October 2011

Dear Subscriber,

Welcome to fall! If you're looking for something fun to do to celebrate the season, consider taking an Old Fashioned Hayride offered by the Perkasie Lions Club. You'll find the details below.

Next Saturday (October 22) will mark a milestone in Township history with the official opening of the Pennridge Regional Police Department's new headquarters on Ridge Road. You are invited to be on hand for the dedication. See below for more details.

Next month marks the beginning of our fall roadside collection of leaves. Please see below to take note of when our workers will be in your neighborhood. As you complete your fall cleanup chores, please also take advantage of our convenient yard waste Dumpster at the Recycling Center.

Have you been wondering about the number of helicopters you’ve been seeing, especially at night? We have the answer for you below.

Don't forget…the Board of Supervisors is scheduled to meet tonight (Tuesday, October 18) at 7 p.m. in the Township Building.  Read the agenda.

Read on for more information about these items and more.

Please forward this issue to your friends and neighbors and encourage them to sign up for eNews!

The Pennridge Police Headquarters is Nearly Complete!

As the final touches are being applied and the moving-in process underway, so too are plans for a Public Open House.  You are invited to tour the new facility during an Open House following a dedication ceremony on Saturday, October 22 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The Pennridge Regional Police Department proudly serves the residents of East Rockhill and West Rockhill townships.  The new headquarters is at 200 Ridge Road, just west of the intersection with Old Bethlehem Pike.

2011 Fall Leaf Collection Schedule

Our Public Works crews will begin collecting leaves next month. This year, the Township is going to conduct roadside leaf collection north of Ridge Road first, followed by streets and neighborhoods south of and including Ridge Road. 

Leaves should be raked into neat piles along the road frontage no later than 7 a.m. It is okay to tarp them to prevent wind disturbance. No registration is required. Remember, fall collection is for leaves only.

Please check the website for details and updates. The Township reserves the right to change the schedule as conditions warrant.

Our tentative schedule is:

• North of Ridge Road and east of Schoolhouse Road: Week of November 7-10
• North of Ridge Road and west of Schoolhouse Road: Week of November 14-18
• South of Ridge Road: Weeks of November 21-23 and 28-30

Yard Waste Dumpster at Recycling Center

A yard waste collection Dumpster for leaves and other yard waste is available for resident use from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays. This Dumpster is behind the Township municipal building on Ridge Road.

Please note: tree limbs, tree stumps, and grass clippings are not accepted, and result in penalty assessments. It is also illegal for commercial businesses to dump yard waste and recycling at the Recycling Center, which is strictly for residents.

Reminder: Outdoor Burning is Not Permitted

No outdoor burning is permitted in East Rockhill Township by Ordinance No. 239. Burning of recyclable material such as yard waste is prohibited by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for all mandated communities. East Rockhill Township is also mandated to have an enforcement program in place.

Township Trash and Recycling News

Great news!  The Township sought competitive bids for a new contract for trash and recycling services for residents who live in the Trash District.  At the same time, the Township asked bidders to bid on an option to offer the same services to residents outside the Trash District who voluntarily choose to receive the same service as provided inside the Trash District.
  
Not only are monthly fees for these services reduced from what residents in the Trash District are currently paying, but the successful bidder is offering the same reduced price to residents outside the district.  The only requirement is that residents outside of the trash district must commit to a three-year contract and are subject to the same guidelines.

The service includes a choice of unlimited, weekly trash, single-stream recycling and yard waste collection, or a pay-per-bag trash option with unlimited recycling and yard waste.  

The cost of the service for 2012 is $20.10 per month or $18.50 per month plus $0.25 per bag. The current monthly charge is $29.76 per month and does not included yard waste collection. 

The bid tabulations are available for review.  A notice will be mailed to residents in the Trash District with more detailed information about the changes in the program. The Township website will be updated for residents outside the trash district who are interested in signing up for the service.

A future issue of e-news will contain more details as we near implementation in January.

Helicopter Operations at Pennridge Airport

Some of you may have noticed large blue and white helicopters operating in-and-out of Pennridge Airport this summer.

These helicopters are the Sikorsky S-61T model and are the first deliveries of a contract between the U.S. State Department and Sikorsky Aircraft based in Stratford, Connecticut.  Sikorsky Aircraft has contracted with Carson Helicopters in Hilltown Township to build the aircraft. The Sikorsky contract is a five-year indefinite quantity-indefinite delivery (IDIQ) contract for up to 110 upgraded S-61 aircraft for passenger and cargo transport missions in support of its worldwide operations.  To date, a total of 29 aircraft have been placed on order. The primary mission of these initial aircraft is to support US operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The aircraft you see flying in our area are owned by the U.S. State Department and are being flown by State Department pilots.  The after-dark flying we are experiencing is night-vision training, which is an essential part of flying if our troops are to be successful “in theater” as the military calls it.   

This night-vision training is finite in nature.  Once the State Department has enough trained pilots there should be no more night operations. 

Also, the S-61T is not equipped with de-icing, so once the weather turns cold, there should be no flight training this winter – of course, it all depends on the temperature.

“The S-61 helicopter has a 50-year legacy of reliably performing missions for the U.S. and foreign allied militaries. The upgraded S-61 can be outfitted to meet a wide variety of requirements and provides superior value for a mid-size multi-mission helicopter,” said John Johnson, Director, S-61 Programs.

The upgrades to the S-61 that Carson performs includes a full structural refurbishment with all major dynamic components zero timed. Key upgrades have been provided including new composite main rotor blades (CMRB) and a survivability suite. Customers can select additional options such as a state-of-the-art glass cockpit and crashworthy primary and auxiliary fuel systems.

We have all heard on the news about devastating “roadside bombings” in Afghanistan and Iraq. Helicopter operations are an essential part of troop protection as ground transportation in these hostile environments is becoming becomes a less viable option.

While some may see this noise as an annoyance or an inconvenience, this activity is part of a bigger picture that contributes to making our country the greatest in the world.  It helps assure that we continue to enjoy our ‘way-of-life” to which we’ve grown accustomed.
 
Regrettably, some Americans take our liberties for granted and fail to appreciate the effort necessary to maintain our way of life.  We all need to remember “Freedom is not free.”

Jim Nietupski, Supervisor

2012 Budget Process is Underway

The Board of Supervisors has conducted two budget work sessions so far to review the draft 2012 Budget prepared by the Township Manager.

Continuing a trend that started in 2008, the General Fund Balancing Figure is reduced from the prior year.  Since 2007, the General Fund budget has shrunk by $303,035 (nearly 16 percent). This trend is fueled by declining revenues and extreme cuts in expenditures to match the dwindling resources.  The Township continues to explore new revenue streams and additional ways to economize services provided.

The current balancing figure of $1,922,115 may change following the review and approval of the Pennridge Regional Police Department budget, which will begin at the Pennridge Regional Police Commission meeting on Thursday, October 27, at 7:30 p.m. at the new Police Headquarters, 200 Ridge Road.

Mark Your Calendar…

The Perkasie Lions Club will hold its annual Old Fashioned Hayride on Fridays and Saturdays, October 21-22, and 28-29. The tractor-pulled wagon hayrides will be offered beginning at 6:30 p.m. and ending about 8:30 p.m., weather permitting.

Rides start and end at the Moods Covered Bridge, Blooming Glen Road, near the Glenwood Shopping Center. Each ride is about 15 minutes long, is not scary, and is geared for children and their families.

Rides are $1 per person; proceeds benefit the Lions “White Cane Project” for the visually impaired. The Lions will have refreshments available to purchase during the evening.

The club will also be accepting donations of any used eyeglasses.

For more information, please call 215-453-7127.

Respect Our Open Space

A township resident recently alerted the Board of Supervisors about the unauthorized encroachment on public open space by some residents who have placed privately owned or funded sheds, playground equipment, gardens, landscaping and similar items in Township Open Space.  

Please be advised that the Township does not permit the placement of private property in Township Open Space. This is of particular concern because it may create boundary confusion and delays when homes are sold. The Township requires all homes being sold to be inspected for compliance with Township regulations. Use and Occupancy permits that are required for settlement may be held up if unauthorized encroachments are evident.

If your property abuts open space, please observe the property boundaries and respect public open space that is intended to benefit the entire neighborhood and not just individual homeowners.

How You Can Support the Perkasie Fire Company

With its substation in the Township, the Perkasie Fire Company provides valuable, life-saving services to our residents. Here are a few ways you can help support their efforts:

October 22, 8 a.m. - 11 a.m.: Appliance and Scrap Metal Drive
Do you have any old household appliances or other scrap metal lying around?  Sure you do, don’t we all?  The Perkasie Fire Company will be accepting these items for free and recycling them in an environmentally friendly way.

The collection site will be open this year on the fourth Saturday of each month through November 26.  It will be held at Schoeller’s Inc., 419 S. 5th Street in Perkasie (across from Menlo Park).

Appliances with refrigerants (refrigerators, freezers, air-conditioners, dehumidifiers, etc.) will be accepted for a small donation of $30 to properly remove the potentially harmful chemical.

December 18, 7:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.: Breakfast With Santa
Our popular "All-You-Can-Eat-Breakfast in December will include a special visit from Santa Claus. The menu includes eggs, pancakes, sausage, bacon, scrapple, home fries, onions and mushrooms. The cost is $7 for adults and $3.50 for children ages 4-12. Kids 3 and under eat for free.

More information about the Perkasie Fire Company (link: www.perkasiefd.org)