MVRPC Celebrates International GIS Day with a Successful GIS Training Session
In recognition of this year’s International GIS Day, MVRPC sponsored and participated in the regional celebration event at the Dayton Metro Library Main Branch in Downtown Dayton on Wednesday, November 13th.
On Tuesday, November 19, 2019, at the Montgomery County Business Solutions Center, MVRPC hosted "ArcGIS Online Data Collection" training session.
Intended for intermediate GIS users, this training session focused on a new topic of data collection using ArcGIS Collector and ArcGIS Survey 123 applications. The class was a full house with a total of 17 attendees from our member organizations. MVRPC staff teamed up with Mr. Eric Sauer from the Five Rivers MetroParks and Mr. Doug Kotnik from the Precision Laser & Instrument Inc. to provide hands-on learning opportunities.
We want to thank Mr. Sauer and Mr. Kotnik for sharing their expertise. We also want to thank the staff at the Montgomery County Business Solutions Center for hosting our training session. For more information about MVRPC’s GIS program, visit our website at www.mvrpc.org/data-mapping/geographic-information-systems-gis-mvrpc. Visit www.swogis.org/ to learn more about and become a member of the Southwest Ohio GIS Users Group (SWOGIS).
Russian Professors visit MVRPC
MVRPC recently welcomed professors from Russia who were visiting our Region through Friendship Force and the Open World Leadership Center. The goal of the exchange was to establish relationships with the U.S. Department of Transportation policy experts and learn more about traffic safety and best practices.
The visitors attended the November MVRPC Board of Directors meeting in the morning, followed by presentations and bus tour with MVRPC staff. The Regional Planning, Sustainable Planning, Long Range Transportation Planning, and Public Engagement departments each presented overviews of their work for the agency and best practices. The day concluded with a bus tour provided by the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority of a few transportation projects and tornado damage from the Memorial Day tornadoes that struck 5,755 properties here in the Miami Valley Region on May 27, 2019.
MVRPC Recruitment Update
We continue to stay in recruitment mode due to departures, retirement, and new agency roles.
The transit coordination planning staff has turned over just as the Board of Directors has approved the Human Services Transportation and Greater Region Mobility Initiative (GRMI) plans. Elizabeth Baxter has been working at MVRPC for nearly 1 month working to increase transit coordination in rural counties and urban counties. She has already started working with agencies in Champaign, Shelby, and Darke Counties to implement the plan’s recommendations.
We are also seeking a Transportation Coordination Planner for the Institute for Livable and Equitable Communities. This person will lead the transit coordination work in our urban counties of Montgomery, Greene, Miami, and Northern Warren as well as provide direction on the GRMI planning. The highly sought after individual will be the key leader in addressing the mobility and other broad needs of the disadvantaged here in the Miami Valley.
The Equity Planner will also work in the Institute that will lead our work that is in partnership with the Dayton Foundation and other community organizations like United Way Greater Dayton Area, Learn to Earn, Urban League, NCCJ, and many others.
Due to Tim Gilliland’s retirement at the end of 2019, we are also searching for a Director of Finance and Human Resources Administration. This key internal resource ensures the MVRPC staff makeup delivers the promised products and services in our annual Work Program.
Lastly, the Disaster Recovery Planner/Manager will be engaged in providing technical support to jurisdictions directly impacted by the Memorial Day tornadoes and the broader Miami Valley.
Grants & Funding Resources
On a monthly basis, MVRPC highlights several funding opportunities on our website that could benefit our member communities. We include a description, contact information, and program links. We have also listed other valuable resources for finding funding opportunities.
See more at mvrpc.org/grant-and-funding-opportunities
This month we are featuring information on:
- Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant Program 2020 – Deadline: January 30, 2020.
- Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s Recycling and Litter Prevention Grants – Deadline: February 7, 2020.
If you need assistance with your grant pursuit or further research, please contact Kathryn Youra Polk, Senior Planner, at 937.223.6323 or kyoura.polk@mvrpc.org.
Upcoming MVRPC Meetings
12/12 12:00 p.m. Great Miami Watershed Network Meeting, Wegerzyn Center 1301 Siebenthaler Ave., Dayton
12/12 9:30 a.m. Disaster Recovery Impacted Jurisdictions, Dayton Foundation, 1401 S. Main St., Ste. 100, Dayton
12/13 10:00 a.m. Regional Bikeways Committee Meeting, Wegerzyn Center 1301 Siebenthaler Ave., Dayton
1/16 9:30 a.m. MVRPC Technical Advisory Committee, MVRPC, 10 N. Ludlow St., Ste. 700, Dayton
2/06 9:00 a.m. MVRPC Board of Directors Meeting, Dayton Realtors, 1515 S. Main St., Dayton