Mayor's Message 6/2/2021

Mayor’s Message
June 2, 2021

Good evening everyone,

A couple of updates…

A friendly reminder about 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 it in biodegradable paper bags, which are available at local hardware stores, Burhill on Bermont Road and the TruValue on Marshall Road or, place the yard waste loosely in trash cans without bags.

This upcoming Monday, June 7, our sanitation crews will begin collecting trash twice a  week. Trash in areas 1 and 2 will be collected on Tuesdays and Fridays. Trash in areas 3, 4, 5, and 6 will be collected on Mondays and Thursdays. Additional details about the revised schedule, including recycling pick up information, can be found on the Township website at www.upperdarby.org/trash. Residents are also welcome to call the Mayor’s Request Line at 610-734-7625 with any questions. 

We are also hiring seasonal employees to supplement our regular sanitation crews. If you and/or anyone you know is looking for a summer job making as much as $15 per hour with the opportunity to earn a full time job in the future please have them apply ASAP through our website upperdarby.org.  On the home page, scroll down and look for “Employment Opportunities”. Seasonal jobs and other jobs are listed there. 

Registration for the Township’s Youth and Tot Lot programs is ongoing until Friday, June 11. The cost is still only $20 per child. We are grateful to the Lansdowne YMCA for stepping in to ensure that these programs are able to happen this summer. The Y is also still hiring program staff members; applications are available online at www.cyedc.org/employment, or you can call 610-557-9622, extension #1, to request a paper copy. Special consideration will be given to individuals who have worked for the Township summer recreation program in previous years if they would like to apply again this year.   

This Saturday, Habitat for Humanity is hosting a Rock the Block event in Upper Darby. The targeted areas are the 200 block of Chapman Avenue and the municipal parking lot on the 700 block of Long Lane. I am so grateful that Habitat has chosen Upper Darby as a focus municipality. This is our inaugural Habitat Rock the Block event, and we are looking for community members to participate as volunteers. To sign up, please visit www.habitatmontdelco.org/rock-the-block or call 610-278-7710. As a member of the Upper Darby team, we ask you to arrive at the Municipal Lot at the intersection of Long Lane and Clinton Road in Upper Darby, no later than 8:15 AM on this Saturday. Once you get there, members of the Habitat staff will check you in and will gather together for opening remarks.

Last but certainly not least, it is my honor to issue a proclamation this evening in recognition of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) Pride Month.

WHEREAS, Pride Month is a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. It was borne out of the gay rights movement that started in the 1940’s and reached a pivotal moment at the Stonewall Inn in June of 1969, when a group of individuals who were being mistreated because of their gender and sexual identification stood up for what they believed in; and 

WHEREAS, Pride Month is a time to reflect on the trials that the LGBTQ+ community has endured and to rejoice in the triumphs of the individuals who have bravely fought, and continue to fight, for full equality; and

WHEREAS, Despite all of the progress that has been made in recent years regarding LGBTQ+ rights, we acknowledge there are many states in which LGBTQ+ individuals still lack protections for fundamental rights and dignity in hospitals, schools, the workplace, public accommodations, and other spaces. We are committed to standing in solidarity with LGBTQ+ Americans in their ongoing struggle against discrimination and injustice; and 

WHEREAS, LGBTQ+ individuals, especially children and adolescents, often face bullying and harassment in educational settings and are at a disproportionate risk of self-harm and death by suicide. It is imperative that families, school systems, mental health care providers, and the community at large work together to end the social stigma and bullying that can traumatize children and adolescents who identify as LGBTQ+; and 

WHEREAS, Upper Darby Township has a diverse community that includes a proud contingent of LGBTQ+ individuals and allies, which is fostered in part by organizations such as Upper Darby Pride and UDTJ, among others. 

NOW, THEREFORE I, Barbarann Keffer, Mayor, do hereby proclaim the month of June 2021 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Pride Month in Upper Darby Township and encourage my fellow residents to recognize and participate in its observance.

Thank you and have a great evening.