Growth across Hempfield was a main topic Wednesday when members of the Hempfield Area School Board and township supervisors hosted a joint meeting for the first time in years. 

“This meeting is an opportunity for the township and the school district to come together and begin to discuss future growth and advancement of our community,” township supervisor and board Chairman George Reese said. “Our goal is to focus on the potential for efficient and effective collaborations between our organizations while representing our residents and our businesses.”

Over the course of two hours, members of both boards discussed plans for residential and commercial development, upcoming school projects, potential township parks and future collaborations on mass communications and resources.

While votes were not taken during the meeting, officials plan to form subcommittees for athletics, legislation and shared resources.

Reese said he hopes to plan joint meetings between the two boards quarterly.

Township growth

Growth throughout the township has been a main topic among supervisors for months following the announcement of a new mini-casino at Westmoreland Mall.

“We are starting already to see some commercial growth and redevelopment happening in that area,” Director of Planning and Zoning Patrick Karnash said. “We have the IronRock restaurant that was just put up, we just finalized another subdivision for another restaurant in front of the mall. … We’re starting to see some re-utilization of that property, of that building. It’s nice to see.”

The restaurant Karnash was referencing is a Chipotle Mexican Grill slated for a space outside J.C. Penney’s.

While growth is happening along the Route 30 corridor, three new housing developments also are slated for the township, one located on the former Valley Green Golf & Country Club that shuttered at the end of the year. About 40 to 50 homes will be built on the land, located between Armbrust Brinkerton and Albrights Lake roads, Karnash said. He declined to comment on information regarding the developer.

Another housing plan along Swede Hill and Fosterville roads will bring to the area a maximum of 84 homes, which will be developed in phases over several years. A third housing plan is in the works along Route 819 and Forbes Trail Road.

On the school district side, officials are starting to look into possible renovations of schools including the high school. To measure potential growth across the township, the school board hired a company to conduct a demographic study, Superintendent Tammy Wolicki said. The study looked at birth rates, migration habits, retention and housing permits.

A feasibility study will be conducted to determine new projects and to qualify for state funding.

“There were several reasons we felt it was needed,” Wolicki said. “We had not had a study such as this completed. We had one of our elementary schools that had an influx of kindergarten children. That was a need for us to look at how to use the space differently to accommodate, and we were curious if that was going to be a pattern into future years.”

Park discussion

Members of both boards are starting to collaborate on a potential park at a township-owned property located next to the Hempfield Area High School, off Route 136.

Supervisors have been considering possibilities for the space, including sports courts, exercise trails and areas for playing and biking. Renderings were not available for the site, but engineers hope to use the space as an area to connect the community together, taking advantage of the close proximity of the school.

“I personally want to look at everything,” school board member Diane Ciabattoni said. “I don’t want to say no to anything.”

Wolicki said the additional space could help house after-school activities that continue to grow. It could also provide a separate entrance from the high school in case of an emergency.

Several school board members agreed the space could be used as outdoor classrooms during the school year.

Township supervisors are debating what to use the space for, but plan on communicating future ideas with the school board.

“I don’t know if everybody understands how big our township is — 0ver 40,000 residents, approximately 90 square miles,” Reese said. “We have a gym in the north, but for all those that live in all other directions, we don’t have anything. … Times have changed. It’s about moving forward and thinking about the future.”

Supervisors are looking at another park off the Walden Court cul-de-sac. Preliminary plans show wetlands, passive and active play areas and pathways in the almost 4-acre Walden Court lot.

Collaborations

While members of both boards hope to collaborate on major projects like township development and community facilities, they are also hoping to collaborate on mass communications and sharing of resources.

Board members discussed expanding a communication system used to inform parents about school emergencies to reach more community members.

Township Manager Jason Winters said officials hope to look at “how we can possibly work together to use that as a township as a whole and really get those messages out in those cases of emergency.”

Moving forward, board members will be appointed to the subcommittees and will meet to discuss further ways the boards can work together.

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