Members In the News
Contact: Sandeep Dey, Executive Director, West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission
Phone: 231-722-7878 ext. 22
The West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission (WMSRDC) will coordinate the restoration of some 10,000 feet of shoreline “hardened” over several decades by broken concrete, foundry slag, sheet metal and other materials. The project will also remove more than 180,000 tons of degraded lake bottom sediment to improve aquatic habitat for fish and other species.
As with all programs receiving stimulus funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the project also includes a job creation commitment: it is projected to generate almost 40,000 labor hours to support 125 jobs, largely in engineering and construction. More than $20 million will be contributed by local sources through in-kind services, donations of land, and conservation easements.
“This project is a great example of how federal dollars can be leveraged to carry out twin goals of restoring a valuable piece of the Great Lakes ecosystem and bringing jobs to the west Michigan economy,” said Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, chair of the Great Lakes Commission.
Additional economic goals of the project include increased property values and improved public access to the lake to generate more recreation and tourism opportunities. Michigan Lt. Gov. John Cherry, immediate past chair of the Great Lakes Commission, said: “One of the objectives of the Green Jobs for Blue Waters economic policy we are promoting for the State of Michigan is to create jobs and protect our waterways and ecosystems. The Muskegon Lake project ideally fulfills this dual goal by creating or retaining some 125 jobs while restoring critical coastal wetland habitat.”
“Commercial and industrial waste in Muskegon Lake has harmed the fish and wildlife in and around the lake and prevented public access to the lake and, as a result, has caused problems for local homeowners, businesses, and tourism,” said Senator Carl Levin, D-Mich. “This funding to clean up the lake is wonderful news. The money will help to restore the shoreline, habitat and wildlife, and the project will create jobs in the community.”
“I am so pleased that this recovery funding will help rehabilitate the Muskegon Lake shoreline, lake bottom, and wetlands, all of which will help preserve this valuable resource,” said Senator Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.
“By restoring the lake’s ecosystem, we will also create good-paying engineering and construction jobs and promote tourism in our state.” “The Great Lakes and surrounding bodies of water such as Muskegon Lake contribute greatly to our economy, culture and ability to attract tourism,” said U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland. “Such a significant investment in their rehabilitation will result in significant dividends for the future of the region.”
Muskegon Lake is part of the Great Lakes coastal wetlands ecosystem and provides more food and habitat for wildlife than just about any other Great Lakes ecosystem. Due to filling, development and pollution, Great Lakes wetlands are one of two ecosystems listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Midwest Region as “Imperiled Ecosystems.” The restoration project, to be supported by ARRA funds, builds on more than a decade of research, assessments, planning and design work, as well as large-scale remediation and pollution control efforts on Muskegon Lake. The lake is identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as one of 43 Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes for its legacy of toxic contaminants.
“The West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission and the city of Muskegon are very excited about receiving this grant,” said WMSRDC Executive Director Sandeep (Sean) Dey. “We hope to accomplish quite a bit of the work that property owners on Muskegon Lake have wanted to do for years. We look forward to working with them, the Great Lakes Commission and NOAA on this project.”
In addition to the environmental benefits, the project will provide a sorely needed economic boost to the Muskegon County economy. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, fishing, hunting and wildlife associated recreation generated $4.2 billion in economic activity in Michigan in 2006. The Muskegon Lake project will bolster this important, long-term component of the local economy, in addition to creating jobs.
Grand Valley State University’s Annis Water Resources Institute – located on Muskegon Lake – has estimated the value of the project’s environmental benefits at $65,000 to $200,000, with a particular benefit to local tourism. Recreational fishing on Muskegon Lake contributed $1.2 million to the local economy in 2008 – a figure that is likely to grow as a result of the project.
“Healthy wetlands on west Michigan’s coast are critically important to our tourism economy and to the overall health of the lake,” said Great Lakes Commissioner State Sen. Patty Birkholz, R-Saugatuck. “By restoring wetlands, we are making an investment in a precious water resource, and an equally significant investment in west Michigan’s economic future.”
“I want to thank the many organizations, staff and local volunteers that have worked on restoring Muskegon Lake over these many years,” said State Rep. Doug Bennett, D-Muskegon. “I especially appreciate the efforts of the Muskegon Lake Watershed Partnership, the West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission and the Great Lakes Commission, which have pursued these grants and gotten the work done. Without their hard work, this investment in Muskegon Lake would not be possible.”
Design and engineering work for the project is expected to begin in July, with on-the-ground work on some sites beginning in September. The remaining work will be completed in 2010.
Updated February 23, 2009
Cobb Commission Chairman Olens wins national honor
By Kent Miles
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/cobb/stories/2009/02/23/cobb_olens_award.html
February 23, 2009
Cobb Commission Chairman Sam Olens is the recipient of the 2008 Tom Bradley Leadership Award from the National Association of Regional Councils.
The association honored Olens with the award, which recognizes regional leadership excellence, on Sunday at the opening session of its national conference in Washington, D.C.
Olens is chairman of the Atlanta Regional Commission and has built a reputation as a consensus builder on metro Atlanta issues and concerns. In a press release, ARC director Charles Krautler said Olens “is truly a national example for encouraging regional cooperation.”
Under Olens’ leadership the ARC adopted a $51 billion transportation plan and formed the Transit Planning Board to create a cohesive regional transit system.
Georgia Trend magazine named Olens one of its 100 Most Influential Georgians each of the past five years.
He was unopposed for re-election in November.
Updated February 10, 2009
Planners hope to control future sprawl
Without a plan, growth is likely to follow the current pattern.
By Kevin Turner
kevin.turner@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4609
The Florida Times-Union
http://www.jacksonville.com/business/2009-02-10/story/planners_hope_to_control_future_sprawl
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Reality Check First Coast, a long-term planning project effort for the seven-county region surrounding Jacksonville, on Monday unveiled a model showing jobs and population centers in the area - expressed entirely in red and yellow Lego toy building blocks.
The model showed that years of "bedroom community" growth has left jobs in the urban core and has pushed houses toward the suburban fringes. The blocks in Nassau and St. Johns counties, for example, were mostly yellow for residential and about a fourth to a third red, for jobs. In downtown Jacksonville and along traffic corridors emanating from the city, there were multiple layers of red blocks with red towers on a foundation of yellow squares.
Program proponents say if local governments do nothing more than maintain the status quo, growth will continue to sprawl as roads, electricity, water and other infrastructure will be done reactively, not proactively, and thousands of people will be left without adequate parks and open spaces.
Unplanned, the Legos representing the First Coast in 2060 would express 1.6 million more people and 650,000 more jobs, following the same sprawling approach as growth since 1960.
That's not acceptable, said Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts, who is on the steering committee of Reality Check First Coast.
"If you fill every inch, you'll ruin the very thing that brought people here in the first place," he said.
Northeast Florida Regional Council CEO Brian Teeple said that on March 12, project members will take the wraps off a Lego model expressing how the area will look like in 2060 without planning.
And it won't be pretty, he said.
"It will make a compelling argument that we need to do something," he said.
On May 21, 300 government, nonprofit and business leaders will meet at the St. Johns County Convention Center in Renaissance Resort at World Golf Village and work in teams of 10 in a daylong exercise, laying Legos on regional maps to show where they think growth should go over the next 50 years. The exercise will include Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns counties.
Residents can get involved now by completing a survey or nominating a government, nonprofit or business leader at the realitycheckfirstcoast.com Web site. Teeple said each will comprise one third of the final group of 300, and it's the goal of the exercise to include a representative cross-section of the people in the area. On March 23, a simultaneous one-night town hall meeting will be held in each of the seven First Coast counties.
Organizers expect the program will yield results by fall 2010, and that can be a model for a growth "compact" agreed upon by governments in the region.
Reality Check First Coast is a program spearheaded by the Northeast Florida Regional Council and Urban Land Institute North Florida District Council, but also includes the Cornerstone Regional Development Partnership, University of North Florida, St. Johns River Water Management District, North Florida Transportation Planning Organization, Urban Land Institute of North Florida and The St. Johns River Alliance.
Updated February 4, 2009
Cleveland "green" agency wants to rethink region's transportation system
By Maureen Kyle
WKYC.com; Cleveland/Akron, OH
http://www.wkyc.com/news/local/news_article.aspx?storyid=106537&catid=3
February 4, 2009
CLEVELAND -- As the senate debates President Obama's economic recovery plan, billions of dollars could hang in the balance when it comes to the nation's infrastructure.
But is patching up our highways and roads the answer when it comes to moving our region forward? Maureen Kyle is taking an in depth look at your commute and how some organizations think its time for a change.
"We've spent the last 50 years a certain kind of transportation system in America and in our cities. It's a transportation system that's really focused on the automobile and promoting more and more driving," says Green City Blue Lake Director, David Beach.
Rusted bridges and crumbling roads, fluctuating gas prices and a society with an unhealthy addiction to automobiles; this was not the intended destination of our highway and transportation system.
But it's now seen as a signal for change.
"It will take investment, we need to improve our transit system, we need bike facilities, we need to improve our pedestrian environment and our streets that are walkable," says Beach.
He thinks if the government is going to pump billions of dollars into fixing our highways and roads, why not do a complete overhaul?
That is up to the Northeast Ohio Area wide Coordinating Agency.
"NOACA receives 30 to 40 million dollars a year of federal funds that the governing board allocates for transportation projects. Out of that - most of the money is focused on reinvigorating the existing transportation system," says Howard Maier with NOACA.
The agency allocates money for transportation projects in 5 Northeast Ohio counties. He says money does go toward bike lanes, rideshare programs and new transit systems.
"Right now we already have plans to that effect. But you have to consider billions of dollars have been spent in a transportation system that supports an automotive way of travel."
Beach says a little bit of funding is not nearly enough.
"We're spending that money everyday. Northeast Ohio spends hundreds of millions of dollars each year on transportation infrastructure and we're going to do that regardless. The key is to make sure we're spending it on the right things that moves us in a sustainable direction and doesn't keep making the mistakes of the past."
Beach is realistic. He knows a large span mass transit system won't replace I-77 in the next few years. But there's no reason the government can't move traffic in that direction.
"Transforming that to create something more sustainable and healthier won't happen overnight, it will take another few decades to change the system into something better."
Updated January 30, 2009
Senate considers letting counties band together on transportation
By ARIEL HART
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Monday, January 26, 2009
The Senate Transportation Committee took up legislation Monday that would allow multi-county regions to levy themselves a one-cent sales tax for transportation projects in their regions.
If passed, the legislation would open the door for projects including roads, rail mass transit, or perhaps even intercity high-speed rail, said Sen. Jeff Mullis, (R-Chickamauga), chairman of the committee.
SB39 and SR44, if passed by the General Assembly, would still need a constitutional amendment to be enacted. That amendment would have to be approved by Georgia voters.
Metro Atlanta’s region would be defined by the 10 counties served by the Atlanta Regional Commission, though counties could vote to opt out of it.
Elsewhere in the state, counties that border each other could vote to join each other in a region.
After the regions are formed and their projects’ list drawn up, each region’s voters would vote on the projects and tax to pay for them.
Mullis said his proposed legislation was a first draft and would change. It now includes tax exemptions for fuel, products used in generating energy, or energy used by manufacturers.
Rep. Vance Smith (R-Pine Mountain) is expected soon to introduce a house bill on transportation that would propose a one-cent tax statewide to raise money for projects.
Updated January 14, 2009
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Elects New Board Chairman, Supervisor Penelope Gross
New chairman named at Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
The Washington Business Journal
Penelope Gross, Fairfax County supervisor, is the newly-elected board chairman of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.
The board is made up of local and state elected officials from D.C., Maryland and Virginia and handles policies, functions, and funds across 21 jurisdictions.
Gross represents the Mason District on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and has led environmental and public safety initiatives since first joining COG in 1998.
“As a longtime participant at COG, I am well aware of the positive work we can accomplish when local governments collaborate on big-picture, regional issues like transportation, environmental planning, and emergency preparedness,” she said, in a statement. “This year presents us with many challenges, but I am confident that we will continue to work together to make this region the best place in the nation to live, work, play and learn.”
Gross was first elected to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors from the Mason District in 1995. She was the first chair of COG’s Chesapeake Bay Policy Committee, a group that helped local governments push for restoration efforts.
In addition to her regional work at COG, Gross also represents Virginia, Maryland, D.C. and West Virginia on the National Association of Regional Councils Board of Directors.
COG also elected Kwame Brown and Andrea Harrison as its 2009 vice chairs. Brown has served as an At-Large member on the D.C. council since 2005.
Harrison is the District 5 Council Member on the Prince George’s County Council. She was elected to that post last year.
Updated November 25, 2008
Atlanta Regional Commission Awarded the 2008 National Award for Smart Growth AchievementRelease date: 11/19/2008
Contact Information: Dave Ryan, 202-564-4355 / ryan.dave@epa.gov
(Washington, D.C. – November 19, 2008) EPA is recognizing four communities for innovative approaches to development that expand economic opportunity and protect public health and the environment. The 2008 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement goes to the Silver Spring Regional Center in Montgomery County, Md.; the Atlanta Regional Commission; the Urban Edge Housing Corporation in Roxbury, Mass.; and Mercy Housing California and the San Francisco Housing Authority.
"By adopting smart growth approaches, the recipients of the 2008 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement are helping improve the quality of life and the quality of the environment for their residents," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "This year's award winners are responsibly building toward a healthier, brighter future, and I encourage other communities to follow their fine example."
As communities around the country look for ways to grow that protect and enhance their natural environments and create prosperity, many are turning to smart growth strategies. They are cleaning and reusing previously developed land, providing more housing and transportation choices, preserving critical natural areas, and using a variety of green building techniques. In addition to developing vibrant places to live, work, shop and play, these smart growth strategies also protect the quality of our air, water and land.
This year's competition was open to public and private sector entities. Winners were selected based on how effectively they used smart growth strategies to improve their communities and how well they engaged citizens and fostered partnerships.
EPA created the National Award for Smart Growth Achievement in 2002 to recognize outstanding approaches to development that benefit the economy, the community, public health, and the environment. Since 2002, EPA has recognized 32 smart growth leaders from among 523 applications representing 46 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
In addition to presenting the annual awards, the program conducts research and policy analysis on growth issues, provides direct technical assistance to state and local governments, delivers outreach and public education, coordinates EPA's green building efforts, and collaborates with partners in the Smart Growth Network, a coalition of more than 30 state and national organizations focused on development issues.
More information on the winners and EPA's smart growth program: http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth
More information on the Smart Growth Network: http://www.smartgrowth.org
The award categories and winners are:
Overall Excellence: Silver Spring Regional Center in Montgomery County, Md. for the Downtown Silver Spring Redevelopment Project that united public and private organizations in revitalizing their historic downtown.
Policies and Regulations: Atlanta Regional Commission for the Livable Centers Initiative that helps communities meet air quality goals by planning transportation improvements in concert with revitalization of existing development centers and corridors.
Built Projects: Urban Edge Housing Corporation for the Egleston Crossing project, which helped renew a neglected corridor in Boston's Roxbury and Jamaica Plain neighborhoods with two new buildings that used green building techniques and provided new amenities and much-needed affordable housing.
Equitable Development: Mercy Housing California and the San Francisco Housing Authority for the Mission Creek Senior Community project, which transformed a brownfield site into an attractive, mixed-use, low-income senior community.
Regional Green Building Program Honored
The American Society of Civil Engineers-National Capital Section recognized the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments regional green building program with its 2008 Sustainability Award. The award honors private-industry outreach initiatives or public legislation and programs in the metropolitan Washington area that advance or promote the responsible and sustainable development of infrastructure, the built-environment or the conservation of natural resources.
Last year, COG's Intergovernmental Green Building Group released its report, Greening the Washington Metropolitan Region’s Built Environment, which explored issues related to building practices and the region’s environment. It reviewed best practices and green building standards, and offered recommendations that local governments and COG could implement to improve the performance of buildings region-wide.
On December 12, 2007, the COG Board of Directors approved the report and its recommended green building standards for the construction of new government and commercial structures that it hopes will be adopted by all local jurisdictions.
The standards endorsed by the COG Board were set by the U.S. Green Building Council and establish a four-level point system for rating new construction based on whether the buildings use environmentally friendly designs that are, for example, energy efficient, control storm-water runoff reduce construction-related waste. The standards, called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) were developed to reduce the environmental impact of buildings.
Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers represents more than 140,000 civil engineers worldwide and is the nation’s oldest engineering society. The ASCE-National Capital Section was founded in 1916 and represents more than 3,000 local civil engineers.
To view Greening the Washington Metropolitan Region’s Built Environment, click here.