Comp Plan 5th Meeting Addressed Multimodal Transportation

On Wednesday, August 21st, Mercersburg Area leaders met in the Peters Township Hall to give attention to the important topic of Multimodal Transportation.

Kicking off the meeting, HRG Project Manager Dean Severson introduced Franklin County Planning Director, Steven Thomas. Steve provided a review of all governmental and non-governmental planning resources. He updated the Mercersburg Area Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee on current projects, and described the methods associated with introducing new projects. Key points of Thomas’ presentation were the relationships between the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), and the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).

To accompany the Franklin County story, Dean Severson provided a list of projects underway, and additional lists of projects planned in our area. The leaders were interested to understand key areas of funding for new projects and much of the conversation revolved around the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT).

Included in the data for the meeting, was a summary of the Citizen Survey being conducted by the project team. 417 responses have been received by the middle of August, with more expected by the end of the survey period, which will be September 30. The energetic response from the community was a welcome sign, and indicates that many residents are interested in the outcome.

The meeting also included an open discussion of priorities around development of bikeable and walkable ways to key places in the Mercersburg Area such as parks and retail centers. The leadership team is optimistic about addressing key concerns that have been noted in the Citizen Survey. At the end of the meeting, the previous topic of water supply was discussed briefly.

The next meeting of the Steering Committee will be September 18th, at a place to be determined in early September. The first draft of the Comprehensive Plan outline is expected by the next meeting.