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| Calendar |
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| March 17 |
| Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee, 9 a.m. |
| March 25 |
9-1-1 Board of Directors, 1 p.m.
Intermodal Transportation Policy Committee, 1:20 p.m.
ACOG Board of Directors, 1:45 p.m.
Garber-Wellington Policy Committee, 2:30 p.m. |
| April 13 |
| COUASI Budget Committee, 1:30 p.m. |
| April 15 |
| Intermodal Transportation Technical Committee, 10 a.m. |
| April 19 |
| Encompass 2035 Citizens Advisory Committee, 3 p.m. |
| April 27 |
| COUASI Work Group Meeting, 1:30 p.m. |
| April 29 |
9-1-1 Board of Directors, 1 p.m.
Intermodal Transportation Policy Committee, 1:20 p.m.
ACOG Board of Directors, 1:45 p.m.
Garber-Wellington Policy Committee, 2:30 p.m. |
| Association of Central Oklahoma Governments |
www.acogok.org
21 E. Main Street, Suite 100
Oklahoma City, OK 73104
Phone: (405) 234-2264
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ACOG Newsletter: March 2010
Welcome to the e-mail edition of Central Oklahoma Perspective! To see more information like this you may use the links at the bottom to update your profile, subscribe to our other topics, forward to a friend or unsubscribe. We appreciate your interest as we are excited to bring you news in this format.
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Interesting Numbers Regarding the 2010 Census
With Census forms now in households across the region, the Census Bureau offers up some interesting facts on the nation's population count:
10: It takes just 10 minutes for the average household to complete 10 simple questions. The census form is one of the shortest in history, asking households to provide the names of residents and their sex, age and date of birth, race, whether of Hispanic origin, relationship to householder, whether the home is owned or rented and telephone number.
99: Percentage of the population in housing units that will be able to mail back the questionnaire. Approximately 90 percent will receive the questionnaire in the mail; another 9 percent will receive it from a census taker who will drop off the form for the resident to fill out and mail back. About one percent of the population will receive a visit from a census taker who will fill out the resident's answers on the questionnaire at the home.
360 million: Total number of questionnaires that have been printed. Stacked one on top of another, a pile of these forms would stand about 29 miles high - more than five times higher than Mount Everest.
11.6 million: Collective weight of the paper the questionnaires were printed on in pounds. The printing of these questionnaires required 295,259 pounds of ink.
6: Number of languages that questionnaires are available in: English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Russian and Vietnamese. (Translated questionnaires are available upon request.)
4/1: Since 1930, Census Day has been April 1. Census Day is not the deadline for mailing back the questionnaire, Census Day is simply the reference date the bureau sets for people to report their household information. For more information, visit www.census.gov. |
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Cornett, Rosenthal Retain Mayor Seats
Voters in the region went to the polls in early March with council and mayor seats and new propositions on the ballot. In Oklahoma City, Mayor Mick Cornett won re-election to his third term. In Norman, incumbent candidates won all of their races. Mayor Cindy Rosenthal, Councilmembers Carol Price Dillingham, James Griffith and Dan Quinn retained their positions. Norman voters also approved a $19 million proposition for a bond package to continue the 2005 street maintenance program, which will include the reconstruction of four miles of road near the city's core. Another proposition of $2.25 million for an updated and expanded emergency warning system was also passed by Norman voters.
In Midwest City, 52 votes decided the Mayor's race in favor of Jack Fry over incumbent Russell Smith. Robert Pittman was re-elected in Nicoma Park.
In Canadian County, a total of seven candidates ran for the District 3 Commissioners seat, which opened after the death of Commissioner Grant Hedrick in November. John Morris won the democrat primary, while Jack Stewart won the republican primary. The general election for the seat takes place April 6. Also in Canadian county, Nick Grba won the Ward 1 seat for the City of Yukon. |
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National Telecommunicator Week Scheduled for April 11-17
In 1991, Congress designated the second full week in April each year as National Telecommunicator Week (NTW). The week is spent honoring and thanking emergency dispatchers and 9-1-1 call-takers all over the country for their important work.
During Telecommunicator Week in Central Oklahoma, April 11-17, 9-1-1 ACOG will be honoring the 250-plus Emergency 9-1-1 dispatchers in the Central Oklahoma region for their unwavering dedication to public safety. The theme this year is "Pay it Forward" because 9-1-1 dispatchers are always providing assistance to anyone who needs it.
Some of the events scheduled to take place will include: Answering center visits, recognition gifts for every calltaker, a 9-1-1 Child Hero Award and 9-1-1 Dispatcher of the Year Award and Reception, 9-1-1 Day at the State Capital (Wednesday, April 14 from 9 a.m.- 3 p.m.), a call center decorating contest and daily door prize drawings. Sponsors include the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgs, Robinson Crossing 6/Starplex Cinemas, Carpenter Square Theatre, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, Inc., and Yukon Stage Door. Anyone who is interested in making a donation, please call Lysa Baker at (405) 234-2264, or email lbaker@acogok.org. |
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New 9-1-1 System Being Installed Throughout Region
After much anticipation, the new E9-1-1 system for the 9-1-1 ACOG region is almost ready to launch. Positron VIPER (Voice over Internet Protocol for Emergency Response) is Positron's next generation enhanced 9-1-1 controller.
Positron VIPER provides the power and flexibility of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. The designed Internet Protocol (IP) solution will combine both voice and data over the dedicated 9-1-1 ACOG public safety network. "Placing the voice path on to the network allows for much better management and routing of 9-1-1 calls," says 9-1-1 Programs Manager Johnny Irons.
The Positron Power 9-1-1 integrated intelligent workstation provides call-takers with in screen control of both landline and wireless calls and flexibility to integrate newer technologies accessing 9-1-1 such as IP and telematics, which can include motor vehicle GPS systems. As installation of the new system progresses throughout the region, 9-1-1 ACOG will begin training call-takers and managers this spring. The training will be coordinated with answering points once the finalized installation schedule is completed. Training sessions will be a hands-on experience, and will include the new, upgraded mapping system. | |
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Around the Region
Ryan Poots has joined the ACOG staff as a GIS Specialist. Poots is a native of Nebraska and will work on GIS and datasets for the E9-1-1 and Public Safety Division. He has a bachelor's in geography from the University of Nebraska Lincoln and a master's in geography, with an emphasis in GIS, from the University of Nebraska Omaha. He moved to Central Oklahoma last month and enjoys Husker football and other sports, and has an interest in meteorology and the great outdoors.
Residents in the city of Norman were among the first to receive OG&E's new "smart meters" in February. All of Norman's business and residential customers will get the new meters, which are designed for users to better manage energy consumption. The meters allow for remote reading and service connection. They also notify OG&E when there is an outage. The project may pave the way for statewide implementation.
ACOG was awarded a Certificate of Merit as an Oklahoma Healthy Business. The honor is part of a workplace program sponsored by the State Health Department, Oklahoma Academy, State Chamber and Oklahoma Turning Point that recognizes businesses, schools and organizations that have wellness initiatives. In the last year, ACOG has developed a Wellness Committee that has sponsored a lunch-and-learn series and some inter-office wellness competitions.
Central Oklahoma Clean Cities' project was awarded a Silver Merit at the 44th Annual ADDY awards. The publications, School Bus Idling Reduction: Project Report & Implementation Guide for Oklahoma School Districts, were designed by Studio fj, in Oklahoma City. The pieces were entered in the Public Service Category for Single Medium Campaign. In addition to the ADDY award, James Harber, of Studio fj, was named Young Advertising Professional of the Year by the Oklahoma City Advertising Club.
Theta Dempsey recently received a retirement gift that will live on for ages. Dempsey retired last month from the University of Oklahoma as Director of Parking and Transit Services. At her retirement party, OU President David Boren named the university's recently built transportation headquarters the Theta M. Dempsey Transportation Operations Center. Congratulations for this great honor.
Oklahoma Forestry Services is now accepting applications for Firewise/Community Wildfire Protection Planning Grants. The grant does not require a match and provides funding for contractors to conduct a community wildfire assessment and create a firewise/community wildfire protection plan. The application deadline is April 30, 2010. Eligible applicants are communities with the power to zone or codify development in a geographic area. The maximum grant is $10,000. The application can be found at www.forestry.ok.gov. |
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Events
Grant Writing Workshop, March 29-30, 2010
Mid-America Christian University Department of Public Safety and Grant Writing USA will present a two-day grant writing workshop in Oklahoma City, March 29-30, 2010. Beginning and experienced grant writers from city, county and state agencies as well as nonprofits, K-12, colleges and universities are encouraged to attend.
Purchase orders, checks and cards are welcome. Multi-enrollment discounts are available. Tuition payment is not required at the time of enrollment. Tuition is $425 and includes a workbook and a disk that's packed full of tools and more than 200 sample grant proposals. Seating is limited, online reservations are necessary.
2010 LitterBlitz Looking for Teams
Oklahoma City and Oklahoma City Beautiful are sponsoring the 2010 LitterBlitz. Teams can register online before March 31 to commit to cleaning a local site during the month of April. Call 525-8822 or register at www.okcbeautiful.com.
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The Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG) is a voluntary association of city, town and county governments within the Central Oklahoma area. The ACOG region includes Oklahoma, Cleveland, Canadian and Logan Counties. Originally established in June of 1966, ACOG is one of 11 Councils of Governments in the State of Oklahoma, and one of several hundred planning organizations across the country. |
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