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COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR

EAST MEAD TOWlVSHIP CRAWFORD COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

J u n e 1 9 8 3

EAST MEAD TOWNSHIP PLANNING COMMISSION

R I T A SABRUNOr CHAIRLADY CAROL D E I S S , SECRETARY RUTH ANN GOODMAN SUSAN E . KERR SCOTT MCNAMARA JOHN PAGE GARY R. THEURET

S P E C I A L COMMITTEE ON THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

WIUIAM SMITH MARGARET SMITH

BOARD OF TOWNSHIP SUPERVISORS

GARY R. TH'EURET, CHAIRMAN CAROL LEE PARKS, SECRETARY WILLIS L. FOULK

T h i s plan w a s prepared w i t h t h e assistance of t h e staff of t h e C r a w f o r d C o u n t y Planning C o m m i s s i o n through a State Plan- ning A s s i s t a n c e G r a n t provided by the Pennsylvania D e p a r t m e n t

of C o m m u n i t y A f f a i r s .

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~I

E A S T MEAD T O W N S H I P PLANNING COMM1,SSION _ _ CRAWFORD C O U N T Y , P E N N S Y L V A N I A

June 1983

G a r y R. Theuret W i l l i s L. Foulk Carol Lee Parks

E a s t Mead Township Supervisors

W e are pleased t o submit f o r your review and act ion t h i s Comprehensive Plan fo r our township. E s p e c i a l l y useful background information including a series of maps i s provided i n t h i s plan and f o r the township f i les . A special e f f o r t has been made t o i s o l a t e object ives , po l ic ies and ac t ion or iented pro jec ts , a l l of which w e urge you t o consider care- f u l l y . The next step is fo r a t least one public hearing t o be held explaining the plan. adopt t h i s plan so t h a t it w i l l be an o f f i c i a l guide f o r township development. W e thank you f o r supporting us i n t h i s undertaking and f o r t he representat ion you gave a t our monthly meetings.

W e hope following the public hearing you w i l l resalve t o

Sincerely ,

Rika Sabruno, Chairlady

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND INFORMATION E a s t Mead Township's P a s t The Existing U s e Of Land Charac te r i s t ics O f The Land

The Shape Of The Land S u i t a b i l i t y Of Land For Agriculture Su i t ab i l i t y Of Soi ls For On-Lot Sewage Systems Sand And Gravel Poten t ia l Lands Subject To Flooding

Municipal Government Township Property And Equipment F i r e Protect ion Police Protection Ambulance Service Health Care And Other H u m a n Services Library Service Recreation And Parks Refuse Collection U t i l i t i e s Public Schools -

Class i f ica t ion Of Roads S ta t e Versus Township Roads Average Daily Traf f ic Gravel Versus Paved Roads Road Right-of-way Highway Related Problems

Community F a c i l i t i e s And Services

The Highway Network

- Housing I n E a s t Mead Township Socioeconomic Charac te r i s t ics

The Labor Force And Its Character is t ics Income Data Educational And Other Charac te r i s t ics

The Scale And Type Of Expenditures Sources Of Township Revenue Property Taxes I n The Township Sources Of Additional Revenue

Population Forecast The Forecast Population Distr ibut ion By Age And Sex

The Township's F isca l Affairs

Issues To B e Addressed

111. EAST MEAD TOWNSHIP COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Preliminary Remarks Development Objectives Land U s e Plan, Pol ic ies And Projects Highways Plan, Policies And Projects Community Faci l i t ies And Other Policies And Projects

Township Property .

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2 2 5 8 8 8

10. 11 11 15 15 15 1 7 5-7 18 1 8 1 9 19 19 20 20 2 1 2 1 22 22 26 26 26 28 29 29 3 1 32 34 34 34 35 36 38 38 39 4 1

45 45 46 47 50 54 54

MAP 1.

MAP 2.

MAP 3.

MAP 4.

MAP 5.

MAP 6.

MAP 7.

MAP 8.

MAP 9.

MAP 10.

TABLE 1.

TABLE 2 .

TABLE 3.

TABLE 4.

TABLE 5.

TABLE 6.

TABU 7.

TABLE 8.

TABLF: 9.

TABLE 10.

TABLE 11.

TABLE 12.

CHART 1.

Handling O f Solid Waste Housing Rehabi l i ta t ion Ident i f ica t ion O f Historic Si tes Economic Development

U s e O f This P l a n - Projects Summary

L I S T OF MAPS

Existing Land U s e

The Shape O f The Land

Charac te r i s t ics Of The Land

Property Lines

Facil i t ies Service The Township

Highway Facts

Highway Class i f ica t ions I n Central Crawford County

Road N a m e s And Numbers

Land U s e And Highways Plan

Wayland Corners Improvement

L I S T OF TABLES

Existing Land U s e Accounts: 1982

Persons 16 Y e a r s And Over By Sex And By Labor Status

Employed Persons 16 Years And h e r By Occupation I n E a s t Mead Township And In The County

Employed Persons 16 Y e a r s And Over By Industry - I n E a s t Mead Township And In The County

Household Income In 1979 In East Mead Township And In Crawford County

Famil ies Below The Poverty Level In 1979 I n E a s t Mead Township And In The County

Unrelated Individuals Below The Poverty Levels I n 1979

Persons 25 Y e a r s Old And Over By Years Of School Completed In E a s t Mezd Township And In The County

Avai lab i l i ty O f Vehicles In Occupied Housing Units In E a s t Mead Township And In The County

Average Expenditures Over A Five Year Period

Average Revenues Over A Five Year Period

Assessed Valuations

CHARTS

Population By Age And Sex: 1980

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54 54 55 55 57

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9

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1 4

16

23

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48

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 1 I

I I INTRODUCTION

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East Mead Township with a population in 1980 of 1,553 persons ranks tenth among Crawford County's 35 townships in magnitude of population. It is located approximately three miles due east of Meadville, the seat of county government. character of the township is definitely rural. can be said to be agriculture, although there are not many active full-time farmers. There are no commercial or industrial establishments in the township which employ a significant number of persons. Yet, because of its location directly east of the county's major city, Meadville, East Mead Township has experienced steady, if modest, growth pressures, mainly for rural/suburban residences. Because change is occurring in the character and number of new land uses established within its jurisdiction the township's leadership decided that a comprehensive plan should be prepared.

The The major industry in the township

A comprehensive plan is simply a report which endeavors to be reflective on the physical nature of the township - its land, soils, road system, settlement patterns, etc., and which relates social and economic conditions to the'township"s environment. The comprehensive plan collects and summarizes in one report background information about the physical, social and economic realities of East Mead Township. It expresses these realities in narrative and on tables, charts and maps. The word plan implies future time. Accordingly this plan report will forecast future settlement demands on the township's life and resources; and, grounded in the values township residents hold - as best they can be interpreted - a plan for the accommodation of the future will be established. policy statements concerning issues important to the township's future; it will be expressed in a map showing how policies regarding the use of land relate to all of the many properties which constitute the physical reality known as East Mead Town- ship; and it will be expressed in a series of recommended projects the township should consider undertaking to guide its future along the lines expressed in its declared objectives and policies.

This plan will be expressed in objective and

This comprehensive plan will be the first such document for East Mead Township. gardless of how it is used to manage issues of concern, regardless of how clear a vision it produces for the future of the township, it, in its fundamental components, will summarize and print information about the township which should be perennially useful to all persons interested in East Mead Township for whatever reasons.

Re-

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I I I BACKGROUND INFORMATION

EAST MEAD TOWNSHIP'S PAST

E a s t Mead w a s the l as t township establ ished i n Crawford County. It w a s separa- ted from Mead Township i n 1898. In 1890 the population of Mead Township w a s 2616. When the U. S . Census w a s taken i n 1900 the population-of E a s t Mead.Township w a s 831 and f o r W e s t Mead Towmhip the population w a s 1775. The earliest settlers were, qu i t e na tura l ly farm folks; they kept dairy cows and horses; they planted wheat, buckwheat, corn and hay as t h e i r basic: crops. Many of these settlers came from Massachusetts and Connecticut. Lumbering w a s an important industry i n those ear ly days.

I I I I I I I

Frenchtown. ment of sett lement centers a t such places as Frenchtown, Wayland and K i s e r H i l l . Tradit ion has it t h a t the land which settlers were later t o ca l l Frenchtown w a s once the property of a revolutionary so ld i e r named Moultrip. It had been given t o him i n repayment f o r h i s w a r se rv ices , and sometime before 1800 he is believed t o have v i s i t e d the place and b u i l t a log cabin a few rods from the s i t e of the pre- sen t Catholic church, S t . Hippolyte. H e apparently l e f t soon a f t e r and never re- turned. H i s land, through purchase o r by other claims, became a part of the H o l - land Land Company's ownership. This company, so named because it w a s organized and largely owned by a group of wealthy men i n Holland, had acquired t i t l e t o large tracts of land i n Western Pennsylvania i n 1793. About 1797 H a r m Jan Huidekoper became agent of the company and took up residence i n Meadville. Having l e n t money t o the federa l government i n the revolution, the Hollanders accepted payment i n

In a sense the h is tory of the township revolves around the establ ish-

I the form of land grants. \

It was t o the agent of t h i s company, Huidekoper, t h a t the pioneers came and arranged f o r the purchase of land, and it w a s unquestionably he who sold t o Barnash Bat t les , t h e f i r s t known set t ler of Frenchtown, the piece of land known i n the Company's records as Tract 197. H e r e , i n 1800, Bat t les b u i l t a log cabin near the S t . Hippolyte Church. The property comprised 75 acres, p a r t of which w a s later sold t o the Bid- eaux and DeMaison famil ies .

Shortly the rea f t e r , i n the early 1800'~~ French Catholics.emigrated t o the United States. They followed the Hudson River up t o Albany, pushed westward t o Buffalo, and then by s tage , covered wagon, o r bobsled, moved i n t o western Pennsylvania. A t Meadville they negotiated f o r land with Huidekoper, then continued on t o Moultrip, which w a s then becoming known as "French Colony", o r "French Settlement". In r e a l i t y they formed two set t lements , French Colony, and another t o the south, known as Mondon. Today w e know Mondon as P e t t i s Corners. Among these pioneers were the DuCrays, L e C o m t e s , Verains, Verniers, Fevres, and Gandelots; the l as t two famil ies came from the v i l l a g e of Mondon i n France.

what it w a s t h a t a t t r a c t e d the f i r s t settlers t o Crawford County i s not clear, but doubtless t h e Holland Land Company advertised i t s lands throughout Europe thus en- gaging the i n t e r e s t of many who w e r e thinking of moving t o the new country. t o France t e l l i n g of l i f e i n the wilderness induced o thers t o jo in the f i r s t group, and the colony grew s t ead i ly , i f not quickly.

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Letters

Before the coming of t he f i r s t missionary p r i e s t s t he Bideaux, Monnins, Bron(Brown), Girard, and Doubet families had arr ived, and when Bishop Kenrick of Philadelphia I

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came t o Meadville on June 2 , 1834, he set down i n his diary t h a t s i x m i l e s e a s t of the c i t y w a s a French set t lement of 23 families who, upon hearing of h i s pres- ence, came t o Meadville t o a t tend Mass and have t h e i r chi ldren baptized. It is the first reference Bishop Kenrick makes t o Frenchtmn, and he t e l l s of the favor- able impression these devoted Catholics made upon him. The Bishop had the e n t i r e state f o r h i s diocese a t t h a t time.

The ances t ra l roo ts of the people of Frenchtown reach back t o old France. In the days following the ear ly w a r s of Napoleon the glamour of the emperor and the g r e a t v i c to r i e s of France were d ispe l led a t Waterloo. Hardship followed and aversion t o war outweighed i ts glory. Fathers who had served under the g r e a t emperor i n I t a l y , i n Egypt, i n Russ ia , and i n the Waterloo campaigns w e r e reso lu te ; they w e r e determined t h a t t h e i r sons should be spared s p i l l i n g blood f o r a France that then seemed hopeless because of i t s debt and because it had been shorn of i t s possessions.

By 1885 Frenchtown had a pos t o f f i ce , a public school, a s t o r e , a blacksmith shop, s i x residences and the S t . Hippolyte Church. hinterland.

I t served the farm community i n i t s

Wayland. What i s known as Wayland Corners today w a s o r ig ina l ly ca l led Mead Corners. In 1840 a Bapt i s t Church w a s located a t these Corners on the land of a prominent ear ly set t ler , Jus t in Dewey. Following, i n 1843 a pos t o f f i c e w a s es tabl ished here and a publ ic school a t sometime before the C iv i l W a r . incorporated i n 1877. The name Wayland w a s taken i n 1881; it w a s chosen t o honor a famous Bapt i s t minis ter , the Reverend Herman Lincoln Wayland, who r e a l l y never set foot i n Crawford County.

The cemetery a t Wayland w a s

Kiser H i l l . The set t lement i n the v i c i n i t y of Kiser H i l l began i n the mid 1880's. The area received i t s name from Issac Kiser who w a s born i n Westmoreland County i n 1812, and who came t o Crawford County i n 1816. A W i l l i a m Warner arr ived i n the county from Massachusetts in 1841 and purchased 1 2 5 acres on O i l Creek Road a t the foo t of Kiser H i l l . H e kept a hotel/public house i n t h i s locat ion. In 1874 a cheese factory w a s b u i l t on h i s land. P u b l i c school and grange h a l l uses w e r e es tabl ished a t Kiser H i l l , the l a t te r around the tu rn of the century.

The Bousson Legend. In 1882 t h e Bousson sisters purchased about 300 acres i n the township and b u i l t a handsome brick mansion about 3/4 of a mile e a s t of t he Warner Hotel on O i l Creek Road. The sisters, O t i l l i e and Marie had been dressmakers i n New York City where they had emigrated from Paris, France. In Paris they had been very successful dressmakers, and they were so i n New York, employing as many.as 70 seamstresses. The Franc0 Prussian W a r of 1870-71 hu r t the s i s t e r s ' business s ince many of t h e i r products w e r e so ld t o the French. Frenchtown set t lement they decided t o move t o Crawford County.

Having d i s t a n t r e l a t ions i n the

I I I 1 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

With a French landscape artist they set about t o c rea t e a t r a d i t i o n a l French country place i n E a s t Mead Township. i t s i n t e r i o r had rare woodwork and beaut i fu l stairways. s t ruc ted on the grounds, and they w e r e w e l l stocked with f i s h . The t i ny , ever flowing L i t t l e Sugar Creek provided w a t e r f o r seven ponds i n a l l . The landscaping w a s exquis i te . of an acre being devoted t o cash crops. There were some f r u i t trees and berries planted i n the gardens, bu t flowers bloomed i n abundance, as the older people of Frenchtown w i l l recall.

A magnificant br ick house w i t h a mansard roof w a s b u i l t ; At t rac t ive ponds w e r e con-

Unfortunately the e n t i r e acreage was devoted t o beauty without a f r ac t ion

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

The doors of the Bousson mansion w e r e open t o a l l the people i n the community. The evening p a r t i e s with music, dancing and p o l i t e merrymaking endeared the sisters t o a l l t he community. The drain on finances w a s heavy, and without support from the farm this s t y l e of l i v i n g could not be sustained. One sister married and moved t o Cleveland. Death f i n a l l y claimed both. Vandals wrecked the home, now razed, and only a semblance of t h i s one-time beauty spot may be detected a- mong the trees grown t o the s i z e of pr imit ive g ian ts of t he fo re s t .

Early Highways. One of the main roads i n the 19th century Crawford County w a s O i l Creek Road. Ti tusv i l le . sett lement network of the county. A 1838 map published by D. Stanford of E r i e , Pennsylvania, c l e a r l y i d e n t i f i e s t h i s road. Today as one pro jec ts t h i s road eastward towards T i tusv i l l e it m e e t s what w e c a l l State Route 27 a t B r a w l e y ' s Stand i n Randolph Township.

This road t raversed E a s t Mead Township and connected Meadville with It appears to .have been the pr inc ipa l east-west highway i n the e a r l y

The Centervi l le Road passed through Wayland Corners on i t s way t o Guys M i l l s and eventually Centervi l le Borough. by the State Road, today's S t a t e Route 77 . The only north-south road of strong s ignif icance i s what today i s ca l led L.R. 20064/L.R. 20033 o r Wayland Road. It connects t he Woodcock Township Area with the O i l Creek Road. These w e r e the main through roads i n place by the mid 19th century. By 1910 S t a t e Route 27 w a s begun and by 1920 t h i s road became the pr inc ipa l Meadville t o T i tusv i l l e road.

The north port ion of the township w a s transected

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THE EXISTING USE OF LAND I I I I I I I I I I I I

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Mapping a l l the various uses of land i n a community is always a s ign i f i can t task i n community planning. This was done fo r E a s t Mead Township i n 1976 and i n 1980- 81. were taken i n the spring of 1982. The r e s u l t s of this work show on Map 1. and i n a table of land use accounts, Table 1.

The 1980-81 survey w a s updated through the use of aerial photographs which

A study of Map 1. shows a scattered pa t t e rn of r e s i d e n t i a l development throughout the township with a pa r t i cu la r ly heavy pa t t e rn along Wayland Road from the Woodcock Township boundary t o a point about % mile south of Wayland Corners. There are a l s o pronounced development pa t te rns along the Star Route (State Route 27) and along Sta te Route 77 f o r the f u l l extent these ar ter ia l roads t raverse the township. Of course the township's heaviest sett lement, Frenchtown, is located along Route 27.

Two areas of the township are very l i g h t l y sett led: the ridge and va l ley area between Wayland and Hatch H i l l Roads and the L i t t l e Sugar Creek V a l l e y through i t s whole north-south course i n the township. It is these two areas which insure t h a t E a s t Mead Township has a r e l a t ive ly high percentage of woodland and brush (57%). The r e l a t i v e l y few commercial, semipublic and multifamily r e s i d e n t i a l uses t h a t e x i s t are sca t te red throughout the township.

The land use categories used i n the survey are explained i n the order i n which they appear i n Table 1.

Woodland and Brush. Land which is subs tan t ia l ly wooded or f i e l d s not being used f o r any ag r i cu l tu ra l purpose and which supports i n fan t tree stands.

Agricultural . Land u t i l i z e d f o r present or recent crop production.

Residential . Dwelling un i t s which appear t o accommodate a s ingle family; conventional individual housing un i t s , farm complexes, and individual mobile homes are a l l included. Generally, s ing le family dwelling un i t s were assigned an area of 2 acres. I f the whole l o t w e r e less than 5 acres, the e n t i r e l o t w a s shown as r e s iden t i a l .

Multifamily Residential . Mobile home parks and apartments cons t i tu te the uses i n t h i s c l a s s i f i ca t ion .

Recreation, public and pr ivate . Land u t i l i z e d f o r recrea t ion purposes, whether publicly or pr iva te ly owned.

Conservation. Large areas of land awned by the state and protected f o r wild- l i f e , f i s h , and general conservation.

Semipublic. U s e s which are p a r t i a l l y publ ic and/or i n s t i t u t i o n a l i n nature. Churches, cemeteries, and publ ic u t i l i t y f a c i l i t i e s a l l included i n t h i s

Public. U s e s which der ive from government and i ts obl igat ions t o the c i t i - zenry.

Commercial. This designation includes business and l i g h t manufacturing uses.

Mixed Residential and Commercial. Includes uses which combine r e s iden t i a l and commercial a c t i v i t i e s .

Vacant Subdivided Lot. Propert ies which have been recorded as l o t s i n a land subdivision which have not been b u i l t upon a t the t i m e of the survey.

I category.

Public Roads. A l l roads maintained by the township and s t a t e governments.

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TABLE 1.

EXISTING LAND USE ACCOUNTS: 1982 EAST MEAD TOWNSHIP

I Percent of U s e Categories Acres Total

,.. . Woodland and Brush " I

Agriculture

Residential

Multifamily Resident ia l

Recreation, P u b l i c and Pr iva te

Conservation

(1)

(2 1

8,398

4,724

761

67

2 1 1

106

57 %

32 %

5 %

0.5 %

2

0.8 %

Semipublic 27 0.2 %

P u b l i c

Commercial

Mixed Residential and Commercial

Vacant Subdivided Lots

6

16

26

31

314 (3) Public Roads

(4) Total 14,68.7

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0.2 %

0.2 %

I 2 %

100 rg

NOTES: (1) These land use categories w e r e determined from I I I I I I I I

aerial survey information. The aerial surveys were taken i n 1982.

(2) Where a residence w a s located on a property of approximately 5 acres o r less the e n t i r e property w a s shown as r e s iden t i a l . Where residences w e r e located on propert ies la rger than 5 acres the r e s i d e n t i a l land use w a s shown a t about 2 acres. The remaining land w a s coded as e i t h e r agr icu l ture o r woodland.

( 3 ) There are 51.8 m i l e s of public road i n E a s t Mead Township. I t was assumed f o r the purpose of t h i s ca lcu la t ion t h a t the width of t he public right-of- way is 50 fee t .

( 4 ) The township's area is based on computations made from the base map drawn f o r East Mead Township by the Crawford County Planning Commission s t a f f a t the scale of 1" = 1000' . This f igure does not include 364 acres which comprise the area of Tamarack Lake i n the township.

Source: Field survey by members of the East Mead Township Planning Commission i n 1980 and 1981; and updating and compilation work by t h e County Planning Commission staff i n 1982.

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AGRICULTURAL

W O O D L A N D S AND BRUSH

CONSERVATION LANDS

R E C R E A T I O N , P U B L I C AND PRIVATE

P U B L I C

SEMI - PUBLIC

MA1 EXISTING LAND USE E A S T MEAD TOWNSHIP, CRAWFORO COUNTY,

SCALE I " = 2 5 0 O 1 ( A P P R O X )

MAY 1983 0 1250 2 5 0 0 5000

PREPARED BY STAFF OF CRAWFORD COUNTY P L A N N I N G COMMISSION NO1

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LAND

This sect ion i s concerned with the cons t ra in ts or lack of cons t ra in ts deriving from the l and ' s re la t ionships t o development a c t i v i t i e s of whatever kind. Through examining the r e s u l t s of an elaborate s o i l s survey of t he e n t i r e county, completed by the U. S. S o i l Consemation Service and'published i n 1979, one can obtain good generalized information on the a b i l i t y of the land t o sus ta in agr icu l ture , on the s u i t a b i l i t y of the s o i l f o r on-lot sewage systems, on where deposi ts of sand and gravel may be found and a number of other cha rac t e r i s t i c s . these more spec i f i c q u a l i t i e s of t he land it should prove useful t o describe i t s general shape i n nar ra t ive and map.

Before discussing

THE SHAPE OF THE LAND

Map 2. with i t s contour del ineat ion shows admirably the "hills and val leys" i n E a s t Mead Township. The heavy contours on this m a p are on a 50 foo t i n t e rva l . Each contour shows a d i f f e r e n t i a l of 10 f e e t i n elevation. The 10 foot contours are not sharply delineated. i n the course of preparing t h i s plan repor t a contour map w a s made ''over" a property l i n e base map of the township; the scale of t h i s map is 1 inch t o 1000 f e e t ; it measures 36 inches by 42 inches. Such a map i s too la rge t o be included i n this report , but it is ava i lab le i n reproduc- i b l e form i n the township building and i n the Crawford County Planning Commission off ice.

The dominant land form i n E a s t Mead Township i s the L i t t l e Sugar Creek Val ley . This val ley t raverses the eastern s ide of the township i n a north-south d i rec t ion s h i f t i n g t o the cen t r a l port ion a f t e r it flows under S ta t e Route 27. south, it leaves the township enter ing East Fa i r f i e ld Township approximately 4000 f e e t east of the lower end of Tamarack Lake. The creek i s crossed by two public roads i n addition t o S ta te Route 27: Plank Road which is maintained by the townsh ip and L.R. 20033. In f a c t the bridge on L.R. 20033 spanning L i t t l e Sugar Creek is a narrow, old s t ruc tu re of i ron t r u s s construction and, because of i t s restric- t i v e weight Limit, somewhat of a bottleneck t o t r a v e l pa t te rns through the township. The L i t t l e Sugar Creek V a l l e y accounts f o r the r a the r s l i g h t network of publ ic roads on the eastern s ide of t he township.

Flowing

Tributar ies of L i t t l e Sugar Creek account f o r the other dominant land forms i n E a s t Mead Township. One t r ibu ta ry begins j u s t south of S ta te Route 77 and, flowing f o r a dis tance parallel t o Wayland Road, jo ins the creek i n the v i c i n i t y of S ta t e Route 27; t h i s t r i bu ta ry , geologically speaking, is responsible i n p a r t f o r the formation of a pronounced plateau i n the northcentral port ion of the township. Kiser H i l l owes i t s shape, i n pa r t , t o another t r i bu ta ry which generally follows the alignment of Shaffer and Benner Roads. Because of L i t t l e Sugar Creek and i ts western t r i b u t a r i e s , the township has a number of steep slope areas, which make f o r a t t r a c t i v e views - and some d i f f i c u l t y regarding road maintenance.

It i s in t e re s t ing t o note t h a t State Route 77 as it crosses the s m a l l val ley i n ' the northwestern part of the township r e a l l y crosses near a s m a l l watershed divide. In the v i c in i ty of this highway drainage goes northwest t o Woodcock Creek and south t o L i t t l e Sugar Creek, as discussed above.

SUITABILITY OF LAND FOR AGRICULTURE

The S o i l Conservation Service which i s attached t o the U. S. Department of Agricul-

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t u r e has developed a c l a s s i f i c a t i o n system f o r s o i l s based on t h e i r capabi l i ty t o sus ta in productive agr icu l ture . There a re e ight c lasses of s o i l s i n t h i s system. Classes 1 and 2 are considered very good f o r farming. Class 3 i s considered f a i r f o r carrying on ag r i cu l tu re operations; it requires more carefu l land management prac t ices and w i l l respond w e l l i f managed properly. Classes 4 through 8 are considered poor f o r farming. Each of these c lasses i s discussed i n the county's s o i l survey repor t re fe r red t o above. The s o i l s i n the township w e r e analyzed and a map w a s made which assigned one of these th ree categories t o every s o i l configura- t i on i n the township. The r e s u l t s of t h i s study are displayed as follows:

So i l S u i t a b i l i t y A c r e s % Of A l l So i l s In

C l a s s Agriculture Township The Township

1 & 2 Good 3 , 166 2 1

3 Fair 8 , 412 57

-

Capability For In The

4 - 8 Poor 3 I 174 22

14,752 A c r e s 100 %

Map 3 . del ineates on a property l i n e base map of the township the pa t t e rn of s o i l s which measures s u i t a b i l i t y f o r agr icu l ture . The network of roads, streams and property l i n e s shown on the map should enable one t o f ind with f a i r precis ion a locat ion one i s in te res ted in . The above s t a t i s t i c s show t h a t 78% of the town- s h i p ' s so i l s are su i t ab le f o r productive agricul ture . It is w e l l t o note a l so t h a t a l l s o i l s i n capabi l i ty Classes 1 through 3 have slopes of 15% o r less; s o i l s with slopes grea te r than 15%, no matter how good they are f o r agr icu l ture , a r e automatically put i n t o Classes 4 t o 8.

Land i n the township w a s i den t i f i ed which was being ac t ive ly farmed e i t h e r by the owner or by others under lease arrangements. Included i n t h i s i den t i f i ca t ion process w e r e full- t ime farm operations and ac t ive part-time operations. Full-time opera- t i ons w e r e defined a s those current ly yielding a subs tan t ia l amount of ag r i cu l tu ra l products and where farming i s the major occupation of the owners o r of the persons leasing t h e land. Active part-time farms are those whose operations of ten y i e ld a subs t an t i a l amount of ag r i cu l tu ra l produce, but wherein the farmers have f u l l - t i m e nonfarm occupations and/or where farm income i s not t h e i r main source of in- cone. Gross sales of ag r i cu l tu ra l products from ful l - t ime and ac t ive part-time f a r m s , as defined i n t h i s plan, should be a t least $10,000. However, it should be noted t h a t the de f in i t i on of a farm as establ ished by t h e U. S. Department of Ag- r i c u l t u r e i n 1975 i s any operation from which $1,000 o r more of ag r i cu l tu ra l prod- uc ts w e r e sold during a period of one year.

Also it should be noted t h a t i n ident i fying ac t ive farm land a l l of the farmer 's property w a s included; i n addi t ion t o crop and pasture land, wooded and " w a s t e " land counted i n the to ta l acreage i f it was p a r t of the farmer's property holding. Land managed.to harvest wood products was counted as p a r t of ac t ive farm production.

Based on the guidelines discussed above our survey iden t i f i ed 7,564 acres i n ac t ive full-time/part-time farm ownerships - including those lands held and managed f o r the harvest of wood products. Since there are approximately 14,687 acres i n the township t h i s f i gu re represents about 51% of a l l township t e r r i t o r y . Map 3 . loca tes these ac t ive farm lands.

SUITABILITY OF SOILS FOR ON-LOT SEWAGE SYSTEMS

The tawnship's s o i l s were analyzed f o r th ,e i r su i t ab i ' l i t y t o accommodate on-lot sew- -

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age systems. Based on Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources (PennDER) standards: 63% of the township's s o i l s have severe l imi ta t ions f o r on-lot sewage which means on-lot systems very l i k e l y would be permitted only with g r e a t d i f - f i c u l t y on s m a l l l o t s ( lots less than 20,000 square feet i n a r e a ) . The township, unlike most municipal i t ies i n Crawford County, requires on-lot sewage permits f o r a l l new habi table buildings even though property s izes are over 10 acres. Thir ty percent of the s o i l s have moderate l imi ta t ions fo r the i n s t a l l a t i o n of on-lot systems, which means the systems must be carefu l ly i n s t a l l e d , of ten using sand mounds o r similar techniques; and - 7 % of the s o i l s should accommodate on-lot systems with l i t t l e d i f f i c u l t y .

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A map showing on-lot sewage s u i t a b i l i t y is on f i l e i n the Crawford County Planning Commission o f f i c e and with the E a s t Mead Township Supervisors. pr inted i n t h i s plan, but w i l l be published a t a fu ture da t e as p a r t of the county- wide Sewage Faci l i t ies Plan. A study of t h i s map shows t h a t there i s no readi ly discernable pa t t e rn of the locat ion of s o i l s r e l a t i v e t o t h e i r s u i t a b i l i t y f o r on- l o t sewage. S o i l s with moderate l imi ta t ions , f o r example, e x i s t throughout the township i n many d i f f e r e n t configurations.

T h i s map is not

One must keep i n mind t h a t soils designations a re generalized and may not be abso- l u t e l y va l id f o r the ac tua l s i t u a t i o n on a spec i f i c si te. S o i l tests on a s p e c i f i c s i t e are always necessary where a pa r t i cu la r construct ion p ro jec t is proposed t h a t w i l l u t i l i z e an on-lot sewage system.

State and federa l agencies responsible f o r a s s i s t i n g l o c a l municipal i t ies i n the construction of sewage systems are faced with the r e a l i t y of having very l i t t l e funding t o help finance these systems. This fac t coupled with the emergence of s i g n i f i c a n t new research on the u s e of s o i l s t o renovate sewage e f f luen t s has made the use of on-lot sewage systems, including the conventional s ep t i c tank and t i l e dra in system, more respectable. The use of the dosing technique (where the e f f lu- e n t is s tored and then per iodica l ly pumped i n t o the t i l e dra in system i n which case the e n t i r e system is used t o best advantage), a l t e r n a t e t i l e f i e l d s (two t i l e drain systems used a l t e rna te ly i n order t h a t periods of "rest" are u t i l i z e d ) and more carefu l management prac t ices have proved t o make these systems f a r ,more e f f i - c i e n t than it w a s ever thought they could be. In our curren t economy on-lot sys- t e m s a r e less expensive and f a r more conservative i n the use of water than the sewage system which functions through the use of v a s t quan t i t i e s of water. Based on a l l of these reali t ies it is c e r t a i n t h a t fu ture development of a l l kinds i n the township w i l l have t o depend heavily on the use of on-lot sewage systems.

SAND AND GRAVEL POTENTIAL

Again based upon an analysis of s o i l types one can predic t with reasonable ce r t a in ty locat ions where sands and gravels a r e present i n the soils. These mater ia ls a r e useful resources. Of course some deposits are not nearly as useful as others . Sands and gravels are of many grades, and t h i s repor t i n no way pretends t o make statements on the spec i f i c cha rac t e r i s t i c s of these materials as t o t h e i r qua l i ty . Map 3 . shows t h e i r locat ion. The map de l inea tes 800 acres of land as having sand and gravel po ten t i a l ; 5% of the township's land area shows sand and gravel po- t e n t i a l .

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LANDS SUBJECT TO FLOODING

In recent years both federa l and s ta te dea l with the p e r i l s of flooding. The

governments have taken strong act ions t o federa l government, s ince the mid 1970's,

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 11

CLASSES I8IK

C L A S S IU

C L A S S E S E-"T

SOILS WITH SAND 8r GRAVEL POTENTIAL '.

ACTIVE FARM PROPERTIES

NOTE: ALL INFORMATION SHOWN OVER PROPERTY LINE PATTERN OF TOWNSHIP

AGRlCULTURAL QUALITY O F SOILS

k

fAP 3

CRAWFORD

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has been working carefu l ly with loca l governments i n s i s t i n g t h a t they regula te new development i n areas iden t i f i ed a s subject t o the hazards of flooding. d i rec t ion of federa l o f f i c i a l s areas subject t o flooding have been mapped municipal- i t y by municipality. This has been done i n East Mead Township. In 1979 the State of Pennsylvania passed a Floodplain Management A c t requiring that a l l municipal- i t ies regulate areas subject t o flooding. These act ions by the s t a t e and federa l governments are the d i r e c t r e s u l t of recurring floods which have caused v a s t amounts of property damage and the loss of many l ives .

Under the

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E a s t Mead Township i s pa r t i c ipa t ing i n a flood management program which the federa l government urged upon the township. Currently the state government mandates parti- c ipat ion i n t h i s program. Banking i n s t i t u t i o n s normally examine a property’s re- la t ionship t o flood hazard areas. Flood hazard area maps dated October 18, 1974, have been prepared under the d i rec t ion of the Federal Insurance Administration i n the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Map 4. shows the locat ion of these hazard areas; they are displayed on a map which shows the en t i r e network of property l i n e s i n the township. as hazardous due t o flooding. Sugar Creek south of State Route 27 and along the t r i bu ta ry which p a r a l l e l s Shaffer and Benner Roads.

Approximately 630 acres or 4.3% of the township i s delineated The areas subject t o flooding are located along L i t t l e

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DENOTES FLOOD HAZARD AREAS

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PROPERTY LINES h IP 4

EAST MEAD TOWNSHIP, CRAWFORD COUNTY, PA.

SCALE I"= 2 5 0 0 ' ( A P P R O X )

MAY 1983 PREPARED B Y S T A F F OF

0 1250 2500


COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND SERVICES

This sec t ion of the plan provides the township an opportunity t o c o l l e c t and summarize information on the f a c i l i t i e s and service systems f u l f i l l i n g "community" needs i n t he res idents ' l i ves . The following nar ra t ives and Map 5. provide t h i s information.

MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT

E a s t Mead Township is a township of the Second C l a s s under Pennsylvania law. It has a l l governmental powers except those i n the area of education. Three township supervisors are elected "at large" by township residents fo r staggered s i x year terms, and these supervisors exercise a l l administrative and l e g i s l a t i v e powers. The supervisors employ, current ly , two full-t ime persons who maintain the township road system. They a l s o employ a secretary and two other persons part-time who work on the road system. Other e lected of f ices which serve the township are those of t a x co l lec tor , assessor and audi tor . There are three audi tors elected. The Board of Township Supervisors use the services of a s o l i c i t o r and a sewage enforce- ment o f f i c e r on an "as needed'' basis . The township i s p a r t of the 2 1 s t United States Congressional D i s t r i c t , the 50Lh State Senator ia l D i s t r i c t and the 6th S ta te General Assembly D i s t r i c t .

The Board of Supervisors i n 1975 created an E a s t Mead Township Planning Commission consis t ing of seven members. This Commission draf ted a subdivision and land development ordinance which it recommended t o the supervisors f o r adoption - and which w a s enacted by the Board of Supervisors on April 9, 1979.

Other ordinances which the township has enacted over the years which have a re- la t ionship t o t h i s comprehensive plan a re described a s follows:

Regulation of junk yards providing f o r a l icensing f ee and containing development and maintenance standards; enacted i n 1971

Building permit requirements which made it obligatory f o r permits t o be+ issued covering a l l building development a c t i v i t i e s ; enacted i n 1975

Sewage f a c i l i t i e s control which enabled the township t o assume a r o l e s ta te government previously played, t h a t of issuing permits f o r s ep t i c tank and e f f luen t disposal systems; enacted i n 1975

Requiring e i t h e r the r epa i r or demolition of di lapidated buildings con- s t i t u t i n g a t h r e a t t o the heal th and general welfare of the res idents ; enacted i n 1977

Regulation of peddling wares throughout the township; enacted i n 1978.

TOWNSHIP PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT

The township owns a 1 . 4 ac re property on which two buildings have been constructed. Both of the buildings are used f o r t he s torage of township equipment. buildings houses a very small township o f f i c e and is a l so used t o perform maintenance work on equipment. There i s n ' t adequate space avai lable i n these buildings t o hold publ ic meetings. the equipment the township uses t o maintain i t s highway system. f o r example, vote a t the Volunteer Fire Department building conveniently located on a propeity adjoining t h e township buildings. The t o t a l f l oo r space contained i n these two bui ldings is approximately 4,960 square f e e t .

One of the

The use of t he buildings i s devoted mainly t o accommodating Township res idents ,

One building measures

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IP EAST MEAD TOWNSHIP CRAWFORD COUNTY, PENNA. SCALE I"= 4000" OCTOBER 1982

PREPARED BY in€

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40 f e e t by 64 f e e t ; the other 40 f e e t by 60 f e e t .

I n addition t o various and sundry too l s and i t e m s f o r the maintenance of vehicles used fo r road work, the township owns the following pieces of equipment: road grader, rubber t i r e h i g h l i f t , rubber t i r e backhoe/loader, two all-wheel dr ive dump trucks, a tandem axle snow plough/cinder spreader, a tandem axle dump t r u c k , and a s m a l l farm t r a c t o r with mower.

FIRE PROTECTION

A volunteer company, t he E a s t Mead Volunteer F i re Department, serves a l l of the township, and, through mutual a id agreements, provides serv ice i n adjoining muni- c i p a l i t i e s . There a r e approximately 20 ac t ive men i n the department but the member- sh ip r o l l s show about 40 members. The department's building i s adjacent t o the township supervisors ' buildings and i s on a , s i t e of approximately two acres. The department was chartered i n 1948. Funds are raised t o sus ta in the work of the department through weekly bingo, through card parties, turkey shoots, the operation of a booth a t the county f a i r each year and an annual door-to-door s o l i c i t a t i o n throughout the township f o r contributions. t ax a re provided t o the department.

Two mills of the township's r e a l e s t a t e '

The following pieces of major equipment a re owned by the f i r e f igh t ing company:

A 1953 Ford high pressure fog truck. This vehicle has a 500 gal lon tank and a 3 pistoned'pump; it provides l o w volumes of water a t high pressure.

A 1970 Ford pumper/tanker t r u c k , having a 1250 gallon tank and a 450 gal lon per minute (gpm) pump.

A 1979 GMC "quick response" truck. This vehicle has a 135 gallon tank and a 1000 g p m pump. It is used f o r automobile accidents and grass f i r e s , and a l s o as a water supply t ruck i n the event of large f i r e s .

A 1981 Chevrolet pumper/tanker truck having a 1250 gal lon tank and a 450 9Pm Pump-

Most maintenance work i s done by the volunteers themselves. Daytime reponse time is 3 - 5 minutes; night-time response t h e i s 3 minutes. F i r e ac t ive calls come v ia rad io from a "county control" located i n the county s h e r i f f ' s o f f i ce i n Mead- v i l l e . The department also covers automobile accidents "round the clock". Its volunteers he lp as needed i n these instances, preparing persons f o r t ranspor t by an ambulance when necessary. (EMT' s 1 . Four of the volunteers a re qua l i f ied emergency medical technicians

POLICE PROTECTION

E a s t Mead Township depends on the Pennsylvania S ta t e Police f o r pro tec t ive ser- vies . The s t a t e pol ice are based a t t he Meadville Barracks i n Vernon Township. The township i s i n what i s cal led p a t r o l zone 34; t h i s includes a l l of East Mead and Randolph Townships and part of East Fa i r f i e ld and West Mead Townships. A t a minimum there i s one ca r assigned t o pa t ro l zone 34 throughout each twenty-four hour period, and, depending on the complement of state pol ice on duty a t any particular time, there could be as high as three cars on duty i n this zone. Also, t h i s personnel coverage (from one t o three cars) a t c e r t a i n periods or f o r the whole period of a 24 hour day may extend not j u s t throughout one p a t r o l zone bu t may extend t o as many as three zones, again depending on the number of s ta te

17

pol ice on duty. average maximum response t i m e i s 20 minutes; but , a s one can imagine, it i s not

The state pol ice can be reached by telephone a t 336-6911. Their

always possible t o maintain t h i s standard. -

~ AMBULANCE SERVICE

Ambulance service is provided through Meadville A r e a Ambulance Service Inc., (MAAS), a pr iva te ly operated organization. The company, located i n Meadville, has approximately 3500 memberships. A family membership cos t s $40.00 per year, and it i s the revenue from memberships which pays f o r service. MAAS owns three ambulances.

A s one would expect MAAS members do not have t o pay f o r ambulance service. Non- members' ca l ls a r e answered. The cos t of se rv ice f o r a nonmember is $80 plus the cost of any addi t ional medical se rv ice required during the t r i p .

The service areas of MAAS includes a l l of E a s t Mead Township and extends eastward serving the Guys M i l l s a rea i n Randolph Township. The other nearest ambulance service is i n Townville, associated there with the Townville Fire Company. It would seem t o be important t h a t the membership ro l e s .o f MAAS remain strong i n order t h a t t he cos t of se rv ice can be maintained a t near i t s current r a t e . The grea te r the number of famil ies supporting t h i s se rv ice the more ce r t a in a l l people can be of continuing e f f i c i e n t ambulance service. The MAAS telephone number is 724-7595.

HEALTH CARE AND OTHER HUMAN SERVICES

Medical and denta l services are ava i lab le i n the City of Meadville. The c i t y has two hospi ta l s , Meadville Ci ty Hospital (171 beds) and Spencer Hospital (161 beds) .

Community Health Services of Crawford County, Inc. ( C H S ) , located i n Meadville, provides those t h a t are home-bound with an array of medical and soc ia l services . CHS is a nonprofit organization, providing services i n the home a t cos t o r on an abil i ty-to-pay bas is . The serv ices provided include s k i l l e d nursing care; home making service; physical, speech and occupational therapy; a n u t r i t i o n a l and edu- ca t iona l service f o r expectant mothers and infan ts (Women's, Infants & Children Program, W I C ) ; and home delivered meals. Through the year July 1981 t o June 1982, CHS made 26 nursing v i s i t s and 1 home maker v i s i t t o res idents of the township. During t h i s same period of t i m e 1 4 E a s t Mead c l i e n t s were served under the WIC program. The use of CHS programs var ies from year t o year.

Because many,of those served do not have the a b i l i t y t o pay the f u l l cos t of the care they receive and because government programs o r hea l th insurance plans do not cover port ions o f , o r any o f , the services , CHS requests contributions of county and loca l municipal governments. Currently township and borough governments are being requested t o contr ibute 55C per capi ta , i f they can a f ford t h i s outlay. Based on the 1980 census f igu re of 1,553 persons, E a s t Mead Township w a s requested t o contr ibute approximately $850. The Township contributed $150 t o CHS i n each of the y e a r s 1981 and 1982.

Many o ther human services are ava i lab le , nearly a l l of them from o f f i ces and c l in- ics i n Meadville and frequently funded i n p a r t by county government. Some of them are l i s t e d and described b r i e f l y below:

Child Welfare Services: adoptions, a f o s t e r care program, handling ch i ld abuse cases.



Office of the Aging: programs f o r the e lde r ly enabling them t o continue l i v ing i n +-heir own residences, provision of meals, opportunities f o r soc ia l iza t ion .

Mental Mealth/Mental Retardation Office: insuring the operation of a mental heal th c l i n i c , providing f o r community l i v ing arrangements, providing jobs f o r the retarded and the handicapped.

Northwestern Legal Services: making avai lable l ega l help on an a b i l i t y t o pay bas is .

LIBRARY SERVICE

The township has no l i b ra ry but township res idents can use f r e e of charge any one of the l i b r a r i e s i n the Crawford County Federated Library System, the nearest and l a rges t of which would be the Meadville Public Library. The Board of County Com- missioners has created a County Library Board and provides funding t o the county's par t ic ipa t ing l i b r a r i e s through t h i s Board. The Meadville Public Library i s open 62 hours a week and has approximately 64,993 adu l t holdings and 16,000 ch i ldren ' s holdings. There are a number of other c u l t u r a l services provided by t h i s l i b ra ry . Through the use of the i n t e r l i b r a r y loan program, sponsored by the s t a t e l i b ra ry system with which the county l i b r a r y system is a f f i l i a t e d , one may obtain v i r - t u a l l y any book t h a t i s ava i lab le fo r d i s t r ibu t ion ; books not avai lable i n the Meadville Public Library are sen t i n from one of the la rger l i b r a r i e s i n the s ta te usually from E r i e , or, i f not avai lable there , from Pittsburgh. Recorded music, paint ings and movies can be borrowed f o r use.

RECREATION AND PARKS

The township does not provide any recreation.programs nor does it own or maintain pa rk propert ies . There a re p r iva t e ly maintained basebal l and s o f t b a l l f i e l d s adjacent t o the S tar Route j u s t south of the Guys M i l l s Road (Hunter's Inn a r e a ) , a t a s i t e across from S t . Hippolyte's Church and on the east s ide of L.R. 20034 south of Frenchtown. The following f a c i l i t i e s are located close t o the township:

I n Meadville "here are many parks and recrea t ion f a c i l i t i e s including the Meadville A r e a Recreation Complex where swimming, ice skat ing, r o l l e r skating and tennis a c t i v i t i e s a re provided.

Tamarack Lake which o f f e r s f i sh ing and boating and which i s , i n f a c t , p a r t i a l l y within the Township.

swimming, boating, picnicing and camping a c t i v i t i e s . Colonel Crawford Park located i n nearby Woodcock Township and providing

REFUSE 'COLLECTION

The E a s t Mead Township Supervisors current ly sponsor two "clean-up" days ( i n the spring and f a l l ) each year. Items of bulk re fuse not su i t ab le f o r weekly col lec- t ions a r e handled through t h i s program. The Supervisors, however, are not involved i n the provision of garbage co l lec t ion services. In July 1980 the s t a t e l eg i s l a - t u re amended i ts Solid Waste Management A c t requiring t h a t a l l municipal i t ies regardless of t h e i r population densi ty are responsible f o r t he management of the disposal of the so l id w a s t e s generated within t h e i r boundaries. Solid waste i s defined by the s ta te a s "garbage, re fuse and other discarded material including but not l imited t o so l id and l i qu id w a s t e mater ia ls r e su l t i ng from i n d u s t r i a l , commercial, ag r i cu l tu ra l and r e s i d e n t i a l a c t i v i t i e s " . Pr ior t o the 1980 amendment municipal i t ies which had population dens i t i e s of under 200 persons per square m i l e

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( E a s t Mead Township w a s one of t h e m ) were not required t o plan o r be i n any way responsbile f o r so l id w a s t e management. cluded i n the county-wide s o l i d waste managmement plan pr inted i n 1973. population densi ty , based on 1980 U. S. Census da ta , is 66 persons per square mile.

Consequently the township w a s never in- E a s t Mead's

Two pr iva t e garbage haulers have made arrangements with many township res idents and they make scheduled t r i p s i n t o the township t o pick up garbage and other refuse. Colonial Carriers makes pick-ups Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday o r each week handling d i f f e r e n t sec tors of the township each day. Colonial handles the P e t t i s Road cor r i - dor, the Star Route cor r idor including Prenat t Road, the State Route 77 cor r idor and the Wayland Road cor r idor north of Davison Road. The other hauler , Henry's D i s - posal Service, on a once a week bas is handles the P e t t i s Road cor r idor , the Wayland Road cor r idor north from the S t a r Route and the Hatch H i l l Road cor r idor north of Plank Road.

UTILITIES

There are no publ ic sewerage o r water systems i n the township. However, common sewage treatment f a c i l i t i e s have been i n s t a l l e d f o r spec ia l land developments such as Playland Campground, Brookdale Campground and four other mobile home parks.

E lec t r i c i ty . NRECA, serves most of the township with e lectr ic power. The Pennsylvania Electr ic Co.., however, does cover c e r t a i n sec tors and the locat ion of these sec to r s shows on Map S . , the remaining being served by NFSCA.

The Northwestern Rural Electr ic Cooperative Association,

Telephone and Other U t i l i t i e s . Penn Telephone Corporation. E a s t Mead Township, along State Route 77 and P e t t i s Road. There is no cable t e l ev i s ion serv ice i n the township.

A l l of the township is served by th'e Mid- There are only a few na tu ra l gas customers i n

-

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The township is p a r t of the PENNCREST School D i s t r i c t . None of the schools which the township's youth at tend are located i n E a s t Mead Township. school age chi ldren a t tend the Randolph-East Mead School i n Guys Mills; Head Star t and day care programs a r e a l s o administered i n t h i s school. Junior high ages must t r a v e l t o a Middle School located on the western edge of the Borough of Townville i n Steuben Township. is ca l led Maplewood, and it is located i n a r u r a l s e t t i n g i n Randolph Township on L.R. 20085 about halfway between Guys M i l l s and Townville. The adminis t ra t ive headquarters f o r the PENNCREST School D i s t r i c t is located i n the Saegertown High School building j u s t w e s t of Saegertown Borough i n Hayfield Township.

Elementary

The high school serving E a s t Mead Township

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I I I I I I 1 I I I I I I I I I I I I

CLASSIFICATION OF ROADS

Key t o understanding the planni

THE HIGHWAY NETWORK

3 f o r ro ds i s the recognition t h a t they form a network, and the re la t ionship of the roads i n the network i s important because a l l roads should not serve the same function. The network concept is based on the f a c t t h a t there i s a hierarchy of roads; some roads serve i n t e r s t a t e and intercounty needs; others serve intertownship t r a v e l requirements, and s t i l l others function only t o provide access t o abut t ing propert ies . Often t i m e s the rea l i ty of things is t h a t the same road serves too many functions i n which case problems can arise.

The Federal Functional Class i f ica t ion System defines a "hierarchy" f o r roads. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) accepts the federa l sys- t e m as the c l a s s i f i ca t ion system t o use i n describing and categorizing roads, and this plan, therefore , follows the nomenclature i n the Federal Functional Sys- t e m . The road c l a s s i f i ca t ions i n t h i s system are as follows:

Minor Arterial. A road which serves i n t e r s t a t e and intercounty t r a v e l and where t r ips are normally of long duration. In E a s t Mead Township S ta te Route 27 is an example of t h i s category of road.

Major Collector. A road serving intercounty t r a v e l and which connects development centers within a county. State Route 198 and L.R. 20085 t o Guys M i l l s are examples of this category.

Minor Collector. A road which co l l ec t s t r a f f i c from the loca l road system and funnels it t o the major co l lec tor and minor a r te r ia l systems. In the township L.R. 20033 i s an example of t h i s category.

The three categories described above have considerable continuity and are almost always state maintained roads; most of them are designated with s ta te route numbers. The right-of-way widths of these roads should be 60 t o 80 f e e t , and depending on the s i t u a t i o n 100 f e e t of right-of-way may be preferable . The following two categories demonstrate a difference i n the cont inui ty cha rac t e r i s t i c , especial ly the loca l access road.

Local (Col lector) . This category of road i s named loca l i n the Federal Sys- t e m . It includes a l l township maintained roads. However, from the perspec- t i v e of l o c a l people most township roads have cont inui ty throughout the muni- c i p a l i t y and serve many acres of land. Other roads could easily be b u i l t "out from" the so-called township roads serving newly formed subdivisions. I f t h i s were t o happen it would be easy t o demonstrate t h a t the so-called loca l roads are co l l ec to r roads. Consequently i n t h i s plan the normal township road is designated a co l lec tor i f it has reasonable continuity. The right-of-way f o r t h i s category of road should have a width of 50 - 60 f ee t .

Local Access. This i s the t r u e loca l road, a road which would never - even with f u l l development on it and around it - carry appreciable through t r a f f i c and which primarily serves as access f o r abut t ing property owners. In the township Paden Road i s an example of t h i s type of road; t h i s i s the only such road i n East Mead Township. This category of road should have a right-of-way width of 50 f e e t .

Besides providing a convenient way t o organize one's thinking abou t the township road network the Federal Functional System has o ther important cha rac t e r i s t i c s .

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It denotes the amount of f inanc ia l help the federa l government w i l l supply t o a pa r t i cu la r road category.

subs t an t i a l federa l aid. Minor Collector ant! Local (Collector) roads do not pa r t i c ipa t e i n the conventional federa l a id programs. Facts, shows the c l a s s i f i c a t i o n designations f o r a l l roads i n the township. Map 7 . shows the highway network i n cen t r a l Crawford County including the c l a s s i f i ca - t i o n categories i n order t o allow the reader t o place the roads i n E a s t Mead Town- sh ip i n the la rger context.

I t a l s o is a key t o r e l a t i v e road importance and major improvement p r i o r i t i e s . Minor Arterial and Major Collector roads qua l i fy f o r -

Map 6 . , e n t i t l e d Highway

STATE VERSUS TOWNSHIP ROADS

The c l a s s i f i c a t i o n system previously described, although developed by the federa l government mainly t o provide an ordering f o r state maintained roads, has been a r t i cu la t ed and organized i n t h i s r epor t t o include township maintained roads. I t can be said t h a t the township has three types of roads based on ownership, s ta te roads, township maintained roads and pr iva te roads. The d i s t inc t ions between these three types of roads show on the Existing Land U s e Map, Map 1. s ta te and township roads are given on Map 8.; number designations are pr in ted on t h i s map a s w e l l as names where they ex i s t . S t a t e roads are iden t i f i ed by route numbers, f o r example State Route 27; however, some state roads do not have route numbers i n which case they a r e designated by l e g i s l a t i v e route numbers ( L . R . ) , f o r example L.R. 20033. A l l township maintained roads are given "TI' numbers, f o r example T-694.

Also a l l

Pr iva te roads are not the "normal s i t ua t ion" i n the township, bu t a few of them do ex i s t . Where the Board of Township Supervisors has not taken o f f i c i a l ac t ion t o accept a road i n t o i t s network such a road is a p r iva t e road and must be maintained by abut t ing property owners. Normally the township w i l l not accept a road i n t o i t s o f f i c i a l system unless the right-of-way is a minimum of 33 f e e t and the construction of the road meets township standards. The i n t e n t of the township's subdivision and land development ordinance is t o eliminate the generation of any new p r iva t e roads.

Currently there are approximately 51.8 m i l e s of publ ic ly maintained roads i n the township: 29.5 m i l e s of township maintained roads and 22.3 m i l e s of s ta te maintained roads.

AVERAGE DAILY TRAFFIC

Average da i ly t r a f f i c (ADT) is a term used t o express the number of vehicles which use roads. A s t he term implies it measures the number of vehicles which use a p a r t i c u l a r portion of road i n a 24 hour period averaged over the t i m e span of one year . PennDOT s t a f f do counts a t selected points on c e r t a i n roads. Map 6 . shows the ADT counts t h a t a r e avai lable f o r E a s t Mead Township. These counts are con- s idered as 1980 data. However, t he reader should be aware t h a t these 1980 da ta are based on ac tua l counts made i n 1971 but converted t o 1980 counts by a f ac to r which PennDOT a r r ives a t through a monitoring technique. In examining the counts shown on Map 6. one should keep i n mind t h a t a two lane highway i n a r u r a l a rea has a carrying capacity of approximately 7,500 average da i ly t r i p s ; t h i s r e f e r s t o a reasonably w e l l maintained road with a minimum t r a v e l way of 20 o r 2 1 f ee t .

A n analysis of ADT counts shows, as expected, State Routes 77 and 27 carry by f a r the g rea t e s t t r a f f i c volumes - approximately 3,400 ADT; Route 2 7 ' s volume i s re- duced t o about one-half of t h i s volume ' 'af ter Frenchtown" - 1500 ADT. All of the other highways i n the township have ADT counts of less than 500 with the exception

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of L.R. 20085 t o Guys Mills where the count i s 1400 ADT. Surpris ingly ADT on L.R. 20064/L.K. 20033, the major north-south road i n E a s t Mead Township i s approx- i m a t e l y 400. These d a t a show t h a t the road network i n the township can handle a g rea t dea l more t r a f f i c than it i s now ge t t ing .

GRAVEL VERSUS PAVED ROADS

A11 tawnship roads with the exception of 4,200 f e e t of Hobbs Road are maintained with gravel surfaces . 20034 south of Frenchtown (1.2 m i l e s ) a r e maintained w i t h paved surfaces . Approx- imately 58% of the highway system i n E a s t Mead Township is "gravel". Many of t he s t a t e roads maintained as paved roads a re located on narrow rights-of-way. The ove ra l l character of the township's highway system has a d i s t i n c t l y r u r a l f e e l , cont r ibu t ing i n a decided way t o E a s t Mead's dominant image, t h a t of a r u r a l , a g r i c u l t u r a l township.

Contrastingly a l l s ta te roads with t h e exception of L.R.

ROAD RIGHT-OF-WAY

The term road right-of-way r e f e r s t o the e n t i r e dedicated area of land within which the travelway (or cartway) and any o ther associated roadway improvements are located. Normally right-of-way widths should be designated and r e l a t ed t o r e l a t i v e road importance, i .e . t h e r e l a t i v e pos i t ion of the road i n the c l a s s i f i c a t i o n hierarchy. An examination of PennDOT records f o r township right-of-ways ind ica t e t h a t near ly a l l of them are 33 f e e t wide, the m i n i m u m acceptable width f o r a publ ic ly maintained road. The only township roads which are not 33 f e e t wide according t o PennDOT records are:

T-517 (Plank Road) from T-674 (Hatch H i l l Road) t o t h e Randolph Township

T-473 (Frenchtown Road) from S t a t e Route 27 t o the Randolph Township

boundary: t h i s right-of-way i s 50 f e e t .

boundary: t h i s right-of-way i s 50 f e e t .

Anyone searching the records w i l l f i nd t h a t it i s d i f f i c u l t t o determine o f f i c i a l road right-of-way widths. In addi t ion to'PennDOT records the re i s a record system maintained i n the county coutthouse by the C l e r k of Courts . I n bygone years roads w e r e ordained by the courts . However, these records are o f t en ambiguous on road locat ions and on right-of-way widths. This p lan report gives only the information i n the PennDOT records.

PennDOT o f f i c i a l s p re fe r t h a t a l l s t a t e roads have a m i n i m u m right-of-way width of 60 f e e t . For l o c a l access roads they f e e l 50 f e e t of right-of-way is acceptable. For township co l l ec to r roads, the right-of-way should be between 50 t o 60 f e e t .

HIGHWAY RELATED PROBLEMS.

As w i l l be made evident i n a later sec t ion of t h i s r epor t , the township's major s e rv i ce t o i t s r e s iden t s i s the maintenance of approximately 30 miles of road. But, of course, t he township road system i s in t e r l aced with the state system. The two major road network problems i n East Mead Township are on t h e s ta te system and can be l i s t e d as follows, the hazardous in t e r sec t ion a t Wayland Corners and the narrow bridge over L i t t l e Sugar Creek on L.R. 20033 near BOuSSOn Corners.

A t Wayland Corners the township's chief north-south road, L.R. 20064/L.R. 20033, i n t e r s e c t s i t s chief east-west road, State Route 27, on awkward v e r t i c a l and hor izonta l curves; and then t o make the s i t u a t i o n more d i f f i c u l t Plank Road, a

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township road is al igned i n t o t h i s i n t e r sec t ion . Because Wayland Corners is a focus po in t on t h e highway network, a s i g n i f i c a n t amount of development has taken place a t t h i s i n t e r sec t ion . This condi t ion has made t h e in t e r sec t ion an even g r e a t e r s a fe ty problem.

The br idge over L i t t l e Sugar Creek on L.R. 20033 is a bot t leneck t o t r a f f i c movement, e spec ia l ly north-south movement, through t h e township. It is posted f o r a 5 ton l i m i t . Its construct ion da tes from the tu rn of the century. It is an i r o n t r u s s br idge on narrow abutments. It has a span of 72 f e e t .

A s explained previously the township's topography i s very h i l l y i n sec t ions . The township has inhe r i t ed a.number of gravel roads on s t eep s loping hills. The areas of s t e e p s lope show i n a schematic way on Map 6.; t he re a re nine of them. To maintain gravel roads on these grad ien ts i s d i f f i c u l t ; maintaining any kind of road on these grad ien ts i s d i f f i c u l t .

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HOUSING IN EAST MEAD TOWNSHIP

Housing i n m o s t Crawford County municipal i t ies i s s t r i c t l y a p r iva t e sec 3r concern. not have such codes. The county does not have an ac t ive housing authori ty . Each of the county's two c i t ies , however, have a c t i v e housing au tho r i t i e s . The town- s h i p has enacted a d i lap ida ted bui ldings ordinance which empowers it t o demolish bui ldings which are a t h r e a t t o the publ ic hea l th , s a fe ty and general welfare. The township supervisors have used t h i s ordinance on occasion t o demolish abandoned buildings.

Few munic ipa l i t i es have housing or bui lding codes. E a s t Mead Township does

A housing survey w a s made i n the spr ing of 1983. The general age of residences w a s noted. foundations, exterior w a l l s and roofs. Also a series of more minor c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s w e r e examined, i . e . t he condition of the windows, porches and chimneys, e t c . This survey w a s a windshield survey and does not pretend t o provide de t a i l ed s ta t is t ics on housing conditions. S t i l l usefu l information w a s obtained; 353 conventionally b u i l t r e s i d e n t i a l bui ldings w e r e recorded (of these 3 were abandoned); 63 mobile homes on individual l o t s w e r e recorded. The ages of a l l housing s t ruc tu res w e r e recorded as follows:

Regarding the condition of the housing a quick evaluation w a s made of

% - Number

Turn of t he century, 1900 - 1910 and earlier 94 20

Bu i l t between 1910 and 1940 110 23

Post World War 11, conventional housing 146 30

Mobile homes on individual l o t s 63 13

Mobile homes i n "parks"

T o t a l

66 1 4

4 79 100 %

-. -

Of. t he 479 housing u n i t s , t he survey r e s u l t s show t h a t 75 of t h e m (16%) should be scheduled f o r subs t an t i a l r ehab i l i t a t ion . It i s important t o poin t out tha t t h e r e are 204 s t ruc tu res t h a t were b u i l t before World War 11, and many of these, although reasonably w e l l maintained based on the survey 's quick e x t e r i o r evaluation, would bene f i t g rea t ly from energy ef f ic iency improvements.

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,

SOCIOECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS

This sec t ion of t h e plan i s devoted t o an examination of t he s o c i a l and economic c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of the township. These c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s are determined mainly from the information provided i n t h e 1980 decennial U. S. Census. The information given i n the following pages is th ree years old a t t h i s wr i t i ng , bu t it is impossible t o ge t da t a a s comprehensive as these t h a t would be more cur ren t . The f a c t of the matter is t h a t near ly a l l of the observations l i s t e d below, mainly i n the form of s ta t i s t ica l t a b l e s , were only made ava i l ab le by t h e Bureau of t h e Census within the p a s t two months of t h i s wri t ing.

THE LABOR FORCE AND ITS CHARACTERISTICS

According t o the 1980 Census the re are 1095 persons 16 years of age and o lder . Of these 397, or 36%, are no t i n the labor force; t h i s is very na tu ra l f o r many of t h e younger persons are s t i l l being schooled and many women a r e housewives and not ava i l - able f o r employment. The unemployment r a t e ca lcu la ted from t h e following s ta t is t ics is 7%. These f igu res da t e from the spr ing of 1980.

TABLE 2.

PERSONS 16 YEARS AND OVER BY SEX AND BY LABOR FORCE STATUS

Male Female Total

In labor fo rce 433 (62%) 265 (38%) 69 8 Armed forces 0 0 0 C iv i l i an forces

Employed 408 (63%) 241 ( 3 7 % ) 649 Unemployed 25 (51%) 24 (49%) 49

Not i n labor fo rce 109 288 397

The next t w o t a b l e s a re among t h e most i n t e r e s t i n g i n t h i s sec t ion . They show the na ture of t h e labor force , i nd ica t ing the kind of work fami l ies do t o earn t h e i r l ivel ihoods. Township s t a t i s t i c s are arrayed alongside of county-wide s t a t i s t i c s t o f a c i l i t a t e comparisons.

TABLE 3 .

EMPLOYED PERSONS 16 YEARS AND OVER BY OCCUPATION I N EAST MEAD TOWNSHIP & I N THE COUNTY

Number i n Percent , Percent, E a s t Mead E a s t Mead Crawford Township Township County

Managerial & profess iona l spec ia l ty Executive, adminis t ra t ive , managerial 52 8% 7 % Professional spec ia l ty 51 89 11 %

Technicians & r e l a t ed support 9 1% 2 % Technical, sales adminis t ra t ive support

Sales 39 6% 8% Administrative support , c l e r i c a l 94 15% 13%

Pr iva t e household 2 - 0.5% Service

Pro tec t ive 3 - 1% A l l o ther s e rv i ce work 58 9% 13 %

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Farming , fo re s t ry & f i sh ing 26 Precis ion production, c r a f t & r e p a i r 1 2 4 Operators, f ab r i ca to r s & l aborers

Machine opera tors , assemblers, inspec tors 117

Transportation & mate r i a l moving 46 Handlers , helpers , laborers 28

Total 649

4% 19 %

18 % 7% 4%

100%

4% 15%

16% 5% 5%

100%

TABLE 4.

EMPLOYED PERSONS 16 YEARS AND OVER BY INDUSTRY I N EAST MEAD TOWNSHIP & I N THE COUNTY

Percent , Percent , East Mead Crawf ord

Number Township County

Agricul ture , f o r e s t r y , f i sh ing ,

Construction Manufacturing

mining

Nondurable goods (17%) 37 Durable goods (83%) 186

Transportation Comunication, o ther publ ic u t i l i t i e s Wholesale t r ade R e t a i l t r ade Finance, insurance, real estate Business & r e p a i r s e rv i ces Personal, entertainment, r ec rea t ion

Professional s e rv i ces serv ices

Health (46%) 58 Educational (38%) 48 Other (16%) 2 1

P u b l i c adminis t ra t ion

32 41

223

42 16 20 83

7 24

5% 6%

34 %

7% 2% 3%

13 % 1% 4%

15 2% 1 2 7 20%

4% 5%

35%

5% 2% 2 %

15% 3% 2 %

3% 21%

19 3% 3%

Total 649 100 % 100%

A n analys is of these t a b l e s produces the following observations.

.

Agricul ture and fo res t ry a s important as these indus t r i e s are t o t h e appearance of the township do not supply many r e s iden t s with the income needed t o s u s t a i n their households.

Manufacturing and profess iona l and r e t a i l i n g se rv ices provide about two-thirds (67%) of employment f o r township res idents .

The l a r g e s t s i n g l e employment category is the manufacture of durable goods (186 workers). Recessionary t rends i n our na t iona l economy normally con- s t i t u t e very d i f f i c u l t t i m e s f o r t h i s industry.

The labor force i n the township possesses s i g n i f i c a n t s k i l l s with 16% of the workers i n managerial and profess iona l s p e c i a l t i e s and 19% i n prec is ion production, c r a f t and r e p a i r s p e c i a l t i e s .

The occupations and i n d u s t r i a l ca tegor ies c h a r a c t e r i s t i c f o r the township's labor force parallel f a i r l y c lose ly the county-wide ca tegor ies .

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f

. Inasmuch as the re are few p laces of employment i n the township near ly a l l of t h e labor force is employed outs ide of E a s t Mead Township. The census da t a show t h a t 90% (522) of t he workers 16 years of age o r more work out- s i d e of t he township.

I INCOME DATA

The census da t a show t h a t household income is s i g n i f i c a n t l y higher i n the township than i n t h e county as a whole. The following measures of income compare the town- s h i p t o a l l of Crawford County; they r epor t 1979 incomes.

Median household income Mean household income Mean pe r c a p i t a income

E a s t Mead Crawf ord Township

$ 17,350 $ 15,193 $ 20,302 $ 17,595

County

$ 6,491 $ 6,205

The following t a b l e shows t h i s same f a c t . Note the smaller percentages under the township column a t t h e lower ranges of income and the higher percentages a t upper ranges of income.

TABLE 5.

HOUSEHOLD INCOME I N 1979 I N EAST MEAD TOWNSHIP AND I N CRAWFORD COUNTY

(The household includes a l l persons who occupy a housing un i t . )

E a s t Mead Twp. % O f Crawf ord County Income Range No. of Households Total % of Total

L e s s than $ 2,500 10 2.0 3.4 $ 2,500 to 4,999 23 4.6 9.4

5,000 t o 7 , 499 36 7.2 9.4 . 7,500 to 9 , 999 41 8.2 9.0

10,000 t o 12,499 52 10.4 9.6 12,500 t o 14,999 41 8.2 8.5 15,000 t o 17,499 50 10.0 8 . 2 17,500 t o 19,999 45 9.0 8.0 20,000 t o 22,499 37 7.4 7.2

25,000 t o 27,499 18 3.6 5.0 27,500 t o 29,999 25 5.0 3.8 30,000 t o 34,999 28 5.6 5.0 35,000 t o 39,999 2 1 4.2 2 . 8 40,000 t o 49,999 25 5.0 2.4 50,000 t o 74,999 6 1 .2 1.5 75,000 o r more 9 1.8 .7

Total 500 100 % 100 %

22,500 t o 24,999 33 6.6 5.9

S t a t i s t i c s on poverty mostappropriately may be shown under t h i s category. The township has a smallerpercemliage, of fami l ies under the poverty l e v e l than i n the county as a whole.

Poverty thresholds are es tab l i shed by the federa l government and- they are made s e n s i t i v e to family s i z e ; they a r e done on a na t iona l b a s i s ; no at tempt has been

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made t o ad jus t these thresholds f o r l o c a l o r reg iona l va r i a t ions i n the c o s t of l i v ing . The poverty l i n e o r threshold was es tab l i shed based on a U . S. Depart- ment of Agriculture study which r e f l ec t ed f ami ly s i z e and composition and which determined t h a t fami l ies of t h ree or more persons spend approximately one-third of t h e i r income on food; the poverty l e v e l f o r these fami l ies w a s s e t ' a t t h r e e t i m e s the cos t of an economy food plan. The more persons i n t he family the higher the poverty threshold. For smaller fami l ies (less than three) the c o s t of the economy food plan was mult ipl ied by f ac to r s t h a t w e r e s l i g h t l y higher i n order t o compensate f o r t h e r e l a t i v e l y l a rge r fixed expenses of these s m a l l e r households. The poverty thresholds a r e updated every year t o r e f l e c t i n f l a t i o n .

TABLE 6.

FAMILIES BELOW THE POVERTY LEVEL I N 1979 I N EAST MEAD TOWNSHIP AND I N THE COUNTY

East Mead Township

.Number In Township % Of A l l Famil ies

With r e l a t ed chi ldren: Under 6 years & ages

6 t o 1 7 1 2 Under 6 years only 7 Ages 6 t o 1 7 5

Without r e l a t e d chi ldren 0

Total fami l ies below poverty

Total fami l ies above poverty

l e v e l 24

l e v e l (402)

2.8 1.6 1 . 2 -

5.6

Crawf ord County % Of A l l Fami l i e s

In County

1 . 6 1.5 2 . 7 2.5

8.4

TABLE 7 .

UNRELATED INDIVIDUALS BELOW THE POVERTY LEVEL I N 1979 IN'EAST MEAD TOWNSHIP

Above Poverty Level Below Poverty Level Number Number %

Individuals 15 t o 64 yea r s 52 13 20% Individuals 65 years and over 13 14 21%

Total 65 27 41 %

Note: Unrelated ind iv idua ls may be persons l i v i n g alone, persons l i v i n g with o the r s but not r e l a t ed to t h e m , roomers, boarders, e t c .

EDUCATIONAL AND OTHER CHARACTERISTICS

The township r e s iden t s have an educational attainment p a r a l l e l i n g the county-wide a t t a i m e n t . ' S e e the following tab le .

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TABLE 8.

PERSONS 2 5 YEARS OLD AND OVER BY YEARS OF SCHOOL COMPLETED I N EAST MEAD TOWNSHIP AND

I N THE COUNTY

E a s t Mead Twp. Crawford County

Number % %

Elementary School education

High school education (0 t o 8 years )

1 t o 3 years 4 years

College education 1 t o 3 years 4 years o r more

137 16 16

110. 13 422 50

99 12 79 9

17 46

11 10 .

Total 847 100% 100%

Of 597 workers (of ages 16 years o r g rea t e r ) t h a t work away from t h e i r homes, 444 of them, or 75% dr ive these workers use a c a r pool to accomplish t h e i r t r i p t o work.

a car o r t ruck alone t o t h e i r place of employment; 23% of

TABLE 9.

AVAILABILITY OF VEHICLES I N OCCUPIED XOUSING U N I T S I N EAST MEAD TOWNSHIP AND I N THE COUNTY

East Mead Township -Crawford County % of Total N o . O f Households % O f Total

One vehic le ava i l ab le 172 36 47 Two vehic les ava i l ab le 182 38 38 Three o r more vehic les ava i l ab le 1 2 1 26 15

Total 475 100% 100 %

I f t he ownership of vehic les (cars and t rucks) is any measure of aff luence then E a s t Mead Township r e s iden t s are more a f f l u e n t than county r e s iden t s i n general . However, l i v i n g i n a r u r a l township such as E a s t Mead requires one t o t r a v e l t o work and t o a l l s e rv i ce establishments and i n r e a l i t y vehic les are an absolute necessi ty .

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I

THE TOWNSHIP'S FISCAL A F F A I R S

THE SCALE AND TYPE OF EXPENDITURES

To understand the scope of t he township's governing process it is usefu l t o have a general knowledge of annual expenditures and income c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s i n E a s t Mead Township. The f i s c a l accounts f o r the years 1977 t o 1981 inc lus ive w e r e examined, of the amount of money exchanged i n the governing process. yea r s , t h e township spent $117,110 annually, and, annually, $46,780 have been ava i lab le i n the form of cash and s e c u r i t i e s as carry-over funds f o r t he succeed- ing y e a r ' s expenses. penses by a c t i v i t y . not shown i n Table 11.

and the f igures es tab l i shed through t h i s analysis provide a good gage Averaging these f i v e

The following table summarizes a f i v e year average of ex- All f igu res a r e rounded. The annual carry-over amount i s

TABLE 10.

AVERAGE EXPENDITURES OVER A FIVE YEAR PERIOD EAST MEAD TOWNSHIP

Annual Category Of Expenses Expenditures %

General government: adminis t ra t ive supply, t ax co l l ec t ion expenses, bui lding upkeep $ 19,337 , 1 7

Highways ( includes salaries) 76 , 481 65 Fire pro tec t ion 3 I 150 3

Miscellaneous expenses 2,876 2 I n t e r e s t payments on indebtedness 1,963 2 Pay back of indebtedness (p r inc ipa l ) 10 , 647 9 Transfer account 2 , 655 2

~~

100 % Total (say) $ 117,110

SOURCE: County Planning Commission s t a f f compilations from Annual Audit repor t s

The overwhelming expense i n t h e township's t o t a l governing a c t i v i t y is f o r the upkeep of i t s highway network. This is exceedingly clear.

SOURCES OF TOWNSHIP REVENUE

The following t a b l e shows the source of township revenues. table do not show funds t h a t are ava i l ab le f o r use through t r a n s f e r accounts, carry-overs o r through loans which the township may negot ia te . w e r e developed through averaging over a f i v e year period from 1977 t o 1982. f i gu res are rounded.

The f igu res i n this

The amounts shown A l l

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0 TABLE 11.

AVERAGE REVENUES OVER A FIVE YEAR P E R I O D EAST MEAD TOWNSHIP

Revenue Category Amount %

Real estate t a x $ 14,786 13 A c t 511 taxes (wage SI per c a p i t a taxes) 33,743 31 Licenses & permits 1,387 1 Fines 2 , 648 3 Earned i n t e r e s t 2 , 530 2 Grants &. g i f t s 49,832 45 Miscellaneous 4 , 962 5

Total (say) $109 , 888 100%

SOURCE: County Planning Commission staff compilations from Annual Audit r epor t s

Contrary t o what many people may th ink the bulk of t h e township's revenue, 45% of it, is gained through g ran t s not through l o c a l real e s t a t e o r wage-taxes. Grants come from t w o main sources. Over the f i v e year period f ede ra l revenue shar ing g ran t s have averaged t o $14,280 o r about 13% of annual revenues. T h i s amount equals the revenue r a i sed through l o c a l real estate taxes. The o the r g ran t source i s from the s ta te l i q u i d f u e l s fund; over t he f i v e yea r period s ta te l i q u i d f u e l s monies have avera7ed $25,245 o r about 23% of annual revenues.

S t a t e l i q u i d f u e l monies are derived from s ta te taxes on t h e sale of gasol ine. A c e r t a i n percentage of these taxes - 20% i n 1983, for example - are co l l ec t ed i n a s p e c i a l fund and d i s t r i b u t e d t o the u n i t s of l o c a l government based upon t h e i r popul-ation and upon t h e miles of publ ic road maintained.

The second most important source of township revenue is the wage tax . T h i s t a x i s paid by the worker and t ransmit ted t o the township by the employers. T h i s t ax i s l i m i t e d t o - 5 % of a worker's gross earned income (another - 5 % is paid t o t h e PENN- CREST School D i s t r i c t ) and goes t o the municipali ty i n which the employee resides - not where he works. The burden of making su re t h i s t ax i s co l lec ted is placed upon the municipal i ty . i n places of employment outs ide of the township, the c o l l e c t i o n of this t a x provides the township with "import" revenue.

Since a v a s t major i ty of the township's labor force works

PROPERTY TAXES I N THE TOWNSHIP

The township's real estate o r property t ax through the f i v e year period analyzed i n t h i s r epor t has been generated based on a 10 m i l l t ax on the assessed va lua t ion of r e a l property. The assessed va lua t ion is determined by taking 30% of real value based on 1971 do l l a r s . The Crawford County Assessor is responsible f o r t h i s de te r - mination, and h i s ca l cu la t ions are sub jec t t o appeal through the Board of County Commissioners. The following t a b l e shows t h e assessed va lua t ion of a l l taxable property i n E a s t Mead Township through the years 1977 t o 1982. In viewing t h i s t a b l e one must keep i n mind t h a t t he values represent 30% of t r u e value i n 1971.

3 5

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TABLE 12 .

ASSESSED VALUATIONS, EAST MEAD TOWNSHIP

A s s e s sed % Increase Amount Of Tax

In Assed Valuation r e t i c a l l y C o l Theo- ectab .e

Valuation Over Previous Y e a r A t A Ten M i l l Rate Year

1977 $ 1,375,800 $ 13,758 4.8% 14,419 1978 1,441,900

1979 1,508,550 4.6% 15 , 085 1980 1,560,500 3.4% 15 , 605 1981 1,596 , 700 2.3% 15 , 967

SOURCE: County Planning Commission compilations from Annual Audit repor t s

Property t ax co l l ec t ion has been very e f f ec t ive i n the township through the past f i v e years ; of t he t o t a l amount of co l lec tab le t a x a l l bu t approximately 1 .2% (or $180) has not been co l lec ted each year.

The r e s iden t s of t he township pay property taxes not only t o the E a s t Mead Sup- e rv i so r s , bu t a lso t o the PENNCREST School D i s t r i c t and the Crawford County Com- missioners. Based on the assessed valuat ion of a l l property i n E a s t Mead Town- s h i p i n 1981, which from T a b l e 1 2 . w a s es tab l i shed a t $1,596,700, t he t o t a l amount of property t ax required of the township property owners, based on 1983 millage rates, i s given t o the following l i s t i n g :

% Of Amount Tax Rate Total Property

I n M i l l s Tax Obligation Of Tax

To the E a s t Mead Supervisors 10 7% $ 15,967 To the PENNCREST School D i s t r i c t 112 78% 178 , 830 To The Crawford County C o r n i s -

s ioners 2 1 15% 33 , 531

Totals 143 100 % $ 228,328

SOURCES OF AEDITIONAL F W E N U E

The Local Tax Enabling A c t , A c t 511, allows a township of the second class such as E a s t Mead Township t o ass ign a millage rate up t o 14 m i l l s . T h i s means t h a t t he township could c o l l e c t , based on i t s 1981 assessed valuat ion, an addi t iona l $6,387 less the co l l ec t ion fee.

Legis la t ion allows the township t o f i x addi t iona l millage, over the l e g a l l i m i t of 14 m i l l s , f o r p a r t i c u l a r expenditures. c lasses and the addi t iona l millage permitted i n conjunction with these a c t i v i t i e s .

Following i s a l i s t i n g of expenditure

Municipal bui lding 7 m i l l s Firehouse and equipment 3 m i l l s Road machinery fund 2 m i l l s Library 3 m i l l s Ambulance and rescue squads # m i l l

.--

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The township may always berrow money t o meet needs; however, the Local Government Unit D e b t Act, A c t 185, res t r ic ts t h e amount of debt t he township supervisors can obl iga te . According t o the act, the township can incur a debt up t o , but not exceeding, 23 t i m e s i ts average of revenue (adjusted) over t he l as t three years . In ad jus t ing the township's revenue, the grants category of revenue i s not included. Hence i n E a s t Mead Township t h e adjusted revenue f o r t he years 1979, 1980 and 1981 ca lcu la ted t o $64,019. This revenue would have permitted the townsh ip t o borrow approximately $160,000 less ex i s t ing indebtedness.

In the o v e r a l l the Board of Township Supervisors needs a l l of t h e revenue it c o l l e c t s t o operate the township government. t o run on-going programs are needed per iodica l ly f o r equipment needs. New programs involving s i g n i f i c a n t monies w i l l have t o be financed out of increased township

Revenues i n any one year which are not spent

millage l ev ie s o r through s ta te and f ede ra l g ran t s , o r through combination of these things. I

,

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POPULATION FORECAST

THE FORECAST

The population of East Mead Township as counted i n the 1980 U. S. Census t o t a l e d t o 1553. Since the population count i n 1970 w a s 1264 persons, t he more recent f igu re represents a t en year increase of 289 persons o r 23%. One simple b u t ef- f ec t ive population forecast ing technique i s t o "average out" h i s t o r i c a l population data . In inore technica l terms t h i s is done by f i t t i n g a t rend l i n e t o the past decennial census counts; t h i s t rend l i n e i s developed mathematically through a l i n e a r regression ana lys i s . In the following t a b l e h i s t o r i c a l population da ta are provided f o r t he township and f o r a l l of Crawford County ( f o r comparative purposes). Also t h e r e s u l t s of the l i nea r regression fo recas t are shown f o r E a s t Mead Township.

Difference From Township U. S. Census Preceding Count Increase

Counts East Crawf ord Over E a s t Mead Crawford Mead Twp. County Township Previous

Year Township County Number % N u m b e r % Forecast Count

1940 812 71 I 664

1950 1037 78,948 225 27.7 7,284 10.2

1960 1064 77 , 956 27 2.6 - 992 - 1.3

1970 1264 81 I 342 200 18.8 3,386 4.3

1980 1553 88,869 289 22.9 7,527 9.3

1990 1660 107

2000 1830 170

Based on 1980 Census da ta , t h e mean number of persons per occupied household u n i t i n E a s t Mead Township is 3.08. Assuming t h i s f i gu re as t y p i c a l f o r fu tu re households then i n 1990, 35 new households w i l l have been added to t h e township and by the year 2000 55 a d d z i o n a l households - beyond t h e increased households added up t o 1990. Thesepro jec ted households are based upon the fo recas t es tab l i shed i n t h e t a b l e above; 90 new households would be added t o the township over a twenty year period.

It is i n t e r e s t i n g t o note how E a s t Mead's growth rate through the p a s t decades completely outs t r ipped the growth rate f o r the county as a whole. Township growth rates have been almost t h ree t i m e s g rea te r than county r a t e s . This f a c t p a r a l l e l s na t iona l t rends. The 1980 Census shows t h a t na t iona l ly w h i l e metropolitan areas grew by l o % , r u r a l areas grew by 15%. People have been moving not j u s t t o sub- urb ia - t e r r i t o r y j u s t outs ide of a c e n t r a l c i t y - but they have been moving t o r u r a l a r eas , areas l i k e East Mead Township.

Our s t a t e government ( the Office of S t a t e Planning and Development) has forecasted state-wide population t o the year 2000. Crawford County's share of this fo recas t i s as follows: year 1990 - 95,164; year 2000 - 97,848. From the t a b l e above the township's proportion of the to ta l county population over the f i v e decades shown was ca lcu la ted on t h e average t o be 1.42%. Applying t h i s percentage t o t h e s t a t e ' s county-wide fo recas t w e obtain as proport ionate shares f o r E a s t Mead Township 1351 persons i n 1990 and 1389 persons i n the year 2000. Both of these amounts are considerably lower than t h e l i n e a r regression based fo recas t l i s t e d i n the table

38

above.

Population forecas ts must be considered only as a guide t o the fu tu re . The forecast developed i n t h i s report is based on p a s t data . Any unusual occurrence af- f ec t ing East Mead Township could change the "numbers" considerably. The advent of a new industry i n t h e Greater Meadville Area employing, l e t us say one thou- sand workers, would change development t rends i n the township g rea t ly .

Assuming the re are approximately 90 new households added t o the township over a twenty year per iod, how w i l l they be located? Analyzing the cu r ren t p a t t e r n f o r t he s i t i n g of r e s i d e n t i a l bui ldings (through making counts of f of t h e Exis t ing Land U s e Map) i n t h e township, one can say t h a t 361 o r 92% of these bui ldings are located v i sua l ly adjacent ( i n a l i n e a r or s t r ipped manner) t o the c o l l e c t o r and ar ter ia l road network. Assuming t h i s same p a t t e r n f o r s i t i n g new housing pre- v a i l s i n t h e same proport ion i n f u t u r e years by the year 2000 the re w i l l be 83 more homes s t r ipped along t h e township's "spine" road network.

POPULATION DISTRIBUTION BY AGE AND SEX

I t is usefu l t o know t h e d i s t r i b u t i o n of t h e township's population by age and by sex. c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s are displayed aga ins t those of the nat ion i n order t o obta in an idea of t h e normality, o r lack of it, of t h e d i s t r i b u t i o n i n E a s t Mead Township. In t h e lower age grouping, from 0 t o 9 years of age, t he township has a higher proport ion of population than the country does i n the grouping. township has a lesser share , p ropor t iona l ly , than the nat ion does i n t h e over 65 age grouping. In the remaining age brackets t h e township general ly p a r a l l e l s t he na t ion i n t h e r e l a t i v e shares , with an exception i n the 30-34 age grouping where t h e township has a s i g n i f i c a n t l y higher proportion. These r e l a t ionsh ips are ob- servable i f one s tud ie s Chart 1. graphs would be i n the form of a pyramid: however, one can see t h i s is not the case because of t h e "bracketing" chosen.

T h i s information f o r t h e year 1980 is given i n Chart 1. The township's

However, the

I f t he age brackets were spaced evenly, t he

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CHART / I I I I I I II I I I I I I I I I I I I

TOTAL

1 IO

TOTL

POPULATION BY AGE & S E X : 1980 EAST MEAD TOWNSHIP

MALES AGES FEMALES _ _ _ _

TOTAL 7 I I I i I I I I I I

0 0 20 40 60 80 0 80 60 40 20 POPULATION

THE UNI MALES

TED .STATES AGES FEMALES

LL 110,03

' 6 4

I too

3.000 . - . - - - 1 I I I I I 8 J I I I I I I I 1

10 12.5 15 17.5 0 0 2 6 5 7.5 17.5 IS 12.5 10 7.S 5 2.5 - POPULATION I N MILLIONS SOURCE: 1980 U . S . C E N S U S DATA COMPILED IN THIS FORM B Y C.C.P.C. STAFF

1 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

ISSUES TO EE ADDRESSED _- In studying the township as has been done i n t h i s Background Information sec- t i o n a series of i s s u e s have been ident i f ied . In completing the background portion of t h i s plan these issues a re formulated and se t fo r th i n the following paragraphs. The next sect ion of the plan w i l l deal with these i s s u e s and i n doing so township object ives , po l i c i e s and pro jec ts r e l a t i v e t o i t s growth and development s h a l l be establ ished.

For the most p a r t development (which i s almost en t i r e ly r e s i d e n t i a l ) i n East Mead Township has occurred i n a sca t te red pa t t e rn along i t s r a the r extensive network of co l lec tor public roads. The only pronounced c lus te r ing of development has occurred i n t h e h i s t o r i c sett lement of Frenchtown. This road network was establ ished i n i t s present pa t te rn by 1900 and w a s b u i l t ch ie f ly t o provide access t o the many farmers who populated the township and formed the bas i s of i t s economy a century ago. Farming no longer dominates the township's economy. These r u r a l roads, a l l gravel roads except fo r those maintained by the s ta te , now serve a "suburban/rural" population who l i v e i n E a s t Mead Township but who gain t h e i r l ivelihood elsewhere, commuting t o t h e i r jobs by car o r truck. Shal l the township continue t o "promote" or perhaps b e t t e r expressed "accept" t h i s type of development?

Although a study of the township economy shows t h a t only 5% of the employed persons i n the township work as farmers, approximately 51% of the township lands are p a r t of farming operations. Many of these farming operations are part-time a c t i v i t i e s . Farming en terpr i ses e s t ab l i sh the major v i sua l character of t he township. Should the Board of Township Supervisors, through the adoption of land use controls such as represented by a zoning ordinance, attempt i n a d i r e c t way t o pre- serve the present ag r i cu l tu ra l character of the township? For example r e s iden t i a l subdivisions with l o t widths of 100 t o 150 f e e t are now per- missable throughout the township. Through zoning regulations minimum l o t widths could be increased t o 250 t o 300 f e e t i n areas where agricul- t u r a l a c t i v i t i e s are dominant, and r e s i d e n t i a l subdivisions involving new roads could be prohibited.

9 There i s very l i t t l e job-supporting industry i n the township. Except f o r full-t ime farming, some gravel mining and small scale home occupation en terpr i ses , the township labor force leaves f o r a da i ly work t r i p t o the cen te r s ,o f industry i n Meadville and elsewhere. E a s t Mead Township is a bedroom community pa r t i cu la r ly f o r famil ies who d i s t i n c t l y want r u r a l surroundings. Should township government fos t e r the continuation of t h i s character o r should it seek t o a t t r a c t i n d u s t r i a l and, associated with t h i s , a modest amount of service and r e t a i l business a c t i v i t y ?

N o community sewerage systems are planned i n East Mead Township. There are, however, f i v e ex i s t ing community or common systems f o r cluster-type developments: mobile home parks and campgrounds. Sewage treatment f o r these clustered developments occurs on the property, most of ten with the technique of using a special ly designed s e p t i c tank and t i l e disposal f i e l d . Recently innovative on-lot disposal systems have been developed, and they are being recommended f o r use i n place of individual dwelling on-lot systems. Since 63% of the township's s o i l has severe- l imi ta t ions f o r t h e use of on-lot sewage systems it would appear t h a t there should be more use of community systems. Should the township take an ac t ive

~

41

,

r o l e i n promoting such systems? For example, it may be ;that a group of ten s ingle family dwellings located r e l a t i v e l y close t o another could a l l be b e t t e r served by a community system on a piece of ground i n t h e i r v i c i n i t y where good s o i l conditions preva i l .

The township has no meeting room i n its present building complex and, i n fact , the o f f i c e area is extrenely s m a l l . On the other hand the E a s t Mead Volunteer F i r e Department is located adjacent t o the township buildings. Should the township enlarge i t s main garage, o r perhaps con- s t r u c t a new building, f o r township meeting and o f f i c e space? O r should the township continue t o use the f i r e department's f a c i l i t i e s ? The re- la t ionship between township government and the f i r e department is good. Two m i l l s of the township's t en m i l l levy is provided annually t o the f i r e department.

The township has no recreat ion program nor does it maintain a park sys- t e m of any kind. Residents of the township t o the ex ten t they des i r e t o p a r t i c i p a t e i n ac t ive recreat ion o r enjoy park f a c i l i t i e s can use the f a c i l i t i e s of the surrounding municipal i t ies , pa r t i cu la r ly Meadville and West Mead Township, and they can u s e f a c i l i t i e s maintained by the county and the state. However, the day may come when the township w i l l have a s u f f i c i e n t l y s t rong demand from i ts res idents t o program ac t ive recrea- t i o n a c t i v i t i e s .

Crawford County does not have a s o l i d waste disposal s i t e of any type located within i t s boundaries. A l l household garbage and re fuse , i f it i s not disposed of properly on the property of i t s generation must have this material picked up by a hauler and taken t o sites outs ide the county. Should the township jo in with other in te res ted municipal i t ies i n Crawford County requesting t h a t the County Solid Waste Authority rev ise i t s s o l i d w a s t e management plan t o comply with the requirements of the s ta te Solid Waste Management A c t of 1980 and i n doing so attempt t o bui ld a con- sensus for a county-wide program f o r handling s o l i d w a s t e as generated by the households throughout t he county?

County-wide organizations, one of which i s the Crawford County Planning Commission, advocates t h a t the major highway route from Meadville t o T i t u s v i l l e should be the State Route 77 - L.R. 20088 - S t a t e Route 408 connection. Proponents of t h i s policy have advocated t h a t the road alignment and surfacing along t h i s route be upgraded through PennDOT's Betterment Program. The other route from Meadville t o T i tusv i l l e , t r a d i t i o n a l l y considered a s the major l ink between these c i t i e s , is S t a t e Route 2 7 . Both of these highways pass through East Mead Township. However, Route 27 t raverses the township a t i ts center whereas State Route 77 passes through only the northwest extremity of the township. Around the turn of the century the connection between the Meadville a rea and the O i l Creek region traversed E a s t Mead Township. O i l Creek Road, shown on Map 8. is the road which provided t h i s connection i n the pas t ; this same road today picks up the State Route 27 alignment

. east of E a s t Mead Township, i n Randolph Township.

PennDOT's Functional Class i f ica t ion System recognizes S t a t e Route 27 a s a minor ar ter ia l highway, and it c l a s s i f i e d Route 408 as a major col- l e c t o r highway (lesser s t a t u s ) . The Crawford County Planning Commission has advocated f o r 8 years t h a t t h i s c l a s s i f i c a t i o n ranking be reversed


I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

and that the northerly corr idor t o T i t u s v i l l e (State Route 408) be c l a s s i f i e d the minor ar ter ia l route , believing this route t o be more cen t r a l t o the county, recognizing t h a t it interconnects the intervening boroughs of Blooming V a l l e y , Townville and Hydetown and believing a l so t h a t the use of the Betterment Program can be more e f f ec t ive i n upgrading t h i s road than it can be i f used on State Route 27. Should the township advocate t h a t the pr inc ipa l Meadville t o T i tusv i l l e highway be State Route 27 or the S ta te Route 77 - L.R. 20088 - Sta t e Route 408 connection?

East-west t r a v e l across E a s t Mead Township is reasonably convenient with the existence of the Star Route (State Route 27) and O i l Creek Road. North-south t r a v e l , however, i s f a r more d i f f i c u l t . A glance a t Map 8. shows t h a t the only continuous road providing f o r north- south t r a v e l is the combination of L.R. 20064 and L.R. 20033 commonly ca l led Wayland Road. The pavement width on this road i s not up t o a f u l l 20 foot minimum as it should be. T h i s can be remedied without too much d i f f i c u l t y . But there are two addi t ional problems on this road, (1) a t i t s in te rsec t ion with Route 27 a t Wayland Corners where very hazardous conditions ? reva i l as one attempts t o negot ia te t h i s i n t e r sec t ion , and ( 2 ) a t the bridge over L i t t l e Sugar Creek where a very old one-lane bridge i s the conduit f o r t r a f f i c . How s h a l l the township seek t o improve Wayland Road, a s t a t e f a c i l i t y and i t s only t rue north-south road?

Nearly a l l township roads are constructed with a gravel surface. Gravel roads a r e the most economical f o r the township t o maintain. Also gravel roads give the township a d i s t i n c t r u r a l , ag r i cu l tu ra l character. I f the township wanted t o encourage a grea te r amount of suburban development the provision of bituminous pavement f o r i ts road network would undoubtedly promote t h i s . Of course it could not be done a l l a t once, but it could be planned over the fu ture years. Should the township a i m t o provide bituminous pavement f o r i t s roads o r should it continue t o maintain them i n gravel?

. One s ta te maintained road, L.R. 20034, is a gravel road. L. R. 20034 connects the v i l l a g e of Frenchtown with East O i l Creek Road. I t is approximately 1% m i l e s i n length. Should the township negot ia te with PennDOT and, once t h i s road i s put i n t o a good condition, accept it i n t o the township system and provide a l l fu ture maintenance f o r i t ?

The housing survey completed a s p a r t of t h i s plan ind ica tes there are 75 residences i n need of subs tan t ia l r ehab i l i t a t ion . I n addi t ion approximately 204 residences i n the township have been constructed p r i o r t o World War I1 and, except i n a few instances, these homes have not been provided w i t h a l l the insu la t ion mater ia l needed t o make t h e m t r u l y energy e f f i c i e n t . Should the township request the Crawford County Redevelopment Authority t o embark on housing re- h a b i l i t a t i o n pro jec ts f o r the county's townships and boroughs and spec i f i ca l ly f o r East Mead Township?

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Crawford County, indeed a l l of western Pennsylvania, is witnessing an erosion t o i t s t r a d i t i o n a l economic base which has been i n the manufacture of durable goods pa r t i cu la r ly metal products. economists observe t h a t w e w i l l never replace many of t he i n d u s t r i a l jobs t h a t have been l o s t i n the pas t decade. Should the township seek, through discussions with higher leve ls of government and with multi-municipal and regional organizations, t o insure t h a t programs are being formulated t o increase employment i n Crawford County?

Many

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111, EAST MEAD TOWNSH I P COfIPREHENS I V E PLAN

PRELIMINARY REMARKS

The term "comprehensiven plan i s of ten misunderstood. I t w a s explained par- t i a l l y i n the Introduction sec t ion of t h i s report . "Comprehensive" as used i n community planning work means t h a t a l l of the elements contributing t o the l i f e of a community a re d e a l t with and woven i n t o one f ab r i c , so t o speak, which then provides a guide f o r the fu tu re programs and pro jec ts fo r the whole community, i n t h i s case the township. This i s an ambitious undertaking and, without b e l i t - t l i n g the comprehensive plan process, it can never be achieved. A study of the Background Information sect ion of t h i s plan shows t h a t while m a n y areas of community l i f e w e r e examined a l l areas were not. Also the areas t h a t were examined w e r e not treated i n the depth t h a t perhaps some persons would des i re . emphasis of t h i s plan i s on the development of a land use plan and land u t i l i z a - t i on po l i c i e s which can be used as a basis f o r guiding fu ture growth i n the townsh ip and perhaps used as a bas i s f o r a zoning ordinance. Most comprehensive planning undertakings concentrate on the physical community, not on soc ia l and econo- m i c networks, although any plan for the physical community is based on the prevail- ing s o c i a l and economic networks and i n turn has e f f e c t s on these networks.

The primary

The plan i s r e f l ec t ed i n a map of t he township which shows a desired pa t t e rn of uses f o r a l l land i n the township. This map is ca l led the land use plan. Other elements of the plan which are mapped are proposals f o r new road alignments, f o r example. But the plan also includes a series of objective and policy statements. These are extremely important because they e s t ab l i sh a sense of d i rec t ion fo r the township's growth and development. From these object ives and po l i c i e s spec i f i c pro jec ts can be formulated which should be the bas i s f o r fu ture act ions i n the public o r governmental sec tor as w e l l as i n the pr iva te sector . where growth and development questions of one type o r another are t o be d e a l t with by the township supervisors, where budget p r i o r i t i e s are an i ssue f o r t he supervisors, hopefully the object ives and po l i c i e s es tabl ished i n t h i s plan w i l l provide the needed guide for +he required decision making.

Mindful of the information i n the preceding Background Information sec t ion , t h i s repor t w i l l proceed t o set fo r th object ives and pol ic ies f o r East Mead Township. The term object ive should be understood t o mean a general statement of the purpose r e l a t i v e t o an issue. The t e r m policy s h a l l be understood t o mean a more spec i f i c statement i n connection with act ion on an issue. The term pro jec t s h a l l be understood t o mean a spec i f i c undertaking which achieves s t a t ed po l i c i e s and objectives.

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I DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES

I To f o s t e r a rural environment throughout a l l the township f o r t he establ ish- ment, predominantly, of residences and t o continue t o accommodate a l l forms of r e s i d e n t i a l development on township lands, believing t h a t the pleasant . r u r a l character of E a s t Mead Township is pa r t i cu la r ly w e l l su i t ed f o r those who des i r e a non-urban l i v i n g s ty l e .

This object ive assumes t h a t a l l development w i l l m e e t the on-lot sewage regulat ions and land subdivision requirements es tabl ished i n the township.

I I

To r e j e c t t he idea of d i s t i n c t separations between varying types of land use bel ieving t h a t i n E a s t Mead Township r e s iden t i a l , commercial and i n d u s t r i a l a c t i v i t i e s , on the scale they are l i ke ly t o be developed may e x i s t i n varied pa t te rns and s ide by s i d e where l o t s i z e s and dis tance requirements a re ob- served .

I I I

To encourage ex is t ing ag r i cu l tu ra l a c t i v i t i e s t o remain functioning and t o promote t h e i r expansion where possible , but not t o consider r e s i d e n t i a l a c t i v i t i e s imcompatible with ag r i cu l tu ra l a c t i v i t y .

To hold development dens i t i e s low i n areas of t h e township which are accessed by gravel roads on s teep gradients .

To discourage concentrated commercial a c t i v i t i e s , such a s a shopping center , and la rge scale manufacturing a c t i v i t i e s from locat ing i n the township.

1 I I I

T o promote the widest poss ib le range of opportuni t ies f o r p r iva t e property use, bel ieving t h a t the l o w density pattern of settlement in the township insures t h a t d i s s i m i l a r neighboring uses w i l l not a f f e c t one another i n ser ious ly adverse ways.

To recognize ex is t ing set t lements t h a t have been establ ished i n the sast years of set t lement i n the township and t o encourage the expansion of these set t lements espec ia l ly as they may supply convenient se rv ices t o township residents .

T o confine township serv ices mainly t o road maintenance work, encouraging most other community services and f a c i l i t i e s t o be supplied by pr iva te sec tor in- terests o r by higher leve ls of government.

I To exercise the necessary regulations on land designated as flood prone so t h a t building does not occur on such land.

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LAND USE PLAN, P O L I C I E S AND PROJECTS

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11 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

OBJECTIVE

To s t r i v e t o loca te fu ture development i n harmony with the land use areas a s indicated on the E a s t Mead Township Land Use Plan which i s incorporated i n t o this .

plan repor t as Map 9. The plan designates areas f o r r u r a l development, low den- s i t y r u r a l development and v i l l a g e centers as w e l l as areas subject t o the hazard of periodic flooding. The plan i s drawn so as t o provide guidance f o r a period of approximately 10 years i n t o the future .

The Land U s e Plan i s based on the development object ives l i s t ed i n the previous sect ion of t h i s plan report . These object ives have been derived from a study of current development pa t te rns i n the township, from the in te rac t ion of residen t ' s values with information, much of which i s pr inted i n the Background sect ion of t h i s repor t , and from other charac- t e r i s t i c s of t he township known by the res idents . The land use plan r e j e c t s the conventional separation of land use a c t i v i t i e s i n t o spec i f ic land use areas, i .e . r e s iden t i a l , commercial, i ndus t r i a l .

(1) Policy. Rural Development areas are designated t o accommodate varied building and land use a c t i v i t i e s , r e s iden t i a l , commercial and indus t r i a l . These a c t i v i t i e s should a l l be developed with a d i s t i n c t l y r u r a l character and a t reasonably large dis tances one from the other . N o l a rge concentration of commercial and/or i n d u s t r i a l uses should be s i t e d i n t h i s land use area. A l l ac- t i v i t i e s should be i n sca l e with the r u r a l environment of the township.

( 2 ) Policy. Low Density Rural Development areas are designated indicat ing locat ions i n the township which a re pa r t i cu la r ly inaccessible because they are served by gravel roads with s t eep gradients. varied types of development b u t a t lower dens i t ies than the r u r a l development areas.

These areas could accommodate

( 3 ) Policy. Village Development areas are designated where establ ished settle- ments have occurred, a t Frenchtown and Wayland Corners, and where addi t ional sett lement is encouraged. t i a l , commercial and i n d u s t r i a l a c t i v i t i e s and could occur a t grea te r den- i t i e s than i n the r u r a l development areas of the township. Preferably commercial, i ndus t r i a l , apartment r e s iden t i a l and i n s t i t u t i o n a l uses should be located i n t h i s land use area. Focusing varied development a c t i v i t i e s i n these "vi l lages" would provide the township with a more e f f i c i e n t and more under- standable pa t te rn f o r i t s physical development.

This sett lement should be varied including residen-

The set t lements of Frenchtown and Wayland Corners (which has been extended t o include the township building and the f i r e department) have developed on the Star Route where other s t a t e and township roads have in te rsec ted the Star Route; they are sett lements with h i s t o r i c meaning and they represent the s t rongest cen t r a l places i n East Mead Township.

( 4 ) Policy. Flood Hazard areas are designated t o make the publ ic knowledge- able of t he locat ion of lands subjec t t o per iodic flooding. These lands have been iden t i f i ed by technical s t a f f employed by the federa l and s t a t e govern-

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LEGEND P

RURAL DEVELOPMENT

LOW DENSITY RURAL DEVELOPMENT

VILLAGE CENTER r-1 FLOOD HAZARD

m l MINOR ARTERIAL HIGHWAY

MAJOR COLLECTOR HIGHWAY

0 0 0 0 MINOR COLLECTOR HIGHWAY - COLLECTOR ROAD

LAND US€ & HIGHWAYS PLAN MAP 9

EAST MEAD TOWNSHIP, CRAWFORD COUNTY, PA.

A S C A L Z I"+ 2,460': 0 615 2460 4000

M A Y 1983 PREPARED B Y S T A F F OF CRAWPORD COUNTY P L A N N I N Q C d M M I S S I O N N O R


ments. The agencies of these governments requi re t h e township supervisors t o exerc ise a regulatory funct ion r e l a t i v e t o bui lding of any kind i n these flood hazard areas.

(5) Policy. To guide and regula te land development i n East Mead Township through the use of subdivis ion and zoning ordinances, so t h a t they implement the objec t ives and p o l i c i e s of t h i s plan.

Pro jec t . To study the township's ex i s t ing Subdivision and Land Development ordinance, enacted i n 1979, i n l i g h t of the p o l i c i e s es tab l i shed i n t h i s plan and t o make amendments t o it where it i s necessary i n order t o implement t h i s p l a n ' s po l i c i e s .

The t a s k of studying o r recommending changes t o t h i s ordinance should be undertaken by the township planning commis- s ion.

Program. To use the Subdivision and Land Development ordinance as a vehic le through which standard rights-of-way widths are obtained f o r a l l publ ic roads.

Standards es tab l i shed f o r township and s t a t e roads, depending on t h e i r c l a s s i f i c a t i o n , are f ixed i n the township's subdi- v i s ion ordinance. A s land subdivision occurs and is regulated these widths (or one-half these widths where only one s i d e of a road i s undergoing subdivis ion) should be dedicated by means of subdivision p l a t s .

Pro jec t . The E a s t Mead Township Planning Commission should study and w r i t e a proposed zoning ordinance r e f l e c t i v e of the land use p o l i c i e s es tab l i shed i n t h i s plan. Once t h e commission bel ieves it has a proposed zoning ordinance sens i t i ve t o the objec t ives and p o l i c i e s a r t i c u l a t e d i n t h i s plan, a publ ic hearing should be held t o obtain the p u b l i c ' s react ion. Pr ior t o the publ ic hear ing, as the study of proposed zoning regula t ions proceeds, a series of ed- uca t iona l art icles published i n the da i ly newspaper may be very usefu l i n explaining the nature and purpose of zoning regulat ions.

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HIGHWAYS PLAN, P O L I C I E S AND PROJECTS

The Highways Plan i s shown j o i n t l y with the Land U s e Plan on Map 9. Some elements of the plan f o r highways do not show on t h i s plan but a r e discussed i n the following paragraphs.

(6) Policy. To accept (with a minor q u a l i f i c a t i o n ) the Federal Functional C las s i f i ca t ion System as a proper way t o c l a s s i f y highways with r e spec t t o t h e i r roles i n t h e o v e r a l l highway network f o r t he township. Map 6. shows these highway c l a s s i f i c a t i o n s .

The Federal Functional C las s i f i ca t ion System is explained under the highway system nar rac t ive i n the Background sec- t i o n of this repor t . The exception mentioned above has t o do with a more accurate descr ip t ion of t he township main- ta ined network. Township roads are e i t h e r "co l l ec to r " roads o r " loca l access" roads, never " loca l" roads as given i n the Federal System. A l l township roads., i n f a c t , a r e c o l l e c t o r roads except Paden Road, T-516, which, as a dead- ended road, i s c l a s s i f i e d l o c a l access.

Pro jec t . township's subdivis ion and land development ordinance which would b r ing t h i s ordinance i n t o agreement with the Federal Functional C l a s s i f i c a t i o n System with respec t t o t h e nomenclature (and h i e r - archy) of roads and the amountbf right-of-way each road category should have. The cormnission should recommend the enactment of such an ordinance.

The planning commission should d r a f t an amendment t o the

( 7 ) Policy. To m a i n t a i n ' a l l township roads i n grave l surfacing because of t h e economy of t h i s p rac t i ce , because the township recognizes t h a t it i s a r u r a l a r ea and does not have t h e economic base t o maintain a paved road system and because the development objec t ive of the township i s t o remain a r u r a l place with development spread i n a low dens i ty p a t t e r n throughout i ts lands.

Paved roads i n Crawford County a re expensive t o maintain because t h e county's s o i l s have poor n a t u r a l drainage. This f a c t coupled with cold winters and a considerable amount of "freezing and thawing" weather makes it cos t ly t o maintain road pavements t h a t remain f r e e of cracks and "potholes".

Project . The township supervisors should adopt a reso lu t ion based on t h i s plan s t a t i n g t h a t they intend t o manage and maintain a l l of t he township's road network w i t h grave l surfacing. This reso lu t ion should be accompanied by a map of a l l township roads on which it is indica ted t h a t sur face mater ia l is t o be grave l .

(8) Policy. To e f f ec tua te s a f e t y improvement and needed major r e p a i r o r replacement (realignment) p ro jec t s i n the road network, including both s ta te and ,

township roads, wherever co r rec t ive work is needed.

Project . The Board of Township Supervisors should resolve t o send a l e t te r t o PennDOT's D i s t r i c t 1-0 o f f i c e i n Franklin regarding the need f o r an improvement p ro jec t on State Route 27 a t Wayland Corners. This l e t t e r should (1) acknowledge the statement formally presented

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by the county planning cornmission t o PennDOT a t the S t a t e Transpor- t a t i o n Commission's publ ic hearing a t Edinboro, PA on March 31, 1983, relative t o a Wayland Corners improvement; ( 2 ) i nd ica t e t h a t t he s p e c i f i c na ture of the improvement w i l l very l i k e l y be d i f f e r e n t from the realignments proposed March 31, 1983 due t o t h e nature of continuing bui ld ing development a t Wayland Corners; (3) ind ica te t h a t the specific nature of t h e improvement i s cur ren t ly proposed as shown on Map 10. i n this repor t which envisions hor izonta l realignments f o r S t a t e Route 27 and Plank Road (T-577) and v e r t i c a l realignments f o r Route 27, T-517 and L.R. 20064/L.R. 20033; ( 4 ) re- ques t PennDOT t o do a l l i n i ts power t o schedule a Wayland Corners improvememt on the Twelve Year Transportation Program; and (5) s ta te t h a t t he township intends t o enact an o f f i c i a l map ordinance f ix ing the loca t ions of the rights-of-way needed t o make t h i s i n t e r sec t ion improvement .

The improvement of the Wayland Corners i s believed t o be b e s t achieved based on the realignment plan shown on Map 10. t h i s plan: S t a t e Route 27 is extended " s t r a i g h t through" the L.R. 20064/L.R. 20033 in t e r sec t ion ; the hor izonta l alignment of L.R. 20064/L.R. 20033 remains unchanged (even though t h i s road w i l l i n t e r s e c t Route 27 a t an ang le ) , bu t the v e r t i c a l alignment of t h i s road, a t i t s po in t of i n t e r sec t ion with Route 27, w i l l be lowered, as w i l l the v e r t i c a l alignment of S t a t e Route 27; Plank Road's i n t e r sec t ion with Route 27 w i l l be red i rec ted t o occur about 300 f e e t e a s t of i t s present i n t e r sec t ion ; and approximately 800 f e e t of S t a t e Route 27 east of L.R. 20033 would.be abandoned.

Under

Wayland Corners i s one of the focal points of development i n t he township. It i s the poin t of i n t e r sec t ion of the town- s h i p ' s most important east-west and north-south roads. The in t e r sec t ion , unfortunately, is the m o s t hazardous of a l l i n t e r sec t ions i n the township because of very awkward hori- zonta l and v e r t i c a l alignments.

Project . The Board of Township Supervisors should enact an o f f i c i - a l map ordinance f o r t he Wayland Corners improvement based on the plan shown on Map 10. The township should request the Crawford County Planning Commission s t a f f and i ts s o l i c i t o r t o assist i n t h i s undertaking .

An o f f i c i a l map ordinance w i l l serve t o formally dec lare cer- t a i n land is needed by the publ ic i n order t o cons t ruc t t he road realignments which w i l l make the Wayland Corners i n t e r - sec t ion more funct ional and sa fe f o r vehicular t r a v e l . With t h i s ordinance the issuance of bui lding permits f o r development which threa ten t o compromise the redevelopment of t h i s i n t e r sec t ion can be delayed f o r up t o twelve months during which t i m e the township and/or PennDOT may be ab le t o purchase the land threatened with a bui lding venture. But even m o r e importantly the o f f i c i a l map ordinance provides the publ ic with a c r y s t a l c l e a r statement of the governing body's inten- t i o n t o make the improvement, and hopefully t h i s w i l l be suf- f i c i e n t t o keep the needed right-of-way open f o r the eventual construct ion work.

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

Project . With a s s i s t ance from the E a s t Mead Township Planning Com- mission the Board of Township Supervisors should not i fy , ,by l e t t e r , PennDOT's D i s t r i c t 1-0 o f f i c e t h a t the br idge over L i t t l e Sugar Creek on L.R. 20033 should be added t o the department 's Twelve Year Transportation Program a t the next update of the program which should be i n 1984-85.

This bridge is on the township's only north-south highway. I t i s a one-lane bridge with a wooden board deck. w a s b u i l t before 1900 and has an i r o n t r u s s s t r u c t u r e . I t has an a t t r a c t i v e appearance, bu t it i s e n t i r e l y inadequate f o r modern day t r a v e l p a r t i c u l a r l y on a road c l a s s i f i e d a s a minor co l l ec to r . s t a f f and i s acknowledged as i n need of replacement.

The bridge

The bridge has been inspected by PennDOT

( 9 ) Policy. To support what is commonly termed the "Route 27" corr idor with respec t t o the need f o r and the loca t ion of an improved Meadville t o T i t u s v i l l e highway, bel ieving t h i s road should be constructed on the S t a t e Route 27 al ign- ment using PennDOT's Betterment Program as the chief way t o achieve t h i s fa- c i l i t y .

H i s to r i ca l ly the Star Route (Route 2 7 ) has been the chief Meadville t o T i t u s v i l l e road. The Federal Functional C l a s s i - f i c a t i o n System recognizes this f a c t i n i t s designat ions. Route 27 has better road base and pavement construct ion than any o the r road cur ren t ly used t o connect these two c i t ies . This route o f f e r s the quickes t , most d i r e c t way f o r township r e s iden t s t o t r a v e l t o e i t h e r Meadville or T i t u s v i l l e . Fu tu re improvement p ro jec t s on Route 27 should endeavor t o improve not only the width and qua l i ty of t h e road pavement, but they should he lp improve the hor izonta l and v e r t i c a l alignments on var ious ' sect ions of t h i s road..

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COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND OTHER POLICIES AND PROJECTS I

Normally th re are many publ ic f a c i l i t i e s and se rv ices which are necessary t o provide a good l i f e f o r township res idents . As w a s noted i n t h e Background sec t ion of t h i s plan a r u r a l township such as E a s t Mead does not have the resources t o provide many of these f a c i l i t i e s and serv ices ; they must be supplied by the residents ind iv idua l ly , o r they must be contracted f o r by the r e s iden t s ind iv idua l ly with o ther nonprofi t e n t i t i e s o r the p r i v a t e s e c t o r , o r the r e s iden t s must use the f a c i l i t i e s provided by nearby munic ipa l i t i es . E a s t Mead Township does not provide a wide range of se rv ices , and the township's pos i t ion i n t h i s matter i s understood and accepted by the res idents . Following i s a l i s t i n g of p o l i c i e s and p ro jec t s which, however, are pe r t inen t i n t h e township. There i s no ,phys ica l plan f o r community f a c i l i t i e s .

'

TOWNSHIP PROPERTY

(10) Policy. To perpetuate t h e s t rong cooperative r e l a t ionsh ip w i t h the E a s t Mead Volunteer Fire Department whereby publ ic meeting and voting needs are handled i n the F i r e Department's bu i ld ing adjacent t o the township bui lding s i t e .

The township bui lding does not have adequate space f o r meeting and vot ing events because i t s i n t e r i o r space i s devoted t o equipment s torage and maintenance and t o a s m a l l o f f i c e area. However, the f i r e department i s located nearby and has the space f o r these needs. Two m i l l s of the township property t a x are used f o r operat ing the f i r e department. The continua- t i o n of these arrangements is des i r ab le and bene f i c i a l f o r East Mead Township.

HANDLING OF SOLID WASTE

(11) Policy. For the present , t o continue i n a pos i t i on of noninvolvement i n t h e matter of garbage and re fuse co l l ec t ion and d isposa l . However, based on the s ta te 's enactment of t he Sol id Waste Management A c t of 1980, the township is required t o have a plan f o r t h e handling of s o l i d waste. For the fu tu re the township should cooperate with o ther county munic ipa l i t i es ; the, Crawford County Commissioners and the County Sol id Waste Authority, c rea ted by the commissioners, and p a r t i c i p a t e under the leadership of a county-wide e n t i t y t o develop a workable s o l i d waste management plan f o r E a s t Mead Township as w e l l a s the e n t i r e county.

Pro jec t . The Board of Township Supervisors with ass i s tance from the planning commission should enact a reso lu t ion t o cooperate with the Crawford County Sol id Waste Authority regarding the development of an acceptable s o l i d waste management plan f o r a l l county munici- p a l i t i e s . This reso lu t ion should be s e n t t o the county au thor i ty along with any pe r t inen t observations the township i s able t o make on t h i s i s sue .

HOUSING REHABILITATION

(12) Policy. To encourage the use of housing programs i n the township which

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involve the w e of state and f ede ra l g ran ts and loan subs id ies f o r low and mod- e r a t e income fami l ies t o r e h a b i l i t a t e t h e i r homes and t o make t h e m more energy e f f i c i e n t .

The housing survey done a s part of t h i s plan ind ica ted t h a t 75 homes w e r e i n need of subs t an t i a l r e h a b i l i t a t i o n work and t h a t 204 homes w e r e b u i l t p r i o r t o World W a r I1 and many of them undoubtedly could be rendered more energy e f f i c i e n t . Housing has normally been a very "pr ivate" matter. However, t he increase i n energy cos t s have made the w i s e use of f u e l important t o maintaining our standard of l i v ing . and f ede ra l help i s offered r e l a t i v e t o t h i s problem, it should be considered f o r use by township res idents .

Where s t a t e

Pro jec t . should j o i n t l y develop and send a l e t t e r t o the Crawford County Redevelopment Authority expressing i n t e r e s t i n an Authority administered housing r e h a b i l i t a t i o n program serv ing qua l i fy ing fa- m i l i e s i n the townships and boroughs i n Crawford County.

The planning commission and the township supervisors

IDENTIFICATION OF HISTORIC SITES

(13) Policy. To support t he completion of t he h i s t o r i c si tes survey of a l l munic ipa l i t i es i n Crawford County including documentation work, where appro- p r i a t e , f o r the en t ry of c e r t a i n si tes on the Federal Register of S igni f icant Sites.

An h i s t o r i c sites survey w a s begun i n the county and approximately one-half of the county 's munic ipa l i t i es w e r e com- p l e t ed by 1980. This survey w a s done by Crawford County Plan- ning Commission s t a f f . State funding f o r t h i s work w a s sus- pended and the work stopped before E a s t Mead Township w a s surveyed. The Crawford County Hi s to r i ca l Society i s i n t e r - es ted i n completing t h i s county-wide survey. For s i tes found worthy of placement on the "Federal Regis ter" , t he re are luc ra t ive t a x advantages where r e h a b i l i t a t i o n work i s undertaken f o r profit-making a c t i v i t i e s on such sites.

Project . j o i n t l y should inform t h e Crawford County Hi s to r i ca l Society, by l e t te r , t h a t E a s t Mead Township requests it complete.the h i s t o r i c si tes survey f o r t h e county i n order t h a t t h i s phase of our her i - tage can be recorded and t h a t worthy sites may be considered f o r placement on the Federal Register of S ign i f i can t Sites.

The planning commission and the township supervisors

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

(14) Policy. To encourage economic development i n i t i a t i v e s throughout Craw- ford County r e a l i z i n g job c rea t ion wherever it occurs i n the county w i l l a i d a l l munic ipa l i t i es including E a s t Mead Township.

In t h e ea r ly days of our county the re w e r e never enough hands t o do a l l the work necessary t o fashion t h e needs f o r human exis tence i n our developing land. Today, how d i f f e r e n t it is! s u s t a i n l i f e f o r many of our c i t i z e n s . The only organizat ion

There are not enough sources of employment t o properly

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which i s d i r e c t l y charged with establ ishing new jobs i n western Crawford County is the Meadville Area Indus t r i a l Comission. The work of this Commission should be supported and hopefully expanded. Recently the Crawford County Re- development Authority has par t ic ipa ted i n programs t h a t re- la te t o job creat ion.

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I~ I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 1 I I I

I I' I .I I I I I I I I I I I I I ' I

USE OF THIS P L A N - - P R O J E C T S SUMMARY . -' , 1 ,

It is hoped t h a t the information organized and pr in ted i n t h i s plan f o r E a s t Mead Township w i l l be usefu l t o many persons and organizat ions. More importantly it i s hoped t h a t t h e courses of ac t ion s e t f o r t h herein w i l l guide both p r i v a t e and publ ic s ec to r ac t ions i n the years ahead.

To those who do not have the t i m e t o read t h i s e n t i r e plan it is suggested t h a t you begin reading a t the Issues To Be Addressed sec t ion . Below is a summary of the s p e c i f i c p ro jec t o r ac t ion or ien ted recommendations. The pol icy the ac t ion r e l a t e s t o is shown i n the parenthesis . The plan e s t ab l i shes a t o t a l of 1 4 policies. Also t h e ranking of t he ac t ions indicated t h e i r suggested p r i o r i t y .

1.

2.

3 .

4.

5.

6.

7 .

8.

9.

The planning commission should study a proposed zoning ordinance and hold publ ic information meetings or a publ ic hearing on the proposed ordinance'. (Policy 5)

The planning commission should d r a f t amendments t o the subdivision and land development ordinance, p a r t i c u l a r l y regarding road classi- f i c a t i o n s and right-of-way widths and forward them t o the township supervisors f o r a publ ic hearing. (Poiicy 5)

The township supervisors should resolve t o maintain t h e i r e n t i r e road network as gravel roads and publ ic ly pos t t h i s reso lu t ion and an accompanying map showing the roads t o be so maintained. (Policy 7)

The township supervisors should inform PennDOT by l e t t e r of t h e i r d e s i r e t o place t h e Wayland Corners improvement on the Twelve Year Transportation Program and a map of t he suggested improvement should accompany the letter. (Policy 8)

The township supervisors with a s s i s t ance from the county planning s t a f f and t h e i r s o l i c i t o r should enact an o f f i c i a l map ordinance of the Wayland Corners improvement. (Policy 8)

The township supervisors should request PennDOT by l e t t e r t h a t the bridge over t h e L i t t l e Sugar Creek on L.R. 20033 be scheduled f o r replacement on the Twelve Year Transportation Program. (Policy 8)

The township planning commission and the township supervisors j o i n t l y should inform t h e Crawford County Redevelopment Authority by l e t t e r t h a t the township i s interestied i n p a r t i c i p a t i n g i n housing r ehab i l i - t a t i o n programs. (Policy 1 2 )

The township supervisors should inform the Crawford County Solid Waste Authority t h a t East Mead Township is wi l l i ng t o p a r t i c i p a t e under Authority leadersh ip i n developing a county-wide plan f o r s o l i d w a s t e management. (Policy 11)

The planning commission and the township supervisors should inform the Crawford County Hi s to r i ca l Soc ie ty . tha t t he township would l i k e t o see the h i s t o r i c sites survey completed f o r t h e e n t i r e county, including E a s t Mead Township. (Policy 13)

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COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR EAST MEAD …elibrary.pacounties.org/documents/crawford_county/928; east...

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