The result of May's primary election was a strong endorsement for the county's proposed Comprehensive Plan", commonly referred to as Monroe 2020, and for the already approved Open Space program. The two Republican candidates who will appear on the November ballot are Mario Scavello and Donna Asure, both strong advocates for Monroe 2020 and Open Space. The three Republicans who lost were either formerly opposed to one or both of these programs or were presently uncommitted. The two Democratic candidates will be incumbent James Cadue and Bill Zacharias, both of whom also support Monroe 2020 and Open Space. In November the voters will have a chance to elect three from this slate of four to become our next commissioners.
The Monroe County Comprehensive Plan has now been adopted by the commissioners and has been submitted to each municipality for their adoption. The plan may be reviewed at any library within the county, on the county's web site (www.monroe2020.org) or an executive summary may be requested from the Monroe County Planning Commission (570- 420-3562).
Monroe 2020 is a plan, not a dictate. As a matter of fact, Pennsylvania's Municipalities Planning Code requires that all land use planning reside at the local municipal, not the county, level. Monroe 2020 is based on the best technical knowledge and most extensive community input of any plan in the county's history. It follows an impressive list of other efforts to control the negative environmental, social and economic impact caused by random, poorly planned growth such as The Pocono Plan, The Harvard Study which forecast the consequences of six alternative growth patterns, the Rutgers computer model which predicted the economic impact of commercial and residential development, and the Pocono Environmental Coalition which tried to address the environmental issues resulting from uncontrolled development. All of these concerns are addressed by Monroe 2020.
One of the major benefits of Monroe 2020 has been the development of an extensive computer data base which graphically displays, using the Geographic Information System (GIS), what we now have within the county and which will enable us to select those areas where future growth may be desired and other areas we may want to preserve for historic, environmental, recreational or visual beauty purposes. It proposes centers for residential development where the concept of community character can be restored. This data base will be available to each municipality for its own planning purposes. The plan also encourages intermunicipal cooperation, essential to make the plan work.
The plan includes data which cannot be disputed and must be considered. According to the plan, over the next 20 years our county will acquire approximately 70,000 new residents and 30,000 new dwelling units with a minimum of 17,000 to 25,000 new jobs. Having a present population of about 130,000, by the year 2020 Monroe County will grow to about 200,000. During this same time frame our school population is expected to increase about 40%, from 31,000 to almost 44,000 and we already know that the cost to educate the average student is $7000 per year in today's dollars. The Harvard Study and the Rutgers computer model both concluded that residential development alone will have a negative economic impact on the county. But this is a reality we must face. We cannot place a one way gate on the I-80 bridge across the Delaware, but we can, by using the tools provided by the plan, minimize those negative impacts, protect and maintain what we have always admired about the Poconos and enhance what we would like the Poconos to become. To accomplish this, according to the plan, we need to encourage appropriate, easily accessible, environmentally friendly commercial and industrial development, permanently protect environmentally sensitive and scenic areas, create recreational areas available for all ages and preserve open space for farming, personal enjoyment and the protection of native wildlife.
To recommend an Open Space program for the Township of Tobyhanna the supervisors have appointed a seven member Advisory Board. Named to this Board are: Jerry Hockenberry, a professional planner with open space planning experience; John Holahan III, a long term resident and partner with Liberty Homes Custom Builders; Anne Sincavage, a younger member of our community associated with the Sincavage Investment Development Enterprise Corporation; Robert Larson, a professional landscape architect and planner; Ralph "Bud" Cook, director of The Nature Conservancy's north east regional office and involved with the county Open Space program; Nancy Lamberton, long term resident and involved with the county Open Space program; and Wes Shirk, member of the Township Planning Commission, involved with the county's Monroe 2020 and the Open Space programs and President of TC/TC WA.
