(10/1) School has started and the new concern is the safety of our children with regard to H1N1. Our state and local officials are trying their best to protect our young students. However, we need to make sure that we instruct our people to wash their hands often with soap and water, especially after they cough or sneeze. If you are going to provide them a small hand cleaner to keep and use, make sure it contains at least 60% alcohol.

Tell them to cover their nose and mouth with a tissue when they do cough or sneeze. And, if they don’t have a tissue, they should cough or sneeze into their elbow. Use the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website www.cdc.gov/h1flu to keep abreast of the latest information regarding the 2009 H1N1 Flu.

Don’t know if you are aware that the Borough of Carroll Valley Public Safety Committee working with our Borough Manager developed a Public Safety Portal on the Carroll Valley website www.carrollvalley. org. This portal can be used as your guide to all things "safety" on the internet.

Approximately 57 hyperlinks are organized into 13 categories covering Criminal Activity/Policing, Emergency & Disasters, Environmental Protection, Hunting & Firearm Safety, Internet Safety, National & State Security, Fire Safety, Health Protection, Product & Consumer Protection, School Safety, Vehicle/ Travel Safety, and Home Safety.

The next time you are surfing the Internet for safety information you might want to try this portal. Is your house or mailbox number "up" properly so that the police, fire department or an ambulance can find you? In an emergency, seconds count. It is so important that the Borough of Carroll Valley Code of Ordinances states all improved property within the borough is required to post the official street address in three (3) inch numbers which are luminous (reflective).

The number shall be easily read from 20 feet day or night. If there is no mail box at a residence or if it does not clearly identify the house, the reflective street address numbers shall be placed on the front of the house. If the residence sits back off the road or is not visible due to trees or bushes, a sign shall be erected displaying the proper address. Does your house meet code? If not, you can buy a reflective mailbox sign for just $8.00 from the Police Department. These signs are 6" x 18" aluminum and covered in green reflective vinyl with white reflective vinyl numbers attached on both signs. They have the same highly visible qualities of PennDot directional signs. If you are interested in one of these signs, visit the Borough Police Department and ask about ordering one. You can also contact the Police Department Administrative Assistant at. pdadmin@carrollvalley.org

For upcoming events, you might be interested in attending the Carroll Valley Citizens Association’s Oktoberfest being held on October 16th in the Carroll Valley Pavilion. Call Leslie Bartlebaugh at 642-4270 for additional information. Or attend the Story Time at Strawberry Hill Nature Preserve on Mt. Hope Road on October 14th. Strawberry Hill is inviting families to come out with lawn chairs or a blanket and enjoy stories being told around a campfire. If interested, call Joe Hallinan at (717) 642-5840.

The 2nd Annual Youth Challenge Breakfast will be held on October 17th. This event is the product of a collaborative effort among Liberty Mountain Resort CEO Eric Flynn, Fairfield Area School District Superintendent Bill Chain, and local business executive, author, and family advocate Mark Greathouse. From what I was told the primary goal of the event is to bring the parent and their son or daughter together in the spirit of common challenge and understanding the power of working together. Event attendees share a great breakfast at Boulder Ridge followed by the opportunity to take on an adventure at the Boulder Ridge Challenge Course.

The 2009 Youth Challenge Breakfast is open to Fairfield Area students ages 10 through 14 and a parent or guardian. Students are able to obtain tickets for a nominal fee by submitting a request form and check to the Fairfield Area Middle School Student Council. So please mark your calendars to attend. Those residents who own a iPhone will be happy to hear that AT&T wireless service is soon to be available. AT&T is projected to be installed on the Fairfield Borough and Liberty Township towers by the end of October.

Keep well. If I can be of help, please do not hesitate to contact me at mayor@carrollvalley.org or call me, (717) 642-9270 Extension 32.