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_____________________________________________________________________________
Regional Community Development News – July 22, 2009 [regions_work]
A
compilation of news links about and for regional communities pursuing local and
regional development.
Published
on line since November 11, 2003.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Contents
Top
Regional Community stories … 1. – 9.
U.S. Regional Communities - sub-State,
State or multi-State – news articles …10.01 - .37
Other Regional Community News for Our
Local Planet … 11.01 - .29
Blogging about Regional Communities … 12.01 - .08
Announcements and Regional Links … 13.01 - .07
Financial Crisis …14.01 - .02
Custom search: region, regions,
regional communities … 15.
_________________________________________________________________________
Note: The
July 8 issue was left in the Pending file two weeks ago. It will be sent after
this. Apologies for the greater than normal overload. At
the group site, issue formats continue to vary randomly with print codes
appearing, etc., but are OK in the emails I receive. Digital technologies – our high maintenance fiends.
Patience and forgiveness are often required. Content also at http://regional-communities.blogspot.com/ Cheers. Ed.
Top
Regional Community stories
1. Regionalism at work - St. Louis Post-Dispatch -
The last Dodge Ram pickup rolled off the
assembly line at the Fenton North Plant on Thursday. The South Plant, which
assembled minivans, shut down in October. The two plants, which once employed as
many as 7,500 workers, soon will be mothballed.
“It’s almost as though
there’s been a death in the family,” said Fenton Mayor Dennis J.
Hancock of losing an iconic employer and the enterprise that put the city on
the map 50 years ago. …
But don’t feel too sorry for the city of
Fenton’s experience offers lessons for
local governments throughout the
Fenton had hoped for the best, but the mayor
said the city has been planning for a Chrysler Plant closing for nearly a
decade. Chrysler directly contributed about $500,000 year in tax revenue to
Fenton, so the city had to prepare for the worst.
Perhaps the smartest move Fenton made came in
1995: It abolished its police department and contracted with the St. Louis
County Police Department for patrol and other public safety services. That move
gave the city a little financial breathing room.
Mr. Hancock estimates that move has saved the
city $1 million per year — about twice the revenue lost from the Chrysler
closing. The city also contracts with the county for building inspections,
saving another $75,000 per year.
How many municipalities in this region can
afford to ignore such savings, even in better times?
…
http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-platform/published-editorials/2009/07/regionalism-at-work/
2. EDITORIAL: Aging Population
- FrederickNewsPost.com -
...
The Metropolitan
Washington Council of Governments analyzed vehicle registration data collected
after the economy began its downward skid. As mandated by federal law, the data
is to be used to make local air quality forecasts.
The Clean Air Act
requires that metropolitan areas account for their current and projected
emissions, including those resulting from future road and transportation
projects, to show that the area can and will remain within established
pollution limits.
This is where the economy
figures in, with a bit of a twist. Transportation planning assumptions have
traditionally been that an economic downturn, and the accompanying higher
unemployment, compels people to drive less, therefore reducing tailpipe
emissions and significantly precluding their introduction into our breathing
air.
Not so.
Not when, as the COG
study finds, people drive less, but do so in older vehicles.
This makes a lot of
difference.
Published reports on the
outcome of the COG study explained that vehicles on Washington-area roads are,
on average, six months older than they were in 2005. The increase is from about
7.9 to 8.4 years, enough to push the area to within the violation range of its
federally mandated limits for traffic-related pollutants.
Despite the fact that
we're expected to cut our driving by about 2.5 percent, the aging vehicle pool
on which we continue to rely will likely increase our emission pollutant
totals. …
The D.C. area is on a very
short leash vis-a-vis Clean Air Act requirements,
having failed to meet federal ozone standards for decades and with money for
regional transportation projects hanging in the balance.
The problem is not localized.
A spokesman for the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations thinks
it "will be a national issue." …
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/opinion/display_editorial.htm?StoryID=92482
3. Thrive uses collaborative approach to
help build a strong regional economy
WTN News – Press Release -
In our current national
economic climate, it is critical we use every tool at our disposal, every
advantage we have. Our actions today lay the foundation for the economic
climate of our region in years to come.
Our region is
unique—and fortunate—that visionary leadership from around the
region came together proactively during stronger economic times a few years ago
to discuss the future of the region. What is our shared regional vision? What
are our assets—man made and natural? How can we collaborate to reach a
strong, shared and sustainable future for the region?
Now is the time that we
reap the benefit of the leadership and vision of stronger times. Now is the
time that we need to come together as a region. We can no longer afford to
think of competition on a small scale, as we once did, city against city or
county versus county—our competition is now national and international,
for resources like workforce, capital and innovation. Last December the State
of the Madison Region report issued by Thrive [ http://www.thrivehere.org/
], the economic development
enterprise for the eight-county region, provided a glimpse at how we stack up
against some peer regions. It was no surprise that we were in the top tier for
employment growth, income, and many quality of life measures. The numbers are
not as good this year, of course, but as a region we are still doing better
than much of the nation and many of our peer regions. Regional collaboration is
and will continue to be our strongest competitive edge in today's global
economy.
While it may be a natural
human response in trying times to "circle the wagons", to pull your
resources closer—now is the time for every county, every community and
every business in our region to pull together and share our strengths.
...
Now more than ever, we
must all collaborate as a region to thrive.
http://wistechnology.com/articles/6334/
4. Local
Leaders Discuss Regional Mass Transportation System - NewsChannel5.com -
Middle
Metro Mayor Karl Dean has wanted a new and improved public transportation
system here in
He invited city and county mayors from across the mid-state to discuss
the issue as part of a ‘mayor's caucus.'
The state legislature recently passed a law allowing regions to dedicate
funding specifically for mass transit. Local governments must decide where that
money will come from and what it would be used for.
Dean said all options are still on the table including a light rail
system similar to one in
The mayor believes that if cities and counties pitch in financially the
region could then be eligible for Federal funding that could help make a
revamped regional transit system a reality.
"If we're going to be the type of region where people want to live
and settle and have a high quality of life where businesses want to be, we're
going to need to have a mass transit response to the congestion on the
interstate," said Dean.
…
The mid-state Mayor's caucus has looked to
http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=10772908&nav=menu374_1
5. New Lake
Tahoe regional plan closes in on next steps - North Lake Tahoe Bonanza -
Summarize, analyze, repeat.
Those are the steps the bi-state federal
agency in charge of protecting
Now, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency's Regional Plan Update's options are
available for review by citizens, partner agencies and other organizations
before they are finalized and sent to an environmental consultant for analysis.
“The more time we spend laying ground
work for the environmental document, the better chance we'll have of getting to
a regional plan that everyone can sign off on and support,” said TRPA
Spokesman Jeff Cowen.
TRPA staff is in the process of reviewing and
editing final project descriptions. The new Regional Plan, which will be
discussed at the July 22 TRPA Governing Board meeting at North Tahoe Conference
Center in Kings Beach, is supposed to update TRPA's
standing plan adopted in 1987, and basin residents are encouraged to review the
new plan offer feedback before then.
The plan's updated proposal is broken down
into four alternatives, including one no action alternative which offers no
changes to the 1987 plan.
• Alternative 2: …
• Alternative 3: …
• Alternative 4: …
Autonomy and community planning is an area of
concern for the League to Save Lake Tahoe.
“In the current regional plan, TRPA establishes a framework and
community planning teams are assembled to make choices for their communities
that are consistent with the overall framework which is designed to protect the
basin environment,” said Rochelle Nason,
executive director of the League to Save Lake Tahoe. “Under this approach
it appears that many decisions for communities will be made directly by the
TRPA and that is a matter of some concern.”
…
http://www.tahoebonanza.com/article/20090707/NEWS/907079990/1061&ParentProfile=1050
6.
Richmond City Councilman Charles R. Samuels today blasted the city for
failing to give vendors a chance to compete for the purchase of police cars.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported this morning that city officials
violated procurement rules when they bought 40 police cars for nearly $1
million in 2007 without allowing vendors to compete for the business.
The procurement services department wrongly treated the purchase as
though only one vendor could provide the Crown Victoria vehicles when numerous
Ford dealers across the city and nation could have, City Auditor Umesh Dalal wrote in a report
Tuesday to Mayor Dwight C. Jones and other officials.
Eric R. Mens, who authorized the purchase of
the vehicles, gave notice June 30 that he would resign effective Aug. 30 from
his post as
Samuels, who represents the 2nd District, said
Samuels, speaking to a breakfast meeting of the Greater Richmond Chamber,
said the purchasing deal will damage the city's credibility as well as its
attempts to foster regionalism.
"Until the city can earn the respect and trust of the surrounding
counties . . . it's going to be difficult to do so," he said.
…
7. OUR VIEW:
Share regional agreements -
SouthCoastToday.com -
In a report last fall, limited-government advocates at the Pioneer Institute
urged the state to advance the cause of regionalized local services by, among
other things, creating models for regional agreements. The idea was to give
cities and towns paths they could follow. Now, in the absence of state action,
Pioneer's new clearinghouse of real-life regional agreements gets the ball
rolling on a smart idea.
Far from returning to bigger county government, regionalism relies on
what Pioneer's Jim Stergios calls "organic"
growth. Communities with common interests, size and geography gravitate toward
one another naturally, rather than by mandate. The clearest SouthCoast
examples of organic regionalization may be our regional schools, which share
resources at the middle- and high-school levels between two sets of towns:
The new database gives communities access to agreements on animal
control, building inspection, sewage and water, plus sample documents executed
by municipalities that have joined the Group Insurance Commission. Joining the
GIC, which provides health insurance to state employees, became an option for
cities and towns in 2007. In general, the GIC costs less, its prices have risen
more slowly, and it offers more diverse options than typical municipal plans.
Since regionalization saves money, one might think cities and towns would
be clamoring, especially in a recession, to get on
board. But cooperation can be difficult.
...
The savings promised by regionalization
can help SouthCoast cities and towns slow the
escalating cost of government while providing the services residents have come
to expect. Municipalities would be wise to review useful agreements developed
by others and share their own. Nothing will happen without cooperation.
To view the clearinghouse, visit www.pioneerinstitute.org/clearinghouse.php
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090715/OPINION/907150320/-1/NEWSMAP
8.
Region developing a Niagara Culture Plan - Welland Tribune -
The region is advancing
its goal of developing a Niagara Culture Plan.
A forum held Tuesday at
the Sheraton Fallsview Hotel and Conference Centre,
entitled “Discovering Opportunities,” was designed to build on a
solid foundation that had been in the developing stages since first being
identified as a strategic objective of regional council.
The goal of the forum
was to “brainstorm” ideas to help stimulate the local economy
through the development of cultural assets in
The full-day workshop
brought together key stakeholders, including local businesses, the community
and cultural partners.
Patrick Robson,
commissioner of integrated community services for Niagara Region [ http://www.niagararegion.ca
],
said more than 140 people attended the event.
Robson said arts, heritage
and other expressions of
He said
Robson said many
individual groups and communities are already doing a great job at marketing
their cultural resources.
…
The challenge, said
Robson, is to frame all the various cultural components in the context of
economic development, while ensuring none of the players get left on the
sidelines.
In an effort to bring
as many sectors of the community together as possible, the team working on the
culture plan has even create a presence on Facebook.
Robson said social
networking Internet sites like Facebook is the best
way to engage the youth, who he said also have a stake in the plan.
…
Theatre is just one
example of a much broader application of the term “culture.”
“We want to celebrate the whole package, but
first we have to determine how big the package is,” Robson said.
…
http://www.wellandtribune.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1647496
9. Region's economy at stake - HeraldNet -
Local pessimists will see the Boeing Co.'s purchase of a 787 parts plant
in
The rest of us must see it for what it really is: a wake-up call -- and
perhaps the last, best opportunity -- to mobilize government, labor and business in a focused, unprecedented effort to
make Puget Sound the long-term aerospace capital of the world, led by a
thriving Boeing Co.
Some leaders have already been working at it. Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson, for example, has been shuttling between union
and company officials in an effort to forge greater trust that will lead to labor peace and make Boeing more reliable to its customers.
At the heart of Stephanson's effort is a
no-strike agreement between Boeing and its Machinists and engineers, with
contract impasses going to binding arbitration. Many public employee unions,
including police and firefighters, have done very well under such arrangements.
For their own self-interest, it's time for
Boeing's local union members, and the company, to turn the page from past
animosity to a new era of cooperation.
"Unless things change," Washington Roundtable Chair John
Stanton said in a statement Tuesday, "Boeing's future will
be outside the Northwest and that will be devastating to the
Indeed, the stakes couldn't be higher. Every
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090708/OPINION01/707089984
10. U.S. Regional Communities -
sub-State, State or multi-State - in news articles.
Bold
font words are Google search terms. Bold italic
words considered worth noting. In this and section 11, links to websites of
organizations are added to the news excerpt when this is the first time an
organization has been found. A goal of this newsletter is to find every
regional council in the
.01
The Tulare County Association
of Governments has hired the Fresno-based public relations firm
Jeffrey Scott Advertising to perform outreach services for it. The agency will
split publicity duties with
.02 Regionalism
- The insanity of state government
CW Unbound –
When the Washington Post's Neil Peirce wonders if
state government is "obsolete," he's not echoing Carla Howell.
Instead, he worries that gubernatorial "theatrics" (think Palin,
http://www.cwunbound.org/regionalism/
.03 Their
Words: Ward 5 Council Candidates
The
Scott Rosencrans: As I mentioned in
my opening remarks, regionalism is one of the primary tenets of my campaign.
When we’re talking about buying police cars, why can’t we get
together? ... The same thing could be done with expensive software programs,
and some ground is being broken in that area, as we speak. The consolidation of
our dispatch centers through Huron Valley Ambulance is a positive step in the
right correction in terms of regionalism. Reorganizing our
fire fighting districts so that they are cooperating in new ways so that the
closest fire station to your burning house is the one that responds.
There’s no question that regionalism and
cooperation between all of the public entities can be a great success, not only
in saving money, but in experiencing greater cooperation across the board with
better communication. ...
http://annarborchronicle.com/2009/07/14/their-words-ward-5-council-candidates/
.04 3-year
countdown begins for
The Associated Press
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j7WAc28al0-r3Q6Rvy0Oi4OwobJAD99J1P6O0
.05 Full
text of mayor's State of the City speech
We are honored to have
with us Council President Jeanne Robb and the entire City Council, District
Attorney Mitch Morrissey, and Clerk and Recorder Stephanie O'Malley. We are
also honored to have Gov. Bill Ritter, state
Treasurer Cary Kennedy, as well as former Mayor Wellington Webb, and numerous
state senators and represents, regional mayors and county commissioners. ... At
the heart of FastTracks will be Union Station. It
will be the next transformational project in our City. Once a key portal of
decades past, we see this landmark as an emblem of 21st century redevelopment,
and of our innovation and regional collaboration.
This isn't your father's train station. Denver Union Station will be a new,
vibrant hub for our City a transportation center linking the region and a
catalyst for all metro
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_12833525
.06 Mid-America
Regional Council hires Maltbia to lead Green Impact
Zone
The Mid-America Regional
Council hired Anita Maltbia as director of
the Green Impact Zone initiative. ... MARC started the Green Impact Zone
initiative in March, Dean Katerndahl, MARC’s government innovations forum director, ... the city allocated $1.5 million for the
zone’s operation, Katerndahl said. MARC also
has several grants pending, ...
http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2009/07/20/daily9.html
Green Impact Zone on the blog of
Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II -
http://emanuelcleaver.blogspot.com/search/label/Green%20Impact%20Zone;%20Economic%20Stimulus
.07 American Airlines teams up with
Dallas-Fort Worth visitors bureaus to increase bookings
Officials with four Dallas-Fort Worth area
visitors' bureaus and American Airlines Inc. announced a program Thursday
designed to put more zip into the slow-moving travel segment. Called DFW Meet
Now Promise, the program offers discounts and other incentives to groups that
book and hold meetings in
.08 The
Northwest salmon debate
OregonLive.com
Amid the drumbeat of litigation that surrounds
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/07/the_northwest_salmon_debate.html
.09 A
show of regional cooperation for high-speed rail
High-speed rail between
Members of the Capital Region
Collaborative, a partnership between the Richmond Regional Planning
District Commission and the Greater Richmond Chamber, and local government
leaders gathered with Gov. Timothy M. Kaine at Main
Street Station to show their support for the state’s recent application
of more than $2 billion in federal stimulus funds for high-speed rail. ...
.10 You
Are Not Alone,
While some of the direct-to-cities money hasn't
been distributed yet (such as the funds that Seattle might get from the Puget
Sound Regional Council), the NYT found that
the 100 largest metropolitan areas—which hold 2/3 of the population and
produce 3/4 of the economy got less than 1/2 of the stimulus money. ...
http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2009/07/you_are_not_alone_seattle.php
.11 Three
mayoral candidates make it official
“Obviously everyone is worried about the
economy,” Collins said. “We will need job creation. The best way to
reach that goal is to work regionally with
other northwest
http://www.toledoonthemove.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=325039
.12 Harper
continues transit board fight
Gary Post Tribune -
Regionalization will make way for an
endless stream of new taxes, said Porter County Commissioner Bob Harper. At the
board of commissioners meeting Tuesday evening, Harper continued to denounce
the idea of a regional transportation board and the "nightmare" it
will bring. He railed against the upcoming referendum affecting four counties
and urged the public to soundly defeat the measure. Voters in Porter, Lake, LaPorte and
http://www.post-trib.com/news/porter/1656182,pccomish0708.article
.13 Cooperation
key to transit issues
Mass transit solutions are impossible unless we
work together. Gov. M. Jodi Rell appears to
understand this. Rell and the five other New England
governors on Monday declared that the central
http://www.connpost.com/ci_12834404
.14 D.C.
Plays "Rich Uncle" in Recession
CBS News - Politico
The rest of the country has a new reason to hate
the inside-the-Beltway crowd: Our economy is better than yours. At 6.2 percent,
the unemployment rate in the D.C. metro region is lower than in any other major
metropolitan area in the country - and far below the 9.5 percent national
average. ... To be fair, the D.C. metro area has lost jobs for the last seven
consecutive months, with losses still accelerating month to month. But
Washington is losing far fewer jobs than any other city, and parts of the local
economy are actually growing that aren’t growing anywhere else, said
Steven Fuller, director of the Center for Regional Analysis at
George Mason University. And the jobs
that are being created are not federal bureaucrats precisely. Rather, the job
growth that’s offsetting some of the job losses is coming only indirectly
from the government; federal dollars are flowing to contractors, who can then
afford to hire workers and pay vendors who hire more. ...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/07/19/politics/politico/main5173472.shtml
.15 New
Chamber chief thinks big
David P. Lacki may have
spent the past two decades working in
http://www.buffalonews.com/145/story/731289.html
.16 Our
View: Redevelopment requires cooperation
Preston and
...
http://www.norwichbulletin.com/Opinion/x135743553/Our-View-Redevelopment-requires-cooperation
.17 Editorial:
Sniper dispute ricochet hits regionalism
roanoke.com -
First, law enforcement officers' safety was
compromised. Then, the
http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/wb/210729
.18 Museum
belonged in
The American Revolution Center's decision to move
to
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20090708_Museum_belonged_in_Valley_Forge.html
.19
In an effort to cut costs and not duplicate
efforts, the Greater Richmond Chamber has laid off its director of work-force
development. One reason for the cut is the creation of the Capital Region
Workforce Partnership, formed in October to combine work-force training
programs in
http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/business/local/article/B-CHAM08_20090707-211604/278575/
.20
Institute for Rural
Journalism and Community Issues -
http://www.uky.edu/CommInfoStudies/IRJCI/VisionsEastKy.htm
.21 Recession
in
MinnPost.com -
Hard knocks over the years have made
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