Harborcreek Township, Pennsylvania

6 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 10 in our past, Harborcreek Township wasn’t always exactly friendly to development. We wanted to change. And we have. We have reduced fees. We’ve made the process simpler.” Years ago, a drive down the Harborcreek business district on Route 20 would have revealed underutilized spaces. Today, however, businesses are booming. New businesses are coming in, both local and national. In just the last year, they’ve added a Chipotle, and a Tractor Supply and a Dunkin Donuts are both under construction. These are interspersed with the mom-and- pop shops that help to round out the business district. “We have a growing, thriving business district,” Pepicello says. “We have a really nice mix of local and national businesses.” As far as infrastructure goes, Harborcreek is just wrapping up a $10 million sewer upgrade project. They replaced or upgraded pump stations and holding tanks, along with fixing sewer lines. Pepicello believes this project helps to protect the environment. It also sets the township up for more growth. “We have room to grow again,” he says. “And we expect that we will continue to do that.” That growth is already happening with a new project in the works called Harbor Village. It will have 178 units – a mixture of townhouses, apartments, and commercial businesses. It’s one of the largest projects that Harborcreek Township has seen in 20 years. Another area of growth has been their EMS ambulance services. Harborcreek is served by three volunteer fire departments. To help support those busy volunteers, Harborcreek, in conjunction with two other local municipalities, started a paid ambulance service. This allows the EMS teams to support each other. It also allows for even better service. According to Pepicello, “The most important thing to us is when you call 911 in Harborcreek Township, you know that someone is coming. We’re coming to help you.” Relationships are a vital part of maintaining HARBORCREEK TOWNSHI P , PENNSYLVANI A growth, too. It’s the idea of taking care of your own. In that regard, Pepicello says they work closely with the folks at Harbor Creek School District as well as the newly established Erie County Community College. Penn State Behrend is also important to the township. “They’re one of our major employers,” Pepicello says. “They take up a large area of acreage and a lot of professors, administrators, and employees of Penn State Behrend live in Harborcreek. The student population adds to what we do in this township. Behrend drives a lot of what we do, along with their close proximity to Knowledge Park.”