November 21 eNewsletter

Vote Today!

If you are planning to vote in person on election day, please follow these steps to help ensure a safe and orderly voting experience for everyone:

• Wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth. This can be a cloth mask or scarf, like you would wear in a grocery store.
  • We strongly encourage voters to wear masks out of respect for their fellow voters and for the dedicated poll workers staffing the polling places. Voters who are not wearing a mask will not be denied their right to vote. 
• Bring your own blue- or black-ink pen to mark your ballot to limit your exposure to shared surfaces.
• Practice good hand hygiene. You may want to bring hand sanitizer with you for your personal use.
• Maintain social distance from poll workers and other voters. This means staying about six feet apart from other people while you are waiting in line, checking in and voting.
• Follow instructions from poll workers and other election officials. They are there to help things run smoothly.
• Be patient. You can help by being patient and understanding while you exercise your right to vote.

Sample ballots:
Smithfield One
Smithfield Two
Smithfield Three
Smithfield Four
To locate your polling place, click here and visit Pennsylvania Voter Services.

Hosting a Safe Holiday Dinner

As the holiday season approaches, it’s time to prepare for large gatherings. Here are some pointers to ensure everyone stays safe:

• Check fire alarms by pressing the “test” button
• Keep children away from hot stoves and deep fryers
• Keep electrical cords out of reach
• Keep the floor clear of any tripping hazards- including electrical cords
• Never leave cooking food unattended

Who Covers Your Area?
Your Local Fire Company

Smithfield Township is fortunate enough to be covered by three diligent fire departments. Listed below are the station numbers, areas, and zip codes these companies service.
Delaware Water Gap Fire Dept – Station 26 covers Delaware Water Gap and portions of Smithfield Township. Zip code: 18327.
Marshalls Creek Fire Co. – Station 29 covers Price Township & portions of Smithfield & Middle Smithfield Townships. Zip code: 18335.
Shawnee Fire Co. #1 – Station 36 covers portions of Smithfield & Middle Smithfield Townships. Zip code: 18356.

Idle Hours Idling

By Robert Lovenheim

Every morning we drive to the school bus stop and wait to see what time the bus will arrive. 8:31 today, place your bets. It’s a good game for a six-year-old or older, and what better way to introduce kids to a game of chance? Why with luck my daughter could grow up to be a Vegas high roller. 8:32 today, you lose! I’m less concerned with the stakes (sometimes we bet an ice cream for after school) than I am watching the exhaust rising from the other ten cars in line while they wait (I wonder if they are playing bus arrival sweepstakes too?)  Come on, it’s only fall — not cold enough to need to run your engine to keep from shivering while waiting for the bus.

Yet most of my neighbors never think to turn off their cars during the five or ten minutes they sit idling and waiting. You would think that even those who care nothing about polluting the atmosphere would care that gas for their SUV is now at least $3.50 a gallon (for regular). But the price of gas or the bigger price of pollution doesn’t seem to make any difference.

I feel like getting out of our car and going window to window screaming “turn off your engine.”  But I know where that would get me in 21 Century America…in jail as some crazed old fool.

How do we get people to change habits?  How do we get people to THINK about what they are doing? How do we get people to take some tiny measure of responsibility? I don’t know anymore. But then, I am just a crazed guy who will be carted off one day for suggesting that people turn off their engines while idling at the bus stop.

Public Resource Tool

Geographic Information System

A fantastic resource tool available to the public gives a bird’s eye view of properties within our county. The Geographic Information System, or GIS, provides information on properties that includes but is not limited to owners, acreage, and boundaries. Additionally, the address search provides base statistics including calculating and estimating taxes; providing property values by featuring the number of rooms, whether the house has heating, a basement, and other features. The software includes resale history and current evaluations collected during Monroe County’s recent reassessment.