Evesham

Evesham voters on Saturday strongly endorsed a $895,000 bond issue that will pay for a new fire and ambulance station in the Kings Grant section of the town. The plan carried by a 141-59 vote. The Merchants Way station - which will house at least two fire trucks and one ambulance - is needed to serve as a centrally located emergency-services center, according to a 1989 safety study conducted as part of Evesham's master plan. The station, Evesham's third, is expected to be operating by the end of the year.

Amid the recent heated conflicts between the pro-growth and slow-growth forces in Evesham, middle-of-the-road candidates Henry "Hank" D'Andrea and Nancy Fulcher Shannon were elected to the five-member Township Council last night by wide margins, upsetting incumbent Marvin Sandler in the process. Nearly half of Evesham's 15,790 registered voters turned out for the nonpartisan balloting to re-elect D'Andrea to his third council term with 2,491 votes. Shannon, who chairs the Township Planning Board, received 2,285 votes to win a seat on the council in her fourth attempt.

The Evesham Township Council settled a two-month stalemate with its police supervisors last night and agreed to award the nine officers raises of at least 16.9 percent over three years. The agreement ended eight months of negotiations between the township and the Police Superior Officers Association, which represents officers holding the rank of sergeant or above. Under the three-year contract, which is retroactive to Jan. 1, the officers will receive a 5 percent raise this year, 6 percent next year and 5 percent in 1989.

Evesham residents elected Republican Mayor Randy Brown to a second term Tuesday, turning out in record numbers for the first partisan township race since voters approved moving elections from May to November. The shift to fall bolstered turnout to about 14,000 in Burlington County's largest town, more than double the number that cast ballots in the mayor's first election in 2007. Brown's running mates, Deb Hackman and Steve Zeuli, defeated Democrats Mark Ornstein and Kathleen Santomero for seats on the Township Council, according to unofficial results.

About 20 Evesham homeowners who reside on Palmetto Avenue have complained to the township council about traffic problems caused by speeding motorists and truck drivers. Resident Jean Burns presented a petition to the council Tuesday night signed by 30 residents of the Burlington County community who are angry that the operators of construction equipment are ignoring "No Construction Traffic" signs posted on the street. Burns said she phoned police and was told that the ban on construction traffic could not be enforced.

The Evesham Township Planning Board is set to adopt a new master plan tomorrow night, ushering in a sustained attempt by the board to temper growth in a municipality that has expanded rapidly over the last decade. "We can't reverse what we've done," Planning Board member Nancy Shannon said at the last meeting. "But we're trying to slow it down. " Evesham's last master plan was prepared in 1982. The plans normally span a period of six years. From 1980 to 1988, Evesham's population rose by 10,624 to more than 32,000, one of the 10 highest rates of growth in the state, according to federal figures.

With plans moving forward to supply the additional recreation areas that many Evesham residents have demanded for several years, the council has compiled a master list of how many courts or fields of each type should be built. "We needed a realistic starting point before we selected design plans for any of the locations we have available to us," Mayor Gus Tamburro said last week. After studying population estimates and determining the number of participants enrolled in local sports programs, the council determined it must supply at least: Two tournament-grade football fields.

Evesham police are looking for a man believed responsible for three burglaries and an attempted burglary Thursday and early Friday. Three of the incidents occurred at the Woodstream Apartments, Conestoga Drive and Route 70. In one, the burglar tied up the resident with a phone cord and put a pillowcase on the resident's head. The first burglary was reported at 5:40 p.m. Thursday by Marla Pepsin, who surprised a man in her house in the 300 block of Juniper Street. Pepsin, 24, said she found the man going through her jewelry box in the bedroom.

Police continued yesterday to investigate the bizarre stabbing of a 46-year-old mother of two Monday and announced that a sketch of the assailant is expected to be released Thursday. Nancy Clark, of Thomas Eakins Way in the Sanctuary development, was taking an afternoon stroll Monday when a man stabbed her at least five times in the throat and upper body outside her home. Clark remained in critical but stable condition yesterday, police said. Clark's assailant is described as white, in his late teens or early 20s, about 5-foot-9, of medium build, and with short brown hair.

Evesham Fire Chief Thaddeus Lowden knew that his department was busy, but he didn't realize it was that busy. Lowden said he was surprised when an article in the October issue of Firehouse Magazine indicated that Evesham had the 13th-highest number of fire calls in the United States. The magazine polled more than 200 volunteer fire companies around the country and printed the results of total calls, total fire calls, engine company runs, emergency service runs, ladder company runs and total calls concerning hazardous materials.

Faced with little public outcry over plans to tear down and replace an iconic but deteriorating wooden playground at Memorial Field, Evesham officials say they will proceed shortly with the demolition of Scott Rand Park. "It looks like it will be end of April," township manager William Cromie said Wednesday. He expects completion of the new playground to take about four weeks. Only three residents objected at Tuesday's township council meeting to a plan to replace the site's weathered wooden structures with brightly colored vinyl and metal slides, tubes, jungle gyms, climbing walls, and a pirate ship.

Once upon a time a magic kingdom, designed by children and built by volunteers, sprouted almost overnight in Evesham. It had turrets and slides, jiggly stairs, secret passages, sandboxes, and a pirate ship with anchors on the side, all made of wood. Children from around the township and beyond came to Memorial Field to play in it. But 21 years passed. The park grew tired and began to splinter. And so, this month, bulldozers will demolish the Scott Rand Playground, named for the late resident who guided its creation.

Saying state law unfairly forces townships to shoulder the cost of tax appeals and uncollected taxes, Evesham Township on Tuesday called on the local school and fire districts to share that burden. The township council agreed unanimously to ask the Evesham School District, Lenape Regional High School District, and Evesham Fire District to meet soon with town officials to discuss the matter. "We have worked so hard to keep taxes flat in this town, but we are being penalized by Jersey state statutes," which require townships to shoulder the full cost of lost appeals, Mayor Randy Brown told a budget session of the council.

Saying state law unfairly forces townships to shoulder the cost of tax appeals and uncollected taxes, Evesham Township on Tuesday called on the local school and fire districts to share that burden. The township council agreed unanimously to ask the Evesham School District, Lenape Regional High School District, and Evesham Fire District to meet soon with town officials to discuss the matter. "We have worked so hard to keep taxes flat in this town, but we are being penalized by Jersey state statutes," which require townships to shoulder the full cost of lost appeals, Mayor Randy Brown told a budget session of the council.

Evesham Township, don't try to call your mayor Sunday night. Randy Brown will be at the New Orleans Superdome, pacing the sidelines, barking instructions, and holding his breath each time a field-goal attempt tumbles toward the uprights during what he calls "the greatest game in sports. " The Super Bowl. "It's something you dream about as a kid," Brown, a kicking consultant for the Baltimore Ravens, said from New Orleans. He arrived Tuesday with the rest of the team. The Ravens will play the San Francisco 49ers for the right to wear the NFL's diamond-studded championship ring.

Evesham Township, don't try to call your mayor Sunday night. Randy Brown will be at the New Orleans Superdome, pacing the sidelines, barking instructions, and holding his breath each time a field-goal attempt tumbles toward the uprights during what he calls "the greatest game in sports. " The Super Bowl. "It's something you dream about as a kid," Brown, a kicking consultant for the Baltimore Ravens, said from New Orleans. He arrived Tuesday with the rest of the team. The Ravens will play the San Francisco 49ers for the right to wear the NFL's diamond-studded championship ring.

One in a continuing series spotlighting the real estate market in this region's communities. All the signs heading into town, and the ones on the school district buildings and on the Fire Department's headquarters on Main Street, clearly say Evesham Township . However, when you announce that you're going to the Apple Store, or REI, or scores of other locations within Evesham Township's boundaries, the destination is Marlton ...

  Nancy Jamanow pulled into a parking lot on Main Street in Marlton last week and gazed at the "For Sale" sign on the vacant Beneficial Bank building. "I love this building. I really wish we could do something with it," Jamanow, Evesham's development director, said of the Federal-style brick structure. "But it needs so many upgrades to be compliant. I think it would be very, very difficult to save. " Built in 1927 and topped by a louvered cupola, the former Farmers & Mechanics Bank is one of seven vacant or "underutilized" commercial properties the township has identified for possible inclusion in a redevelopment plan.

From behind his desk, the mayor of Evesham Township points to an eight-foot cylinder leaning in a corner of his office. "See that yellow pole?" asks Randy Brown. It's the fiberglass upright of a football goalpost that was on the field when he missed a crucial kick 29 years ago. He was kicker then for Cherokee High School. It lost the game and a regional championship when his last-minute kick went wide. Brown to this day blames overconfidence. "Not a day goes by that I don't look at it," he said.