TOPS Winter / Spring 2008

“TOPs” - TOWNWATCH on Patrol

Welcome to “TOPs”, Pennsbury Townwatch’s member newsletter. Townwatch can be reached at 610-388-0785.

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NOTICE TO ALL Townwatch MEMBERS AND Pennsbury Twp. Residents

THIS IS YOUR OFFICIAL INVITATION

To attend the

Pennsbury Townwatch

Annual Meeting

Wednesday

March 12, 7:30 P.M.

Chadds Ford winery

Guest Speaker, Carolyn Bunny Welsh, Chester County Sheriff, “The role of the Sheriff’s Office in chester county”

Wine tasting compliments of Chadds Ford Winery, snacks and refreshments will be served

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President’s Corner

It has been another good year for Pennsbury Townwatch. Our organization is as strong as ever due to the generous time and financial support of so many of the residents of Pennsbury Township.

Our patrolling members provide an invaluable service by doing a combination of full patrols, neighborhood patrols and parking patrols. These three activities give us great visibility throughout the township and due to our patrol efforts, Pennsbury continues to have one of the lowest crime records in Chester County.

Non-patrolling members are also a very important part of our organization. Their generous financial support allows us to continue to expand our activities. We continue to place or replace Townwatch signs on township roads and are always looking for additional ways to reach out to the community and help expose community members to ways to stay safe. Our Outreach programs have supported the PA State Police, Longwood Fire Department, Pennsbury Township Facilities and its Road Crew as well as welcome new members to the Community through our “WELCOME PACKAGE”.

We have managed to provide regular patrols throughout 2007 and with an increase in volunteers; we are looking forward to increasing our patrolling in 2008.

We can always use additional volunteers for our patrol efforts. I encourage those of you who are interested or have not had a chance to patrol to leave a message on the Townwatch phone, 610-388-0785. Patrolling requires about 8 – 10 hours per year and its real reward is knowing that your efforts help to keep our Township a safe and secure place to live.

The Board of Directors makes the entire Townwatch system work. I would like to thank them for their help and guidance as I continue to learn how to handle the responsibilities of President.

Again, I want to thank everyone for his or her support to our organization and for helping make Pennsbury Township a safe place to live.

Sincerely,

Kevin D Meloney

President

Checkout the New Townwatch Website

During the summer of 2007, one of the members of the Townwatch Board of Directors and its Vice-President, Jim Shugarts worked diligently in creating the first Pennsbury Townwatch website. It is now up and running and has been getting good activity. Having the website allows the Community and the world to access information on Pennsbury Townwatch itself, but it also provides people with a valuable resource to tap for fun, Townwatch news, events, education, community and emergency information. The new site also includes membership and patrolling information, Townwatch history, our Outreach Programs, current and archived TOPs Newsletters and links to other informational websites. It also provides a link to the Township website. The website can be accessed at: www.pennsburytownwatch.com. Check it out!

Townwatch Contributes New Jackets to the Pennsbury Township Road Crew

The Pennsbury Township Board of Supervisors has always been very supportive of our Townwatch activities. Not only do they permit us to use the building facilities for our monthly and occasionally our Annual Meetings, but the Road Crew, headed by Dave Allen, places, cleans, repairs and replaces the prominent Townwatch signs scattered throughout the Township. To repay the Road Crew for these added services, the Board of Directors voted to provide a reflective winter jacket to each of the four Road Crew members pictured below.

Pennsbury Road Crew (left to right): Jim Decker, Dave Allen, Patrick Yerkes, and Jeff Miller

Not only will these jackets keep the road crew warm and toasty during these winter storms while they are plowing our streets but the reflective jackets will make sure we see them while they are carrying out their duties. The Township provides other wearing apparel such as hooded sweatshirts for the workers so these donations should come in handy for our hard-working road crew.

Chester county Sheriff to address Townwatch annual meeting

Ms. Carolyn Bunny Welsh, Sheriff of Chester County, PA will be the guest speaker at the Annual Meeting on March 12, 2008 at 7:30 PM at the Chadds Ford Winery. In this elected position, Ms. Welsh has served as Chester County Sheriff for eight years and is the first woman ever to be elected to that position. One of 33 female sheriffs in the nation, she has won many awards and honors in the corrections and community service areas. She currently serves as the Vice President of the Pennsylvania Sheriff's Association and works with the other 66 sheriffs of the Commonwealth.

The Sheriff’s Department is seventy strong. Many people are unfamiliar with the duties and responsibilities of the Sheriff’s Department in our County that differs from other counties and Parishes across the country. In her talk, Ms. Welsh will give a short description of what goes on at the Sheriff’s office and the principles that affect the way that she approaches her responsibilities. She will then talks about some of the newer programs and plans for the future of the Sheriff’s office. She will also be answering any questions from the floor.

OutReach “Welcome Packet” Program Extends The Contributions of Townwatch

The main activity of Pennsbury Townwatch is to patrol the streets and roads of our Community to help to ensure the safety and security of the residents. However, we sponsor other activities that fit this charter through the Outreach program. For example, one activity is to provide Welcome Packets to new residents. Administered by Sandy Desirey, the Welcome Packet program provides an overview publication about the township which includes a map and information guide. The mailings also include recent newsletters from the Township and Townwatch. We also include information on the Land Trust and Township Park offerings. Emergency information includes a letter from the Longwood Fire Department and Pennsbury Emergency Management as well as the Chester County 911 Program. We also include some brochures of interest such as Longwood Gardens, Chadds Ford Winery and Pennsbury Inn. We hope this Outreach endeavor helps new residents with helpful and needed information and makes them feel like they are part of the Pennsbury Township Co

Townwatch offered “55-Alive Defensive driving classes in 2007

Due to the popularity of the “55-Alive” Class in 2006, Townwatch brought the course back to Pennsbury Township last year. Produced by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) and conducted throughout the country in two half-day sessions, 55 Alive taught preventive measures to use when driving that saves lives. Eight hours of classroom instruction helped attendees to refine existing skills and develops safe, defensive driving techniques. We believed so strongly in the individual and community benefits that come from this course that Townwatch subsidized the tuition for the course. The sessions were offered in June and November. Certificates issued to attendees are good for three years. PA law requires insurance companies to give a 5% discount for drivers 55 and older who successfully complete the course. In the last several years, over 50 residents have been educated by our “55 Alive” classes. Keep you eyes open for the dates of this year’s course.

How To Contact Townwatch

This past year has seen a number of “incidences” in the Township that have been reported by residents--some burglaries have occurred in certain neighborhoods, a robbery of a local business, magazine selling scams, reports of a filming crew on Cossart Road, miscellaneous unsupervised teenage gatherings, Mischief Night before Halloween and trespassers on private property. These are only a few of the occurrences that may need further attention of Townwatch. For example, when Mischief Night was a problem a couple of years ago, we ran special patrols that night and all was quiet. We are willing to perform additional patrolling efforts in “hot” spots in the Township. All you have to do is to call the Townwatch phone at 610-388-0785 and leave a message. You will be contacted by one of our Board members for further information. Alternatively, you can also send an e-mail to: commanche@hotmail.com and leave a short note with contact information or details of the problem and Townwatch will look into it. You can also leave feedback on the website: http://www.pennsburytownwatch.com/C

Reminder -- renew your membership

Once a year we ask for your support through your membership renewal. For a mere $7.50 for an individual membership, or $10 for a family or business, you can help Townwatch to continue its program of providing patrols and other activities to maintain your safety, security and peace-of-mind. Funds are used for road signs, patrol signs, window stickers, TOPs Newsletter, promotional activities and other related items. Use the form at the end of this issue of TOPs. Make your check payable to Pennsbury Townwatch and mail it to: Pennsbury Townwatch Inc., 702 West Baltimore Pike, Chaddsford, PA 19317. Note that all donations are tax-deductible.

“Townwatch Community” Road Signs

We are sure you have all seen our road signs indicating Pennsbury is a Townwatch community.

There are over 60 of these signs throughout the Township – one at each road leading into the Township, and others at the entrances to subdivisions and major roadways. These are placed, and maintained, through the generous efforts of Pennsbury Township’s Road Master Dave Allen’s Road Department; we believe them to be a significant deterrent to mischief or criminal activity, along with our patrol activities.

Should you notice a sign that is missing, defaced or obscured by weeds or bushes, please either contact Dave Allen of the Pennsbury Twp. Road Crew (610-388-9180) or leave a message on the Townwatch phone (610-388-0785).

Scholarship Awarded to Unionville High School graduate

To encourage the study of law enforcement and community safety and service, Pennsbury Townwatch is pleased to announce the continuation of a scholarship entitled the Pennsbury Townwatch Scholarship for Law Enforcement Study to a deserving Unionville High School graduate who is pursuing a career in law enforcement, forensic science or criminology. The scholarship consists of a one-time $1000 award to a student enrolled in such a training program. In May, a Unionville High School Scholarship Committee selects the student from a list of those meeting the selection criteria established by Townwatch. The 2007 recipient was Jin Ong who is now attending the University of Warwick in Coventry, England as a major in Criminal Justice.

9-1-1 Address -- DO YOU KNOW YOURS?

IS IT VISIBLE FROM THE STREET?

Winter/Spring 2008– Issue No. 13

Pennsbury Townwatch

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