Note from the Executive Director
This year MVRPC staff placed a focus on outreach to Darke County and we are excited to share that both Darke County Parks and the Village of Versailles are our newest MVRPC members. Expanding our presence and partnership in Darke County is crucial. MVRPC offers resources in the realms of transportation project funding and planning, land-use and development planning and mapping, environmental, agricultural sustainability and mitigation projects, older adult and special populations transportation access and air quality protection campaigns that are more critical than ever before. Paul Arnold is a resident of Darke County and represents MVRPC on committees and projects to continue to emphasize that jurisdictions have access to a largely untapped wealth of resources. Our focus on expanding member representation in Darke County will continue throughout 2020 and we look forward to announcing more new members from the area in the coming months.

MVRPC Staff News
Congratulations to Laura Henry who was promoted in October to Manager of Programs and Public Outreach.  Laura has been a member of the MVRPC team for five years and her role in the agency has grown significantly during that time as she demonstrated her capacity for leading initiatives and coordinating public information and engagement.  Laura’s duties now include leading congestion mitigation and air quality programs, coordinating public involvement, and implementing advertising campaigns and marketing strategies. The elevated title better captures the level of responsibility she now holds in our agency and the promotion was a well-earned recognition of her talent.

MVRPC is pleased to welcome Elizabeth Baxter to our agency.  In early November, Elizabeth joined our team as the Transportation Coordination Planner. In this role she will focus on the Greater Region Mobility Initiative, Human Services Transportation Council, and Institute for Livable and Equitable Communities. Elizabeth comes to MVRPC with a well-rounded set of career experiences including time working for ODOT as well as in City, County and State government administration. Elizabeth is originally from the Miami Valley and is very engaged in our community in volunteer roles with UpDayton and Five Rivers MetroParks.

2020 Census Update – Complete Count Committees in the Miami Valley
The 2020 Census is less than six months away, and work continues across the Region to prepare for this important event. Community leaders across the Miami Valley are coming together to help increase awareness about the Census and encouraging local residents to respond to the upcoming Census. 

To support these efforts, countywide Complete Count Committees (CCC) have formed in Greene, Miami, and Montgomery counties. Each CCC is working to increase awareness about the 2020 Census, to educate people about its importance, and to motivate people to respond. For additional information about the countywide CCCs, please contact:
Greene County
Devon Shoemaker - Executive Director, Greene County RPCC
dshoemaker@co.greene.oh.us
937.562.7480

Miami County
Richard Osgood - Director of Economic Development, Miami County 
rosgood@miamicountyohio.gov
937.332.6800

Montgomery County
Nikol Miller - Community Relations Manager, Greater Dayton RTA
nmiller@greaterdaytonrta.org 
937.425.8370

ODOT’s Safe Routes to School (SRTS) application window will open in January. Communities can apply for School Travel Plan development assistance using the 2020 non-infrastructure application. Tune in for ODOT’s Safe Routes to School 2020 Application Overview Webinar on Thursday, December 12, from 2-3 PM to learn more. 

Free Active Transportation Academy Courses will be hosted at ODOT Central Office. Attend Conducting Walk & Bike Audits on Thursday, November 14, from 9:30-2:45; and Complete Streets Implementation and Health Equity in Transportation on Wednesday, December 11, from 8:30-4. 

The national non-profit Safe Routes Partnership invites communities and organizations to apply for the 2020 Safe Routes to Parks Activating Communities program. The program provides technical assistance for seven communities to develop Safe Routes to Parks action plans and awards $12,500 to each community to begin plan implementation.

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:

• Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund – Deadline: December 3, 2019.

• Solid Waste Management Grants for Rural Communities– Deadline: December 31, 2019.

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 
11/13/2019    1:00 p.m.    2019 GIS Day Event, Dayton Metro Library, 215 E. Third St., Dayton
11/14/2019    9:30 a.m.    Disaster Recovery Impacted Jurisdiction, Long Term Recovery Meeting, The Dayton Foundation, 1401 S. Main St., Dayton
11/18/2019    9:00 a.m.    Human Services Transportation Coordination Council, Goodwill Easter Seals, Eichelberger Conference Center, 660 S. Main St., Dayton
11/19/2019    8:15 a.m.    ARCGIS Online – Data Collection: Training Session, Montgomery Co. Business Solutions Center 1435 Cincinnati St., Dayton
11/21/2019    9:30 a.m.    MVRPC Technical Advisory Committee, MVRPC,10 N. 10 Ludlow St., Ste. 700, Dayton

Download the November 2019 Executive Director's Update PDF