SWATARA TOWNSHIP NEWSLETTER
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Codification of Ordinances
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2009 Minutes
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Road Conditions Throughout Pennsylvania
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H1N1 VIRUS
The Pennsylvania Department of Health WWW.H1N1inPA.COM has an excellent website for questions or concerns related to H1N1.
ARE YOU PART OF THE SOLUTION?
Prepare for a disaster in three easy steps. Go to the Ready PA website (www.readypa.org) for preparedness information.
SEBOS VAN IN NEED OF VOLUNTEER DRIVERS
The SEBOS van, which services seniors in Steelton, Enhaut, Oberlin and Bressler is in need of additional drivers. This is a volunteer position and only requires a few hours of your time each week. The SEBO van picks up people and transports them to doctors appointments, the senior center and other appointments. If you have some time to give, please contact Chuck Gassert at 939-9301 x 512 for more information.
SWATARA TOWNSHIP RECEIVES COMMUNITY CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP GRANT AWARD FROM THE PA DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES
Swatara Township, thanks to a grant from the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), has purchased fourteen (14) acres of Swatara Creek Greenway land that was owned by Mr. Mario Schiavoni. The Schiavoni Tract is a beautiful wooded parcel of land located right along the Swatara Creek on the opposite side of the Hummelstown Trail. Plans for development are in the beginning stages. Public comment for development of this park is welcomed. Please contact the Recreation Department with your ideas. Recreation Director Brent Smith is very pleased to be able to utilize the $50,000 grant to help develop the tract.
DCNR is the primary source of state support for PA recreation, parks and conservation initiatives. Grant funding from DCNR assists hundreds of communities and organizations across Pennsylvania to plan, acquire and develop recreation and park facilities, create trails and conserve open space. DCNR Deputy Secretary Cindy Dunn said "These grants allow us to partner with communities so that they can expand and improve the wonderful assets that make the places we call home vibrant and attractive." Funding for this grant comes from the Keystone 93 Growing Greener Fund.
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Welcome to Swatara Township
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 Each Ward (established by population) of the Township elects its own representative to serve a four-year term on the Board. Swatara Township is governed by a nine member Board of Commissioners.
In 1799, just twenty-three years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, a court order divided Lower Paxton Township into two equal parts. Swatara was the name chosen for the southern part of the area. The word is thought to be from an Iroquois Indian word meaning "Where we fed on eels." Swatara Township is comprised of 14.6 square miles, equivalent to 9,344 acres.
An atlas of 1875 shows Churchville, New Benton, and Highland Village as population centers. Today we know them as Oberlin, Bressler, and Enhaut, respectively. Wheat and corn fields have become Lawnton, Lenker Manor, Harrisburg Estates, Rutherford Heights. Georgian Manor, Lawnford Acres and Chambers Hill. On April 1, 1911 Swatara obtained First Class Township status with a population of 5,630. According to the 2000 census, 22,611 residents now make up the Township.
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PENN WASTE
All Penn Waste collection routes are running today (February 8, 2010). If you are in an area that is not collectible due to the recent snow storm, Penn Waste will accept double the volume on the next regularly scheduled collecton day.
SNOW REMOVAL REMINDERS
Snow Emergency
271-50. Parking prohibited and driving restricted on snow emergency routes during emergency.
After any snow emergency is declared, it shall be unlawful, at any time during the continuance of the emergency, for any person:
A. To park a motor vehicle or to allow that vehicle to remain parked anywhere on any snow emergency route designated in § 271-51 of this article; or
B. To drive any motor vehicle on any such snow emergency route, unless that vehicle is equipped with snow tires or chains.
Please refer to the Codification of Ordinances link for designated snow emergency routes.
- If you have a driveway, please use it. Plowing snow in a cul-de-sac that has even one boat, trailer or car parked in it is next to impossible and having to plow around vehicles parked in the street increases the time it takes to get the streets cleared.
- You hear it all the time..."If you don't have to go out, please stay home." Give PennDOT and the Township the few hours that it takes to make travel safe. If you absolutely must drive, please give plow trucks plenty of space.
- The Township plows from curb to curb for two reasons. It allows water from melting snow to reach the storm drains without refreezing in the middle of the road. It also prevents the roads from becoming dangerously narrow with each additional snowfall. If your yard does not have curbing, please consider installing markers at the edge of the street to give the plow operator a visual indication of where your grass begins. Once the snow accumulates it is impossible to see the edge of the road. Damage to your lawn is likely to occur without such markers.
- If you have a sidewalk, please shovel or blow the snow to the yard side, not the street side. Throwing snow into the street is against the Vehicle Code, punishable by fine, and can make you liable for any accidents.
- Help protect your own property by making sure the fire hydrant and storm drain nearest your property is kept clear of snow.
- Placing items (such as lawn chairs) in a public street to reserve a parking space is illegal. The plows will remove them...quite effectively.
- If you live in a new housing development there is a good chance that the road has not been dedicated to the Township. This means that the winter road maintenance is the responsibility of the developer. If you are having problems with snow removal, the contractor can provide you with the name of the contractor responsible for snow removal.
- Most importantly, be patient and understanding. The Highway Department works incredibly hard to clear all streets in a timely manner. Plese realize that trucks and plows occasionally break down and our mechanics do their best to get them back out there.
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SWATARA BASEBALL ASSOCIATION BASEBALL SIGN-UPS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS AGES 5-15
The following registrations will be held at the Swatara Township Municipal Building:
Saturday, January 30, from 10:00 a.m. to noon
Saturday, February 6 from 10:00 a.m. to noon
Saturday, February 13 from 10:00 a.m. to noon
Registration is $45.00 ($35*) per child; $110 ($95*) family discount for three or more children. *There is a $10.00 discount if you sign up and pay before February 6, 2010.
There is a $35 per child fundraiser fee buyout or meeting fundraiser participation requirements ($70.00 maximum family cost).
Sign-up forms can be downloaded at www.swatarabaseball.org. Please bring completed and signed forms to registration. Please contact the Swatara Township Recreation Department at 564-2551 for more information.
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EASTER BUNNY BREAKFAST
The Chambers Hill Fire Company and Swatara Township Park and Recreation is sponsoring a breakfast with the Easter Bunny on Saturday, March 13 from 9:00 a.m. until 11:30 a.m., at the Chambers Hill Fire Company, 6400 Chambers Hill Road. The menu includes scrambled eggs, sausage, pancakes, creamed dried beef over toast, fruit cup, chocolate milk or orange juice, coffee and hot tea. The cost is $5.00 per person, all you can eat.
AARP VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE
AARP will once again offer Volunteer Income Tax Assistance for taxpayers with low and middle incomes, with special attention to those 60 and older. Volunteers will help with Federal, State, Local and Property Tax Rent Rebates. Volunteers will be at the Swatara Township Municipal Building on Tuesdays and Thursdays, beginning on February 2, 2010 and ending on April 15, 2010. Hours are 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon. No appointment is necessary. For additional information, please call 1-888-227-7669 or 717-238-2022. This is a free service.
The 2010 Census will begin in the upcoming weeks. Please click on the Census link above for more information.
SPRING BRUSH PICK UP
Spring brush pick up will begin the week of April 26.
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