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Attention Board Members:

The next General Policy Board meeting will be on Monday, July 29th at 10:00 a.m. at Eastgate. Please visit our Calendar of Events page for more information on all upcoming Eastgate meetings.

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Executive Director Honored with National Leadership Award
Eastgate Executive Director John Getchey (r) and Fred Abousleman, Executive Director of NARC at NARC's Annual Meeting.

 

John R. Getchey, Executive Director of the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, received the Walter Scheiber Leadership Award at the Annual Meeting of the National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) held June 23-26, in Philadelphia. The award is granted annually to a director or president of a regional council of governments who demonstrates professional and executive management excellence in carrying out regional concepts, approaches, and programs. Mr. Getchey was nominated by Mr. Anthony Reams, President of the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments.  

 

The award recognizes the significant impacts an Executive Director has made at the local, state, and national levels. Mr. Getchey was particularly cited for his strength as an advocate for the region. Through his dedication to the region, he has provided a voice for regionalism by promoting cooperation among not only the member communities of Eastgate, but also local, state, and federal officials. Under his leadership, Eastgate has expanded its programs to better serve local governments and address valuable regional issues. Mr. Getchey received numerous letters of support for this award from members, state officials, and his peers across the state.

 

In addition to his work at Eastgate, Mr. Getchey was cited for his work with the Ohio Association of Regional Councils (OARC) where he served as Past President in 2008 and 2009. 



Safe Summer Driving

 

Each year, there are more than 10,000 traffic accidents occurring in Mahoning and Trumbull counties combined. During the spring and summer months, however, the number of accidents has shown to drop from around 1,000 accidents per month to around 800 accidents per month.

 

Though accidents are fewer and road conditions are less hazardous without winter's ice and snow, summertime driving is not without risk. Surprisingly, most summer accidents occur in favorable conditions: in clear weather, daylight, or on dry roads.

 

The warmer weather can be expected to bring more pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcycles to our roadways, causing an increase in accidents of these types. From 2009 to 2011, there was a total of 492 motorcycle accidents, 123 bicycle related accidents, and 227 pedestrian related accidents. 42% of these accidents occurred in the three month period from June to August.

 

Some accident patterns remain the same regardless of the time of year. Evening rush hour and Fridays are always peak accident times, and impaired drivers, animals, and construction zones can be hazards in any season.

 

Whether you are on a motorcycle, a bicycle, in a car or taking a stroll downtown, remember to be safe on the road this summer!

 

 

 

 

 

   

Eastgate's Metropolitan Transportation Plan Receives Federal Approval

The 2040 MTP Identifies Long and Short Range Planning Strategies for the Two-County Area

On May 14, 2013, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Transportation (Federal Highway and Federal Transit Administrations) jointly approved Eastgate's 2040 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP). The MTP identifies long and short range planning strategies that continue to accentuate the transportation system's effects within Eastgate's two county areas, including the area's physical, demographic, social, and economic environment components. Eastgate's 2040 MTP has a 28-year planning horizon out to the year 2040, addressing the 20-year planning horizon requirement.

 

The MTP identifies federal funding for eligible projects and activities related to highway, non-motorized, multimodal and transit. Eastgate, as the MPO, ensures that existing and future expenditures of governmental funds for transportation projects and programs in Mahoning and Trumbull counties are based on a continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive ("3-C") planning process.

 

Click to view the 2040 MTP

Eastgate Study Determines Success of Local Project 
 

Last year, the village of Newton Falls completed a signal project along State Route 534.The project replaced three existing signals, added one new signal, added pedestrian signals and added new lighting.

 

The project was funded through Eastgate's Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality (CMAQ) program.  Through MAP21, the new highway bill, the Federal Highway Administration has encouraged more performance based planning to determine the success of projects and to ensure that federal funds are being used in a prudent manner.Eastgate decided to measure the performance of the corridor before and after construction with travel time and delay studies.Prior to  construction, Eastgate planners drove the corridor repeatedly during certain times of the day and recorded travel times and stop times.After the project was complete and the new signals were installed, Eastgate again drove the corridor and recorded the times making sure to complete the study in the same manner as the initial study.Results from both studies show an increase in travel speeds, decrease in travel times and decrease in stop times.The before and after studies are available at Eastgate. 



Land Conservation Funding Available 

 

Ohio Governor John Kasich signed the Fiscal Year 2014-2015 operating budget bill which included $52 million for the three conservation programs of the Clean Ohio Fund.  That amount translates to $39 million for open space conservation, $6.5 million for farmland preservation, and another $6.5 million for multi-use trails construction will be available for future projects. Locally, the timeline for Round 8 of the Clean Ohio Conservation Fund, the only Clean Ohio program administered through Eastgate, will be announced this summer.

 

As a reminder for our member communities, the Conservation Fund is a state grant program which funds 75% of the cost of a land conservation project.  Eastgate looks for projects which contribute to clean water through wetland or riparian protection projects, habitat protection through open space conservation, and restoration projects (including reforestation or planting of vegetation for filtration), all which can be achieved through acquisition of land or a conservation easement.

 

If your community is interested in this program, please contact

Rachel McCartney to further discuss the rules and regulations and obtain a copy of the pre-application. 



Did You Know?   

Wetlands help stop pollutants from entering receiving waters. Wetlands hold excess flood waters, remove sediment and toxic substances, and remove or filter excess nutrients.

Regional Four-County Transportation
Partnerships Established Logo

 

Eastgate hosted a meeting of the Western Reserve Independent Living Center (WRILC) on June 27, 2013, to discuss regional transportation cooperative partnerships with agencies who provide services to older adults and people with disabilities in Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana, and Ashtabula Counties. The WRILC links older adults and people with disabilities with community resources to empower individuals and their families to advocate for themselves in areas of housing, transportation, peer support, independent living skills, and emergency planning.   

 

Currently, the transportation cooperative group is participating in the distribution of a four county transportation survey to address transportation needs and barriers for older adults and individuals with disabilities. The survey can be downloaded on Eastgate's website or the WRILC website.  

  

Eastgate continues to support and participate in regional transportation cooperative partnerships with local, state, and federal agencies for transportation related activates and programs that assist older adults and people with disabilities navigate transportation options and available resources in four counties. For further information contact Mirta Reyes-Chapman at Eastgate (330) 779-3800, or Jeremy Morris at WRILC (330) 372-3325.





The U.S. Census
Bureau - Facts for Features

Back to School: 2013-2014 

By August, summertime will be winding down and vacations will be coming to an end, signaling that back-to-school time is near. It's a time that many children eagerly anticipate - catching up with old friends and making new ones, and settling into a new daily routine. Parents and children alike scan the newspapers and websites looking for sales to shop for a multitude of school supplies and the latest clothing fads and essentials. This edition of Facts for Features highlights the many statistics associated with the return to classrooms by our nation's students and teachers.

 


Back to School Shopping

$8.5 billion

The amount of money spent at family clothing stores in August 2012. Sales at bookstores in August 2012 totaled $2.0 billion. 

Students

79 Million
 
The number of children and adults enrolled in school throughout the country in October 2011 -- from nursery school to college. They comprised 26.9 percent of the entire population age 3 and older. 

 

73%
Percentage of children 3 to 6 years old who are enrolled in school. 

 

Colleges

 

15%

Percentage of all college students 35 and older in October 2011. They made up 32 percent of those attending school part time. 

42%

Percentage of 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in college in 2011.  

Field of Degree

 

12 Million 

The number of people age 25 and over who held a bachelor's degree in business in 2011. Business degrees were reported by 20 percent of the population with a bachelor's degree followed by education (14 percent), science and engineering related fields (9 percent), social sciences and engineering, which were not statistically different from each other (8 percent); biological, agricultural and environmental sciences (6 percent), and other and liberal arts and history, which were not statistically different from each other (5 percent); psychology (5 percent); literature and languages (4 percent); computers, mathematics and statistics (4 percent); visual and performing arts (4 percent); communications (4 percent); and physical and related sciences (3 percent).  
Rewards of Staying in School

$81,761

Average earnings of full-time, year-round workers 18 and older with an advanced degree (bachelor's degree or higher) in 2011. Workers whose highest degree was a bachelor's had mean earnings of $70,459. Mean earnings for full-time, year-round workers with a high school diploma (includes GED certificate) was $40,634, while workers with less than a ninth grade education had $26,545 average earnings. 


Are you a Census Junkie?

 

If so, check out Population Bracketology, brought to you by the US Census Bureau. It's a fun and interesting way to learn more about relative metro or State populations. 

 

 

Over $8.5 Million Available for Local Infrastructure Projects  
 
The District 6 Public Works Integrating Committee (D6PWIC) has received notice of the SCIP/LTIP allocation for Program Year 2014 (PY2014) from the Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC). For PY2014, the communities in District 6 will receive $5,099,000 in SCIP funds, $2,177,000 in LTIP funds, and $1,363,000 in Revolving Loan funds for a total of $8,639,000 for PY 2014.
 
Program workshops were held on June 25th and 26th, at which time committee members were informed that the PY2014 program manuals will be much smaller, and therefore sent out electronically. The pre-applications will be due at Eastgate no later than 4:00 p.m. on Friday, September 6, 2013. This schedule will give the communities in District 6 over two months to prepare their pre-applications. The D6PWIC will meet several times in October and November to assess and prioritize the projects. The projects chosen for funding will be notified before Thanksgiving, with the completed applications due back at Eastgate no later than 4:00 p.m. on Monday, December 23rd, 2013. Eastgate staff will review the applications, and deliver them to the in early January 2013. 

At the
D6PWIC annual meeting held in May, the committee elected Pat Ginnetti, Mahoning County Engineer, as the Chairman for PY2014, and Randy Smith, Trumbull County Engineer, as Vice-Chairman. Tom Costello, Boardman Township Trustee and Mayor Glenn Holmes were elected Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Small Government Subcommittee for PY 2014. The township trustees in Mahoning County elected Tom Costello (Boardman) as the new township member to the D6PWIC, and Tony Bettile (Canfield) as the alternate. The city and village mayors in Trumbull County (other than the city of Warren) elected Mayor Glenn Holmes of McDonald as the new small city/village member of the committee, and Jack Haney, Newton Falls City Manager, as the alternate.

Eastgate Completes the CEDS 

 

Another Three Year EDA Grant Completed    

 

On June 30th, Eastgate closed the latest round of Economic Development Administration funding and with that completed a newly updated Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) due to EDA with the closing of the grant cycle.The Regional Economic Development Committee met to discuss the content of the updated CEDS, and helped fine tune the text.The CEDS was available for public review throughout the month of June, and with no public comments received, was submitted to the EDA for final approval.The CEDS serves as the overall economic development plan for Mahoning, Trumbull and Ashtabula Counties, and exists with the intent that any applications submitted to the EDA for funding need to meet the criteria laid forth in the plan. Eastgate then submitted an application to the EDA for another three-year planning grant.

The EDA is a funding source for public works projects and short term planning projects leading to the creation or retention of high-paying, high-skills jobs. Eastgate has been an EDA Economic Development District since August 1992, and has participated in the funding of numerous projects including a water supply line to GM in Lordstown, the Youngstown Business Incubator, and updating a water pumping station on Lake Erie serving critical manufacturing jobs in Ashtabula County.

Eastgate Regional Council of Governments | (330) 779-3800 | [email protected] | http://eastgatecog.org
100 East Federal Street, Suite 1000
Youngstown, OH 44503




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