NOACA hosts successful Annual Meeting

More than 250 people attended NOACA's Annual Meeting, "The True Cost of Transportation," held September 12 at the Cleveland Convention Center. Keynote speaker Scott Bernstein, president and cofounder of the Center for Neighborhood Technology, described the Housing + Transportation Affordability Index, which estimates the cost of housing and transportation based on location to measure "location efficiency." This web-based tool can help people understand the impacts of the combined costs of housing and transportation to gain a truer picture of the cost of choosing places to live and work.

Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, Congressman Bob Gibbs and Scott Bernstein, president of the Center for Neighborhood Technology, participated in a panel discussion.

A lively panel discussion featuring Bernstein and Congressional representatives Marcy Kaptur and Bob Gibbs followed the keynote address. These presentations, along with the opening remarks from NOACA Executive Director Grace Gallucci, can be viewed on You Tube.

Samide receives 2014 Ehrnfelt Award for Outstanding Regional Contribution

Geauga County Commissioner and current NOACA Board

Geauga County Commissioner and current NOACA Board President   Mary E. Samide

President Mary E. Samide was honored as the 2014 recipient of the Walter F. Ehrnfelt, Jr. Award for Outstanding Regional Contribution at NOACA's Annual Meeting. The award recognizes an individual in the public sector who has contributed significantly toward the betterment of the NOACA region by exhibiting leadership, skill and accomplishment, traits exhibited by the late Strongsville Mayor Walter F. Ehrnfelt throughout his public career.  

Samide has been a member of the NOACA Board of Directors since 2004 and previously served as its president in 2008."Mary is a respected leader, dedicated to public service," says NOACA Executive Director Grace Gallucci. "As NOACA Board president, she has worked diligently to encourage collaboration among NOACA's five member counties for the benefit of the entire region." Samide is the 11th recipient of the Ehrnfelt award.

NOACA also distributed the region's first-ever Commuter Choice Awards at its Annual Meeting. The awards recognize and reward organizations that practice and promote environmentally friendly commute alternatives, including  transit, carpooling, bicycling,

Commuter Choice Awards ceremony at NOACA's Annual Meeting

walking and telecommuting. NASA Glenn Research Center received a Gold rating, Tucker Ellis LLP received a Silver rating, and four organizations achieved a Bronze rating. Visit NOACA's website for the complete list of award and honorable mention recipients.

Do you think your company has what it takes to earn a Commuter Choice Award Gold, Silver or Bronze rating? Consider applying for an award next summer.

In 2014, NOACA made significant progress on its Regional Strategic Plan, adopting a Vision Statement with five integral goals and objectives for meeting the goals. The new Vision Statement and goals serve as the theme for NOACA's 2014 Annual Report, Planning with Vision. Take a look at the report and see how NOACA's work program products and accomplishments link to the goals and serve communities and people in northeast Ohio.

Could you use some handy transportation to zip across the Cuyahoga River into downtown Cleveland for a meeting or get to your favorite Ohio City eatery for lunch? Try using a bike! A     bike-sharing program recently launched in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood to help people get to nearby destinations conveniently and cost effectively. You can rent a bike for $3 an hour or a maximum $24 for one day from Zagster, a Massachusetts-based bike-sharing company. The bikes can be rented at and dropped off at any one of six locations around Ohio City and at the Superior Viaduct. This is a one-year pilot program that, if successful, could spread to Cleveland's east-side neighborhoods and University Circle.

 

* Revised headline. Please note, this is not a City of Cleveland program. 

ODOT announces Specialized Transportation Program funding awards

Northeast Ohio's seniors and individuals with disabilities rely on special transit vehicles operated by human service agencies to transport them conveniently to medical facilities, stores and senior centers. The vehicles, equipped with wheelchair lifts,

Special vehicles transport older adults from their homes to senior centers, stores and other places they need to go.

help older adults and the physically challenged live at home and remain self-sufficient. NOACA works with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to help human service agencies acquire federal Specialized Transportation Program funding to purchase these special vehicles.

ODOT's Office of Transit recently announced the fiscal year 2014 recipients of Specialized Transportation Program funding. Four social service agencies in Cuyahoga, Lorain and Medina counties will receive funding for purchasing vehicles. "This is good news," says Grace Gallucci, NOACA executive director. "NOACA is committed to helping all residents of our region find the transportation services they need."

NOACA Board of Directors Meets October 10

NOACA's Board of Directors will meet at 10 a.m. on Friday, October 10 at NOACA's office, 1299 Superior Avenue. At this meeting, the Board will consider several actions, including approving:

• NOACA's Fiscal Year 2014 Overall Work Program Completion Report
• Revisions to the agency's Financial Investment Policy
• Project planning reviews for the first quarter of state fiscal year 2015
• Amending the long-range transportation plan, with $562 million in minor projects (costing $5 million or less)
• Authorization to execute a State Infrastructure Bank loan for Vrooman Road in Lake County
• Waste water Facility Planning Area boundary changes in Lake and Cuyahoga counties