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Ebensburg Borough recognized as certified sustainable Borough

(Ebensburg Borough, PA) Ebensburg Borough announced today it is among a select group of high performing municipalities to become certified through the Sustainable Pennsylvania Community Certification program. Ebensburg Borough is recognized at the Gold level of certification for meeting the program’s rigorous performance criteria which track 131 policies and practices that define a sustainable community.

The Sustainable Pennsylvania Community Certification, managed by the Pennsylvania Municipal League in partnership with Sustainable Pittsburgh, is designed for municipalities that are working to save money, conserve resources, and serve vibrant communities. The certification is implemented statewide, recognizing boroughs, municipalities, cities, and home rule municipalities across the Commonwealth. The Pennsylvania Municipal League and Sustainable Pittsburgh applaud municipalities for their demonstrated commitment and sustainability performance.

In earning the Gold certification, Ebensburg Borough is acknowledged for its progress in such areas as community design and land use, energy efficiency, health and wellness, intergovernmental cooperation, recycling and waste reduction, fiscal controls, and internal management and operations. Details about Ebensburg Borough’s certification performance within these topics can be found on the certification program’s website: http://www.sustainablepacommunitycertification.org/users/certified_municipalities.

“Ebensburg Borough is proud to be recognized as a Gold Certified Community by the Sustainable Pennsylvania Community Certification program,” said Borough Councilman Scot May. “The Borough has a long history of commitment to saving taxpayer dollars, using resources efficiently, and applying best practices in municipal government and community development. We are pleased to be recognized and be part of the regional community of good government. I would also like to thank Mayor Randy Datsko and Community Development Director Danea Koss for all their hard work in making this possible. It was definitely a team effort.”

“We are delighted to see Ebensburg Borough distinguished among local governments that are leading the way in applying sustainability to both their operations and management as well as within the community,” said Anne McCollum, Director of Training and Development, Pennsylvania Municipal League.

The Sustainable Pennsylvania Community Certification is intended to bring recognition to municipalities that are implementing the policies and practices of sustainability to advance community and regional prosperity. It also serves as a mechanism for sharing best practices for creating a more sustainable Pennsylvania. “Municipalities that earn the Sustainable Pennsylvania Community Certification have demonstrated a commitment to advancing sustainable best practices to foster thriving and vibrant communities where people long to live, work, and play. Commitment to continuous improvement and innovation is at the heart of sustainability and the Certification program is a means to accelerate municipal performance,” said James T. Price, Sustainable Community Manager, Sustainable Pittsburgh.

For more information, please visit www.sustainablepacommunitycertification.org or contact Danea Koss at 814-472-8414 or dkoss@ebensburgpa.com.

About Ebensburg Borough

Ebensburg Borough, the seat of Cambria County government, is situated on a plateau in the geographic center of the county along the eastern fringe of the Laurel Hill Ridge. Ebensburg is located 19 miles north of the City of Johnstown, 24 miles west of the City of Altoona, 74 miles east of Pittsburgh, and 140 miles west of Harrisburg. The Borough has a population of 3,122 and encompasses 1.7 square miles.

“Ebensburg, the first settlement on the Allegheny Front, was founded by Rees Lloyd. Ebensburg developed as a mountain resort as word of the area’s scenic beauty spread. Many of the ‘summer cottages’ containing fifteen to twenty rooms built by the urban rich can be seen today.

From its humble beginnings as the landing site of the Welsh advance party to its fame as a mountain resort, Ebensburg has enjoyed continuous prosperity while retaining its small town charm.” From Historic Ebensburg, W.R. Davis and Dave Huber.

Today, Ebensburg boasts an active and vibrant downtown with a thriving business community. Its nationally accredited Main Street program works to advance historic preservation and economic development, in part by hosting an annual schedule of community events including a summer Concert series, Farmer’s Markets, Movie in the Park, PotatoFest and more. Ebensburg’s downtown Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019 for its significance in the areas of commerce and architecture. Its recreational amenities are abundant with a world-class Tennis Center, Young Peoples Community Center, Nathan’s Divide Watershed Education Center, Lake Rowena and, last year’s PA Trail of the Year, the Ghost Town Trail. For more information about Ebensburg, visit ebensburgpa.com.

About the Pennsylvania Municipal League
The Pennsylvania Municipal League (PML) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization established in 1900 as an advocate for Pennsylvania’s 3rd class cities. The PML represents participating Pennsylvania cities, boroughs, Boroughs, and home rule municipalities that all share the League’s municipal policy interests. PML provides a wide array of municipal services including legislative advocacy (on both the state and federal levels), publications designed to educate and inform, education and training certification programs, membership research and inquiries, consulting-based programs, group insurance trusts, and the statewide Sustainable Pennsylvania Community Certification. Specific to Southwestern Pennsylvania, PML is partnered with Sustainable Pittsburgh for outreach.

About Sustainable Pittsburgh
Sustainable Pittsburgh works to support decision-makers in the Pittsburgh Region to improve the integration of economic prosperity, social equity, and environmental quality through fostering sustainable solutions for communities and businesses. Over the past 20 years, Sustainable Pittsburgh has proven adept at building coalitions for the policy and practice of sustainable development for southwestern Pennsylvania. SP educates and engages decision-makers and in turn elevates expectations for integration of the 3Es (environmental conservation, social equity, and economic prosperity) among government, businesses, nonprofits, and academia.

The Boil Water Advisory for Ebensburg has been lifted.

WINTER PARKING REGULATIONS RELAXED

Good News! The enforcement of the winter parking regulations within Ebensburg Borough is being relaxed.

The current Ordinance, in place since 1994, requires alternate side parking on many streets between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., and again between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. It also prohibits parking on many smaller streets between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. Those winter parking restrictions are in effect between December 1^st and March 31^st.

In the past, the Ordinance was not enforced until the first snowfall each year. After the first snowfall, the Ordinance was enforced each and every day, regardless of weather conditions. These parking restrictions are necessary to allow the public works crew to properly and safely clear the streets of snow. Unfortunately, the regulations caused great inconvenience to the residents.

Today, there are many methods of communicating current information to the residents. Borough Council believes that we can enforce the regulations when necessary, and relax enforcement when possible.

Effective immediately, the winter parking regulations will only be enforced when deemed necessary by staff. A notice will be placed here on the website announcing when the regulations are “in effect” or are “not in effect.” The same notice will be posted on the borough’s Facebook page.

For those that may not have access to the Internet, a call to the borough office at 472-8780 is all that will be necessary to verify whether vehicles parked on the street need to be moved. During business hours, staff will be able to answer the question. After hours, the recording will inform the caller if the regulations are in effect or not.

Winter parking restrictions will be placed in effect with every forecasted snowfall, and should be considered in effect with every unexpected snowfall. Depending on conditions, the restrictions will often remain in effect for several days following a snowfall. Crews often work for several days to push snow back from the curbs, to clear intersections, and to clear slush from the streets. Residents will be required to move vehicles until such time that the announcement on the website and Facebook is again changed. It will be everyone’s responsibility to verify the current enforcement status of the winter parking regulations. Remember…because it snowed two days ago and hasn’t snowed since; the winter parking regulations may still be in effect. Check the website!

The relaxed winter parking regulations will require the full cooperation of everyone. It is important that the public works crews are able to maintain clear streets during winter conditions. If the relaxation of enforcement causes problems in that regard, it will be necessary to return to daily enforcement. Please work with us so that we can maintain our streets in a safe manner, while minimizing the inconvenience to you and your neighbors of moving your vehicle twice each day.

Ebensburg Borough is seeking volunteers to serve on the Ebensburg Borough Planning Commission, the Ebensburg Recreation Board and the Ebensburg Municipal Authority.

The Planning Commission writes and maintains the Borough’s comprehensive plan and prepares and manages the zoning ordinance, subdivision ordinance and land development ordinance. The Commission reviews and forwards to Council for final approval all applications for subdivision and land development. The Commission meets on the 1^st Thursday of the month at 6:30, as needed. There are usually 6-7 brief meetings during the year.

The Recreation Board is a seven-member advisory board that coordinates all recreation related programs within the borough. It oversees programming at the YPCC and provides recommendations for improvements at all parks, playgrounds and recreation facilities. The Board meets on the 2^nd Thursday of the month at 6:30.

The Municipal Authority is a 5-member government agency, appointed by Borough Council, that owns all water, wastewater and stormwater facilities. They are responsible for capital projects incurring debt and setting rates. The Authority meets on the 3rd Monday of the month at 4:00.

Interested individuals should complete the statement of interest form linked below:

View Statement of Interest Here

All scheduled meetings of the Council of the Borough of Ebensburg will be conducted as scheduled on the fourth Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m., but by teleconference. Members of the public wishing to observe or participate must contact the borough office by telephone (814-472-8780) or by e-mail (eburg@ebensburgpa.com) no later than 4:00 p.m. on the day of a meeting to receive the access code and/or password in order to join the tele-conference.

MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY MEETING
The next Ebensburg Municipal Authority meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 15 at 4 p.m. and will take place via Zoom. Members of the public wishing to observe or participate must contact the borough office by telephone (814-472-8780) or by e-mail (eburg@ebensburgpa.com) no later than 4:00 p.m. on the day of a meeting to receive the access code and/or password in order to join the tele-conference.

EBENSBURG BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING
The next meeting of the Borough Council of Ebensburg is scheduled for Monday, February 22 at 6:30 p.m. and will take place via Zoom. Members of the public wishing to observe or participate must contact the borough office by telephone (814-472-8780) or by e-mail (eburg@ebensburgpa.com) no later than 4:00 p.m. on the day of a meeting to receive the access code and/or password in order to join the tele-conference.