Commissioner Judith Eckles
Vice President, Board of Commissioners

Commissioner's Corner

West Norriton Joins the National Wildlife Federation’s Mayors’ Monarch Pledge

It gives me great pleasure to announce West Norriton has joined municipalities across the country in taking the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge. While we don’t have a mayor, we do have a committed Township Manager, Jason Bobst, who signed the pledge on behalf of the Township at the request of Commissioners Rosanne Milazzo and me.

To implement the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge in our community, the program involves three main steps:

1. Take the online pledge between December 1 and March 31 each year and select at least 3 action items out of 30 that your community will work on related to monarch conservation: nwf.org/mayorsmonarchportal

2. Initiate the specified actions your community selected throughout the year.

3. Track and report your progress by submitting an annual report by December 1. (Will be done.)
Thanks to the work of the township’s Environmental Advisory Commission (EAC) we have a head start on several action items, for instance they reach out to educate the community about the importance of conservation. They also participated in the tree planting project at the golf course to help control erosion.
The Jeffersonville Golf Course managers initiated a beehive project on the golf course. Bees help pollinate the flowers that are so important in sustaining the monarch butterflies.

Why is this so important?
The monarch butterfly population has been reduced by 90% in the Eastern part of the United States. To help reverse this decline the township will be growing milkweed throughout the township. Milkweed is the host plant for the monarch butterfly. Without milkweed, the larva would not be able to develop into a butterfly. Monarchs use a variety of milkweeds. Monarch larvae, or caterpillars, feed exclusively on milkweed leaves.
In addition to planting milkweed what can you do? You can plant a variety of different pollinators in your garden, including:

Zinnias
Miss Molly Bush
Ava Flower
The Mexican Sunflower
May Night Salvia
Cosmos Sulphureus
Brazilian Verbena

We invite you to take pictures of your butterfly gardens and we may use them on the West Norriton Facebook page and/or in the Summer and Fall editions of What’s Up!

FUN FACT
Monarch butterflies communicate with scents and colors. The males attract females to mate by releasing chemicals from scent glands on the hind wings. Monarchs signal to other animals that they are poisonous by having bright orange wings. The bright colors serve as a warning that predators should attack at their own risk.

Community Survey for a Potential Dog Park

Got Dog? If you do, or if you don’t, we want to hear from you. The West Norriton Board of Commissioners think that a Dog Park would be an excellent addition to our community. The first official Dog Park was built in Berkeley, California in 1979 and since then, there are thousands in communities across the country. These parks sustain open space and provide an opportunity for community activities. We will make sure this a safe haven for our canines and their owners. Our plan is to create a wonderful recreational asset for our Township.

What will this cost? Where will it go? Who maintains this? These questions will be answered with full transparency before anything is set in motion.

We value your input. Please complete the survey to let us know what you think. It’s easy and won’t take long. We are looking forward to your reply.

Survey link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WNDogPark

Villanova RISE

Ready for 100 Initiative

The Resilient Innovation through Sustainable Engineering (RISE) Forum is the corporate consortium of Villanova University’s graduate program in Sustainable Engineering.
RISE is the only leadership forum dedicated to advancing the field of corporate sustainability through the discipline of engineering. Our mission is to accelerate the identification and application of data-driven solutions that will help our members increase the sustainability of their respective organizations. Our goal is to help executives apply the principles of sustainable engineering to secure a competitive advantage in the marketplace by reducing costs, managing risk, fueling growth and enhancing reputation.
RISE is both action-oriented—teaching companies how to apply innovative solutions—and rigorous—quantifying the risks and opportunities associated with a given solution.

West Norriton Township committed to Ready for 100 through Resolution #20- 1654 on April 14th, 2020. Within the pledge, West Norriton resolved that our township vehicle fleet will be 100% renewable energy sourced by 2030, 100% powered by clean renewable energy by 2035, and use 100% clean renewable energy when replacing heating system and transportation equipment by 2050. Before creating this resolution, West Norriton had already implemented a series of energy efficiency improvements such as sewage pump upgrades, light emitting diode (LED) lighting replacements at facilities, and streetlight LED upgrades.

Through the Villanova Resilient Innovation Sustainable Engineering (RISE) forum, the team worked to create an electricity and greenhouse gas baseline. This baseline works to identify possible projects and opportunities for the Township to implement. Additionally, this project worked to review and assess renewable energy alternatives and technologies, procurement strategies including rebates, and provide other recommendations for township consideration. In addition, our team worked with Environmental Advisory Board for WN to assist in their community day efforts; providing helpful tips for the residents to reduce their electricity consumption and bills.

Parks and Recreation Department Update

As we begin to see some light at the end of the tunnel, the Parks and Recreation Department is preparing for more programs and events to be offered throughout the 2021 calendar year… and beyond.

Upcoming events include:

Drive-in Movie Night - Saturday May 15, 2021 at Centennial Park (Pre-registration required)
Family Movie Night - Saturday August 28, 2021 (Location TBD)
First Annual Fall Festival – (Date TBD) at Centennial Park
Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony - Saturday December 4, 2021 at The Township Building

Please visit the Parks and Rec page of the township website to stay current with these events as well programing, parks updates, volunteer and sponsorship opportunities and everything else your Parks and Recreation Department has going on.
Give us a follow on our social media pages!

Facebook: @WestNorritonParksandRec
Instagram: wntwpparksandrec

Your Tax Dollars at Work

Tree Branch Collection

Tree branch collection will take place the third Tuesday of each month April through September. Branches shall be placed at the curbside for pickup on the third Tuesday of each month by 10 a.m. Only Branches and Tree limbs are permitted. Tree stumps, sticks, weeds, grass ,Holly branches, any vine related species and leaves are listed as non-chippable materials and will Not be taken. Tree limbs must not be in plastic bags or tied. Once the Truck passes and clears the street it will not return until the following month for pick-up. Tree limbs must be stacked curbside with the butt ends facing the street.

****All of these rules will be strictly enforced ****

Limits

Individual branches or limbs - up to 6 inches in diameter
Total collection per household limited to 2 cubic yards
Improperly prepared materials or materials deemed not chippable will not be collected, including large piles

May 18^th Primary Voting Locations

The 2021 Primary Election will take place on Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Voters have several options to cast their ballot:
• Vote by Absentee Ballot
• Vote by Mail-In Ballot
• Vote In Person

No matter which option you choose, you must be registered to vote by: Monday, May 3rd, 2021.

Polling Location Hours
Polling locations are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Polling Addresses & Maps

West Norriton 1-1
Norristown Area High School
1900 Eagle Drive
Norristown, PA 19403
West Norriton 1-2
Norristown Area High School
1900 Eagle Drive
Norristown, PA 19403
West Norriton 2-1
Jeffersonville Presbyterian Church
1925 W. Main St.
Norristown, PA 19403
West Norriton 2-2
Jefferson Apartments
1514 W. Marshall St.
Norristown, PA 19403

West Norriton 3-1
Jefferson Fire House
85 School Lane
Norristown, PA 19403
West Norriton 3-2
Jefferson Fire House
85 School Lane
Norristown, PA 19403
West Norriton 4-1
West Norriton Township Building
1630 W. Marshall St.
Norristown, PA 19403
West Norriton 4-2
Marshall Street Elementary School
1525 W. Marshall St.
Norristown, PA 19403

If you don’t know your polling location, you can enter your address on this map and it will locate your location: Polling Location Map

COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic

On Sunday, April 25^th West Norriton Township partnered with East Norriton Pharmacy to hold a COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic at the Jeffersonville Golf Club. With the help of Township staff and Commissioners, the Jefferson Fire Company, West Norriton Police, Jeffersonville Golf Club staff and the volunteers from East Norriton Pharmacy we were able to provide vaccines through appointments and a three-hour walk-in clinic.

Your best protection from COVID-19 will is a combination of getting a COVID-19 vaccine, wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet away from others, avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces, and washing your hands often. No one tool alone is going to stop the pandemic. This vaccine clinic was our effort to help protect our community during this pandemic.

If you are still looking for a vaccine, please visit Vaccine Finder

Clinic Volunteers

Registration Area

Vaccine Area

Spring 2021 Edition