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In This Issue
Directions
Hancock County Has Public Transportation
Reuse-a-Shoe Lives!
Disaster Recovery Funds Available
Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy Update
Upsurge in Electronic Recycling
Energy Efficiency Retrofit Funding
American Recovery & Reinvestment Act
Human Trafficking

Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) Update
WIRC and the CEDS Strategy Committee Need Your Input!
CEDS

The Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) is the strategic plan for community and economic development for the six county region served by the Western Illinois Regional Council (WIRC), including the counties of Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Knox, McDonough and Warren.  The WIRC, in conjunction with its CEDS Strategy Committee, is seeking input on the updating of the CEDS for the 2010 year.  In order to complete the process, we are asking for your assistance.

Please visit our website.   WIRC website click here

By clicking on the WIRC link above you will be opening the September 2009 CEDS document.  Please read and review the document and offer any suggestions for goals, strategies or data updates.  If you have any input or comments, please mail them to:

WIRC CEDS
223 South Randolph Street
Macomb, Illinois 61455

or email them to:

[email protected]

YOUR FEEDBACK IS IMPORTANT TO US AND WE WOULD LIKE YOUR INPUT!



HANCOCK COUNTY
HAS A PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM
HCPT logo


Hancock County will have public
transportation beginning June 1, 2010 as the result of a collaborative effort between the Hancock County Public Transportation Committee, McDonough County Public Transportation, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and Western Illinois Regional Council staff (WIRC). WIRC and IDOT staff members have been working with the Hancock County Public Transportation Committee for over two years to design and implement a public transportation program that would best suit the needs of Hancock County residents. Planned service includes door-to-door demand response transportation within the county and out-of-county, non-emergency medical transportation within a two hour radius of Carthage. Service hours are from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday, excluding major holidays. WIRC staff prepared and submitted several grant applications to IDOT to secure funding for the service, including FY10 and FY11 Section 5311 operating assistance grant applications and an application for New Freedom Program funding for the out-of-county, non-emergency medical transportation service. Hancock County residents will be able to make ride appointments beginning May 17.


TCR&WMC
Tri-County County Resource & Waste Management Council

REUSE-A-SHOE LIVES!

Reuse 102

The Reuse-a-Shoe Program has become a year-long shoe collection. No longer is spring cleaning the only time you can recycle your used athletic shoes. Starting now, two facilities will be open to accept your used athletic shoes on a year-round basis. The Tri-County Regional Collection Facility, 510 N. Pearl Street in Macomb, can accept shoes Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm and the first Saturday of the month from 8:00 am to noon.  Shoes can also be taken to the Maple City Recycling Center, 614 South 3rd Street, Monmouth, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 3:00 pm.   Read more...


TCR&WMC
Tri-County County Resource & Waste Management Council

UPSURGE IN ELECTRONIC RECYCLING

Eliza

Eliza and Richland Grove townships in Mercer County have conducted their 2010 clean-ups with amazing increases in the amounts of electronics and scrap metals recycled and items landfilled.  Read more..


Dear NetWIRC readers,

netwirc web logo Please distribute this newsletter to your City Council, Village Board and/or County Board.

Your help is very much appreciated. 
Sincerely,
 
Patti Sullivan-Howd
Western Illinois Regional Council
Public Relations Manager/Newsletter Editor

TopNetWIRC Newsletter - Volume 21/Issue 1
DIRECTIONS - Suzan Nash, Executive Director
As you know, there are many wonderful projects that the agency staff completes on a daily basis.  I thought I would focus on some economic development related projects that we are, and have been, working on of late. 

The first is the updating of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, or CEDS plan, which is a requirement as a result of the US Economic Development Administration (EDA) designating the agency as a six county Economic Development District (EDD). As a function of the EDD annual work program, the EDD is charged with the update of the CEDS plan. The first approved CEDS was completed in 2007 with the intent of framing the regional demographic, economic and social climate in relation to the potential future community and economic development projects for the counties and the region. In other words, the CEDS is the road map, by way of review of strengths and obstacles, to desired regional growth. Updates of the CEDS have occurred each year since then and staff is currently gathering and reviewing more current data in relation to the six counties for this year's update. Included in this process is a Strategy Committee comprised of persons representing various sectors such as business or industry, economic development, public officials, Workforce Investment Board, etc. The staff will again be working with the Strategy Committee in this CEDS update process gaining feedback and input regarding the goals, objectives and projects to include in the document and in devising this regional road map.  Read more...


TopNCetWIRC Newsletter - Volume 21/Issue 1

Community Development News

WIRC Sponsors Community & Economic
Development Workshop
workshop photo
WIRC, with funding assistance made possible by the Economic Development Administration (EDA), is hosting a local elected officials' luncheon and afternoon workshop to provide information to local communities about upcoming funding initiatives and how best to compete in obtaining local appropriations.  This workshop will be held May 13.  Please watch your mail for the invitation and remember to respond in order to reserve your space.


TopNetWIRC Newsletter - Volume 21/Issue 1

Energy Efficiency Retrofit Funding Opportunity Deadline is June 11!
The WIRC is launching a grant program for local governments in an eight county region in western Illinois.  ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS are units of government in the counties of Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Knox, Mason, McDonough, Menard and Warren.  WIRC is a sub-recipient of Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) funds from the Illinois Association of Regional Councils (ILARC).  ILARC has a contract with Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) to administer the program throughout Illinois.  WIRC will administer the program in this eight county region.  The US Department of Energy (DOE) is overseeing the DCEO program that is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).  Read more...

TopNetWIRC Newsletter - Volume 21/Issue 1

American Recovery & Reinvestment  Act & YOU
eagle
The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) created several new types of tax-exempt bonds under the Internal Revenue Code.  Of particular note, the ARRA created new tax incentives for certain taxable governmental bonds called Build America Bonds and Recovery Zone Economic Development Bonds whereby the governmental issuer of such bonds may elect (in lieu of issuing tax-exempt bonds) to receive a direct refundable credit payment from the Federal government equal to a percentage of the interest payments on these bonds.

For more information on this bonding authority in your county, please contact WIRC Community Development staff at 309-837-3941.


TopNetWIRC Newsletter - Volume 21/Issue 1

Disaster Recovery Funds Available
Flood 3
Illinois has been allocated $17,341,434 in supplemental Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for disaster recovery.  The federal disaster declaration that is relevant to this supplemental appropriation is 1771.  Eligible areas include Adams, Calhoun, Clark, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Greene, Hancock, Henderson, Jasper, Lake, Lawrence, Madison, Mercer, Monroe, Pike, Randolph, Rock Island, Scott and St. Clair counties. For more information, contact the WIRC Community Development staff at 309-837-3941.
TopNetWIRC Newsletter - Volume 21/Issue 1

Human Trafficking
tied hands
Human trafficking isn't a topic often discussed around the dinner table, but it's time for each of us to educate ourselves about it.  There are more slaves in the world today than at any time in history.  Read more...
Western Illinois Regional Council
223 South Randolph St.
Macomb, IL 61455
(309) 837-3941
[email protected]
http://www.wirpc.org