MVRPC has recently subscribed to Grant Finder, a grant search tool that allows subscribers to investigate grant announcement prospects from various Federal, State, and foundation sources from around the country. Below are some recently announced that may interest our members.
USEPA Proposal and Funding Information for Brownfield Sites:
See more at: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/applicat.htm
Getting Started: Preparing Your Grant Proposals Early
USEPA receives numerous inquiries regarding preparation of proposals for the grant competitions every year. Some applicants find it difficult to prepare their proposals in only 60 days, the typical amount of time the Request for Proposals (RFP) allows from publication until the proposals are due. However, there are still many activities that applicants can perform in advance of the RFP (commonly referred to as the Grant Guidelines) being made publicly available. We have outlined many of these activities in the the documents linked below.
• Getting Started Early on Preparing Your Assessment/Cleanup Proposal (PDF): http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/pdfs/getting-started-early-on-preparing-y...
• Getting Started Early on Preparing your BF AWP Grant Proposal (PDF): http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/pdfs/preparing-BF-AWP-proposal-in-advance...
Ohio EPA’s Office of Environmental Education:
The office administers four different grant programs: Clean Diesel School Bus Fund Retrofit Grants, Ohio Environmental Education Fund, Diesel Emissions Reduction Grant Program and Environmental Science and Engineering Scholarships.
See more at: http://epa.ohio.gov/oee/EnvironmentalEducation.aspx
The Ohio EPA Clean Diesel School Bus Fund Retrofit Grants Program offers grants up to $300,000 to retrofit diesel school buses with pollution control equipment and idle reduction equipment, to reduce student and driver exposure to the harmful pollutants in diesel exhaust and to conserve fuel. Public school districts and county developmental disability programs in Ohio are eligible to apply.
Deadline: Application deadlines are every March 1 and October 15
See more at: http://epa.ohio.gov/oee/EnvironmentalEducation.aspx#131364251-clean-scho...
SFY2015 MVRPC Attributable Transportation Funding Summary
As SFY2015 has recently drawn to a close, I am happy to report that $20.2 million in project funding was encumbered during the fiscal year for 24 roadway, traffic signal, bikeway, transit and planning projects that will benefit the Miami Valley Region. MVRPC’s regionally-controlled Surface Transportation Program (STP), Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality (CMAQ) and Transportation Alternatives (TA) funds, when matched with local dollars, funded over $34.4 million worth of transportation projects. All of the projects are located throughout MVRPC’s transportation planning area, which includes Greene, Miami and Montgomery Counties, and Carlisle, Franklin and Springboro in Warren County, OH.
Click here for Table of Projects
Bronze Level Bicycle-Friendly Business Award from League of American Bicyclists Received
MVRPC received the bronze level Bicycle-Friendly Business Award from the League of American Bicyclists on August 26, 2015. MVRPC has been at the forefront of transportation planning, and in particular bicycle planning, for decades. Understanding the importance of incorporating bicycle-friendly business initiatives in the workplace so employees can take advantage of this active transportation option made sense. This award also recognizes MVRPC's strengths as an ally of cyclists. As a sponsor of cycling events such as Bike- to-Work Day and the Drive Less Live More initiative, and as publisher of the popular, award-winning Miami Valley Ohio Bikeways Guide Map, MVRPC has been a vocal advocate for the benefits of cycling. New partnerships with Bike Miami Valley will grow MVRPC's role in cycling in the years to come. With the announcement of 100 new and renewing BFBs, MVRPC joins a cutting-edge group of more than 1,050 local businesses, government agencies and Fortune 500 companies in 47 states and Washington, D.C., that are transforming the American workplace by making it easier to cycle to their destinations.
New Employee, Rob Uhlhorn, Joins MVRPC’s Long Range Transportation Planning Team
Southwest Ohio native, Rob Uhlhorn, is MVRPC’s newest transportation planner. Rob has a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Cincinnati (mathematics and philosophy concentrations), and a Master’s Degree in City and Regional Planning from Rutgers University. He’s also a graduate of the Universiteit van Amsterdam, Netherlands. His past work experience includes market research and forecasting for New Jersey Transit (Newark, NJ), and Mikesell & Associate, an architecture and planning firm also based in Newark, where he worked as an Assistant Planner. One of the reasons Rob was interested in joining MVRPC was our involvement with bikeway/trail planning and the region’s overall alternative transportation system. Since his family lives in Cincinnati, he thought returning to the Buckeye State and working for a well-known MPO would be wise on all fronts. Welcome, Rob!
MVRPC is Seeking Photographs which Highlight our Region’s Strongest Assets.
The Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission (MVRPC) is seeking photographs of the Region and is offering a prize for one lucky winner. Take a photo of a street, park, vista, bike trail, or other public space, in the Miami Valley Region that you love. To enter, post your photo to MVRPC’s Facebook page or on Twitter with the tag @mvrpc and #planmiamivalley. You will be entered into a drawing to win your choice of an annual Link Bikeshare membership, a monthly Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority bus pass, or a gas card valued at $50. The winner will be selected through a random drawing on November 30th, 2015.
MVRPC held a public participation meeting regarding the Miami Valley Bike Plan Update 2015.
On Wednesday, September 2, 2015, MVRPC held a public participation meeting regarding the Miami Valley Bike Plan Update 2015. Those who attended were supportive of the direction the plan is taking by encouraging more protected facilities and reviewing level of stress analysis. Many who attended were from the Centerville-Washington Township community with a great interest in the area south of I-675 and also I-675 as a barrier to the Iron Horse Trail. Several positive comments were made about the continued growth in trail miles. One person questioned our bike lights program because she doesn’t think we should “encourage people to ride at night” but, staff explained that the lights are being distributed to people who already ride at dawn and dusk, or night, mostly for transportation purposes. Overall a successful open house. We are still accepting comments until September 11, 2015, at mvrpc.org/bike-plan-update.
Upcoming MVRPC meetings:
09/08/2015 – 09/10/2015 – Long Range Transportation Plan Work Group Mtgs. – 10 N. Ludlow
09/14/2015 – 09/16/2015 – Ohio Conference on Freight – Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza
09/15/2015 – 09/16/2015 – NHI Pedestrian Safety Course – 10 N. Ludlow St.
09/17/2015 9:30 a.m. Technical Advisory Committee Meeting, 10 N. Ludlow
09/17/2015 3:00-5:00 pm – Bike Ohio Route Designations Update Meeting – 10 N. Ludlow St.
10/01/2015 8:30 a.m. Executive Committee 9:00 a.m. Board of Directors – 1515 S. Main