Coronavirus Updates

Updated August 4, 2020

State Testing Site Open

The Walmart Supercenter in the Township is one of nine new COVID-19 testing sites announced by the state Department of Health.

The site, at 20245 Route 19, will be open for drive-thru testing from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays beginning Wednesday, August 5. The site can test up to 50 registered patients per week.

There is no cost for the test, but registration is required one day in advance by visiting myquestcovidtestpa.com and creating an account. A set of criteria must be met to receive testing.

Those who are eligible can schedule an appointment and print a voucher to be taken to the testing location. Results will be delivered via email in as soon as seven days. Those testing positive will be contacted by a physician.

After testing, residents are required to return home and self-isolate.

Symptoms of COVID-19 can include fever, cough, shortness or breath or difficulty breathing, diarrhea, chills, repeating shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and loss of taste or small. Symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure.

Board Meetings Remain Virtual

All Township Board of Supervisors meetings will be virtual through end of October 2020.

For information on how to submit comments and to view meetings, visit cranberrytownship.org/3176/Virtual-Board-of-Supervisors-Meetings.

Relief Fund Helps Those Who Provide Fresh Food

Pennsylvanians now have access to $10 million for businesses that have worked to maintain access to fresh, healthy food throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Fresh Food Financing Initiative COVID-19 Relief Fund is available to for-profit, nonprofit, or cooperative entities impacted by COVID-19, including grocery stores, corner stores, convenience stores, neighborhood markets, bodegas, food hubs, mobile markets, farmers markets, on-farm markets, urban farms, and food aggregation centers with a direct connection to direct-to-consumer retail outlets.

To be eligible, more than 50 percent of sales must be from staple and perishable foods to consumers and the retailer must serve customers that live in a low-to-moderate income area. Applicants must also provide access to affordable, high-quality fresh produce, meat and dairy products and other healthy grocery items for low-to-moderate income shopper sand must accept SNAP and WIC.

Applications will be accepted through August 14, 2020. For full details on Fresh Food Financing Initiative COVID-19 Relief Fund eligibility, award amounts, additional prioritizations, and criteria visit agriculture.pa.gov/foodsecurity.

Updated July 1, 2020: 3:13 PM

Masks Now Required When Leaving Home

Masks are now mandatory in all public places in Pennsylvania, according to an order from Governor Tom Wolf under Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine’s authority under the Disease Prevention and Control Act.

Effective July 1, masks must be worn whenever leaving a residence, including:

• Outdoors and unable to maintain a social distance of six feet.
• In any indoor location where the public is gathered.
• Waiting for or riding on public transportation.
• At visits with healthcare providers.
• Any workplace where interaction with the public occurs.

Exemptions are made for those with medical conditions or for whom a mask would create an unsafe working condition. Additionally, those under two years of age are not permitted to wear a mask.

CRT Donates to Food Bank

The Township’s Community Response Team donated nearly $1,000 worth of food and supplies to Gleaners Food Bank.

The team, using donations, purchased items from Costco in the Township and dropped them at Gleaners location at St. Ferdinand Catholic Church.

To get involved with the CRT and help those in need, visit cranberrytownship.org/CRT.

Updated May 29, 2020: 3:31 PM

Butler Going Green

Butler County will move to the green phase of the state’s reopening plan on Friday, June 5.

In the green phase outlined by Governor Tom Wolf:

• Restaurants and bars can open at 50 percent capacity.
• Hair salons and barbershops may open at 50 percent capacity and by appointment only.
• Gyms and spas can open at 50 percent occupancy.
• Childcare may open following guidelines.
• Entertainment venues such as casinos, theaters and malls may open at 50 percent capacity.
• Telework is still encouraged, and all businesses must follow state and CDC guidelines.
• Construction can return to full capacity.
• Large gatherings remain restricted to less than 250 people, and masks are still encouraged with social distancing in place.
• Visits to prisons and hospitals may resume.

All local counties, except for Beaver County, will move to the green phase.

CRT Beautifies Memorial

The Veteran’s Memorial in North Boundary Park received a little TLC from the CRT.

The Township’s Community Response Team spent a rainy Friday morning pulling weeds, planting flowers and beautifying the area just in time for Memorial Day.

To get involved with the Community Response Team, visit cranberrytownship.org/CRT.

Updated May 11, 2020: 3:18 PM

Video Highlights Communication Efforts

As the community tries to grasp the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, Cranberry has put an emphasis on keeping residents informed and worked to share the positive stories that have come from this trying time.

To view the video, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS2Q42vqCNg&feature=youtu.be.

Updated May 5, 2020: 4:00 PM

EPA Outlines Cleaning and Disinfecting Guidelines

The Environmental Protection Agency and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has outlined steps to properly clean and disinfect homes and offices.

The guidelines cover public spaces, workplaces, businesses, schools and homes and follow protocols outlined in the federal government’s Opening up America Again program.

Learn more at https://www.epa.gov/coronavirus/guidance-cleaning-and-disinfecting-public-spaces-workplaces-businesses-schools-and-homes.

Updated May 4, 2020: 3:41 PM

Community Response Team Spruces Up Municipal Center

Nearly two dozen volunteers with the Township’s Community Response Team joined Public Works staff to spruce up the Municipal Center on Monday.

The group spread mulch around shrubbery on the Center grounds, taking advantage of sunny, clear skies.

The group of volunteers is part of the Community Response Team, an initiative started by the Township to link volunteers with projects, as well as residents who are in need of assistance.

To get involved, visit cranberrytownship.org/CRT and complete the form.

Updated April 24, 2020: 12:47 PM

Unemployment Application Available

Self-employed workers, independent contractors and others not typically eligible for benefits can now file for unemployment benefits on the state’s unemployment compensation system website.

To apply and learn more, click here: https://bit.ly/3bBYHRw.

Updated April 21, 2020: 3:03 PM

Front-Line Workers Given Meals

The Rotary Clubs of Cranberry Township joined together Tuesday to serve over 100 meals to the front-line workers serving Cranberry Township.

Meals were distributed to Police, Fire, EMS and Public Works employees by Rotary members. The meals were provided by John Marshall Catering.

Updated April 20, 2020: 2:12 PM

Annual CTCC Community Days Canceled

The 2020 edition of CTCC’s Community Days promised to be the most incredible occasion in its 44-year history.

However, uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic has led organizers to make the difficult decision to cancel this year’s event.

Planning for Community Days, which draws more than 30,000 people over three days, typically begins in January, with vendors and entertainment booked in early spring. The prudent decision to cancel was deemed appropriate considering the current public health crisis, and with the deepest concern for all those being affected.

Cranberry Township must remain focused on providing essential services, while keeping employees and residents safe. Canceling the event allows the Township to concentrate on the challenges the coronavirus presents to the community.

Community Days will return in 2021, with a fun-filled weekend set for July 8-10. This event promises to be a celebration of the community that has come together during this pandemic. That, after all, is the spirt of CTCC: helping make the community better each day.

Volunteers Pack Hand Sanitizer for First Responders

Township first responders have a new tool in their belts to stay safe thanks to donations and the efforts of volunteers.

Volunteers filled 500 hand sanitizer bottles to be used by Township fire, EMS, police and other community workers at the Township’s Public Safety Training Center.

The Township received 55 gallons of hand sanitizer from a local chemical company in March, and later located bottles and sprayers to distribute the liquid. Volunteers from the Township’s Community Response Team labeled, dispensed, assembled and packed the 1-ounce bottles.

Census Dates Moved

The 2020 Census will be delayed slightly due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Census Bureau temporarily suspended 2020 Census field data collection activities in March, with hopes of reactivating field offices beginning June 1.

The window for field data collection and self-response is expected to be moved to October 31, 2020. This will allow for apportionment counts to be delivered to the president by April 30, 2021, and redistricting data to be delivered to the states no later than July 31, 2021.

To complete the Census, visit 2020census.gov.

Coronavirus Scams Reported

Several scams related to the coronavirus have popped up in recent weeks.

The scams include asking for bank information, offering financial assistance and asking for emails and passwords to update computer software.

Residents are advised to use caution and never give out passwords or bank account information.

For more information on consumer warnings, visit fcc.gov/covid-scams.

Sewing Collaboration Grows

With more masks needed, the Township’s collaboration with Cranberry Sews It Flat continues to grow.

Seven more volunteers have joined the group through the Township’s Community Response Team. They will deliver more than 100 masks to our first responders this week, with several hundred more expected in the coming weeks.

To join the group, donate, volunteer or request help, visit the Community Response Team page at cranberrytownship.org/CRT.

Updated April 13, 2020: 2:05 PM

Response Team Expands Reach

Thanks to a generous donation from MarkWest Energy Partners, the Township’s Community Response Team is expanding its reach to neighboring communities in Southwest Butler County.

The Community Response Team was created as the Township’s response to helping residents who were adversely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Since its inception, volunteers have stepped up in great numbers to assist their neighbors in shopping for essential needs, while supplies have been purchased with monetary donations.

The need, however, isn’t contained within Cranberry Township, and the MarkWest Energy Partners donation will allow the CRT to assist even more people.

Residents in Harmony, Zelienople, Evans City, Jackson Township and Lancaster Township can request assistance by visiting cranberrytownship.org/CRT and completing the form, or by calling 724-776-4806.

Updated April 8, 2020: 4:31 PM

Mask Partnership

With Governor Tom Wolf asking all residents to voluntarily wear a mask when leaving their homes, the Township’s Community Response Team is partnering with Cranberry Sews It Flat to protect its employees.

Volunteers are in the process of sewing nearly 700 masks for Township personnel, along with other professionals and essential businesses in the region.

The group is in need of material donations, including:

• 100% quilting fabric made of a poly/cotton blend or all cotton.
• New cotton sheets
• ¼” flat braided elastic or double fold bias tape or ribbon ¼” to ½” wide
• Fiskars 45 mm blades for rotary cutters
• Laundry detergent, unscented if possible
• Cotton or poly cotton spools of thread for sewing machines and cones for serger machines

Items can be dropped off at the Township’s Public Safety Training Center between 9 a.m and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

To volunteer as a seamstress, fill out the form at CranberryTownship.org/CRT.

For guidance on how to make your own mask, visit https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/coronavirus/Pages/Stop-the-Spread.aspx.

Updated March 25, 2020

Community Response Team

In good times and bad, the Cranberry Township residents have a history of supporting one another. Fundraisers, charity drives and service projects are commonplace and a large part of what makes the Township a great place to live, work and play. Now, with many members of our community facing an unprecedented shutdown of daily life, that community spirit is needed more than ever. That’s why the Township is seeking individuals to help ease the burden the pandemic is having on the community. Volunteers will help provide those in need with essential basic human needs like food, water, or toiletries. By doing this, they can help make the day a little brighter in a term of uncertainty. Healthy volunteers who want to help, as well as residents in need of assistance are asked to contact the Township via links at CranberryTownship.org/CRT or by calling 724-776-4806.