(10/2102) It is October. The leaves will start to change into brilliant colors – a last "hoorah" before they fall. The farmers in the area will finish harvesting their crops. The birds will migrate south. We honor Columbus’ arrival in America on Oct 12, 1492 and celebrate this event on Monday, October 8th. And then, on October 31st children and adults will dress up in "strange looking" costumes to celebrate Halloween and go around the community proclaiming "Trick or Treat".

Halloween is a 2,000 year old tradition given to us by the Celts in the area known today as Ireland. This festival event will be celebrated in Carroll Valley on October 31st from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.. Halloween is the one night of the year where children get to dress up as anything or anyone they want to be. If you want to be visited by these little goblens, leave your porch light on. There are some safety tips everyone should take into account that evening. The children should be accompanied by an adult or a responsible teenager.

According to Safe Kids USA, a national child safety advocacy organization, twice as many children are killed while walking on Halloween on average as compared to any other day of the year. So, make sure your children wear bright, reflective costumes. If they are wearing a costume that would make it difficult for a motorist to see them in the dark, than place strips of reflective tape on their costume, have them carry glow sticks or give them a flashlight. Motorist, be sure to watch for children walking on the trails and darting out from between parked cars. Please be extra cautious. Parents make sure your little ones understand that they should walk on the left side of the trail, facing the cars. Instruct your children not to eat anything until they get home and the treats have been examined. Why all this precaution? It is Halloween. It is a time to have fun. And, you can never be too safe with your kids.

In cooperation with the Adams County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), the Carroll Valley Police Department will be hosting a clinic offering 1 year rabies shots for $10 and microchips for dogs and cats over 3 months of age for $25. The SPCA will have its mobile hospital in the Borough parking lot on Sunday, October 21st from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. You are asked to have your animal restrained by a crate or leash at all times. Remember, failing to have your pet vaccinated could result in fines in excess of $100 and put your pet at risk of contracting rabies.

Every year people lose their lives in residential fires. October, with the change of weather and coming to the end of the year, may be a good time to test your smoke alarms in your house and replace the batteries. Most fire victims die from inhalation of smoke and toxic gases, not as a result of burns. It is further reported that deaths and injuries occur in fires that happen at night while the people are asleep. While you are checking the smoke alarms, it might be a good idea to also check and replace the batteries in your Carbon Monoxide (CO) alarm. CO is an odorless gas produced when any fuel is incompletely burned. CO poisoning is associated with malfunctioning home fuel-burning heating equipment such as furnaces, ranges, water heaters and room heaters. Do you have a family fire escape plan? You should. How do you get out of the house? Do the kids know the plan? Do you hold fire drills during the night to see if the children know what to do?

Approximately 1,000 assessment appeals have been filed with Adams County. It is the goal of the County to complete all hearings by the end of October. These hearings are being held at the Adams County Courthouse. The sole matter at issue is the fair market value of the property. During the appeal hearing, the property owner or authorized representative presents their information bearing on the property’s fair market value. After the testimony is given, the appellant(s) leave the hearing, the Appeals Board discusses the testimony and documentation presented and renders a decision. The decision is mailed to the appellant so that it is received by the appellant not later than November 15th . Remember, written evidence is better than oral evidence. Written appraisals are strongly recommended. The appraisal should be for the present year. Do make sure that the comparables used in the appraisal contain relevant property characteristics (location attributes, physical attributes, et.) related to your house and land. If you are not satisfied with Board’s decision, you can appeal the decision at the Court of Common Pleas. For further information go to http://www.adamscounty.us/, scroll down the page and click on Rules of the Board of Assessment Appeals.

Volunteering means something different to each individual that gets involved in local activity. The simplest definition may be "an individual that becomes part of something without any expectation of receiving anything in return." I just know without the selflessness of our residents we could not accomplish many of the tasks that have made Carroll Valley a quality place to live and raise a family. Are you interested in helping your neighbors during an emergency? If so, you may want to consider joining the Fairfield Regional Emergency Management Agency (FREMA). FREMA provides emergency services to three municipalities: Carroll Valley Borough, Fairfield Borough and Liberty Township. On behalf of these participating municipalities, FREMA is responsible for preparing, maintaining and keeping current a disaster emergency management plan for the prevention and minimization of injury and damage caused by a natural or man-made disaster. The agency is also responsible for the prompt and effective response to the disaster and the disaster emergency relief efforts and recovery.

FREMA is governed by an Executive Committee which is comprised of one elected member from each participating municipality’s governing body. The current committee members are: Supervisor Robert Jackson, Mayor Robert Stanley, and myself. Coordination among the municipalities, the county and state government during a disaster is managed by an Emergency Management Coordinator (EMC). FREMA’s EMC is Andrew Aldrich. He is assisted by Deputy EMC Chief Dave Martin. Both are responsible for the planning, administration and operations of FREMA and report to the Executive Committee. How much experience do you have to have to join? None. There are two requirements and they are the desire to help others and the willingness to learn how. What does the job entail? You will be part of a staff operating the Emergency Operations Center following documented procedures under the supervision of the EMC and Deputy EMC. You will be answering phones, collecting data over a mobile radio device and documenting the information. Your primary job is to support the first responders (firemen, police, etc.) in the field. Please consider joining by giving me a call at (301) 606-2021 or by email at mayor@carrollvalley.org for more information.

Borough meetings to be held in October are: Planning Commission (Oct 1st), Finance Committee (Oct 8th), Borough Council (Oct 9th), Borough Council Finance Workshop (Oct 23rd), Parks/Recreation (Oct 24th) and a Sewer & Water Authority meeting (Oct 29th). The Carroll Valley Citizens Association Fall Yard Sale is scheduled for Saturday, October 13th at Ski Liberty, 8 AM to 2 PM. Call Alexandra at 717-420-0728 to reserve a space. Please reduce your speed to make sure you, your loved ones, your friends and neighbors will be safe. If you have any questions call me at (301) 606-2021 or email at mayor@carrollvalley.org