HEADLINES:
Local To Judge At Philly Flower Show
Peak Season For Home Fires Isn't Over
Clean Air Council Responds To Report
Select Organizations May Use Donation Program
Foundation Welcomes New Board Member

Local To Judge At Philly Flower Show

The Garden Club of Montrose is proud to have one of its members invited to judge at the prestigious Philadelphia Flower Show this spring. Club president Michele Gottlick received word that Gladys Bennett, a Flower Show Judge with Master status, has been invited to join judges from states including Texas, California, Tennessee, Rhode Island, Illinois and others, as well as several from Pennsylvania.

“Springtime in Paris” is the theme of this years’ flower show in Philadelphia, the largest indoor flower show in the world. One class Bennett will be judging is an Artistic Class in which arrangers will interpret dress designs made by students from Philadelphia University. Another class will be featuring arrangements depicting hats from a particular era. These classes are entered by non-professional flower arrangers, many belonging to garden clubs affiliated with National Garden Clubs, Inc., as is the local club.

Gladys joined the local garden club in 1986 and became interested in becoming a judge after participating in area flower shows. She pursued classes offered by National Garden Clubs that are open to any interested person. Horticulture, design, and flower show procedure were studied as well as judging criteria and ethics. Judges are required to continue classes to keep their certifications.

The Garden Club of Montrose was formed in 1905 and is the oldest continuous one in the Garden Club Federation of Pennsylvania. New members are always welcome. For information about upcoming meetings, call 278-3106.

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Peak Season For Home Fires Isn't Over

Quincy, Mass. - Half of all U.S. home heating fires occur in December, January and February. That’s according to the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Home Fires Involving Heating Equipment report, which shows that heating equipment is a leading cause of winter fires. In fact, heating equipment was involved in an estimated 66,100 reported home structure fires in 2008, causing 480 civilian deaths, 1,660 civilian injuries, and $1.1 billion in direct property damage.

NFPA and the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) are working together to remind everyone that home fires are more prevalent in winter than in any other season. For more information about the organizations’ joint safety campaign, “Put a Freeze on Winter Fires,” and a complete list of winter safety tips, visit http://www.nfpa.org/winter.

“Winter fires are highly preventable,” says Lorraine Carli, NFPA’s vice president of communications. “Every tragic news story about a devastating winter fire is a reminder that simple precautions can prevent deadly consequences.”

Space heaters resulted in far more fires and fire fatalities than central heating devices. Between 2004 and 2008, fixed (stationary) and portable space heaters (excluding fireplaces, chimneys, and chimney connectors, but including wood stoves) annually accounted for, on average, one-third of reported U.S. home heating fires and four out of five associated civilian deaths.

Meanwhile, an estimated 15,200 reported creosote fires - 23 percent of all home heating fires - annually resulted in an average of four civilian deaths, 17 civilian injuries, and $33 million in direct property damage. Creosote is a sticky, oily, combustible substance created when wood does not burn completely. It rises into the chimney as a liquid and deposits on the chimney wall.

One in four heating equipment fires started due to a failure to clean equipment. Other causes include placing a heat source too close to combustibles, and unclassified mechanical failures or malfunctions. Roughly half of all home heating fire deaths resulted from fires started by heating equipment that was too close to something that could burn, such as upholstered furniture, clothing, or a mattress or bedding.

In addition to heating fires being a concern in the coming months, NFPA would like to remind the public that cooking fires are the leading cause of home fires all year round. This time of year, whether you are feasting on Super Bowl Sunday or simply cooking to warm up on a bitter cold day, it is important to stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling, or broiling. Unattended cooking is the leading cause of cooking fires.

NFPA is a worldwide leader in providing fire, electrical, building, and life safety to the public since 1896. The mission of the international nonprofit organization is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education. Visit NFPA’s website at http://www.nfpa.org.

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Clean Air Council Responds To Report

(PHILADELPHIA) - The Clean Air Council recognizes and appreciates the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s ongoing efforts to monitor air emissions from Marcellus Shale drilling. Air impacts from drilling are only recently being studied in Pennsylvania. Any attempt to understand and inform the public about them is welcome.

However, due to the widespread impact and the dangerous nature of drilling, the Council urges the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) to refrain from drawing broad conclusions based on a small sample of wells and drilling companies. For instance, numerous media outlets are already citing this report as evidence that air near Marcellus Shale drilling operations is “okay” and “clean.” This most recent air emissions study conducted by the PA DEP was limited to five sources of emissions, an extremely low number considering the rapid rise in natural gas drilling throughout the Commonwealth.

The Council’s work on the air impacts of Marcellus Shale drilling recognizes the PA DEP’s leadership role and the impact of drilling in such a difficult regulatory and economic landscape. The pollution from drilling is well known, with data from other shale formations across the country showing a mixture of emissions - including fine particulate, volatile organic compounds, and toxics. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has even estimated that shale drilling in Texas could contribute more to air pollution than motor-vehicle traffic in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. “It is important that the PA Department of Environmental Protection, the US Environmental Protection Agency and the industry itself make more of an effort to monitor air pollution from the Marcellus Shale gas drilling,” urged Joe Minott, Executive Director of the Clean Air Council.

Further, the Council is working to ensure that the cumulative impacts of such drilling are adequately addressed at the federal, state, and local levels. The Council urges regulators to use comprehensive aggregation policies when making single source determinations on natural gas drilling for the purposes of permit issuance. Aggregation refers to the combining of multiple pollutant-emitting activities into a single source for the purpose of issuing an air permit. By requiring natural gas drilling companies to obtain proper permits, PA DEP will ensure that industry, regulators, and the public at large are aware of what is being emitted from natural gas operations.

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Select Organizations May Use Donation Program

Harrisburg - To honor the service provided by the men and women of America’s armed forces, select veterans organizations are now able to participate in the federal surplus property donation program run by the Pennsylvania Department of General Services, Governor Tom Corbett announced.

The program is made possible under the “Formerly Owned Resources for Veterans to Express Thanks for Service Act,” or “FOR VETS Act of 2010,” which adds select veterans organizations to the list of groups eligible to apply to receive surplus goods. These items range from laptops and desktop computers to dental supplies and generators. The law was signed in December 2010.

“Veterans organizations play a vital role in the lives of one million Pennsylvania veterans,” Governor Corbett said. “If we can help these groups by making their operational and equipment needs more manageable, then this program will do exactly what it was intended to do: say ‘thank you’ for all that our veterans have given to America.”

For more information, contact DGS Federal Surplus Property Program Manager Mike Starr at 717-787-9742.

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Foundation Welcomes New Board Member

Montrose, PA - The Community Foundation of Susquehanna & Wyoming Counties is pleased to announce the addition of new Board Member Matthew Sordoni. Mr. Sordoni is Vice President of Upland Corporation which manages investments in the construction and real estate industries among others. He is also active owner at DeCoverly Kennels in Factoryville and Sterling Farms in Monroe Township. He was previously employed at Mack Trucks, Inc. where he last served as Regional Manager for Central America.

He is a graduate of Wyoming Seminary, and holds a Bachelor’s degree from Muhlenberg College. He earned his MBA from the ESADE Business School in Barcelona and completed programs in The Netherlands and China. Matt currently serves as Vice Chair of the North Branch Land Trust, on the endowment investment committee for the United Way of Wyoming Valley, and as a director of the Sordoni Foundation. Matt was raised in Monroe Township and now resides in Dallas.

The Community Foundation currently manages 118 philanthropic funds for a broad array of charitable and educational causes with assets exceeding three million dollars. Current Board Members include Sandra Boyle, Robert Brown, Maggie Cartwright, Thomas Chamberlain, Charm Goff Giangrieco, Karl Kail IV, Jason Legg, William Lewis, Richard Lochen, Honorable Sandra Major, Robert McNamara, Marian Miskell, Peter Quigg, Dr. Arthur Sherwood, and Earle Wootton.

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