The South Central Assembly has accomplished much since its incorporation in February 1997. We have provided planning support, training, funding through the KOZ shared administration and marketing money, regional advocacy, policy recommendations to the Commonwealth, and promotion.

First and foremost, we have succeeded in creating a forum for clear discussion and planning for our region’s future. We do this through 10 separate, programmatically-focused committees. Over 300 volunteer members help to advance the goals. The Assembly Board acts as the final arbiter of policy and program development recommendations. This allows our region to have, for the first time in its history, a more focused and responsible voice at state government and federal levels. Specific examples of state policy matters we have addressed are as follows: 

1. We presented specific testimony relating to land use planning, agricultural land preservation, and integration of land use and transportation planning at all of the regional forums provided by DCED during 1999.
2. During that same year, we contributed to the DEP Ozone Action Stakeholders, served as spokespersons and advocated for and facilitated a series of public participation events on this topic. 

3. For the first time, we presented testimony and recommendations to Commonwealth Transportation Advisory Committee on the 12 year plan....advocating for more realistic depictions of corridors for improvement which cross our region. 
4. Based on the work of the Health and Human Services Committee, we presented testimony and recommendations to the Department of Health on the State Health Improvement Plan. 
5. We succeeded in an application to administer a 10 municipality, four county KOZ program. 
6. We produced a report on regional policing and held a workshop on the topic which was attended by over 125 officials in early 2000.

We have also begun a role of training and professional education facilitators. We hosted a regional transportation workshop in 1998 and again in 2001. We hosted a regional transportation summit which has led to work on a regional data facility on intermodal transportation matters. Similarly we have focused on sprawl and undertaken a vigorous and thorough documentation of the region’s comprehensive planning, zoning and code enforcement program. A significant work product will result in terms of a guide for public officials and policy makers. 

We hope to share the expertise gained in land use planning tools with local governments most in need of assistance. We have conducted continuing education workshops on code enforcement and hope to do more of those. We have hosted HUD downlink training for three years and have provided a local alternative to traveling to Philadelphia or Pittsburgh for perhaps 200 local housing and community development processionals. We hosted a DPW workshop on GIS mapping applications for the social services world. We promoted and cosponsored a regional EMS training workshop.  We have also produced white papers on housing, health and human services, and on the need for a local government study commission have been developed, adopted and disseminated.

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