When: Terre Hill Council meeting, July 9.
What happened: Council voted unanimously to move the annual Terre Hill Days Festival from July to June, with the purpose of avoiding the summer heat and rain, thus making staging the event easier. This decision alters a 32-year tradition of holding the festival over the weekend of the third Saturday of July.
Background: The residents began holding observances in 1976 to mark a community day. From 1977 to 1988, a citizen committee organized annual events. The first official Terre Hill Borough Days took place in July 1983. Between 1989 and 1991, the fire department hosted annual three-day events until an official committee was formed in 1991, which has coordinated the festival ever since.
More: At the meeting, council members said that with high humidity and temperatures in the 90s, vendors, volunteers and patrons faced difficulty. Therefore, starting in 2025, the event will be held on the weekend of the fourth Saturday of June.
Public comment: Resident Ken Kaley raised concerns about excessive speeding on Center Avenue, attributing this to the absence of law enforcement.
Response: President Jerry Sensenig stated that Pennsylvania State Police, which have jurisdiction over the borough, are present in unmarked vehicles at strategic areas in the community conducting enforcement. To raise speed awareness, the township continues to post speed limit and other signage at critical areas, he said. Mayor Robert Rissler also said that alongside the existing trailer with a lighted speed limit sign, a new portable message and speed limit sign, was on the agenda for approval.
More: Council approved the purchase of the $3,800 electronic speed limit sign. It will be posted across the township to give direction but also to gather data that could be used to inform traffic enforcement in trouble spots. The device is expected to arrive by mid- to late-August.
Firearms: The council approved a motion to transfer two firearms from the former Terre Hill Police Department to the community’s historical society.
What’s next: The board of supervisors will meet at 7 p.m. Aug. 9.
