(3/2024) Please consider joining us for our next Board of Supervisors public meeting on March 5, at 6. The Liberty Township Planning Commission met on February 20, to reorganize and accept three sets of plans for review. We have received notice that several more sets of plans are on the way. It looks like a very busy year for the Planning Commission. Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday, March 10. Winter will be coming to an end shortly, and the busy season for property improvement is here. Please contact the Township Office before starting any projects to obtain the required permits. Adams County and Liberty Township real estate tax bills were mailed on March 1. Take advantage of the 2% discount by making your payment by April 30.

The Liberty Township Tax Collector will take payment in person on April 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, and 30 from noon to 3 at the municipal building. Payment can also be submitted by mail or drop box. If you did not receive your tax bill, please contact the tax collector for a copy. Tax payments are accepted at face value from May 1 through June 30. Any payments made after June 30 will incur a 10% penalty. Your school taxes are now in penalty phase and will go to collections if not paid by March 31. On May 4th, from 8 to 11 there will be an electronic recycling event open to Parks Garbage customers in the Southwest Group of Carroll Valley Borough, Fairfield Borough, Freedom Township, Hamiltonban Township, Highland Township, and Liberty Township. Contact your respective municipality for more information.

The region had some severe flooding last month that was considered a 100-year event. The flooding caused damage to Liberty Hall Road and Bullfrog Road. The precipitation combined with fluctuating temperatures this season produced freezing and thawing that caused potholes to develop throughout the township. We were able to patch those when severe weather conditions subsided. In mid-February a very heavy snow fell which created a challenge for the Road Department. The heavy, wet, snow brought down seven trees in the township. However, the Road Crew worked tirelessly to clean it up as quickly as possible despite a few equipment failures. Girl Scout Road showed signs of substantial deterioration this winter from weather related damage and years of continuous heavy truck traffic. This road was moved up in priority for 2024.

Recently I met with our state representative from PennDOT to inspect the roads and to estimate costs for our road projects. I also have an upcoming meeting with LTAP to discuss further costs. We are proposing full-depth reclamation work for Girl Scout Road, and for a portion of Bullfrog Road from Stoops Road to the Hamiltonban Township line. We also plan to continue the work on Old Waynesboro Road Bridge if costs allow. This is a multi-year project which we hope will be completed soon. This year we will be focusing on the scaling. We expect to see a progress report after our next bridge inspection in June.

On President’s Day I attended an 8-hour training for recertification in pesticide application and I will be attending a PennDOT and PSATS Roadmasters Roundtable in April. Also on the 19th, I attended a Fairfield Regional Emergency Management Association (FREMA) meeting. FREMA is our board of local municipalities in Fairfield that work with FEMA for emergencies. At the meeting, FREMA elected new Board Members and discussed required emergency management certifications. Congratulations to those who were elected to these positions. We have a planned for in April for emergency operation planning to set forth a plan of action in case of a local emergency.

The Fairfield Fire Department Hall and Fairfield Area School District are sites designated as local Red Cross emergency shelters to provide heat, shelter, water, and food in the event of a local emergency. FREMA is always looking for community volunteers. If you are interested in helping, please send an email to borofairfieldpa@comcast.net for more information. This is a great way to be involved in your local community. There are many great local events happening in March.