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HomeMy WebLinkAbout4_PC Staff ReportFranklin County Planning Department Updates Franklin County Planning Commission Thursday, February 2nd, 2023 Addressing With Rochelle’s departure, addressing responsibilities have been split between Planning and GIS, with Sarah in GIS taking much of the assignment work. Staff still has a number of municipalities that are considering local adoption of the policy with Greene Township recently deciding to maintain addressing themselves. As 2023 continues, staff will review the addressing policy as needed and continue coordination with the municipalities. Agricultural Preservation The program currently has 149 preserved farms totaling 18,719 acres. 2021 Farms -preparing to encumber funds and go to State Board early 2023 ●Fred & Doreen Rice ●Brian & Michelle Brechbill ●Jay Shelly ●Donald & Denise Martin 2022 Farms ●Brechbill, Brian & Michelle (142 acres) at survey ●Diehl, Wayne & Jackie (54 acres) at survey ●Hershberger, Daniel & Amy (114 acres) at survey ●Lesher, Thomas & Heather (80 acres) appraisal received and offer letter sent ●Martin, Donald & Denise (50 acres) offer letter received back and ready for survey ●McKenrick, Rodney & Bonnie (114 acres) offer letter received back and ready for survey ●Miller, Doug & Connie (63 acres) at survey ●Peckman, Dennis & Barbara (75 acres) survey received and ready to go to title ●Schnebly, John & Pamela (140 acres) at survey ●Snyder, Vaughn (105 acres) at survey ●Witter, Paul (70 acres) at survey 2023 New Applications for Ag Preservation Program -applications submitted,not ranked ●Arlin and Lois Hege - Southampton Township - 100 acres ●John Gingrich - Peters Township - 119 acres ●Lemar Road LLC - Peters Township - 220 acres Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) 1.The FY 2022 CDBG application was submitted on 10/27/2022 to DCED. Allocated funds are expected to be announced in Spring 2023. Pending the approval of funding, the expected total amount allocated by DCED is $362,131.00. Three projects were applied for including the following: ○Borough of Greencastle - ADA Curb Ramp/Sidewalk project:$224,153.00 ○WCHS - Nursing Program: In-home medical care of Senior Citizens:$10,845.00 ○Franklin County Courthouse - ADA renovations for equitable services:$61,949.42 2.The CDBG program is continuing to move forward with FY 2021 projects. All projects are pending review of Subrecipient Agreements and have cleared Environmental Reviews. DCED awarded a total allocation of $128,000 (excluding admin fee)for the following projects: ○Borough of Greencastle – ADA Curb Ramp project:$110,000.00 ○WCHS – Nursing Program:$9,000.00 ○CONTACT Helpline:$9,000.00 3.General updates on other CDBG program years: ○2020 CDBG-CV ■Franklin County Senior Centers:All picnic tables/benches have been approved and delivered.AED purchases have also been approved but are delayed due to backorder.The contract was extended through 5/31/2023 to accommodate this delay. The image below is one item that was purchased for the Senior Centers. ■SCCAP and WCHS projects: Both projects have been completed.However, contracts remain open through 5/31/2023 due to the Senior Center extension. ○FY 2018, 2019, 2020 ■Quincy Township Projects:Franklin County Planning Department,Quincy Township,and Keller Engineering have been in consistent contact regarding each fiscal year’s funding and project details.FY 2018 funds are in the process of being surrendered to DCED.The current service area does not meet required income criteria and due to remaining time,funds or supplemental projects are not feasible.FY 2019 projects are pending upon results of a new demographic survey for the related service area.Project implementation will be determined following the survey results.FY 2020 funding remains for the approved project with previously met income criteria.Project implementation is expected to move forward following the completion of the FY 2019 project. ■CONTACT Helpline - FY 2020 - $9,300 ●Updated client tracker and invoices have been received and approved. Nearly half of the approved funding has been spent to date.The Planning Department is awaiting the next invoice with backup documentation. ○FY 2017 - Borough of Greencastle - Jefferson Street ■The project was completed in August 2022,prior to the 9/31/2022 deadline. The contract is now closed. The images below are of the finished project. ○FY 2016 - Borough of Greencastle - ADA Curb Ramps ■Construction has been completed and approved by the Borough of Greencastle and Franklin County.Closeout procedures are underway as the project was finalized prior to the extended deadline of 8/31/2023.The image below is of the finished project. Comprehensive Plan The Comprehensive Plan update process “Imagine Franklin 2035” has continued over the last few months. The public engagement phase of the project has been completed and the consultant team is working on drafting the plan. The “Franklin County Today Data Findings” can be viewed here. This information is posted on the webpage and was shared during the public open houses that were held this fall across the County. The data collected and analyzed covered a range of topic areas including: people, housing, income and employment, land use, and transportation trends. The analysis also included public input findings: Housing HOME Grant - Waynesboro ●The homes have been completed at the site on 2nd Street in Waynesboro. A ribbon cutting event was held on Friday, January 13, 2023. One of the homes is in the process of being purchased. Staff is working on closing out the project from an administrative side. Mosquito and Tick-Borne Disease Control Program ●2023 Grant:The 2023 grant has been secured with a total of $202,564.05. Most of these funds go towards salaries and day to day operations. Highlights for this year are funds for a new truck and $15.00 per hour for our summer tech positions. ●Shippensburg University Internships with the Summer Tech Positions:The Franklin County Planning Office is working with the Biology Department at Shippensburg University to implement an internship program for the summer tech positions. We believe the combination of the internship and the increased pay of $15.00 per hour will make the positions competitive and worthwhile for college students. ●Asian Tiger Mosquitoes:In 2022 the Franklin County Mosquito Surveillance Team found Asian Tiger Mosquitoes in Bedford, Huntingdon, and Fulton Counties. This is significant as this is the first time this species of mosquito has been found in these counties. ●Tire Recycling Program:The Franklin County Recycling program is planned for April, 14. The program offers a low cost opportunity for residents to dispose of unwanted used tires. It also eliminates mosquito breeding habitat. Transportation ●Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP):The draft LRTP was released for public comment Nov. 21st through Dec. 21st. Comments are currently being reviewed and edits made to reflect the public’s input. The updated document will be reviewed by the Federal Highway Administration and PennDOT to determine the need for further public comment based on the changes adopted. The current target for final adoption is April 6, 2023. ●2023-2026 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP):The 2023-2026 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) was approved by the State and Federal transportation departments. Amendments and modifications are underway for project cost increases and delays. The MPO’s Policy Board is set to review these most recent changes at their February 16th meeting. ●U.S. Bike Route 11 Study:The MPO Policy Board accepted and recommended the results of the study be used in a coordinated effort with PennDOT to designate USBR 11. Staff have been in contact with PennDOT to forward all of the pieces from the study that are necessary to advance route designation. PennDOT has also requested final meetings with each of the municipalities along the route. All but one such meeting have taken place. ●I-81 Prioritization:Staff has provided comments to Michael Baker, the MPO’s consultant, on the draft scope of work for this anticipated effort. Staff are also in the early stages of coordinating with PennDOT to ensure the project fits within the current work program, with the goal of kicking off this effort as soon as possible. ●County Bridge Projects:Bridges 26 and 63 are currently under contract for replacement. Preconstruction activities should be complete by this summer.