CMAP meetings. Next Wednesday, the Programming Coordinating Committee will meet at 8:00 a.m., the Board will meet at 9:30, and the Executive Committee will meet following the Board at around 11:00. All of the meetings are at the CMAP offices. See http://www.cmap.illinois.gov/board-and-committees for agendas and materials.

Second Quarter Progress Report. Please see this new report (opens 475KB PDF) for an update on CMAP projects through the second quarter.

EJ&E update. CMAP's comments on the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) scope have been sent to the Surface Transportation Board, following our earlier letter to the STB. Click here for the latest newspaper coverage. CMAP will be part of two upcoming forums addressing the issue.  On Monday, February 11, 2008, in Lake Zurich, U.S. Representative Melissa Bean will hold an open house on CN's proposed acquisition of the EJ&E rail line.  We'll have staff on-site to answer questions at the event, which begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Lake Zurich High School performing arts building, 300 Church Street.  And on Wednesday, February 27, the Chicago Chapter of the Transportation Research Forum, the Transportation Center at Northwestern University's Sandhouse Gang, and the Urban Transportation Center (UTC) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) will sponsor a forum on the EJ&E deal.  I will be on a panel with Jim Giblin, a railroad expert who participated in the Metropolitan Planning Council work group that in 2001 first recommended the EJ&E corridor as a freight bypass, and retired Tribune transportation reporter Dave Young, author of the book "The Iron Horse and the Windy City."  It will begin at noon in the Illinois Department of Transportation offices, 300 West Adams, 2nd Floor. Brown bag lunch, drinks, and snacks will be provided. RSVP to charles.abraham@illinois.gov.

More on CMAP in Crain's. After last week's mention of CMAP in the Crain's Chicago Business feature series on Daniel Burnham, this week's edition has a follow-up editorial that calls attention to our central role in building on his legacy. "Never have we needed a comprehensive plan like Mr. Burnham's more," Crain's says. "New neighborhoods are rising near downtown, while suburbs stretch as far as Rockford. With nothing tying it together, the region is breaking down into disconnected parts. Chicago is planning dozens of events to celebrate the Burnham Plan centenary next year. But if we really want to honor Mr. Burnham, we should follow his example. The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning aims to mark the Burnham anniversary with a new land-use and transportation plan for the region. We hope it's a good one. Metropolitan Chicago needs a 21st-century growth plan that's worthy of the Burnham legacy."

Lake water quality conference. The Enhancing the States’ Lake Management Programs 21st Annual Conference will be held April 29 to May 2, 2008, in downtown Chicago at the Holiday Inn Mart Plaza. This year’s theme is “Building Partnerships for Improved Fisheries and Lake Water Quality.” Four pre-conference workshops on April 29 and 30 include topics and learning opportunities that can be applied to a wide range of environmental and planning efforts. The workshops are "Key EPA Internet Tools for Watershed Management," "What Makes Lakes Tick: It’s Not as Simple as it Seems," "Ready or Not: Writing and Editing Tips for Environmental Professionals," and "The Human Side of Lake Management: Using Social Indicators to Understand Lake Audiences and Develop Effective Management Interventions." Visit http://www.nalms.org/Conferences/2008Chicago/ for more information.

UTC seminar series. At 10:30 a.m. on Friday, February 15, the UIC Urban Transportation Center will host a talk about "Public Transit in Illinois and the Intersection of Service, Labor and Technology" by Robert Ginsburg, adjunct assistant professor in the Division of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences in the School of Public Health at UIC. Dr. Ginsburg earned the Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has spent nearly twenty-five years in Chicago, where he has worked nationally and regionally on environmental, industrial retention and economic development issues. His talk abstract states, "The new transit legislation is a major achievement, not the least because of the 'concessions' made by the Service Boards, the unions and the political leaders in Chicago and the Collar counties. In order to move forward in fundamentally changing the transit system in Northeastern Illinois, it is critical to both understand those concessions and what it will take to institutionalize them. The challenge in changing the system involves recognizing that transit has to provide a basic service before it can provide 'glitz,' and that will mean different decision making and different demands on employees and managers. One of the key questions is the role new technology can play in transforming the public transit system. In the past, some managers have been overly enamored with technology at the expense of providing consistent, high-quality service and there will be a challenge to balance and integrate those needs." UTC is located at 412 South Peoria Street, Suite 340, Chicago. For details, contact UTC's Lise Dirks at 312-413-1198.

"Go Green" roundtable. The Economic Development Council for the Southwest Suburbs (EDCSS) at Moraine Valley Community College will host "Go Green and Learn How to Make Green Happen" on the morning of Thursday, April 17, 2008. Sponsored By The Illinois Department Of Commerce And Economic Opportunity and the Southwest Conference Of Mayors, the event will feature roundtable discussions with business partners, with tips and funding options for going green. Information will include biodiesel, recycling, environmental programs, construction industry, solar, wind, and more. The location is Silver Lakes Country Club in Orland Park, 147th Street 82nd Avenue. For more information contact Eda Schrimple (708-974-5714 or schrimplee@morainevalley.edu).