CMAP meetings.  At 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 10, 2010, the CMAP Board will meet.Click here for Board meeting materials. Prior to the Board, both of CMAP's Coordinating Committees will meet at 8:00 a.m. Click here for the Planning Committee materials, and here for the Programming Committee. At 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 11, the MPO Policy Committee will meet. Click here for those materials.

Jan Metzger.  Northeastern Illinois lost a staunch advocate for effective planning when Jan Metzger passed away last week.  Her colleagues at the Center for Neighborhood Technology have posted a heartfelt memorial to Jan, whose accomplishments included authoring the book What Would Jane Say?, about Jane Addams in the context of the 1909 Plan of Chicago.  On behalf of everyone at CMAP, our condolences go out to Jan's family and many friends.

SAFETEA-LU extension.  A lot has happened since last week’s notice that the third extension of SAFETEA-LU ended on February 28 without continuing authorization.  On Monday the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) was shut down, and all USDOT employees covered by the HTF were furloughed.  Congress passed an emergency 30-day extension, which President Obama signed on Tuesday, reinstating the HTF’s authority on Wednesday.  Yesterday the House passed an amended version of the Senate’s jobs-creation bill that would extend HTF authorization until December 31, deposit $19.5 billion of general revenue into the fund, restore this fiscal year's highway funding to $42 billion (instead of the original $30 billion), and offer additional support for the Build America Bonds program.  The Senate must now vote on the bill as amended.  The legislation moved forward in the House after an agreement struck between House and Senate leadership regarding how states will share in the funding for two discretionary highway categories: Projects of National and Regional Significance and the National Corridor Infrastructure Improvement Program.  This has significant implications for the State of Illinois and metropolitan Chicago because Illinois has been expected to receive the second-largest amount of discretionary funding under these programs.  Staff is working on what those potential impacts might be and will update appropriately. 

Protecting our waterways.  The Illinois Chamber of CommerceInfrastructure Council is leading the organization's efforts to protect waterway commerce in the Chicago region against threats from Asian carp.  The chamber has developed an eight-point plan to stop the carp 20 miles before Lake Michigan.  See the council web page for more useful links.  

Recovery blog.  The latest Economic Recovery Update came out this Wednesday and included important information on the Weatherization program and what Lake County has accomplished with 

stimulus funds received.  We also blogged about how Illinois wasselected as a top 16 finalist for the U.S. Department of Education's "Race to the Top" grant program.  For more on the Illinois grant application, check out the February 3 Economic Recovery Update. 

Urban Affairs website.  The White House has announced its new website for the Office of Urban Affairs, which works to create a national metropolitan agenda while also promoting increased government transparency, participation, and collaboration.  Headed by Adolfo Carrión Jr., the agency shares many of the same goals as CMAP, such as working to eliminate brownfields, develop infill locations, and increase transportation options.  The new federal Sustainable Communities Initiative aligns closely with what CMAP hopes to accomplish in our own region.

Foreclosures toolkit. This past Monday, community leaders and planners joined forces at an event to launch How Can Municipalities Confront the Vacant Property Challenge?, a set of resources to help municipalities deal with foreclosures. Produced through a partnership of Business and Professional People for the Public Interest (BPI), the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus (MMC), and CMAP, the resources include an overview document that describes nine strategies and a toolkit with detailed recommendations. Visit the BPI Vacant Property Resources website, and read more in a post by MMC's Beth Dever on the Metropolitan Planning Council website.

LCC presentation.  A Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC) is being established in the upper Midwest and Great Lakes region by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).  USFWS will host a presentation on March 17 at 12:30 p.m. in the CMAP offices with representatives of LCCs and Strategic Habitat Conservation (SHC).  LCCs are conservation-science partnerships between federal agencies, states, non-governmental organizations, universities, and others, to help carry out SHC, which includes biological planning, conservation design, conservation delivery, monitoring, and research.  RSVP by March 12 to Michelle Mohney of Chicago Wilderness (michelle.mohney@chicagowilderness.org or 708-688-8829). 

CMAP Advanced Travel Model Project.  CMAP is preparing an ambitious multi-year strategic plan to develop and implement advanced travel model practices in Chicago.  To accomplish this, we have retained a team of national leaders in activity-based modeling who are under contract to interact with CMAP’s work program in the areas of policy responsiveness, data development, and computing resources.  On Wednesday, March 10, 2010, from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. at the CMAP offices, Kermit Wies will present an overview of the plan and progress to date.  This will be part of the monthly Chicago Area Transportation Modeling Users Group meeting hosted by CMAP.  RSVP to Matt Stratton (mstratton@cmap.illinois.gov) by 10:00 a.m. on March 10.

Fix a Leak Week.  The average American household wastes more than 10,000 gallons each year due to easy-to-fix water leaks, which adds up to more than a trillion gallons of water lost annually nationwide.  The DuPage Water Commission is encouraging homeowners to find and fix leaks from March 15 to 25 during Fix a Leak Week, an event sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (U.S. EPA) WaterSense Program.  Events include Water Quest and the Price is Right water conservation games, as well as opportunities to learn about what you can do to save water and money.  Prizes include leak detection tablets, shower timers, rain gauges and informational material.  Events will occur on March 13 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Itasca Community Library and on March 20 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Westmont Water Department.

Metra story.  Also regarding DuPage, this Tribune story isn't about planning or even transit per se, but it does capture the sense of community that we'd all like to see wherever we live. On our daily commutes, some of us are fortunate enough to cross paths with people like John Tuider. 

Reminder:  Transport Chicago.  The Transport Chicago Steering Committee is still accepting submissions for the 2010 Transport Chicago Conference call-for-papers.  All abstracts must be electronically submitted to info@transportchicago.org by Monday, March 15.  Authors will be notified by April 2 regarding the status of their paper.

IEN newsletter.  The Illinois Entrepreneurship Network's March 2010 newsletter describes a new innovation grant opportunity to expand employment opportunities for Illinois veterans.  It also describes new requirements for residential buildings based on an amendment to the Energy Efficient Commercial Building Act that went into effect January 29.  You can sign up for the IEN Connection online. 

U.S. EPA contest.  The U.S. EPA is sponsoring an environmental justice video contest to capture the faces of the environmental justice movement.  Submissions are due by April 8, and winners will be announced on the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day. 

New transportation resources.  Functional class is a hierarchical system for classifying roads developed by the Federal Highway Administration.  CMAP has also developed an interactive map for identifying functional classification of roadways. The functional classification of roads is important because it determines whether a  roadway can receive federal funding.  A workbook explaining the process for revising functional class is also available.

Money for farmers markets.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture is now accepting applications for $5 million in grants to help start or improve existing farmers markets via the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP).  This is a great opportunity for local governments, non-profits, and others who want to bring local food to their residents and neighbors.  Applications are due by April 15.

Municipal expo.  The Southwest Conference of Mayors held its first Municipal Expo on February 20 in Orland Park to meet and discuss topics like state pensions and unfunded mandates.  CMAP's Bola Delano spoke to the group about the importance of regional planning, economic development, and GO TO 2040.  Read more about the expo at the Regional News.

New Superfund site.  An 87-acre area on the southeast side of Chicago once used as a dumping ground for slag, other steel-making byproducts, and chemical waste, has been declared a national Superfund site by the U.S. EPA.  The Lake Calumet cluster is adjacent to the Indian Ridge Marsh wetland and is close to 122 Street.  Once an area is designated as a Superfund site, the area becomes eligible for federal funds to assist cleanup and investigation into the source of pollution.  Read more at the Chicago Tribune. 

Up on the roof.  Later this year, ComEd will install solar panels on 100 homes in the near west suburbs and possibly the Near West side of Chicago. Of these homes, 50 will be able to store the energy from the solar panels for later use or supply it back into the general power grid for credits. This pilot program is funded with nearly $5 million in stimulus dollars from the U.S. Department of Energy, as well as $3 million in matching funds by ComEd and vendors. In addition, ComEd plans to equip 131,000 homes in the region with smart meters that will allow residents to easily see their electricity consumption, and hopefully, inspire smart conservation. Read more in the Chicago Sun-Times.

In the GO TO 2040 blog.  We featured a photo of blue skies and long shadows off the Hancock Tower on Monday.  Erin Aleman wrote about next Friday's GO TO 2040 Partners brownbag series on the future of youth in the region.

 

 

 

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CMAP meetings.  At 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 10, 2010, the CMAP Board will meet.Click here for Board meeting materials. Prior to the Board, both of CMAP's Coordinating Committees will meet at 8:00 a.m. Click here for the Planning Committee materials, and here for the Programming Committee. At 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 11, the MPO Policy Committee will meet. Click here for those materials.

Jan Metzger.  Northeastern Illinois lost a staunch advocate for effective planning when Jan Metzger passed away last week.  Her colleagues at the Center for Neighborhood Technology have posted a heartfelt memorial to Jan, whose accomplishments included authoring the book What Would Jane Say?, about Jane Addams in the context of the 1909 Plan of Chicago.  On behalf of everyone at CMAP, our condolences go out to Jan's family and many friends.

SAFETEA-LU extension.  A lot has happened since last week’s notice that the third extension of SAFETEA-LU ended on February 28 without continuing authorization.  On Monday the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) was shut down, and all USDOT employees covered by the HTF were furloughed.  Congress passed an emergency 30-day extension, which President Obama signed on Tuesday, reinstating the HTF’s authority on Wednesday.  Yesterday the House passed an amended version of the Senate’s jobs-creation bill that would extend HTF authorization until December 31, deposit $19.5 billion of general revenue into the fund, restore this fiscal year's highway funding to $42 billion (instead of the original $30 billion), and offer additional support for the Build America Bonds program.  The Senate must now vote on the bill as amended.  The legislation moved forward in the House after an agreement struck between House and Senate leadership regarding how states will share in the funding for two discretionary highway categories: Projects of National and Regional Significance and the National Corridor Infrastructure Improvement Program.  This has significant implications for the State of Illinois and metropolitan Chicago because Illinois has been expected to receive the second-largest amount of discretionary funding under these programs.  Staff is working on what those potential impacts might be and will update appropriately. 

Protecting our waterways.  The Illinois Chamber of CommerceInfrastructure Council is leading the organization's efforts to protect waterway commerce in the Chicago region against threats from Asian carp.  The chamber has developed an eight-point plan to stop the carp 20 miles before Lake Michigan.  See the council web page for more useful links.  

Recovery blog.  The latest Economic Recovery Update came out this Wednesday and included important information on the Weatherization program and what Lake County has accomplished with 

stimulus funds received.  We also blogged about how Illinois wasselected as a top 16 finalist for the U.S. Department of Education's "Race to the Top" grant program.  For more on the Illinois grant application, check out the February 3 Economic Recovery Update. 

Urban Affairs website.  The White House has announced its new website for the Office of Urban Affairs, which works to create a national metropolitan agenda while also promoting increased government transparency, participation, and collaboration.  Headed by Adolfo Carrión Jr., the agency shares many of the same goals as CMAP, such as working to eliminate brownfields, develop infill locations, and increase transportation options.  The new federal Sustainable Communities Initiative aligns closely with what CMAP hopes to accomplish in our own region.

Foreclosures toolkit. This past Monday, community leaders and planners joined forces at an event to launch How Can Municipalities Confront the Vacant Property Challenge?, a set of resources to help municipalities deal with foreclosures. Produced through a partnership of Business and Professional People for the Public Interest (BPI), the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus (MMC), and CMAP, the resources include an overview document that describes nine strategies and a toolkit with detailed recommendations. Visit the BPI Vacant Property Resources website, and read more in a post by MMC's Beth Dever on the Metropolitan Planning Council website.

LCC presentation.  A Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC) is being established in the upper Midwest and Great Lakes region by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).  USFWS will host a presentation on March 17 at 12:30 p.m. in the CMAP offices with representatives of LCCs and Strategic Habitat Conservation (SHC).  LCCs are conservation-science partnerships between federal agencies, states, non-governmental organizations, universities, and others, to help carry out SHC, which includes biological planning, conservation design, conservation delivery, monitoring, and research.  RSVP by March 12 to Michelle Mohney of Chicago Wilderness (michelle.mohney@chicagowilderness.org or 708-688-8829). 

CMAP Advanced Travel Model Project.  CMAP is preparing an ambitious multi-year strategic plan to develop and implement advanced travel model practices in Chicago.  To accomplish this, we have retained a team of national leaders in activity-based modeling who are under contract to interact with CMAP’s work program in the areas of policy responsiveness, data development, and computing resources.  On Wednesday, March 10, 2010, from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. at the CMAP offices, Kermit Wies will present an overview of the plan and progress to date.  This will be part of the monthly Chicago Area Transportation Modeling Users Group meeting hosted by CMAP.  RSVP to Matt Stratton (mstratton@cmap.illinois.gov) by 10:00 a.m. on March 10.

Fix a Leak Week.  The average American household wastes more than 10,000 gallons each year due to easy-to-fix water leaks, which adds up to more than a trillion gallons of water lost annually nationwide.  The DuPage Water Commission is encouraging homeowners to find and fix leaks from March 15 to 25 during Fix a Leak Week, an event sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (U.S. EPA) WaterSense Program.  Events include Water Quest and the Price is Right water conservation games, as well as opportunities to learn about what you can do to save water and money.  Prizes include leak detection tablets, shower timers, rain gauges and informational material.  Events will occur on March 13 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Itasca Community Library and on March 20 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Westmont Water Department.

Metra story.  Also regarding DuPage, this Tribune story isn't about planning or even transit per se, but it does capture the sense of community that we'd all like to see wherever we live. On our daily commutes, some of us are fortunate enough to cross paths with people like John Tuider. 

Reminder:  Transport Chicago.  The Transport Chicago Steering Committee is still accepting submissions for the 2010 Transport Chicago Conference call-for-papers.  All abstracts must be electronically submitted to info@transportchicago.org by Monday, March 15.  Authors will be notified by April 2 regarding the status of their paper.

IEN newsletter.  The Illinois Entrepreneurship Network's March 2010 newsletter describes a new innovation grant opportunity to expand employment opportunities for Illinois veterans.  It also describes new requirements for residential buildings based on an amendment to the Energy Efficient Commercial Building Act that went into effect January 29.  You can sign up for the IEN Connection online. 

U.S. EPA contest.  The U.S. EPA is sponsoring an environmental justice video contest to capture the faces of the environmental justice movement.  Submissions are due by April 8, and winners will be announced on the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day. 

New transportation resources.  Functional class is a hierarchical system for classifying roads developed by the Federal Highway Administration.  CMAP has also developed an interactive map for identifying functional classification of roadways. The functional classification of roads is important because it determines whether a  roadway can receive federal funding.  A workbook explaining the process for revising functional class is also available.

Money for farmers markets.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture is now accepting applications for $5 million in grants to help start or improve existing farmers markets via the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP).  This is a great opportunity for local governments, non-profits, and others who want to bring local food to their residents and neighbors.  Applications are due by April 15.

Municipal expo.  The Southwest Conference of Mayors held its first Municipal Expo on February 20 in Orland Park to meet and discuss topics like state pensions and unfunded mandates.  CMAP's Bola Delano spoke to the group about the importance of regional planning, economic development, and GO TO 2040.  Read more about the expo at the Regional News.

New Superfund site.  An 87-acre area on the southeast side of Chicago once used as a dumping ground for slag, other steel-making byproducts, and chemical waste, has been declared a national Superfund site by the U.S. EPA.  The Lake Calumet cluster is adjacent to the Indian Ridge Marsh wetland and is close to 122 Street.  Once an area is designated as a Superfund site, the area becomes eligible for federal funds to assist cleanup and investigation into the source of pollution.  Read more at the Chicago Tribune. 

Up on the roof.  Later this year, ComEd will install solar panels on 100 homes in the near west suburbs and possibly the Near West side of Chicago. Of these homes, 50 will be able to store the energy from the solar panels for later use or supply it back into the general power grid for credits. This pilot program is funded with nearly $5 million in stimulus dollars from the U.S. Department of Energy, as well as $3 million in matching funds by ComEd and vendors. In addition, ComEd plans to equip 131,000 homes in the region with smart meters that will allow residents to easily see their electricity consumption, and hopefully, inspire smart conservation. Read more in the Chicago Sun-Times.

In the GO TO 2040 blog.  We featured a photo of blue skies and long shadows off the Hancock Tower on Monday.  Erin Aleman wrote about next Friday's GO TO 2040 Partners brownbag series on the future of youth in the region.