Rostraver gets input on comprehensive plan

By Christine Haines
chaines@yourmvi.com

Public input on the updated Rostraver Comprehensive Plan is being analyzed as consultant Dennis Puko begins drafting the new document.
About 20 residents attended a public input session Wednesday evening at Cedar Creek Park.
“A comprehensive plan is a vision and a blueprint for the township in the future,” said John Lorenzo, chairman of the township commissioners. “We want to get as much public input as possible.”
Puko asked everyone attending to complete a survey after the presentation, rating each of the 11 priorities in the plan’s draft.
The first five priorities are based on the 2008 plan, Puko said, while the last six come from an analysis of what’s been happening in the township and where things may be heading.
“There’s a trend looming for the township to lose population. It’s been around 11,000 for several decades. The people who live here provide the economic stability,” Puko said.
But the senior population is starting to dwindle, Puko noted, and young adults are moving out of the township. One proposed priority of the plan is to develop senior recreational opportunities and downsized housing options with less maintenance.
“Middle-age families with children, we import those. You are attractive to that group,” Puko said.
Families with children find Rostraver to be an affordable place to live that is safe, with plenty of parks and recreation for the children and within easy driving distance of jobs.
“You’d be surprised at how few people who live in Rostraver Township work in Rostraver Township, because there are jobs within reach,” Puko said.

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Jenn Codeluppi / MVI
Carol Anden of Rostraver Township asked a question about the sewage and water along Route 51 in Rostraver Township at the meeting.