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2012 Sustainable Communities Update
Dear friends and colleagues: In 2010, HUD established the Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities to help advance sustainability within HUD’s programs and to strengthen our engagement with other federal agencies through the Partnership for Sustainable Communities to better coordinate federal programs and policies to create more housing opportunities, increase transportation choices, strengthen economic development, and support existing and inclusive communities. > More
Stronger Economies Together Building New Economic Opportunities
Overview Stronger Economies Together (SET), an exciting collaboration launched in 2010 by USDA Rural Development along with the nation’s Regional Rural Development Centers (RRDCs) and their land-grant university partners, enables communities and counties in rural America to work together on a multi-county regional basis to develop an economic development blueprint that strategically builds on the current and emerging economic strengths of their region. > More
New Year Update from HUD's Sustainable Communities Initiative
Happy New Year! Since joining together in 2009, the Partnership for Sustainable Communities between HUD, DOT and EPA has worked to provide communities with faster, more streamlined access to Partnership programs and support communities adopting and implementing livability principles. The result has been a growing number of new partnerships between planners, elected officials, transportation and housing professionals, community and environmental advocates, and business leaders resulting in innovative, inclusive and integrated approaches tailored to each communities’ vision for expa > More
Greensburg Tribune Review New Year's takes
Tuesday, December 27, 2011 --> An informational innovation : Rather than rely on staid mailings to keep Latrobe residents in the loop on local happenings, City Manager Alex Graziani has started a video blog, which he expects to produce monthly at latrobetv.com. The technology is readily available, so why not use it? Time will tell if residents are more receptive to the videos than to traditional city correspondence, which more often than not might end up in the circular file with the junk mail. > More
The Best CityReads of 2011
From Braddock, Pennsylvania to Beijing, Nate Berg offers his favorite articles about cities published in 2011. The Atlantic CITIES Year in Review by Nate Berg Dec 21, 2011 Excerpt from Panetizen -- http://www.planetizen.com/node/53263 "...Berg notes that while no single article can capture the essence of all cities, these articles find the representative facets "of cities and use them to explain the current state of various cities, and urbanization as a whole." The engaging articles include in-depth reporting about Detroit, Braddock (PA), New York, Beijing, Seattle, Brooklyn, Shanghai, a > More
Mayor of Rust
Gillian Laub for The New York Times John Fetterman, mayor of Braddock. By SUE HALPERN Published: February 11, 2011 At the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado last July, John Fetterman, the mayor of Braddock, a small Pennsylvania town 10 miles upriver from Pittsburgh, was introduced by Dana Gioia , former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts , as a man who demonstrates “how ideas can change the world.” It was four days into the weeklong festival, and Fetterman, a 41-year-old, 6-foot-8 white man with a shaved head, a fibrous black beard and tattoos up one arm and down the oth > More
StateImpact Unveils New Marcellus Shale App
It’s the basic question everyone wants to know about Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale boom, and it’s something StateImpact’s new interactive app will help answer. See -- http:// stateimpact .npr.org/pennsylvania/drilling/ Reprinted from AgSci IT eNews 184, December 22, 2 011 Vince Verbeke, Ag IT Consultant College of Agricultural Sciences The Pennsylvania State University 401 Ag Administration Building University Park, PA 16802 814-863-3449 vcv1@psu.edu eNews is the bi-weekly IT newsletter for the College of A > More
Delmont on cusp of having grocery store again
By Daveen Rae Kurutz , MURRYSVILLE STAR Friday, December 16, 2011 --> Nearly a year after the borough’s only grocer shut its doors, Delmont could have a new grocery store. Doug Hayes, a Washington Township-grocer, is in the final stages of negotiations to open a Foodland in the old Shop ’n Save building along Athena Drive as early as next month. Hayes, whose family has operated a Foodland for more than 25 years, would lease the building for one year from the Spagnolo family, which owns the building. > More
Local Officials Slam Impact Fee’s Zoning Restrictions
Township and borough managers, council members and supervisors are pushing back against Republican leaders who want to limit local governments’ ability to zone natural gas drilling. Two impact fees in front of state lawmakers would place firm guidelines on what municipalities can and can’t regulate, when it comes to Marcellus Shale activity. > More
As Gas Drilling Spreads, Towns Stand Ground Over Control
By SABRINA TAVERNISE Published: December 14, 2011 SOUTH FAYETTE, Pa. -- As energy companies move to drill in densely populated areas from Pennsylvania to Texas, battles are breaking out over who will have the final say in managing the shale gas boom. The fight, which pits towns and cities against energy companies and states eager for growth, has raised a fundamental question about the role of local government: How much authority should communities have over the use of their land? > More
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Community Conservation Partnerships Program Grants Announcement
12/14/11 Regional/Statewide Partnership Projects Allegheny Ridge Corporation, $250,000 to provide support to partner organizations, develop outreach and communication related to heritage initiatives and programs, facilitate Huntingdon and Hollidaysburg Preserve America initiatives, and implement Heart of Alleghenies Artisan Trail for 2012 and 2013. Facilitate Main Line Canal Greenway development to include providing technical assistance for the development of the Lower Trail Gap and the Portage to Martindale section; provide support for the Greenway Alliance, and conduct 2012 mini-grant progra > More
Municipal officials decry state control of shale drilling
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 By Janice Crompton, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Representatives from more than 44 municipalities in seven counties met Tuesday night in Green Tree for a first-of-its-kind Marcellus Shale town hall meeting to address legislation that is pending in the state House and Senate. Their message to lawmakers? Don’t take away our local control. "We want to send a clear, unified message to Harrisburg that we are opposed to any language that would pre-empt municipalities," said Richard Ward, manager of Robinson, Washington County. > More
Municipal leaders gather in protest of state drilling regulation
By Timothy Puko , PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW Wednesday, December 14, 2011 More than 100 people attended a meeting on Tuesday night designed to draw attention to pending legislation in Harrisburg that municipal officials say will undercut their rights to control gas drilling. Officials from Peters, Cecil, South Fayette and several other communities led the meeting in Green Tree and said municipalities should have the right to determine their own character and what place the drilling industry has there. > More
Televised airing of last night's town hall meeting in Greentree.
The taping of last night’s HB1950/SB1100 Town Hall meeting in Greentree will air tonight on PCN ("C-SPAN for PA") at 830pm. http://pcntv.com/ (Check your cable company for the channel). According to PCN: “ It will be scheduled to air tonight at 8:30pm. Now it could get bumped if either the House or Senate run late today. As you know it is their last session before holiday break so they tend to run late. As long as either chamber is not in session it will air at 8:30pm. > More
Webinar to Look at the Impacts of Marcellus Gas Development on Forestland
Posted: December 11, 2011 A Web-based seminar sponsored by Penn State Extension and the College of Agricultural Sciences will examine how Marcellus Shale natural-gas development is affecting forestland in Pennsylvania. The 75-minute webinar will begin at 1 p.m. on Dec. 15. Presenters will be Ellen Shultzabarger, chief of the Forest Resources Planning Section of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and Tony Quadro, forester and assistant district manager for the Westmoreland County Conservation District. > More
Region records population gain for 2nd year in a row
Saturday, December 10, 2011 By Gary Rotstein, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette For most of the span since the end of World War II, more people have been leaving the Pittsburgh region than flocking to it. For the second year in a row, that trend has been halted. The relative health of the local economy appears to be a motivator for retaining existing Pittsburghers and creating new ones. The seven-county metropolitan region attracted 1,430 more people than the number who left it between 2009 and 2010, based on new Internal Revenue Service migration data, according to a report by Christopher Briem, a regi > More
11th annual SWPA Smart Growth Conference: “Smart Growth is Smart Business”
One week left to register for the 11 th annual SWPA Smart Growth Conference: “Smart Growth is Smart Business” Why is smart growth essential to protecting and enhancing your business investments? Come be part of determining your business’s success by engaging in how the region can invest in new patterns of growth to promote economic competitiveness, environmental health, and social equity. The 12/13/11 Smart Growth Conference is an invitation to explore and influence regional strategi > More
ATTENTION: ALL PEOPLE WHO PARK IN DOWNTOWN LATROBE
Starting December 1st, it will be easier to find a parking space when you come to downtown Latrobe! The City of Latrobe, in association with Veteran’s Cab Company, the Latrobe Community Revitalization Program, the Latrobe Area Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Latrobe School District, and Business and Community sponsors, are launching a shuttle service from Memorial Stadium. > More
Pennsylvania's use of natural gas for power generation has grown rapidly
Posted: December 4, 2011 The US Energy Information Administration reports the use of natural gas to generate electricity has steadily been increasing. The amount of natural gas-fired electric generation in Pennsylvania has increased steadily in the past decade, with annual electricity generation from natural gas increasing more than tenfold between 2001 and 2010. By 2007, a single month (August) of electricity generation from natural gas topped the 2001 annual total (see monthly chart above). > More
Ardmore Initiative’s Local Currency Program Highlighted in Main Street News
[Exerpted and revised from the PDC eNews ] Kudos to the Ardmore Initiative for its recent highlight in Main Street Weekly for the program’s innovative development of a Downtown Dollars program. This local currency/stimulus program successfully helped its downtown businesses get the very shot in the arm needed to compete with area big box stores in 2010. Luckily, the Ardmore Initiative has since created a useful and inspiring how-to primer to help other communities create similar programs. > More
State proposal would supersede communities' Marcellus regulations
If some state legislators have their way, the 16 months that Murrysville officials and residents spent debating and researching Marcellus shale extraction will have been a big waste of time. A proposal under consideration by the state Legislature would set statewide regulations on Marcellus shale drilling and allow county officials to set impact fees on the wells. Those regulations would supersede the work of community officials -- such those in Murrysville -- who have adopted zoning regulations for deep-well gas drilling. See link below for more -- http://www.yourmurrysville.c > More
Power of 32 at 7:30pm on WQED TV
Dear Friends of the Power of 32, Our new website is live! Please go to www.powerof32.org and begin using our NEW interactive tools to share your thoughts on our Regional Agenda, and learn about the 14 goals we are actively pursuing to build a stronger 32-county region and better quality of life for all. Also, mark your calendars for tomorrow’s third installment on the Power of 32 at 7:30pm on WQED TV, followed by our region-wide, live and interactive Town Hall meeting at 8:00pm (also on WQED TV, or via streaming video at www.wqed.org/p32 ) > More
Webinar to look at natural gas development's effect on agriculture
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 Gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale formation is having an effect on agriculture in Pennsylvania. UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- A Web-based seminar sponsored by Penn State Extension will examine how Marcellus Shale natural-gas development is affecting agriculture in Pennsylvania. The 75-minute webinar will be held at 1 p.m. on Nov. 10. Presenters will be Gary Sheppard and Mark Madden, extension educators based in Westmoreland and Sullivan counties, respectively, who have extensive experience dealing with Marcellus Shale natural-gas drilling impacts on agriculture in their r > More
Community Strength and Economic Challenge: Civic Attitudes and Community Involvement in Rural America -- New Report from the Carsey Institute
Residents in rural areas that are rich in amenities report a positive outlook about their community strength and civic engagement, with nine out of ten saying they would work together to solve a community problem. However, residents in chronically poor rural communities are less likely to trust, get along with, and help their neighbors. Michele Dillon, professor of sociology at UNH and faculty advisor at the Carsey Institute, and Justin R. > More
Three Southwest PA Projects Receive Prestigious Commonwealth Awards for Sustainable Development
Pittsburgh - Three development projects that are revitalizing Southwestern Pennsylvania communities, spurring economic development, catalyzing private investment, and serving as models of sustainable development received Commonwealth Awards at 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania’s recent annual awards event. 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, the state’s leading Smart Growth advocacy organization, honored these three projects in the region, as well as 16 others from across the state, with it prestigious awards this year. > More
Small community of South Fayette focus of big Marcellus Shale controversy
Sunday, October 23, 2011 By Erich Schwartzel and Andrea Iglar, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette South Fayette is one of dozens of Pennsylvania communities to regulate gas drilling, but one of only two being sued by Range Resources for doing so. It’s a dispute that has turned South Fayette into an unlikely test case for drilling regulations across the Marcellus Shale region -- and has thrust an issue of national resonance into the realm of small-town politics. > More
Murrysville residents pack Marcellus Shale meeting
Wednesday, October 20, 2010 By David Whipkey Murrysville residents made their voices heard regarding pending deep-well natural gas drilling into the Marcellus Shale during the planning commission’s public hearing. Residents packed council chambers Tuesday evening to address the commission about a recently drafted ordinance meant to protect community interests when drilling into the gas-rich Marcellus Shale. > More
Renewable Energy Academy
Renewable Energy Academy is a series of three hour programs that cover a variety of topics on the subject of renewable and alternative energy technology. Participants will learn about the opportunities to curtail the use of traditional fossil fueled source electricity by utilizing technologies such as solar, wind, geothermal, small scale hydro, bio-mass and bio-gas. Installation, operation, regulatory, system economics of various technologies will be explored. > More
Penn State Extension Natural Gas Education Resources
Marcellus shale has the potential to affect many parts of Pennsylvania. Since 2001, Penn State Extension has been actively helping citizens, landowners, businesses, local governments, and others understand the opportunities and challenges arising from Marcellus shale. Let us help you, too. See http://extension.psu.edu/naturalgas for web-based reources. See http://extension.psu.edu/naturalgas/news for the latest news. > More
Co-ops: A Vital Source of Rural Jobs
By Dallas Tonsager, Under Secretary USDA Rural Development It’s hard to live in rural America without being touched almost daily in some way by cooperatives. Farmers and ranchers across the nation use co-ops to process and market their crops and livestock and to provide them with essential production supplies and services. Electric and telecommunications utility cooperatives supply rural America with a reliable, affordable source of energy and communications technology, including phone and Internet services. > More
Marcellus shale gas boom brings jobs, but how many?
By Timothy Puko , PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW Tuesday, August 30, 2011 A lot of people aren’t spending the money they make on shale drilling, and a lot are taking their money out of state, according to a study released on Monday, which means Pennsylvania may have reaped half as many new jobs as researchers originally projected in 2009. Marcellus shale drilling created about 23,500 jobs in the state that year, according to a research team under the leadership of a Penn State economist with funding from the state Department of Community and Economic Development. > More
Think ahead on drilling issues, Allegheny Township residents advised
By Liz Hayes , VALLEY NEWS DISPATCH Thursday, August 25, 2011 Allegheny Township residents on Wednesday were advised to consider the immediate and long-term benefits and problems associated with Marcellus shale natural gas extraction. Jon Laughner and John Turack from Penn State’s cooperative extension offices attended the monthly Allegheny Township Senior Discussion Group to present an overview on economic, environmental and municipal issues relating to drilling. > More
New webinar series to focus on business opportunities related to Marcellus gas
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- A series of web-based seminars aimed at helping local businesses prosper from natural-gas drilling and development will be offered this fall by Penn State Extension’s Marcellus Educational Consortium. "Your Business and Marcellus Shale: Moving Forward 2011" is a five-part program intended to help local businesses understand and take advantage of the opportunities arising from development of the Marcellus Shale. > More
Smart Growth Partnership Thanks Executive Director Graziani for 10 Years of Service
The Smart Growth Partnership of Westmoreland County (SGPWC) acknowledged the departure of Executive Director Alex Graziani who has recently been named as the City Manager for the City of Latrobe. Graziani took the helm in 2001 as the first Executive Director of the Smart Growth Partnership. “On behalf of the entire board of directors, I would like to thank Alex for his dedicated service to furthering the goals of smart growth in Westmoreland County,” said Allen Kukovich, Board Chairman. > More
New city manager for Latrobe
By Marie McCandless, Latrobe Bulletin News Editor Tuesday, August 9, 2011 Alex Graziani has spent 10 years promoting the principles of smart growth - such as encouraging community and stakeholder collaboration in development decisions - and now he will get the chance to put them into practice. Graziani, 40, was hired Monday as the new city manager for Latrobe. Deputy Mayor Ken Baldonieri said, “The enthusiasm and energy Alex Graziani brings to the job will have a positive effect on all the citizens of Latrobe.” “I am honored to have the confidence of the mayor and counc > More
East newsmaker you should know: Perseverance paid off for Westmoreland planner
Thursday, July 14, 2011 By Debra Duncan After 39 years as Westmoreland County’s top economic development planner, Larry J. Larese will hang up his hat tomorrow. That’s officially -- he still has a few ongoing projects on which he will consult, just to make sure they are completed, Mr. Larese said. At 63, he reflects on a job he has loved since being appointed the youngest county planning director in the state at age 24. > More
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