CMAP funding.  The General Assembly met this week and will meet again next week to hopefully resolve the state's budget crisis prior to next Wednesday, July 1, which marks the start of the state's fiscal year. July 1 also marks the start of our fiscal year. Unless we receive a commitment from the state for our funding, we will have to take some necessary actions to address our budget implications. We continue to urge our partners to contact members of the General Assembly, the Governor's office, and IDOT to convey the importance of our funding.

Neighborhood Stabilization Program.  CMAP is taking the lead on a regional application for the Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds with a consortium of local government partners known as the Chicago Metropolitan Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2 Consortium (CMNSPC):  Aurora, Berwyn, Cicero, Cook County, DuPage County, Elgin, Joliet, Kendall County, Lake County, and Will County as part of a competitive grant process through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.  While CMAP will be the lead agency when applying for NSP 2 funds, program implementation will happen at the local level including but not limited to recipients from the Neighborhood Stabilization Program as part of HERA (as stated above).  CMAP will be posting the draft regional application for Neighborhood Stabilization Program Funds on CMAP's website at http://www.cmap.illinois.gov/nsp/ on Wednesday, July 1, 2009, for a ten-day public comment period.  A public hearing will be hosted on Monday, July 6 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the CMAP offices. 

Virtual Burnham Initiative.  This week saw the launch of Lake Forest College's Virtual Burnham Initiative.  Dr. Davis Schneiderman and his students have taken flat images from the 1909 Plan of Chicago and transformed them into 3-D models accessible via the Web.

Regional Snapshot:  Industry Clusters.  CMAP's latest snapshot report looks at the region's leading economic drivers, and where those industries may be headed.

Invent the Future workshops. Click here for the latest schedule of upcoming GO TO 2040 "Invent the Future" workshops, which include Sugar Grove (July 15, 2009), Lisle (July 16), Riverside (July 16), and Chicago (July 17).  Registration is requested, but not required.  You can register online, email, or call Joey-Lin Silberhorn at 312-386-8814.  Be sure to tell your family and friends -- and send them a link to our new workshop video.  See summaries of the workshops in Beecher (June 23) and Carol Stream (June 18), and watch next week for summaries from Naperville (June 24) and Wheaton (June 23).

Alderman Rey Colon of Chicago's 35^th ward not only promoted but attended our recent workshop at Logan Square, as you'll see in our workshop video.  Thanks also to State Representative Mike Tryon for letting his constituents know about our Crystal Lake workshop.  The Northwest Herald wrote about GO TO 2040 and the Crystal Lake workshop. The City of Naperville, Naperville Sun, Naperville Homeowners Confederation, and the Village of Lisle websites promoted the Naperville workshop that took place Wednesday night. Daily Herald columnist Marni Pyke listed several workshops in their readership area (Wheaton, Naperville, Crystal Lake, Sugar Grove, and Elgin).  We appreciate everyone who is helping to spread the word.

Burnham in Evanston.  The Evanston Review has a fascinating story about Daniel Burnham's connections to Evanston, which served as his retreat from the city during his years here. 

ABC-7 story.  We've had a bit of fun recently in keeping people guessing about whether Daniel H. Burnham V is actually working at CMAP, as opposed to that being someone's nom de plume.  But the secret's out after this week's story by Channel 7's Frank Mathie.  As his CMAP co-workers know, Daniel is indeed the great-great-grandson of the man whose 1909 Plan of Chicago is being celebrated this year.  He is interning with us this summer from Indiana University.  I'd like to thank Daniel for his fine efforts here and for being a good sport about the attention that his presence has attracted.

Casey Foundation.  This week at a Donors Forum luncheon, keynote speaker Ralph Smith had some very kind words for CMAP.  Mr. Smith is executive vice president of the Annie E. Casey Foundation in Baltimore.  He referred to the "groundbreaking" work being done by CMAP, including the GO TO 2040 plan.  It's good to know that our agency's efforts are noticed even beyond this region.  We heard about Mr. Smith's remarks from Dan Strick of SouthSTAR Services, a Chicago Heights nonprofit that provides training and other vital services to individuals with developmental disabilities.  

Sears Tower news. Amidst buzz about the pending name change to the Willis Tower on July 16, Sears Tower owners have announced that they are also planning to develop a five-star eco-friendly hotel adjacent to the Tower.  A Tribune article also notes that the owners have also made some strides toward a possible LEED certification that could result in Sears Tower's becoming the tallest LEED certified building in the world. 

Foreign exchange.  CMAP's Matt Stratton has been invited to be a guest lecturer at Fukui Prefectural University in Eiheiji, Japan, over the weekend of July 4 and 5.  He will be giving a series of lectures for a seminar in applied planning and economics.  CMAP, GO TO 2040, and CMAP travel modeling will be among the topics he will cover.  The university is covering Matt's expenses, so this is a special honor.

Checking the Gauge.  Next Tuesday, June 30, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., the Illinois Humanities Council will host "Checking the Gauge," a free event that is part of the IHC's All-Consuming: Conversations on Oil and Water series. Our region faces a series of critical decisions about managing oil and water resources that have the potential to change our communities for better or for worse. What critical choices will we have to make? Speakers from CMAP, IHC, the Burnham Plan Centennial, and the Neighborhood Writing Alliance will examine how perceptions and values have shaped environmental policies and planning; how choices were made in Chicago's early efforts to control its water needs; and how we can leave a legacy for future generations.  The program will include audience polling and interaction via GO TO 2040 "Invent the Future" tools.  I'll be among speakers who include Carl Smith of Northwestern University, Donald Worster of the University of Kansas, and moderator Jennifer Hirsch of the Field Museum.  The location is Ruggles Hall at the Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St., Chicago.  Reservations are required and can be made online, by email, or by phone (312-422.5580.

Do you Tweet? We have 290 followers at our Twitter account as well as 113 fans at our Facebook page. You can make the most of these free social networking tools to stay in touch daily with CMAP and GO TO 2040.

Millennium Park.  Thanks to all the CMAP staff who came out to Millennium Park last Friday to mix and mingle with the public and to talk up the newly launched GO TO 2040 kiosk. Day Kirby of MetroQuest snapped some photos, which are on the CMAP Flickr page.

Greenways and trails comment period.  We have extended the comment period for the Update of the Northeastern Illinois Regional Greenways and Trails Plan until 5:00 p.m. on July 24, 2009. Please submit your comments to Lori Heringa (312-386-8621 or lheringa@cmap.illinois.gov).

Environmental conference.  Save the date of September 30, 2009, when the University of Illinois Extension will hold the 2009 Environmental Leadership Conference at the Hyatt Lodge in Oak Brook.

Blog entries.  This week CMAP's Sean Glowacz recapped the Invent the Future Workshops in Carol Stream and Beecher.  Ylda Capriccioso describes our On the Road activities at festivals.  And Daniel Burnham V wrote an entry musing on the city as a cooperative system. 

CMAP brownfields workshop.  The USEPA defines brownfields as "real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant." A brownfield may be anything from a shuttered factory to a former gas station to an empty lot. It may or may not in fact be contaminated. Brownfields are often considered liabilities when in fact, they pose real environmental, social, and economic opportunities for the homecommunity. Testing and remediating a brownfield can yield an array of benefits to a community, including a cleaner environment, better public health, new jobs and an increased tax base. The Brownfield Grant Writing Workshop is a joint technical assistance presentation by Illinois ResourceNet and CMAP. It will provide details about the USEPA grants and pro­grams, eligibility to apply, program require­ments, how to address each element of the grant applications, and other technical assistance resources. Our experts will present on the grant programs and how to apply for them, followed by a hands on panel discussion of best practices and case studies on successful projects in Illinois. It will be Friday July, 24 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Click here for the event flyer, and for online registration click here. Contact Paul Reise (preise@cmap.illinois.gov) or Shaye Hall (shall817@uic.edu) with any questions.