The Hammonton Gazette 05/27/15 Edition | Page 6

Page 6 • Wednesday, May 27, 2015 • The Hammonton Gazette The Hammonton Gazette “The Paper of Record” gabriel J. donio, Publisher gina rullo, Editor-in-Chief dan russoman, Sports Editor Benny Mendez, Staff Artist Marysusan Hoffman, Paul J. Macrie iv, Michael Hozik, donna Brown, Joseph Bruno, Brittany Mauro, Lauren Bucci, Lauren crescenzo, Staff The Hammonton Gazette is located at 233 Bellevue ave. to reach a staff member, call 704-1940 or fax at 704-1938. the mailing address is P.o. Box 1228, Hammonton, nJ 08037. editoriaLs fix town clock The Hammonton Gazette is published Wednesdays, by The Hammonton Gazette, Inc. Copyright © 2015. All rights reserved. ISSN 1093-6181 The four-faced 1929 Seth Thomas town clock in the center of the town common between town hall and St. Joseph High School, next to the Chiofalo Fountain, is one of the most iconic — if not the most iconic — symbols of Hammonton. So why is the town clock’s time wrong? Why are its lights either dim or not on at all? Why has it been allowed to deteriorate, with pieces falling off it and paint faded and flecked? The town clock may still be a symbol of Hammonton, but the revitalization effort that has swept through the downtown, uptown, Little Italy, the business park, the school district, the housing market and more has not made it to the four-faced, historic beauty in the center of town. It has been said before: the town clock is our Statue of Liberty. It is historic, prominent and a source of local pride. It must be preserved and renewed. We believe the revitalization of the town clock can be achieved through a phased process. Phase I can happen immediately. The proper time should be set, and brighter lights should be purchased to light the clock to maximum brightness. There is no reason the clock cannot tell accurate time 24 hours a day as soon as possible, while it awaits the restoration in Phase II. Phase II will take more time and tens of thousands of dollars. Some estimates have been higher than $50,000, but it is possible if Hammonton ingenuity and our town’s volunteer spirit are marshaled, as they have been with the creation of Leo Park at Veterans Park by the Hammonton Lions Club and recent renovations to Hammonton Lake Park by the Hammonton Kiwanis Club. Thousands of dollars and many hours of work may be saved through donations of time, resources and money. Perhaps a service club (or several service clubs) can come together and rehabilitate the town clock in time for Hammonton’s Sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) in 2016. The town clock is a town treasure. Let’s set the proper time and light it brightly within the next two weeks, then begin the plan to make it a real source of pride for all Hammontonians by fixing it, painting it and preserving it for future generations. signs for veterans Park In recent years the push to properly identify Hammonton Veterans Memorial Park has been discussed in public meetings. As a result, new signage has been installed at the portion of the park known as Leo Park denoting it as part of Hammonton Veterans Memorial Park. Hammonton Veterans Memorial Park is the entire green area nestled between Vine Street and Bellevue Avenue (Route 54) in downtown Hammonton, which includes Leo Park. In addition, a sign on the Bellevue Avenue side of the park was proposed identifying the park area as Hammonton Veterans Memorial Park. At the May 19 meeting of the Hammonton Parks and Recreation Commission, commission chairman Louis Cappuccio said it was time to revisit the plan to erect signs at the park. Plans for the signs were created several months ago, according to the commission. The Gazette looks forward to the signs being erected, and we hope they are crafted in keeping with the traditional, historic nature of Hammonton Veterans Memorial Park. The materials and lettering should be done in harmony with the stately existing memorials, the natural beauty and the serene nature of this beautiful spot in the middle of our town that honors local residents who served and, in some cases, paid the ultimate price to protect the United States of America. With Memorial Day just passed, let us continue to remember our local veterans properly with signs that will forever mark Hammonton Veterans Memorial Park as a place of honor. PersPective/Life in engLand In five more days I will have been in England for exactly one year. I knew next to nothing when I arrived, and one year later I more or less fit in with everyone else around me. This has been quite the adventure, and I feel lucky all of the time that I get to spend my mid 20s living in England with my new husband, and I think I’ve made that very apparent. The one thing I haven’t written about too much since I began writing about my life here is just how tough it can be as a military wife living away from home. The reason I avoid it is because it is hard to explain to someone who hasn’t experienced it; how it can be so exciting and wonderful while still having major downfalls. When my husband and I first moved here last year around this time, we had no idea how to manage a move to a new country. After finding a house to rent, we needed a car. We ended up going to a dealership right off of the base because it was so close. We found the cheapest car we could, and purchased it almost immediately. It cost 2000 pounds (approximately $3,077). It was a fairly large BMW. Not an awful car, but certainly not ideal for driving on the winding and ridiculously small English roads. At that point, I had no idea if I’d be able to work here, I was tired of living in temporary housing and not knowing where we’d be from one night to the next, and our poor dog probably would have given anything for a long and relaxing walk as opposed to being cooped up in the car running errands with us. We needed something to get us around so we could stop paying rent for the car we borrowed when we when first arrived, so we made the only choice we saw in front of us at that time. Later on, I l earned that purchasing a car near the base is a no-no. Unfortunately, this was information found out after the fact. This past week, almost exactly a year later, the BMW decided to completely die on me. After getting a flat tire in a town called Ipswich where I sat waiting for around three hours after work, it stalled several times on the way home. By the time I arrived in my driveway, it was leaking oil and completely shot. I was booked to work in a school for the next two weeks with no car and no family around to assist me. I was anxious over the fact that the car stalled literally the second I turned off of the highway (I certainly just missed a dangerous moment there) and my husband was at work so I had no one around to offer me advice. Fortunately, my neighbors are incredibly good people, and when I knocked on their door clearly upset, they let me hang out at their place while I made phone calls to my insurance and my husband and tried to figure out a plan of action (and offered rides to work to my husband and me). Fortunately, it was figured out by the weekend. I used my husband’s car while he was able to get rides from some friends who lived nearby. We found a good deal on a Vauxhall Corsa using Autotrade and got lucky that it turned out to be exactly the kind of car we were looking for (and a much better deal than the BMW). When annoying (but everyday) issues like this crop up, its easy to miss family and to remember how nice it is to have parents to borrow a car from and people you trust for advice. By the same token, however, you become very independent when you are forced to deal with these problems on your own. By the time our tour here is done, I don’t doubt that we will know far more than we ever expected. corinne nardin england Corinne (Grasso) Nardin is a 2006 graduate of Hammonton High School. She and her husband Matthew moved to England in spring 2014. The Hammonton Gazette welcomes letters to the editor that are no more than 800 words long. All letters must include the name of the author and an address and telephone number for verification. Letters should be mailed to The Hammonton Gazette, Editorial Page, P.O. Box 1228, Hammonton, NJ 08037. Letters also will be accepted via fax. The fax number is 704—1938.  Or by email to [email protected]. Deadline for all submissions is 2 p.m. Monday. The Hammonton Gazette reserves the right to edit any submissions. The opinions expressed in letters, perspectives or in guest columns do not necessarily reflect those of The Hammonton Gazette.  The Gazette is not responsible for factual errors in letters, perspectives or in guest columns. The Gazette retains the right to refuse any submission or advertisement.