January 2022

New COVID-19 Testing Sites Available

New testing locations, available by appointment:

Chester County Government Services Center, West Chester
Technical College High School, Pennock’s Bridge Campus, West Grove

Links to all test sites in and around Chester County can be found at chesco.org/covidtest. This link includes the new Curative-run County sites as well as pharmacies and urgent care centers. Retail pharmacies such as CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens and Walmart are administering tests at their locations free of charge.

Vaccine Appointments
The Health Department continues to offer vaccine appointments at the Government Services Center in West Chester for first and second doses and boosters for eligible individuals.

Is Your Home Fire Safe?

Three out of every five home fire deaths result from fires in homes with no smoke alarms, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Test your smoke alarms every month and replace the battery at least once a year. If the alarm makes a "chirping" sound, replace the battery immediately.

Smoke alarms should be in every bedroom and in the common areas on each floor of a home. Mount them at least 10 feet from the stove to reduce false alarms, less than 12 inches from the ceiling and away from windows, doors and ducts.

Smoke alarms can be interconnected wirelessly. That means, when one sounds, they all sound. A Consumer Product Safety Commission survey found this is the best way to notify everyone in a home if there is a fire. Be sure to purchase smoke alarms with the label of a reputable testing agency, like Underwriters Laboratories (UL).

Board and Commission Meetings Available Via Zoom and In Person

The Board of Supervisors is pleased to announce all residents will be able to participate in most Board and Commission meetings via Zoom and in person at the Township meeting room. Please sign up via "Notify Me" under Boards and Commissions to be notified when the Zoom registration links and meeting agendas are available. View the upcoming community meeting calendar.

Winter Wild Turkey Sighting Survey

The Pennsylvania Game Commission is beginning the state’s largest wild turkey research project and monitoring reproduction and harvests are the main focuses [read more: https://bit.ly/3tKHIs0].

To be part of the first phase of this project of marking turkeys (with leg bands and transmitters), you can help the agency by reporting flocks you see, now through March 15 https://bit.ly/33YyldG.

Necessary reporting details would include the date of the sighting, the location and the type of land (public, private or unknown). Thank you to those who are interested and participate in the survey. Here are some more details:

- Birds are being leg-banded for population and research purposes ONLY.

-GPS transmitters will be put on 100 hens in 4 WMUS (25 in each).

-All turkeys trapped will be released on site – they will NOT be moved.

-Location data are only used for research purposes (not law enforcement).

More information about the study is available online https://bit.ly/33YyldG.

Volunteers Needed!

Willistown Township s seeking a resident to fill a vacancy and serve on the Historical Commission . Commission members are appointed by the Township Board of Supervisors. The Commission has responsibilities associated with historic preservation, functions as an Historical Architectural Review Board (HARB) Subcommittee for historic districts in Willistown and serves as general advisors to the Board of Supervisors, Planning Commission, and Zoning Hearing Board on conditional uses, special exceptions, or variances affecting historic resources. The Commission meets the first Tuesday of every month at 7:00 PM

Willistown Township is seeking a resident to fill a vacancy and serve on the Malvern Library Board. The Malvern Library Board is comprised of seven members, two of whom are from Willistown. The Board is responsible for stewardship, long-range planning, and promoting and advocating for the library in the community. The Board meets on the fourth Wednesday of every month at 7:00 pm.

Learn more and apply on our Volunteer Information Page.

Save a Life, Give Blood

The American Red Cross is experiencing a dangerously low supply of blood. It has an ongoing critical need for blood and platelet donations amidst coronavirus uncertainties. According to the Red Cross, every two seconds someone in the US needs blood, from trauma victims to cancer patients, mothers giving birth to premature babies and so many more. Given this enormous need, blood products must be continually replenished but, in the US, only 38 percent of the population is eligible to donate. The supply of blood is further limited by the fact that it is a perishable product that can only come from volunteer blood donors.

A typical donation of blood takes less than an hour. It is a worthwhile and life-saving cause, a great way to pay forward and make an impact on people in our community and across the country. A special note regarding COVID-19. COVID exposure is not a barrier to donating. Donation deferral is not required if you are not symptomatic, not tested +, or not pending a COVID test result. If you are COVID+, you may donate 14 days out from the last day of COVID symptoms.

If you are eligible to donate, please visit www.redcrossblood.org OR phone 1.800.733.2767 to sign up and secure your appointment in our area.

Willistown Parks & Rec News

Pictured with the newly planted Little Free Library at Willistown’s Fox Hollow Trail from left are: Cooper Phillips, Michael Bascome, Lex Lobecker (Eagle candidate), and Jacob Cho.

Willistown Parks & Rec Scout Program

Congrats and Thank You, Eagle Lex

From Cub scouts to Eagle scouts and community service hours to Eagle projects, Willistown Parks & Recreation offers a wonderful opportunity for collaboration in our public lands. Our most recent Eagle Scout, Lex Lobecker, from Great Valley Troop 106, crafted and installed three official Little Free Lending Libraries. You’ll find one at Fox Hollow Trail, by the picnic pavilion at Rita Reves Park, and along the gravel drive at the Delchester Road entrance to Okehocking Preserve. Stocked with stories and books themed around nature, this little free library movement encourages passers by to take one or leave one. He also put one in his family’s front yard for his neighborhood! Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization boasting over 100,000 little libraries worldwide. Find out more about the movement here.

Started more than 50 years ago, Great Valley Troop 106 is chartered by the Church of the Good Samaritan on Paoli Pike just off of Route 30 in Paoli. It serves students from Great Valley and Tredyffrin/Easttown School Districts. Contact Ken Webber to find out more about Troop 106 out of Church of the Good Samaritan in Paoli. To locate other Scout Troops in the Chester County Council, check out the Join Scouts Online Program List.

Thanks for choosing the Willistown Parks & Recreation community for your Eagle project, Lex, and congratulations on a job well done!

Willistown Summer Fun Camps Are Back

Willistown Township summer fun camps will be returning for grades K - 5 to Sugartown Elementary School for 8 fun-filled weeks, June 20- August 12, 2022. Residents and non-residents can register for 1 week or all 8 weeks. We offer full and half-day options, plus before and after care is available. Themes change every week. Registration is now open. For more information visit our Summer Camp page.

Winter Wonderland Photo Contest

Share your Willistown winter fun with everyone!

When the plants in our parks go dormant and most animals take shelter, our park visitors become the active ones. Parks & Recreation Board Member, Grace Frain, and her family are known to get outside throughout all seasons. Last winter was no different. Here, Wade is bundled up and happy as a clam at Kirkwood Preserve.

Photographers ages 5 and up may submit photos of their winter park adventures or of natures beauty beginning January 10 through February 28, 2022. Take your phone or camera with you to the park, preserve, or trail and snap stills of your winter adventures in Willistown. Before you head out, be sure to visit our Willistown Winter Wonderland webpage, view the contest rules, or head to the entry form.

Community News

Paoli Library News
Whatever the New Year brings, Paoli Library is prepared. Virtual programming? We know how to do that. Hybrid programming? We’ve already started. In-person programming? We have years of experience.

All of our programs, from trivia nights to storytimes, are listed on the library’s event calendar. Upcoming programs include Bone Detectives, a lecture on forensic anthropology presented by the Mütter Museum, a concert by Camerata Philadelphia, and a Pokémon Escape Room. Some programs, such as Relaxation and Healing, the Virtual Write-Along, and Zen Meditation, meet weekly. Book clubs for various genres, such as sci-fi, mystery, history, and science, get together monthly.

By now, most of us are eager to get out of our homes, out of town, even out of the country. With that in mind, Paoli Library has just updated their collection of travel books. Find the latest information on lodging, dining, and attractions to plan a trip to Japan, Greece, Nova Scotia--anywhere you’ve dreamed of visiting.

Virtual travel can also be fun. Explore the Dark History of our area with a lecture on the region’s disasters, deaths, and tragedies. Borrow a Travel Bag and enjoy a DVD, a novel, some history, maybe a cookbook–all related to a special travel destination.

We plan to keep the library open for in-person services Monday–Saturday, but no one knows exactly what the New Year will bring. So before heading over, check our website, tredyffrinlibraries.org, for up-to-date hours and services.

Malvern Public Library
Calling all kids, teens, and parents! We've updated our website with some new content we think you'll be excited to see. Click the "Kids and Teens" tab on our homepage to access, recommended reading material, reviews, teen blogs, or even suggest a new book for Ms. Megan to add to the collection. As always, we're here to serve your bookish (and community) needs. If there's something more you'd like to see included on this page or you have a library-related question - scroll to the bottom to contact our librarian directly. We hope this resource helps you to connect with us.

The library is also offering lots of online classes for all ages and interests. Join a cooking class, yoga, budgeting, family story time and much more. Register today.

Historic Sugartown Paper Marbling Workshop
Saturday, January 29 at 9:00 am

Marbling is the art of floating and designing watercolors on a base fluid then permanently transferring the design to paper. It was developed by the Persians in the 15thC. The participants will be instructed in preparing the paper to accept the paint; mixing the colors for marbling; creating the base fluid; floating the colors on the base, then designing them; and transferring the design to paper. The students will take home their finished papers. Marbling students who take the bookbinding course may use their papers for book covers. Register here.