No quonset huts here, thank you

You may never have heard of NAIOP – an organization of commercial real estate developers. It’s a big association, with chapters all over the country, and its members are responsible for creating most of the office parks, shopping centers, industrial and mixed-use facilities in the United States.

Last week, the Pittsburgh chapter of NAIOP held its annual banquet and presented awards for projects which distinguished themselves in various categories. Projects throughout the tri-state area were eligible for recognition. And of the four projects selected for honors this year, two of them were right here in Cranberry Township.

Naturally, we were flattered by the attention. The Cranberry Woods Westinghouse campus and its developer, Trammel Crow, received an award of excellence in NAIOP’s “Build to Suit Office” category, and Pennwood Commons – now the headquarters of Talisman Energy in Thorn Hill Industrial Park – was honored in its “Speculative Building Office” category.

Of course, commercial development is a huge industry and the spending generated by new construction can benefit any local economy, including ours. But construction is only the start; the people and businesses which ultimately come to be housed in those projects are what really form the backbone of our economy. But development can have tradeoffs.

In their zeal to attract new investment, many communities are happy to turn a blind eye to the appearance, safety, impact and use of commercial construction. A generation ago, Cranberry was among them. But over the years, our Board of Supervisors has raised the bar, reflecting the expressed wishes of our residents. Today, not only does a project need to meet high safety standards and mitigate its impact on the community, it also needs to look good and feel right.

That’s because our Board of Supervisors, reflecting the beliefs of our residents, visualize Cranberry as a community of character with a distinctive identity. Creating a strong sense of place, however, is not just a cosmetic flourish – it’s at the heart of the Board’s long-range plan for building an attractive and sustainable community. It is fundamental to creating the sort of environment where visitors come to shop, where students come to learn, where families come to settle, and where businesses come to prosper.

Those qualities form the building blocks of an enduring community.  But they don’t happen in places which encourage construction that degrades, rather than enhances, their built environment. Understanding that dynamic has been a key to guiding our development.

We see NAIOP’s recognition of the high-quality commercial development here in Cranberry Township as validation of our residents’ desire to live, work and play in an attractive community, and for that we are very grateful.

I would welcome your ideas or comments.  Please let me know at: Jerry.Andree@cranberrytownship.org

Volunteerism is Alive and Well in Cranberry Township

One of the complaints Americans constantly keep hearing is how our youth are distracted, inattentive, self-centered, and generally disappointing to the generation that preceded them.
Well if that’s true, the young people of Cranberry Township are an important exception. Several weekends ago, I was assisting in a neighborhood food drive organized by Cranberry’s Sunrise Rotary Club along with Gleaner’s Food Bank – a local food pantry that serves residents of Cranberry Township.

It was a huge success. Not only did the drive collect over 600 bags of groceries from our neighbors – enough to provide for more than 100 families – it also saw at least 65 volunteers canvassing their neighborhoods to identify families in need. They came from the Rotary Club, from friends of the club, and especially from the Seneca Valley Lacrosse Team’s players and their families.

A related demonstration of young people volunteering was provided by dozens of students from Seneca Valley and nearby high schools who sorted and shelved the groceries into the pantries of Gleaner’s Food Bank.

I was tremendously impressed watching those young students and players donate so many hours to helping neighbors who needed their assistance. It reinforced my observation that, contrary to the popular stereotype, we are blessed with a caring, giving and loving younger generation in our community – one eager to serve when given the opportunity.

Of course they had leadership. Linda Heery exemplifies volunteerism in service of those experiencing difficult situations. Our community is tremendously fortunate to have someone like Linda who donates so many hours to making sure the Food Bank’s pantries are full and ready to serve those who need help.

Thank you Linda; you amaze me.

The Gleaner’s Food pantry is a truly wonderful volunteer venture. But it is not the only one. There are many worthwhile volunteer organizations, activities, and projects going on in our community. And we encourage them. The Cranberry Plan, the long-range comprehensive Plan our Board of Supervisors adopted in 2009 to guide the Township’s future growth, recognized the importance of volunteerism to securing a healthy future.

Right now, the Cranberry Township Community Chest, CTCC, is leading an effort that will help us better connect those who want to volunteer with the needs that actually exist in our community. I’m convinced that there are many more people willing and waiting to help than we generally realize; we just need to do a better job in tying them to the need. And perhaps the greatest asset we have to draw on is our younger generation.

If you have any thoughts about how we can enhance the opportunities to volunteer in Cranberry Township and engage more young people, I would welcome your ideas. You can reach me at: Jerry.Andree@cranberrytownship.org