Happy September, friends and neighbors, fellow Lansdowne residents,
To begin, I want to offer a moment to offer a belated Shana Tovah to all of our Jewish friends and neighbors with the celebration of Rosh Hashanah this past month! Also, I want to wish all who celebrate G’mar Chatima Tova on Yom Kippur this past weekend.
Also, we want to celebrate all of the folks in our community of Hispanic Heritage during this Hispanic Heritage Month.
Lansdowne Borough Council and Mayor Magda Byrne would like to thank the Girl Scouts for attending Council and presenting litter grabbers for the use of Lansdowne residents.
Memorials and Remembrances:
On September 11th, Mayor Magda Byrne, Councilmember Will Griffin, and I joined with East Lansdowne Mayor Joe Bland and Representative Gina Hackett Curry to recognize and remember 9/11 Remembrance Day.
On Friday, September 15th, Mayor Byrne and I attended the POW/MIA flag raising ceremony with Legion Post 65. Thank you to Commander Bair, past commander Bill Jillson, and Legion 65 for continuing this tradition in the community.
Please save the date for the American Legion Veteran’s Day dinner. The Legion will be hosting the Veteran’s Day Dinner at the 20th Century Club on November 11th. More details to come.
Comprehensive Plan:
We will be moving forward with the next public meetings to receive input prior to adoption of the Comprehensive Plan this fall. Over the course of September and October, Lansdowne Borough will host two public meetings to receive public comment on the Comprehensive Plan before a vote for adoption.
The first meeting will take place on September 26, 2023 at Borough Hall. The meeting will be at 6:30 in the evening.
We encourage all residents to review the draft proposal and to offer comments.
Budget/ Finance:
Lansdowne Borough Council held a special meeting on August 30th at 7:00 to review the initial assumptions leading into the budget for the fall. In the meeting, the finance team discussed the assumptions going into next year’s budget. Thank you to Finance Chair Tangela James, Borough Manager Craig Totaro, Treasurer Donna Lang, and the Finance Committee for their preparation of this meeting. Council will be discussing the budget in upcoming Committee and Council meetings.
Facilities:
On August 8th, the ad hoc Facilities meeting met and received a presentation from the Library Board and from Chief Rutherford to review the necessities for expansion and updates to both premises. The presentations were both thorough and thoughtful. On September 6th , Lansdowne Borough Council voted 5-1 to purchase the property at 47 South Lansdowne Avenue, the old library building. Through the purchase, Lansdowne Borough Council seeks to move forward with the development of library plans.
Lansdowne Borough Council will consider the alternatives for a site plan and vote in the first meeting in October to determine the future course of action in selecting the plans to move forward. At the first meeting in October, Council will have an item on the agenda to make a decision about the next stages in a facilities design. Please review the plans and previous meetings to be informed for this discussion. At this time, there is not an architectural drawing of any buildings. Council will only be voting to determine which strategy to pursue in land development.
Community Celebrations/ Events:
On September 30th, Lansdowne Borough will be holding a Celebration of Labor and Job Fair to provide residents with information and access for jobs in the trades and community college classes. Please share the flyer with your friends and family to gain access to great resources. The event is at the 20th Century Club from 1-4.
On September 30th, the Library is conducting its Big Book and Bake Sale from 10:00-1:00 at the Lansdowne Public Library. Children’s activities from 10:00-1:00.
On September 30th, Lansdowne Borough is proud to be a sponsor of the “Threads of Remembrance Show” and encourages residents to attend the Grand Opening of the show at 6:00 at 20 Lansdowne Court.
On October 1st, Lansdowne Borough is excited to be a sponsor and supporter of the annual “Arts on the Avenue Festival” in Lansdowne. The festival lasts from 12-6.
On October 15th, Traci's Bio in partnership with Lansdowne Borough invites you to the Paint the Streets Pink 5K Walk.
On October 21st, we will have a ceremony for the installation of the new sign and dedication of Rap Curry Park “The Center” with Representative Gina Hackett Curry’s office. Borough Council is working with a committee of friends and family of Rap Curry to have a 3 on 3 tournament and kid’s activities for the celebration.
Hoffman Park Mural Discussion:
In July, a long time Lansdowne Borough resident presented an idea to create a mural in Hoffman Park. Over the course of committee meetings and Council meetings refined the idea brought by the resident, the proposal voted on supported a concept to honor several Lansdowne sports legends: Leroy Burrell, Rap Curry, and Dawn Burrell. Lansdowne Borough Council voted 6-0 on September 6th to move forward with the mural concept in Hoffman Park proposed by a resident in July. The original idea brought by the resident was refined and the proposal voted on was a conditional approval for the concept with need for a final design and also appropriate funding.
At the meeting on September 6th, Council voted 6-0 to apply for funding from the Delaware County Interactive Revenue Gaming Authority for the proposed cost of the mural. At the Council meeting on September 20th, Lansdowne Borough Council voted 5-1 to move forward with the artist E Gram to develop the mural concept into a final design. On September 21st, the Delaware County Interactive Revenue Gaming Authority voted unanimously to recommend to Delaware County Council that the grant be approved for the creation of the mural.
We look forward to hearing your ideas and suggestions to give feedback about the mural. Please come to the Hoffman Park mural discussions.
Please find the information about the individuals being honored, for further reading:
Leroy Burrell:
Rap Curry:
Dawn Burrell:
Save the Date:
- September 26th: Comprehensive Plan Meeting: 6:30 at Borough Hall
- September 30th: Opening of “Threads of Remembrance” at 20 Lansdowne Court
- September 30th: Celebration of Labor: 1-4 20th Century Club
- October 1st: Arts on the Avenue: 12- 6 Lansdowne Avenue and Owen Avenue Lot
- October 1st: Hoffman Park Mural Discussion: Borough Greene: 1-3
- October 8th: Hoffman Park Mural Discussion: Hoffman Park Basketball Court: 1-3
- October 15th: Paint the Streets Pink 5K Walk
- October 21st: Dedication of Rap Curry Park “The Center”: Bartram Avenue
- October 24th: Comprehensive Plan Meeting: 6:30
To all of my friends, neighbors and fellow residents, Lansdowne is on the Move.
I hope to see you around the town in the coming weeks.
Sincerely,
Benjamin Hover