Swarthmore tends to be quieter in the summer, especially in August. College students are away; neighbors head north for respite from the heat and humidity; families take advantage of the break in the school year. But this summer’s quiet feels different.
Disruptions to vacation travel certainly aren’t the most momentous or profound changes wrought by the pandemic, but they’re one of the more insidious ways our sense of normalcy has been chipped away at. We are lucky enough to live in a town (a phrase that I seem to be uttering more and more) where, at least according to our latest survey, 100% of the people usually go away on vacation in the summer. This year, that’s down to 64% (with 8% still not sure).
“I have an elderly mother and a teenaged driver.” “School buses come down our street, which is very tight as it is.” “It’s very difficult when I get home after work and I can’t park my car.” These were some of the frustrations residents of School Lane in Swarthmore expressed at the July 27 meeting of the borough council’s Public Safety Committee. New construction of five homes on Michigan Avenue in Ridley, just across the street, has brought a glut of construction vehicles to their narrow, one-block road. These often park illegally, blocking sight lines and even driveways.
Bill Hale was selected to succeed Maria Zissimos as president of the Rotary Club of Swarthmore. Since retiring, he has devoted himself to volunteerism and community service. Mike Litka, General Manager of the Swarthmore Co-op, and Anita Barrett, Swarthmore Town Center Coordinator were named Vocational Service Award winners. Donna Francher is the Community Service awardee.
A couple of Fridays ago, my daughter Charlie and I took a daring paddle on the terrifying and legendary Crum Creek — a harrowing 45-minute effort. We put in right above the Strath Haven Coulee Dam off Yale Avenue and fought the swift current back upstream. Multitudes of turtles guarded the banks, and shadowy fish darted fearlessly in the shallows. Past snags and sieves we maneuvered, watching each other’s six, conscious of many reports of the attack beaver waiting to ambush intruders.
