January/February 2000
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Center Announces Year 2000 Grant Projects
The Center for Rural Pennsylvania has earmarked
more than $375,000 in grant monies for this year’s round of grant
projects.
The Center’s Board of Directors awarded the grants
to eight faculty from the State System of Higher Education universities
and four faculty from the Pennsylvania State University’s main
and branch campuses in 1999. January 3 was the official kick-off
date for the majority of projects.
Representative Sheila Miller, chairman of the Center’s
Board of Directors, says that this year’s grant projects will
again offer the General Assembly, local governments and community
organizations information that will support future policy and
program recommendations.
"The Center’s Board of Directors, independent reviewers
and Center staff, who reviewed the grant proposals, were impressed
with the quality and scope of this year’s project proposals,"
Miller says. "As always, the Board selected those projects that
will build on or complement the Center’s extensive database of
information on rural issues and opportunities."
Year 2000 Grant Projects
Grantees who receive funding under the Center’s
Traditional Grant Program may receive a maximum funding of $50,000
for their projects per year. The grant projects may be renewed
for up to three years if further research is necessary but each
grantee must meet the current year grant requirements and continue
to submit yearly competitive proposals.
This year, the Center has a new Mini-Grant Program,
which is for projects that focus on basic data collection and
analysis, time-sensitive issues, and the preparation of reference
materials. These projects are to be completed in nine months and
require less than $10,000 in Center support.
This year’s Traditional Grant and Mini-Grant projects
are summarized below.
Traditional Grant Program
Co-dependence of Pennsylvania’s Agribusiness,
Farms, and Farmland
This study is led by Timothy Kelsey, Ph.D., of the
Pennsylvania State University, and will examine the economic relationship
among agribusiness sustainability, farm profitability, and farmland
preservation.
Retrospective of Economic Development Incentives
Headed by Constantinos Christofides, Ph.D., of East
Stroudsburg University, this project will study Pennsylvania’s
economic development programs and their success over the past
15 years. This project will focus on economic development programs
that work best in rural areas.
Welfare Reform: The Experience of Rural Pennsylvania
C. Nielson Brasher, Ph.D., from Shippensburg University,
will lead this study to examine how welfare reform has affected
rural Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF) recipients. The
goal of this project is to provide policymakers with information
about the social and economic effects of welfare reform on former
and current recipients.
Strategies for Increasing Consumption of Pennsylvania
Food Products
Hank Laskey, Ph.D., of Bloomsburg University heads
this marketing study of fruits and vegetables in Pennsylvania.
This study’s ultimate goal is to find ways of improving marketing
methods for small- to medium-sized producers to help increase
producer revenue.
A Multifocal Study of Geriatric Assessment
C. Virginia Palmer, Ph.D., of Millersville University
leads this study of geriatric assessment (GA). The study will
identify current GA literature, identify any GA programs in rural
Pennsylvania, assess healthcare providers’ expertise in GA, and
survey qualified individuals to see if they would participate
in a GA program.
Fayette ROCCs (Establishing a Rural Telecounty)
This is the second year of funding for the Fayette
ROCCs grant project, led by Joseph Segilia of the Pennsylvania
State University-Fayette. In its first year, the project was successful
in establishing 14 locations to access computers and computer
training. In this second year of funding, the center will continue
to establish additional community computing locations, and set
up a mobile computer station that will travel throughout Fayette
County.
Retrospective of Economic Development Incentives
Headed by Martin Shields, Ph.D., of the Pennsylvania
State University, this study will examine the success of Pennsylvania’s
incentive programs that are designed to generate and retain employment
in the Commonwealth. The analysis will use a case study approach
to determine the effectiveness of these economic tools and will
provide a detailed assessment of how specific programs function.
Cybercitizens of the Commonwealth: How Rural
and Urban Pennsylvanians Access and Use the Internet
This project, led by James Tomlinson, Ph.D., of
Bloomsburg University, will survey rural and urban citizens to
see how they use the Internet. The results of the survey will
be compiled into a data-base for future use and policy recommendations.
Postsecondary Persistence and Attainment of Students
from Rural Pennsylvania
Wenfan Yan, Ph.D., of Indiana University is leading
this project to compare the post-secondary education rates of
rural and urban students. The goal of the project is to obtain
both qualitative and quantitative information on factors that
influence postsecondary attendance and graduation. The results
will offer insight into how rural students can maximize their
success at the postsecondary level.
Mini-Grant Program
Assessing the Potential for Increasing Intermunicipal
Cooperation Among Pennsylvania’s Rural Municipalities
Headed by Beverly Cigler, Ph.D., of the Pennsylvania
State University-Harrisburg, this study will examine rural local
governments’ service delivery methods and finances, and will look
at intermunicipal cooperation to assess further opportunities
for such cooperation. The end result of the project will be a
written guide for decision-makers and information providers.
Project Insight
Cynthia Schloss, Ph.D., of Bloomsburg University,
leads this project to analyze the mental health system in rural
Pennsylvania. The research will focus on providers, clients, and
cost reimbursement to produce an analysis of mental health service
programs in rural Pennsylvania.
A Manual for Small Downtowns
Led by Martin Shields, Ph.D., of the Pennsylvania
State University, this project will create a manual to provide
small Pennsylvania communities with a menu of low-cost tools and
strategies to help revitalize their downtowns. The manual will
be a "how to" guide for small towns with limited financial resources
and organizational structure.
Rural Bankruptcy Rates
Martha Troxell, Ph.D., of Indiana University, is
leading this study to collect and categorize bankruptcy information
filed in Pennsylvania from 1980 to 1999. This study will use bankruptcy
claims, unemployment rates, per capita personal income, and population
to compare rural and urban bankruptcy rates in Pennsylvania.
2001 program begins
As this year’s grantees begin their projects, the
Center for Rural Pennsylvania is also getting ready to begin the
grant programs for 2001. The Center’s Board of Directors is currently
identifying additional research topics that address relevant issues
impacting Pennsylvania’s 3.7 million rural residents. After topics
have been identified, the Center will issue the Request for Proposals
(RFP) in February.
While the Center’s grant programs are only available
to faculty at SSHE and Penn State universities, the Center encourages
cooperation and collaboration between these universities and other
public or private organizations on grant projects.
For more information about the Center's 2000/2001
Grant Programs or to receive a copy of the Request for Proposals,
call the Center at (717) 787-9555 or visit our website at www.ruralpa.org.
Chairman’s Message
For many farmers, municipalities and individuals,
this New Year has brought with it some good news.
In December 1999, the General Assembly passed and
Governor Tom Ridge signed the Drought, Orchard and Nursery Indemnification
and Flood Relief Act, or Act 57 of 1999, to provide assistance
and relief to those who were affected by the drought and other
emergencies proclaimed last year.
1999 was a trying time for many of the state’s farmers
and other individuals who suffered great losses because of these
emergencies. This emergency relief package, which was designed
to supplement some federal relief packages that were also instituted
last year, will provide some needed assistance to many of the
farmers and individuals who have been hit the hardest. For more
information on the types of assistance available and contacts
for the programs, turn to page 4.
Another major piece of legislation that was enacted
in December 1999 that will have an impact over the next five-plus
years is Growing Greener. This law, officially called the Environmental
Stewardship Act, promises to help preserve farmland, clean up
abandoned coal mines and provide more recreational opportunities
for residents throughout the state. Turn to page 6 for more specific
information about Growing Greener.
As highlighted on page 1, the Center for Rural Pennsylvania
has announced its latest round of grant projects. The Center received
some exceptional grant proposals from faculty at the State System
of Higher Education and Penn State University for its 2000 grant
programs.
This year, the Center is also pleased to introduce
its Mini-Grant Program, which is for projects that focus on basic
data collection, time-sensitive issues, and the preparation of
reference materials. We look forward to sharing the results of
the Traditional Grant and Mini-Grant projects with you sometime
next year.
The Center for Rural Pennsylvania will continue
its work in this New Year to provide the Pennsylvania General
Assembly and state and local rural advocates with information
on issues and programs that have the potential to affect each
of Pennsylvania’s 3.7 million residents.
Have a happy New Year.
Representative Sheila Miller
Chairman
State OKs Drought Relief Package
Farmers, municipalities and individuals who suffered
damages from last year’s drought and flood emergencies may now
be eligible for more than $65 million in emergency relief funds
with the passage of the Drought, Orchard and Nursery Indemnification
and Flood Relief Act, or Act 57 of 1999. The act, which was signed
into law on December 13, 1999, will provide funds to drought stricken
farmers, assistance to purchase crop insurance, funds to assist
farmers affected by the Plum Pox Virus and assistance to municipalities
and individuals affected by flooding during 1999.
Following is a brief overview of Act 57 and information
on how to contact the appropriate agencies or departments for
assistance.
Closely Linked to Federal Program
The drought relief portion of Act 57 is closely
linked to the federal Crop Disaster Program, which is being administered
by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
To qualify for drought relief under the federal
program, producers must have lost 35 percent or more of their
crops, which are defined by the USDA’s Farm Service Agency. Producers
who have gross incomes of $2.5 million or more do not qualify
for assistance. Coverage is available for insured crops, uninsured
crops and non-insurable crops. The maximum federal award is $80,000.
Under Act 57, producers may receive grants at a
rate of up to 75 percent of the maximum $80,000 federal award,
so state grant awards will not exceed $60,000. If demand exceeds
the $60 million appropriation from Act 57, the state will pro-rate
the grants to make sure that funds are distributed equitably.
Producers should contact their county office of
USDA’s Farm Service Agency, which is serving as the point of contact
for the state program and the federal program. Telephone numbers
for the local offices are listed in the blue pages of local telephone
directories under "U.S. Government." A list of offices is also
available at USDA’s website at www.fsa.usda.gov\edso\pa\pa.htm.
Program information, applications and confidentiality waivers
are available at the state Department of Agriculture’s website
at www.pda.state.pa.us or by calling (717) 787-4737.
Crop Insurance
Farmers who receive assistance under the federal
Crop Disaster Program but who did not insure their 1999 crops
are required to purchase crop insurance for 2000 and 2001. Act
57 includes $5.6 million to help farmers meet the federal insurance
requirement. Grants are available for up to 10 percent of the
crop insurance premiums and related fees.
Plum Pox Virus
Act 57 also provides a total of $2 million in grant
awards to orchards that have been affected by the Plum Pox Virus.
Grant awards will be set at $1,000 or less per acre. The state
Department of Agriculture is accepting grant applications. For
more information about the eradication assistance program, visit
the state Department of Agriculture’s website at www.pda.state.pa.us
or call (717) 787-4737.
Flood Relief
Municipalities in the counties where flood emergencies
were declared in 1999 are eligible for the federally funded Hazard
Mitigation Grant Program. This program provides up to 75 percent
of the costs associated with projects intended to prevent future
property losses.
Act 57 provides $10 million in matching funds required
by the federal program for property losses. For more information
about the federal program, contact the Federal Emergency Management
Agency’s Region III Office, Liberty Square Bldg., 2nd Floor, 105
S. 7th St., Philadelphia, PA 19106, telephone (215) 931-5608.
Act 57 also set aside $5 million for the Supplemental
Individual Assistance Program, which will be administered by the
state Department of Public Welfare.
To be eligible for the state program, a household
must have first qualified for the federal Individual and Family
Assistance Program and have received the maximum allowable funding
of $13,600 from that program. The state Department of Public Welfare’s
Office of Income Maintenance will send anyone eligible for the
state funding an application. For more information, contact the
Office of Income Maintenance at (800) 692-7462.
Did you Know ...
- One-in-five farms in Pennsylvania is a commercial dairy
farm.
- Rural areas have only seven more country-music stations
than urban areas.
- According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 1999 Census of Population
and Housing, nearly 11 percent of rural Pennsylvanians live
in mobile homes or trailers.
Crawford County Alliance Offers "One-Stop" Technical
Training
By now, many of us may be missing the sounds of
summer - pool water splashing, hamburgers sizzling, keyboards
tapping, computer mice clicking. Keyboards tapping and computer
mice clicking? These may not be the sounds of summer in your backyard,
but they were in Crawford County this past summer for more than
100 children who attended a computer camp at the Crawford County
Regional Alliance’s Link-to-Learn Training Center.
The Crawford County Regional Alliance, a non-profit
organization founded in 1997, sponsored the camp to meet one of
its goals of furthering technological learning among children
in the region.
Through additional training programs, the alliance
also hopes to en-courage new business and job development in the
northwest region of the state.
Something for everyone
To meet its goals, the Crawford County Regional
Alliance has developed the Crawford County Industrial Park and
the William J. Bainbridge Technology Center into a "one-stop regional
training facility," according to Maryann Martin, chief executive
officer of the alliance.
"Our facility offers a fully functional, interactive,
user-friendly environment with all of the necessary equipment
available for meeting even the most demanding training situation,"
Martin says. For example, the alliance has equipped the Technology
Center with video-conferencing equipment, video recording equipment,
computers, printers, digital cameras, and scanners.
The alliance was also responsible for getting a
local Internet service provider, which was the only provider in
the county at the time, to move its headquarters to the Bainbridge
Technology Center. "Getting that provider to move its headquarters
to Bainbridge was the first step in building a comprehensive multimedia
communications and training center," Martin says. Since then,
two other Internet service providers and other companies have
moved into the center.
In the beginning
In 1997, the Crawford County Regional Alliance was
one of five organizations to compete for a Center for Rural Pennsylvania
"info-village" grant. The goal of the grant was to support community
and economic development through projects that would aggregate
the demand and use of technology and telecommunications for the
total benefit of a community. While the Center ultimately funded
another project in Fayette County, the Crawford County Regional
Alliance went on to obtain funding from other sources and to start
the Link-to-Learn Training Center, which was the first of 14 Link-to-Learn
test centers in the state. The Center for Rural Pennsylvania believes
the work accomplished by the Crawford County Regional Alliance
is a good example of what the "info-village" concept was all about.
Link-to-Learn Center
The Link-to-Learn Training Center opened its doors
in August 1998 and serves as a training site for many businesses
located in the area. It is also being used by area school districts
to train teachers on using computers in the classroom.
During the summer of 1999, the Link-to-Learn Training
Center hosted two, four-day children’s computer camps. With help
from corporate sponsors, the alliance offered 116 children the
opportunity to learn more about computers at a low price. Activities
for the week were Internet-based, and included instruction on
surfing the net, downloading information, and using a digital
camera.
In the next few years, the alliance plans to expand
its current training center and to become a site for interactive
meetings among businesses anywhere in the world.
For more information about the Crawford County Regional
Alliance, contact Maryann Martin, chief executive officer, at
(814) 337-8200.
Getting To Know Our Small Town Officials
Pennsylvania’s rich mosaic of local governments
is unique to most other states in our nation. Local governments,
which number about 2,600 strong, are considered as the government
closest to the people.
Among Pennsylvania’s nearly 20,600 elected officials,
nearly 40 percent serve municipalities with 2,500 residents or
less. In these small, predominantly rural communities, officials
are responsible for the policies and programs that have a direct
impact on their residents.
But who are these individuals who govern Pennsylvania’s
small towns? Since there was little data or information compiled
on these individuals, the Center for Rural Pennsylvania conducted
a statewide survey to get answers to that question and others.
Surveying small town officials
In the spring of 1999, the Center for Rural Pennsylvania
mailed 3,500 questionnaires to borough and township of the second
class elected officials from municipalities with 2,500 residents
or less. The survey asked questions about gender, age, years of
service, education/municipal training, households, income, employment,
community involvement, campaigning, important municipal issues,
cooperation among officials, future plans and more. The response
rate was 32.2 percent.
A sample of the survey results follows.
A look at PAs municipal officials
* The majority of Pennsylvania’s small town officials
are male. More than 85 percent of the survey respondents were
male and less than 15 percent were female.
* The average age of a small town official is 56
years old.
* More than 17 percent of the respondents have a
bachelor’s degree. Within this group, 50 percent have a graduate
degree.
* About 18 percent of small town officials have
an associate or technical/trade school degree.
* Nearly 57 percent of the small town officials
have a high school degree or some college education but no degree.
* Only 8 percent of the respondents indicted that
they did not have a high school diploma.
* Less than 50 percent of respondents said they
participated in municipal training courses within the past two
years. Among those who did participate, less than 40 percent have
taken more than two courses.
* About two-thirds of the respondents are either
self-employed or employed full-time.
* About 30 percent of the respondents are retirees.
* In addition to their municipal responsibilities,
nearly 80 percent of respondents participate in volunteer activities.
Most participate in churches and religious organizations, closely
followed by social and service organizations, and cultural activities.
Also, about 20 percent volunteer at their local fire company.
* Among those officials who volunteer, most spend
less than 20 hours per month on the activity.
* The most common reason to seek public office was
to improve the community, followed closely by the desire to be
active in the community.
* More than 30 percent of respondents did not expect
to seek office again.
* Nearly 73 percent of respondents rated the level
of cooperation among elected officials in their municipality as
good to very good, and 16 percent said it was fair. Only 11 percent
rated it as poor to very poor.
The bottom line
The major findings of the survey were that elected
small town officials share many common demographic and socio-economic
characteristics; small town officials are committed to serving
their community; and a leadership transition may be underway in
small towns.
Want more info?
For a more detailed fact sheet on the Survey of
Pennsylvania’s Small Town Municipal Officials, please call the
Center for Rural Pennsylvania at (717) 787-9555.
Growing Greener in PA
The new environmental spending law, "Growing Greener,"
which was enacted in December 1999, will set aside nearly $646
million over the next five years to preserve farmland, clean up
abandoned coal mines and improve parks.
More specifically, the initiative includes $100
million for farmland preservation; $154 million for infrastructure
at state parks, grants to counties, municipalities, and other
local parks authorities, and other environmental efforts; $239
million for the state Department of Environmental Protection to
clean up mines, plug oil and gas wells, and award grants for local
water and wastewater projects; and $152 million for PENNVEST's
grant program for drinking water, stormwater and sewer infrastructure
projects.
For more information, contact the state Department
of Environmental Protection's Growing Greener Grants Center at
(877) PAGREEN or visit its website at www.dep.state.pa.us/growgreen.
Just the Facts: Feds Plan to Change Definitions
The federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
has issued guidelines to change its definition of non-metropolitan
and metropolitan areas. The definition changes may have an impact
on the resources that small communities receive from the federal
government since some federal agencies allocate resources, such
as money and technical support, according to the OMB definitions.
The current OMB definition of non-metropolitan is
based on what is primarily considered metropolitan. This means
that a county is considered metropolitan if its has a large urbanized
core. The surrounding counties may also be considered metropolitan,
depending on the transportation commuting patterns in the area.
Counties not classified as metropolitan are considered non-metropolitan.
At last count, Pennsylvania had 33 metropolitan and 34 non-metropolitan
counties.
The metropolitan and non-metropolitan counts may
change, however, because the OMB would like to eliminate the current
metro/non-metro definitions and replace them with a broader range
of categories. The idea behind the changes is that the new definitions
will more accurately represent the nation’s settlement patterns.
The OMB plans to continue using counties as the base, but will
incorporate a four-tier classification system instead of the current
system. The first tier of the system includes "Megapolitan Areas,"
which are counties that have an urbanized core of 1 million or
more residents and surrounding counties that are closely linked
by transportation commuting patterns.
The second tier is "Macropolitan Areas," which are
counties that have an urbanized core of 50,000 to 999,999 residents,
including surrounding counties that are closely linked through
commuting patterns.
Third is "Micropolitan Areas," which are counties
having an urban core of 10,000 to 49,999, again including surrounding
counties that are closely linked through commuting patterns.
The final tier is "Outside Core-Based Statistical
Areas, " which by default may be considered non-metropolitan.
If the OMB’s proposed definitions are applied to
Pennsylvania using the 1990 Census results, the Commonwealth would
have 9 Megapolitan counties; 18 Macropolitan counties; 13 Micropolitan
counties; and 27 counties that are Outside Core-Based Statistical
Areas.
The comment period on the proposed changes ended
in December 1999, so the definitions will most likely be used
after the Census 2000 is tabulated.
For more information on the OMB definitions, see
the October 20, 1999 Federal Register (Vol. 64, No. 202), page
56628.
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