(5/2019) May 21st is Primary Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Borough. Four Council seats are up for election. What is exciting – there are seven residents who are willing to devote their time to improve the lives of those who live in our Carroll Valley Community. In alphabetical order, the candidates are: Beth Cool (presently serving), Bruce Carr (presently serving), Jessica Kraft, John Schubring, Sarah Skoczen (presently serving), Steven Sites, and Michael Wright. Thank you all for putting yourself out there to serve our community. Please voters, come out.

Have you noticed all those new tree plantings in Carroll Commons and the Ranch Park areas? Let me share the backstory. On March 13, 2018, the Borough Council approved the Riparian Planting Habitat Restoration Agreement. Riparian tree buffers serve as a transition from land to water. Riparian trees act as filters for the sediments and pollutants from farm fields, residential lawns and roadways to help keep them from reaching the water. Adams County Conservation District (ACCD), Joe Hallinan, applied for a grant to install these buffers in Carroll Valley. Once the grant was approved, Mr. Hallinan working with the Borough and Mrs. Heather Wight from the Carroll Valley Tree Board monitored where the tree stream buffers should be planted. They were planted on approximately 4.88 acres of Carroll Commons Park and on .25 acres in Ranch Park (along the north side of Friends Creek Trail). Wish to thank everyone involved in their efforts to enhance the beauty of our parks while protecting our waterways from pollutants without any cost incurred by our residents.

Mark your May Calendar. The Adams County Chiefs of Police Association will host Adams County Fallen Officers Memorial Service on Friday, May 8th at 10 a.m. at the Adams County Emergency Services Building. May 14th is Mother’s Day – a day we should all remember those "mom moments" that made us who we are today. Armed Forces Day is May 18th Local Primary Election is May 21st. Memorial Day is May 27th.

Eleven donors attended the Central Pennsylvania Blood Bank Drive held on March 28th which resulted in the collection of 9 pints of blood. This will help the blood bank to save 27 local lives. Thanks to those who participated. The E-Recycling event held on Saturday, April 13th, hosted by Hamiltonban Township, was very successful based the amount of electronics collected. The following data was provided by Nina Garretson, Hamiltonban Township Secretary. There were 158 vehicles visited the site.

The vehicle count by municipality follows: Carroll Valley – 56; Hamiltonban – 37; Highland – 30; Fairfield – 13; Liberty – 13; and Freedom – 9. Three full 20-yard containers and a half full 15-yard container were filled. Thanks, extended to LuAnn Dille and Nina Garretson who checked the vehicles into the drop-off site. The individuals who volunteer their time to help the people unload their equipment were: Ed Wenschof (Freedom Township), Peter Glause (Mid-Atlantic Soaring Association – Liberty Township), Ken Nichols (Carroll Valley Borough), Keith Bauer (Mid-Atlantic Soaring Association – Liberty Township), Bob Andrews (Mid-Atlantic Soaring Association – Liberty Township), and Jason Harbaugh (Fairfield Borough). On the day before Easter, 5,000 eggs filled with candy were found by approximately 400 children on the grounds of the Carroll Valley Commons Park. The volunteers who made it a memorable day were Amanda Bell, Sherrie DeMartino, Crystal Durbin, Pat Ferguson, Gayle Marthers, JoAnn Myers, Laura Rhoades, Marie Schwartz, Fairfield High Baseball Team, and the Jeni Jarrell Studios.

On Friday, May 3rd at 10 a.m., the Adams County Chiefs of Police Association will be hosting the Adams County’s Fallen Officers Memorial Service at the Adams County Emergency Services Building located at 230 Greenamyer Lane, Gettysburg. The memorial service involves setting a moment of time each year to remember those Adam Country Police Officers who made the ultimate sacrifice to serve their community. Ladies – Mothers, Grandmothers, Aunts or anyone with a special boy is invited to spend a fun-filled glow-tastic evening full of music, dancing, food, games and fun! Register to attend the Mother and Son Glow Party on Saturday, May 11th from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Fairfield Fire Hall. The ticket cost is $20/per. Registration includes a free glow t-shirt for the event which can picked at registration the evening of the event. For more information, call 717-642-8269. To register, go to www.eventbrite.com.

The Carroll Valley Movie Night Series is starting up again beginning May 17th showing "Secret Life of Pets". The full schedule follows: June 21st "Moana"; July 19th "Incredibles"; August 16th "Jungle Book (animated) – throw-back"; September 20th "A Dog’s Way Home"; October 18th "Monster’s Inc." – this is the only one that has a rain date (Friday, October 25th). All Movies will begin at 7:30 pm. Limited concessions will be available – just popcorn and drinks. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets and Enjoy!

The May Borough meetings are: Tree Board (May 2nd); Planning Commission (May 6th); Borough Council (May 14th); Sewer/Water Authority (May 20th) and Parks & Recreation Committee (May 22th). The Borough Office will be closed on Tuesday, May 21st – Primary and Monday, May 27th – Memorial Day. If you have any questions, contact me at MayorRonHarris@comcast.net or 301-606-2021