The Loud Speaker No. 692

THE LOUD SPEAKER

Originally Broadcast by H. H. Eddowes | Ivyland, Pennsylvania

A Message From The Mayor...

Hello Ivylanders! Spring is always a very special time in Ivyland. The Easter Bunny makes an appearance at the Egg Hunt, the days get longer and warmer, flowers, foliage and trees begin to bloom breathing renewed life into the Borough after the winter. Before you know it, Memorial Day will be here with our traditional parade and ceremony. So decorate those bikes, strollers and wagons and be part of the procession. Or just take your own stroll through the neighborhood and enjoy our unique community.

– Mayor Anthony Judice |

ajudice@ivylandborough.org

Old Navy Housing Makes Way for a New Park

For many longer time Borough residents, the site of the old base houses for Navy officers on Jacksonville Road was a bittersweet reminder of the now retired Johnsville Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC). Newer residents of our tiny hamlet now know some of that land as Ivyland Village, Ann’s Choice and Warminster Community Park.

The Borough received the responsibility of that Navy officer housing after it had exchanged ownership several times after the base closure years ago. Since acquiring this property, our Borough Council has pursued several avenues to reuse and revitalize the property. However, those houses came with many significant issues and ultimately were not viable or safe for habitable use creating additional challenges for the Borough.

After considerable effort from members of Borough Council and local government, help was on the way. Borough Council President Salvatore DiPaolo was pleased to recently report, “With the much-needed aid of Rep. Brian Munroe and Senator Frank Farry, grant money has been obtained for demolition and also for the first steps to make the property into useable park space.” A public “groundbreaking” of sorts featured both Munroe and Farry handing over a big “check” to Borough council members for the project while heavy equipment waited in the background to begin the work.

“I’m pleased to have helped secure the funding for this important project and hope the Ivyland community will enjoy the new park for years to come,” Farry said. Munroe adds, “Ivyland has been looking for funding to take down these homes for years. On day 1, Councilwoman Finello and her other board members brought this need to my attention and I am happy to be the State Representative to finally get it done.” Certainly, the borough is grateful for all their hard work.

Demolition of the structures started in late January and that phase is now complete. Next the happy task is to determine the specific type of park space that will most benefit our Borough and meet the parameters of the use agreement. And Council President DiPaolo wants to involve the residents to

help, “We are asking the community to come to our Parks & Rec meetings for their input.” An initial prospective plan was developed by councilman Matt Piotrowski, but that was done to satisfy the needs of filing for the grant. Yet it shows the wonderful potential for the park.

The actual plan for the roughly 600’ x 170’ area will ideally be developed with input and ideas from the Borough residents who will ultimately be the beneficiaries of the new space. Those thoughts and suggestions can be brought to the Parks & Recreation Committee meetings which are open to the public and held the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. in Borough Hall. The next meeting is Wed April 17th and all interested in the development of the park are encouraged to attend and provide your input. Or you can email Committee Chairman DiPaolo at sdipaolo@ ivylandborough.org with your best ideas.

We are all looking forward to something new and wonderful in good old Ivyland.

L-R Councilmember Todd Saverese, Mayor Tony Judice, Senator Frank Farry and Councilmember Chuck Bristow at Navy housing site acknowledging grant.

Greeley Grant Money Floods In

Great news for the Borough! Late last year, the Commonwealth Financing Authority awarded Ivyland $422,301.00 in funding under the COVID-19 ARPA PA Small Water and Sewer Grant for the Greeley Avenue Storm Sewer Project. The project looks to fix the periodic ponding/flooding along Greeley Avenue at the Lincoln Avenue intersection. The ponding (standing water) is caused by heavy rainfall which quickly overwhelms the old, deteriorating and undersized storm sewer crossing the roadway.

The Borough will use this funding to complete Phase 1 of the Greeley Avenue Storm Sewer construction. Phase 1 extends from the intersection of Greeley and Chase Avenue to Greeley and Lincoln Avenue serving as the “trunk” storm sewer and will discharge into the existing swale along the railway tracks, as it does now. Various inlets are proposed along the trunk sewer to accept surface drainage and help eliminate the ponding happening along Greeley Avenue. The Borough plans to complete the remaining portion of the storm sewer construction along Greeley Avenue to the southwest in future phases.

Thanks go to Borough Council and councilmember Christine Finello who helped initiate the grant request many, many months ago and to Senator Farry and Rep. Munroe for getting this over the finish line for approval.

Ivyland Heritage Association

100th Anniversary Booklet

Get your reprint of the 100th anniversary booklet we recreated for the Ivyland 150th Anniversary event. This special publication, originally done in 1973, provides a very interesting history of our borough plus vintage photographs of all the houses and buildings at that time. It's a wonderful keepsake for any Ivyland resident. Get your copy for $30 at the Borough office, the Ivyland Country Store or online at ivyland150store.com

Community Cornerstones

Ivyland Presbyterian Church Ivyland Fire Company

Holy Thursday

Upcoming Fire Company fundraiser events

Spring Pancake Breakfast

Sunday May 5th 8 a.m. 12 p.m.

Coin Drop

Saturday June 8th 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Jacksonville and Bristol Roads

Tony's Place

Wednesday July 17th

Open to Close

Flyer Required

See flyer and more at facebook.com/ivyland.firecompany

Ivyland Egg Hunt

Sat. March 30th 1:00 p.m.

Field by Borough Office

Pancake Breakfast

Sun. May. 5th 8 a.m.-12 p.m.

Ivyland Fire House

Events

Memorial Day in Ivyland

Mon. May 27th Parade 8 a.m.

Ceremony 9 a.m. at Veterans Memorial

Warminster Symphony Orchestra

Sat. June 22nd 7 p.m.

Ivyland Commons Park

Spring Clean Up

Below are a couple things to keep in mind as you start your spring cleaning to promote waterways health:

Yard trimmings should be bagged or mulched into your yard. Avoid dumping yard trimmings near inlets or waterways. The trimmings can clog storm sewers and introduce pesticides to local waterways.

Moving or Renting in Ivyland

Anyone moving into or renting in Ivyland is required to submit a Use & Occupancy permit and file a Tenant Registry Form, which can be found in the Borough office.

Remodeling in Ivyland

Tennis Anyone?

The following story was taken from Ivyland’s 75th Anniversary Program in 1948.

Tennis had a start about 1895 when Eugene Fetter mowed and rolled out a court on the field where the Town Hall now stands (now the Veteran’s Memorial), and the first Ivyland Tennis Club, which included Helen Ritchie, Gene’s fiancé from Hatboro; Agnes Meredith and other young ladies and gentlemen of the town. The club lasted only about a year, but the seed was sown and five years later Ivyland took up the game in earnest.

March 28th, 6-7 p.m.

Meet for Agape Meal of bread, fruit and cheese. A time of worship and sharing of the Lord’s Supper.

Good Friday

Fri. March. 29th 6-7 p.m.

Meet at church and go to St. Francis Inn in Kensington to help serve lunch.

Easter Sunday

Sun. March 31st

Services at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

Communion at both services and coffee hour in between. First service is geared toward families and the Easter Bunny may show up for a treat!

Lenten Prayer Stations

Now until Easter Sunday, come visit the four prayer stations – in Fellowship Hall, the Library, the choir loft and the choir room. All are welcome to pray your way through Lent.

All necessary permits for remodeling projects can be found in the Borough Office. Stop by or call the office before beginning projects in order to avoid unnecessary delays.

Limit pesticide and fertilizer use. These chemicals are washed away and can pollute local waterways.

Take your car to the car wash rather than washing it in the driveway. Pollutants from roadways find their way onto vehicles and, when washed in the street, can cause pollution in local waterways.

A large Leck metal container will be provided in the Fire Company parking lot for your organic non-bagged yard waste. Please don’t put other trash items in those bins.

New Borough Dentist Office Cuts The Ribbon

After much anticipation, Hometown Children's Dentistry is now open in Ivyland. The new state-of-the-art pediatric dentist office occupies the former McMillan Music building on the corner of Jacksonville Rd. and Lincoln Ave. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 22nd, proprietor Dr. Sharon Hamilton, DMD and her family joined with her builders, the mayor, members of Ivyland borough council and others from the community to celebrate its official opening. Dr. Hamilton expressed that this was part of her “life’s dream” and she wanted to “thank the borough for welcoming us into this beautiful community”.

Mayor Tony Judice made clear that the borough is thrilled with the opening of her new business as well and extended a sincere welcome and best wishes to her and her entire staff to be part of the community for many years to come. The beautifully remodeled building and landscaping will be a great asset to the borough and her practice very useful to residents, their children and other nearby families. See more at hometownchildrensdentistry.com

"Pooper Scooper" Ordinance

Picking up after your pet is not only the neighborly and right thing to do, it’s the law. Ivyland Borough’s Ordinance, “Chapter 2. Animals” states, “Any person who owns, keeps, or maintains custody or control of a dog shall be responsible for picking up and properly disposing of any dog feces that such dog may leave upon the property of another, or upon any sidewalk, street, or alley, or any publicly-owned property.” Fines and penalties can apply. To read the entire ordinance, go to: ivylandborough.org and click on “Ordinances/Chapter 2 Animals”.

The next court was on the north side of Lincoln Avenue next to Byron Ramsey’s barber shop. There about 1900, Ramsey, Byron Beans, Addison Abrams, Alfred Willoughby, Bob Sensenderfer and others learned the game and soon began challenging nearby towns. Hatboro, Southampton, Newtown, Doylestown and other places were played and beaten and Ambler players came to Ivyland in a four-horse "break" for a series of matches and lost every one.

In 1903 Thomas Willoughby, a summer resident, offered a challenge cup in men’s doubles to be won three times for permanent possession. Teams from Lambertville, Flemington, New Hope, Newtown, Southampton, Doylestown, Hatboro, Ambler and Lansdale were among the competitors, Lambertville winning in 1903 and 1904 and Ivyland in 1905, only to lose again to Lambertville in 1906.

Hand-drawn renderings of the two former Ivyland tennis courts from past local historians. No actual photographs of the courts are known to exist.

Heavy stormwater overflow has been a worrisome issue along Greeley Avenue

The Greeley Storm Sewer Project will greatly improve drainage and reduce flooding.

L to R Mayor Anthony Judice, Doug Hamilton, Dr. Sharon Hamilton (and helper) and Bill Mills Managing Partner PRM Services.

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