On Thursday, October 24th the Department of Community & Economic Development (DCED), Deputy Secretary of Business Finance and Executive Director of the Commonwealth Finance Authority (CFA), Mandy L. Book issued notification of the successful grant applications and awards. Jenkintown Borough’s facility improvement grant application had been approved for $800,000. It is of importance to note that this funding opportunity requires no local matching funds.

The Jenkintown Borough Hall / Police Department building at 700 Summit Avenue and Public Works building at 708 Summit Avenue are slated to receive improvements through this funding. The improvements will bring the facilities into current ADA compliance, replacement of the windows, doors and lighting systems will make the building healthier, more energy efficient and less costly to sustain. Interior spaces will be re-configured and will receive new commercial grade fixtures and finishes.

Strong support and assistance through local State Offices is essential for the success of an application for a Statewide grant opportunity. This grant award would not have been possible without the continually strong support of State Senator Art Haywood and State Representative Napoleon Nelson and assistance of their very capable staff, both Elected Officials work tirelessly for/with the Borough to bring funding back to Jenkintown Borough for vital projects.

The Grant award funds originate from the Statewide Local Share Account, which comes from the PA Racehorse Development and Gaming Act. The act provides for the distribution of gaming revenues through the Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) to support projects in public interest within Pennsylvania. This round of funding for the LSA Statewide Program was very competitive and the demand far exceeded the available funds. The Commonwealth Finance Authority (CFA) received eligible grant requests totaling nearly $1.3 billion for approximately $346 million that was available.

The Jenkintown Borough 2024 curbside leaf collection will begin on Monday, October 28th and will continue through Tuesday, December 19th.  As in previous years the Borough has been divided into five (5) routes.  Each route will be collected four (4) times. 

The 2024 Leaf Collection Schedule can be found  HERE. 

The Jenkintown Borough Public Works Department works throughout the Borough to collect leaves placed at the curb. The leaves are then transported to Abington Township and processed into mulch, that mulch is then available free of charge to residents. 

Yard Debris (grass, leaves, small branches and other garden debris) can be recycled together in biodegradable paper bags and picked up as normal every Tuesday year-round.  

Biodegradable paper bags can be purchased at Borough Hall during normal business hours. Put bagged leaves at the curb just prior to collection day. Do NOT put invasive plants, trash, large branches, dirt, stones or rocks into the biodegradable paper bags. 

Residents are asked to please adhere to the following regulations regarding leaf collection in order to ensure a successful collection: 

• Do not put leaves in the road prior to the day before the scheduled collection. Leaves that are placed in the roadway prior to the night before are a serious safety concern as well as detrimental to storm water run off as they clog the storm drainage system. (contractors who do not comply will be cited) 

• Do not park on top of leaves. This prohibits access to the leaves and can be a fire hazard. 

• Do not include rocks, sticks, trash, etc. for collection with leaves.  This does damage to the collection machine and results in down time for repairs. Leaf piles with any of these items above will not be collected. 

• Please observe all regulatory parking signs. 

• Leaves should not be burned for disposal as per Jenkintown Borough Code Section 94-4 

The Public Works Department will make every attempt to maintain the schedule, but residents should be prepared for delays due to inclement weather. If this is the case the Public Works Department utilizes Fridays as a make-up day or an overabundance of leaves prohibits a route being completed as scheduled. Although the Borough strongly encourages you not to place your leaves in the street prior to one day before the scheduled pick up, once they are in the street, please leave them there and they will be picked up. 

The program is designed to improve stormwater management, public education and outreach, pollution prevention, illicit discharge detection and construction site runoff controls. The Borough’s efforts would not be enough to obtain the compliance permit without the dedication and hard work of the Public Works Dept., Emergency Mgmt., Fire Marshal, JB Environmental Action Committee, Residents and Business owners who have all participated and contributed to the success of the MS4 program.

The MS4 Report can be viewed here (PDF).