Community Project Survey

The Commission will be sending out its annual community survey to member units of government within the next several days. The solicitation is to gather information on proposed community and economic development projects that will be included as a part of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) and for integration into the Commission's rolling two-year Work Program. To ensure that each municipality receives a copy of the survey, it will be sent to the clerks at the town, village, and city levels, along with a number of planning and economic development staff members. These projects should represent your "priority list" of projects that are to address industrial park development or improvements, public facilities upgrades, business incubators, transportation infrastructure, park enhancements, plan updates (i.e. comprehensive plans), or planning projects that will result in sustainable economic development for your respective community, county, or region.

If your community/county/organization had submitted projects in 2013, that list can be referenced on the Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission website.

For more information regarding the Community Survey, please contact Richard Heath.

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) awarded a $250,000 grant to Florence County to help re-open a grocery store that has been vacant for more than seven years. The state funding is part of WEDC's Community Development Investment Grant Program, which supports community development and redevelopment efforts primarily in downtown areas. For more information on this grant opportunity and for other programs and grants available through WEDC, please visit the corporation's website.

Sheboygan County recently received notification that it has been awarded a countywide grant in the amount of $400,000 to identify brownfields and create a GIS database with all of these locations in it. There will also be enough money to complete about ten Phase I Environmental Hazard Assessments and about 3-5 Phase II Assessments.  Phase II assessments are an important step in order to apply for additional funding to clean up identified areas.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has released Wisconsin Rail Plan 2030, the statewide long-range rail transportation plan. This plan supports the state's multimodal vision for transportation and builds on the policies and actions identified in Connections 2030, the state's long-range transportation plan. The Wisconsin Rail Plan 2030 is required to be updated every five years and provides the framework within which the Department and stakeholders can maintain and improve Wisconsin's rail network; focuses on the roles of freight rail, intercity passenger rail, and commuter rail in the state's multimodal transportation system; and identifies priorities and strategies that serve as a basis for future rail investments. The plan was adopted in March, and is posted on the WisDOT website.

Sheboygan MPO Update

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Wisconsin Division approved the updated functional classification of streets and highways in the post-2010 Census adjusted Sheboygan Urbanized Area in a letter dated May 8, 2014.

Commission staff conducted a nominal group exercise to establish goals and objectives for the Year 2045 Sheboygan Area Transportation Plan (SATP) with members of the Sheboygan MPO Technical and Policy Advisory Committees at their joint meeting on May 22, 2014. This and other information will be used to prepare Chapter 4 of the Year 2045 SATP (Mission Statement, Goals and Objectives).

Commission staff continued to prepare Chapter 5 of the Year 2045 SATP in May. The narrative for the Transit Network, Intercity Passenger Network, and Freight Networks sections has been completed, while the narrative for the Bicycle Network, Pedestrian Network, and Roadway Networks sections is in progress. Several maps are also part of this chapter. Commission staff plans to present this chapter at the late June meeting of the MPO advisory committees.

In mid May, WisDOT approved a major amendment to the 2013 - 2016 TIP that was approved by the MPO in late April.

For more information, please contact Jeff Agee-Aguayo.

Economic Development Day

The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is hosting an Economic Development Day entitled, "Creating Entrepreneurial Communities," on Monday, July 28, 2014 at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center in Green Bay. This day-long event will focus on placemaking, creating an entrepreneurial strategy, plus feature a best practices panel. Click here for more information and to register.

The Commission has 2-4 offices available for occupancy. The offices range in size from 108 sq. ft. to 143 sq. ft.  Each office has a window with partial furnishings. The rent is $7.00/sf and includes utilities. There will be an additional monthly cost for phone and internet service, parking, and office cleaning. A conference room and small break room are included in the rental cost. If your organization is seeking temporary or long-term office space close to all the downtown amenities, please contact Richard Heath for more information. 

Richard Heath 

Executive Director

Jeff Agee-Aguayo

Transportation

Planner

Richard Malone 

Office Accounts

Coordinator 

Angela Pierce 

Natural Resources

 Planner

Brandon Robinson 

Community Assistance

Planner

Joshua Schedler

GIS Coordinator