Trappe Residents Will Earn Points for Recycling

“With approval from council, I will tell Allied Waste we are interested in participating in the (Recyle Bank) program,” said Trappe Borough Manager Jacqui Guenther at the Tuesday, March 1, Trappe Borough meeting.

Recycle Bank is a free program that will allow residents to earn points to be redeemed for discounts and coupons on regularly used products and at area stores and businesses.

In August 2008, the online program caught the attention of Trappe residents who alerted Borough Hall when the program became available in the area.

Guenther will initiate the start of the program for Trappe and will inform residents about how to get involved. Community members should look for more information on the Trappe website and in the next newsletter.

Guenther also announced that Mayor Connie Peck has been awarded the 2010 Distinguished Service Award through the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs. She will be honored at a future borough meeting.

Borough President Fred Schuetz reported on a call from a resident who was concerned about hunting close to his property. Solicitor Dave Onorato and  Guenther researched current regulations. Several council members requested copies of that research.

PennDOT completed its study of the traffic congestion along Main Street in Trappe and recommended several changes, including retiming the lights. A bid has been received from Signal Services to retime three lights. Board approval of the bid is pending until Engineer John Sartor clarifies some of the recommendations with officials from PennDOT.

Trappe officials met with Sen. John Rafferty (R), as well as representatives from the offices of Sen. Andy Dinniman and Rep. Mike Vereb (R) to discuss funding methods to assist in the town beautification initiatives.

“I walked away from this meeting feeling there is plenty of enthusiasm, but that this is a big project, and we’re going to have to look for funding in many different areas,” said Councilwoman Cathy Johnson.

The proposed costs for the engineered plans to reconstruct Borough Line Road is $41,750. Guenther is in contact with Upper Providence, which shares half the road with Trappe. It is hoped that the two municipalities will split the cost of the project.

Plans for the Memorial Day parade are moving forward. The parade route will cover Main Street between and the . A permit has been requested from PennDOT. Guenther confirmed that the borough has the proper liability insurance to cover residents who may be assisting with the parade efforts, such as traffic control at intersections.

In other news, the borough has received one bid for snow plowing for next winter.

“Trappe doesn’t store its own salt, which is a problem for many contractors,” said Guenther. “We’re also a little late in this bidding process,” she added. “Most municipalities request bids in late November for the winter of the following year.

Trappe’s current snow plow bid expires March 2011. A new contract is needed beginning April 1. Discussion ensued about options for salt storage, and Peck suggested talking to the Perkiomen Valley School District about sharing costs and storage.

In the mayor’s report, Peck stated that she’s been contacted about necessary repairs to the parking area in Water Works Park. This area is most heavily used during the Grange Fair and at Trappe Community Days. She will report back to council with an estimated cost of repairs.

The mayor has also received a request from the National Organization of Mothers of Twins and Triplets to declare April 2011 "National Multiple Birth Awareness Month."

Councilman Paul Edwards reported on an emergency seminar he recently attended in Pottstown. He found the workshops to be very helpful in learning about how local governments need to be prepared to respond to emergencies.

Edwards went on to report that State Police responded to 68 calls in the borough during the month of February. Trappe Ambulance responded to 204 calls in Trappe and the surrounding area over the month.

The borough is in the process of collecting options and quotes to increase the safety and security of Borough Hall. These options include locks, lights, alarms and cameras. After all bids have been collected, council will discuss recommendations.

In a follow-up to last month’s request from Fire Chief Brian Long for additional flags to easily identify fire hydrants, Guenther said the borough would need 80 additional flags at $24 each. Long thought there could be a phase-in process for the purchase of the flags.

Schuetz said that 23 students from PV Middle School West contributed eight designs for the butterfly garden to be constructed at Rambo Park. This Friday, Mayor Peck and other representatives of the project will judge the designs. All of the students who participated will be recognized at the April 5 Trappe Borough meeting. Students will construct the garden in mid-April.

Under new business, Councilman Nevin Scholl again brought up the proposed dissolution of the CTMA (Collegeville Trappe Municipal Authority). He referenced a 2007 lawsuit filed by Trappe to dissolve the authority. There has been no follow-up on the lawsuit at this time.  

After a heated discussion, Schuetz tapped his gavel and said, "We will pick this up again next month."

The public meeting was adjourned at 9:45 p.m., at which time council entered an executive session to discuss personnel issues.

Editor's Note: This article has been changed to clarify the costs associated with Borough Line Road's reconstruction.