Pennsauken Journal

In a blog post today, John Dewar said,

What will be done with the Phantoms? They still draw good crowds and Philly is considered a real good market for the AHL. My long term suggestion? Build the rink across the river in Pennsauken, NJ on the site of the old Pennsauken Mart.

Dewar noted that there are plans to build retail shops and condos on the old Pennsauken Mart site..

But that decision was done within the past 18 months or so. Now, the housing market is not what it was a couple of years ago.

Dewar is trying to build a case for a rink, saying the economic boost to Pennsauken and the region will not be as projected because of the downturn in the housing market. Even if that were true, Dewar unfortunately ignored the effect of the retail space and other factors. Back in June, 2007, at a time when we were in throes of the housing market slide, the County Freeholder Lou Capelli said the planned development would generate $3 million a year in revenue compared to the paltry quarter million that the old Mart produced.

While a rink is not a bad idea, I just think it won’t happen. The condo and retail space plan that the Camden County development authorities came up with, still has a green light.

According to a spokesperson at the Camden County Improvement Authority today, the project is moving forward.

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According to the Courier-Post:

The body of a 41-year-old Camden man was found behind an abandoned building Tuesday afternoon, officials said. The man, whose identity was not released, was found in the 4600 block of River Road around 2 p.m. by a passer-by.

It was unclear when or how the man died. An autopsy was scheduled for this morning.

The Philadelphia Inquirer item added this:

Police said crime scene investigators were at the scene, but there were no obvious signs of foul play and it was unclear when the man died.

The CBS Channel 3 also reported the incident with video

The building has been vacant and boarded up for several years.

Click on image to see full-size

This photo is worth more than my humble words can say. Thanks to my talented wife, Jeanette, for this amazing shot.

Shameless plug: More of Jeanette’s work at her website: JS Design and Art

One our own, killed:

According to the police report Soto was heading north on the Black Horse Pike in a 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe when his vehicle crossed into oncoming traffic and hit a Pathmark tractor trailer. The truck driver, Lawrence J. Bochard, of Fords, NJ, was uninjured.

The cause of the collision is under investigation. Preliminary investigation suggests alcohol was not a factor in the crash.

Officer Soto, age 27, resided in Pennsauken. He graduated Pennsauken High School in 1998, worked as an Information Officer for Pennsauken Police Department for two years before becoming a Police Officer in 2006. He was a member of the FOP Lodge #3, the Pennsauken School Board for five years and the Journey Youth Program.

Here’s a local news video clip:

According to a recent item in the Philadelphia Inquirer,

Maksin Group, which sells health insurance to students, is moving its headquarters and 100 jobs to the Camden waterfront, from Pennsauken.

“This Ferry Terminal building is beautiful. As soon as I saw it, I focused my attention on Camden instead of Philadelphia or a suburban location,” Maksin president Thomas Smith said yesterday.

Thomas organized a bus tour to show the company’s planned home to Maksin workers, including skeptics.

“A lot of people don’t venture into Camden - they don’t go to shows, they don’t see baseball - so taking them down there was a big step,” he said.

The New Jersey state Economic Development Administration sweetened the move with grants, tax rebates, and up to $100,000 for tenant improvements and equipment. “We also had had incentives in Pennsauken,” Smith said.

While it’s not good news for Pennsauken, it’s great news for our neighbors in Camden. We wish Maskin success in their new Camden digs.