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Attention Board Members:

The next General Policy Board meeting will be on Monday, April 28th at 10:00 a.m. at Eastgate. Please visit our Calendar of Events page for more information on all upcoming Eastgate meetings.

Our Mission Statement
The Eastgate Regional Council of Governments provides a regional forum to discuss issues of mutual interest and concern, and to develop recommendations and plans to address those issues. All of this in hopes of leading to a common goal of improving the quality of life for the residents of northeast Ohio.
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SCIP/LTIP Update:

The Program Year 2012 SCIP/LTIP applications were delivered to the Ohio Public Works Commission on January 15th, 2014. Grantees should be receiving their agreements according to the regular OPWC timetable.
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Twelve Projects Totaling $2.4 Million Requested for Transportation Alternative Funds
   

A total of twelve projects were submitted for funding consideration under Eastgate's Transportation Alternative Program. This program utilizes federal funds to finance projects that enhance our area's transportation system. Projects will be evaluated and prioritized by a Transportation Alternatives Selection Committee. In the upcoming months the selection committee will prepare a list of prioritized Transportation Alternatives projects to be funded.

  

For the list of projects submitted for funding consideration, please visit our TAP page


Eastgate Study Monitors Performance of Local Corridors 

 

Performance measures are becoming more and more prevalent in transportation planning today.With limited funds available, proper use of taxpayer money is of the utmost importance.Performance measures are a way to gauge the effectiveness of transportation projects.One of the performance measures Eastgate has been using along corridors is a travel time and delay study.The study monitors the traffic before and after a construction project by driving the corridor repeatedly during certain times of the day and recording travel times and stop times.The pre-construction and post-construction results are compared to determine the success of the project.

 

 

This summer, work will begin on a traffic signal project in the city of Canfield. The project includes four signalized intersections along US 224 and one along US 62.The goal is to improve signal coordination, traffic flow and Level of Service for vehicles traveling through the intersections. Last fall, Eastgate completed a pre-construction travel time and delay study along the Main Street corridor in the City. Upon the completion of the signal project, Eastgate will return for a post-construction travel study. The results from both studies will be compared to show the improvements in travel along the corridor. The pre-construction travel time and delay study can be viewed from the Library on our website

 

  

Intelligent Transportation Systems Update

Certain Low Risk ITS Projects Streamlined

Prior to 2014, Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) projects had to include a complicated and design-intensive system engineering report.  The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), with guidance from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), decided to streamline the process for certain low risk ITS projects. 

 

Examples of this type of project include:

 

Closed Loop Signal System

Central Signal System

Highway Rail/Signal Preemption

Signal Systems with Emergency Preemption

Signal Systems with Transit Priority

Ramp Meters

Adaptive Traffic Signal Control

 

In order for these projects to qualify for the new process, they had to be included in the Regional ITS Architectures throughout Ohio.  Eastgate's Regional ITS Architecture, which lists ITS projects and defines how they work, was found to be missing two low risk ITS project types.  In order to update the architecture to reflect the new policy, Eastgate contracted with a consultant to make the necessary changes.Updates were made to Eastgate's Regional ITS Architecture along with the ITS website and project list, and can be viewed here.

  

Now that Spring has Arrived, It's Time to Talk Traffic Counting 
 

Last year, Eastgate completed over 300 traffic counts throughout Mahoning and Trumbull Counties. Many of the counts were performed to update traffic data for functional class roads,  others were completed for the State Capital Improvement Program projects and various special requests.All traffic count results can be found on our website in a searchable database or electronic map form.The maps include traffic counts for the last five years (2009-2013) while the searchable database includes traffic counts back to the year 2000. 

Planning Ahead? If you think your community will need a traffic count, please contact Ed Davis at our office.

Eastgate Joins the Appalachian Ohio Geospatial Data Partnership 

 

Eastgate has recently joined the Appalachian Ohio Geospatial Data Partnership (AOGDP) as a voting charter member. The partnership was formed to facilitate the development of standardized Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data across county boundaries and in multiple jurisdictions; between federal, state, regional and local governments, academia, non-profits and private industry. The group emphasizes education, data creation, data sharing and data maintenance.

 

GIS is a combination of hardware, software, and data that is used to capture, manage, analyze and display geographically referenced information. GIS is essential to understanding the spatial dynamics of a region or a community and planning for the future. Through GIS, problems can be identified, solutions can be modeled and information can be shared. High quality, standardized and accessible GIS data is a key component in successful regional planning.

 

The AOGDP pursues both public and private funding opportunities to support vital GIS projects that will provide direct benefit to the whole Appalachian Ohio community. Collaborative projects will benefit the economic development, public safety interests and future planning of the region.

 

AOGDP charter members can include regional government, academic institutions, counties, political subdivisions and non-profits within Appalachian Ohio. Other entities or individuals supporting the mission of AOGDP can join the group as an at-large member.

 

Current charter members include Eastgate, Buckeye Hills-Hocking Valley Regional Development District, Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association, Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District, Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission, Ohio University's Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, Gallia County, Guernsey County, Monroe County, Morgan County and Noble County. At-large members include representatives from Western Reserve Land Conservancy, the Ohio Department of Transportation, Wayne National Forest and private consulting companies. 

 

For more information about AOGDP activities or membership, contact Bethaney Krzys.


Eastgate's ARC Program Funds Eight
Projects and Creates New JobsLogo

 

Fiscal Year 2014 was another very good year for Eastgate's Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) local development district. The initial allocation for our district in FY14 utilizing federal and state ARC dollars was $615,000. In addition, our district received $215,724 for an access road in Howland Township. Due to some additional ARC funding that became available through the Governor's Office of Appalachia in March 2014, Eastgate received an increase of $150,000 for an expansion project. In total, eight projects were funded in our three county region making our total ARC FY14 allocation $980,724. The eight projects have a total project cost of $3,734,578 that will result in the creation of 199 jobs and retain 325 jobs. Throughout the year, Eastgate remained active in our communities and continued partnerships with our three sister agencies, state, and federal partners.

Eastgate's ARC Fiscal Year 2015 program is well underway. Eastgate has announced the FY15 ARC grant pre-application program is open from March 28th through May 9, 2014. Interested applicants are required to attend the Eastgate ARC Pre-Application Workshop on Friday, April 18th at 1:30 p.m. at Eastgate. If interested, please contact Kathy Zook at Eastgate to confirm your attendance. Completed applications are due at Eastgate on or before May 9, 2014 at 3 p.m.

All projects under the ARC program must meet at least one of the goals listed below:
  • Increase job opportunities and per capita income in Appalachia to reach parity with the nation.
  • Strengthen the capacity of the people of Appalachia to compete in the global economy.
  • Develop and improve Appalachia's infrastructure to make the Region economically competitive.
  • Build the Appalachian Development Highway System to reduce Appalachia's isolation.
Eligible applicants include:
  • Political subdivisions
  • Educational institutions
  • Public institutions
  • Non-profit organizations


The U.S. Census 
Bureau Releases New Statistics

New County and Metro Area Population Estimates  

The New 2013 County and Metro Area Population Estimates were released to the public on Thursday, March 27, 2014.The new statistics are available in the American FactFinder, and the population estimates are available on QuickFacts, both offered by the Census Bureau.

2012 Small Area Health Insurance Estimates 

The estimates show the number of people with and without health insurance coverage for all states and each of the nation's roughly 3,140 counties. The statistics are provided by broad age group, sex, race and Hispanic origin, and at income levels that reflect thresholds for state and federal assistance programs. The SAHIE program is the only source of single-year health insurance estimates for every county in the U.S. This information was released on March 13, 2014.

2013 Housing Vacancy Survey Annual Statistics

These statistics provide vacancy rates, homeownership rates and characteristics of units available for occupancy for the U.S., regions, states and the 75 largest metropolitan statistical areas. Data for all geographies are available both quarterly and annually. Homeownership rates are also tabulated by age of householder for the U.S. and regions and by race/ethnicity of householder and by family status for the U.S. In addition, estimates of the total housing inventory and percent distributions of vacant for-rent and for-sale-only units are available for the U.S. and regions. This information is used by public and private sector organizations to evaluate the need for new housing programs and initiatives. The rental vacancy rate is a component of the index of leading economic indicators and thereby used by the government and economic forecasters to gauge the economic climate.

For more information, please visit the U.S. Census Bureau's web page.
Eastgate's Citizen Advisory Board Welcomes
Your Participation  

Eastgate's Citizens Advisory Board (CAB) meets in our office at 7p.m. on the first Thursday of each month (except August). Membership is open to anyone who lives or works in Ashtabula, Mahoning, or Trumbull Counties. To become a member of the CAB, a person must attend three meetings over the course of five months.

Mr. Tim Sarko, a Data Dissemination Specialist with the U. S. Census Bureau, will be our speaker on April 3rd. On June 5th we will be taking a trip to the Ohio Commerce Center in the village of Lordstown. Those joining the June trip will leave the Eastgate office at 6 PM. Please join us. Our speaker for the May 1st CAB will be announced.

April 1st Begins Daily Ozone Forecasts  

in the Valley 

 

Ozone Season in the Valley begins April 1st      

 

Eastgate issues daily forecasts for PM2.5, and on April 1st began ozone forecasting for the 2014 ozone season which will last until October 31st. People interested in receiving daily air quality forecasts, or only an alert on an Air Quality Advisory day, can do so by visiting our air quality website at mahoningvalleyair.org, or now you can log onto iTunes or Google to download our new air quality app.    

 

Eastgate Holds 208 Plan Workshop

On March 19th Eastgate held a workshop to help member communities better understand the Areawide Water Quality Management Plan. The workshop highlighted information found within the 208 Water Quality Management Plan document and the 201 Facility Planning Area maps.

A total of twenty people were in attendance including staff members from both the Mahoning and Trumbull county health departments and sanitary engineer offices, along with representatives from the Southington Water District, and the cities of Youngstown, Girard, Hubbard, and Struthers, as well as the village of Lowellville. Attendees were presented with information regarding what the 201 FPA boundaries represent, what the wastewater treatment prescriptions mean with regards to planning for infrastructure needs, who is responsible for keeping the plan current in conjunction with Eastgate, how to amend the 208 Plan, and where all this information can be found on Eastgate's website. The Ohio EPA Northeast District Office's Division of Surface Water staff discussed the 208 Plan's authority with regards to their permit review process. It was emphasized that any sanitary sewer permit must conform to the 208 Plan language. 

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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