HomeMy WebLinkAboutFebruary 2024 - PC Staff ReportFranklin County Planning Department Updates
Franklin County Planning Commission
Thursday,February 2nd,2024
Addressing
With the development of Next Gen 911,new standards are being put out for road naming and
addressing.Matthew Romero is beginning to take over these responsibilities on the planning
department side and the department is coordinating closely with GIS to work these new standards into
our general workflow.
Agricultural Preservation
The program currently has 152 preserved farms totaling over 19,026 acres.
2021 Farms
●Jay Shelly -Peters Township -projected for April 2024 state board meeting
2022 Farms
●Brechbill,Brian &Michelle (139.27 acres)-projected for April 2024 state board meeting
●Diehl,Wayne &Jackie (60.34 acres)-projected for April 2024 state board meeting
●Hershberger,Daniel &Amy (113.78 acres)-Pending conservation plan
●Lesher,Thomas &Heather (78.26 acres)-projected for April 2024 state board meeting
●Martin,Donald &Denise (48.75 acres)-projected for April 2024 state board meeting
●McKenrick,Rodney &Bonnie (101.52 acres)-pending conservation plan
●Miller,Doug &Connie (62.95 acres)-finalizing documents
●Peckman,Dennis &Barbara (74.22 acres)-finalizing documents
●Snyder,Vaughn (100 acres)-pending conservation plan
●Witter,Paul (42.15 acres)-waiting for appraisal
●Witter,Paul (26.47 acres)-waiting for appraisal
2023 Farm Selections
●Lemar Road LLC (232 acres)-Peters Township -pending survey
●Steve and Lynn Hykes (formerly Horst 1)(140 acres)-Antrim Township -pending survey
●Paul Witter (4)(88.2 acres)-Southampton Township -pending survey
●Barry Timmons -(46.9 acres)-Montgomery Township -pending survey
●Todd and Vicki Heckman -(37.1 acres)-Peters Township -pending survey
●Donald and Denise Martin (3)-(79.6 acres)-Guilford Township -pending survey
●Jeff Grove (formerly Jay and Evelyn Grove)-(58.17 acres)-Peters Township -ready to send to
title
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
●The County has applied to fund the following projects for the 2023 CDBG funding year:
○Borough of Greencastle -Baltimore Street Crossing Signal -$50,000
○Scotland Youth Baseball League Park Accessibility Upgrades -$25,000
○St Thomas PTA -Park and Playground Accessbility Upgrades -$5,000
○WCHS -Community Health Nursing Program -$10,845
○Zullinger Community Center -Accessibility Upgrades -$3,925
●The FY 2022 CDBG application was submitted in October of 2022 to DCED.Approval to move
forward with the projects below was received in August of 2023.These projects have been set
up and are awaiting final approval to move forward:
○Borough of Greencastle -ADA Curb Ramp/Sidewalk project:$286,103
○WCHS -Nursing Program:In-home medical care of Senior Citizens:$10,845
●The CDBG program is continuing to move forward with FY 2021 projects having cleared all
required Environmental Reviews.The WCHS -Nursing Program is open and moving forward.
CONTACT Helpline has expended all of its available funding serving 1,464 individuals.The
Borough of Greencastle is processing modifications to its project,which will then move forward
following revision and approval.DCED awarded a total allocation of $128,000 (excluding admin
fee)for the following projects:
○Borough of Greencastle –ADA Curb Ramp project:$110,000
○WCHS –Nursing Program:$9,000
○CONTACT Helpline:$9,000
●General updates on other CDBG program years:
○FY 2019 and 2020 Projects:
■Quincy Township Projects:Due to the available timeline to expend the funds,a
modification was submitted to DCED reallocating to further expand ADA
accessibility in the Borough of Greencastle.
Comprehensive Plan
Imagine Franklin 2035 was adopted by the Franklin County Commissioners on September 27,2023.The
plan is now available in a web format at compplan.franklincountypa.gov.The department is working on
creating tracking mechanisms to ensure progress is being made toward the goals outlined in the plan.
Mosquito and Tick-Borne Disease Control Program
●Mosquitoes:
○The 2024 grant has been approved and we are gearing up for another mosquito season.
Annetta is returning for another season and we are in the process of hiring an additional
technician.
●Ticks:
○A minimum collection of 50 ticks at two locations for the fall/winter/spring has been
completed for Bedford,Fulton,and Huntingdon counties.Tick collection continues for
Franklin County.We are roughly ¼of the way there.
Transportation
●2024-2025 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP):The UPWP is receiving a single year update.
This program outlines the work that staff will be performing with Federal and State planning
funds.A draft of the UPWP is available for review and comment online through February 14th.
●2025-2028 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)Development:Draft TIP development is
still underway.Projects have been submitted to PennDOT and a narrative is under development.
The draft program is anticipated to be released for public comment in the Spring.
●I-81 Prioritization:A study with projects in a prioritized listing was presented and accepted by
the MPO.Staff is continuing to work with PennDOT and the policy board to advance the needed
improvements along this key piece of infrastructure.
●Washington/Waynesboro Bike/Ped Connector:Two alternatives were developed and presented
in the final plan.The plan was provided to Washington Township to move the project forward as
they are able.
●County Bridge Projects:The Bridge 26 and 63 replacement project has been awarded and
construction may proceed.These projects are expected to be completed during the 2024
construction season.Administrative tasks for bridge replacement projects on bridges 130 and
131,which are funded through the MPOs TIP,have begun.Agreements are awaiting PennDOT
approval and preliminary engineering will begin once the necessary signatures are obtained.An
updated Capital Improvement Plan is anticipated in the coming weeks,and will outline upcoming
anticipated needs for additional replacements or maintenance work.