Jersey — Atlantic, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem.  Data on child/family well-being in these counties have significantly low ratings as compared to the other NJ Counties:

The Foundation hosted countywide public meetings to gain input on services needed for strengthening families.  All four counties identified transportation as a major need.  In partnership with other agencies and resources, the foundation funds transportation initiatives in each of these four rural counties.  The Route 54/40 Shuttle here fills the transportation gaps by transporting residents on its route to bus and train boarding locations. This opens opportunities for employment in areas previously unavailable and access to other previously unreachable resources.

Atlantic has two shuttle initiatives.  One is in Egg Harbor Township.  The other is the Route 54/40 Shuttle which starts near the Hammonton train station, goes through a portion of Folsom, Collings Lakes, Newtonville, Buena, Landisville, Minotola and Richland. The Shuttle’s main task is to transport residents to the NJ Transit bus stops and the train depot, with routing timed to coordinate with their schedules.

According to the data of South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA), the Shuttle has transported 2,723 persons since its January startup. Of the 18 stops on the Shuttle’s circuit, Richland has the 3^rd highest on/off ridership number with 338 on and 273 getting off.  The MLK Center’s ridership numbers are 745 on / 260 off, and the Hammonton train station’s data is 533 on / 620 off.

In addition to the Daily Journal’s coverage of the Shuttle’s beginning ceremonies in its January 6^th edition, the town councils of each of these Western Atlantic municipalities, our school superintendent’s office, some local businesses, and a group of community residents labored at informing the residents of this available free service—sometimes door-to-door!

This information is only a brief note on the Shuttle and only shadows the 4 years of work by the Foundation, Atlantic County, SJTA, the Cross County Connections Agency, and a group of community residents.  The ridership volume may seem impressive for our rural area but understandably, it is less than areas with more concentrated populations.  This may mean that the Shuttle service could terminate at year’s end if ridership does not meet expectations of the federal grant.  If those funds continue those of the Foundation will also.  Those of us who have worked with the Foundation find it to be an example of lifting humanity to that heightened level intimated in the words of the hymn, “Brighten the corner where you are!”

by Rev. David Mallory, 1st Baptist Church of Richland

(Further information can be obtained by calling the Foundation’s local office at (856) 213-5058, and Shuttle schedules are at the Buena Vista Township Hall).