EN TE RT AIN ME NT ISS UE !
AR TS & VOL. 180, NO. 23
Friday, June 7, 2024
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‘My hard work paid off’ Naval officer is a native of Bordentown
‘We are beyond thrilled’
Photos Courtesy of Bordentown City
Historic Farnsworth Avenue bridge to be repaired
By KATHY CHANG Managing Editor
Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Josiah Trombley
Petty Officer 2nd Class Alec States is directly linked to recruiting Chilcote, a native of Bordentown, and retaining talented people from serves the U.S. Navy assigned to Pa- across the rich fabric of America. trol and Reconnaissance Squadron “We will earn and reinforce the (VP) 16. trust and confidence of the AmeriChilcote graduated from Burl- can people every day,” said Admiral ington County Institute of Technol- Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval opogy in 2018. erations. “Together we will deliver The skills and values needed to the Navy the nation needs.” succeed in the Navy are similar to Chilcote has many opportunithose found in Bordentown. ties to achieve accomplishments “I’ve worked since I was 13 and during military service. that taught me how to work hard,” “My proudest accomplishment Chilcote said, in a release through is getting fully qualified as an aviathe Navy Office of Community Out- tion warfare operator,” he said. “I reach. “Without hard work, the mis- am proud of that because it took sion does not get done.” years to accomplish. For our job, Chilcote joined the Navy four that is what you are working toand a half years ago. Today, he wards from the day you graduate serves as a naval air crewman (op- boot camp so it was a lot of hard erator). work and then getting fully qualified “I joined to explore the world showed that my hard work paid off.” outside of my hometown and I Chilcote serves a Navy that opfound the Navy provided a good erates far forward, around the world way to travel,” he said. and around the clock, promoting Members of VP 16 fly and main- the nation’s prosperity and security. tain the U.S. Navy’s P-8A Poseidon “Serving in the Navy means bemulti-mission maritime aircraft. ing an example for others to look up Designed to secure the U.S. Navy’s to,” he said. future in long-range maritime paChilcote is grateful to others for trol capability, the P-8A has trans- helping make a Navy career posformed how the Navy’s maritime sible. patrol and reconnaissance force will “I want to thank my dad, Chad train, operate and deploy, accord- Chilcote, and my mentor, Naval ing to Navy officials. P-8A aircraft Aircrewman Operator 1st Class fly around the globe to monitor the [Kevin] Wilson, for helping me a world’s oceans wherever they are lot since I have been in the Navy,” needed. he said. With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials Calendar .....................................2A continue to emphasize that Classified....................................9A the prosperity of the United Town Forum ...............................4A
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After several years of “speculation and worry,” the oldest stone masonry arch Farnsworth Avenue bridge will be repaired. New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT) Acting Commissioner Francis O’Connor recently joined Bordentown City officials and state Sen. Troy Singleton to tour the historic Farnsworth Avenue bridge. O’Connor officially announced that “the bridge will be repaired, rather than torn down and replaced.” “We are beyond thrilled … ,” Bordentown City officials said on their social media website. In 2019, NJDOT had proposed plans to replace the bridge calling it “deficient.” In the proposal, Farnsworth Avenue would be closed for a two-year period. The Veterans Memorial was going to be removed and stored during bridge construction and then reassembled once the construction was complete. “In a tremendous victory for the entire Bordentown community, the commissioner also announced that Farnsworth Avenue will remain open while the work is conducted, mitigating the potential impact on the Veterans Memorial and the downtown business district,” officials said. As the oldest stone masonry arch bridge spanning a railway in
the entire country, the historical and geological implications of replacing the bridge would have been significant. Farnsworth Avenue was expected to be closed to traffic for upwards of two years if the bridge were to be replaced, and the physical and economic impact on the surrounding community could have been potentially devastating, officials said. Together, city officials, Sen. Singleton’s office, and a number of city organizations rallied. They met and communicated with DOT officials numerous times, passed a governing body resolution, and signed petitions to advocate for repairing, rather than replacing the bridge. “On behalf of the governing body, we cannot thank New Jersey DOT and Commissioner O’Connor enough for their willingness to listen to our concerns and work with us to craft a win-win situation for everyone,” Mayor Jennifer Sciortino said.
Bordentown Township: Primary election
By KATHY CHANG Managing Editor
Voters in Bordentown Township went to the polls June 4 to choose candidates to run for an array of municipal and state offices in the Democratic and Republican primaries.
Two seats are available for township committee. Two people ran for the committee seat in the Democratic primary. Incumbent Kelly Lozito received 621 votes and Incumbent Eric Holliday received 622 votes. No petitions were filed in the Republican
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primary. The results listed here reflect what has been posted online by the Burlington County Clerk’s Office as of June 5. The results of the election will remain unofficial until they are certified. The general election is Nov. 5.
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“We also owe Sen. Singleton and his staff a debt of gratitude for quickly jumping into action and advocating for Bordentown City every step of the way, which ultimately helped us forge this compromise. “This solution will protect public safety without creating any major disruptions that could have harmed our small, local businesses, the Veterans Memorial, or any number of historical features in our downtown, including the bridge itself. “A special thanks also goes out to the members of the Veterans Memorial Committee, the DBA (Downtown Bordentown Association), and the [Bordentown] Historical Society who played a pivotal role by lending their time and expertise to advocate for repairing this historic bridge,” Sciortino said. “This was truly a team effort over the last few years with the community at large coming together and rallying to preserve our historic charm.”
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