CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — Little Daisy’s Closet took the spotlight at this week’s Chambersburg Borough Council after being named the 26th recipient of the Mike Waters Citizen of the Year Award, an annual volunteerism award honoring Chambersburg resident Mike Waters.
The Monday, Sept. 28, Chambersburg Borough Council meeting started with public recognition of Little Daisy’s Closet as Mike Russo, volunteer president of Little Daisy’s, accepted the award on the organization’s behalf. Don Waters, Mike Waters’ son, presented the award.
“Just the number of families that they have touched in eight months is phenomenal,” Waters said. “…I am honored, and I am appreciative for all the work that you’ve done.”
Little Daisy’s Closet is a nonprofit charity organization that provides food, clothing and community outreach at no cost to residents of Adams, Cumberland, Fulton and Franklin counties in Pennsylvania, and Washington County, Maryland.
Russo thanked the founders and board of directors of Little Daisy’s Closet, as well as the volunteers, “…I use the word volunteers, but what I really mean is family. That’s how we get along. That’s how we operate, and that’s how we feel about everybody and about each other.”
Council President Bill Everly Jr. also thanked the organization for the services it provides to the community.
“…We’re just really spreading our footprint now,” Russo said. “So, we’re trying to reach as many people as we can and to help as many people as we can.”
Downtown Chambersburg
Steve Christian, president of the Greater Chambersburg Chamber of Commerce, appeared on behalf of Downtown Chambersburg, Inc., an organization focused on the economic development and growth of downtown Chambersburg.
Christian spoke about the organization’s successful relationship with the borough. “This has been an outstanding partnership, and we look forward to a partnership that lasts for many years to come.”
He expects the organization to be designated a Main Street program, with a public announcement coming soon.
“Should we get this, it does open up opportunities for Downtown Chambersburg Inc. to have even stronger partnerships with the borough, to be able to have access to more funds, more grants, more loan pools, more economic development strategies to help downtown.”
Christian then asked council to consider raising the annual budget allocation for Downtown Chambersburg Inc. to match today’s economy and inflation.
“There are numerous partners that DCI depends on, and each and every one of those partners will be asked this exact same question. So, I don’t want this body to ever feel like it’s making this lift alone,” he said.
A couple of council members questioned Christian’s presence in place of a board member from Downtown Chambersburg Inc. for the budget presentation.
While Downtown Chambersburg Inc. is an affiliate of the Chamber of Commerce, it has its own board of directors who act independently of the Chamber. The organization currently has no executive director, though it intends to have one soon.
“…My hope and my expectation is that we will name a new executive director for (Downtown Chambersburg Inc.), preferably within the next four to six weeks,” said Christian. “Due to some, you know, unforeseen complications, we’ve had a little bit of a bumpy year in terms of staff.”
Christian mentioned that the board hired someone at the start of the year who worked for four months before resigning.
“We were disappointed and surprised at such a short tenure, particularly when we thought that that was going well, but we are pivoting, and we will have an executive director very soon.”
The organization does not currently receive any funding from Franklin County, though Christian said, “[it would] probably be a good idea for me to maybe sit down with them and see what their thoughts are on that.”
Community and economic development
Phil Wolgemuth, deputy borough manager, said the Pleasant Street project, which involves improvements to Pleasant, Center and Alder streets, will be completed next month, and the ongoing construction of South Main Commons by Luminest, an affordable, low- to middle-income rental development continues on Main Street.
The Sunnyway Early Learning Center is set to open soon as part of the Southgate Shopping Center Redevelopment project.
Council member Austin Rosenbaum commented on a future budget item to install cameras in downtown walkways and parking lots after receiving phone calls.
“I don’t know what was going on downtown, but just with some different issues going down with — I want to be respectful here — but unhoused people in our downtown,” he said. “…I think there’s been some more vandalism and things like that recently, I’ve been told. So, I think it would be very important to get more cameras.”
Everly stated that a similar discussion took place during a previous meeting between the police department and some downtown businesses around a week ago.
The borough has taken measures to address specific issues, including removing landscaping near buildings where homeless individuals defecate and removing benches outside businesses.
The police department plans to host another meeting with downtown business owners in about a month to continue addressing this concern.
Shade Tree Commission
Chris Snavely, chair of the Shade Tree Commission, noted the borough currently does not tax tree maintenance and asks property owners to cover the costs of caring for, removing and replacing shade trees near their properties, while the borough is responsible for those downtown.
There have been suggestions to make the borough responsible for all trees throughout the borough, with roughly estimated costs of around $110,000 to $220,000 per year, according to Borough Manager Jeffrey Stonehill.
“We do not believe that we have the resources in the current budget to assume this responsibility,” Stonehill said, adding that state law limits how much tax can be levied for this purpose.
That limit wouldn’t fully cover the costs, but he noted that the police department still has some budget flexibility to cover this expense.
While the borough currently offers a $300 incentive to property owners to replace trees, Snavely said that of the 722 trees in the borough, 474 are not in good condition.
He suggested that the commission prepare a proposal to eliminate fees and costs related to tree care and offer income-based assistance as an alternative to the tree tax. This topic will be discussed further.
