(3/2017) It is March and with any luck we are over the snow and ice. March 1st the Adams County Library extension opened for service and the Borough office opened for official business in our new building. Plans are being developed to hold an Open House event in May to celebrate the completion of the building. The old borough building finished their construction in May 1977. It is planned to be demolished on March 6th. There are several special days that come to mind for March. Hopefully, you didn’t forget Employee Appreciation Day on March 3rd. It is a day set aside to honor employees. If you did miss it, you can recognize your employees every day. Remember to turn your clock forward one hour to mark the beginning of Daylight Saving Time on March 12 at 2 am.

Also on March 12th we celebrate Girl Scout Day. This day celebrates the creation of the first Girl Scout group on March 12, 1912 by Juliette Gordon Low. She started the group in Savannah Georgia with 18 girls. The Girl Scouts became a national organization and chartered by the U.S. Congress on March 16, 1950. The Ides of March is March 15th. It is the day back in 44 B.C. that Julius Caesar was stabbed by Marcus Brutus and other members of the Roman Senate. We celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th. Watch out for that green beer. If you get a green glow about you, please do not drive. The NCAA March Madness begins on March 14th with the final four being played on April 1st and April 3rd. The Vernal Equinox is March 20th. Spring starts. Equinox means "equal night". The day and night are approximately equal (12 hours each).

This year the Fairfield High School students, who completed a semester of Spanish, have been given the amazing opportunity to travel to the Dominican Republic. This week-long trip, scheduled for April, will be a wonderful opportunity for these students to explore the culture, gain a better grasp of the Spanish language, and help others through service projects while in the Dominican Republic. As you can image, a trip like this comes at a cost. These students have been trying to do as much fundraising as they can to help defray the costs (i.e., trip cost, meals, tips and spending money).

They have already had a few events to raise money towards their trip. With only a month away, they are planning one last fundraiser, a "Thirty-One Bingo" event. This event will be held at the Blue Ridge Sportsmen’s Association on Sunday, March 12th. For $25 you can play 20 games of bingo, each game with a prize of a Thirty-One bag packed with great items. In addition to the bingo games, there will be raffle and 50/50 tickets available for purchase. How can you help? They are in need of items to fill the bags and are looking for local businesses that are willing to make a donation. Examples of donations include money, items that represent your business, gift certificates, or anything else you are willing to donate. These contributions are greatly appreciated and would really help this fundraiser to be a huge success. Any donation, whether large or small, will help these students out. If you are willing to donate or would like additional information, please contact Lisa Mumpower at 301-471-1012 or via email at lmumpower@embarqmail.com.

The Fairfield Fire & EMS Chief Bill Jacobs wanted to remind our residents to make sure they have the proper house number lettering on their mailboxes so the fire company, ambulance, and/or the police department can find you. In an emergency, seconds count. It is so important that it is addressed in the Borough of Carroll Valley Ordinance §27-706. The ordinance states all improved property within the borough is required to post the official street address in three (3) inch numbers which are luminous (reflective). The number shall be easily read from 20 feet day or night. If there is no mail box at a residence or if it does not clearly identify the house, the reflective street address numbers shall be placed on the front of the house. If the residence sits back off the road or is not visible due to trees or bushes, a sign shall be erected displaying the proper address.

Does your house meet code? If not, you can buy a reflective mailbox sign for just $8 from the Police Department. These signs are 6" x 18" aluminum and covered in green reflective vinyl with white reflective vinyl numbers attached on both sides. They have the same highly visible qualities of PennDot directional signs. If you are interested in one of these signs, visit the Borough Police Department and ask about ordering one. You can also contact the Police Department Administrative Assistant at pdadmin@carrollvalley.org.

During this past month, had the opportunity to attend the Fountaindale Volunteer Fire Department Annual Awards Banquet and the 3rd Annual Daddy Daughter Fairy Picnic. To see the pictures, go to www.ronspictures.net and click on the desired gallery. You can also go to Facebook.com/MayorRonHarris and click on the appropriate link to see and download the pictures. I thank everyone involved. Congratulations to David Lillard. He was appointed by the Vacancy Board to the Borough Council. The Borough will be holding the following meetings in March: Planning Commission (Monday – Mar 6th), Borough Council (Tuesday – Mar 14th), Sewer/Water Authority (Mar 20), Parks/Recreation Committee (Wednesday – Mar 22nd) and Finance Committee (Monday – Mar 27th). If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me by email at MayorRonHarris@comcast.net or by cell at 301-606-2021. Be careful driving on the trails.