LTA Ideas Exchange Registration and Agenda. Only a few spots remain, so please register today for the first
LTA Ideas Exchange on May 24, 2012, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the second floor of UBS Tower, One North Wacker Drive, Chicago. The event
agenda is now available. The Metropolitan Planning Council featured a related
guest blog post from CMAP's Erin Aleman. In addition to highlighting accomplishments and lessons learned in the program's inaugural year, this special event will be an opportunity for attendees to discuss grant opportunities. Elected officials, municipal planners, and other stakeholders are encouraged to attend.
Policy Updates. Our policy blog has a
preview of the upcoming CMAP Freight Cluster Drill-Down report. Nurturing the region’s industry clusters is one of the main recommendations from the Human Capital chapter of
GO TO 2040, which recommends that CMAP and its partners perform “drill-down” analyses to better understand specific established industry clusters, including freight, advanced manufacturing, and biotechnology/biomedicine. We also wrote about
coordinated investment strategies for Illinois school districts.
Municipal pensions. Yesterday, CMAP Board chairman Gerald Bennett, mayor of Palos Hills, spoke at a press conference hosted by Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel to highlight the fiscal perils of unfunded retirement liabilities for municipalities' police and fire departments -- whose pension benefits are set by the General Assembly. Read more in the
Chicago Tribune.
Other News and Announcements
LTA in the news. Journal Online wrote about the development of a sustainability plan for the Village of Niles, which is supported by an LTA grant.
Buffalo Grove Patch covered this week's Village of Buffalo Grove meeting for
Homes for a Changing Region, one of the five communities involved in the Northwest Suburban Housing Collaborative. Also, the
Village of Campton Hills will host an open house for a draft comprehensive plan on May 21 at Wasco Elementary School (4N782 School Street, Campton Hills) from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. And the
Daily Herald alerted readers to comment on the Village of Algonquin's
Downtown Plan.Visit the main
LTA page for a new monthly
program update on all ongoing projects and links to project web pages.
Illinois Route 53/120 Extension report. The Chicago Tribune quoted me in its
story about the upcoming
Illinois Route 53/120 Blue Ribbon Advisory Council draft report on the extension of IL Route 53 north through Central Lake County. The corridor is one of GO TO 2040's high-priority
major capital projects, and CMAP has provided extensive staff assistance to the council. The report recommendations will be featured at the TMA of Lake Cook annual meeting at 10:00 a.m. on May 31 at Baxter Healthcare (One Baxter Parkway, Deerfield). To RSVP, email
lynn_stailey@baxter.com by May 28.
Bloomingdale Trail community meeting. At 6:00 p.m. on May 15, the Trust for Public Land and its partners will host a
community meeting for the Bloomingdale Trail at the Humboldt Park Fieldhouse (1440 N. Sacramento Ave., Chicago). There will be a brief presentation on the project status and an opportunity to discuss project details with the design team. To RSVP, contact Brendan Siegfried (
info@bloomingdaletrail.org or 312-750-9820).
WaterSense seminar. The Chicago Center for Green Technology (445 N. Sacramento, Chicago) will host “Water Efficiency and WaterSense Product Labeling” on May 24 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Cary McElhinney, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 and Paul Patton, Delta Faucet, will speak about the labeling program and various water-saving products. Participants can
register on-line.
Data Depot
Emergency management. CMAP’s MetroPulse data portal tracks the number of municipal emergency management departments in the region. Coordination is one of the key elements of effective emergency response. The Illinois Emergency Services Management Association organizes mutual aid agreements among local agencies that need additional support when disaster overwhelms local emergency management resources.
Intercity passenger travel. As NATO leaders are set to convene in Chicago, we note that nine NATO capitals (not including Washington) have non-stop air service to our region. CMAP has compiled a summary of intercity passenger destinations by mode and distance on the transportation performance measurement page.
CMAP Blogs
Soles and Spokes. This week, CMAP’s bike-ped planning blog featured a recent study evaluating methods for counting bicycles and pedestrians using video-stream data. We also highlighted a report issued by the City of Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) presenting “before and after” data for a recently completed road diet project, which indicates that the new configuration improved safety for all users.
Green Signals. CMAP’s transportation operations blog told readers about an upcoming webinar on the impacts of heavy or oversize truck shipments on the U.S. highway network.
Reminders
FLIP event and applications. On May 31, student participants in our
Future Leaders in Planning (FLIP) program will present their findings on innovative ice and snow removal techniques in a special event at Journey World (770 N. Halsted St., Chicago) from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The final presentation to elected officials and other community leaders from across the region will feature multimedia demonstrations and other materials about best snow removal practices to help reduce environmental impacts. These high school students met one Saturday per month to learn about the issues that shape our region’s economy and quality of life. The early deadline for the FLIP 2012-13
application is June 1. Students who will be sophomores, juniors, or seniors in the 2012-13 school year are eligible. For more information, contact Ricardo Lopez (
rlopez@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8766).
Elgin-O'Hare comment period. Public comments are being sought through May 14 regarding the draft environmental impact statement for the Elgin-O'Hare West Bypass, which is among the major capital projects recommended by GO TO 2040.
Chicago food plan meetings. At a series of public meetings, Chicago residents can learn and provide feedback about the City's “Healthy Food Chicago” plan. To RSVP or request special accommodations, contact info@healthyplaceschicago.org or 312-573-7786.
Events
Bronzeville Retail Development Initiative planning meeting
May 12, 2012
8:30 a.m. to noon
Charles A. Hayes Family Investment Center: 4859 S. Wabash Avenue, Chicago
Hosted by the Bronzeville Alliance, CMAP, and the Metropolitan Planning Council
More information
County Green
May 17, 2012
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
College of Lake County: 19351 W. Washington Street, Building C, Grayslake
More information
Energy Impact Illinois volunteer training
May 19, 2012
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Center for Neighborhood Technology: 1741 N. Western, Chicago
RSVP
Future Leaders in Planning (FLIP) final presentation
May 31, 2012
6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Journey World, 770 N. Halsted, Chicago
More information
Blogs (Weekly Updates) 
