(April 2010) It's April, a month for spring cleaning, paying taxes (April 15th), and celebrating Earth Day (April 22nd). Locally, you may want to bring your children (10 year olds or younger) to the Carroll Valley Citizens Association (CVCA) Easter Egg Hunt on April 3rd in the Carroll Commons at 2:00 pm.

Also check the events being held at the Strawberry Hill Nature Preserve. They are holding an Eggs Extraordinary Treasure Hunt on April 4th, April 5th and April 6th from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. On April 17th, CVCA is organizing a community clean-up for Earth Day. Vests, gloves, and trash bags can be picked up at Century21 Mountain View Realty before the walk or at the Carroll Valley Borough parking lot before 9:00 am.

On February 28th the Fairfield Cub Scout Pack 76 held their Blue & Gold Banquet. This banquet is held by many Cub Scout packs all over the country to celebrate the anniversary of Cub Scouting. The banquet gets its name from the Cub Scout colors, blue & gold. During Pack 76's Blue & Gold celebration, the Webelos II Den, the most senior den in Pack 76 made their crossover into Boys Scout Troop 76 of Fairfield to continue down the Scouting Path.

The six scouts in the Webelos II Den, Matthew Bollinger, Evan Hull, Joshua Long, Austin Mackey, Bradford Shughart and Tommy Stratton all earned their Arrow of Light Badge, the highest award given in Cub Scouting and the only badge from Cub Scouting that may be worn on their new Boys Scout uniform.

Also on February 28th, the Fairfield Boy Scout Troop 76 held an Eagle Court of Honor to award Michael D. Greathouse, son of Mark and Carolyn Greathouse the rank of Eagle Scout. The Eagle Scout award is the highest honor a Boy Scout can achieve in Scouting. U.S. Representative Todd Platts presented Michael with a United States flag that had been flown over the U.S. Capitol, and Platts noted that he strives to attend Eagle Scout ceremonies in his district because of the importance of Eagle Scouts to our culture through their service and leadership. Pennsylvania Commonwealth Senator Rich Alloway, Representative Dan Moul, and myself also acknowledged Michael's achievements and the vital role of Eagle Scouts.

Have you completed the United States Census 2010 ten question form and mailed it in by April 1st. If not, you can expect a visit from a census taker. The census taker will only ask questions that appear on the census form. The census taker will not ask you to reveal any of the following information: social security number, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, checking account numbers, pin numbers, salary or income and citizenship or immigration status.

Are you aware what happens when you are stopped in Pennsylvania for speeding? When you see police car lights flashing in your rear view mirror, you need to pull over to a safe area. Do not get out of the car. The officer will approach you and explain why you were stopped. Upon request, you should render to the officer your driver's license, registration and proof of insurance. Your driving record is checked for any outstanding warrants. The officer prepares the citation. The officer then explains the charge, the nature of the offense and your rights that are documented on the back of the citation. The driver signs the citation.

In Pennsylvania, if you do not take action on the citation within 10 days, a warrant for your arrest is issued. You have two options when mailing in the citation. You could plead not guilty and request a trial or plead guilty. In either case, you must include an amount equal to the total due as specified on the traffic citation. Be aware, if you plead guilty or are found guilty, points may be assessed against your driver's record by PENNDOT. Naturally, you can avoid receiving a citation by watching your speed when driving in Carroll Valley. Please slow down.

In reference to Lake May, the Borough Manager, Dave Hazlett, said that the Borough had anticipated the significant rainfall and proactively opened the value in preparation of taking on the additional water. We are happy to report the water level remained at the state mandated level or just below.

If I can be of any help, contact me at mayor@carrollvalley.org or (717) 642-8269 Ext. 32.