(2/2016) Under Pennsylvania Borough Code, a special meeting of Council called "Reorganization Meeting" is held on the first Monday in January of each even-numbered years unless it is a holiday. During this meeting, the Mayor, if necessary, administers the oath of office to residents elected to council and presides at the meeting until a President and Vice President are elected.

At the January 4th Carroll Valley Borough Reorganization meeting, I had the pleasure to swear-in 5 council members elected to council: Janis Ashman (re-elected), Bruce Carr (newly elected), Tom Fitzsimmons (re-elected), Tyler Pyles (newly elected), and Sarah Skoczen (re-elected). Council members already serving are Ken Lundberg and Dan Patton.

The seven-member Council elected Janis Ashman as President and Sarah Skoczen as Vice President of Council. Congratulations to all. Felicitations goes to Terry Weikert, the Borough’s Municipal Services Supervisor and Roadmaster upon his retirement. I presented a certificate of appreciation for his 24 years of dedication, diligence and outstanding service to our residents. He will be missed.

The Carroll Valley Police Department under the command of Police Chief Richard L. Hileman reported to Carroll Valley Borough Council that the Department responded to 2516 calls for service, a 0.1% increase over 2014. Calls for service are incidents requiring a police response and do not include vehicle stops or other routine duties. The 2516 calls for service resulted in 236 Uniform Crime Reports or UCRs. A UCR is crime as defined by the FBI and categorized into Part 1 and Part 2 Offenses.

Part 1 are homicide, forcible rape, robbery, assault, burglary, theft and arson and Part 2 are everything else except traffic offenses like stop signs or speeding. Part 1 offenses decreased about 9% and Part 2 decreased 14%. Ignoring seasonal ski thefts, overall crime decreased 9% overall. The Police Department cleared (solved by arrest or other means) 56% of the Part 1 crimes. The state averaged just 31% cleared in 2014 (most recent statewide figures available). Carroll Valley Police cleared 25% more than the state average. 73% of Part 2 crimes were cleared compared to 59% state-wide. How safe are we? The state-wide rural crime rate for 2014 was 17 Part 1 and 39 Part 2 crimes per 1,000 residents. Our 2015 Part 1 is 14 crimes per 1,000 (13% less) and Part 2 is 20 crimes per 1,000 (47% less) respectively. Police issued 835 traffic, non-traffic and ordinance citations in 2015 including 322 for speeding, 500 for other traffic and 13 for criminal violations.

Our police officers also participated in roving patrols and a local checkpoint. These Adams County DUI Task Force patrols were funded by state grant funds. Carroll Valley Police arrested 36 DUI operators in 2015. Of these, 19 were under the influence of a controlled substance or drugs and alcohol. Of the remaining 17, 10 had BAC of twice the limit or more. Of the last 7, 2 were more than 25% over the limit and 2 refused testing. If you would like to view the video presentation that Chief Hileman gave, watch the January 2016 meeting. We all can be proud of the service provided by our Carroll Valley Police Department.

As of this writing, we have experienced a sprinkle of snow and unusual warm temperatures. However, we know that snow is coming. We need to help out our borough maintenance crew who are trying to clear the trails. This can be accomplished by you not parking your vehicles on the trails. It slows the snow removal process and in some cases can be dangerous to the plow operators trying to get around partially parked cars. Remember, during a snow emergency, which includes most snow events, it is illegal to park on the road or in the right of way just off the road and can result in your car being ticketed and towed. Please help us by doing your part and keep our roads clear. Also when we are experiencing very low temperatures, please do not leave your pets outside. Be alert for signs of frostbite and injury. Dogs’ ears, paws and tails are especially susceptible and if you suspect frostbite, contact your veterinarian.

The Department of Environment Protection has urged all Pennsylvanians to test their homes for radon. Radon is a deadly radioactive gas that is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers in the United States. Winter is the best time to test your home for radon because doors and windows are typically closed and tightly sealed, producing the most accurate results. We live in a high radon area. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sets the "action level" for radon at 4 picocuries per liter of air. Residents with levels at or above that figure should take steps to lower them. Testing for radon is the only way to know if a home has elevated concentrations of radon. Test kits can be purchased at most hardware or home improvement stores at an average cost of $15 to $25 per test. If you are uncomfortable doing the testing yourself, you can hire a state-certified radon tester. Pennsylvania law requires all radon service providers, such as radon testers, radon mitigators, and radon laboratories to be certified by DEP. The list of Pennsylvania-certified radon service providers is updated monthly and available on DEP’s website. You can also obtain a hard copy of the directory or verify a company’s certification by calling 800-23RADON. You also can visit DEP’s website for further information at www.dep.pa.gov/radon.

The Carroll Valley Borough July 4th (J4) Committee is organizing their 2nd Annual fundraiser Daddy-Daughter Princess Ball to be held on Saturday, February 13th from 6:00 to 9:30 pm at the Fairfield Fire and EMS Banquet Hall. Ticket price is $35 per couple and $10 for each additional child. So whether your Valentine is a toddler or a teen, show her how special she is to you. Fathers, Uncles, Grandfathers or anyone with a special girl is invited to spend a semi-formal evening full of music, dancing, yummy food and fun! Proceeds raised will go to support the Carroll Valley July 4th event. Pre-registration is required. For more information or to register, go to cvj4events@gmail.com or call 717-642-8269. Seating is limited.

The Borough will be holding the following meetings in February: Planning Commission (Monday – Feb 1st), Borough Council (Tuesday – Feb 9th), and the Parks/Recreation Committee (Wednesday – Feb 24th). The Borough Office will be closed on Monday – Feb 15th for Presidents Day. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me by email at MayorRonHarris@comcast.net or by cell at (301) 606-2021. Be careful driving on the trails. We need to slow down. Watch out for ice.