As the saying goes, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."

Manheim Township is aiming to set itself up for success by making a plan - a comprehensive plan, that is - and residents are invited to share input. Township is urging its residents to complete a survey that will help shape the direction of the locale for the short term, as well as for years to come.

"We have a responsibility for the health and well-being of our residents," said Anthony Vallone, Manheim Township's new community development manager. "It's about common sense and finding solutions that have common-sense answers. The township residents want the township to be successful, and they care about its history. This is one of the few opportunities they have to have a voice, to speak their minds. We want to make sure we don't squander that opportunity. The comprehensive plan ends up taking all these opinions and rolling them into it."

The survey poses eight broad questions about the current state of Manheim Township and the municipality's future, and it takes about five minutes to complete. It can be found at http://www.manheimtownship.org/1570/The-Comprehensive-Plan.

The survey began Jan. 10 and will run through Thursday, Feb. 29.

"Where we're headed is a balance between development and preservation of our open spaces and our agricultural spaces," said Vallone. "As we're building out, we need to be mindful of where all this stuff goes. Where are the areas we need to be mindful of development? We have transportation concerns as well."

Results of the survey will help shape the township's comprehensive plan, which is expected to be updated around the middle of 2025. The last time the comprehensive plan was updated was March of 2010.

"It's an update, not an overhaul," explained Vallone. "The survey will help us. We have to be guided on what needs to be updated. Some parts of the comprehensive plan may need to be updated; some may not. ... It gives residents an opportunity to inform us how they want their township to be, in many different ways."

Manheim Township received 600 early responses when the survey was first introduced in early January. "I'd be happy with 1,000," said Vallone.

"Right now, it's about casting the widest net possible," noted Vallone. "We want to get a diversity of geography in the responses. We want to cover the whole township, from north to south. We want to make sure we're putting in information from many, many different places."

Manheim Township's diverse combination of suburbs, farmland, shopping areas and recreation areas is home to more than 44,000 residents. Established in 1729, Manheim Township encompasses 24 square miles.

Manheim Township prides itself on its amenities and public services, its public safety and the variety of its community programs and facilities.

"We're a growing township," said Vallone. "We're changing rapidly, so we've got to be in touch with our residents. We don't make decisions in government; we have to be careful how we distribute the public good."