Latest News from the Borough

The Bellefonte Borough offices will be closed on Monday, November 11, 2019, for Veterans Day. If your refuse is regularly scheduled to be picked up on Mondays, it will be picked up on November 13, 2019. Please be sure to have your refuse out after 6:00 p.m. the night before as the refuse crew will be starting at 5:00 a.m. There will be no brush/grass container collection on November 13; the next pickup (and the last one for the season) will be on Wednesday, November 20. If you have any questions, please contact the Borough office at 355-1501.

Thank you to all of our veterans…those who live in freedom will always be grateful to those who helped preserve it.

Harrisburg, June 18, 2019 − State Sen. Judy Schwank (D-Berks) is warning residents of a scam targeting Property Tax or Rent Rebate recipients.

Schwank’s office was notified of a scam that consists of unsolicited calls from a person claiming to work for the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. The caller says an application for Property Tax or Rent Rebate has been approved and then asks if the recipient would like the rebate directly deposited into a bank account – and asks for his or her bank information.

This is a scam. The Department of Revenue does not make live calls regarding Property Tax or Rent Rebate applications and does not collect applicant banking deposit information over the phone.

The Department of Revenue does contact applicants via automated calls to confirm their information has been received and approved. If the department needs more information about an individual’s Property Tax or Rent Rebate application, it sends a letter through the U.S. Postal Service.

Individuals can request that their rebate be directly deposited; those requests, however, must be made when the signed application is submitted to the Department of Revenue.

If you receive a phone call from an individual claiming to represent the Department of Revenue and is requesting personal bank account information, DO NOT give out any banking information or any personal information (including Social Security numbers) to these callers.

If you received one of these calls and provided your banking information or other personal information, immediately call your bank to make them aware of this potential fraud. Additionally, you can file a scam complaint with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General Bureau of Consumer Protection by calling the toll-free hotline at 1-800-441-2555 or by visiting www.attorneygeneral.gov.

Please be aware that the brush and grass can collection season is coming to an end. Due to the Veterans’ Day holiday next week on November 11, there will be no brush and grass can collection. The last Wednesday this season for brush and grass can collection is November 20.

Also, the last Saturday this season that the compost facility on Musser Lane will be open in the morning is November 23. You can still, however, obtain a key from the Borough office Monday through Friday for a $10 deposit. This is available year-round.

If you have any questions, please contact the Borough office at 355-1501.

Due to the predicted weather conditions, Trick-or-Treat in the Borough of Bellefonte has been changed to Saturday, November 2, 2019, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The following authorities/boards/commissions (ABCs) have appointments whose terms will expire on December 31, 2019. If you are interested in applying for any of the upcoming vacancies, please complete a Volunteer Application and a resume and provide to the Bellefonte Borough office, 236 W Lamb St, by November 15, 2019. For a description of the function of each of the ABCs below, please look at the Volunteer Application.

Airport Authority (five year term) (one vacancy)

Borough Authority (five year term) (two vacancies)

HARB (five year term) (two vacancies–one preferably someone with architectural or historical preservation experience)

Housing Appeals Board (five year term) (two vacancies)

Industrial Development Authority (five year term) (one vacancy)

Planning Commission (four year term) (two vacancies)

Shade Tree Commission (three year term) (one vacancy)

Zoning Hearing Board (five year term) (one vacancy)

Please note that the date for Bellefonte Victorian Christmas is actually December 13 and December 14, 2019. The date provided to us for our Spring newsletter was incorrect.

Bellefonte Borough and The Centre Region Code invite you to join us for an information session on how to go about getting into the short-term rental game. One-hour sessions will be held at the Borough building on:

Friday, October 18 @ Noon
Wednesday, October 23 @ 6:30 PM
Saturday, October 26 @ 10:00 AM
Thursday, November 7 @ 10:00 AM

PRCC & EP-ACT along with host sponsors PA Department of Conservation & Natural Resources (DCNR) held one in a series of Summer Electric Vehicle (EV’s) Workshops and Ride & Drive Events in Bellefonte on August 9 and 10.

For over 3 years a coalition of government, industry, utility, educational and non-profits have been convening to plan for EV adoption throughout the Commonwealth. The Drive Electric PA Initiative is a direct result of these meetings. This event was planned to help consumers, municipalities, businesses, and educational facilities with the adoption of EVs.

To view a video of this event, click here.

In the 2009 International Fire Code (Section 302.1) recreational fires are defined as “an outdoor fire burning materials other than rubbish where the fuel being burned is not contained in an incinerator, outdoor fireplace, portable outdoor fireplace, barbeque grill or barbeque pit and has a total fuel area of 3 feet or less in diameter and 2 feet or less in height for pleasure, religious, ceremonial, cooking, warmth or similar purposes.”

This type of fire must be at least 25 feet away from a structure or combustible materials and must not at any point move any closer to the structure than the stated 25 foot distance.

Outdoor fires in a permanent fixture (such as BBQs and gas-fueled fire pits, chimineas) must be at least 10 feet away from a structure or combustible materials. Portable, manufactured outdoor fireplaces must be at least 15 feet away from a structure or combustible materials except for 1- and 2-family dwellings.

For more information, go to ftp://law.resource.org/pub/us/code/ibr/icc.ifc.2009.pdf