I am happy to report that I completed the community planning course presented by Pennsylvania Municipal Planning Education Institute (PMPEI). The event was sponsored and hosted by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission (LVPC).

The coolest things I learned from attending the community planning course:

1. How little knowledge I possessed of the actual interworking’s of municipal governance.
2. How dedicated and hardworking our municipal representatives work to improve our communities.
3. Finally, the true power of Joint Municipal Zoning (Article VIII-A). This provision allows municipalities to work together, plan for their future, regulate growth and change in a cooperative manner.
   I am happy to report that my township Heidelberg adopted a multi-municipal comprehensive plan for the northern region of Lehigh County the five other joining members are Slatington Borough, Lowhill, Lynn, Washington and Weisenberg Townships.

I would highly recommend this course to municipalities staff or citizens like myself that are simply interested in learning more about how our local Pennsylvania government works.

Other 2018 classes include:

• Zoning Administration – starts October 16
• Subdivision + Land Development Review – starts November 1

Craig Dahlin