October 2022

October Recycling Events

Thank you to our Environmental Sustainability Committee for organizing these events. Please note all events are for Willistown Residents only:

October 8- E-Waste Recycling
October 22 - Wood Chipping
October 29- Document Shredding

Chester County Solid Waste Authority is hosting its last Household Hazard Waste Event on Saturday, October 8 at the Government Services Building, 601 Westtown Road, West Chester. Pre-registration is required.

Welcome New Township Manager, Shanna Lodge

We are pleased to share that we have welcomed a new Township Manager to Willistown, Shanna Lodge. Shanna comes to us from Upper Uwchlan Township, where she served as the Assistant Township Manager. Shanna is also a familiar face; she was on staff at Willistown before – from 2014 to 2017 she was the Assistant to the Township Manager. Shanna holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Villanova University.

"It's a delight to be back in Willistown, which is an incredibly special place. Its scenic vistas, fascinating history, quality educational institutions, dedicated volunteers – all these make Willistown a wonderful place to live, work, and play. I look forward to meeting and re-introducing myself to many of you soon. Thank you for letting my work in your hometown feel like a homecoming for me." - Shanna Lodge

IMPORTANT: Sewer Sale Information on Township Website

Information about the Willistown Township Sewer Sale process is available at willistown.pa.us/SewerSale. At that page of the website, you will find a consolidated overview of the process, along with links to public meeting minutes, the Asset Purchase Agreement, and the FAQ sheet that was distributed at the September 12, 2022 public meeting. Additional information will be posted at this page as the process continues

Now Accepting Nominations for the 2022 Community Service Award!

The Community Service Award is a Willistown Township initiative created to honor and recognize a Willistown resident who gives his or her time to our community by serving on a Township board or commission. The spirit of volunteerism in Willistown is strong. There are over 60 residents quietly making unique and valuable contributions to our community through their service on Willistown's volunteer board and commissions.

The Board of Supervisors is now accepting nominations for the 2022 Community Service Award. Please send us your name as well as the name of your nominee with a letter of recommendation describing your nominee’s community service to Township Manager Shanna Lodge at slodge@willistown.pa.us by Friday, October 28.

To qualify for a nomination, the volunteer must currently be serving or have served on a Township board or commission in the last year. Those boards and commissions include:

Agricultural Security Area Advisory Committee Bartram Bridge Joint Preservation Board
Environmental Sustainability Commission Historical Commission
Land Conservation Authority Board Malvern Library Board
Open Space Review Board Paoli Library Board
Parks & Recreation Board Planning Commission
Zoning Hearing Board

Send us your nomination today!

Comprehensive Plan Update Progress Meeting: October 20, 2022

Willistown Township is updating our Comprehensive Plan, Guidelines for Growth. The Plan explores Willistown history, considers current conditions, and charts a vision for the Township’s future including how to grow, develop, and improve facilities and services. We want to keep you up to date and would like to hear from you about this important plan. Join us for a progress meeting regarding the Willistown Comprehensive Plan Update!

October 20, 2022, 7 PM
Willistown Township Meeting Room
688 Sugartown Road, Malvern, PA 19355
Sign up to attend virtually: willistown.pa.us/MeetingRegistration

Extensive information about the Comp Plan Update and public comment is available on our website: willistown.pa.us/CompPlan

Sign up for Comp Plan Update Bulletins: willistown.pa.us/NotifyMe

Help Keep Storm Drains Clear

Autumn brings brilliant colors to tress in Willistown, but fallen leaves can cause challenges for our sewers and streams. Leaves left on the ground can block and clog storm drains, contributing to street flooding when it rains. Excess leaves can also cause nutrient pollution and oxygen depletion in our streams and rivers when carried there through storm drains and sewer pipes, which harms fish and other wildlife. Help do your part to help protect storm drains and streams:

Do not rake or blow leaves off your property into the street.
Do not pile leaves or other yard waste near storm drains.
Place your leaves in a bag for curbside yard debris collection or compost them at home.
If you have a mulching lawnmower, use it to recycle leaves and their nutrients into your lawn.
If you see leaves or other debris on top of a storm drain grate, carefully remove them and dispose of them properly if safe to do so. However, never attempt to reach inside a storm drain or lift the grate

Help Keep Your Sewer Grinder Pump Running Smoothly

Low-pressure sewer customers' systems have a sewage grinder pump in their systems. This pump is capable of grinding and pumping solids found in typical household wastewater. Willistown Township maintains and repairs residential grinder pumps as part of your annual sewer fee. However, this service comes with homeowner responsibilities.

The following items should not be disposed of via your home’s sewer system through a drain, toilet, or garbage disposal unit: Bleach (in quantity), Bones, Cleaning Wipes, Cloth, Cigarette Butts, Condoms, Diapers, Feminine Products, Fertilizers, Flammable Liquids, Gasoline, Glass, Hazardous Materials, Metal, Nut Shells, Oil, Paint, Personal Wipes, Plastic, Poisons, Rubber, Rope, Sand, Shells, Solvents, Towels

Introduction of these materials may cause system failure and/or premature wear upon the mechanical elements of the system, requiring unforeseen repair and service costs. We suggest you retain this list and periodically remind members of your home about the items that are prohibited. With your cooperation, PreDoc,Inc., our service contractor, strives to maintain normal operation of all of the municipality's pump stations. By eliminating disposal of the above-mentioned items, you can help prevent malfunctions in the system at your home.

Willistown Police Department Update: Blue Beards for Charity

With fall approaching, the leaves are changing, the days get shorter and of course it’s “beard growing season.” Blue Beards for Charity was established by police officers in Chester County as a way to give back to the community. Participating officers donate $100 and are permitted to grow facial hair in the months of October and November. We will continue to support several local charities including Unite for Her, The Sambuco Children’s Education Fund, A Child’s Light and the Chester County Crime Victims Center.

We are hoping to expand our fundraising to the private sector and encourage anyone to donate to this amazing charity. Checks can be made out to "Blue Beards for Charity" and dropped of at the police station located at 688 Sugartown Road. Contact Lt. Heim at 610-251-0222 with an questions.

Willistown Parks & Recreation News

Okehocking Sip, Story, and Stroll
Willistown Parks & Recreation and Chester-Ridley-Crum Watersheds Association

Saturday, October 22
Sip: 8:30-9:15am, Story: 9:15am, Stroll: 9:30 am

Sip hot beverages and breakfast treats while mingling with the board and staff members of Willistown Parks and Recreation and Chester Ridley Crum Watersheds Association, Willistown’s local watershed organization. Bart Van Valkenburgh, Chair of the Willistown Historical Commission, will tell us the story of the 185 acre Okehocking Preserve followed by a stroll led by Mary Hundt, Willistown’s Director of Parks and Recreation. We will talk about the conservation and watershed protection efforts at Okehocking Preserve and the ecological highlights of the property. It will be a fun and entertaining way to start the day! Please let Mary know if you plan to attend and park at the 996 Delchester Road preserve entrance. Stay tuned to the Township’s website in the event weather becomes a question.

In the Main Stem of Ridley Creek at Okehocking Preserve, a Willistown Conservation Trust Watershed ProtectionTeam member “scrubs” for insects, which are indicators of water quality.

The State of Our Streams

The Willistown Conservation Trust Watershed Protection Program team has been monitoring water quality in the Main Stem of Ridley Creek at Willistown Township’s Okehocking Preserve monthly since 2018. Okehocking is one of ten of the Trusts’ sampling sites in the headwaters of the Darby, Crum, and Ridley Creeks. The stretch of Ridley Creek in Okehocking Preserve is designated as High Quality by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. This designation adds a level of protection to the waterway when DEP is approached for permitting or approval for an activity that may impact the High Quality (HQ) standing. The HQ standing is outranked only by Exceptional Value—both are designations reserved for the cleanest waters in the state of Pennsylvania.

The Willistown Conservation Trust recently released its State of our Streams Report, Understanding Water Quality in the Headwaters of Darby, Crum, and Ridley Creeks, made possible by the William Penn Foundation. After four years of study, the Trust found impaired water quality at all ten sample sites. The water chemistry analysis demonstrated elevated chloride concentrations, excess nitrogen and phosphorus, and high water temperatures. They conclude, “There are a variety of causes for this pollution, and human activity is the primary driver. Elevated chloride concentrations are a result of winter road salts making their way into our waterways. High levels of nitrogen and phosphorous levels are likely a result of fertilizer runoff, animal waste, and leaky septic and sewer systems. High water temperatures can be linked to tree and shrub shade removal along streams, stormwater flowing over hot impervious surfaces, and hotter summers and heat waves.”

To find out what you can do to help keep our local waterways healthy, check out this WCT article: What’s Flowing on in our Streams How we can keep our waterways healthy for all.
WCT’s research gives us information on the health of our local streams and contributes to the efforts of the more regional Delaware River Watershed Initiative stretching from the Catskills to the Delaware Bay. This collaboration of organizations across the four states of the Delaware watershed is working to conserve and restore the streams that not only provide jobs, recreational opportunities, and tourism revenues but also provide drinking water to 15 million people in the region.