North Wales thanks staff for egg hunt, looks ahead to Earth Day celebration

After an egg-cellent celebration last weekend, North Wales is gearing up for another one of the town’s biggest events.

Council members and staff recapped a successful Easter egg hunt on Tuesday night, and announced final plans for their Earth Day Extravaganza slated for Saturday, April 26.

“Today is Earth Day, and I’m thrilled we’ve been ahead of the game for many years now. Saturday is our big day, and we can all do something to help make our world a better place, big or small,” said borough Mayor Neil McDevitt on Tuesday.

Starting at 9 a.m. on April 26, the borough hall driveway at 300 School Street turns into a drive-through recycling center, where residents can drop off paper to be shredded, old shoes, boots, sneakers, torn or tattered flags, used eyeglasses, used clothes or textiles, scrap metal and more.

“This is a great day for all borough residents and businesses. Take advantage of our shred-a-thon: we have a large truck, that can haul a good size capacity” of shredded paper, said borough Manager Christine Hart. “Every year we try to add something.”

Items containing refrigerant such as air conditioners, freezers or fridges. Once again, the town is partnering with Hink’s Garage, located at 346 W. Walnut Street, where heavy-duty items such as auto parts, wheels, car batteries, new or used oil, coolants, chemicals, or tires (two per resident) can be recycled; full details are available on the borough’s website and Facebook page, and those with items that can’t be moved or delivered that day can make arrangements for pickups.

“This is completely free to all residents and business owners within the borough,” said the manager.

“It is a rain or shine event, and if it’s raining, you never really have to get out of your car unless you choose to. It’s a drive-through: just tell us what you have, there are stations through the end of the driveway, and then we take it to the proper place,” she said.

Councilman Mark Tarlecki asked if the garage could recycle chemicals such as weed killers or insecticides, and Hart said the garage typically handles those that are auto-related such as transmission and steering fluid, while Montgomery County will host a hazardous materials recycling event at Indian Valley Middle School in Harleysville on April 26 and then several others later this summer.

Resident Andrew Berenson asked how traffic through the driveway would be configured, and Hart said borough staff will post signs and direct visitors to enter the borough building complex from Fourth Street, stop at the appropriate area for their material, then exit onto Third Street.

“Everyone seems to do it first thing in the morning, we have a line all the way out to Fourth Street,” Hart said, adding that hours this year will be from 9 a.m. to noon instead of the usual 1 p.m. ending time due to slow traffic during the final hour in prior years.

    

    

    

    

AAPI fair on May 3

Just outside the borough’s borders, the AAPI Coalition, Jaisohn Center, and Bucks-Mont Collaborative will host a free AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) community fair on Saturday, May 3, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Jaisohn Community Wellness Plaza at 1180 Welsh Road. That event will include a resource fair featuring vendors from the region’s health and human services sectors; health screenings, including checks for blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol; cultural performances from local AAPI groups; food and family-friendly games; children’s activities, including a moon bounce, face painting, cotton candy, and balloon animals, and more. Visit jaisohn.org for details.

Another local green-friendly event in town is also coming soon: on May 17 the town will host a “Spring planting” day at the borough’s Community Garden, located at Fourth Street Park, 208 S. Fourth Street. Starting at 9:30 a.m. borough staff and volunteers will be on hand there to help share planting tips and teach about composting, according to Hart.

Council members also shared kudos and thanks to staff for a successful town Egg Hunt, held at Weingartner Park adjacent to North Wales Elementary School on April 12 after a rain delay the day before.  Roughly 2,500 eggs were scattered across the park for kids to pick up, with over 200 prizes and more than 30 pounds of chocolate given away, and the roughly $370 expense was among the monthly bills unanimously approved by council.

“I wasn’t able to go this year, but heard amazing things. It really brings the community together, and it’s not an easy task filling those eggs,” said councilwoman Sarah Whelan, as the manager showed photos of kids scrambling across the park to gather plastic eggs filled with goodies.

“There are so many presents for all of the kids. Everybody leaves happy, and there’s not one tear. It’s amazing,” Whelan said.

Several also added safety tips now that spring has sprung: councilwoman Brittany Kohler asked that local drivers watch out for kids playing outdoors: “Be mindful about safety, for people on bikes and roller skates, or skateboarding” to the town’s parks. Councilwoman Sally Neiderhiser said she has recently swept yard waste and debris out of several storm drains to prevent clogging and flooding, and McDevitt asked that residents not blow or sweep debris onto sidewalks or those drains; Hart said staff noted a similar problem at the town’s Ninth Street Park.

“We have had issues with the inlet that gets clogged, and will pond, at the base of the stream. I was a little shocked to find a Christmas tree that was thrown alongside the streambank — that is a prime example: if we have no idea that’s there, it can really clog up, and flood the street and affect the residents nearby,” Hart said.

And one other feature for those who enjoy the outdoors could come soon: councilwoman Wendy McClure noted that nearby Towamencin Township has recently been named a “Pennsylvania Bird Town,” a designation granted by the Pennsylvania Audubon Council that highlights local wildlife.

“It seems to really fit with our comprehensive plan, and how we want to do things together. I just wanted to ask, is this something I can continue to look into?” she said. Hart said she and staff would look into the program and present info to full council for action at a future meeting.

North Wales borough council next meets at 7 p.m. on May 13 at borough hall, 300 School Street; for more information visit www.NorthWalesBorough.org.

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