Dennis Holds Public Hearing on Local Project

DENNISVILLE – Dennis Township Committee met March 14 and discussed several issues that will be introduced and discussed. 
One item is the potential amendment of the municipal code regarding the license fees as pertain to alcoholic beverages.
“The (Belleplain) VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) has asked us for a club license to serve alcohol and would also like us to waive any fee,” explained Township Clerk Jacqueline Justice.
“When I checked with the state, they told me that we can’t waive the fee although we can charge the minimum which, as of now for Dennis, is $63 per year. We haven’t increased any of our fees under our related ordinance for many years, and we can only raise those 20 percent each year including licenses for alcoholic distribution and consumption,” she said.
Committee agreed to accept Justice’s recommendation to discuss this issue at an upcoming session.
Committee discussed possible items to include in the next bond ordinance. One that might be viewed as a high priority is an upgrade of the municipal phone system as well as a possible purchase of an ambulance and HVAC for the Community Room.
“The state has an approved vendor contract list, and this company gave me an estimate of $14,000 for the phone system which we need because voicemail continues to be dropped and the entire system is not efficient,” she said.
The committee also introduced the municipal budget. The budget will be published in the Herald March 29 with second reading and public hearing at the April 11 committee meeting.
Committee adjourned for the public hearing of its state Department of Community Affairs Small Cities Community Development Block grant.
This grant is being used to remove architectural barriers to comply with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements at the Dennis Township municipal building, recreation center, senior center, and new ramp handle at the public works building.
“We received this grant in 2015 and construction has been on-going in 2016 with only some punch list items and installation of pre-fab bathrooms at our recreation center still to be done. This hearing is required by DCA to allow the public to comment on the project,” said Justice. There were no comments from the gathered public on the project. 
Prohibit Gun Range in Residential Area?
During the public comment portion of the meeting, a resident living on Route 83 said his neighborhood continues to experience a resident who has set up a shooting range even though this activity had ceased for a while.
“Per various State Police visits this activity was supposed to be stopped, and it did stop for a while. But it’s now started up again.
“The State Police have said there is no violation of state law so I’m asking the committee to consider whether the township can enact a local ordinance to prohibit this gun activity.
“Only a dirt berm divides houses from a bullet,” he said.
Township Solicitor Marcus Karavan examined a map the resident brought indicating where residences were in relation to the range. He said he would look into establishing a “safety zone” in the area with a municipal ordinance.
To contact Camille Sailer, email csailer@cmcherald.com.