Carbon County staff outline municipal outreach plan, brochure and grant-extension bid

County planning staff on Tuesday updated commissioners on outreach plans aimed at getting municipalities and landowners to apply for the county’s open-space and grant programs, presented a draft rack card for distribution at upcoming events, and said they intend to seek another DCNR grant to continue technical assistance work.

Dawn (Staff member) said the time-run easement project has experienced “some delays” but that “we should be closing by the May,” adding that the schedule remains “within the 3 year grant period.” That update preceded a broader discussion of municipal outreach and materials.

A staff member describing the outreach effort said the office has heard back from Lehigh and Burrow and will recontact Kidder, and has met with county planning and the Chamber of Economic Development to coordinate outreach. “We kind of want to encourage municipalities to update their comp plans and maybe add a green waste, trails, and open space plan,” the staff member said, and proposed creating a handbook listing county grants, matching-fund requirements and application steps to share with municipalities and the public.

The staff member said the handbook draft is expected by March and the county plans a joint workshop in April to showcase available grant programs and run mini trainings. Commissioners recommended tailoring outreach materials to landowners and making application timing clear: one commissioner urged that the rack card highlight that applicants must work through a municipality or land trust rather than applying directly.

Commissioner Dan (Committee member) and others suggested simplifying funding language and using the rack card to draw landowners’ interest, while also reserving detailed funding distribution questions for follow up. Staff agreed to prepare a separate landowner-targeted rack card and a municipality-oriented version and to circulate revised proofs after the graphic designer’s review.

Staff also identified upcoming outreach channels and events. The office said WVIA will air a short video about the open-space program on the 20th at 10:45 p.m., and that staff were approved to attend Representative Heffley’s outdoors expo in Penn Forest on March 21 to distribute materials and answer questions.

On grant funding, a presenter said the existing two-year partnership grant with DCNR (Department of Conservation and Natural Resources) for outreach and technical assistance expires at the end of the year; staff said they plan to apply for another DCNR grant to extend that work for about two more years and may add a restoration component to offer on-the-ground restoration services as a ladder to preservation. The office is also awaiting decisions on a catalyst grant submitted to the Appalachian Landscape Fund and would begin work on that project in March if funded.

Procedurally, the meeting record shows the commission moved to approve meeting minutes from 01/15/2020; a member moved the motion and the transcript records the vote as “all in favor.” The group set its next meeting for March 19.

The planning office will circulate revised rack-card proofs and the handbook draft for commissioner review before finalizing distribution plans and workshop scheduling.