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This week
David Brooks, of the Austin Dam Memorial Association and Executive Director of
the Potter County Visitors Association and John Buerkle, Vice President of Pashek
Associates, attended the American Planning Association Pennsylvania Chapter’s
annual meeting to receive the 2012 Planning Excellence – Best Practice Award
for a recently completed master plan and economic development strategies for
the Dam Park in Austin, Pennsylvania.
Pashek
Associates led a planning team that included Albertin Vernon Architecture, who
provided interpretive planning and master planning support. The team encouraged the community to reflect
on their history and environment in a way that made them realize the
significance of what they have; how they can capitalize on it by marketing themselves;
and how to promote and interpret their unique history, environment, and culture
of days past and present.
This
project serves as a case study on how to understand and convey a ‘sense of
place’ and to gain the buy-in of local residents and business owners to think
regionally – recognizing local economic development can be enhanced by
marketing the Dam Park and Austin Borough as part of the regional PA Wilds,
Lumber Heritage, and PA Route 6 initiatives.
The plan
has also earned two regional awards for excellence. David Brooks, the driving force behind
developing the plan, was named the Pennsylvania Wilds Outstanding Leader for
his role in the planning effort.
Further, Austin Borough was named a Pennsylvania Route 6 Heritage
Community of the Year based on the master plan and their centennial observance
of the flood of 1911 that resulted from the failure of the dam.
Congratulations
to all who contributed to the plan! For more information about the Dam Park click here.
