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NOACA connection
News from the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency
February 2011 - Vol 1, Issue 2 |
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Comment on Public Interaction Policy Update | |
 NOACA has updated its Public Interaction Policy. You're invited to review this draft document and comment on the agency's policies and procedures related to public information, public involvement and public access. The review and comment period is now underway, and runs until 10:00 a.m. on April 8, 2011. For more information or to offer a comment, contact Senior Communications Specialist Gayle Godek.
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Transportation Committee Recommends Community Planning Awards | |
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The Puritas rapid station design was prepared with the help of a TLCI grant. |
NOACA's Transportation Advisory Committee has recommended 13 transportation planning projects, totaling $845,000, for federally funded planning assistance under the Transportation for Livable Communities Initiative (TLCI). The projects cover a variety of transportation issues, including streetscaping and other enhancements; improved access and mobility; bicycle and pedestrian improvements; and travel corridor improvements.
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The Puritas station, now under construction, is scheduled to be finished in late spring 2011 (photo couresy of RTA). |
NOACA annually sets aside funding for planning studies that improve neighborhoods and enhance quality of life through the TLCI. NOACA encourages communities to thoughtfully and thoroughly plan their transportation improvement projects, an important step toward project readiness, funding and implementation. The NOACA Governing Board will consider approving the 13 recommended projects at their March 11 meeting.
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Promote Clean Air - Post a Vehicle Anti-idling Sign | |
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Anti-idling sign |
Automobile exhaust is a leading source of air pollution, and vehicles that sit and idle contribute significantly to Northeast Ohio's unhealthy air. NOACA urges communities to adopt and enforce motor vehicle anti-idling ordinances to support this pollution-reducing strategy. In addition, NOACA will deliver a free aluminum anti-idling sign to public and private organizations to post by parking lots, loading docks, or anywhere vehicles needlessly idle their engines. Contact Air Quality Planner Amy Wainright to obtain a sign or obtain more information about anti-idling legislation.
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Streambank Stabilization Projects Planned for NOACA Area | |
NOACA seeks locations for streambank planting projects around the Black River, Rocky River, Big Creek and Euclid Creek this spring. The projects involve harvesting bank willows from Baldwin Lake in the Rocky River watershed, and planting them in other locations where streambank erosion is a problem. Bank willows have strong and intricate root systems that stabilize quickly and resist erosion.
NOACA staff will work with local watershed groups to identify an appropriate site and implement the planting project, with the hope that these groups will initiate additional projects in their communities. For more information contact Environmental Planner Andy Vidra.
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NOACA Representatives Go to Washington, D.C. | |
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NOACA Governing Board president Steve Hambley (left), NOACA executive director Howard Maier (second from left) and Board alternate Tom Jordan (right), meet with Ohio Congressman Bob Gibbs in Washington, D.C. |
NOACA executive director Howard R. Maier, along with board president Steve Hambley and board alternate Tom Jordan, travelled to the nation's capital in mid-February for the annual National Association of Regional Councils' annual policy conference. While in Washington, they engaged in discussions with Ohio's congressional representatives concerning reauthorization of the surface transportation law and the federal budget. NOACA advocates that the new law continue to give local officials, through their metropolitan planning organizations, responsibility for making decisions on where to allocate funding. In addition, they asked that federal allocations for public transit be more flexible so that funds can be used where needed - for operating costs as well as capital improvements.
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The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) is a regional organization of local officials responsible for carrying out transportation and environmental planning under the local direction and in accordance with state and federal mandates. The NOACA area encompasses the Cleveland/Lorain-Elyria metropolitan region, which includes Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain and Medina counties. |
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Howard R. Maier
Executive Director
NOACA
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