Hourglass

This information is gathered through research, observation, and conversation with our partners. Supporting Future Growth:
Lancaster County is growing.

We exist to provide information, encourage collaboration, and inspire innovative ways of thinking and, in doing so, protect the County’s unique character and enviable Quality of Life. Our Influence

Observation and Research:
We pay attention to trends happening in our community, throughout the state, and beyond that might affect Lancaster’s future. Consulting Leaders and Informing the Public:
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ugh our forums and publications, we inform the public in key Quality of Life areas. We also work with leaders in Lancaster County to empower them to make informed decisions. Encouraging Collaboration and Innovative Thinking:
Complex legacy issues require coalitions of people and organizations to tackle them. We connect stakeholders and decision makers and create the space for innovative problem solving to take place. Preserving Our Legacy:
As our County grows, we are committed to protecting what makes Lancaster special: its farms, rich culture, and historic cities, towns, and boroughs. We are focused on making sure that growth continues in a socially, economically, and environmentally responsible way.

04/14/2026

At Hourglass, our strength has always been keeping our sights set on local solutions to what are sometimes national and even global issues. This is why we are proud to present a robust conversation on AI in Lancaster County schools, and we’d love to see you there.

On May 7th, we will host Our Schools, Our Future: Navigating Artificial Intelligence Together. Our hope is that this conversation can demystify some of the ambiguity around artificial intelligence. While there is a lot we still don’t (and can’t) know about the future of AI, we can speak to tangible ways it is being embedded in Lancaster County schools, and we can do that through hearing from their leaders directly. Head to the link in our bio to purchase tickets!

04/08/2026

One of many important and thoughtful moments from our April first Friday forum on LNP | Lancaster Online as they transition into a non-profit.

The full video is now available on YouTube and our website! Thank you to David Greene and Tom Murse for your thoughtful insights and time with our audience.

03/17/2026

ICYMI: March’s Hourglass forum focused on Lancaster City’s Vision Zero Action Plan!

We were grateful to have Cindy McCormick and Laura Ahramjian talk about how they are gathering research and implementing policies for safer streets. Learn about the two-way restoration plans and hear what our audience’s thoughts were on reimagining Penn Square! Video available on our website and YouTube channel!

01/21/2026

Here’s our favorite photo from our annual forum, Ask the Commissioners! Thanks to for always capturing the best moments from our forums.

Go to Youtube to tune in and make sure you’re on our email list to get it right to your inbox with key takeaways each month!

Thank you to our commissioners for your time and insight!

12/12/2025

Need something to watch this weekend? How about our final First Friday Forum of 2025!

This forum was packed with information, with three excellent community experts who shared their knowledge about power and energy. In the age of AI, people are concerned about whether Lancaster County is prepared to handle incoming strain to our electrical grid. Our speakers included: Eric Sauder, Founder and President of RegenAll; Lori Porreca, Owner and President of A1 Energy; and Chris Buck, Vice President of Operations at Donsco, Inc. We thank them for their dedication to educating Hourglass members and hope that this information can be helpful to the community at large.

If you don’t yet subscribe to our newsletter, you can do so at our website and ensure that these videos, with notes on what we learned, get delivered to your inbox each month.

You can find the video on our Youtube channel and website. Thank you!

10/13/2025

Where does Lancaster County stand when it comes to current immigration policies?

In this forum, we heard from three experts: Dr. Kyle Kopko, Executive Director of County Commissioners Association for Pennsylvania, Valentina Ross, Director of Church World Services, and Kat DeSantis, Public Policy Manager at the Lancaster Chamber.

Our panelists addressed workforce gaps and stagnant population growth in Lancaster County and Pennsylvania at large and the wait for a presidential determination for refugee resettlement in FY26.

We encourage you to watch the full video and share it with those in your network who might want to engage further with this topic.

Thank you to our panelists for your knowledge, and thank you to for our event photography.

10/01/2025

Thank you to our members and donors who joined us last week to be in community and look to the future.

As we looked around the room, we noticed members who have joined our community in the last few months mingling with members who have been here since the first days of the Hourglass. This generational exchange is vital to us as our work moves forward.

Thank you to for being a fantastic venue!

09/11/2025

We had a packed crowd for this one!

Last week’s was a presentation from Marshall Snively, President of Lancaster City Alliance, and Helen Foster, Chief Marketing Officer at Willow Valley. Maybe you were in the room to learn about the 20 story luxury high-rise 55-plus building that will become Mosaic— and maybe you stayed to hear the larger story of the revitalization of S Queen and W Vine, including the early plans for what is now Southern Market.

Either way, we thank you for your participation and encourage you to watch, share, and engage with the video which you can now find on our Youtube channel, website, and your email inbox 📧

08/08/2025

70% of young professionals say they would be more likely to stay in a community if they felt truly connected to it.

This is just a portion of the important community-driven information that has fueled the launch of the Lancaster Chamber’s new tool, Land in Lancaster. As Lancaster County faces unique challenges in the coming years with an aging workforce, stagnant population growth and an out-migration of talent, who has the solutions? This may be one of them.

Last Friday we heard from Molly Crouser and Maya Fenner about how the Lancaster Chamber is working to provide solutions to these unique challenges

05/07/2025

At the Hourglass, our mission is to provide reliable, relevant information to our community as it pertains to our lives here in Lancaster.

For our May forum, we hosted three educators: Charlie Reisinger, Stacey Irwin, and Robert Spicer. Our speakers helped us tackle a big question: how are students in Lancaster County learning about media literacy?

A video of this forum will be available on YouTube and our website today. Thank you to our speakers and our engaged and thoughtful audience for your contributions!

All photos courtesy of

03/17/2025

ICYMI: our forum with Lancaster County Conservation District is up on Youtube! Follow along with PPT slides from our website or read One United’s article at oneunitedlancaster.com.

Photo:

Address

922 N Queen Street
Lancaster, PA
17603

Telephone

+17172950755

Website

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/our-schools-our-future-navigating-artificial-intelligence-together-tickets-1986355534876?af

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