Executive
Director's
Update
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Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Celebrates Completion of U.S. 35/Woodman Drive Reconfiguration | |
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On Thursday, September 26, the ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrate the completion of the U.S. 35 Reconfiguration project. The project marked the final phase of the U.S. 35 Corridor Upgrade in Montgomery County, significantly improved safety and traffic flow at the intersections of U.S. 35 and Linden Avenue. The reconfigured interchange, known as a Tight Urban Diamond (TUDI), included new bridge decks and the addition of sidewalks along Woodman Drive to enhance pedestrian accessibility.
Planning for the project began in 2004, and its completion represented nearly two decades of effort and collaboration between state and local agencies. Riverside played a critical role, securing $2,535,900 in Surface Transportation Program (STP) funding from MVRPC for construction in SFY2023. ODOT and Riverside contributed the remaining balance for construction.
The ceremony featured speeches from ODOT Director Jack Marchbanks, ODOT District 7 Deputy Director, Bud O’Brien, Riverside Mayor Pete Williams, and MVRPC Executive Director, Brian O. Martin delivering closing remarks. This event was also one of Director Marchbanks’ final public appearances before his retirement on September 30, adding a special significance to the celebration.
The U.S. 35 Reconfiguration Project page on ODOT's website has additional details, including project renderings and an information packet.
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MVRPC Board Meeting Digest | |
Board of Directors Meeting October 3, 2024 | |
In this section, we bring you the latest updates from our recent board meeting. Stay connected with key information relevant to our board members and partners. | |
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Comprehensive Climate Action Plan: A presentation was shared about the Comprehensive Climate Action Plan for the Miami Valley Region. View the Full Presentation. For more information contact Matt Lindsay.
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Guest Speaker - Karen Hesser: The CEO of Five Rivers MetroParks, Karen Hesser, provided insights on the 2024 levy. View the Full Presentation.
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Guest Speaker - Cassie Barlow: SOCHE President Cassie Barlow spoke on behalf of the Strategic Ohio Council for Higher Education and the Miami Valley Military Affairs Association. View the Full Presentation.
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Glossary of MVRPC Terminology: Explore a draft glossary of terms frequently used in MVRPC meetings. Whether you're new or just need a refresher, this resource will help you navigate MVRPC’s language with ease.
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New Climate Action Opportunity for Member Jurisdictions | | |
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At the Board of Director’s meeting on October 3, 2024, staff shared a new and exciting opportunity for member jurisdictions in Greene, Miami and Montgomery Counties coming out of the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program. This is a significant opportunity for your community to develop a localized greenhouse gas inventory and strategy for bringing substantial subsidies and rebates to your jurisdiction and directly to residents for energy efficiency projects through a variety of incentives built into the Inflation Reduction Act. | |
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The energy and economic model for the Miami Valley Region, which we have built through our Climate Pollution Reduction Grant, has the ability to be scaled to any individual jurisdiction in our MSA counties. As part of the existing contract with SSG, our consultant will work with your staff to develop a local greenhouse gas inventory and decarbonization pathway. The data developed through this process will enable your community to create a tailored strategy, detailing the projects you wish to pursue. Your community’s climate action strategy is an economic development tool that can be used to attract business and jobs by building your image as a community that is prepared for the future.
To opt into this opportunity, please reach out to Matt Lindsay, MVRPC’s Manager of Environmental Planning (mlindsay@mvrpc.org or 937.531.6548), and let him know your community is interested in participating. Our consultants, SSG, will schedule 2-3 virtual meetings with your staff to complete the process; one or two to build scenarios and a final meeting to review the GHG and financial results. Deadline for opting in is October 31, 2024.
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Save the date: November 14th at 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. to learn more about direct pay and other ways you can benefit from current funding initiatives, more details to come. | |
MVRPC Shares Trends related to Geographic Information System in the Miami Valley | |
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MVRPC recently released the “Notable GIS Trends in the Miami Valley: 2015-2024” report, which identifies how GIS usage has changed over the years in the Miami Valley Region. Trends were analyzed using Regional GIS Needs Assessment survey data collected among GIS professionals and administrators throughout the Region from 2015, 2019, and 2024.
The Notable GIS Trends in the Miami Valley: 2015-2024 report shares top seven notable trends. Topics included ranges from GIS software to data sharing platform to MVRPC’s GIS trainings and services.
MVRPC’s GIS program plays a leadership role in promoting the use of GIS in the Miami Valley Region. In addition, MVRPC staff team with diverse expertise and extensive professional experiences deliver enhanced GIS services to member organizations, including direct access to MVRPC’s datasets and interaction with MVRPC’s GIS system, to enhance their mapping and data updates.
To learn more about MVRPC’s GIS program, projects, and member services, visit our website at http://www.mvrpc.org/data-mapping/gis-mvrpc.
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The use of ArcGIS Pro is expected to increase in the future as high levels of interest in using ArcGIS Pro continue. Questions related to ArcGIS Pro were not included in the 2015 survey. | |
Partnerships for Outreach with MVRPC’s Rideshare and Air Quality Awareness Program | |
MVRPC’s Rideshare Program and Air Quality Awareness Program have had a busy few months attending and supporting community events in the Region. These programs utilize opportunities to educate the community about actions they can take to reduce air pollution. Community members are provided promotional items that are not only useful but branded with the program website and phone number to explore when they have time. MVRPC uses this time to discuss commute solutions like carpool matching available on GohioCommute.com or real time Air Quality Index readings for the Region available at MiamiValleyAir.org. | |
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Recently, the program was on-site at the City of Dayton Health and Safety Fair. This event was a new opportunity to interact with close to 800 city employees about commute resources like carpool matching, transit and bike route planning and the benefits of each. Other organizations use the program materials to extend their events. Bike Miami Valley chapters will hold bike light events to install MVRPC Rideshare Program branded bike lights (front white and red rear lights) on adult bikes to help promote safe bike commuting. Brunner Literacy Center has a supply of bike light kits to ensure that adult learners who use a bike to commute to their facility are safe and seen. Drive Electric Dayton is distributing Air Quality Awareness Program promotional items to event attendees to help spread the awareness of the impact EV’s can make on the air quality and the resources available for the Region. These are just a few examples of the outreach efforts to educate the public through partnerships and events.
The MVRPC programs are here to partner with support for your events that align with the program goals of reducing carbon emissions to improve air quality. Please reach out to Laura Dent, Director of Marketing and Public Outreach, for opportunities you have in your communities.
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Meet Our Newest MVRPC Staff Members:
Megan Young and Rebecca Carr
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We're excited to introduce two fantastic new staff members who have joined MVRPC in 2024. Each brings a unique background and skill set that will help further our mission of serving the Miami Valley Region. | |
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Megan Young, Administrative Assistant
Megan officially joined the MVRPC team as a full-time member of the staff in February 2024. Megan serves in the Office of the Executive Director and is often one of the friendly faces that greets you as you arrive at various meetings hosted by MVRPC. Megan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Indiana University. Before joining the agency, Megan spent several years teaching fourth grade students. Megan is organized, detailed, and welcoming and we are thrilled to have her as part of the MVRPC team. Megan resides in the Dayton area with her husband Clay and daughter Rylee. Rylee just celebrated her first birthday in September.
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Rebecca Carr, Active Transportation & Environment Planner
Rebecca is the newest member of MVRPC, having joined the agency in September. Rebecca is a recent graduate of The Ohio State University with a Master’s degree in City & Regional Planning. Rebecca also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Smith University. Rebecca recently relocated to the Dayton area from Columbus, OH. Before joining MVRPC, Rebecca worked as an Associate Planner for Burton Planning Services. Rebecca enjoys data analysis and design and is a great addition to the Regional Environment & Economic Development Division.
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Please join us in welcoming the newest members of the MVRPC staff. | |
Grants and Funding Resources | |
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On a monthly basis, MVRPC highlights several funding opportunities for eligible cities, counties, and townships on our website that could benefit communities in the Region. We include a description, contact information, and program links. We have also listed other valuable resources for funding opportunities for our regional jurisdictions and organizations. See more at: mvrpc.org/grant-and-funding-opportunities
This month, we are featuring information on:
- Brownfield Assessment Grants (Community-wide Assessment Grants) – Deadline: November 14, 2024
- Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF Ohio) – Deadline: November 15, 2024
If you have any questions, please contact Kathryn Youra Polk at kyourapolk@mvrpc.org.
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Latest Updates on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law | |
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Upcoming Notice of Funding Opportunity Announcements in 2024
In order to provide stakeholders with more visibility into upcoming funding opportunities, U.S. DOT publishes anticipated dates for upcoming Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs) for programs within the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), as well as adjacent programs that support BIL and IRA objectives.
View the Grant Programs Calendar here: Key Notices of Funding Opportunity | US Department of Transportation.
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Please contact Savannah Diamond, MVRPC’s Assistant to the Executive Director at sdiamond@mvrpc.org or 937.223.6323 with your comments or questions about local and regional grant pursuits. | |
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MiamiValleyGovJobs.org is a one-stop website for candidates seeking positions with a public agency in the Miami Valley. This service is provided to MVRPC member organizations and partners at no cost. Posting your positions on MiamiValleyGovJobs.org increases the visibility of your positions and expands your candidate pool. Each job post will be displayed with your organization's logo and a link to your website where candidates can find more information. To post a position with your organization, please email your posting to JobBoard@mvrpc.org.
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Upcoming Meetings and Events | |
MVRPC Meetings
Please check the agency calendar on mvrpc.org or contact Savannah Diamond at sdiamond@mvrpc.org for the status of your meeting.
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MVRPC emails are produced through Constant Contact. We have negotiated a significantly reduced group rate for all of our MVRPC members and partners to join Constant Contact making it easy for you to offer your own customized, professional communication to your communities. You will save considerably more than you could joining the platform on your own, and even if you are already using Constant Contact, you can apply our discount to save even more. Best of all, the MVRPC communication team is here to help you get started! Visit our unique Constant Contact link or contact Laura Dent, MVRPC Director of Marketing and Public Outreach to learn more at ldent@mvrpc.org. | | | | |
