157 W. Metzler Road

PO Box 787

Brownstown, PA 17508

717-859-3201

WEST EARL TOWNSHIP

WINTER 2020-2021

NEWSLETTER

THE TOWNSHIP OFFICE WILL

BE CLOSED ON:

DECEMBER 25th, 2020

JANUARY 1ST, 2021

APRIL 2ND, 2021

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WESA Sale …………………………..…1

Christmas Tree Drop Off ………..1

Holiday Safety ……………………….2

Compost Facility ……..…………….2

MS4 News ……………………………..3

Winter Weather …………………….4

Code Enforcement ………………..4

Address Update …………………….4

Rep. Greiner Message ……………5

White Goods …………………………6

Share the Harvest ………………...6

Trash/Recycling Update ………..7

2021 Refuse Calendar ……………8

Employee Spotlight ……………….9

Dates to Remember ……..……..10

West Earl Sewer Authority –

Purchased by LASA As of November 1, 2020, West Earl Sewer Authority has been purchased by Lancaster

Area Sewer Authority (LASA). If you have been a sewer customer of West Earl

Township, you will begin receiving sewer bills from LASA in December.

If you have any questions or concerns about this switch, please feel free to contact

LASA directly. You can reach LASA staff by calling 717-299-4843.

CHRISTMAS TREE DROP-OFF

Christmas trees may be

dropped off at the Township

compost facility (with the use

of a valid compost card).

With the holidays upon us, there

is no better time to think about

keeping those you hold dear out

of harm’s way. Here are a few

tips to protect your home this

holiday season.

Prevent holiday theft – Theft overall tends to rise in the months of November and

December. The best thing to do is to make sure you secure everything; lock up cars, trucks,

and homes.

Leave the lights on – Thieves usually don’t approach homes that appear to be occupied.

Leave outside lights on at night (or set them with a timer). When you leave the house

during the day, leave one or two small lights on inside to give the appearance that someone

is home.

Package delivery – More and more people are purchasing gifts online and having them

shipped to their home. More people are also getting packages stolen right off their porch.

If you’re expecting a package, request signature confirmation or have a trusted neighbor

hold onto the package for you.

Creative disposal – Dispose of your present boxes creatively. Placing that 60” TV box

outside on trash day after Christmas is just asking for trouble. Try and break down boxes

and other packaging as to not give away the wonderful gifts your family received.

Social Media – In today’s inter-connected society, it is important to be very careful about

what you share online. If you do decide to share your gifts on social media, please make

sure you don’t have your location tagged to the post.

WE HEAR YOU!

COMPOST FACILITY NEWS

As of January 1, 2021, the prices for trips into the West Earl Township compost facility will be as

follows:

West Earl residents will pay $1.50 per trip. This amount is for unlimited trips into the facility. For

example, if you would like to add 25 trips to your compost card, it will cost $37.50. If you need to

add more trips halfway through 2021, it will STILL only cost $1.50 per trip.

Non-residents of West Earl Township will still pay $20.00 per trip. Commercial customers will still

pay $50.00 per trip.

We are continually striving to make the West Earl Township compost facility better for everyone

and appreciate your continued support.

Why is Stormwater a Problem?

In 2016, DEP labeled approximately 19,000 miles of rivers and streams in Pennsylvania impaired for water supply, aquatic life, recreation, or fish consumption. Stormwater runoff pollution is one of the biggest reasons for this impairment. Over the past 100 years, streets, parking lots, sidewalks, and roofs have been a steadily increasing part of our communities as we’ve developed more and more of the landscape. As a result, rain that would otherwise soak into the ground instead rushes over these nonporous surfaces and into storm drains, which send it directly into rivers and streams. Stormwater carries an enormous amount of pollution, including sediment, car oil, lawn fertilizers, pesticides, pet poop (and viruses and bacteria), and cigarette butts. As you might expect, this has many negative impacts on streams and rivers.

• Rivers are the source of our drinking water supply; when rivers aren’t healthy, public health risks increase.

• Sediment harms aquatic life when it smothers macroinvertebrates and clogs spaces between rocks, destroying essential habitat for many species.

• Fertilizers stimulate excessive algae growth, causing algal blooms that remove oxygen from the water. Fish and other aquatic organisms can’t exist in water with low dissolved oxygen levels.

• Bacteria and other pathogens can wash into swimming areas and create health hazards, making beach closures necessary.

• Debris—such as plastic bags, six-pack rings, and cigarette butts—washed into rivers can choke, suffocate, or disable ducks, fish, turtles, and birds.

• Household hazardous wastes like insecticides, pesticides, paint, solvents, and motor oil can poison aquatic life.

http://www.ahs.dep.pa.gov/NewsRoomPublic/SearchResults.aspx?id=21022&typeid=1http://www.ahs.dep.pa.gov/NewsRoomPublic/SearchResults.aspx?id=21022&typeid=1

fluid levels are full, the heater and defroster are working properly, as well as your radio in order to

receive weather and traffic reports. Tires should be properly inflated and have sufficient tread

depth; wipers and lights should also be in good working order.

Have a winter emergency kit in your call at all times. This should include a blanket & warm clothes,

jumper cables, a small shovel, a first aid kit, medications for you and your passengers, and water &

nonperishable food.

To help keep you informed when you head out on the roads, you can access travel information on

nearly 40,000 state-maintained roadway miles year-round at www.511PA.com, and during the

winter you will find plow-truck locations and details of when state-maintained roadways were last

plowed. The information is made possible by PennDOT’s Automated Vehicle Location (AVL)

Technology.

For more information and resources to help you prepare for and get through the winter, you can

visit www.penndot.gov/winter.

Whether we like it or not, winter weather

is on the way. Before the first major

snowstorm, it is a good idea to get your

vehicle ready. Consider having your

mechanic check the brakes, battery,

hoses, and belts. Also make sure your

NOTE FROM THE CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER

With winter quickly approaching, property owners are reminded that snow and ice

must be removed from sidewalks within 24 hours after the cessation of any snowfall,

sleet, or freezing rain. A path of at least 24 inches must be cleared. Failing to do so

could result in the issuance of a “Quick Ticket” with a $25.00 fine.

UTILITY PAYMENT ADDRESS UPDATE

Please do not mail payments to PO Box 725.

This was the West Earl Sewer Authority post

office box and we no longer utilize it.

All utility payments should be mailed to PO

Box 787.

http://www.511pa.com/http://www.penndot.gov/winter

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR VERY OWN BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEMBER, DAVE THORNTON!

A MESSAGE FROM REPRESENTATIVE KEITH J. GREINER

Commonwealth’s COVID Comeback Efforts Underway

I am proud to inform constituents that my colleagues and I are working on a pro-jobs, recovery-focused legislative package designed to achieve a better normal. The initiative, “Commonwealth’s COVID Comeback,” would rebound the economy by incentivizing manufacturing with no new taxes or fees. Our businesses and workers deserve a break from onerous regulations and taxes that are

impeding the investment and growth necessary to rebound our economy and bring jobs back to

Pennsylvania.

The “Reshore to Restore” bill in the COVID Comeback package would allow the Commonwealth

Financing Authority to designate strategic and targeted zones in the state to be used as the base

of operations for manufacturing. Businesses in those zones would receive tax abatements for

state and local taxes and would be eligible for targeted job creation tax credits. An early lesson

of the COVID-19 pandemic was that critical supplies need to once again be “made in America.”

This bill seeks to put us on the path to incentivizing the creation of critical products here in the

Commonwealth.

Another bill would encourage entrepreneurs and businesses to create more jobs in the

Commonwealth by lowering the Corporate Net Income Tax (CNIT) from 9.99% to 5.99% by Jan.

1, 2025. Sadly, Pennsylvania entrepreneurs face an uphill battle when they want to operate here

and have to compete with other businesses in the Northeast where the CNIT is lower. We

currently have one of the highest CNIT rates in the country which is a major setback for our state

economy.

In addition, the resolution in the package would create a committee to review opportunities for

the development of new industries in the Commonwealth, including advanced manufacturing.

Another bill in the package would ensure Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)

permitting decisions are made promptly and reliably by requiring the department to render a

decision on any permit application without an affidavit within 45 days. The final bill would

provide commonsense protections via limited liability to the critical suppliers, health care

providers and employers operating during the pandemic.

The package of bills is also supported by Pittsburgh Works, a partnership between the business

community and labor unions in the Pittsburgh area focused on job growth and economic

development. I look forward to working with my colleagues on moving this legislation forward

and continuing to support Pennsylvania workers and families in these trying times.

I hope you are staying healthy and safe and I encourage you to reach out to my office with any

state-related concerns and questions.

Respectfully yours,

Representative Keith J. Greiner, CPA

Hunters Can Share Their Harvest

The state Department of Agriculture and Pennsylvania Game Commission are again encouraging hunters to consider sharing their deer harvest to provide thousands of pounds of venison to people in need. Hunters Sharing the Harvest (HSH) is Pennsylvania’s venison donation program for hunters who share their extra venison via a statewide network of participating butchers to food pantries and community assistance centers across the Commonwealth. HSH has distributed 1.5 million pounds of donated venison since 1991. Last year brought record donations for the organization, resulting in more than 160,000 pounds of venison distributed to provide 822,000 meals to Pennsylvanians in need. On average, a single deer donated can provide up to 200 meals. Hunters can donate all or part of a harvested deer by taking it to a participating processor, which will then distribute the ground venison to food banks and pantries. For more information, including a list of participating processors in the area, visit www.ShareDeer.org.

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The next White Goods/Tires Pick Up Day will be on Saturday, April 10th, 2021. If you

have old, unwanted appliances or tires that need to be thrown away, please stop into

the Township office and purchase tickets. The price is still $12.00 per ticket. All

tickets must be purchased by the end of the day on Thursday, April 8th, 2021.

This service is only available for current West Earl Township

trash/recycling customers.

WHITE GOODS AND

TIRES PICK-UP DAY

West Earl Township has opted to do online

newsletters instead of the paper ones for 2

or 3 of the yearly newsletters. Please let us

know what you think. What would YOU like

to see with this new format?

http://www.sharedeer.org/

As I am sure you are aware, Eagle Disposal, in conjunction with West Earl

Township, has begun a new system for trash and recycling pick-up.

Beginning on Friday, November 6th, Eagle began delivering 96-gallon trash

toters and 65-gallon recycling toters to each household that is currently in

the West Earl Township refuse program. These toters are to be used

instead of any current trash and recycling receptacles that are being

utilized.

The main reason behind this change is to allow the trash haulers to collect

the refuse without having to physically handle it. Because of everything

surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak, this has been deemed the safest way

to handle trash and recycling pick up. This is also the direction that the

disposal industry is headed, in general.

Please do not place trash bags at the curb for pick-up. As per the West

Earl Township ordinance 146-21.2, “Regulated municipal waste or

source-separated recyclable materials shall be stored in containers which

shall prohibit the contents from being scattered by wind and rain and

shall prohibit accessibility by rodents or other vermin.”

While we realize that these larger containers may seem inconvenient for

you, we must work with our trash hauler to make sure that their

employees are safe and follow their lead. Eagle Disposal has begun using

trucks that have an arm attached to them to make no-contact trash service

a possibility.

We thank you for adjusting to this new way of trash and recycling disposal.

These toters were given out at no charge and your refuse and recycling

rates will not be going up due to this change. If you wish to have these

toters picked back up after the 90-day trial period, please contact West

Earl Township.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR VERY OWN BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEMBER, DAVE THORNTON!

Copied from the December 2020 PSATS Magazine

DATES TO REMEMBER

2020

December 24 – West Earl Township office is closed

December 25 – West Earl Township office is closed

December 30 – West Earl utility bills are due

December 31 – 2020 Street light and special hydrant taxes are due

December 31 - 2020 On-lot septic reports are due

2021

January 1 – West Earl Township office is closed

January 4 – West Earl Board of Supervisors meeting, 7 PM

January 5 – Christmas tree pick up for West Earl/Eagle Disposal

contacted customers

January 25 – West Earl Board of Supervisors meeting, 7 PM

January 29 – West Earl utility bills are due

February 1 – West Earl Water Authority meeting, 7 PM

February 8 – West Earl Board of Supervisors meeting, 7 PM

February 16 – West Earl Planning Commission meeting, 7 PM

February 22 – West Earl Board of Supervisors meeting, 7 PM

February 26 – West Earl utility bills are due

March 1 – West Earl Water Authority meeting, 7 PM

March 8 – West Earl Board of Supervisors meeting, 7 PM

March 16 – West Earl Planning Commission meeting, 7 PM

March 22 – West Earl Board of Supervisors meeting, 7 PM

March 30 – West Earl utility bills are due