In my lifetime, I have seen our country go through race riots, campus riots, assassinations, foreign wars, presidential impeachments, inflation, recession, epidemics, bank failures, stock market crashes, technology explosions, terrorist attacks, etc., etc., etc. And amazingly, after these crises came, they also went, and life went on. It is helpful to keep this in mind as we are slowly slogging our way through the COVID Crisis. There will be a day when this also will be in our rearview mirror.

County leaders are already beginning to pull out their telescopes to try to picture what this future will look like and how it will impact Lycoming County. Having taught a course on Future Studies (yes, this is an actual field of science), I pulled out my notes to look toward a new world. Here is a humble endeavor to look down the long road toward 2030 to see how Lycoming County could fare in various critical areas.

First, transportation. Roads and bridges are not options, but essentials and the work that the county and local municipalities have endeavored to improve the infrastructure is highly commendable. The bridge bundling project initiated by former Lycoming County Transportation Planner Mark Muroski, which targeted 40 structurally deficient bridges in 19 different municipalities, is a tremendous example of this. It should not be overlooked that the county also has a very good public bus system that is continually improving its service. As those who live in big cities or the suburbs get fed up spending more and more of their time in gridlock, the freedom of movement in Lycoming County will look very inviting.

Information, specifically internet access, will definitely become more and more essential in the future. The initiative initially began by former US Congressman Tom Marino, and followed up by Congressman Fred Keller, to expand broadband access could have an extremely big impact on the future development of our area. Lycoming County Commissioners recently approved a $2.5 million grant for extending broadband networking through the region.

As we are all now painfully aware, health and safety can impact everything else. The expansion of a new Geisinger medical facility in Lycoming County adds to a very strong medical support system for our area.

The safety aspect that also cannot be over-exaggerated is the upgrading and improving the critically important overflow embankment on the 20-mile-long levee on the Susquehanna River. Floods have made a devastating impact upon this region in the past century, and the levee was very close to becoming decertified. If it were, like the Natomas Levee near Sacramento, California, the results would be economically devastating to homeowners and businesses.

There are other strengths, such as the continued interest and growth of Little League, the relative stability of the higher educational institutions of Lycoming College and Pennsylvania College of Technology, the beautiful environment of our parks and public lands, and strong community pride, to name a few.

Surveys have shown that big city residents are restless with the decline they see in their urban areas and longing for the type of lifestyle that is cultivated here. All this is very promising for the future of our region.

Yet, for all the positives, but there are many concerns.

How can we better care for senior citizens, especially related to property taxes? How can we attract major businesses to locate here to provide more family-sustaining jobs? How can we improve, and even develop, more recreational facilities that are critical to a better quality of life? How can we encourage more volunteerism, especially in critical areas such as local fire and rescue companies, but also institutions such as Little League, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Scouting, etc.? How can we encourage more engaged, public-minded citizens to take part in the political process — specifically running for public office, but also serving on community boards? How can we better address the crime and illegal drug activity in our region?

Caution, prudence, and humility are essential in predicting the future, as there are no certainties when projecting what lies ahead, even for experts. I heard world-renowned business guru Jim Collins relate how he conducted a high-level forum with a group of experts and leaders in 1998 with the object of imagining the world in the next fifty years. What they never imagined was that in just three years, the location of their meeting would be gone because of a terrorist attack. The forum was held at the World Trade Center in New York City. Nils Bohl, Nobel laureate in Physics, summed it up best, “Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future.”