August 2025

Brian O. Martin, AICP

MVRPC Welcomes New Members

We are pleased to welcome three new members to the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission: the Village of West Manchester, the Sustainable Ohio Public Energy Council (SOPEC), and the Downtown Dayton Partnership (DDP).

The Village of West Manchester, located in Preble County, joins MVRPC as the newest member of our Regional Transportation Planning Organization (RTPO).

SOPEC, a Regional Council of Governments, provides public energy services to member communities across Ohio. With a mission to deliver simple, valuable, and reliable public energy programs, SOPEC helps communities advance their local sustainable energy goals.

The Downtown Dayton Partnership (DDP) is a nonprofit organization that energizes Dayton’s inventive spirit to address downtown’s challenges and capture transformative opportunities through commerce, community, and culture. Primarily funded by the Downtown Dayton Special Improvement District (SID), DDP offers services in five key areas: Strategic Planning and Advocacy, Clean and Safe Services, Street Vibrancy & Creative Placemaking, Marketing & Communication, and Economic Development.

We are excited to welcome all three organizations to our growing membership and look forward to collaborating with them to strengthen the region.

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.

• Board Members approve Downtown Dayton Partnership as MVRPC's newest Non-Governmental Member

• Board Members approve the recommendation to The Dayton Foundation to Fund the 2025 Livable, Age-Friendly Communities Grant

• MPO Members Adopt the Community-First Energy Plan for the Miami Valley as Part of the Climate Pollution Reduction Planning Grant

• MPO Members adopt Amendment #2 to MVRPC's SFY 2026-2029 Transportation Improvement Plan

• MPO Members Approve TRAC Project for CY 2025

Our 2025 Board of Directors roster lists each voting delegate and alternate for every MVRPC member jurisdiction. **Please note, this list is subject to change as new delegates are appointed. If your organization's delegate is blank, please contact Megan Young at myoung@mvrpc.org.

New to our Board or want a refresher on your role as an MVRPC Board member? Check out the 2025 Orientation for Board of Directors to learn more.

MVRPC Hosting Local Workshops to Advance Active Living

As part of the PLAN4Health – Miami Valley initiative, MVRPC has conducted a series of workshops aimed at advancing healthy communities and healthy people. Building on this effort, we are working with local partners to host workshops intended to advance active living within their communities.

MVRPC is pleased to partner with Miami County Public Health, Miami Township (Montgomery County), and Washington Township (Montgomery County) to host these interactive and engaging workshops over the next few months. If your community is interested in having a local workshop, please see the informational flyer for additional information.

MVRPC’s PLAN4Health – Miami Valley Initiative was launched in the Spring of 2021 to explore how planning can impact health outcomes. The PLAN4Health - Miami Valley Initiative is a multi-year effort with a focus on projects and programs intended to:

• Promote and advocate for “Health in All Plans and Policies”
• Convene and engage partners to improve conditions that are known to be key determinants of health
• Advance planning efforts aimed at creating conditions for healthy people and communities



For additional information regarding PLAN4Health - Miami Valley Initiative or to learn more about hosting an active living workshop in your community, contact Martin Kim, MVRPC’s Director of Community and Regional Planning, at mkim@mvrpc.org.

MVRPC hosted three in-person open houses to share important project information related to the development of our regional Safe Streets for All (SS4A) Safety Action Plan. Meetings were held August 5, 2025 – August 7, 2025 in Tipp City, Xenia, and Centerville. 

If you were unable to attend our in-person open houses there are still opportunities to review project information and provide input. From August 5, 2025 – September 7, 2025 you can review study information, help identify problem locations, and complete a project survey at www.publicinput.com/safestreets1 .

On Wednesday, August 13, 2025 you can join the project team for a virtual open house. The virtual open house details are provided below.  

SS4A Safety Action Plan Virtual Open House

Wednesday, August 13, 2025 from 7-8 p.m.

Join online: http://www.bit.ly/SafeStreets1Zoom

Join by phone: (929)436-2866 | Meeting ID: 834 8791 8725

No pre-registration is required.

MVRPC was awarded grant funding by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s SS4A program to develop a regional Safety Action Plan. The SS4A program aims to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on the nation’s roadways. MVRPC’s plan will establish a framework for improving roadway safety by engaging with the public, developing fundable and planned projects with designs that incorporate proven safety countermeasures, bolstering education, and enhancing connectivity for all users across all modes.

For more information about MVRPC’s SS4A Safety Action Plan, visit our website at www.mvrpc.org/ss4a or contact Elizabeth Whitaker, Principal Planner at ewhitaker@mvrpc.org.   

On Tuesday, July 8th, the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission hosted BroadbandOhio; the state office tasked with bringing high-speed internet access to every Ohioan and building a best-in-class broadband network in Ohio. Their team presented on the Broadband Equity, Access, & Deployment (BEAD) Program; the largest federal investment in broadband infrastructure across the nation. A total allocation of $793 million will be implemented throughout Ohio for broadband infrastructure deployment to connect approximately 117,000 locations throughout the state.

Stakeholders from across the regional community joined the meeting to get better informed on how the program impacts their communities. The application period for internet service providers opened in July, and subgrantee selections will be made and submitted to the National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) before the end of the summer. The Regional Equity Initiative remains committed to engaging with local partners to explore ways to ensure the Miami Valley and its residents benefit from this federal opportunity.

We encourage our members to stay informed by reviewing the BroadbandOhio informational session recording and slide deck available on our website.

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:

• Ohio History Fund– Deadline: September 9, 2025
• Announcement of Stand Down Grants– Deadline: September 30, 2025



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

August Meeting Calendar

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

MVRPC emails are produced through Constant Contact. We have negotiated a group rate for all of our MVRPC members and partners to join Constant Contact. You could save 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.

937.223.6323 | mvrpc.org