June 2023

Brian O. Martin, AICP

The 2023 Cycling Summit was held at the Dayton Metro Library right after the Bike to Work Day celebration. It was a day of cycling that brought together enthusiasts to share experiences, learn from each other and discuss the future. The summit focused on the importance of making cycling accessible to everyone by improving infrastructure and making cities more bike-friendly.

The morning started with opening remarks from Executive Director Brian Martin and Five Rivers Metroparks CEO Karen Hesser and a return of former Miami Valley resident Andy Williamson, Director of Outdoor Economic and Community Development at the Brad and Alys Smith Outdoor Economic Development Collaborative as the keynote speaker. Mr. Williamson's session was titled Outdoor Economy and highlighted the variety of economic impacts that outdoor recreation and outdoor amenities can bring to an area. The remainder of the day provided the attendees the option to attend three different sessions based on their interest.

MVRPC Active Transportation Planner, Nick Cannistraci, presented an update from MVRPC regarding upcoming trail projects and the release of the 7th edition of the Miami Valley Bikeways Map. He ended his session by asking attendees to dream big and think of trail connections that could connect trail users west to east, north to south but also connecting loops big and small.



The Cycling Summit ended with mobile sessions to allow guests to visit bike attractions in the region. Overall a successful event to celebrate everything cycling.

We would also like to congratulate all those involved with the development and grand opening of the Dayton Bike Yard, on Saturday morning following the Summit. The Miami Valley is very fortunate to now have a 10-acre state-of-the-art, world-class bike park.

MVRPC is pleased to announce that Leslie King has filled the role of Director of Regional Environment & Economic Development (REED). King brings extensive experience in developing regional collaborations and partnerships to protect the environment and foster economic development. The REED department focuses on the agency’s economic development, active transportation, transit, and environmental programs. The Institute for Livable & Equitable Communities and the Age-Friendly Initiative are supported by the REED department.

King’s passion for and work in environmental protection and preservation was recently recognized at the May 23, 2023, League of Women Voters of the Greater Dayton Area’s annual meeting, where King was the recipient of the 2023 Jo Columbro Environmental Award. 

The Jo Columbro Award recognizes an individual or an organization for their contribution to environmental preservation. Columbro, who served as president of the Dayton League between 2011 and 2013, was deeply committed to presenting programs to the public on environmental issues and how to protect and preserve the planet.

Please join us in welcoming King to MVRPC. We congratulate her on being the 2023 League of Women Voters of the Greater Dayton Area recipient of the Jo Columbro Environmental Award. 

MVRPC staff was honored to join Laura Henry, Director of Marketing and Public Outreach for MVRPC at her induction ceremony into the Dayton Business Journal’s Forty under 40. This honor recognizes rising young professionals in the Region. Laura was nominated by MVRPC Executive Director, Brian O. Martin. The event was held on May 18, 2023, at the Apollo Room at Wright State University, where the honorees and their guests enjoyed networking and dinner. During her speech, Laura thanked Brian Martin for nominating her, her colleagues for their support, and her partner Steve, who may have had the biggest smile in the room, for being her biggest cheerleader. When asked what is the most fulfilling moment of her career so far, Laura responded, “My promotion to Director of Marketing and Public Outreach… It was fulfilling to know I was promoted because I worked hard, put the time in to learn, and proved that I was ready to be a Director.” She was featured with other members of the class of 2023 in a special edition of the Dayton Business Journal. 

Following the publication of the Built Environment Assessment staff have been busy sharing the latest developments from the PLAN4Health – Miami Valley Initiative with national, state, and local audiences alike.

In early April, Mr. Martin Kim and Ms. Sarah Kelly (with Planning NEXT) presented on the topic of “Health Equity in Unexpected Places” at the 2023 National Planning Conference hosted by the American Planning Association in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This is the premier planning conference in the United States and brings together practitioners and public officials from across the country to share the latest information and ideas in our industry. The presentation covered findings from the PLAN4Health – Miami Valley Initiative as well as local examples of how the concepts and recommendations from this effort can be applied.

In late April, Mr. Martin Kim, Mr. Milo Simpson, and Ms. Elizabeth Whitaker presented on the Region’s PLAN4Health – Miami Valley Initiative at the 2023 Ohio’s Public Health Conference held in Columbus, Ohio. Hosted by the Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio Public Health Partnership, this conference brought together public health professionals from across the state. MVRPC’s presentation focused on using place-based strategies to improve health outcomes through planning and featured information on the Health Environment Assessment and Built Environment Assessment.

Locally, since the beginning of 2023, the PLAN4Health project team have been sharing information on the initiative with a range of audiences, including county commissioners, city councils, local health departments, non-profit organizations, and academics.

To arrange a briefing session for your jurisdiction or additional information regarding PLAN4Health - Miami Valley Initiative, visit mvrpc.org/regional-planning/plan4health-miami-valley or contact Martin Kim, Director of Community and Regional Planning at mkim@mvrpc.org or 937.223.6323.

MVRPC hosted the “ArcGIS Pro – Basics” training on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, at Wright State University.

Intended for advanced-beginner GIS users, this training session was the first time introducing GIS users on how to get started with ArcGIS Pro, especially if they are migrating from ArcMap.

MVRPC staff members served as instructors and a total of 17 attendees from all over the region learned to create and add data and configure it into a map that they can share in different formats.

We would like to thank the staff at Wright Staff University for helping to host our training session. For more information about MVRPC’s GIS program, visit our website at: mvrpc.org/data-mapping/gis-mvrpc or contact Tom Harner, GIS Manager at tharner@mvrpc.org

Partner Roles & Responsibilities Workshop

MVRPC held a regional resiliency planning workshop on May 11, 2023, that focused on building a recovery network for communities planning for future disasters. This work identified recovery partners and their roles during disaster response as well as goals that should be considered during each phase of recovery. This work will help shape the larger resiliency plan for the region to help all of our members prepare for and respond faster to future hazards and threats.

Planning for Long-Term Housing after a Major Disaster

MVRPC in partnership with the Montgomery County EMA hosted a FEMA sponsored training on May 17, 2023, focusing on planning for long-term and transitional housing after a major disaster. Representatives from the Columbia Climate School, and National Center for Disaster Preparedness presented to local housing representatives, county EMA managers and local government representatives on the importance of pre-planning for housing recovery to accelerate recovery after a disaster occurs. Participants gained a better understanding of resources available to assist in recovery as well as how partnerships with the private sector to assist in housing investments.

For more information regarding the regional resiliency planning effort please contact Elizabeth Baxter, ebaxter@mvrpc.org

BroadbandOhio has selected the United Way of Greater Cincinnati to serve as the backbone agency for the Southwest Ohio Regional Digital Inclusion Alliance (RDIA). The efforts of the RDIA will inform Ohio’s strategic and implementation plans for both the Broadband Equity, Access, & Deployment Program (providing $42.45 billion across all states and territories for expanding broadband connectivity) and the Digital Equity Act (providing $2.75 billion across all states and territories to promote digital opportunity). Below are current opportunities to get involved and provide input on this effort that is specific to the Miami Valley. Please share with your networks (especially local residents) within your respective communities to help ensure that the Miami Valley is represented and prioritized within the planning and implementation process.

• Suggestions for Pop-Up Events – use this form to provide suggestions to the RDIA on opportunities to host pop-ups providing information and collecting insight from residents in your community. 
• Digital Inclusion Asset Mapping Survey – responses will be used as a resource for Ohio’s Digital Equity Planning process and to build a tool that helps identify key programs/services/resources across our region.
• BroadbandOhio Internet Access Survey – seeks to collect input from Ohio residents about their access to high-speed internet. 

*Please note that Shelby County has been classified within the Northwest region. To get in touch with the Northwest Ohio Regional Digital Inclusion Alliance, Shelby County representatives and community members can reach out to Toledo Lucas County Public Library.

• Address: 325 Michigan Street, Toledo, Ohio 43604
• Contact: Lucas Camuso-Stall (lucas.camuso-stall@toledolibrary.org)
• Website: https://www.toledolibrary.org/digital-equity

A little over a year ago, MVRPC was proud to participate in the announcement of Central State University’s award from the US Economic Development Administration (EDA) to create a $4.5M workforce training and business development center at their West Dayton campus on Germantown Street. The MVRPC team worked very closely with CSU leadership over the course of 18 months to prepare the funding proposal, made possible by ARPA. The grand opening of the Center took place in early May and is currently up and operating. The Center serves historically underserved and underemployed populations by creating career pathways for participants through training in high demand skills in growing industries. The project focuses on two emerging industries in the Miami Valley area: 1) advanced materials and advanced manufacturing, and 2) information technology and advanced data management. The Center also promotes small business sustainability through entrepreneurship and management workshops. Please feel free to share this flyer to spread the word to community members about this new regional resource. 

On a monthly basis, MVRPC is highlighting 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:



• NEA Grants for Arts Projects 2, FY2024– July 6, 2023
• EPA Clean School Bus Program Grants– Deadline: June 6, 2023

If you have any questions, please contact Kathryn Youra Polk at kyourapolk@mvrpc.org.

Upcoming Notice of Funding Opportunity Announcements in 2023

In order to provide stakeholders with more visibility into upcoming funding opportunities, DOT is publishing a list of anticipated dates for upcoming Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs) for key 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 Grant Programs Calendar here: Key Notices of Funding Opportunity | US Department of Transportation

Resources -

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Rural Playbook: A roadmap for delivering opportunity and investments in rural America

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Technical Assistance Guide: A list of federal resources to help communities deliver infrastructure projects

EPA Funding Announcements: From the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act

Inflation Reduction Act Guidebook: This guidebook provides an overview of clean energy, climate mitigation and resilience, agriculture, and conservation-related tax incentives and investment programs

MVRPC created MiamiValleyRoads.org to provide updates on major construction projects throughout the Region. It also provides user-friendly access to route planning tools, commute solutions, and other ideas to reduce congestion and prevent air pollution in the areas under construction.

The website is organized by county and major roads to help visitors find the information that would apply to their commute. Users can select titles like Miami or Montgomery County or I-75, or I-70 to view the list of projects related to that area. Commuters should avoid these areas if possible to avoid contributing to traffic congestion, which creates added air pollution.

Examples of the projects featured on this site organized by county and major interstate are the following:

• I-75 Reconstruction in Montgomery County
• U.S. 35-Valley/Trebein Interchange Construction in Greene County
• I-75 Pavement Repairs in Miami County

Additionally, MiamiValleyRoads.org features links to explore more innovative ways to commute, like ride matching to form a carpool or bike pool, transit, and bike routes to match your trip or form a vanpool for longer commutes.             

For a complete list of major construction projects provided by ODOT Districts 7 and 8 for the Region, visit MiamiValleyRoads.org. Follow MVRPC’s Facebook and Twitter pages for project update posts. 

Please check the agency calendar on www.mvrpc.org or contact Savannah Diamond at sdiamond@mvrpc.org for the status of your meeting.

6/1/2023 - 8:30 a.m. - Executive Committee Meeting

6/1/2023 - 9:00 a.m. - Board of Directors Meeting

6/6/2023 - 10:00 a.m. - GRMI Council Meeting

6/9/2023 - 10:00 a.m. - Regional Active Transportation Committee Meeting

6/9/2023 - 3:00 p.m. - DriveOhio NEVI Outreach Meeting & Drive Electric Dayton EV Showcase

6/27/2023 - 1:30 p.m. - Regional Equity Initiative Subcommittee Meeting

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 Henry, MVRPC Director of Marketing and Public Outreach to learn more at lhenry@mvrpc.org.

937.223.6323 | mvrpc.org