Dear neighbors,

A moment of transparency from your friends at Left of Lansdowne: We’re exhausted! Between the relentless attacks on civil liberties in the U.S. (and abroad) and the continuous labor of daily life, our capacity for borough council watch is lower than we’d like it to be.

We’re taking steps to streamline our efforts wherever possible, but we’re going to need your help. Please consider volunteering to observe an upcoming borough council or committee meeting. You don’t have to take super thorough notes, just jot down anything that you think merits our attention — police overreach/overfunding, opportunities for mutual aid, and any noteworthy bureaucratic bullshit. Borough meetings take place on weekday evenings and most are hybrid/recorded, so you can even watch from the comfort of your own sofa. It’s a great way to get involved in the community, and it’s honestly more entertaining than you might expect. To get started, please email us at [email protected].

Here’s another easy way to help us out: We’d love to include more community voices in this newsletter, especially photos from around town, visual artworks or short poems, and lefty opinion pieces. Those can be emailed to us too.

There’s a side benefit to divvying up the workload: Sharing the labor of council observation frees us up to put on more community events, like April 27th’s gathering at Veteran’s Landing. Our first community potluck of the season brought together old friends and new. We shared homemade dishes, lively conversation, and plenty of laughs. Meanwhile, over at Scrappy Cat, folks got crafty making protest posters and passing out info about local food access and basic needs resources. It was a beautiful mix of connection, creativity, and community spirit — we hope it’s just the beginning of many more gatherings to come!

In solidarity,

Left of Lansdowne

P.S. Need harm reduction supplies like COVID tests, masks, Narcan, or test strips for fentanyl/tranq? Text or call us at ‪(215) 360-3096‬. Please note that this is a volunteer-run non-emergency service.

HOT TOPICS

• Voting for the new Library: The Council will be holding a vote during their May 7th Borough Council Meeting regarding the new Library building plans created by GKO Architects, viewable here. The proposed plan includes more space for meetings, children's activities, etc. It also has an optional, elevator-accessible quiet space, which could get cut due to cost. Consider joining the Wednesday 5/7 meeting to express your support for the project — ideally with accessibility at the forefront.
  

• Zoom bombing… again: Sexually graphic, racist, and hateful imagery was broadcast to those in attendance about 15 minutes into April’s Health and Public Safety meeting. It was really awful. Council has agreed to ramp up its Zoom security protocols to ensure this doesn’t happen again — this is the 2nd time since 2023. Notably, a similar attack occurred during Yeadon’s Public Safety meeting two weeks ago.
  

• A forum on antisemitism: In conjunction with a Jewish American History Month resolution, Councilman Hover proposed a borough-endorsed forum on antisemitism in partnership with the ADL and other orgs. In response, several Jewish community members expressed concern about Mr. Hover’s choice of community partners and said they were dismayed by the lack of community input on the curation. Still others said they felt Mr. Hover was needlessly stirring the pot. Mr. Hover was defensive and highly resistant to all of this feedback. Ultimately, council sided with the community and decided not to formally endorse the forum. The forum is still set to happen sans council’s official endorsement on 5/15 at the 20th Century Club.

  • Editor’s Note: The Jewish person writing this (hi, that’s me!) acknowledges that the council had a very tough choice to make, especially because Mr. Hover has recently started bandying about accusations of antisemitism — sometimes with good reason, and sometimes without. I encourage you to listen to public comment and decide for yourself (skip ahead to 01:13:30). There has definitely been a significant increase in antisemitism nationally and globally — just look at the aforementioned Zoom bombing incident! But partnering with the ADL means cosigning their politicized redefinition of antisemitism and their dismissal of antizionism and Jewish-led orgs like Jewish Voice for Peace as inherently antisemitic… all while excusing Elon Musk’s Nazi salute as totally benign. Mr. Hover can partner with whomever he likes in his free time, but the borough is right to consider the diversity of Lansdowne’s broader Jewish community when making official endorsements. (Additional reading on the ADL: Jewish Currents; and In These Times Magazine).
    

• Community action: During April’s Environmental Advisory Commission (EAC) meeting, it was announced that there would be a protest in Chester on 5/3 regarding the harmful effects of the incinerator. Many groups joined the action, including CRCQL (Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living), EQAT (Earth Quaker Action Team), and others, including a couple of youth groups. The mayor of Chester walked in unity. It was an excellent turnout and great to see so many passionate citizens from Chester and the surrounding areas of all ages.

ON A LIGHTER NOTE

• Shopportunities: The annual Animal Friends of Lansdowne Yard Sale is on Saturday, 5/10, from 9:00am-3:00pm at the 20th Century Club. Also, the Annual Town Wide Yard Sale will take place on Sunday, 5/18. To register your house for the town-wide yard sale, you must fill out the form by Monday 5/12. The map will be released at the above link later that week.
  

• Lansdowne Pride: Check out the LEDC’s Pride Market & Community Celebration on 5/31 from 9:00am-3:00pm at Veteran’s Landing. Expect “fabulous guest vendors, a live DJ, drag face painting, and creative surprises for all ages. At 11 AM, we’ll pause the festivities for a community Pride Parade to Borough Green, where we’ll raise the LGBTQIA+ flag in honor of love, identity, and belonging.“

• Call for virtual volunteers: With a new website in the works, the Borough is requesting volunteers to perform User Acceptance Testing (or UAT) on the new website when it is live. UAT is a way to test and make sure the website runs smoothly and is easily navigable for all.
  

• Event rental fees: After some tweaks to Councilman Griffin’s Municipal Support Resolution, community groups in Lansdowne that are without 501 status but still enrich the community (via education, public services, etc.) will be eligible for $35 rental fees for events hosted at Borough properties. See the 2025 updated fee schedule here. Any organization or group, both inside and outside of Lansdowne, has the opportunity to request a reduced rental fee, with approval at Borough Council’s discretion.
  

• Paid parking: Borough parking lots may see new kiosks within the next month or so. Paid parking has been a contentious topic among residents and business owners alike, due in part to poor communication and a lack of clarity from the borough. Adding to the confusion was the change of companies that will run the parking kiosks/meters (originally Flow Bird, which was then purchased by ParkMobile) — the chief of police is awaiting updated signage before kiosk installation.
  

• Traffic calming: Traffic calming efforts could make the borough’s streets safer for pedestrians and drivers alike. Council has been working to process speed bump requests and to update/solidify the request process. The Health and Public Safety committee recently recommended that the police acquire new, more accurate traffic-monitoring equipment to better assess which areas most need interventions. Vice President Pointer has suggested that the threshold be at least 50 vehicles going over the speed limit during the two-week monitoring period, with final approvals via council vote. As of the 4/17, new speed bumps have been approved for Willowbrook Ave, Madison Road, and Congress Avenue.
  

• Murky waters: Following last month’s cloudy water sightings at Reservoir Park, Public Works Director Kevin Lafferty has asked that residents reach out directly to the Borough (specifically the Public Works office) to report water contamination before contacting the EPA. The incident was caused by concrete sawdust displacement, which looked worse than it was, ecologically speaking. Councilpersons Martsolf and Young would like to add waterway signage to the borough to promote awareness and educate the public.
  

• Veterans Landing updates: You might have noticed that the Landing looks pretty sparse and bare — Phase one of the project is still in progress, and the borough is waiting on an additional contract before they can finish landscaping. Lansdowne has adopted the Native Plants and Sustainable Landscaping resolution, so all new plants will be native to our area. No updates on the proposed decorative memorial wall yet, as of this newsletter, but fill out this survey to weigh in on designs for benches, pavilions, play areas, and bike racks.
  

• You go, grill: Council has voted to amend Lansdowne’s Park Ordinances to permit grilling at specific locations equipped with a poured concrete slab and a metal trash can for ash disposal. Currently, Hoffman Park is the only one with the appropriate facilities in place. The Borough will be looking for grant funding to pour additional slabs at other parks. Despite the rain, we’re still technically in a drought, making open flames especially hazardous. 
  

• Advice from the EAC: Eco-friendly incentives like federal tax credits for EVs, solar panels, high-efficiency appliances, and weatherization are on the chopping block with the new administration. Dana, the Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) chair, is advising residents take advantage of the program before it gets cut.
  

• FYI: Most of the borough’s meetings are recorded and uploaded promptly on the Borough’s Agenda and Minutes page. If you have some time this month and want to attend a meeting, check out the table below. If you are interested in increasing borough transparency, sign up to be a note-taker for a meeting by emailing us at [email protected]. These notes help us create these monthly roundups and ultimately help keep our neighbors informed.

This month’s borough meetings: