The Mid-Missouri Regional Planning Commission (Mid-MO RPC) provided technical assistance to the City on the project.  Staff met with City officials and engineers to develop the project and prepare corresponding application materials and other required documentation.

The grant award, announced by Governor Nixon, was part of $1.5 million in CDBG funds provided to Missouri counties and local communities affected by recent floods.  The CDBG program offers grants to small communities to improve local facilities, address critical health and safety concerns, and develop a greater capacity for growth. 

The lagoon cleanup is the first step in the City’s long term wastewater improvement plan.  Upon completion of this project, additional work is planned to increase the height of the lagoon cell wall, upgrade discharge lines, and construct a treatment facility.

Mid-MO RPC seeks to provide Glasgow, and all member governments in the region, access to technical assistance, grant writing, advocacy, program planning, research, and management, and funding linkages to meet specified project needs.  Working together, more can be accomplished.

The process used to collect and maintain this data builds stronger data sharing partnerships between local and regional agencies and will have several uses at local, state, and national levels including: emergency response, economic development, and public safety. This project has been undertaken through a partnership between the USGS, MSDIS, and Mid-MO RPC.As an attendee and presenter at the symposium, Katrina was one of more than five hundred people representing both the private and public sector in more than ten Midwestern states.  In addition to sponsoring the biennial MidAmerica GIS Symposium, the Consortium also sponsors important GIS projects around the region.

The structures dataset is now publicly available. For more information, about the Mid-MO RPC Structures Project or the MidAmerica GIS Consortium, contact Katrina Thomas, or by going to http://www.magicgis.org/

Local elected officials, including Cooper County Presiding Commissioner Eddie Brickner and Boonville Mayor Julie Thacher, attended the meeting and tour along with economic developers and business leaders.Troy Frederick, Operations Manager for the Boonville Caterpillar Plant, presented an overview of the company, noted over 300 employees at the facility, and discussed the many different rubber parts, moldings, and pieces made there. “If you see any Caterpillar equipment, at least one of its parts came from here.”

He also stressed the importance of safety in all aspects of the company, and discussed how most improvements that stemmed from protection of workers have actually enhanced the efficiency of plant operations.

Other presentations at the meeting centered on Boonville tourism, Cooper County economic development efforts, updating the regional Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) and the regional transportation plan. Everyone was invited to complete the day’s activities with lunch at the Farmer’s Pick Buffet.

EDAC meets bi-monthly to provide an opportunity for discussion of ideas and dissemination of information on economic and community development in the region.  Holding these meetings locally in the counties will, hopefully, help spur new ideas to market mid-Missouri – working together to develop the region.

The Design and Construction Guidance for Safe Rooms workshop is a 1-day technical course intended for design professionals and emergency managers.  The Evaluating Buildings to Identify Best-Available Refuge Areas is a 1-day course intended for design professionals, emergency managers, large facility owners/operators and school districts.  Participants will learn how to evaluate existing facilities to identify the best area to seek refuge from a tornado.There is no cost to attend either workshop, but advance registration is requested. Each workshop will be offered one time in Jefferson City but other locations are also available.

A Mitigation Assessment Team deployed by FEMA developed the recommendations after investigating the performance of residential, commercial and industrial buildings, critical and essential facilities and infrastructure, as well as safe rooms, storm shelters, hardened areas, and tornado refuge areas during the tornadoes.

Moniteau County R-V School District’s participation in the Moniteau County Hazard Mitigation Plan established eligibility to apply for this funding.

Local governments and school districts are eligible for grants to develop or renovate outdoor facilities or buy land for new parks. The grants require a 55 percent local match. Missouri officials estimated that $600,000 will be available this year.

The federal money comes from the Land and Water Conservation Fund and is administered by the National Park Service. Applications must be submitted by June 11.  If your community needs assistance in submitting a grant proposal, please contact the Mid-MO RPC office.

The plan reflects input from freight railroads operating in Missouri, shippers, economic and transportation agencies and citizens who attended public meetings and workshops last fall. An open house meeting for feedback in the Mid-Missouri region will be held at the MoDOT Central Office, Room 100, 105 W. Capitol Avenue, Jefferson City (map) on Wednesday, April 18, from 4:30-6pm with a presentation at 4:45 pm.  The draft plan can be viewed at  www.morail.org.

The New Freedom formula grant program seeks to reduce barriers to transportation services and expand the transportation mobility options available to people with disabilities beyond the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.

The application is available here and must be submitted by April 13, 2012.

Anyone needing assistance with the application or requiring additional information can contact Bryan Heckman, Senior Multimodal Operations Specialist, at 573-751-7481 or email at Bryan.Heckman@modot.mo.gov.