EMBRACE MILLCREEK:
THE TOWNSHIP’S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN CELEBRATES FIRST ANNIVERSARY
T
his August marks the first
anniversary of the adoption
of the Embrace Millcreek
comprehensive plan. The Board
of Supervisors and Township staff
have been hard at work using
Embrace Millcreek’s action plan as
a guide.
Embrace Millcreek was
organized around five Focus Areas that were derived from
extensive public input, stakeholder interviews and analysis of
existing conditions and trends. The focus areas are:
1. Create a Distinctive and High Quality Gateway District to
Presque Isle
2. Strengthening Neighborhood Investment
3. Position Commercial Corridors for Adaptation and
Redevelopment
4. Support Business Development
5. Promote Strong and Sustainable Stewardship of Township
Infrastructure.
Each focus area contained action items to meet the plan’s
goals. These were compiled into an action plan titled
18
MILLCREEK
Activating Embrace Millcreek and the Township has been putting
it to good use.
In fact, Embrace Millcreek spurred changes before a single
draft of the plan was even written. Instead of waiting for the
plan to be published, the Board took action on resident’s
concerns based on feedback provided early-on during Embrace
Millcreek surveys and neighborhood meetings.
Mentioned often in the surveys and public meetings was
the state of Millcreek’s physical assets, especially roadways. In
2017 a procedure was developed to systematically grade every
segment of the 271 miles of pavement that the Township is
responsible for. Compiling this data enables the Board and the
Department of Public Works to make informed, data-driven
decisions on where focus repaving efforts. Beginning with the
2019 budget, the Supervisors allocated more capital money to
street paving. An additional capital commitment of $500,000
has been added to the Liquid Fuels Tax funds that are received
from the Commonwealth for roadway maintenance. The
Township has also secured $466,000 in Federal Transportation
Funds to pave major arteries in Millcreek.
Numerous other changes to policies, procedures, and
organization have been implemented to provide better service