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Welcome to Halfmoon Township

Halfmoon Township is a rural area that has long been a major source of agricultural products. This rural atmosphere, with its low population density and proximity to the cultural attractions of Penn State University, has become appealing to people who have historically dwelled in or near a city; consequently, over the past twenty years, the population has increased dramatically, while the farming population has decreased. Still, Halfmoon Township has maintained its rural feeling, with all the associated pros and cons that come with country living.

If you would like to be added to our email list serve and receive email updates about what is happening in Halfmoon Township you may do so by emailing Amy Smith at townshipclerk@halfmoontwp.us

 What's New

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Trick or Treat night is scheduled for Thursday, October 31, 2013, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. for Halfmoon Township.
 
Centre Region will hold Trick or Treat night on Thursday, October 31, 2013, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Trick or Treat Night
Summer Park Program begins June 17th for Little People and June 18th for Big Kids park and ends July 25th, 2013 The program is ran at the Township Municipal Lane Park, 100 Municipal Lane, Stormstown. 
 
Just as a reminder - Your child has to be 5 years old and have attended Kindergarten to attend Big Peoples Park. 
 
 
Summer Park Registration
Download FEMA's Smartphone App
FEMA has a smartphone app that provides information on disaster preparedness and a map to active shelters. The app can be downloaded for free from your service provider. Visit the following line for more information: http://www.fema.gov/smartphone-app


Display the Yellow Dot in Your Vehicle

Pennsylvania’s Yellow Dot Program was created to assist citizens in the “golden hour” of emergency care following a traffic accident when they may not be able to communicate their needs themselves. Placing a yellow dot in your vehicle’s rear window alerts first responders to check your glove compartment for vital information to ensure you receive the medical attention you need.The program is a cooperative effort among the Pennsylvania Departments of Transportation, Health and Aging; the Pennsylvania State Police, The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and first responders and local law enforcement. More information, including how to obtain a yellow dot kit, can be found at: www.yellowdot.pa.gov
Emergency Information
 
CATA and the Township are working together in an attempt to increase ridership on the CATA services presently being provided within the Township.

As a background, when CATA was first instituted within the Township back in 2008, 54 citizens indicated they wished to use the weekly commuter bus service. Since that time ridership has never reached this 54 number and at best was 24 individuals and for the last year dropped to six riders per weekday that get on or off a Halfmoon Township bus stop. In addition, the CATA Ride program for the senior citizens or citizens who need assistance has only seen a total of four riders in the last year.

As a result of these numbers, many citizens are questioning if the Township should retain the CATA services within the Township. Staff reviewed the above numbers as well as spoke to CATA in an attempt to derive a ridership benchmark number. The number the Township would like to obtain is 15 consistent weekday riders per day. To that end, the Township encourages individuals to use the commuter service as well as the CATA Ride service. There are two morning runs, one mid day run and two evening runs.

CATA will be tracking ridership beginning in September through December, 2013, and present the data to the Township after 1/1/2014.

For more information please contact the Township office or CATA.
CATA Program
The Port Matilda EMS is requesting donations for perennial flowers and shrubs to enhance the landscaping at the Port Matilda EMS Building.  If you are interested in donating perennial flowers or shrubs please contact the PMEMS at 814-692-1035. 
Donations

Port Matilda Fire Company

GUN RAFFLE 2013

5th Annual Drawing

Saturday, October 19, 2013 - Noon - 6 p.m.

1st drawing at 1 PM

Port Matilda Fire Hall, Port Matilda, PA

 

$10.00 per ticket

 

Only 1,500 tickets sold· Doors will open at 11:30 a.m.

Food and beverages will be provided. Don't need to be present to win. Must

be 12 or older to enter, $5.00 for minors 12 - 17 all others need ticket to

enter. Each ticket can win only once.

 
 
 
PMFC Gun Raffle
The Tennis Court is now open! 
Tennis Court
The Clearwater Conservancy was awarded a $185,000 grant for stream restoration projects in the Halfmoon Creek Watershed.  Clearwater hopes to use the grant funds along with additional private funding sources to encourage property owners in the Halfmoon Creek Watershed to participate in projects that restore stream banks and riparian areas to mitigate stream impairment.
 
Residents with perennial or intermittent streams running through their property who are interested in participating in this program should contact Clearwater Conservancy 237-0400.
 
The Halfmoon Creek Watershed has been identified by the North Central Office of the Department of Environmental Protection as a priority for mitigation efforts.
Stream Restoration Projects
A guide to maintaining your septic system.
 
 
Septic Smart Guide

NOTICE TO ALL RESIDENTS  

THE PORT MATILDA FIRE COMPANY NEEDS YOU! 

The Port Matilda Volunteer Fire Company is one of two fire companies that service the Township as it relates to fire, resident evacuations, and other emergency concerns. 

They are looking for volunteers within the Township for the following:

                1.            Firefighters  Full member, responds to Fire/Rescue calls.

                2.            Volunteers to work fund raising events (i.e., serve dinners, charity events, etc.) Sometimes asked to prepare food and provide refreshments for large long calls.

If you are interested, please call the firehouse 814-692-4074 or contact the secretary at pmfc15secretary@yahoo.com

Volunteers Needed

This is a great deal for the summer. Just remember that the G-bus only operates Monday - Friday.


CATA Summer Youth Pass

CATA will again offer a three-month summer OnePass to middle and high school students for a deeply discounted cost of only $59.00 (a $177.00 value). The pass offers unlimited access to all CATABUS routes Saturday, June 1, through Saturday, August 31, 2013.

 

High school students must present a current high school identification card to qualify for the pass. Middle school students without school identification must present a statement signed by a parent to verify middle school attendance. Two complimentary ride passes will be provided to all participants for parents and travel training purposes.

Summer Youth Passes will go on sale starting Wednesday, May 15, and are available for purchase at either CATA office. For additional information, please visit www.catabus.com or call (814) 238-CATA(2282).

CATA Summer Youth Pass
 

 

The Future Land Use Map is a tool municipalities use to identify the location of future residential, commercial and mixed use development, parks and recreation facilities, and areas for agricultural and forestry uses. The Future Land Use Map will be included in the Centre Region Comprehensive Plan as a guide to future growth and development in Halfmoon Township.

 

The Official Map is a tool that allows municipalities to identify the future location of streets, parks, hike/bike paths, open space, and other facilities that the municipality is interested in for some of type of public use.  This proposed Official Map illustrates the future location of parks, paths, trails and "share the road" designations that were identified at the Town Hall Meeting last year.  The features identified on the Official Map are "paper facilities." Unless the property owner agrees to dedicate or donate the mapped land to the municipality, the municipality must work with the property owner to purchase or acquire an easement to use the land. The Official Map simply gives the municipality "first dibs" on acquiring the property for public use before a property owner decides to build or develop.

 

Copies of the DRAFT Official Map and DRAFT Future Land Use Map are available for review on the Township website. A formal public hearing on the Official Map will take place in February or March of 2013.

 
 
Listening Sesssions

Link to CATA Bus mobile applications for iphone and android:  http://catabus.com/Announcements/Mobileapps.html

Mobile Apps Link
Pension Plan Disclosure Statement
2013 Memberships for Port Matilda EMS are FINALLY in the mail! Everyone who had a 2012 membership has had their membership extended til the end of January 2013 to provide coverage.

If you do not receive your membership by January 11th, let us know by calling 814-692-1035.
Please keep in mind that Port Matilda EMS is the service provider for Halfmoon Township and you do not need to purchase a membership through Centre Life Link to have coverage with them in the event they are being used as a backup to Port Matilda EMS. It would not cover Centre Life Link service if you are in State College and out of the coverage service area for Port Matilda EMS.
 
2013 PMEMS Memberships

ACT 13 (Natural Gas Impact Fee)

2012 Unconventional Gas Well Fund Useage Report

 

Act 13
New Office Hours effective 1/1/13 as follows:

Municipal Building: 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed for lunch noon to 1 p.m.
 
Maintenance Bldg: 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., closed for lunch noon to 1 p.m.

New Office Hours
The Board of Supervisors have adopted Resolution 2012-30, to become effective January 1, 2013, to establish the fees and use of the Municipal Building located at 100 Municpal Lane, Port Matilda, PA. 
 
Resolution 1998-9 is repealed and replaced as follows:
 
The Township Office meeting room is available by the public for rental only when it is not in use for Township business and meetings;
 
To be included in this rental would also be the public restrooms, tables and chairs located in the meeting room area;
 
However, under no circumstances is the office area, the separate rental of the public restrooms, or separate rental of the tables and chairs located in the meeting room available for rent;
 
A fee of $20 for one 24 hour period is herby established as the rental fee for the municipal building for Township residents;If key is not returned within 48 hours the key deposit will be deposited into Township accounts and not refunded.
 
A fee of $30 for one 24 hour period is hereby established as the rental fee for the municipal building for non-Township residents;
 
Non-profit groups are not charged a rental fee; a $50 key deposit is required when key is issued.  If key is not returned the key deposit will be deposited into Township accounts and not refunded. 
 
Fees and use of Municipal Building
The Board of Supervisors adopted the Halfmoon Township Pavilion Reservation Agreement to become effective January 1, 2013. If you would like to reserve the Pavilion at Municipal Lane Park or at Autumn Meadow Park you must fill out the Pavilion Reservation Agreement and provide the rental fee to the Halfmoon Township Office. Unless reserved, pavilions will remain accessible and free of charge for public use.
 
 
Pavilion Rental Agreement
The Board of Supervisors adopted the Halfmoon Township Field Reservation Agreement to become effective January 1, 2013.  If you would like to reserve the Ball Fields at Municipal Lane Park or the Field at Autumn Meadow Park you must fill out the Field Reservation Agreement and provide the rental fee to the Halfmoon Township Office.  Unless reserved, all sport fields will remain accessible and free of charge for public use. 
 
 
Field Rental Agreement
2013 Dog Licenses are now available at the Halfmoon Township Office.  Please make checks payable to Halfmoon Township if purchasing at the Township Office.  Applications are available under the Applications and permits link on the left hand side of the page. 
 
Lifetime Dog Licenses must be purchased through the Centre County Treasurer's Office http://www.co.centre.pa.us/124.asp
 
2013 Dog Licenses

Greenmoore Gardens Farm is accepting leaf collections for composting. Residents can drop off their leaf collections on the east side of Gray’s Cemetery along State Route 550 on the Greenmoore Gardens property.   There is a turn off just past the Cemetery where the collection piles have been started.  Please continue using the same piles that are already in existence.  Please bring only clean leaves minus any debris.  Greenmore Gardens will accept leaves during daylight hours only.  There is no fee to residents.  Do not place bagged leaves at compost site.     

For any questions please contact Mark Maloney at 814-237-0082. 

Leaf Collection
The Halfmoon Township Board of Supervisors have placed a moratorium on accepting any new  conservation lease applications or any advance payment requests for one year.  This has been placed into effect as of July 12, 2012.   
Open Space Preservation Leases & Advance Payment request

POSTING HOUSE NUMBERS: Residents should post the house number on their home per your local municipality’s specific requirements. Landlords should post the proper house number on the building and a secondary apartment or suite number. Tenants should encourage their landlord to follow the suggested policy.

The house number shall be made up of numbers and/or letters which are contrasting in color with the background on which they are affixed, as near to the front entrance as possible and practical so that the number is legible from the sidewalk (if any), the road, and the opposite side of the street--day or night. Examples are listed below. Again, please check with your municipality for their specific requirements:

Examples:

  • Residences, Townhouse and “In-Town” Businesses: Numbers shall be at least four (4) inches in height.
  • Apartment Building and High-Rises: Numbers shall be at least six (6) inches in height. Apartment numbers for individual units within the complex shall be displayed on or above or to the side of the doorway to each unit.
  • Industrial and Commercial Structures: Numbers shall be at least ten (10) inches in height.
  • Private Lanes and Long Driveways: A resident whose house number is not clearly visible from the street should install a post near the end of the driveway with numbers at least four (4) inches in height, and at least forty-eight (48) inches above the ground.

Posting House Numbers
Municipal Building discussion information:
 
 
 
 
On November 21,2011, the Township tested the Township's Municipal Building and conducted a mold analysis on the meeting room.  The analysis indicated there were two abnormal and microtoxic molds present within the Township Building most prevalent in the meeting room.  These two molds were Chaetomium and Peniccilium/Aspergillus.
 
Although the counts are not known to cause any major health problems and are not extremely elevated, something that is microtoxic is more of a health concern than other types of molds. See link below for mold analysis.
 
 
 
Municipal Building Feasibility Study

Residents may now receive email notifications when programs of interest to them are available to view on the web at cnet1.org. Residents may sign up to receive notifications for programs such as the Halfmoon Township Supervisors, meetings of the Centre Region COG, State College Area School Board meetings, or Penn State Lectures and Special events (just to name a few!) Simply send an email to chahn@centreconnect.org and specify for which programs you would like to be notified. C-NET’s online programming is “bookmarked” by agenda item, so it’s quick and easy to watch only the portion of the program of interest to you. For any questions about C-NET’s Email Notification Service, call C-NET at 238-5031.

C-NET email notifications
Halfmoon Township Ordinances are now available on-line to view.  Just click on the link below and search the Ordinances by entering a keyword or phrase.
 
Halfmoon Township Code
The Halfmoon Township Board of Supervisors meetings air on C-NET, Channel 7 at the times listed below during the five days following the meeting:
 
Saturday at 4:00 p.m.
Sunday at 8:00 p.m.
Monday at 1:00 a.m.
Tuesday at 6:00 a.m.
 
The meetings are also available to watch online at http://cnet.pegcentral.com/index.php
Halfmoon Township Board of Supervisors meetings on C-NET
Residents Encouraged To Sign Up To Receive Emergency Alerts
Centre Region residents are encouraged to click the link below and register to receive emergency alerts directly via their landlines, cell phones and email accounts through the Centre County Code Red System. Alerts will only be sent when critical information has to be communicated and all information will be kept confidential.
Code Red

Provided below are links to Emergency Management information through the Centre Region Emergency Management Agency.

Centre Region Emergency Management website:   www.crcog.net/EM

Centre Region Emergency Management Facebook page:  www.facebook.com/centreregionready

Centre Region Emergency Management Twitter page:  http://twitter.com/cremalerts

Centre Region Emergency Management Agency
Halfmoon Township Regional Services & Program Participation

Provided below are links to 55+ activities offered through the Centre Region Parks & Recreation Program Senior Center, Centre Region Social Club & Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Penn State.  Halfmoon Township is not a member of the Centre Region Parks & Recreation Program so fees will apply to each activity.  Please call the phone numbers provided in the links to find information on pricing and availability. 

 

Centre Region Senior Center

 

Centre Region Senior Social Club

 

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

Senior Citizen 55+ programs
Centre County Geographic Information System (GIS)
CentreMap provides free and convenient access to digital mapping for Centre County. A wide variety of local mapping information is available through CentreMap including streets, streams, trails, parcels and aerial photography. Simple tools make it easy to make maps and get detailed information about any location in Centre County.
 
Centre County Geographic Information System (GIS)