UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A presentation detailing how municipal governments are dealing with the Marcellus Shale natural-gas boom will be offered by Penn State Extension Dec. 6 from 6:30-9 p.m.
Marcellus Shale Development: The Pa. Municipal Experience to Date and Possibilities for the Future will provide a venue for officials to share their breadth of experiences and knowledge.
“By hearing about the lessons learned and actions taken by local officials, participants will be able to draw upon the experience of others when facing issues and considering decisions,” said program coordinator Neal Fogle, extension educator based in Snyder County specializing in economic and community development.
“Utilizing video teleconferencing and panels of local officials representing northcentral and southwest Pennsylvania, this program will provide insight into how select municipalities have reacted to and are planning for items such as land use, roads, budget and finance, communication needs, community cohesion and the stresses of public office.”
Panelists
Program panelists include Raymond J. Stolinas Jr., Bradford County planning director; Ron Reagan, chairman, Athens Township supervisors (Bradford County); Joseph Reighard, president, Lycoming County Supervisors Association; Jim Morrison, chief administrator, municipality of Murrysville (Westmoreland County); Thomas Stull Jr., 1st vice president, Westmoreland County Supervisors Association; and Rich Ward, manager/zoning officer, Robinson Township (Washington County).
Jointly funded by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, Pennsylvania counties, the commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the USDA, the program — which has been submitted to the American Planning Association for 2.5 AICP CM credits by the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Planning Association — will feature a Q&A session following the facilitated discussion.
Registration
The registration fee for this program is $25 and preregistration is required. The registration deadline is Dec. 3. To register or for more information, visit http://psu.ag/s1Nnjb or call toll-free 877-489-1398.
The program will be offered at the following western Pa. locations via video teleconference (contact the locations for directions):
• Beaver County: Penn State Extension, 2020 Beaver Ave., Suite 200, Monaca, 724-774-3003, http://beaver.extension.psu.edu/.
• Clearfield County: Penn State DuBois, College Place, DEF 202 & 204, DuBois, 800-346-7627, www.ds.psu.edu/Information/directions.htm?cn716
• Somerset County: Penn State Extension, 6024 Glades Pike, Suite 101 , Somerset, 814-445-8911, Ext. 7, http://somerset.extension.psu.edu/
• Washington County: Penn State Extension, 100 West Beau St., Suite 601, Washington, 724-228-6881, http://washington.extension.psu.edu/
• Westmoreland County: Penn State Extension, Donohoe Center, 214 Donohoe Road, Suite E, Greensburg, 724-837-1402, http://westmoreland.extension.psu.edu/.
For more information on Penn State Extension Marcellus Shale programs, visit http://extension.psu.edu/naturalgas.
