Try to eat a slice of pumpkin pie in one big bite and you’ll be chewing for quite some time. Take smaller bites, and you might finish the entire slice faster than when you had taken a larger bite.

Chipping away at a challenge is often more effective than trying to take on the entire issue in one quick swoop. The notion is well-meaning, but if you bite off more than you can chew, you waste time chewing when you could be moving more quickly toward the goal by taking smaller bites — quite literally in the case of the pie.

The statement applies less literally, but still remains relevant to how municipalities can tackle problems. Taking small bites and working towards the end-goal one step at a time helps to more quickly move toward the goal.

This can be seen in Cranberry Township, where a decade-old parks plan is coming close to fruition. The township made a plan and then saw it through.

Now that it’s reached that goal, the township is on to the next slice of the pie. According to a Sunday article, Cranberry Township officials plan to update its comprehensive parks plan to bring “top-tier amenities to residents.”

“We believe in world-class amenities that attract and retain residents and provide the kind of things that families are looking for in the community,” Township Manager Dan Santoro said. “Parks not only provide a way to get outside and rec opportunities, but they also increase property values, increase quality of life.”

The plan will cover the next 10 to 15 years of parks’ services.

By making a plan, the township will aim to improve its parks incrementally over the next decade or so.

Incrementally, lasting change can most effectively be made.

And if, midway through the plan, something new comes up, it can be adjusted.

If you’re eating that pumpkin pie, for example, you might decide midway that a dollop of whipped cream could be added.

If you’ve already taken down the whole slice, it’s too late for whipped cream.

— TL