CMAP Board recap.  The CMAP Board met this past Wednesday.  Chairman Bennett thanked Andre Rice for his service and commitment to the CMAP Board since its inception and wished him well as he steps down from our Board to serve on the McPier board.  In addition to a state legislative update , the Board discussed a number of GO TO 2040 items.  They included the draft proposal of the major capital projects and the final two recommendations presented for the Board's input and discussion were Education & Workforce Development and Local Food Systems.  The next CMAP Board meeting is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 12, 2010.

GO TO 2040 schedule.  GO TO 2040 is scheduled to be considered for adoption by the CMAP Board and MPO Policy Committee at a joint meeting on October 13 of this year.  A draft plan will be available for public comment on June 11, with the comment period lasting until August 6, 2010.  We will be firm on this deadline so staff can compile and address the comments in preparation for the October adoption.  CMAP is currently developing a public involvement schedule and feedback sessions, so more information will be forthcoming.

Water 2050 newsletter. In case you missed it, we sent out the latest Water 2050 newsletter, which is designed to help implement water plan recommendations and recommit the region to water-use conservation and demand management, both of which are cornerstones of the Northeastern Illinois Regional Water Supply/Demand Plan.  The newsletter is a valuable resource for individuals interested in water issues, and it will be sent out the second Thursdays of every other month.  Email Justine Reisinger at jreisinger@cmap.illinois.gov to sign up.

Dial-a-Ride Summit. On April 19, 2010, CMAP is hosting a summit on coordinated dial-a-ride systems in DuPage, Kane, Lake, and McHenry Counties.  Presenters will share best practices and there will be a discussion on how the region can moveforwardin a more coordinated and sustainable manner.  The event is from 9:00 a.m. to noon, to RSVP contact Russell J. Pietrowiak (rpietrowiak@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8798).

FLIP:  Event and recruitment.  Our Future Leaders in Planning (FLIP) program, offered free of charge for students who are interested in learning about and contributing to a better future for our region, is ending one successful year and beginning another.  On Tuesday, April 20, 2010, the 2009-2010 FLIP final presentation will be hosted at the National Museum of Mexican Art from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.  For more information and directions, view this invitation.  To RSVP, contact Diana Torres (dtorres@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8774) by Monday, April 9.  We are also seeking applicants for next year's program, please pass along the 2010-2011 FLIP application to any potentially interested high schoolers (or their families and teachers).  Applicants' materials must be submitted by Friday, May 28, 2010. 

A Day for Zach.  Jack and Manjula Pfingston invite you to "A Day for Zach," a charity golf outing and luncheon on Monday, June 28, at Seven Bridges Golf Club in Woodridge.  Proceeds will benefit the 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.  See www.cmap.illinois.gov/zach/ for more information as it becomes available.

Congratulations, MCDOT.  R. Mark DeVries, maintenance superintendent of the McHenry County Division of Transportation, has been named one of the American Public Works Association's 2010 Top Ten Public Works Leaders of the Year.    

New SEWRPC report.  The Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission recently published "Managing the Water's Edge:  Making  Natural Connections" with financial support from the U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office provided through CMAP.  This guide highlights the water quality, wildlife, and human benefits to be achieved through providing appropriate buffers around our water resources. 

REMINDER: MPC roundtable.  On April 27, 2010, I will be part of a Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) roundtable on "The Great Communities Collaborative: Adapting a New Model for Sustainable Placed-Based Investment."  We'll be discussing how our region can coordinate public and private initiatives for the development of walkable neighborhoods near transit, as the Great Communities Collaborative is doing in San Francisco.  The event is from noon to 1:30 p.m., with a cost of $15 for MPC donors and $30 for others.  Pre-registration is required.

O'Hare expansion.  The O'Hare International Airport expansion, an $8 billion project, is moving into its second and final phase after receiving $410 million in federal funding on April 6, 2010, reports Crain's Chicago Business.  

Save money, buy a rain barrel.  Want to cut back on your water bill this summer?  Rain barrels are a simple, easy, and cheap way to collect and recycle rain water, which can be reused to wash your car, water your lawn, or manage stormwater.  The Conservation Foundation has three types of rain barrels for purchase and pickup every Thursday from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. now through September at the foundation's McDonald Farm, 10S404 Knoch Knolls Rd., in Naperville.  

Reminder:  Grants Academy.  On April 15, CMAP and Illinois ResourceNet are holding a workshop on grant writing for non-profits, local government, and economic development and planning organizations.  The event costs $35 and will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the ComEd Commercial Center in Oak Brook.  Register online at www.cmap.illinois.gov/Assistance/grantsacademy.aspx.  For more information, contact Jamie Krell (jkrell@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8658).

Call for abstracts.  The American Society of Civil Engineers will host the first Transportation and Development Institute Congress in Chicago in March 2011.  The organization has issued a call for abstracts, which are due April 20, 2010.   

Fair housing event.  On April 28, 2010, the University of Illinois at Chicago is hosting a free half-day seminar, Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing:  Identifying the Barriers and Finding Solutions.  The event is from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with speakers from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the John Marshall Law School, and more.

In the Idea Zone.  We're adding landing pages for our full library of Strategy Papers.  Each page offers a brief synopsis of the larger paper, including samples of our findings.  Visit the Idea Zone and learn about research on Public Transportation, Pavements and Access, Inclusionary Zoning, and Regulatory Barriers, among many other topics related to the GO TO 2040 plan.

In the GO TO 2040 blog.  This week our Flickr pool featured a dark and stormy picture taken at Turtle Lake in the Will County Forest Preserves (thankfully, this weekend looks bright and sunny).  Also this week, we posted our second entry in the "My 2040" series with an interview with Jay Moffat, a Kane County resident and air traffic controller at O'Hare International Airport.  Contact Diana Torres (dtorres@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8774) if you'd like to participate.

Soles and Spokes.  This week, CMAP's bike-ped planning blog featured notice of the upcoming free Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC) webinar on the significant revisions to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), which affects pedestrians and bicyclists.  We also blogged about CMAP's memorandum to its Council of Mayors Executive Committee on IDOT's proposed implementation process for Complete Streets in Illinois.  We also encouraged responses to CDOT's solicitation of possible locations for a bicycle boulevard pilot project, and attendance at this weekend's symposium, "Transportation, Community, and Climate Change."

Recovery blog.  We are going to start posting our ARRA Implementation Spotlights, case studies from across the region of successful stimulus-funded programs and their implementation, on the Recovery blog.  This week's case study from Kane County's Two Rivers Head Start was originally published in the Economic Recovery Update from March 31, 2010. 

Media archive.  We updated our media archive this week with a story from the Daily-Herald on the start of construction season and a recap of the Greentown event in Contractor Magazine.