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Sustainable Pennsylvania

Sustainable Pennsylvania

Municipal Certification Project

  • Community Vision
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    • Certification Program Overview
    • Assessment Criteria
    • Certification Levels
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Participating Municipalities
  • Action Resources
    • Economic Development and Revitalization
    • Strategic Engagement and Resilience
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Home › Participating Municipalities

Wilkes-Barre City

Luzerne County

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Municipal Website
Population:41,498
Key Action:
Current Assessment:
08/06/2015
Assessment History:

Education

Cooperation
Question:
The municipality and local public schools cooperate to share facilities and other resources. (For example, the municipality assists with the cost of evening lifeguards for community use of a school swimming pool or for provision of crossing guards.)
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Engagement
Question:
Municipality works with schools and local nonprofits/community organizations to engage students about community issues such as waste reduction and recycling, public safety, wellness, conservation, nature, etc.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:

Healthy Communities

Local Food
Question:
The municipality supports a program (or cooperates with neighboring communities) to engage residents in strengthening sustainable food systems to link local foods, farms and people (ex. Buy Fresh Buy Local initiative, Good Food Neighborhood, etc.).
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
A community produce garden(s) is available.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Healthy People
Question:
Programs by local government, or in cooperation with the non-profit and private sector, exist to address community health concerns, i.e. exercise programs, feeding programs for children and the elderly, crime watches, accessible health care, exercise away from areas of air pollution, etc.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Outdoor recreation opportunities, amenities, and lifestyles are promoted.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
The use of pesticides and herbicides is being monitored and reduced by all municipal departments which use them
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:

Energy Use, Conservation and Green Building

Municipal Energy Use
Question:
The municipality has established goals from the energy audit findings and is methodically implementing the energy audit findings.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Green Buildings
Question:
The municipality has reviewed ordinances, resolutions, and other policies to remove impediments to the use of alternative energy (wind, solar, geothermal) installations or green buildings.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:

Governance and Community Engagement

Public Safety
Question:
Municipality maintains updated public safety mutual aid agreements with neighboring municipalities and shares resources.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Municipal Operations
Question:
Professional staff are employed or retained, in the areas of budgeting and finance.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
A revenue-expenditure trend analysis is conducted annually.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Funds for capital-related borrowing are not used for day to day expenses.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Municipality routinely evaluates ability to ensure that revenue is sufficient to maintain public infrastructure, i.e., road, water, sewer, stormwater (community has an asset management based budget system).
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Obligations for pensions/other post-employment benefits are funded for the long-term to at least 80%.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
5-10 percent of operating funds are carried over year to year.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Taxation takes a balanced approach applicable to all sectors of municipal services provided and fees satisfy cost recovery.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Community Engagement
Question:
Civic engagement, public participation and transparency are regularly assessed and facilitated.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
A Historic Review Commission is active.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Municipality communicates with the public via a regularly scheduled newsletter or regularly updated web based communications.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
A program exists to actively pursue and match residents and local businesses to volunteer opportunities to better the community and assist the local government.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Local and Regional Cooperation
Question:
Municipality is an active participant in a Council of Governments.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Sustainability
Question:
There is on-going training for municipal employees and officials and the HR function is closely engaged in advancing objectives of the municipal sustainability program.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Municipality is reporting yearly to the public on progress and results made in implementing recommendations/findings contained in the municipal energy study
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Municipality has or is in the process of retrofitting street lights and traffic signals to LED bulbs.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:

Environmental Stewardship

Air Quality
Question:
PA State anti-idling law is enforced and compliance is promoted.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Municipality supports public education regarding reducing air pollution and emissions.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
A clean construction emissions policy for all publically subsidized projects has been adopted and is enforced.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
A burn ban has been formally adopted and made part of municipal ordinance, and State or County outdoor wood fired boiler construction and operation is in accordance with state law
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
The municipality and its municipal waste hauler service are exploring ways to reduce emissions from vehicles and trucks beyond anti-idling.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Green Infrastructure
Question:
Policies, plans and ordinances protect wetlands and waterways and their buffers.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Low impact and green development projects, as well as techniques (pervious pavement, bioswales, cisterns, woodland and steep slope protection) are fostered through incentives, ordinances and design guidelines.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Developers are required to submit a comprehensive and detailed fiscal impact analysis including long-term fiscal impacts such as road repair, school infrastructure needs and other public services with their development applications.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Sustainable landscape maintenance practices are in place for parks and municipal grounds.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Water Use, Conservation and Quality
Question:
Low impact development and onsite stormwater infiltration is encouraged.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Sufficient investments are being made to the water, sewer, and stormwater systems per real costs and keeping pace with maintenance and operations.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:

Land Use and Transportation

Mobility
Question:
Trails for walking and bicycling are being developed or maintained
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Police are trained on the rights and responsibilities of bicyclists and state law on passing bicycles.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Traffic calming techniques, "complete streets" projects, access management and congestion management programs have been evaluated and are being implemented.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Community
Question:
The comprehensive plan and ordinances promote pedestrian-oriented, dense, walkable, mixed-use development (in existing and proposed development), and redevelopment in the core or town center.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Comprehensive land use/development plan is current, addresses impacts to neighboring communities, and incorporates sustainability principles.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:

Local Economy

Material Use, Waste, and Recycling
Question:
Staffing is in place sufficient to enforce building and maintenance codes.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
The municipality utilizes a system for collection of delinquent taxes and fees in order to mitigate blight and abandonment.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Alternate transportation (e.g. transit, inter-modal, multi-modal, bicycle/pedestrian) are accommodated and promoted.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Public transportation and ride sharing are promoted and facilitated, as is transit-oriented development (where applicable).
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
All municipal buildings have an active recycling program.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Professional staff are employed or retained to manage the land use program.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Thriving Local Green Business
Question:
The municipality has assessed Main Street program options and opportunities for possible applicability and implementation.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
A current inventory of vacant and blighted/blighting properties is maintained and mapped.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
A program is being implemented to put blighted, abandoned properties back into productive use: smart rehab code, conservatorship, demolition, acquisition, green lot strategies, etc.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:

Housing

Affordability
Question:
The zoning ordinance provides for or accommodates a full range of housing opportunities throughout the community.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
The comprehensive plan addresses the community benefits of and need for expanding housing choice.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
The zoning ordinance has inclusionary housing provisions/incentives
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
A program exists (perhaps in partnership with an outside agency) to facilitate home ownership: homebuyer incentives, employer-assisted housing, community land trust, etc.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Sustainable Neighborhoods
Question:
The municipality has elected to administer and enforce PA's statewide Uniform Construction Code (UCC).
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:

Other Sustainability Innovation

Additional Initiative
Question:
Up-to-date ordinances for zoning and subdivision/land development are in place to implement the comprehensive plan.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Economy
Question:
The municipality is engaged in programs to communicate that the community is welcoming to persons who represent diversity (sister city relations, diversity sensitivity training, multilingual signage, etc.)
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Human Resources
Question:
The municipality has a written municipal policy prohibiting discrimination and valuing diversity and inclusion.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
The municipality utilizes an Integrated Municipal Stormwater and Wastewater Planning Approach (as described by EPA) to identify the municipality?s priorities for projects and includes a description of how the proposed priorities reflect the relative importance of adverse impacts on human health and water quality and the municipality?s financial capability. See: http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/integratedplans.cfm
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
The municipality actively encourages water conservation and efficiency measures in the community and among businesses.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Municipality purchases energy for municipal facilities from renewable energy sources (or has installed renewable energy sources) such that at least 10% of all municipal energy comes from renewable sources.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:

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About Sustainable Pennsylvania

Sustainable Pennsylvania, a joint project of the Pennsylvania Municipal League and Sustainable Pittsburgh, is a voluntary performance recognition program designed to help municipalities set and achieve sustainability goals, save money, conserve resources, and foster a vibrant community.

Pennsylvania Municipal League

The Pennsylvania Municipal League is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization established in 1900 as an advocate for Pennsylvania’s 3rd class cities. Today, The League represents participating Pennsylvania cities, boroughs, townships, home rule communities and towns that all share The League’s municipal policy interests.

The mission of the Pennsylvania Municipal League is to strengthen, empower and advocate for effective local government.

Sustainable Pittsburgh

Sustainable PGH is a nonprofit committed to building the knowledge, perspective, and ability needed to create a better tomorrow for our region.

Contact us

Email info@sustainablepa.org or call Leslie Rhoads from PML at 717-236-9469 *237 or Jim Price from Sustainable Pittsburgh at 412-259-5331

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