Susquehanna Township Eighth Ward

11/03/2020

Today is Election Day, and polls close at 8 p.m. Please be sure to vote today and participate in your democracy! A list of polling places in Susquehanna Township can be found here: https://www.susquehannatwp.com/home/pages/susquehanna-township-polling-locations

10/17/2020

Welcome to Dauphin County, PA

The deadline to register to vote is Monday, October 19. If you still need to register, take a few minutes and find all the information you need here.

https://www.dauphincounty.org/government/departments/elections_and_voter_registration/index.php

Gerald D. Feaser, Jr, Director Dauphin County Administration Building first floor 2 South 2nd Street Harrisburg, PA 17101 Phone 717 780 6360 Fax 717 780 6478 Toll Free 1 800 328 0058 Mailing Address P.

10/03/2020

Welcome to Dauphin County, PA

It’s critical that you make a plan to vote this year, no matter the means. Request your ballot early and if you are refraining from in-person voting, mail or drop off your ballot early. The deadline to register to vote is October 19.

Welcome to Dauphin County, PA

09/26/2020

If you’re looking for a great lunch or dinner option today, Rescue Fire Company is having its annual Chicken Bar B Que! The meal consists of a Half Chicken, Baked Potato, Baked Beans and a Roll. Please support our volunteer firefighters who do so much for us every day!

06/04/2020

I’m sending this as a reminder to 8th Ward residents to join me in a virtual meeting tomorrow at 10 a.m. to receive updates on the township, or have questions answered about township operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Township manager David Kratzer and Director of Public Safety Rob Martin will join me and I hope to see you then!

Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.

https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/524393453

You can also dial in using your phone.
(For supported devices, tap a one-touch number below to join instantly.)

United States: +1 (571) 317-3122
- One-touch: tel:+15713173122,,524393453#

Access Code: 524-393-453

New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts: https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/524393453

06/03/2020

Susquehanna Township - Dauphin County, PA

This will be a weekly feature through a collaboration with the police force and our recreation department. Please be sure to tune in every week!

Welcome to the new Virtual Fitness Program for kids ages 3-12!!! This program is a joint effort between @Susquehanna Township Police and Parks and Recreation Departments. We hope you enjoy them each Wednesday throughout the summer!🏃🏃‍♀️

Post some photos of kids enjoying it or even a video if you would like below in the comments. 👇

Prizes for participants will be awarded!!!🏆🎽🏅

Get ready to feel like WINNERS!🎊

06/03/2020

Free Summer Lunch Program for Kids Ages 18 and younger! | Susquehanna PA

FREE LUNCHES FOR KIDS!!!!

Even though our programs are closed for the summer, we are happy to provide lunches FREE to kids 18 years and younger!

We will be handing out meals on MONDAYS & WEDNESDAYS beginning Monday, June 15 and ending Wednesday, July 29.

Sites for meals: Edgemont Park, Veterans Park, Stabler Field and Susq Twp Middle School.

Go to our website for full details! Help us spread the word!

https://www.susquehannatwp.com/parks-recreation/pages/free-summer-lunch-program-kids-ages-18-and-younger

Susquehanna Township Parks & Recreation Department is proud to host 4 sites this summer for distributing FREE lunches to kids in our area!Our Summer Programs had to be cancelled this year - but we're still bringing you lunch!

05/31/2020

Dear 8th Ward Resident,

I hope you and your families are staying safe and healthy. Please see the following updates as we continue grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Election Day
Primary Election Day is on Tuesday, June 2 at Thomas Holtzman Elementary School, 1910 Linglestown Road. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Please note, this polling location will also serve 2nd Ward voters, as it moves from Pheasant Hills due to the increased risk of the virus to senior citizens and a lack of poll workers during this primary election year.

8th Ward Residents Forum
Election Day is one of my favorite days of the year and in prior years I remained there all day to see and engage with 8th Ward residents. However, in accordance with social distancing recommendations, I will not be at polling place in person and I chose to vote by mail. That said, I am holding a virtual forum for 8th ward residents on Friday, June 5 from 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. This will provide us the opportunity to connect and I will be joined by Township Manager David Kratzer and Director of Public Safety Rob Martin. The meeting instructions are below and I look forward to seeing everyone! Of course, if you can't attend I am available by phone, email or through social media to provide assistance.

https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/524393453
You can also dial in using your phone.
(For supported devices, tap a one-touch number below to join instantly.)
United States: +1 (571) 317-3122
- One-touch: tel:+15713173122,,524393453#
Access Code: 524-393-453

Township Updates
In compliance with the current COVID-19 emergency declaration, the township municipal building and police department remains closed to the public through Friday, June 5. Township staff remains available, on a rotating schedule, to handle the concerns of residents. Police are always available day or night. The commissioners will soon make an assessment as to whether or not we should extend the closure.

The Board of Commissioners continues to meet virtually for regular meetings on the 2nd Thursday of the month and workshop meetings on the 4th Thursday of the month. During our last regular meeting, we made the difficult decision to cancel the township's summer recreation program and our rationale is explained here. Dauphin County is currently in the "yellow phase" of pandemic recovery and all township parks and pavilions will remain closed until we reach the "green phase."

Our Spring/Summer 2020 Newsletter was just published with a cover story about the township and public safety buildings converting to solar power. This is not only a prudent decision from an environmental perspective, but it makes economic sense as well.

School District Update
As the school year comes to a close, I want to commend the students, parents, teachers, staff and administration of the Susquehanna Township School District for making the necessary arrangements and continuing to ensure our children receive an education during the quarantine - and the parents and guardians who are working with their children. Additionally, I am thankful to the teachers and administrators for putting a plan in place to educate our children by virtual means and for proactively assessing options for the fall. I also commend school district personnel as well as staff and volunteers with the Hanna Education Foundation and Hanna's Pantry who have continued to provide families with school lunches and additional food from the pantry for those in need.

I congratulate the Susquehanna Township Class of 2020 who have endured the most challenging of years. While this unwanted situation has been forced upon them, the grace and dignity with this class has handled themselves is commendable. This experience will undoubtedly shape these students for many years to come and hopefully many are able to draw strength from this circumstance.

Finally, in my limited travels over the past few months, I have been heartened to see the Susquehanna Township community rally together, and especially individual residents take the pandemic seriously and act accordingly through the wearing of masks and social distancing. It remains my honor to serve as your commissioner particularly during this time when tough decisions need to be made. This pandemic has certainly challenged us and tested our resolve as Americans. I pray for the families of the 100,000 people who have perished, including many in our own community. We have no choice but to persevere and I believe that together we can.

Justin Fleming
Susquehanna Township 8th Ward Commissioner
717-571-4063 (cell)
E-mail: [email protected]

05/15/2020

Susquehanna Township - Dauphin County, PA

I wish I weren’t sharing this message, but given Dauphin County’s designation with COVID-19 this is the most prudent choice.

Summer Programs – Cancelled – 2020

The decision to cancel the summer programs was an extremely difficult one. We are sad to say that the programs are not feasible this year due to many factors. Some of the most significant factors being:

Liability – Our Insurance carrier has advised us not to run the program due to the many potential uncovered areas of the program during these times.

Timing - The programs (even modified) would only be able to open and run in the Governor’s green phase and the earliest feasible timeline for that is July. The Parks and Recreation Department would need at least a week or two to procure supplies, train staff, and setup facilities. This would push the best-case scenario of opening back to late July/August…leaving us with a very small number of weeks.

Safety – The CDC guidelines for safely opening a camp have yet to be released to us. There is a leaked document that was published by the Washington Post and if we were held to those, we would not be able to comply. When looking at the safety of the staff, participants, and their families we would not be able to guarantee that the environment would be safe.

There are many other factors as well, but these three were the main reason why we could not possibly offer the programs during this pandemic. Please know that the staff visited every scenario possible to try to at least put a modified program together and would have loved to see all those happy smiles (kids and parents) on your faces.

We know that many families rely on this service and we were hopeful that we will be able to provide an even better program in 2021!

The Parks and Recreation department continues to investigate some other activities that we might be able to offer to keep youth and their families engaged and lift spirits in other ways. If you would like to be emailed when those offerings are released please email [email protected]. Please also email with any further questions or concerns.

We miss you all!

Be Safe and Keep Playing,

The Parks and Recreation Department of Susquehanna Township

05/07/2020

NEWS POST: AWARDS PRESENTATION

Great job by these officers!

At Roll Call Wednesday Night, members of C Platoon and the Community Technical Services Unit received awards for outstanding Police Work” The following Officers received various awards:”

04/28/2020

Susquehanna Township - Dauphin County, PA

Penn Waste to Resume Yard Waste and Bulk Collection - May 2nd

Although working with a depleted workforce, Penn Waste will resume yard waste and bulk item collection.

Yard Waste collection will resume on May 2nd. The yard waste collections will follow your regularly scheduled collection schedule for May. While many have yard waste ready to be collected, we ask that residents hold until their next regularly scheduled collection day and place a reasonable amount of yard waste curbside.

Penn Waste is not able to collect an unlimited amount of yard waste from each home, so by asking residents to place a reasonable amount curbside, it will ensure that the entire route is completed.

Bulk item collection will resume on Monday, May 4th on your next regularly scheduled collection day. Penn Waste will be collecting one bulk item per week per residence. They will strive to clean up any backlog over the next two months. This is in order to make sure crews can finish routes in a timely manner.

We recommend signing up for notification from Penn Waste at https://www.pennwaste.com/e-news-signup/

Thank you for your help, understanding, and patience as we all navigate these unprecedented times together!

04/06/2020

DHS details

Social distancing, while helping to curb the spread of COVID-19, does have challenges. If you need help during this time, the Commonwealth has resources available. See the link for more information.

https://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/DHS_details.aspx?newsid=513

Gov. Wolf: Support & Referral Helpline Created for Pennsylvanians in Need of Behavioral Health Resources and Referrals During COVID-19 Public Health Crisis

03/26/2020

The Susquehanna Township Board of Commissioners continues doing business with our first remote meeting, even as social distancing has taken hold. All Commissioners were present for this historic meeting!

03/25/2020

The Susquehanna Township Board of Commissioners will hold its workshop meeting on Thursday, March 26 at 6:30 pm virtually in accordance with the CDC’s recommendation on social distancing. The public can find more information and tune in at the link below. Thank you!
https://www.susquehannatwp.com/home/news/commissioner%E2%80%99s-workshop-session-conference-call

03/23/2020

Susquehanna Township - Dauphin County, PA

To the Citizens of Susquehanna Township and families of our Emergency Providers:

In these unprecedented and trying times, we want to underscore our commitment to best practices regarding safety in emergency preparedness and response. We know that the safety of your loved ones is your greatest concern. We understand, and it is our greatest concern as well. We also owe all of those on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic the best protection we possibly can offer. Keeping them protected enables us to continue providing effective and timely response to everyone in need.

We want to make you aware of the important steps we are taking in Susquehanna Township to protect our first responders so that they can safely serve our citizens and return safely to their families.

First, we remind you that Susquehanna Township emergency personnel always use personal protective equipment (PPE) – gloves, for example -- and follow protocols designed to protect them and our patients from infection and illness; this is true even in normal times.

The threat posed by the novel coronavirus COVID-19 demands additional measures. Here are some of the most important ones:

• Susquehanna Township EMS (STEMS) conducts a mandatory “Healthy Check-In Program” to make sure personnel come to work healthy. We take temperatures every time we start a shift and ask basic screening questions about cough, fever and respiratory symptoms. If STEMS personnel display any of those symptoms, they are sent home. Healthy Check-In applies to our staff and emergency provider personnel and is effective until further notice. Shift Captains are responsible for documenting the completion of these checks.

• We have restricted visitors to our Municipal Building, Police Department, EMS, and Fire Stations in order to reduce exposure to the virus.

• We have enhanced our normal practices for cleaning stations and apparatus. All personnel must disinfect the following surfaces multiple times a day: Desks, eating and food prep areas, phones, doorknobs, push and pull door handles, sinks, bathroom mirrors, patient compartment areas and other heavily trafficked or used surfaces.

• All providers must wear the appropriate PPE based on information provided from 911 operators about the call and on observations at the scene, in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control standards. Dauphin County dispatchers are using new national protocols for screening calls for cough, respiratory symptoms, and fever so we have a better idea of potential COVID-19 risk.

• After a call, PPE must be removed in accordance with CDC recommendations.

• Cleaning of uniforms, apparatus, and restocking of PPE are done in accordance with County, State, and CDC recommendations.

• Our response profile has changed as well. While we continue to respond to all emergencies, we have lessened the number of responders that personally interact with the public. This is to protect our members as well as the public.
The Susquehanna Township Public Safety Department is made up of Professionals from the Police Department, Susquehanna Township EMS, the Susquehanna Township Emergency Management Agency and our volunteer professionals from the Progress and Rescue Fire Companies.

Thank you so much for your support. We hear every day from residents who express their appreciation for the work our responders are doing. We all agree that the present times are trying on a variety of personal and professional levels. As this virus develops through our region, we will develop strategies and tactics as the CDC and science dictate. We hope that these enhanced procedures address any concerns as we work together to get through these difficult days. We thank you for your assistance in keeping our community safe. Godspeed.

Respectfully,
Robert A. Martin, Director of Public Safety
George C. Drees, Fire Marshal/Chief
Brad W. Reist, Emergency Management Director
Matt K. Baily, Chief Susquehanna Township EMS

03/20/2020

Dear 8th Ward Resident,
Penn Waste is suspending yard waste and bulk pickup until further notice to focus on trash and recycling collection. Please continue social distancing and frequent hand washing. Stay safe!