Table of Contents

• First Off . . .
• Events
• Other News and Announcements
• CMAP Blogs
• Reminders

 
First Off...

CMAP meetings.  At 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, August 11, 2010, the CMAP Board will meet. Click here for Board meeting materials. Neither of the coordinating committees will meet this month.

Public comment ends. 

Tomorrow, Friday, August 6, is your last chance to submit public comments on the draft of GO TO 2040, our region's comprehensive plan.  We'd like to thank all of you who've already taken the opportunity to comment through attendance at an open house or by other means.  Following the completion of the public comment period, CMAP staff will prepare the final plan for consideration by the CMAP Board and MPO Policy Committee at their joint meeting on October 13.  As you know, this has been a three-year process, and we appreciate the time local government leaders, stakeholders, and residents of our region have taken to be involved in this process, from the creation of a Regional Vision from 2007-08 through last year's "Invent the Future" public campaign in partnership with the Burnham Centennial and this summer's open houses.  Residents can comment on-line, through an email to info@cmap.illinois.gov, in written form (ATTN: CMAP GO TO 2040 Draft Plan Comments, 233 South Wacker Drive, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60606), or using CMAP's general contact form.  Thanks to all who came out for our final open house hosted at CMAP offices this past Tuesday.
 

Events

ROI model training.  On Friday, August 20, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., CMAP will offer a free class at our offices in Willis Tower to train municipal planners on the Return on Investment (ROI) model.  The tool is designed to help municipalities test the physical and financial feasibility of proposed developments, such as mixed-use facilities, under their existing land use regulations.  Space is limited to 10 participants, contact Stephen Ostrander at sostrander@cmap.illinois.gov to sign up.

CMAP on TV.  Batavia Access Television taped our GO TO 2040 open house that was held in Kane County on July 21, 2010.  The program airs daily on Batavia's Government Access channel 10 and throughout northeastern Illinois on ATT U-Verse channel 99 at 6:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m., and 10:30 p.m.

Sustainability tour.  The North/Northwest Suburban Branch of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Illinois Chapter will host a Woodstock Sustainability Tour on Saturday, August 7, from approximately 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.  As part of a day of networking and education, participants can ride on a biofuel bus to tour a LEED platinum building and other sustainable sites.  Register on-line or contact Pam Jackson (pjackson@usgbc-illinois.org) for more information.  Woodstock mayor Brian Sager will speak to members of the tour, which will begin at the Woodstock Opera House, Stage Left Café, 125 Van Buren Street, Woodstock, IL, 60098.  The event is free for government/municipal leaders and staff, with a fee of $10 for USGBC chapter members or $20 for non-members.

Introduction to the Brownfield Inventory Tool (BIT).  The BIT is a free, easy to use web-based, comprehensive brownfield program management tool.  It was designed especially for villages, cities, and regional coalitions for entering site data, uploading documents, and generating reports required for brownfield redevelopment.  Join us for a free webinar on Thursday, August 12, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.  Register online for this event.  Contact Jon Hallas (jhallas@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8764) with questions. 

Other News and Announcements

Staff progress report. Our fourth-quarter progress report (April through June) based on CMAP's FY10 work plan is now available online.

Social networking for transportation. InTransition, a magazine of the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, has a cover story about how social networking has affected transportation agencies' communication with their stakeholders. CMAP's use of Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube rates a mention in one of two sidebars to the story.

GO TO 2040 in the news.  Examiner.com had a story this week about GO TO 2040, the importance of forward thinking, and how the plan carries on the work of Burnham's 1909 Plan of Chicago.

Chinese buses.  Construction is slated to start later this year in Beijing on some innovative bus lines that allow cars to drive underneath the moving buses.  A video is also available, with transcript in English.

Green power in Illinois.  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ranked Illinois on the nation's 50 largest green power purchasers list for the first time this Wednesday.  Illinois ranks 23rd overall and second among state governments.  According to a press release, the State's green power purchase of 176 million kWh "is equivalent to avoiding carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of more than 24,000 passenger vehicles per year, or the CO2 emissions from the electricity use of more than 15,000 average American homes annually."

Traffic safety publication.  The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) publishes CAUTION!, a quarterly magazine from the department’s Division of Traffic Safety.  Its summer issue features articles about motorcycle safety, occupant protection, and impaired driving, among other items of interest to the general public (including young people) and practitioners.  To submit articles for consideration, send an e-mail to cautionmagazine@illinois.gov.

Sustainability survey.  The civil engineering firm Baxter & Woodman is conducting a quick on-line survey about sustainable practices within government agencies.  The ten-question survey asks about sustainable projects, sources of funding, and sustainability plans.  Those who participate in the survey will be emailed the survey results to learn about others' best practices.  The survey closes on August 17.  If you have any questions, contact Lori Schendl (lschendel@baxterwoodman.com or 815-459-1260).
 

CMAP Blogs

Green Signals.  This week, CMAP’s transportation operations blog informed readers about the Talking Freight – Freight Performance Measures webinar.  The webinar will discuss performance measures that are currently used in the freight industry.  The blog also highlighted the recently released National Cooperative Freight Research Program (NCFRP) Report 3: Separation of Vehicles – CMV-Only Lanes.  The report examines major issues and concepts that should be understood in developing new applications of Commercial Motor Vehicle-Only lanes.  New York City’s Off-Hour Delivery Pilot Program was also highlighted.  This program explored the impacts of commercial trucks making deliveries during the off-peak hours in New York City.  Strategies to facilitate off-peak deliveries in the Chicago region are also included in the GO TO 2040 plan section Create a More Efficient Network.

Soles and Spokes.  This week, CMAP’s bike-ped blog reported on a public meeting held by Alderman Reilly (42nd Ward) and CDOT on the planning and proposed design of the Lakefront Path Navy Pier “flyover” -- a project which would be financed largely through CMAQ program funding.  CDOT’s presentation on the flyover is linked to in the post. Soles and Spokes stayed in the City of Chicago for another post: this one announcing the launch of Chicago B-cycle, a pilot bike-sharing program.  We alerted readers to a new HSIS summary report analyzing the effects of "road diets" on crashes and injuries, and announced an upcoming APBP webinar on that very same topic: road diets.  The webinar will take place August 18 at 2:00 p.m. CDT.

Reminders  

FLIP deadline in ONE WEEK.  Applications for Future Leaders in Planning (FLIP) are due in one week on August 13.  FLIP is our high school leadership development program for students interested in learning about and contributing to a better future for our region.  Please continue to pass along applications to any potentially interested high schoolers (or their families and teachers).