• The Board had a significant discussion regarding the lack of a long-term funding solution for public transit.  As a result, yesterday we issued a Board statement to the press calling for immediate passage of Senate Bill 572.  It is directed strongly to leaders in Springfield, calling the stalemate over mass transit funding "totally unacceptable and extremely harmful to our region, both in the short- and long-term." In addition to immediate hardships for riders affected by looming service cuts, the CMAP Board said the transit system's uncertain future is placing the region's continued prosperity at risk.  We are monitoring the situation closely, needless to say, with the help of our partners including RTA.    
• A representative from the CN made a presentation on the proposed acquisition of the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway (EJ&E).  Earlier this week the Surface Transportation Board (STB) accepted the application as a “minor” transaction under its regulation, and also stated that a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is warranted in view of the large projected traffic increases on certain line segments and the resulting potential impacts of the proposed transaction on a number of communities.  After a draft EIS is prepared there will be a 45-day public comment period, after which a Final EIS will be prepared that will respond to the public comments and include recommendations for any environmental mitigation conditions. The STB will then take the full environmental record into account in deciding whether to authorize the transaction as proposed, deny it, or authorize it with conditions.  Comments are due to the STB on the preliminary application by January 28, 2008, and if you intend to comment and participate in the proceeding, you must notify the STB by December 13, 2007.  At the January CMAP Board meeting, proposed comments will be considered.  Also, we will analyze this as a test case in developing criteria and the process for analyzing Developments of Regional Importance.  See http://tinyurl.com/2l3ytt for CN’s presentation to the board.
• Mike Payette from UP Railroad gave the Board an update on CREATE.  Please see http://www.createprogram.org/ for more information.
• Revised By-Laws, the agency’s affirmative action plan and a number of contracts were also approved.

The next Board meeting will be on Wednesday, January 9.

Regional Water Supply Planning Group.  The committee met this week and heard from several presenters to discuss sustainability and water conservation.  Their next meeting is January 22, 2008 at the CMAP offices.  Watch http://www.cmap.illinois.gov/watersupply/default.aspx for updates.

The deal is sealed.  We had a fine turnout for today's "Seal the Deal" economic and community development event in Oak Brook, where I gave opening remarks.  Panelists included Mayor Randy Pye of Centennial, Colorado, who directs investor relations for Metro Denver.  Attendees also heard from Michael Murphy, executive vice president of development for CenterPoint Industrial Properties (http://www.centerpoint-prop.com/), which is developing a massive intermodal complex in Elwood, Illinois.  The session provided a good exchange of ideas between development professionals and local officials who need to plan together for positive outcomes. 

RTA budget hearings.  The Regional Transportation Authority will hold 12 hearings in its six-county region to facilitate public input about the 2008 proposed operating and capital program budget for the region’s transit system.  See http://www.rtachicago.com/ for a schedule of hearings, which begin on Thursday, December 6, and continue through Thursday, December 13.  The proposed budget is obviously significant for riders across metropolitan Chicago, and this is a chance for them to be heard.

BurnhamPlan100 on the web.  The Burnham Plan Centennial has launched its new website -- www.burnhamplan100.org -- with lots of information about planned activities and how to get involved. The website will continue to expand and evolve leading up to and throughout 2009, the hundredth anniversary of Daniel Burnham's and Edward Bennett's landmark Plan of Chicago.

I-355 on National Geographic Channel.  The I-355 Des Plaines River Valley Bridge project will be featured on "Man-Made: Super Roads" on the National Geographic Channel on Thursday, December 6th at 7:00 p.m.  See http://tinyurl.com/2qedo6 for the schedule.

Reminder: Community Engagement RFQ.  Applications are due on Friday December 7, 2007, for a request for qualifications (http://www.cmap.illinois.gov/about/rfp.aspx) from CMAP's Community Engagement Assistance Program. Community-based organizations are being sought to conduct outreach activities to supplement CMAP’s Public Engagement Plan for the Regional Comprehensive Plan. Organizations will be responsible for bringing local stakeholders together to share their ideas and vision for the future of northeastern Illinois. CMAP wants to learn what residents hope the region will look like in 2040. Please share this information with any organizations you think might be interested.

Reminder: Climate Change summit. CMAP's next Innovation + Integration summit is fast approaching on December 11, 2007, at the University of Illinois at Chicago. See http://www.cmap.illinois.gov/summit/default.aspx for registration and program details of "Creating a Regional Agenda to Address Climate Change," which will feature a mix nationally recognized and local speakers discussing the anticipated effects of climate change and potential responses by metropolitan Chicago. The $55.00 registration fee includes breakfast and lunch. For more information, call 312.386.8704 or email summit@cmap.illinois.gov.

Reminder: MPC roundtable luncheon. On Thursday, December 6, I will be part of a lunchtime panel with author Reid Ewing at the Metropolitan Planning Council's event, "The Heat is On: Why hybrid vehicles won't save the planet." He authored a new report, "Growing Cooler: the Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change," which is linked at http://tinyurl.com/2xkdnv along with the event details. Call Pam Lee at 312-863-6011.