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LOCK HAVEN -- The Clinton County Planning Commission held its reorganizationl meeting this week, and voted unanimously to maintain the same slate of officers for 2017.
The Clinton County Planning Commission also used the occasion to distribute its annual report for 2016 to board members.
Terry Murty will again hold the position of chairman, and Wayne Township Supervisor Dave Calhoun was again named vice chairman. Larry Sheats was chosen to be secretary.
In early 2013, long-time chairman Charles Sweeney retired and Murty was elected to take his place. He has held the post yearly since Sweeney stepped down.
The monthly meetings will be held according to the already established schedule -- the third Tuesday of the month, at 7 p.m. in the commissioners' meeting room of the Garden Building, unless otherwise announced by public notice.
In his annual message, Planning Director Tim Holladay noted that 2016 brought about a newly revised rewrite of the county's zoning ordinance, replacing the former 1994 document after an 18-month effort.
The new ordinance covers seven municipalities, including Colebrook, East Keating, Gallagher, Grugan, Logan, Noyes and West Keating townships.
Holladay said the shale gas industry continued in idling mode in 2016. Employment in the Marcellus natural gas exploration and drilling industry fell considerably. The Baker Hughes facility in Lamar Township Business Park closed. Several more wells were drilled in Gallagher Township to supply a compressor station built in 2015.
On the brighter side, First Quality formally announced it will construct a third paper machine at the Castanea Township facilities. Final planning is underway and construction has begun on a $3 million PennDOT multi-modal grant to SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority to improve truck access and rail service to the paper making complex.
REGIONAL PLANNING
Holladay said he noticed a new emphasis on regional planning that awarded western Clinton County with a series of 2015 grant awards that laid the groundwork for several large infrastructure and community enhancement projects that got underway in 2016.
Renovo's $4 million Pennvest-funded water main Streetscape project for Ontario Avenue and the $200,000 grant from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for river front improvement will begin in 2017. Renovo Borough officials also received word in December 2016 of a PennDOT Multi-Modal grant award of $370,000 toward a $530,000 borough-wide curb and sidewalk renovation project.
Regional planning is also paying off for South Renovo and Chapman Township, Holladay said. Those municipalities are in talks with the Renovo Borough Water Authority to combine administration of the three water systems into one authority and renovate portions via another Pennvest request.
Pointing to another major initiative as evidence of a pivotal year in western Clinton County, Holladay said the planning commission granted conditional approval in November to the Renovo Energy Center project. Groundbreaking is planned for fall of 2017 on the major power plant construction project.
LAND DEVELOPMENT
In 2016, there were 47 subdivision plans reviewed or approved by the commission, including commercial developments for Renovo Energy Center, an expansion of the Sugar Valley Charter School, an expansion of Nicholas Meat Packing, a seasonal development on Chatham Run in Gallagher Township and a building addition for the East Nittany Valley Municipal Authority.
During 2016, the planning department staff issued 32 building permits representing improvement value of $1,072,405. Larger projects included a communications tower, large hunting lodge, and barns for poultry and cattle operations.
ZONING UPDATE
The update of the county zoning ordinance began in 2015 and was finished up in 2016, and then adopted Aug. 25. The effort attempted to cover the county's specifically named seven municipalities with uniform regulations to serve as a template for other communities. The commission also reviewed numerous comprehensive flood plain ordinances as part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's update of mapping for continued eligibility for the National Flood Plain Insurance Protection Program.
TOURISM
The county received 18 requests amounting to $56,915 for the $23,000 available for 2016. The money will be, or would be, used for electrical work on the Western Clinton County Recreational Authority's youth center, events for Downtown Lock Haven Inc., Spring plantings for the Dogwood Circle Garden Club, funds for the Flaming Foliage Festival, and a number of other recreational efforts.
PARKS AND TRAILS
The effort to move ahead on the county Rail to Trail project concentrated on Department of Environmental Protection permits required for streams washout repair, landslide removal and remediation of trail obstacles. Split-rail fences were place against the possibility of falls, security gates were placed and PennDOT and PPL access areas were designated.
In Wayne Township, 1,000 tons of topsoil were applied, and sewer, water and electrical lines were installed for the new field. Surveys were made for the location of the press box and restroom. A pathway was established for a Rail-Trail connection and 160 tons of stone were moved from the field to locations along the trail.
In South Renovo, designs were made and permits were obtained for a new pavilion at the South Renovo Senior Center.
A number of Act 13 recreation projects were also moved forward in Castanea and Wayne townships.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Holladay noted that a number of affordable housing activities were begun under a number of initiatives, including a project to build a 32-unit affordable senior housing project, Susquehannock Heights, in Flemington. There were owner-occupied home rehabilitations, and 30 added re-hab efforts are designated for Castanea and Pine Creek townships.
Homelessness grants were successfully sought and administered, including the conversion of a garage to a four-bed overnight sleep shelter.
WATER QUALITY
A competitive Commonwealth Financing Authority grant for $247,912 was awarded to Clinton County for a study in partnership with the U.S Geological Survey, to establish a baseline for water quality in the county. The Clinton County Conservation District and USGA will coordinate the sampling of 62 wells in the county to create a report on the health and safety of non-public drinking water sources.