Lancaster County Commissioners have given a Pittsburgh-area firm the green light to publish a directory of county offices and agencies that will be provided free to the public.
The directory, which is being published by PRINT of Bethel Park, will be a large, foldable sheet with a street map of Lancaster County printed on one side and a list of county offices and agencies and their contact information on the other.
"It's an opportunity to communicate with the public about government services," said commissioners Chairman Dennis Stuckey.
The directory will not cost the county anything.
PRINT hopes to sell 72 advertising slots — some for $495, others for $995 — to pay for the publication.
Stacey Minnig, PRINT's advertising coordinator, said the company plans to provide 60,000 copies of the directory to the county for free distribution some time early next year.
According to county administrator Charlie Douts, the idea for the directory came up after the commissioners learned the League of Women Voters of Lancaster County's annual "Guide to Lancaster County" was no longer being printed.
The guide, which was a joint effort between the league and Lancaster Newspapers Inc., was a comprehensive directory containing information about government services, recreation opportunities, school districts and other aspects of life in Lancaster County, said league president Susan Leinberger.
Publication of the guide ceased in 2007, she said.
PRINT has created directories similar to the one planned for Lancaster County for other municipalities and counties across Pennsylvania, according to Minnig.
"It does two things," Douts said. "It will give people a map of the county and it will provide them with contact information for a variety of services the county makes available."
Businesses interested in supporting the directory should contact Minnig at 735-1588 or the county commissioners' office at 299-8300.