CMAP meetings.  At 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, November 18, 2009, the CMAP Board will meet. Click here for Board meeting materials. Prior to the Board, CMAP's Planning Coordinating Committee will meet at 8:00 a.m. Click here for committee materials. Immediately after the Board meeting, the Executive Committee will meet.

Quarterly Progress Report. The staff's first quarter progress report for this fiscal year is available online.

Streambank project.  Last Friday, Wheeling celebrated the completion of its Buffalo Creek streambank project, which was supported in part by Section 319 grant funding from CMAP and IEPA.  Read more in the Daily Herald.  

CMAQ Project Initiation Meeting.  The CMAQ Project Sponsor Initiation Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at the IDOT Training Room, Lower Level, 201 W. Center Court, Schaumburg. The initiation meeting is mandatory for recipients of new FY 2010-11 CMAQ projects, and sponsors of currently programmed CMAQ projects are also encouraged to attend to learn about new CMAQ guidelines and procedures. Sponsors will have an opportunity to learn from CMAP's Council of Mayors planning liaisons, and CMAP and IDOT staff about project initiation and implementation, including the consequences for failure to implement projects in a timely manner.

Recovery blog.  This week we posted a resource guide for all of the stimulus grants that can be used towards building a long-lasting green economy and creating green jobs. We also published the latest Economic Recovery Update (11-12-09). You can find all of our past Update newsletters archived here.

Free Spirit Media Video.  A team of students created a video, "Documenting the ARRA," through Chicago-based non-profit Free Spirit Media. The video focuses on youth employment efforts from this summer that were funded by the stimulus.  Funded by the Joyce Foundation, this is part of a larger effort by Free Spirit Media to document the impact of ARRA funding.

State foreclosure news.  WBEZ ran a story about a recent Realtytrac report on national foreclosure filings. While Illinois filings were up 56 percent over September, that spike of nearly 20,000 state-wide foreclosure filings may have been the result of a new Illinois law that allowed homeowners to put off filing in order to obtain more information on the process.

Top performing cities.  Also from WBEZ, an annual survey of 200 of the largest metro areas in the country showed that Chicago gained a few spots from last year's rankings, landing at 148 on the list of the nation's top performing cities. The area's loss of manufacturing and financial sector jobs contributed to its low score. But despite the low ranking, the study did shine a bright eye on the area's strengths as a major business center and was optimistic it will eventually benefit from the national recovery.

Grundy County planning.  While we often refer to CMAP's seven-county planning region of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will, the Aux Sable Township portion of Grundy County is actually included as part of our MPO planning area.  Read in the Herald News about the fourth annual Grundy County Growth Conference symposium held by the Community Foundation of Grundy County.

In the GO TO 2040 blog. This week we featured a seasonal shot of fallen leaves in Forest Park from our Flickr pool and a post about transit in Vancouver by Citizens' Advisory Committee member Robert Munson.

Peoria talk.  On Monday, November 16, I'll be speaking at the Tri-County Planning Commission's transportation symposium in Peoria, about the importance of a regional vision and lessons learned in metropolitan Chicago from GO TO 2040, the Burnham Centennial, and the 2016 Olympics bid.  Read about it in the Peoria Journal Star.

Corporate Bridges event.  Next Wednesday, November 18, I will speak and moderate a panel at the Chicago Minority Business Opportunity Center's 2009 Corporate Bridges program, "ARRA You Ready?"  Panelists from IDOT, IEPA, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, and the Illinois Capital Development Board will join me in discussing how minority business owners and managers can benefit from the stimulus bill. The event will be held at the Federal Reserve Bank, 230 South LaSalle, Chicago.  A registration fee of $45 includes continental breakfast and lunch.  Click here for details.

Photo contest continues.  All month long we're accepting entries to the 2009 Images of Northeastern Illinois Photo Contest. We're asking residents of Cook, DuPage, Will, Kane, McHenry, Lake, and Kendall counties to pull out their cameras and capture what they value about the region. Two winners (a First Prize and runner-up) will be selected in each of the following categories, along with one overall contest winner and runner-up: Diversity, Community Vitality, Natural Environment, Architecture/Urban Design, and Transportation. More details and full contest rules are posted online at http://www.goto2040.org/photocontest. Please contact Lindsay Banks 312-386-8826 with questions or email photo@cmap.illinois.gov.


Stay involved!  Though our Invent the Future phase has ended, your participation is still key.  Be sure to visit our Idea Zone pages for the latest opportunities to participate in the GO TO 2040 comprehensive regional plan. For example, you can comment on the draft preferred Regional Scenario and on potential strategies for implementing the 2040 regional vision.  You can also weigh in at the GO TO 2040 blog. We sincerely appreciate your willingness to tell us your priorities for the seven-county metropolitan region.