March/April 2000
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Center-Sponsored
Projects Linked By Common Thread
What do an arts-in-education
initiative for elementary and secondary school students, an innovative
wastewater treatment system, a self-help infrastructure program,
and a marketing program for local farmers all have in common?
They are all community-based projects benefiting rural Pennsylvanians
and receiving support from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania as
part of its Rural Initiatives Program.
The Center for Rural
Pennsylvania’s Board of Directors authorized the Rural Initiatives
Program several years ago to provide limited financial support
to locally driven projects that focus on innovative and timely
results. Over the years, Center-supported initiatives have been
as diverse as a multi-state distance learning consortium, and
a federal, state and local collaboration for heritage tourism.
No matter how diverse the projects are, however, they all have
that one common thread - the potential to deliver benefits to
rural residents.
Following is a sample
of some of the more recent Center-sponsored initiatives.
A Museum in the Classroom
It has been well documented
that the study of the arts increases a student’s communication
and literacy skills and enhances a student’s critical thinking
and problem solving abilities. However, for some rural schools,
funds to support arts education are either severely limited or
non-existent.
Enter the Southern
Alleghenies Museum of Art, which is that region’s only institution
with an arts outreach program for schools. Through local partnerships
with area school districts, the Museum has been able to offer
an arts enrichment program to students that brings art from the
Museum directly into the schools.
Center for Rural Pennsylvania
funding during 1998 and 1999 enabled the Museum to use a staff
education director and technology to expand its proven track record
with even more rural schools.
The Bringing the
Museum into the Classroom prototype proved that art education,
via distance learning, could effectively increase arts awareness
among students. Through video conferencing technology, provided
by private sector and higher education sponsors, students in the
5th grade and in 7th through 12th grades learned more about art,
history, aesthetics, criticism, and culture by discussing the
Museum’s exhibits. The program generated a multifaceted educational
experience that became an educational adventure through the Museum.
Instructors and students received program packets before the teleconference
and then participated in the pro-gram during the interactive lesson.
For more information
on the museum’s Arts-In-Education Program, call (814) 472-3920
or visit the museum website at www.sama-sfc.org.
Wastewater Treatment System For All Areas
Large areas of rural
Pennsylvania do not have central sewage systems and are not suited
for conventional on-lot septic systems or mound systems. In 1997,
the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association (PREA) received the
support of the Center or Rural Pennsylvania and others to help
it test and monitor a wastewater system that could be used in
these areas, and virtually anywhere in the state. PREA kicked
off its Rural Wastewater Initiative to develop and test an on-site
system that would safely treat household wastewater in rural areas
of the state at a reasonable cost. Following the installation
of the system at three pilot sites, and extensive monitoring,
testing, and evaluation procedures, the partners in this project
eagerly await state approval as an alternate wastewater treatment
system.
According to PREA’s
Director of Public Affairs Russ Biggica, PREA wasn’t looking for
a system that could replace or compete with other systems. Instead,
it was looking for a system that could provide an option in areas
where soil characteristics or other conditions make the land unsuitable
for conventional systems.
"PREA was approaching
this initiative as a way to address quality of life issues in
rural areas," he says.
Each of the pilot
sites has been closely monitored by the state Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) and, according to Biggica, are meeting expectations.
"We are optimistic that the system will be approved soon
by DEP in both the small flows and alternative categories,"
Biggica says.
After the system is
approved, PREA plans to develop a full business plan on inspecting
and maintaining the systems during and after installation, and
to create a certification and maintenance education program for
installers.
For more information
on the Rural Wastewater Initiative, contact Russ Biggica, PREA,
212 Locust St., Harrisburg, PA 17101, telephone (717) 233-5704.
PENNSTEP - Communities Helping Themselves
In Pennsylvania’s
rural areas, necessity and grassroots ingenuity are coming together
to provide affordable solutions to drinking water and wastewater
management problems.
In 1998, the Center
for Rural Pennsylvania, the Department of Environmental Protection,
and the Pennsylvania Rural Development Council joined forces to
introduce the Pennsylvania Small Town Environmental Program (PENNSTEP).
Through PENNSTEP, small communities develop their own solutions
to their water and wastewater needs.
PENNSTEP was fashioned
after a program developed by the Rensselaerville Institute (TRI)
of Rensselaerville, NY. Assistance from TRI and the self-help
approach have helped communities in 17 states reduce their water
and wastewater installation project costs from 30 to 70 percent.
PENNSTEP can help
communities that may not be in a financial position to take advantage
of more traditional state loan programs. It may also help communities
that would not be able to increase user fees to cover loan payments
because of the limited income levels of many of their residents.
This is where the self-help concept of PENNSTEP comes into play.
TRI staff provide
technical assistance to the community in locating local, state
or donated equipment and materials, and in drawing together volunteer
labor to complete the project. TRI encourages the local community
to act as the "general contractor" and helps the community
to choose the most simple and economical technology for the project.
Communities interested
in the program must also meet several criteria to demonstrate
their compatibility with the program.
According to Kevin
Karmosky, DEP Sanitary Program Specialist, the community must
have the resources and the potential to make the self-help program
work for it because the program involves a flexible process whose
success depends on the commitment of the community.
For more information
about PENN STEP, contact Kevin Karmosky, DEP Sanitary Program
Specialist, Bureau of Water Supply Management, PO Box 8467, 11th
Floor, Rachel Carson State Office Building, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8467,
telephone (717) 787-0122, email:karmosky.kevin@a1.dep.state.pa.us.
Not Your Typical Marketplace
Should a marketplace
offer more than just locally grown produce, meats, bakery products
and other locally produced goods? Should it offer continued agricultural
viability at the local level? Or economic development for local
communities? How about new opportunities for new farmers and local
consumers?
To the Pennsylvania
Association for Sustainable Agriculture, or PASA, a local marketplace
can offer all of those things and more. That’s why PASA, a nonprofit
organization that promotes healthy food for all people and respect
of the natural environment, is working to establish the CommunityFARM
Cooperative Marketplace in southwestern Pennsylvania, as part
of its Community FARM Initiative. The initiative consists of a
number of projects that aim to strengthen regional farming and
agricultural development by improving marketing opportunities
and increasing community awareness of local sustainable agriculture.
With support from
the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, PASA is developing a business
plan for the CommunityFARM Cooperative Marketplace.
According to Kristin
Markley, PASA’s community food systems coordinator, the CommunityFARM
Marketplace is envisioned to be more than just a seasonal farmers’
market, like those you see in parking lots in your community,
or a public market, like the Reading Terminal in Philadelphia.
Instead, it will be a year-around, community-based facility that
will provide continued marketing opportunities for producers while
increasing consumer access to goods produced by Pennsylvania farmers.
PASA has already completed
feasibility studies for the Marketplace and has examined how similar
markets function in other states. The business plan will include
a market analysis, a parking analysis, an architectural review
of the selected site, financial details, and recommendations for
organizational structure.
For more information
about the Marketplace or the Community-FARM Initiative, contact
PASA, PO Box 419, Millheim, PA 16854, telephone (814) 349-9856.
Message
from the Chairman
Hopefully, as you
are reading this edition of Rural Perspectives, the final
signs of winter are disappearing. Farmers are eager to begin the
planting season. Little leaguers are getting ready to take to
the field and, in state government, we have started deliberations
on the state’s 2000-2001 fiscal budget.
Look for highlights
of the Governor’s budget proposal on page 5. Funding for initiatives
that will affect rural Pennsylvania are noted. As we discuss the
budget for the coming year, it is important to hear from our constituents
on rural needs and opportunities.
The Center for Rural
Pennsylvania’s annual appropriation supports its policy and demonstration
research efforts and helps to maintain a comprehensive database
on rural trends and conditions. In this issue, we are highlighting
several sponsored projects that are having a direct impact on
quality of life issues for rural Pennsylvanians. In each example,
local citizens are the agents of change and the Center for Rural
Pennsylvania is providing some needed capital to support their
work. We are confident that these pilot projects hold considerable
promise for success and impact.
Our rural database
is often used to identify problem areas or issues for action.
Recent data obtained from the Department of Health, and analyzed
by Center staff, show positive change in an issue of importance
to the entire state. Over a four-year period, from 1993 to 1997,
teenage pregnancies for rural females age 18 and under declined
20 percent. The number of reported urban pregnancies for that
same age group and time period declined by 26 percent. The article
on page 5 provides more information.
Spring is also the
time of year for annual conferences. Our conference calendar contains
information on several significant ones. The state associations
for boroughs and townships will convene their respective memberships
in early spring. Practitioners and advocates for farming, historic
preservation, and health will also meet at the national level
over the next several months. In a mark your calendar note, the
Center for Rural Pennsylvania will be sponsoring a conference
in the spring of 2001 with details to follow in future editions
of Rural Perspectives.
I would like to welcome
the Center’s newest Board member, Dr. Robert F. Pack, of the University
of Pittsburgh. Dr. Pack replaces Dr. George Board, who served
as the University of Pittsburgh’s representative for 10 years.
I hope you catch the
Spring fever and renew your commitments on behalf of rural Pennsylvania.
If the Center for Rural Pennsylvania can be of assistance to you,
we welcome your thoughts and suggestions.
Representative
Sheila Miller
Chairman
Center Welcomes Newest Board Member
The Center for Rural
Pennsylvania welcomes Dr. Robert F. Pack of the University of
Pittsburgh to its Board of Directors.
Dr. Pack is Vice Provost
for Academic Planning and Resources Management at the University
of Pittsburgh. He received his bachelor’s degree in English from
West Virginia University, and his master’s degree and Ph.D. in
English from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Pack held a series
of faculty and staff positions at Rutgers University in New Jersey
before returning to the University of Pittsburgh in 1993. As Vice
Provost for Academic Planning and Resources Management at the
university, Dr. Pack is responsible for academic planning, budgeting,
capital planning, information technology, the regional campuses,
and the University’s library system.
Dr. Pack is also vice
chairman of the board of trustees for the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy,
and a board member of the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens,
the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, and the Three Rivers Regatta.
Improving Employment Opportunities for High School Students with
Mild Disabilities
Suggestions on how
rural high schools might better prepare students with mild disabilities
for employment after graduation are the focus of the latest report
issued by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania.
The report is based
on a one-year pilot study, conducted by Dr. Kent Jackson of the
Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), as part of a Center-sponsored
grant project.
Jackson, his team
of researchers and four Indiana County agencies, including the
Department of Special Education and Clinical Services at IUP,
ICW Employment Services of Indiana County, ARIN Intermediate Unit
#28 and Indiana County Vo-Tech, developed a four-tier program
for rural high school seniors diagnosed as "learning disabled."
The program helped prepare the students for employment by offering
job preparation instruction, job shadowing opportunities, job
coaching oversight, and paid internships. Ten students participated
in the five-month program.
The report provides
information on the goals and objectives of the grant project,
how the pilot program was conducted, and the pilot results. The
overall results suggested that the students, who typically would
have had difficulty adjusting to the workplace, were better prepared
to face work challenges because of the job support offered through
the program.
In his report, Jackson
also provides recommendations on how the project might be replicated
in other rural areas. He further provides recommendations for
state officials, educators and administrators on how they might
better prepare students, who are diagnosed as mildly disabled,
for employment after high school graduation.
For a copy of the
report, The Improvement of Employment Opportunities for Students
with Disabilities Upon High School Graduation in Rural Settings,
call the Center for Rural Pennsylvania at (717) 787-9555 or email
at info@ruralpa.org.
Analysis Shows Decline in Rural Teen Pregnancies
The number of rural
teenage pregnancies is declining, according to the most recent
data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. From 1993 to
1997, the number of reported teen pregnancies for rural women
18 years old and younger declined 20 percent. The number of reported
teen pregnancies in urban areas also declined during this same
period by 26 percent.
More specifically,
the rural teen pregnancy rate in 1997 was almost 11 out of every
1,000 females between the ages of 12 and 17. In 1993, the teen
pregnancy rate was 15 out of every 1,000 rural females. Comparatively,
the urban teenage pregnancy rate in 1997 was almost 19 out of
every 1,000 females, and in 1993, the rate was over 26 out of
every 1,000 females.
The declines in both
rural and urban teenage pregnancies mirror the national trend.
Using a slightly different calculation, from the time period of
1992 to 1996, the number of teenage pregnancies for every 1,000
females between the ages of 15 and 19 declined 13 percent. Pennsylvania
had the eighth largest decline in the nation.
Among rural teens
who became pregnant, most chose to have the baby. An analysis
of the total number of reported teenage pregnancies between 1993
and 1997, shows that 80 percent of the rural pregnancies resulted
in live births and about 19 percent were ended by induced abortions.
In urban areas, less than 65 percent of teen pregnancies resulted
in live births and almost 35 percent ended through induced abortions.
In both rural and urban areas, about 1 percent of the teen pregnancies
ended in fetal death or miscarriage.
These percentages
are different for older females. In rural areas, about 90 percent
of the reported pregnancies to women aged 18 years or older resulted
in live births and 9 percent resulted in induced abortions. In
urban areas, nearly 78 percent of pregnancies to women in that
same age group resulted in live births and nearly 22 percent resulted
in induced abortion. Miscarriages accounted for about 1 percent
of pregnancy outcomes in both rural and urban areas.
The decline in teenage
pregnancies is good news to both rural and urban policymakers.
Historically, teenagers who become pregnant are at the highest
risk for living below the poverty level and not finishing high
school.
The declines in teen
pregnancies, however, might be short-lived. One reason is that
the decline in teen pregnancy rates is demographically driven.
Currently, the number of teenagers living in rural areas is lower
than it was in the 1970s and 1980s. Over the next five to 10 years,
the number of teens is expected to increase, which may have an
impact on the teenage pregnancy rate.
Gov's Budget Highlights
On February 8, Governor
Tom Ridge presented his 2000-2001 budget request to the General
Assembly. This $19.6 billion spending plan includes some initiatives
that would benefit Pennsylvania’s rural and small towns. Many
of the more notable initiatives are highlighted below:
Tourism: Almost
$38.5 million for tourism development. Almost 45 percent of this
money will go directly to locally based tourism promotion agencies.
Landuse: $3.6
million has been requested for local landuse and planning assistance
to support the Gov.’s "Growing Smarter" plan. Most of
this money will be earmarked for local government grants for landuse
planning.
Education:
More than $6.6 billion for education with more than 55 percent
earmarked for school districts for basic education subsidies.
Other education initiatives include $4.8 million for information
and technology improvements; $20 million to help poorly performing
schools; and nearly $62.3 million to improve local libraries.
Public Safety:
$15 million to help volunteer fire companies purchase firefighting
equipment or upgrade their fire stations. More than $158.6 million
has been requested for the Pennsylvania State Police.
Health Care:
With revenues from the tobacco settlement, the Gov. proposes to
provide additional investments in the Children Health Insurance
Program (CHIP) and to purchase health care insurance for low-income
adults. The money may also be used to pay hospitals for health
care services for which they have not been compensated.
The proposed budget
is being reviewed by the General Assembly, and may be revised
and voted on in the coming weeks. To read the Governor's budget
address or for more information on the budget, visit Pennsylvania's
website at www.state.pa.us.
Assessing Internet Accessibility
Do rural Internet
customers have the same access to the Internet as urban customers?
That’s a difficult question to answer with a simple "yes"
or "no," but a list of Internet Service Providers included
in the Pennsylvania Technology Atlas may offer some insight into
the level of rural accessibility and service.
An Internet Service
Provider, or ISP, offers software, a username, a password, and
a phone number to paid subscribers so that they can access the
Internet and send and receive email via telephone lines or cable.
According to the 1999
edition of the Pennsylvania Technology Atlas, published by the
state Office of Information Technology, the Commonwealth is home
to more than 200 ISPs; however, only 92 of these providers are
physically located within the Commonwealth. Of the 92 ISPs located
in Pennsylvania, 16 are located in counties that are considered
rural. The remaining 78 ISPs are located in counties that are
considered urban. Only two urban counties had no county-based
ISPs, while 31 rural counties had no county-based providers. It
is important to point out that these numbers do not include national
providers such as America Online, or non-profit organizations
such as universities.
Regionally, the southeastern
area of the state is home to the most ISPs, coming in at a count
of 30. All of those are located in just five southeastern counties.
The northern part of the state is home to only three ISPs.
Splitting the state
in half, the analysis found 38 ISPs located in the western part
of the state and 54 located in the eastern part.
On a per capita basis,
there is one ISP for every 159,235 residents living in a rural
area. In urban areas, there is one ISP for every 121,188 residents.
Regionally, the north central part of the state had the lowest
per capita rate of ISPs with one for every 103,161 residents.
While rural areas
do not have access to the same number of ISPs as urban areas,
rural residents are capable of accessing the Internet and most
are just a local phone call away from access.
Did You Know .
. .
* In an average rural
community, about 65 percent of registered voters vote during an
election for state legislators.
* Pennsylvania ranks
in the top 5 nationwide for apple, peach, pear and grape production.
* Lancaster, York
and Berks counties have the highest number of farms in the state
with 6,015 farms; 2,240 farms; and 1,105 farms, respectively.
Just the Facts:
Shopping in a Small Town
Shopping in small
town Pennsylvania once meant opening the mail order catalog or
visiting the "company" store. In the late 20th Century,
however, shopping in a small town most probably meant visiting
the nearest discount department store. Once again, the option
may begin to change as we enter the 21st Century.
While the number of
rural retail stores grew during the later half of the 20th Century,
these stores started to close their doors at the end of the Century.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, from 1992 to 1997, the number
of discount department stores in non-metropolitan, or rural, areas
declined nearly 20 percent. Discount department stores in metropolitan,
or urban, areas also declined 5 percent.
According to the Census
Bureau, there were 318 discount department stores in Pennsylvania
in 1997. These stores included local, regional, and national chain
department stores that sold items for less than conventional prices.
About one in five of these stores was located in rural areas.
The average sales
of rural discount department stores in 1997 were over $14.2 million.
Between 1992 and 1997, average sales increased nearly 35 percent.
In urban areas, the average discount department store sales were
in excess of $17.4 million in 1997. These stores had seen their
sales increase almost 30 percent from 1992 to 1997.
Rural residents spent
roughly $50 more per person at discount department stores than
urban residents. In 1997, the average person in rural areas spent
$483 a year and the average person in urban areas spent approximately
$430 a year.
On average, there
is one discount department store for every 30,000 residents in
rural areas and one for every 40,000 residents in urban areas.
While the number of
discount department stores increased in the 1970s and 1980s,
during the 1990s, there was a notable decline. The decrease
in the number of discount department stores may be attributed
to many factors, including the growth in e-commerce, home-shopping
networks, and home catalog sales.
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