Dear Neighbors,

Welcome to the latest edition of the Mount Laurel First E-News letter.

If you have news that you think should be included in my next E-News letter, please send me the information at JimKeenan@MountLaurelFirst.com
Remember that this E-News letter is dedicated to Mount Laurel news.

Memorial Day Observation: The Township will host a Memorial Day Observation in Laurel Acres Park at 6pm on Friday, May 30, 2008.  The presentation will occur at the Veterans Memorial situated on the side of the hill.  We are holding it on this day, since it is the true Memorial Day and we felt that we would be able to have more people from the township available to attend.

Sign Ordinance Adopted:  Township Council adopted a new sign ordinance at its public meeting on May 5, 2008.  The sign ordinance has been revised to meet State and Federal laws guaranteeing the freedom of speech but allowing the township to limit the types, sizes and locations of said signs so as to limit the number of driver distractions and the number of aesthetic eyesores along the roadways.  Within a week after final passage, the township experienced its first hiccup in how it was to impose the sign ordinance.  The confusion came when the townships employee, charged with enforcement, removed a number of off-site yard sale signs.  The signs were removed and they were destroyed.  The manager’s office was questioned by a number of the Council Members, including myself, as to what type of procedures were in place in order to educate the public as to the violation of having the yard sale signs located off of the residents personal property.  We were informed that management staff had apologized to the residents and that the township will institute a procedure for removal and notification of violation.  For everyone who is interested in the exact rules for Garage or Yard Sale Signs here it is straight from the ordinance:
Definition of Garage or Yard Sale Sign (garage-yard sale sign) means any on-site, temporary sign pertaining to the sale of personal property in, at or upon any residentially-zoned property located in the Township. Garage or yard sales shall include, but not be limited to, all such sales and shall include the advertising of the holding of any such sale or the offering to make any sale whether made under any name, such as garage sale, lawn sale, yard sale, front yard sale, back yard sale, home sale, attic sale, rummage sale, patio sale, flea market sale or any similar designation.
Temporary garage/yard sale signs: For each parcel with a lawful residential use, one temporary garage/yard sale sign may be displayed. A temporary garage-yard sale sign shall not exceed three square feet in size and three feet in height.  A temporary garage/yard sale sign may not be displayed for a period longer than three days and is limited to the site it advertises (on-premises).  NO Signs are allowed to be nailed, fastened or affixed to any tree in the township.  There are NO PERMITS required for a Garage/Yard Sale sign.

Mount Laurel Township Council:  The agenda for the Council Meetings are now being posted online at the township’s website.  Please visit us at www.MountLaurel.com

Flag Day Observation: Council has announced that it will hold a Flag Day Celebration at the Veterans Memorial on Saturday, June 14, 2008 in Laurel Acres Park beginning at 6pm.

Mount Laurel Board of Education: Has announced that the last day of school for students has been shifted to June 20, 2008 instead of June 19^th, given the closing of schools on February 22, 2008 due to a winter storm.  Snow days are made up at the end of the year according to a schedule approved by the board.

Fleetwood Football - Event Information:  LATE REGISTRATION will be held at HARTFORD SCHOOL on Friday, June 6, 2008 - 7:00-8:00 PM

MLU Soccer News:
     MLU Fire u17 girls, New Jersey National Champions: The u17girls MLU Fire won the coveted New Jersey National Championship State Cup. This past weekend, Saturday, May 17th the Fire met Montclair Utd. Aristocats, last years u16 champions, for semi-final play at the College of New Jersey in Ewing, NJ. The Fire came away with a 4-2 victory, sending them to the finals. On Sunday, May 18th the Fire met the Arsenal Hawks, and brought home the big win, with a 4-3 victory! Congratulations to the MLU Fire team! 

     MLU Tornadoes u15 Champions: The U15G MLU Tornados won the 2008 NJYS State Cup on May 18^th by defeating the Princeton Fusion 3-1 in an overtime thriller.  The Tornados had to overcome a 1-0 deficit at the half and through team work and sheer determination managed to knot the game up in the second half.   In overtime, the Tornados were able to put the game away through superior ball control, aggressive attacking and a defensive back four that could not be broken.  The Tornados have been a part of MLU for seven years, gradually climbing the ranks of SJGSL and now play in the JAGSPremier division of JAGS.  Congratulations Tornados!!  

     MLU Comets u16 girls, Semi- finalists: The MLU Comets u16g , last year state champions, competed once again in semi-final play. The Comets held victory over the East Brunswick Rage, 4-0 on Saturday. The team gathered on the College of New Jersey fields again the next day. The Comets fought hard but the PDA girls came away with the championship title this year, with a solid 3-0 win. Thank you to the Comets for representing our club in National Championship competition.

     MLU Dragonladies u18 girls, Quarter-finalists: We are very proud of all our state cup competitors! Thank you to each and every one of you for representing Mount Laurel United Soccer Association.

     2008 Fall team Travel Soccer Try-outs: Travel soccer try outs for teams forming for fall 2008, age groups u8 through u14 are completed. Tryouts for u15 and up will be announced as they are scheduled. All players that attended try-outs will be notified as to whether or not they made a team by June 15th.
If you have any questions or concerns, you may contact Patty Green, MLU Travel Soccer director, at (609) 217-8906 or email her at patgphan@aol.com  General questions can be directed to mluadmin@comcast.net or you may leave a voice message at (856) 778-9549

Report Graffiti: The township is committed to cleaning up any graffiti around town, so please let me know if you see any.  To report graffiti in Mount Laurel simply click on this link: Report Graffiti and tell me the location and the cross streets nearby.  If the link above does not work, simply email me at my Council email address of JimKeenan08054@gmail.com and put the word "Graffiti" in the subject line and I will forward your report to the Township Manager to alert the proper departments to note the incident and then remove it from Mount Laurel.

Report a Pothole:  With the weather changing from cold to warm and back to cold again, potholes will seem to form overnight.  To report a pothole in Mount Laurel simply click on this link; Report a Pothole and tell me the name of the street that the pothole is located on and the closest intersection.  If the link does not work, simply email me at my Council email address of JimKeenan08054@gmail.com and put the word "Pothole" in the subject line and I will forward your report to the Township Manager to alert the Public Works Department.  Thank you for your assistance in this matter. 
 

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,