(9/1) Carroll Valley held their 4th Annual National Night Out on August 4th. National Night Out is an evening throughout America set aside to promote awareness, safety, and neighborhood unity. This annual event takes place on the first Tuesday of every August. In Carroll Valley, we use this time to strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships.

It is a time for our residents to meet those first responders who will be there helping them during an emergency situation. Over 250 people were in attendance. Through the efforts of the Good Samaritan Lodge #336 Free and Accepted Masons of Gettysburg Pennsylvania, our Child Identification Program had the opportunity to fingerprint and videotape fifty-nine (59) children. Since 2006, approximately two hundred and fifty (250) children have been fingerprinted and videotaped - a fact that we are very proud of. I would like to thank the forty-two (42) organizations who were involved and made it a successful event. I would also like to thank our Carroll Valley Police Department, especially Jo Ann Myers and Chief Richard L. Hileman II who planned and managed the event.

Recently, some residents have approached me asking how can they get information about what is going on in the Borough. I strongly believe in government transparency. Our residents should be able to "see through" their government decision-making process. This transparency enables the resident to better participate in the government process during council and committee meetings and to better understand the decisions made by their government that affect their daily lives.

There are a number of information sources available to our residents to keep up-to-date on what is going on in the Borough. You can attend the Council meetings held on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm in the Borough Office. If you cannot attend, it is taped and then broadcasted on ACTV (Channel 19) the following Saturday (5:30 - 7:30 pm); Monday (9:00 - 11:00 am); Tuesday (4:00 - 6:00 pm) and Friday (9:00 - 11:00 pm).

After approximately two weeks, you can go to the Carroll Valley website www.carrollvalley.org and watch the council meeting anytime you want - streamed to your computer. A comprehensive source of Borough information is the Carroll Valley website. Other sources are: council and committee minutes, public hearings, electronic newsletter, Gettysburg Times newspaper articles, letters, postcards, and emails. If you have a question, the Borough Office staff and I will try our best to provide you the information you are seeking.

Do you have extra time in your schedule that would allow you to participate in an organized effort to help others during emergencies? If so, you might want to contact a member of FREMA. FREMA stands for Fairfield Regional Emergency Management Agency. It is your local emergency management agency whose primary responsibility is to organize, prepare and coordinate all locally available manpower, materials, supplies, equipment, facilities and services necessary for disaster emergency readiness, response and recovery. FREMA consists of two boroughs and one township, namely: Carroll Valley Borough, Fairfield Borough, and Liberty Township.

The agency is governed by an Executive Committee which is comprised of one elected member from each participating municipality's governing body. The current Executive Committee members are: Mayor Bob Stanley (Fairfield Borough), Supervisor Paul Harner (Liberty Township), and myself. Coordination among the municipalities, the county and state governments, during a disaster is managed by an Emergency Management Coordinator (EMC) who is Chief Dave Martin (Fountaindale Fire Department) and a Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator (DEMC) who is A. J. Aldrich (President of the Fairfield & EMS Association). Both coordinators report to the Executive Committee.

When a disaster occurs, FREMA's Emergency Operation Center (EOC) is activated. The EOC is staffed by local citizens. During a disaster these individuals, under the direction of the EMC and DEMC, use established procedures to support first responders by providing locally available manpower, materials, supplies, equipment, facilities and services necessary for emergency response. FREMA meets on the third Monday of each month. During these meetings, the Emergency Operation Center staff learns how an EOC operates during a disaster and practice emergency response actions under the supervision of the Emergency Management Coordinators. Again, if interested, please volunteer and contact me by phone (717) 642-8269 Extension 32 or email me at mayor@carrollvalley.org.

By the way, there is still time to participate in the Borough's Comprehensive Plan effort by filling out the 2009 Community Survey. Go to the Carroll Valley website www.carrollvalley.org home page, click on the link 2009 Community Survey, and answer the questions. If you do not use a computer paper copies of the survey are available at the Borough office. The Borough will be sending out postcards to ask you to complete the survey. We need your input. Please participate. Keep well.