UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A Penn State Extension team won a 2024 Excellence in Teamwork award from the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals for their project, “Partnering to Create PA Municipal Active Transportation Plans.” The team members are John Turack, Neal Fogle, Peter Wulfhorst, Matt Spindler, Er Yu and Cristy Halerz-Schmidt, all staff with Penn State Extension.
This award highlights the recipients’ expertise in community and economic development, energy, business and program evaluation. It recognizes outstanding extension programming that demonstrates effective performance and significant impact. The awards also provide a platform for showcasing community development work nationally.
“Though NACDEP, extension professionals from across the country can learn from each other and collaborate on community development programming,” said the association’s president, Rebekka Dudensing, of Texas A&M University. “We love to highlight and elevate outstanding work by our members. These award winners represent the best of what community development extension has to offer.”
At the association’s conference in Houston, held June 17-20, the team was named a national runner-up and Northeast region winner.
Active transportation refers to self-propelled modes of transportation, including walking, biking, wheelchairs, mobility scooters and paddling. Enhancing the safety and convenience of walking and biking can foster social interaction, boost local economies, improve public health and reduce air pollution, according to WalkWorks, a Pennsylvania Department of Health initiative.
In Huntingdon County, officials identified a need for better non-motorized transportation options. They formed a committee and, with support from a WalkWorks grant, partnered with Penn State Extension to develop an active transportation plan.
Other consultants included Mark Lazzari, planning department manager/community planner at the EADS Group Inc. and member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, and Barbara Hauge, registered landscape architect with Thomas R. Harley Architects LLC and UpStreet Architects Inc. Hauge graduated from Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in horticulture.
Throughout 2023, the committee gathered public input via an online survey and interactive map program, with significant contributions from Fogle and Turack.
Spindler and Yue from Penn State Extension’s evaluation team, along with extension educators Halerz-Schmidt and Turack, provided technical training in geographic information systems, enhancing community leaders’ ability to gather public input. They also analyzed community data to identify key assets and transportation issues.
The Huntingdon County Commissioners approved the active transportation plan in September 2023. The plan prioritizes transportation equity by considering the needs and impacts of projects in low-income census tracts and block groups. It is designed to connect walking and bicycling networks, improve public health through education and increase economic mobility by facilitating no-nmotorized transportation.
The team pointed out that the plan also serves as a model of good practices that other communities can replicate.
For instance, the Delmont Borough Active Transportation Plan was supported by the team’s simultaneous work on the Huntingdon County plan. Delmont is a small suburb 25 miles east of Pittsburgh. Turack, a community development education program specialist with Penn State Extension, has assisted with both plans. He also served as the executive director for the Smart Growth Partnership of Westmoreland County, a partner program of Penn State Extension.
Turack noted that this planning process integrates research-based education into community-driven efforts, demonstrating effective collaboration between educators and communities.
Created in 2003, the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals aims to improve the visibility, coordination, professional status and resource base of community and economic development extension programs and professionals.
The association has more than 350 members across 40 states and territories. Active members are currently employed as extension professionals or have a strong interest in community and economic development extension work.