Saturday's weather was nearly perfect.
Sunny skies and warm temperatures prompted many homeowners to tackle the brush and tree limbs felled by this past winter's snow and ice. Some people decided to burn the debris, something that's legal in all nine municipalities in the Southern End. A few of the fires spread, leading to several brush fire calls for local volunteer firefighters. As the thermometer reached new record low temperatures last week, some Southern End residents were planning picnics, reunions, and ball tournaments.
Three townships and Quarryville Borough have been taking reservations for their municipal parks since January 1. Four Quarryville Borough employees were honored for their service during council's January 6 public meeting. William Lamparter, the borough's maintenance supervisor, was honored for 20 years' service. Lamparter joined the borough crew in 1994. Clint Herr will complete 15 years of service this year. Herr began working full time for the borough in 1999. Ron Munro was honored for 11 years of service. Munro joined the borough crew in 2002. As borough officials suspected, the restored planter at Quarryville's Memorial Park was damaged by a large wheel and tire from a piece of farm equipment.
The wheel wasn't attached to the equipment, however. That, borough manager Ken Work said last week, was the problem. For more than six decades, only weather ravaged the stone monuments flanking the entrance to Quarryville's Memorial Park. Late last month, three weeks after the restored monuments were dedicated, someone knocked four flagstone caps from one of the memorial planters. Something hit the planter closest to Park Ave. hard enough to dislodge the flagstone caps, knocking one to the ground and chipping it. Southern End townships aren't ready to follow Quarryville Borough's lead and enact property maintenance codes.
In November, borough council approved a property maintenance code that allows municipal officials to deal with everything from overgrown yards to collapsing houses. Sometimes, a family just needs a little help to get through tough times. "We see it more and more," said Charles Grimasuckas. "People need a little assistance." Four Quarryville families got a some help last Saturday afternoon, thanks to members of the Quarryville Police Department and community members. "We knew there were people who could use a Thanksgiving dinner," Grimasuckas said. "I asked the other officers if they wanted to get involved, and they did." Starting early next month, Quarryville borough officials will have a new tool to help them cope with problem properties.
The issues can range from overgrown lots to buildings that are close to collapsing. Frequently, the buildings are in foreclosure or have been neglected as the family goes through a divorce. About 100 people turned out Saturday afternoon, November 9, for the rededication of the monuments that flank the entrance to Quarryville’s Memorial Drive.
The Quarryville Lions Club has spearheaded the project, which saw both monuments and the adjacent patios rebuilt during the past year. The project also included memorial benches donated by community members and organizations and a new planting area linking the benches with the monuments. The monuments, dedicated in 1947, were in worse shape than originally thought, Joanne Black told the audience. Black began organizing the event when she was serving as the Lions Club president last year. She continued to coordinate the effort after stepping down from her one-year term in office. Black, above, praised the community for its involvement in the project. Korean War veteran Merle Aukamp, right, salutes as the pillars were rededicated. Veterans, their families, and other community members gathered for the ceremony, below, and Rep. Bryan Cutler, below right, gave the address. When William R. Mankin agreed to fill a vacancy on Quarryville's borough council this past summer, he knew he would have to run in the November election.
He didn't know that would mean spending more than a dozen hours at the polling place on election day, handing out information so voters could write his name in. Quarryville Borough is running out of room.
It does not have enough space in its maintenance garage to keep all of its equipment inside. Two people were charged with assault following an incident in the 1100 block of Slate Hill Rd., Drumore Township, at 11:45 p.m. on August 22, Trooper Aaron Davis reported.
According to the trooper, A 19-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy, both from Quarryville, tried to smash a mailbox. The property owner retrieved the bat and followed the teens, damaging their vehicle with the ball bat, the trooper said. When the work began last year, organizers expected repairs to the granite pillars at Quarryville's Memorial Park would cost about $6,000. That estimate was low. "We're close to $25,000 now," said Joanne Black, chair of the Quarryville Lions Club committee that's overseeing the work. The two granite pillars and the patios around them were in much worse condition than originally thought. Ken Work won't be wearing a police uniform and a pistol this week. Instead, he'll be dressed in a new uniform - a dark shirt and khaki pants. That will mark his transition to the position of borough manager. He will still be the police chief, a position he has held for a dozen years, but he will not be going on patrol. Work was appointed borough manager last month. He replaces Alfred Drayovitch Jr., who retired August 30. For the past month, Drayovitch has been helping Work make the transition. |
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