LEWISTOWN — Mifflin County is advancing a 10-year comprehensive plan aimed at tackling local challenges and creating new opportunities.

The Mifflin County Planning Commission, at its recent meeting, discussed strategies to implement its comprehensive plan, which must be updated and approved every 10 years by Pennsylvania counties.

The plan focuses on funding, housing, transportation, natural resources and support for entrepreneurs.

“The planning process provides the public with the unique opportunity to have a direct impact or say in the future of their community,” said Jim Lettiere, Mifflin County planning director.

The areas of focus were developed through public surveys, focus groups and interviews.

“We have our critical issues and our action strategies, but how are we going to make them possible?” said Steven Thomas of Baker International, the consultant helping develop the plan.

“First, we identify responsible parties and time frames. These are strategies accomplished by certain groups or organizations,” Thomas said. “It’s important to remember it’s not just the responsibility of the planning department but the community as a whole.”

Thomas said municipalities, organizations and agencies — including government entities, nonprofits and state agencies — can help move these goals forward.

The plan is open for public comment through Dec. 1. It will be advertised Dec. 4 and Dec. 11 and is scheduled for adoption by the Mifflin County Commissioners at 9 a.m. Dec. 18.

Lettiere said the proposed plan is significantly shorter than its predecessor.

“Traditional comprehensive plans of the past contained superfluous information, which can lead to unmanageable and unachievable goals and objectives,” Lettiere said.

A more condensed, “implementable” plan is considered a best management practice in planning and community development, he said.

The current plan includes about 80 pages, not including the executive summary and appendixes. The previous plan exceeded 500 pages.

Development of the countywide plan was broken into eight tasks. The project began in July 2024 with a kickoff meeting for the Mifflin County Comprehensive Plan 10-year update.

At that meeting, the project team met with the Planning Advisory Committee to discuss the approach, milestones, deliverables and project timeline. Meetings continued throughout the plan’s development to ensure its evolution aligned with county and committee goals.

Early in the process, the Planning Committee sought community feedback through an online survey asking residents about major issues and opportunities to prioritize. The survey received about 800 responses.

The process also included four focus groups with community leaders and stakeholders to gather perspectives on housing, transportation, land use, water and sewer resources, and community amenities.

“Stakeholder engagements were also held, consisting of six interview sessions that provided insight into key issues such as blight remediation, transportation, affordable housing and the economy,” Thomas said.

In June, an open house at Mifflin County Middle School allowed residents to view a PowerPoint presentation of the plan and ask questions.

Thomas noted that while the county has many resources, it lacks public transportation to access them.

For more information, email mcplanning@mifflincountypa.gov.