Hempfield supervisors will vote this month on a comprehensive plan that maps out the priorities of the township over the next 10 to 15 years.

The plan’s goals include improving township signage, expanding sidewalks and trails, removing blighted property, developing available property on Route 30, preserving greenspace and evaluating the quality of municipal services.

“The comprehensive plan really is a guide,” township Manager Aaron Siko said. “(It’s) kind of our blueprint for the next decade on how to make sure Hempfield Township is not only continuing to be a strong community but that we become an impact community in Southwestern Pennsylvania.”

Connecting and defining community

The township supervisors began drafting the plan about a year and a half ago to fulfill a requirement under the state Municipalities Planning Code.

Strengthening the township’s identity is a big part of the plan, Director of Planning and Zoning Patrick Karnash said.

Short-term goals to achieve this include creating “a new visual identity” for the township — possibly through a new logo — and increasing signage along Route 30 to ensure passersby know when they are entering and exiting Hempfield.

“We are a community of communities,” Karnash said. “They all roll off the tongue — ‘I’m from West Point,’ or ‘I’m from Greenridge.’ Not often do (people) say ‘I’m from Hempfield Township.’

“We all have our own individual communities which have their own individual histories. Those histories are very important to who we are collectively, but we also want people to understand that they’re a part of Hempfield. We are one community for the greater good.”

Connecting each of the township’s “smaller communities” through sidewalks and trails also will play a role in the plan, Karnash said.

Contributing to the expansion of the regional trail network is a goal for the township over the next six to 10 years. Short-term actions include adding sidewalk connections from the community to the Five Star Trail, creating new trails and recreation facilities and continuing to develop the Weatherwood Community.

The park is being built on a 43-acre piece of land purchased from Excela Health for $4 million last October. About 14 acres of the land, which is along Route 30 near Mt. Pleasant Road, are being used for the park.

Developing and preserving property

The plan proposes that the township supervisors work with Westmoreland County Planning and Development and the Westmoreland County Redevelopment Authority over the next two to five years to offer incentives for removing deteriorated and abandoned property.

But preserving land also is a priority. The plan suggests a review of municipal land ordinances over the next year or two to ensure that there is a balance between preserving greenspace and development.

This is particularly important as the township, like many in Westmoreland County, turned 250 years old this year, Karnash said.

“We are a township built on a strong agricultural background. That agricultural aspect of our township is strong to this day and very, very important to who we are,” Karnash said. “As we are building the township and progressing from a development standpoint, we want to make sure we are doing that in a way that is responsible and effective and does not take away from who we are as a community, what our roots are.”

Evaluating services

Township leaders want to ensure they are effectively serving the community and that the community can easily submit feedback to them, Siko said.

Part of this is reviewing the service adequacy and coverage of the Hempfield Fire Department.

“Every volunteer fire department across the state is struggling with funding and with retaining and recruiting volunteers,” Siko said. “As we continue to look at this process and how the Hempfield Fire Department has evolved over the past four years, we want to continue that evolution, continue that growth and continue to support the volunteer fire service.”

The plan also suggests exploring, over the next one to two years, construction of a new municipal complex and “municipal hubs” across the township to enhance resident access to township staff and services.

According to the plan, the supervisors will assess the feasibility of adding these hubs, as well as identify essential elements to be included in the complex — such as parks, emergency services and intergovernmental offices.

The supervisors are seeking community input on the plan, Karnash said.

“I can’t say this enough — it’s important that we have public input. I’ve been saying it for a year and a half,” Karnash said. “This is their Hempfield. It’s important that they have some say in this.

“We want them to stay here, move here, live here, raise their children here. We want to watch Hempfield continue to sustain and grow.”

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