Topics from police and fire services to street projects to zoning are among those addressed in a voluminous comprehensive plan being compiled for four Carbon County municipalities.

The plan is for Summit Hill, Lansford, Jim Thorpe, and Penn Forest Township. It is being assembled by Community Planning and Management, LLC of Paupack, and is available for viewing on the internet at

http://www.communityplanning.biz.The only portion still not completed is "findings and summary of actions," which will be posted at a future date.The plan has not been formally adopted by the municipalities. Carson Helfrich, of Community Planning and Management, said there will be public hearings on the plan in each community before adoption occurs.One of the recommendations within the document is that the municipalities look into regionalizing its police departments."Sharing additional resources and personnel, such as a criminal investigator" is suggested, especially for the three boroughs.Penn Forest Township doesn't have a police department, relying on the Pa. State Police for its services.The comprehensive plan states, "In Penn Forest Township, the board of supervisors will monitor the need for police protection, the cost involved, and any changes to the state police system including proposed charges to municipalities; and assess its feasibility in terms of the financial resources available and other necessary facilities and services."The sewerage systems of each of the three boroughs is addressed.For Summit Hill and Lansford, it notes that both are under a moratorium on new connections by the Pa. Department of Environmental Protection.The document states, "Clearly the condition of the sewerage systems in Summit Hill and Lansford hinders the prospect of bringing new development in downtown areas. Until the moratorium is lifted, economic development will largely depend on increasing patronage of existing businesses and reuse of redevelopment of existing buildings. Any new residential subdivisions are most likely to occur in the currently undeveloped outskirts of Summit Hill where on-lot septic systems are used where soils permit."Regarding Jim Thorpe, the plan warns, "There are no immediate plans and no immediate needs to expand the sewer service area. However, the borough will be applying for renewal of the discharge permit from DEP in 2013. New development or redevelopment in the borough's downtown may be hindered if strict limits are placed on the system."The plan has a lot of interesting data, including a detailed demographic profile with statistics, population trends, how far individuals travel to work, age distribution in each of the four municipalities, household income, and education attainments.For example:• Fifty-seven percent of Lansford's population is in the labor force. It's unemployment rate (14.4 percent est. in 2010) is the highest in the planning area and far exceeds the county and the commonwealth.• After steady decline since the 1950s, Summit Hill borough shows a two percent increase in population in the last decade.• A relatively high proportion of households in the three boroughs are in the lowest income brackets. Lansford borough has a large proportion of households earning less than $25,000 per year - nearly 40 percent of all households. It has the lowest median household and per capita income in the planning area and falls well below the Carbon County and Pennsylvania income figures.• Summit Hill borough has the third highest income levels among the four planning area municipalities. Income measures for the borough are lower than the county and the commonwealth.• Nearly 15 percent of the workers in Penn Forest Township have commutes to work taking more than 90 minutes. It states, "Travel time for Penn Forest Township workers is more than double the state and national average, likely a reflection of proportion of workers traveling to the Lehigh Valley via the Pennsylvania Turnpike."• The plan recommends providing a safe environment for pedestrians by improving sidewalks, controlling traffic, and requiring new development to address pedestrian traffic.Helfrich told the Summit Hill Borough Council that the work on the plan was done over the past couple of years.Besides being available on the internet, paper copies of the plan will be sent to each municipality, school district, and planning commission. At that time, the plan will be advertised for a 45-day review period. After that, each municipality will host public hearings on the plan.