Penn Township sets comprehensive plan update into motion
PENN TWP – The township has begun the long process of updating its comprehensive plan for the first time since 2010.
On Tuesday, July 11, the township held a kickoff meeting with its main engineering firm, Herbert, Rowland & Grubic, to get the ball rolling.
“It's amazing what we have accomplished in 13 years, but we need to look forward to the next 10 years, too,” board of supervisors chairman Samuel Ward said.
A comprehensive plan is a broad outline for the goals of a municipality. Pennsylvania law recommends that municipalities update their comprehensive plan every 10 years.
According to Ward, Penn Township has taken longer to update its plan because of the costs involved in performing research and preparing the final report. “They’d like to have us update it every 10 years,” Ward said. “We have just started that process.”
HRG will be in charge of updating the comprehensive plan during the coming months. According to Ward, the township hopes to have the plan finalized by 2024.
Ward says the public will be involved in every step of the plan.
“First, we're going to form a committee that will work with the supervisors, the staff and HRG. And we will be interviewing various members of the community for their input,” Ward said. “It’s a pretty involved process.
Ward said the committee will start appointing members next month.
To help offset the cost of the update, Penn Township and HRG will work together to apply for a grant from Pennsylvania’s Municipal Assistance Program, a program for local governments which could offer up to 50% reimbursement.
The current comprehensive plan overseeing the township is a joint plan involving Penn Township, the city of Butler, Butler Township, Summit Township, and the borough of East Butler.
For this updated comprehensive plan, Penn Township is going it alone.
