IN Millcreek Fall 2016 | Page 12

Photo by Mark Dietz
Photo by Matt Mead
Planning Commission Members : Back Row Left to Right : Timothy Nageli , David Skellie , Scott Stewart , Peter Kubeja Front Row Left to Right : John Pulice , Eugene Strohmeyer ( Chairman ), Doug Prozan Not shown : Linda McCabe ( Alternate )

EMBRACE MILLCREEK :

A COMMUNITY PLAN FOR OUR FUTURE illcreek

MILLCREEK TOWNSHIP

What do you picture Millcreek to be like in 20 years ? Is it a place you ’ d want to live ? A place you think your children and grand children will still call home ? If so , why ? What will Millcreek have that will make it worth calling home ; that will make it a community that the next generations choose to invest in ? And if not , how do we change that ? What challenges do we have to face ? What problems do we have to solve to make sure Millcreek is the community of choice for our children and grandchildren , for entrepreneurs and innovators , and for new industries and businesses ?

These are all questions that we , as a community , need to answer to ensure a successful future for our Township . Finding those answers is the goal of Embrace Millcreek , a community engagement and planning initiative being kicked off this month by our Millcreek Township Planning Commission .
What is Embrace Millcreek ?
Technically , Embrace Millcreek , will be the township ’ s new “ Municipal Comprehensive Plan ” ( or Comp Plan , for short ). Comp Plans are documents authorized by the State ’ s “ Municipalities Planning Code ” that are designed to guide the development of a municipality . Traditionally , these documents
10 Millcreek
are top down encyclopedias of data , facts , and figures created by consultants that do a great job of collecting dust on shelves but don ’ t have a very good track record of building great places to live .
However , our Millcreek Township Planning Commission is challenging the Board of Supervisors and staff here in the Municipal Building to try something a little different this time around : ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY . Instead of just being a plan on a shelf , Embrace Millcreek is going to be an ongoing public outreach and engagement initiative committed to improving communication with residents , promoting Millcreek ’ s assets , and bringing folks together to create a community vision for what we want Millcreek to be and how we can make it happen .
The goal is for all of us to Embrace the great things Millcreek has to offer and build on them , and to Embrace the change necessary to take on the challenges we face to help our township reach its full potential .
Who is responsible for Embrace Millcreek ?
Our Millcreek Township Planning Commission will be the guiding committee for Embrace Millcreek . The Planning Commission is made up of seven citizens ( plus one alternate )