The State College Downtown Improvement District will once again host rides on the Polar Express the weekends of December 11 & 12 and 18 & 19.  Your journey begins with a story at Schlow Centre Region Library, a trolley ride, and a visit to Santa's Workshop, this event will be a treat for the whole family. Children 12 and under will receive a free gift from Santa's Workshop as well as a free picture with Santa. Call Schlow Centre Region Library at (814) 235-7817 to reserve your space.

Snow covered ground adds a number of challenges to the work of the Borough’s sanitations crews. Refuse containers brought to the curb should be placed in an area free of snow, such as the edge of your driveway or on a shoveled carriage step. Please do not place containers or bags on top of accumulated snow and ice. If you have at-door service, remember to provide a clear path, free of snow, ice and obstructions, three feet wide for the refuse collector. Failure to provide a clear path of sufficient width may result in your trash not being collected.

Recycling of fresh cut holiday trees will begin on Monday, January 3, 2011 and continue through Friday, January 14, 2011.  No phone call is required during this time.  Trees should be free of lights, ornaments and tree stands and should be placed with the trunk closest to the curb to facilitate recycling.  Borough crews will process natural trees through a chipper and recycle the wood chips into mulch or compost.

If a snow storm is predicted, please move your tree from the curb to facilitate snow plowing operations and to prevent the tree from becoming part of a snow bank for the winter.

Beginning January 17, residents must call the Public Works Department at 234-7135 or 234-7140 to schedule collection with a regular, Wednesday brush collection.

For more information on recycling your cardboard and wrapping paper this holiday season, click here to read the Centre County Solid Waste Authority Winter Newsletter.

• Borough residents are reminded that sidewalks must be cleared of snow and ice within 24 hours after the snow ceases to fall.  If sidewalks are not cleared, a violation will be issued to the property owner. 

• Residents are also reminded it is unlawful to deposit snow onto public rights-of-way.  If you use a snow removal company, please remind them it is unlawful to shovel snow onto streets or alleys.

• Additionally, Borough residents are reminded that after a snow accumulation of 3 inches or more, all vehicles must be removed from the streets until the snowfall has ceased and the streets have been cleared of accumulated snow.

The holiday season got off to a great start on Thursday, December 2nd, as Santa came to town to light our Holiday Tree.  Mrs. Claus read a story to the children, and there were musical performances by the Broadway Show Kids and the State College Friends School Peace Choir.  Dan & Galla led the crowd in a number of carols as they waited for Santa to arrive, who was brought by the Alpha Fire Engine.  Free cookies, popcorn, hot chocolate and spiced cider were provided by the State College Lions Club and a number of Downtown businesses.

American elm, once of the most populous street trees east of the Mississippi, is once again being threatened with total extinction in urban areas.  Dutch elm disease has killed millions of trees across the United States in the last 70 to 80 years.  The Penn State Campus and State College Borough are one of the few areas where the American elm still exists as a significant component of the urban forest. 

Dutch elm disease is caused by a fungus that when introduced to a healthy elm, quickly moves through the tree's vascular system, plugging the vessels and causing the tree to wilt and eventually die.  The disease is primarily spread through bark beetles that carry the fungal spores with them from diseased trees to healthy ones.  A secondary means of spread is through root graphs from one adjacent tree to another.  Insecticides and fungicides can help minimize the infection and quick removal of diseased trees limits its spread.  Both Penn State and the Borough have been very successful at using these tools to limit tree losses.  More recently, resistant or less susceptible cultivars of American elms have been planted along Borough streets.  

Approximately four years ago, 'elm phloem necrosis' or 'elm yellows' showed up in our area.  The disease is caused by a mycoplasium-like organism and is suspected of being spread by a tiny leaf feeding insect called a leaf hopper.  The crowns of elms infected with the disease quickly yellow and then die within a year.  No chemical treatment has proven effective in controlling the disease and standard sanitation procedures do not appear to slow its spread.  Once the symptoms are observed, the root system of the tree has already died.  Even the new Dutch elm disease resistant varieties are highly susceptible.  'Elm yellows' has gone from a relatively new disease in our area to causing almost total elimination of mature American elms. 

If you suspect your elm is infected with Dutch elm disease or elm yellows contact your Borough Arborist at 234-7140 or take samples to the Buckhout Lab at the University for confirmation.  Once trees die from either disease they quickly become hazardous and should be taken down immediately.