E-Newsletter Volume 12, Issue 3 / March 2022 |
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The Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission is pleased to welcome the Town of Liberty Grove as the newest member of the Commission! |
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Non-member communities can still join the RPC for 2022. If you have any questions about membership, our services, etc., please reach out to Cindy Wojtczak.
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Bay-Lake RPC Technical Assistance Grant Recipients |
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Thank you to all communities that applied for the Bay-Lake RPC 2022 Technical Assistance Grant program. The following communities were awarded technical assistance grants:
- Oconto County
- City of Sturgeon Bay
- Village of Sister Bay
This program is offered annually as a value-added benefit to the member counties and communities of the Bay-Lake RPC. Applications are usually accepted in December and the following January of each year.
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New Community Resource Portal Opened |
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- Direct links to all community websites within the Bay-Lake region
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A brand new Community Profiles dashboard detailing ACS census data for each community
- Shortcuts to tools that will help determine distress levels for eligibility for certain grants
- Valuable GIS resources at the county, state and regional level
- A direct link to the Bay-Lake RPC Funding and Grant Opportunities portal
The Community Resource Portal will continue to be populated as new resources become available for communities. If there is a resource that you would like to see added, please contact Nicole Barbiaux.
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17th Annual Sustainable Forestry Conference |
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The 17th Annual Sustainability Forestry Conference will be held April 6, 2022, from 7:30 am until 3:30 pm at Keyes Peak Ski Lodge, 4960 Hwy 101, Florence. The theme of the conference is “Emerging Strategies and Practices”. Speakers will address several topics which include Timber Market Updates, Carbon Credits, Logging and Mill Safety Tips, Terrestrial Invasive Species, Good Neighbor Authority and a MI/WI Legislative Update. Attendees must pre-register by March 25, no walk-in registrations are permitted.
To register online please go to the conference website. Space is limited, so register early! For questions, contact Jane Lindow at 715-528-448 Ext. #1 or jane.lindow@wisc.edu. The $35 registration fee includes a continental breakfast, break snacks, and lunch.
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Florence County Land and Water Resource Management Plan 2022-2031 Approved |
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Commission staff worked closely with Florence County staff to complete the county's Land and Water Resource Management Plan. The Land Conservation Board unanimously recommended approval of the plan on February 1st. This plan provides the framework for Florence County's continued efforts in the land and water resource area, including using UAVs and ROVs to map invasive species, culvert replacement projects to reduce fish barriers, and the shoreline restoration projects taking place in Florence County.
The Florence County Board adopted the plan on February 15th. Bay-Lake RPC staff are grateful for the opportunity to work on this plan and for all the assistance and feedback that County staff and other partners provided. The adopted plan can be viewed here. Any questions about the plan or about land and water resource management planning can be directed to Adam Christensen.
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Main Street Bounceback Grant Program Update |
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Bay-Lake RPC is continuing to accept grant applications for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) Main Street Bounceback Grant program. Since the program began, we have received over 720 Intents to Apply and funded 289 applications! Grant eligibility includes:
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New purchaser or tenant with a 12 month or longer signed lease of a vacant commercial space or a business that expanded its existing footprint into additional vacant commercial space. Lease or sales contract must be dated on or after January 1, 2021. Some exceptions may apply.
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Due to high program demand, beginning March 1, 2022, applications for properties under 300 ft2 will be placed on a waiting list for funding in the Bay-Lake region. This applies to all applications that are in process and have not yet received final approval as well as all new applications. The Main Street Bounceback grants program eligibility period is scheduled to end June 30, 2022. Depending on Demand for the program, funding availability, and other applicable eligibility factors, Bay-Lake RPC will begin reviewing applications on the waitlist on a first-come, first served basis (application must be fully complete with no missing documents) toward the end of the eligibility period. More information on this update can be found on the grant program's webpage.
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T-Mobile Hometown Grant Applications Due 3/31 |
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T-Mobile has partnered with Smart Growth America and Main Street America to help build stronger, more prosperous small towns and rural communities. Through this grant program, T-Mobile is awarding up to 100 towns a year with project funding—up to $50,000 each.
Communities with populations under 50,000 are eligible to apply for this program. Eligible projects include town square pavilions, historic buildings, outdoor parks, libraries, and more. Applications are accepted four times per year, with the next deadline being March 31st.
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Minor amendments to the 2022 – 2025 Sheboygan Metropolitan Planning Area Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) were recommended for approval by the Sheboygan MPO Technical and Policy Advisory Committees at their joint meeting on February 24th and are scheduled to be approved by the Commission at its meeting on March 11th. All of the amendments involved the addition of local and WisDOT design projects to be implemented in the future. These amendments will be posted to the Commission’s MPO webpage once they are approved.
Updating the long-range transportation plan for the metropolitan planning area continues to be a major task in 2022. Commission staff spent much of February preparing Chapters 1 (Introduction), 2 (Metropolitan Transportation Planning Process), and 3 (Profile of the Metropolitan Planning Area) of the Year 2050 Sheboygan Area Transportation Plan (SATP). In consulting with the WisDOT Traffic Forecasting section, it was decided that the horizon year for the plan would be 2050 (as opposed to the original 2055) in order to be consistent with modeling conducted elsewhere in the WisDOT Northeast Region. Part of the joint meeting of the MPO advisory committees on February 24th focused on an idea generation exercise that will be used to establish a mission statement, goals and objectives for the plan (Chapter 4); a survey is also being conducted to assist with this effort (see the article below).
In February, Commission staff participated virtually in a webinar with WisDOT staff regarding the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and what it means for funding of local transportation programs, as well as in a meeting of the Sheboygan County Transportation Coordinating Committee (TCC). In addition, Commission staff participated in an Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO) Socioeconomic Forecasting Working Group meeting in mid-February.
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Want to help make an impact in our region? Below are links to the public input activities and surveys that are currently open. |
Year 2050 Sheboygan Area Transportation (SATP) Plan Public Input Survey |
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The Sheboygan Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is in the process of developing the Year 2050 Sheboygan Area Transportation Plan (SATP), a plan for guiding the future of transportation for the Sheboygan Metropolitan Planning Area. To help in this effort, the Sheboygan MPO is asking residents in the area to answer a few questions about transportation. The link to the survey can be found here: https://arcg.is/1XK0Kv0.
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Upcoming Events & Meetings |
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Bay-Lake RPC Full Commission Meeting
Friday, March 11, 10:00am
Virtual Meeting
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Town of Kossuth Comprehensive
Plan Open House
Tuesday, March 29, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Kossuth Town Hall
129 S Packer Drive, Francis Creek
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City of Plymouth Downtown
Design Open House
Thursday, March 31, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Plymouth Arts Center
520 E. Mill Street, Plymouth
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Check with the Bay-Lake RPC COVID-19 Response and Recovery Portal for new and upcoming events/workshops.
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- April 6, 2022 -
17th Annual Sustainable
Forestry Conference
7:30am - 3:30pm
Keyes Peak Ski Lodge
4960 HWY 101, Florence, WI 54121
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- April 28, 2022 -
Sheboygan MPO Technical and Policy Advisory Committees Joint Meeting
1:00pm
Sheboygan City Hall and Virtual
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- April 29, 2022 -
Bay-Lake RPC Executive
Committee Meeting
10:00am
Bay-Lake RPC Office
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Funding and Grant Opportunities |
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March and April Grant Deadlines
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- WEDC Wisconsin Cooperative Feasibility Grant (March 8)
- EDA Economic Adjustment Assistance Program (March 15)
- EDA Indigenous Communities Program (March 15)
- WDNR Municipal Flood Control Grant Program (March 15)
- PSC Broadband Expansion Grants (March 17)
- AARP Community Challenge (March 22)
- EDA Travel, Tourism & Outdoor Recreation Program (March 31)
- T-Mobile Hometown Grants Program (March 31)
- WisNRF Go Outside Fund (March 31)
- WDT Meeting Mean Business (MMB) Grant Program (April 1)
- WDT Ready, Set, Go! (RSG) Grant Program (April 1)
- USDOT Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) (April 14)
- WDNR ATV/UTV Trail Aids (April 15)
- WDNR Snowmobile Trail Aids (April 15)
- WDNR Targeted Runoff Management Grant Program (April 15)
- WDNR Urban Nonpoint Source & Storm Water Management Grant Program (April 15)
- WEDC Workforce Innovation Grant Program (April 15)
- USDA Rural Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) Grant Program (April 19)
- NEA Challenge America (April 21)
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Do you want to know more about planning services or grants available? |
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The staff of the Bay-Lake RPC are happy to speak to your boards/councils, committees, organization, or community groups about what is happening in our region. We are also available to assist communities and counties with meeting facilitation.
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