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| Randy Blankenhorn |
Table of Contents
First Off...
Draft plan coming soon. Just a reminder that the draft GO TO 2040 comprehensive regional plan will be presented next month to the CMAP Board and MPO Policy Committee. The draft will begin a public comment period from June 11 to August 6. In addition to other options for commenting on-line and by mail, residents and stakeholder groups are encouraged to attend any of the following public meetings that CMAP will convene across the seven-county region:
- DuPage County: June 15, 2010, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., DuPage County Government Center Auditorium, 421 N. County Farm Rd., Wheaton, IL 60187.
- Lake County: June 22, 2010, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Lake County Central Permit Facility, Main Conference Room, 2nd Floor, 500 W. Winchester Road, Libertyville, IL 60048.
- Will County: June 23, 2010, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Will County Office Building, County Board Room, 2nd Floor, 302 N Chicago Street, Joliet , IL 60432.
- Kendall County: June 29, 2010, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Kendall County Health Department, 811 W. John Street, Yorkville, IL 60560.
- McHenry County: July 13, 2010, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Woodstock Public Library, 414 W. Judd St., Woodstock, IL 60098.
- West Central Cook County: July 20, 2010, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Cicero Community Center, 2250 South 49th Avenue, Cicero, IL 60804.
- Kane County: July 21, 2010, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Kane County Government Center, 719 So. Batavia Avenue, Geneva, IL 60134.
- Southwest and South Cook County: July 27, 2010, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Moraine Valley Community College, Fogelson Theater, 9000 W. College Parkway, Palos Heights, IL 60465.
- Northwest/North Central Cook: July 29, 2010, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Arlington Heights Public Library, 500 North Dunton Avenue, Arlington Heights, IL 60004.
- Chicago/Cook County: August 3, 2010, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., CMAP Offices, Cook County Room, 233 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60606.
We will also hold smaller briefings for partner organizations. Please contact Erin Aleman (ealeman@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8816) for information. After incorporating this final public input, we will present the GO TO 2040 plan for approval by the CMAP Board and MPO Policy Committee in October. And then the work of implementing its recommendations will begin, and the region will be counting on your continued support and involvement.
Liquid gold. The Economist published an article about water management planning in the Great Lakes region, which included an interview with CMAP's Tim Loftus. While enjoying Lake Michigan as the weather gets warmer, we must remember it's one of our region's most valuable resources and we must plan accordingly. To learn more about the Water 2050 Northeastern Illinois Regional Water Supply/Demand Plan, the Lake Michigan Watershed Academy is hosting a webinar on May 26, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Space is limited, register online.
Events
GIS workshop. CMAP will offer its two-day basic Arcview 9.3 workshop in May and June. The cost is $350, and we encourage staff of municipalities, community organizations, and other agency partners to take advantage of this GIS training. The dates are May 26 to 27 and June 23 to 24. More will be announced in the coming months. Contact Jan Drennan (312-386-8686 or jdrennan@cmap.illinois.gov).
Visioning Aurora. The City of Aurora, in collaboration with CMAP and the Metropolitan Planning Council, is conducting a visioning and planning process regarding the development of the City's near east side. The first meeting of this three-part series occurs on June 3 from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. at Fred Rodgers Community Center.
Easy being green? During the first week of June, CMAP will host a webinar, "What Does Green Mean? Recognizing the Real Deal in Products, Processes, and Purchasing." Participants will learn how to tell when products are truly green versus those just claiming to be (greenwashing), as well as about an innovative green firm and a regional web resource to help find the products you're looking for. A link to register will be available shortly. For more information, contact Lori Heringa (312-386-8621 or lheringa@cmap.illinois.gov).
Other News and Announcements
Sustainability award. The Illinois Governor's Sustainability Awards deadline was extended to Friday, May 28. There is still time to submit an application for your Illinois public or private organization to be considered for this award. Contact Deb Jacobson (630-472-5019 or djacobson@istc.illinois.edu) for more information.
Exploring our metropolises. The Brookings Institute's Metropolitan Policy Program created a very interesting interactive website for its State of Metropolitan America effort. You can download their report, but also take some time to explore their numerous indicator maps showing everything from population shifts to median hourly wage and commuting times across the country. You can even break down the maps to show you how states, metro areas, cities, and suburbs each rank nationally under a single indicator.
Students thinking safety. Congratulations to John Hatcher, Jr., grandson of CMAP's Cathy Holland-Hatcher, whose poster on work zone safety won first place in the second through fourth grade category in the National Work Zone Safety Calendar Contest sponsored by the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA). John is a student at 21st Century Preparatory Center in Park Forest, IL.
CMAP Blogs
GO TO 2040 blog. We featured a picture of corn as high as an elephant’s eye in Homer Glen as our weekly Flickr photo. Diana Torres wrote about the FLIP Human Services team’s final presentation.
News archive. We updated our CMAP news archive this Tuesday, recent coverage of work by the agency came from Bloomberg Businessweek and The New York Times. The news archive is updated every other Tuesday.
Soles and Spokes. This week CMAP’s bike-ped blog informed readers about a new study about the high likelihood of recent immigrants to bicycle, the reasons why this may be so, and the connections to health. We announced a new funding cycle for Illinois Department of Transportation Safe Routes to School program, and urged interested, eligible parties to get started on their School Travel Plans. Another funding opportunity was described in a post on Walk and Roll to School Mini-grants. Finally, we announced Active Transportation Alliance’s annual fundraising bike ride, Bike the Drive, scheduled for Sunday, May 30. It is one of the country’s largest organized rides.
Reminders
FLIP applications due next week. Applications for Future Leaders in Planning (FLIP), a program offered free of charge for high school students interested in learning about and contributing to a better future for our region, are due next week. The 2009-2010 FLIP session was extremely successful and high school students created guide books to help implement GO TO 2040 strategies. CMAP will be accepting 2010-2011 FLIP applications through Friday, May 28. Please pass the applications along to any potentially interested high schoolers (or their families and teachers).
Municipal survey deadline extended. We are very grateful to the 106 municipalities -- representing 45 percent of our suburban population -- that have submitted complete 2010 Municipal Plans, Programs, and Operations Surveys. Your efforts are appreciated, and the information you provide will contribute significantly to the Regional Indicators website CMAP will launch this fall in partnership with the Chicago Community Trust. Click here to view a map showing municipalities that have already returned their surveys. The deadline has been extended to May 31 to accommodate the busy schedules of our municipal partners. If you require additional time please don’t hesitate to contact Sandy Perpignani (312-386-8648 or sperpignani@cmap.illinois.gov). Questionnaires may be submitted via mail, fax, email, or on the web. To begin, please visit www.cmap.illinois.gov/cmapmunisurvey.aspx.
Infrastructures for Change. On June 3, Archeworks is sponsoring its semiannual symposium, Infrastructures for Change, at our offices (233 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 800, in Chicago). The symposium will focus on the past 100 years of design and planning in Chicago, Lake Michigan, and the built urban environment within the Great Lakes Basin.
Transport Chicago. On June 4, the 25th Annual Transport Chicago Conference is being held. Early registration ends May 23. James Corless, director of Transportation for America, is the keynote speaker.
Energy efficiency funds. The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus recently issued a request for applications (RFA) for Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant funds for all non-entitlement municipalities and counties in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties. The RFA is open to municipalities with populations under 35,000 and counties with populations under 200,000. Click here for a list of eligible communities. The funds can be used for energy efficiency building retrofits, energy audits, building code development and enforcement, and traffic signals and streetlights. Applications are due by June 11. For more information, contact Kate Agasie (312-201-4508 or kagasie@mayorscaucus.org).
A Day for Zach. If you plan to attend and haven't already sent a check, please contact Jack Pfingston (jpfingston@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8617) to RSVP for "A Day for Zach," a charity golf outing and luncheon on Monday, June 28, at Seven Bridges Golf Club in Woodridge. See www.cmap.illinois.gov/zach/. For non-golfers, just the luncheon is available at a reduced cost. And contributions are welcome even if you can't attend, with proceeds to Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago (EFGC) and its week-long "Camp Blackhawk" for children and teens with epilepsy, in memory of Zach Pfingston who attended the camp and counted golf among his many sporting interests.
Blogs (Weekly Updates) 
