MVRPC Annual Spring Dinner 2017 Honors Miamisburg Mayor Dick Church
The newly-renovated Marriott ~ University of Dayton was the site of MVRPC’s Annual Spring Dinner, held Wednesday, April 19, 2017. Over 325 people registered for the event, which is our way of saying “Thank You” to local elected officials who serve this Region. The event continues to grow in both attendance and sponsorship with 27 sponsors this year. The presentation of the coveted Regional Steward Award was to longtime Miamisburg Mayor, Richard Church.  

Photo: (L to R) Miamisburg Mayor, Richard Church; wife, Judi Church;
MVRPC’s Chairperson, Carol Graff; MVRPC’s Executive Director, Brian O. Martin, AICP

The Regional Steward Award recognizes:

• an innovative spirit to solving regional challenges;
• a builder of broad support toward a shared regional vision; and
• a regional steward promoting economic, social and environmental progress in the Miami Valley.

Several Miamisburg council and staff members and Mayor Church’s wife, Judi Church, managed to attend the event without the Mayor’s knowledge. After he took the stage to accept the award, Miamisburg’s City

Manager, Keith Johnson, told Mayor Church that he should acknowledge his wife and pointed across the room. Mayor Church then realized an entire table of Miamisburg council members, staff, and his wife, were in attendance and he remarked, “When I left the house, my wife was asleep on the couch,” which was followed by much laughter. The Danny Voris Duo provided the musical entertainment and at the end of the evening, there was a drawing for three Ohio-themed gift baskets. Photographs from the evening are located on MVRPC’s Facebook page and at www.mvrpc.org/annual-dinner.

Annual Economic Development Summit - May 25, 2017 at Sinclair’s Ponitz Center

MVRPC is delighted to be a sponsor of this year’s Economic Development Summit. With an average attendance of over 200 individuals, this day-long economic development conference features respected keynote speakers discussing topics such as finance, real estate, regional cooperation, workforce development, infrastructure construction and other areas of interest. Economic Development Summit Information Mailer available for download.

Three MVRPC Television Commercials won a bronze Telly Award
You may remember that we developed a series of three (3) television ads last year that highlighted MVRPC’s primary areas of focus (transportation, environmental and land use planning). These were developed as part of an effort to educate the public about who we are and what we do. We recently learned that these ads won a bronze level “Telly Award,” which is a national award honoring the best in TV and cable, digital and streaming, and non-broadcast video productions. On average, the Telly Awards receive over 13,000 entries yearly from all 50 states and 5 continents. A Telly is one of the most sought-after awards by industry leaders, from large international firms to local production companies and ad agencies. The MVRPC ads won bronze in the “branding” category.

And since our local communities are what comprise MVRPC, we recently completed three (3) additional television ads featuring footage from various communities across our 5+ counties (Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, Preble and the communities of Carlisle, Franklin and Springboro in Warren County). These ads emphasize the inclusive, regional approach that makes MVRPC unique. Look for them on local and cable channels. They will be airing through June 2017.  You can also view all six (6) of these television ads at www.mvrpc.org/about-mvrpc.

Montgomery County Engineer Gruner Named Urban County Engineer of the Year
The National Association of County Engineers (NACE) awarded Montgomery County Engineer, Paul W. Gruner, P.E, P.S., the 2016 Urban County Engineer of the Year during its 2017 Annual Conference held April 9-13, 2017 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Gruner has served as Montgomery County Engineer, Ohio, since 2011. “Paul is an outstanding urban engineer with the benefits of service in both the public and private sectors,” said Brian Roberts, P.E., NACE Executive Director. “This experience contributed to his successful leadership in helping to form a statewide funding coalition for infrastructure.

He co-chaired the Montgomery County campaign for the state capital improvement program, which generated $175 million dollars for 5 years, followed by $200 million for the next 5 years. Under Gruner’s leadership, his department has completed many successful projects, including: widening of the “gap” project at Austin Boulevard to 5 lanes from 2; widening of the 5 miles of North Dixie Drive to 5 lanes and sidewalks; replacement of the Ridge Avenue bridge; and the $2.5 million intersection improvement at Clyo and Spring Valley Roads. Congratulations to Paul Gruner and his entire staff on this well-deserved award.

Washington Happenings
I attended the Dayton Region’s Fly-In last week. Warren County representatives will be heading to our nation’s capital this week. If you attend, the following talking points are directed at critical aspects of regional planning and the environment that you may share with our delegation:

• We remain eager to learn more about the president’s infrastructure bill and we hope that states, local government, and regional councils are included as eligible recipients of this funding. As with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in 2009 and 2010, the current network of states, locals, and regional councils are able to quickly convert funding to needed infrastructure projects.
• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its Chicago district are needed to protect America’s largest fresh water source in the Great Lakes and Ohio’s citizens. Many “Rust Belt” states are served by the Chicago EPA district including Ohio; protection of the natural environment is critical to reconstruction of our neighborhoods, downtowns, and communities.
• With appreciation, as adopted by the MVRPC Board of Directors, the U.S. House and Senate approved repeal of the Metropolitan Coordination Rule. This rule would have required either a merge of SW Ohio’s regions (Cincinnati, Dayton, Springfield) for transportation planning or creation of merged transportation plans and TIPs. The repeal bill (S. 496) sailed through the Senate and House just last week www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/496/actions
   

Grants & Funding Resources
Each month, MVRPC highlights several grant funding opportunities available at: www.mvrpc.org/our-vision/planning-services/grant-and-funding-opportunities, where you will find a description, contact information and program links found in GrantFinder, a grant-seeking tool leased by MVRPC and a key first step in attracting funding. If you need assistance with your grant pursuit or need further grant research, contact Lynn Zuch, Research Associate, at 937.223.6323 or lzuch@mvrpc.org.
This month we are featuring information on:

• U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment Initiative – Deadline: June 12, 2017.
• Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s Ohio Environmental Education Fund (OEEF) – Deadline: There are two Deadlines per year. For the next round the Letter of Intent (LOI) is due July 10, 2017, and the Application is due July 17, 2017.

Upcoming MVRPC Meetings: 
5/7-5/10/17 - International Trails Symposium - Dayton Convention Center
5/18/17 - 9:30 a.m. Technical Advisory Committee - 10 N. Ludlow St., Suite 700, Dayton, Ohio
5/18/17 - Following TAC 2020 Census Local Update of Census Addresses - 10 N. Ludlow St., Suite 700, Dayton, Ohio
5/23/17 - 9:00 a.m. Regional Transp. Coordination Council – Goodwill Easter Seals - 600 S. Main St., Dayton, Ohio
6/01/17 - 8:30 a.m. Executive Committee - 1515 S. Main St., Dayton, Ohio
6/01/17 - 9:00 a.m. Board of Directors - 1515 S. Main St., Dayton, Ohio
6/07/17 - 8:30 a.m. GIS Training - Wright State University - Millet Hall

May 2017 Executive Director's Update available for download