Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania

153 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 12 “When the mayor took office, that intersection was all concrete, blacktop and beaten-down,” says Vincent Rongione, Upper Darby’s CAO and deputy mayor. “Now, with the beautifully renovated parking lot and nice streetscaping, you will actually have a bit of shade and greenery. It’s a place where you can get a cup of coffee and sit on a bench pleasantly, as opposed to being in the middle of an asphalt sea. It’s investments like these that are focused on quality of life improvements for our residents.” Upper Darby’s greening hasn’t stopped there. The township worked with Tree Tenders of Upper Darby this year to build a tree nursery in the area’s largest park, Naylors Run, that allows them to grow and harvest their own trees. “We’re trying to green the entire community,” Keffer explains. “The tree nursery is a great feature. People that are in the park really love it, and it’s an opportunity to teach people about the importance of trees and their overall value.” Upper Darby has even gone so far as to bring in goats to help remove invasive plants from its portion of the Darby Creek Trail. “The goats have been doing really incredible work that allows us to avoid using heavy machinery which would otherwise disrupt the nearby residences and contribute to further pollution,” Keffer says. “We have completely transformed Gillespie Park where you can now see across the creek for the first time in decades.” The township is currently working on attaining its SolSmart designation as well, which recognizes communities for making it faster, easier and more affordable to transition to solar energy. This will allow the process of installing solar panels on homes easier for Upper Darby residents. They’re also close to breaking ground on the township’s first Community Center, which will be the only LEED-certified building ever built in Upper Darby. The Community Center will have a green roof and an outdoor classroom.