Night court adjourned
By ROBERT LINNEHAN
The Cherry Hill Sun
8/7/2010

Weekly night court sessions in the township won’t be held anymore, according to township representatives, in the first of several changes designed to reduce costs in Cherry Hill.

Mayor Bernie Platt announced that starting on Monday Aug. 2, the township will no longer offer any night court session and will instead reduce the program to three day-court sessions per week. Additionally, there will also be two Friday daytime sessions every month.

The township has also appointed an official police department liaison to work with the municipal prosecutor, so court sessions no longer need to be scheduled according to the availability of police officers, Cherry Hill representatives reported.

“I am confident that this new schedule will improve the efficiency of the court, while significantly reducing its backlog and our operating costs,” Platt said. “With that said, I will work with the court staff and administration to monitor the progress of these changes and make adjustments if necessary, to ensure a smooth transition.”

The township will realize savings by reducing the police overtime that was necessary for officers to attend the night court sessions. Legally a police officer is required to be in attendance at each court session held in the township.

Chief of Staff Dan Keashen said if the new police liaison officer and schedule are successful, it can possibly save Cherry Hill $100,000 a year.

According to Cherry Hill representatives, residents will be kept informed of any additional changes through the local media, as well as through the township’s Web site at CherryHill-NJ.com, and social networking sites.

In other township news:

The township council approved a resolution last week to award a bid for the construction and improvement of Covered Bridge Road.

The bid was awarded to Paramount Enterprises, a local Cherry Hill institution. The firm submitted the lowest bid for the project at a little more than $823,000.

The township received eight bids for the project. The second lowest bid came in almost $100,000 more, with Lexa Concrete LLC submitting a price of more than $924,000.

The project will consist of various improvements and road resurfacing on Covered Bridge Road from Route 70 to Forge Lane. The resolution states that the project will also consist of reconstructing the existing roadbed, removing and replacing concrete vertical curbs and concrete driveways and sidewalks as indicated in the plans, resetting manholes and inlets and installing traffic striping.