Hempfield hopes to bolster identity among its multiple neighborhoods

Hempfield officials can now start looking for funding to turn a signage and branding plan into visible markers in the community.

Township supervisors approved the plan Monday that could lead to a new logo and signs at entry points and in neighborhoods, among other changes, said manager Aaron Siko.

“Hempfield needs to better identify itself,” he said.

Reinforcing municipal identity was a goal in the township’s 2023 comprehensive plan. The largest municipality in Westmoreland County with 76 square miles and 41,000 residents, Hempfield is divided by 21 ZIP codes and several neighborhoods.

Township officials asked residents how they identify where they live during the comprehensive plan’s preparation last year. The results showed most use their ZIP code or the neighborhood where they live. About 20% of people who responded said they identified as Hempfield residents.

Supervisor Doug Weimer said the township worked with community stakeholders to consider a logo that could be placed on street signs, in neighborhoods and at entrances to the township. Four potential logos were presented to the township as part of the plan after graphic arts students at Hempfield Area High School created several drafts.

“This would allow us now to go after funding and work with a consultant to finalize the branding,” he said.

The plan also depicts what different levels of signage could look like, with many being modeled after a sign installed at North Hempfield Volunteer Fire Department Station 501 during a renovation there. In the plan, there are smaller markers that could be placed in neighborhoods to identify them as a part of the township as well as large gateway signs to be placed on Route 30.

Resident Don Thoma was one of the stakeholders who participated in the plan’s creation and said he is in favor of township-wide signage improvements. Street signs with logos can help in emergency situations as well as instill community pride, he said.

“When the signage is done, you’ll know you’re traveling through Hempfield,” he said.

According to the plan, costs to implement it were estimated at a maximum of $850,000 over two years, some of which could be grant funded.

“Some of those things will actually kick off with the new municipal complex,” Siko said, referring to a $14.5 million project that will include new township offices, a county emergency command center, a 14-acre park and more.

Work along Weatherwood Lane, visible from Route 30 near the Cedar Street exit, is underway and the first phase, a park, is expected to be completed this time next year, Weimer said.

“We are rapidly moving on that land,” he said.