Topic: Environmental Advisory Council Meeting
The public is invited to attend.
When: August 18, 2022 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_tX2Al-3tRX-D_auR5Sr1-g

After you register, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to join the meeting. Registrations must be received no later than 5 PM on the day of the meeting to receive confirmation.  You may need to download the Zoom application in order to view, listen or comment.  Comments on agenda and non-agenda items will be permitted one time during the meeting when announced by the Chair.   Only residents of the Borough of Forest Hills are permitted to comment.

The meeting agenda is available at this link.

To comment, you will be required to use Zoom’s feature that shows a raised hand on screen.  You will be asked to state your name and address for the record prior to commenting which is also the typical procedure for a physical meeting.  Comments will NOT be accepted using Zoom’s chat feature or by any other method except as noted below.  You may also call the borough office at 412-351-7330 to leave your comment with staff who will refer it to the EAC if received in time.

If you have questions you may also contact the office.  Note that all borough meetings are recorded (audio and/or video) and recording, if made, may be included on the internet at a future date.  Meeting may also be live-streamed on the borough’s YouTube Channel – Tree City TV.  Meetings begin generally at 7 PM assuming there are no technical issues.  Attendees will not enter the meeting until it begins and cannot be informed of a delay should one occur.  Thank you in advance for your cooperation, patience, and continued understanding.

Monkeypox is a contagious disease and is caused by the same family of viruses that causes smallpox. Monkeypox symptoms are similar to smallpox, but milder and rarely fatal. Below are links to additional information.

Allegheny County Health Department – Monkey Pox

Commonwealth of PA – Monkey Pox

CDC – Monkey Pox

Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) is an invasive insect that has spread throughout Pennsylvania since its discovery in Berks County in 2014. SLF feeds on the plant sap of many different plants including grapevines, maples, black walnut, and other important plants in PA. If you see SLF, help us stop it in its tracks! To report a sighting, go to https://extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly  or call the lanternfly hotline at 1-888-422-3359.

Spotted Lanternfly Management Resources: The public can do a great deal to stop the spread of the invasive Spotted Lanternfly. Learn how to identify and safely manage spotted lanternfly throughout the year using the following resources found here: https://extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly-management-resources

Spotted Lanternfly Public Meeting

The public can do a great deal to stop the spread of the invasive Spotted Lanternfly. Learn what you can do to help during this free in-person event!
Register here: https://extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly-public-meeting

Beginning July 25th and running through August 31st, employees and volunteers of  the Allegheny County Health Department and USDA Wildlife Services will distribute raccoon rabies vaccine baits across Allegheny County. Baits will be delivered both by hand from ground vehicles, by helicopter, and fixed wing airplane.  Hand baiting will occur from August 1 through August 5.  This effort helps reduce raccoon rabies, as well as human and pet exposures to rabid animals.  The vaccine is not harmful to wild animals or pets. Although the exposure risk to humans is very slight, the following information is important:

• Be aware of what a bait looks like. Bait Flyer Notice
• Encourage children to leave the baits alone.
• Keep dogs and cats inside or on leashes at least five days after your area has been baited.
• Do not attempt to take a bait away from your pet; you may be bitten!
• Wash your hands or exposed skin thoroughly with soap and water if you touch the bait or the liquid vaccine inside the bait.

For more information about this program, including a list of frequently asked questions, visit: http://www.alleghenycounty.us/raccoon

Last Free Movie Night of the season at the Westinghouse Field.

When: Dusk, Friday August 19^th   Movie: The Greatest Showman

The Forest Hills Farmer’s Market is celebrating their 20th Anniversary of bringing fresh food and vegetables to the residents of Forest Hills and surrounding areas.  The market is open Fridays from May 20th to October 28th from 4:00-7:00pm.

Please Note:

The Farmer’s Market has moved to the Westinghouse Lodge Parking lot at 4400 Greensburg Pike.  All your favorite vendors will be there and some new ones too. Please plan on stopping by to say hello.

Forest Hills was named a 2021 Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation to honor its commitment to effective urban forest management. Read the complete Press Release here.

PennDOT has a website for information on Ardmore work including any citizen concerns: https://customercare.penndot.gov or by phone at 1-800-FIX-ROAD.

The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) measures air quality every day using monitors throughout the County, and the readings of those monitors are classified on an Air Quality Index (AQI). If the AQI is forecasted to be over 100 on a given day, ACHD issues an Air Quality Watch. If the AQI is measured at over 100, ACHD issues an Air Quality Warning. This information is then communicated over the Allegheny Alerts system.

If you would like to receive alerts go to www.alleghenycounty.us/alerts and enter your contact information. When an alert is sent on a topic you’ve chosen, you’ll receive it on the devices you’ve selected. Get an email at work, text on your cell and call at home – as many or few as you want. There’s even an app for it. You can add, delete and change your devices and topics any time. It’s all up to you.

To understand more about our air quality and the index check out the brochure here.

Forest Hills is now using Savvy Citizen, a notification system which allows municipalities to easily and effectively communicate with their residents via push notifications, text messages or e-mails. Savvy Citizen is more than a notification system as it allows Forest Hills to keep up to date on community events, helpful information, road closures, alerts and much more.

Available on Android, iPhone/iPad and desktop, residents of Forest Hills can choose to receive notifications with push alerts on their smart phone, or they can browse in-app for a full listing of their notifications, alerts and community events. Those without smartphones can sign up via www.savvycitizenapp.com/signup and select to have text notifications or e-mails sent to them.

Whether it is a road closure, a change in trash or recycling pick up due to a holiday, a fun local event or significant municipal meeting, Savvy Citizen has a complete scheduling system that allows municipalities to communicate with residents of Forest Hills.

Please Take Note To Ensure Your Payments Are Received By The Correct Department

Refuse, sewage, fire payments and local service tax (LST) should be placed in an envelope marked: Borough of Forest Hills.

School and borough real estate tax should be placed in an envelope and marked: Tax Collector.

Please do not put Tax Collector payments in the same envelope as Borough of Forest Hills payments.

Forest Hills Borough office is now open on a limited basis during the following hours (except certain holidays or for staff meetings held on the 2nd Wednesday of the month from Noon – 2:30 PM):

Monday
9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM – 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM – 6:45 PM
Friday
8:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Those entering the building must use a properly affixed mask and follow restrictions as posted.  Please have your checks and bills prepared in advance before coming into the building.  Staff will continue to work as long as they remain in good health and the borough encourages the public to continue to contact the office during business hours at 412-351-7330 with issues or questions that may arise. The borough continues to provide its usual full services including public safety services and the public works crew will continue its normal duties.

Permits and inspections are also limited and residents should call the Borough Office to get speak to our code enforcement / building / Zoning personnel.

Citizens may continue to contact the police department for both emergency and non-emergency matters by calling 911.  If at the municipal building, a small blue call box is located near the bulletin board at the main entrance than can be used to contact the police for both emergency needs and non-emergency information.  If an officer is not on an emergency call one will meet  you at the building.

A drop box is located at the main entrance to the borough building for payments by check or money order and the borough encourages citizens to continue to use it. Other documents for the borough may be placed there as well. An online payment option is also available through the website.

Obviously as conditions change this information will change as well.  Please contact the office for up to date information.  Forest Hills appreciates your understanding and reminds all to safely check on neighbors and friends.

Adagio Health is dedicated to providing prevention services to hard to reach resident populations – especially crucial cancer screening services such as mammograms via voucher program.  To learn more about the Mammogram Voucher Program and Breast & Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program click this link.

Future council business meetings will be held in person  at 4400 Greensburg Pike with restrictions required by the pandemic.  That may include limited attendance permitted (max of 15 people), masks required, social distancing required and anyone attending should leave the room immediately upon council adjournment.   This is tentative pending any changes in CDC or health department regulations which could return business meetings to Zoom.  This is a constantly changing situation and we will continue to advise via the borough website.  We anticipate that future meetings may be live-streamed on the borough’s YouTube channel (Tree City TV) though that is still a work in progress and will not occur on June 16th.

Note: Council Committees Meetings, Finance, Public Safety, etc., will continue via Zoom but is subject to change.

If you have an issue that you would like council or the Mayor to address but cannot attend a meeting, please submit your concern or idea to council by calling the borough office at 412-351-7330 and speak to staff or leave a detailed message. All messages submitted will be presented to council for review either in committee or at a business meeting or both. You may also submit your concern or idea to council by completing the form found here.

Again, we will keep you updated via the website but you should also feel free to call the office at the above number. And please call the office if you have any questions.

The Allegheny County Sanitary Authority has created the Clean Water Assistance Fund to help families pay their sewage treatment bills. This program serves low-income homeowners in the 83 municipalities that ALCOSAN serves. It is administered by Dollar Energy Fund.  Learn more here.

For a limited time only, the Allegheny County Vacant Property Recovery Program will be accepting applications to acquire vacant properties for side yards to an owner-occupied primary residence or blighted structure remediation at a reduced cost to the applicant. Under the 2020 Side Yard and Blighted Structure Program, we will waive our standard parcel fee of $3,000 for applicants for a side yard to their primary residence and applicants proposing to demolish a blighted structure. We will reduce the fee to $1,400 for applicants proposing to rehabilitate a blighted structure. All applicants will also be responsible for the appraised value of the property, a good faith deposit, and closing costs. The application, which contains additional details about the Program guidelines, can be accessed at our website: www.alleghenycounty.us/VPRP. We are excited to announce that we will now be accepting electronic submissions to VPRP@AlleghenyCounty.us, as always, all required materials must be submitted at time of application.