Mayor's Message 6/23/2021

Mayor’s Message
June 23, 2021

Good evening everyone. A couple of updates…

Superintendent Tim Bernhardt and I swore in 10 new officers of the Upper Darby Police Department yesterday.  Combined with the first wave of new officers sworn in earlier this year, these officers represent the most qualified and most diverse group in Upper Darby history.  We welcome all of them to our Upper Darby team.

All of these officers will be valuable additions to our renowned Police Department, and they are setting a great example for others who aspire to public service. Many of them already have deep roots in Upper Darby, with five officers who are graduates of Upper Darby High School and one who is a graduate of Monsignor Bonner & Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School.  

In other good news, the Fire Investigator Division of the Upper Darby Fire Department has been awarded a FM Global Grant in the amount of $3,544 to purchase fire prevention equipment, including a new desktop computer and digital cameras. Congratulations to Chief Derrick Sawyer and his team on their continued efforts in fire risk reduction. 

This past Saturday, we celebrated Juneteenth at Upper Darby High School with a youth football camp hosted by Philadelphia Eagles’ safety Rodney McLeod and his wife Erika, as well as the inaugural Juneteenth Observance and Community Fair. The Fair included free health care screenings from Crozer Health, COVID-19 vaccines courtesy of Delaware County, and a variety of presentations and performances by local artists that celebrated the significance of Juneteenth as the end of slavery in the United States. 

This upcoming weekend, there are several events happening in Upper Darby in honor of LGBTQ+ Pride Month; please visit www.ud-pride.com for the schedule and other details. On Friday, July 2nd, we are pleased to be hosting a fireworks display at the Upper Darby High School baseball field. The fireworks will begin at 9:30 pm, and residents are encouraged to watch them from the high school parking lots. The rain date for this event is Friday, July 9th.

Here is a friendly reminder about the weekly yard waste collection: Yard waste is defined as leaves, garden residues, shrubbery and tree trimmings (4 inches or less in diameter and less than 3 feet long), and similar material. Please note that grass clippings are NOT considered yard waste. Please do not use plastic bags to recycle yard waste or single-stream recycling; instead, place your yard waste in biodegradable paper bags, which are available at local hardware stores, or place the yard waste loosely in trash cans without bags. Lastly, please note that yard waste is collected only on your regular recycling pick-up day, not on trash pick-up days. 

Coming into your mailboxes soon is a township newsletter which provides the trash and recycling schedule for the rest of the year as well as other important information on township programs and events.  Please note that Monday, July 5 is a township holiday and no trash or recycling will be collected on Monday, July 5.

Thank you and have a great evening.