Pike gets money flowing from bond issue

By TOM KANE

MILFORD, PA - Pike County commissioners are on the move.

They encouraged the development of a revitalized comprehensive plan that was two years in the making. They saw voters approve a $10 million bond issue to purchase open land and to pump money into the county’s planning effort. They have seen two townships initiate what they hope is a trend-setting multi-municipal comprehensive plan. And now, they have backed all this up by getting the money to flow.

On September 20, they approved the borrowing of $2.5 million of the $10 million that will be used to pay for a number of necessary measures. Due to the efforts and advice of Joe Pierce, a bond counselor, the county was successful in obtaining a low-interest rate of 4.04 percent for a three-year term.

“We need to hire two people for the planning department,” said Harry Forbes, chairman of the Pike County Commissioners. “We need to make funding available for our townships to get working with us on their comprehensive plans.”

“We need to reach out to our townships so that they can begin preparing for the growth that we see coming,” said commissioner Rich Caridi.

“It doesn’t make sense to borrow the entire $10 million at once for a term of three years,” Pierce said. “When you need to, you can borrow more as you go forward. That’s what your neighbor Monroe County did. There’s a lot to coordinate with state and federal grants.”

The commissioners approved two other grants from the state Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) and the Community Conservation Partnership Program; one for $1,500 that will be used to produce a brochure for landowners and their attorneys on various options that are available to preserve open space, like the selling of development rights or the transfer of development rights.

The second grant for $20,000 will be used to conduct a direct mailing program to inform residents about watershed protection, growth management planning, agriculture preservation and open space preservationžthings that are happening in the county now.