Trappe Borough 525 W. Main Street Trappe, PA 19426 610-489-7181 www.trappeborough.com

TRAPPE TIMES

Win

ter

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20

15

LOOOKING AHEAD IN 2015 Nevin H. Schol l , President

In 2015 we have an even more aggressive plan to maintain our Borough infrastructure. In order to fund the unusually large amount of work we will have to use some of our existing cash reserves. Our 2015-2019 budget however projects that the reserves will be replaced over the next five years without any increase in your municipal real estate taxes. Some of the more significant items planned are as follows:

Resurface Borough Line Road from W. 7th Avenue to N. Borough Line Road (Joint project with Upper Providence) Resurface E. 7th Avenue and install larger water main (Joint project with Collegeville) Remove and replace 795’ Clahor storm sewer pipe Complete initial phase of street sign upgrade program Replace HVAC system for Council Chambers

We look forward to working together to meet the needs of our community. May your family and you have a prosperous New Year. Please consider attending one of our 2015 monthly meetings. Your feedback on our efforts is always welcome.

2014 YEAR IN REVIEW

TRAPPE BOROUGH

525 W. Main Street

Trappe, PA 19426

610-489-7181

Robert Layman

Borough Manager

COUNCIL MEMBERS

Nevin Scholl President

Cathy Johnson Vice President

Tammy Liberi

Scott Martin

Phil Ronca

Fred Schuetz

Pat Webster

MAYOR

Connie Peck

EM ERGENCY 911

- non emergency - STATE POLICE

610-584-1250

TRAPPE FIRE & AMBULANCE 610-489-2700 Trappefire.org

TAX COLLECTOR

Gretchen Lawson 610-454-7731

We are happy to report that in 2014 Trappe Borough Council was able to use your tax dollars to make the investments necessary to maintain Trappe’s infrastructure. In order to keep taxpayer costs to a minimum, when possible, efforts were made to work jointly with surrounding communities. We firmly believe in putting taxpayer interests first. Our top achievements are listed below:

No tax increases Worked with Upper Providence Township to upgrade Borough Line Road from Rt. 113 to W. 7 th Avenue Addressed underground drainage issues on Laurel Drive Replaced deteriorated curbs and sidewalks at Borough Hall Installed new HVAC system for Borough Hall Office

Proactively applied for three grants during 2014 to leverage your local tax dollars (although denied in 2014, these projects remain on our list for future grant possibilities)

1. Trail linking Main Street at Borough Hall to Rambo Park 2. Road sign upgrade project with Collegeville Borough 3. LED street lighting replacement program with Schwenksville Borough

Spent $97,000 salting and plowing public streets Established new communications and walkable community committees Aggressively removed graffiti at public parks and facilities Adopted the following: A five year budget, ground rules for Council meetings, guidelines for meeting minutes and use of

Borough property on Election Day, a communications policy and an employee handbook Cleaned, organized and painted Borough Hall basement

Trappe Borough 525 W. Main Street Trappe, PA 19426 610-489-7181 www.trappeborough.com

“Barry was a

respected leader

and a friend to the

men and women of

the Trappe Fire

Company”

Brian Long

Fire Chief

GET

INVOLVED

IN 2015

WITH SADNESS

CONGRATULATIONS ...

COMMUNICATIONS UPDATE… Pat Webster

GET INVOLVED IN 2015

Perhaps you’d like to start out the new year

by getting more involved... If you’d like to

attend one of the social events in our com-

munity, but don’t know anyone, call Bor-

ough Hall. Mayor Peck and Council mem-

bers usually attend community events and

would like to meet up with you. If you’d like

to volunteer your time and talents to help

with events like the Memorial Day Parade,

Community Day, Trappe’s 300th Anniver-

sary (now thru 2017), or get involved with

another organization about town, make the

call Today! Make a commitment to come

to a Council meeting to say Hello, or to

participate on a committee… walkable

communities, traffic & safety, communica-

tions, parks & open space...

HELP WANTED. . .

Although crime in

Trappe is among the

lowest in Montgom-

ery County, the PA

State Police do re-

spond to calls from

Trappe residents and businesses. HELP us

express our appreciation as a community to

the men and women of the PSP Skippack

Barracks for their dedication and commit-

ment during challenging times. Send a

Thank You or Valentine Card... or you can

even get the kids involved with a heartfelt

homemade work of art! Be sure to include

your name and street address. Send Cards

Today to: PA State Police/Skippack, c/o Tpr

Crummy, 2047 Bridge Road, Schwenksville,

PA 19473. Thanks for your Help!

Mike Italia

has been

appointed by

Council to

serve as

Trappe’s

Emergency

Management

Coordinator

and Fire

Marshal. Mike holds many state and

national certifications and brings over

22 years of experience as a firefighter,

EMT, and Fire Marshal. Mike has

served the Borough in various fire-

fighting capacities since 2005.

alism of the Trappe Fire

Company. As President,

Barry also had a significant

role in helping Trappe Am-

bulance reach modern lev-

els of maturity and quality

service through rigorous

attention to medical care.

TFC dedicated its Fall Ok-

toberfest to Barry and grate-

fully donated the proceeds

to his family.

www.trappefire.org

Trappe and surrounding com-

munities mourn the recent loss

of Barry Stott, President of the

Trappe Fire Company. During

24 years of volunteer commu-

nity service in the Perkiomen

Valley, Barry wore many hats

including firefighter, police

captain, and District 13 fire

police commissioner. As Pres-

ident, Barry oversaw the sig-

nificant expansion of training

requirements and profession-

Welcome

Mike Italia

Special

Thanks to

Bill Wilfong

Special thanks to Bill Wilfong who is

leaving the position of Fire Marshal and

Emergency Management Coordinator in

Trappe to pursue other interests. Thank

You Bill for your years of dedicated ser-

vice to Trappe Borough.

Pat Webster, Council member , has

been elected to the Board of the Mont-

gomery County Boroughs Association for

2015 as 2nd vice president.

Trappe Borough 525 W. Main Street Trappe, PA 19426 610-489-7181 www.trappeborough.com

AROUND TOWN … with Pat Webster

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT … Northern Star Farm

The Oktoberfest/Beef & Beer, hosted

by the Trappe Fire Company, was a

big success. Trappe Fire company

volunteers, along with the Trappe

Ambulance/EMS crew, worked hard

in the kitchen and dining hall to pro-

vide great music, food, fun and

funds for the family of their fallen

friend and TFC president Barry

Stott. We missed seeing you there...

The Trappe community overwhelmingly supported the 4th

Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony at The Speaker’s House on a brisk

evening in December. Children and adults of all ages informally

joined Mayor Connie Peck, Council Members, Boy & Girl Scouts,

VFW, Community Club volunteers and PVHS Jazz Choir for hot

chocolate and goodies as Trappe Fire Company escorted Santa on

the Big Red Fire Truck … greeting children with a Ho Ho Ho and

candy canes from DQ. Special thanks to Univest, Unlimited

Graphics and Bikesport for sponsoring this event!

The Community Club of Collegeville hosted its Fall Fashion

Show & Luncheon at Augustus Lutheran Church. Chosen club

members proudly displayed the new trends for 2015 with help

from our friends at Chico’s! Check out www.collegevillewomensclub.org

Our friends at Keystone Grange No. 2 (aka The Grange) on Main Street held its an-

nual holiday gathering which included an old-fashioned baking contest, carols, tree

decorating, stories from the past and small gift exchange. This year’s theme

“fabulous flannel” allowed for creative attire. Get Involved in 2015! You’re invit-

ed to come, one, two, three or more… www.keystonegrange2.org

Also, an application for re-zoning of the Trappe School property on East First Avenue was submitted in 2014.

Meetings with the Borough Engineer, Council, Planning Commission, residents and representatives from the

Perkiomen Valley School Board (owners of the site), were held and the application was approved in January 2015.

You can enjoy a WINTER WONDERLAND right here in Trappe

at Northern Star Farm! Proprietor Matthew Wismer, along with daughters Ashley and Erin, look forward to meeting and hosting local residents looking to enjoy a customized authentic winter adventure this year at their Northern Star Farm. If you can imagine a horse drawn sleigh ride… through freshly fallen snow... over the 230 acre frozen countryside… under a star studded sky, then this ‘Bucket List’ experience is for YOU! At Northern Star Farm, the Wismer family will enhance your dreams and make memories come true for small groups of family and friends. Ride in the 12 person sleigh pulled by 2 draft horses wearing multiple strands of German bells, with cushioned seats, advanced suspension system and easy entry rear steps. Some riders, however, prefer the romantic and more intimate private dark green ‘Santa’ type reproduction sleigh for 2 or 3 people, equipped with burgundy velour seats, 2 spirited trotting horses and heavy woolen Victorian era sleigh blankets to snuggle under in the private sleigh ride. Check out Northern Star Farm on Facebook and the Internet to read about Winter Wonderland options for day or night sleigh rides. Reservations are required, but you can book your adventure now or consider giving a Gift Certificate for your special Valentine. Don’t wait until the snow has melted, contact MGWismer@comcast.net Today or call 215-859-7302.

Trappe Borough 525 W. Main Street Trappe, PA 19426 610-489-7181 www.trappeborough.com

MEETINGS / EVENTS

Sidewalks

Don’t Wait !

Sidewalks Must Be Cleared Within 24 Hours after a Snowfall

CURRENT RESIDENT OR

MS4 Message from DEP - Municipal

Separate Storm Sewer System

Program

Winter is here and it’s

time to think about envi-

ronmentally-friendly ways

to control ice. Traction

agents help prevent slip-

ping on ice but don’t melt it. Sand, kitty litter

and ashes can hurt vegetation, clog sewers, and

degrade aquatic habitats. Rock salt is the most

commonly used product because it’s effective

and cheap, but it can be highly corrosive and

ecologically damaging. Try water-friendly picks

such as cracked corn as a traction agent until you

can physically remove ice with a shovel and hoe.

If deicing is important and within your budget,

try a calcium magnesium acetate product that is

low in phosphorus and use only the recommend-

ed amount. CMA is less problematic for soils,

vegetation, water supplies and concrete. It is non-

corrosive, made from corn or petroleum and con-

verts ice into an oatmeal-like mush.

Trappe Borough Council First Tuesday of each Month - 7pm

C/T Municipal Authority C/T Joint Public Works

Third Tuesday of each Month - 7pm. Collegeville Borough Hall

Community Music School www.CMSMusic.org

Third Thursday of each Month for a FREE informal concert. Bring your box lunch 12:10-12:50pm. All ages welcome

Red Cross Blood Drive www.RedCrossBlood.org

Thursday, January 29th, 2-7pm Perkiomen Valley Library

Community Club of Collegeville www.CollegevilleWomensClub.org

Tuesday, February 10th, 7:30pm “What Libraries Can Do For You” Lynn Burkholder, Director Lower Providence Library

Community Music School Winter Concert www.CMSMusic.org

Saturday, February 21st, 12:30pm Winter Strings Concert 610-287-8360

Recycling, Shredding, etc Events resume in the Spring. Visit www.MontcoPa.org/recycling

Trappe residents wishing to ensure the proper retire-ment of their worn out American Flags are encour-aged to visit the “Flag Re-tirement Box” recently placed at Borough Hall . In cooperation with Eagleville Camp 523, Patriotic Order Sons of America, flags of any size will be picked up

periodically and retired with dignity. Parents are en-couraged to get their kids involved in the discussion too by visiting www.USFlag.org/FlagEtiquette for standards of respect and other interesting facts.

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www.Facebook.com/TrappeBorough