Residents invited to review plan
Residents are invited to voice their opinions on the draft of a joint comprehensive plan, an outlining of the future of German Township and Masontown Borough, at the final public meeting Monday. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. in the German Township Municipal Building in McClellandtown. Mackin Engineering Co., Pittsburgh, is responsible for the plan and a representative from the firm will present the draft to the public.
Brandi Rosselli, liaison for the project and senior planner at Mackin Engineering, said the plan is “the guiding document for the future of German Township and Masontown Borough and will be adopted by the township and the borough to be used as a guide for future development and preservation.”
The plan is a look at parcel-by-parcel land use, demographics, transportation, the environment, current industrial and commercial developments, public sewerage and water expansion projects.
The entire plan is developed around the tastes of those in the municipalities, not only business leaders and governing officials, but also the residents who live and work there, said Rosselli.
She added that it is also a valuable tool in gaining state aid.
“The state looks very favorably when having a plan and a joint commitment,” said Rosselli. “This puts the township and borough high on the list.”
Job creation is one of the biggest issues the engineering firm is focusing on, Rosselli said.
“Always a big issue is job creation,” said Rosselli.
“We see that all over the place in Pennsylvania mainly because of the mines and coal mills shutting down.
“People want to see job creation, but as well they would like to preserve open space and not see a bunch of strip malls. They would like to secure economic development where appropriate.”
Seen as an appropriate place for business or small industrial land development is Route 21, especially with the recent development of the Duke Energy plant and the plans for the widening of the Masontown bridge and Route 21 roadways. Rosselli said there is a remarkable amount of land available along the Route 21 corridor running through the borough and township.
Besides Route 21, other assets to expand and improve on are the German/Masontown Park and the German Masontown Public Library.
Rosselli said the park has an outdoor staging and seating area that can be taken further advantage of for outdoor events to attract more people to the area. Another possibility is to change the entrance of the park, which is now only accessible by traveling through Masontown.
An identified problem area in the plan is Main Street in Masontown because of the large number of vacant buildings lining the roadway.
“We would like to see a fa?ade or a Main Street program to liven and improve the street with street furniture and signage to make it more attractive for businesses to locate there and people to shop there,” Rosselli said.
Other problems such as acid mine drainage and unstable mined areas are also being looked at. These unstable areas lower the chance of businesses willing to build there, explained Rosselli.
The problem of property maintenance issues relating to aesthetics at homes and businesses is also identified.
While plan makers are taking into account the need for economic stimulus, they are also planning to preserve certain recreational and scenic areas.
A currently active recreational project meant to preserve nature is the German Township Browns Run Trail, a 12-mile Rails to Trails project where old railroad ties are transformed into walking ground. Rosselli said the trail will follow the abandoned Monongahela and B&O railroads that begin near Ronco, continue east through Leckrone and High House into Smithfield. The trail can be used for walking, biking and horseback riding.
During the planning process, the engineering firm met with the state Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to discuss Route 21 improvements and with the borough and the township to talk about services such as police and fire. Recreational board meetings were also conducted.
In addition, the firm has completed a series of interviews and surveys designed to gather the opinions of local residents and stakeholders. The engineering company said the plan is based upon how the residents of the municipalities wish to see their communities develop in the future.
“It is very important because it is a plan for their community,” said Rosselli. “It’s important for people to see all the final results.
“It has been a while since people have been able to comment publicly on the plan. We want to get people together to update them.”
In the fall of 2000, the plan was kicked off with a $39,000 state grant from the Small Communities Planning Assistance Program (SCPAP) under the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.
Over the past few years, two public meetings have been held to gather input for the plan. As a result of this input, recommendations were developed and the planning process is nearing the end.
After the public meeting, a 45-day public comment period will begin to allow for additional review, comments, questions and clarifications from neighboring municipalities, the local school district, the county and any others before the final draft is adopted.
“We work to incorporate comments into the plan where appropriate. All comments will be taken into consideration,” noted Rosselli.
To comment during the 45-day period, people are urged to contact their borough or submit a letter to the engineering firm or their borough or township building. Rosselli said both the Masontown and German Township municipal buildings will have a copy of the comprehensive plan.
“The plan is a wonderful thing,” added Rosselli. “It’s the planning of the future of these communities around the people’s input.”
Adoption of the final plan is projected to occur in March after two separate public hearings -one with the borough and one with the township.
For more information on the upcoming meeting, contact Brandi Rosselli of Mackin Engineering at 412-788-0472.