(5/2011) The month of May is filled with many events such as the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes race and the Indianapolis 500 to name a few. Mother’s Day falls on Sunday, May 8th and on the last Monday of May, May 30th; we commemorate all the soldiers who died while in military service. This holiday was formerly known as Decoration Day and was first enacted to honor Union and Confederate soldiers. After World War I, the name was changed to Memorial Day and the honor was extended to all Americans who died in all wars. May is also Skin Cancer Awareness month.

As you may already know, skin cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer surpassing lung and prostate cancer. The weather is warming up and the dark days of April are being replaced with the sunny days of May. There is a need to be careful when out in the sun. One of the major causes of skin cancer is long periods of exposure to sun. The month of May for our local government means primary elections. We have races going on for borough council seats, commissioners, school boards, tax collector and magisterial district justice. The Primary election will be held on Tuesday, May 17th. In Carroll Valley, there are two polling places. One located at the Children’s Learning Center in the Liberty Mountain Resort & Conference Center complex and the other at the Carroll Valley Borough Office. Be sure to visit the appropriate polling place to vote. It is based on where you live in the Borough. The polls will be open from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm. Hope to see you at the polls.

At the last Council meeting, I was asked if I was prepared for an emergency. I, as well as most of the council members, responded with a "No" to the question asked by Council member Dan Patton. Dan was briefing the council members and audience on how to be prepared and make your family safer when a disaster strikes. The three basic steps are: (1) Make a Family Plan, (2) Build an Emergency Kit and (3) Be Informed. The entire briefing was recorded by Community Media and can be viewed on the Carroll Valley website. To launch the recording, go to www.carrollvalley.org, click on Videos on the menu bar at the top of the home page and select the April 2011 meeting. As explained on the Ready America website, "Knowing what to do during an emergency is an important part of being prepared and may make all the difference when seconds count." Thank you Dan for explaining why we need to plan for the unexpected. For further information, go to www.ready.gov.

One important aspect of knowing what to do during an emergency is communication that is "keeping informed". In our regional area, you can tune into two radio stations: WGET (1310 AM Gettysburg) or WGTY (107.7 FM Gettysburg). If you are watching television, you may want to turn to the Weather channel or pay attention to the Emergency Alert System message that interrupts the broadcast to notify you of an emergency. If the emergency warrants it, coverage is broadcasted on channels 8, 21, and 43. If you would like to get emergency information sent to you via email and/or text messages to your cell phone, sign up for AlertPA. AlertPA provides you with real-time updates about the emergency. This is what I use and recommend it. To sign-up for AlertPA, go to alert.pa.gov and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Alert System home page will be displayed. Click New User on the left side of the home page and the AlertPA Registration page is displayed. Complete the registration and you are on your way to receiving alerts and emergency notifications.

Did you know that the Adams County Department of Emergency Services has been compiling a list of all persons located in Adams County who need special assistance when an Emergency arises such as fire, floods, tornados and evacuations. This information is added to the E-911 Telephone System, so when the Emergency Services receives your call for help, the system will automatically identify your disability and the type of assistance needed. Please know that the use of this information does conform to the Privacy Act regulation. If you are interested in signing up, you can pick up the Special Assistance Needs form from the Borough office or call the Adams County Department of Emergency Services at (717) 334-8603 and ask them to send you one. Emergency Services will send you the form with a stamped returned envelop.

On May 4th, a Commissioners’ Forum will be held at the Fairfield Fire & EMS hall from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. All the candidates running for commissioner will be there to answer questions. The Carroll Valley Citizens Association (CVCA) will be holding their Yard Sale on May 7th (Saturday) from 8:00 to 11:00 am at the Ski Liberty parking lot. On Sunday, May 15th the Fairfield Fire & EMS will be holding their Open House from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. If you play golf and want to help us raise money for our July 4th

Celebration, please consider playing in the 5th Annual July 4th Fund Raiser Golf Tournament being held by CVCA on June 9th. Pick up a registration form at the Borough office. This year the tournament is being play on the par 71 championship Carroll Valley Golf Course. The Borough will be holding the following meetings in May: Planning Commission (Monday – May 2nd), Borough Council (Tuesday – May 10th), and Recreation & Parks (Wednesday – May 25th). If you have any questions, please contact me by email at mayor@carrollvalley.org or by cell at (301) 606-2021. Be careful driving on the road. We need to slow down.