Archived Articles

Midwest Assistance Program (MAP) will hold a free workshop offering financial and managerial information for water and sewer systems, focused on the responsibilities of local board members and city clerks on Tuesday, August 13, from 1-4 p.m. at the Mid-Missouri Regional Planning Commission office in Ashland, MO. 

Attendees will learn practical tips on how to more effectively conduct local government business, while better managing your community’s water and wastewater systems in a sustainable, professional manner. 

The training is free but pre-registration by August 9^th is required to insure sufficient handout materials. Refreshments will be provided, and there will be an opportunity to share information through open discussion. 

To register contact Jeff Kormann at  573.680.0682 or email  jkormann@map-inc.org. More details can be found here.

Here is the link to our July edition of the Mid-MO Current which is our quarterly newsletter that highlights how the Mid-Missouri Regional Planning Commission staff is assisting our communities. 

Mid-MO RPC staff attended the Broadband Leaders Academy hosted by the Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED) and the Department of Agriculture in partnership with the Hawthorn Foundation. Tim Arbeiter, Director of Broadband Development for DED, moderated the event.

The conference brought together broadband internet stakeholders, both public and private, to learn about the new sources of funding and technical assistance available to expand access for rural communities, and to brainstorm new ideas and discuss success stories from companies, utility cooperatives and cities that have recently expanded broadband access.

According to the FEC’s most current data, fully 20% of Missourians are unserved with no meaningful access to highspeed/broadband internet services, and as many as 50% of Missouri’s residents are underserved meaning they have connections that are slower than 10 megabits per second download speed and 1-megabit upload. In this increasingly digital age, the lack of access to broadband is a major impediment to improving the health, wealth, and wellbeing of Missourians.
Read on…

The U.S Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in partnership with Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), is offering a free, intensive two-day training course designed to help local agencies and governments “ensure that pedestrian facilities and access routes are properly constructed and maintained for individuals of all abilities.” The course will include the following modules:

Module 1:        Laws, Regulations and Pedestrian Characteristics (which includes self-evaluations and transition plans and the DOJ-DOT Joint Technical Assistance on the Title II of the ADA Requirements to Provide Curb Ramps when Streets, Roads, or Highways are Altered through Resurfacing)
Module 2:        Pedestrian Access Route (PAR)
Module 3:        Curb Ramps and other Transitions
Module 4:        Detectable Warnings (truncated domes)
Module 5:        Pedestrian Crossings
Module 6:        Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS)
Module 7:        Street furniture and Parking
Module 8:        Work Zones & Maintenance  

Course topics will be covered through a variety of activities including presentations, discussion groups, video demonstrations, small group problem identification, and will feature a hands-on outdoor wheelchair, low-vision goggles, and white cane exercise. The deadline to register is Monday, April 29, 2019 through the MoDOTu portal. See the attached course flyer for instructions on how to register.

Designing Pedestrian Facilities for Accessibility (DPFA)
May 6 – 7, 2019 from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Harry S. Truman Building, 301 W. High St.
Rooms 490/492
Jefferson City, MO 65102

Spring has sprung and with all the newness that it brings we also see the new application period sprout up for RHSOC and the FY 2019 State Homeland Security Program. According to our State level partners, “the anticipated funding amount has not been released but is estimated to be similar to what was granted in FY 2018.”  

Thankfully we will not see as many changes in the process as we did last year, but it must be noted that there are a few small tweaks.  Rather than one sub-award agreement for each entity, OHS has requested there be a separate sub-award agreement for each project or line item. Also, regarding staff, it is not requested that “all subrecipients must strive to be NIMS compliant,” rather than requiring it as they have many years prior.   

Our office currently covers 13 counties (Region F), and after meeting with Morgan County’s new EMD it looks like we will get an application from each county. Below are important dates and links to follow if you are interested in completing an application. Also, please remember that we are always here to help with the application process and/or with any questions you may have. 

March 18, 2019: Funding opportunity open in WebGrants https://dpsgrants.dps.mo.gov/  

April 19, 2019: Applications due in WebGrants 5:00 pm CST  

June 2019: Peer review of applications, review/scoring  

July 2019: Quarterly RHSOC meetings, funding determinations  

September 1, 2019: Project Start Date  

August 31, 2021: Project End Date 

February 6, 2019 – Here is the link to our latest edition of the Mid-MO Current which is a newsletter that highlights how the Mid-Missouri Regional Planning Commission staff is assisting our communities. 

February 5, 2019 – Freight Enhancement Program (FRE) applications are being accepted until March 13, 2019 in anticipation of MoDOT’s FY20 budget approval. This funding is designed for enhancements to the state freight system such as rail projects, port enhancements, construction and equipment. It is a 20% match reimbursement program with an available maximum per project of $500,000.

More information on eligible projects and the application process can be found at https://www.modot.org/freight-general-information

January 16, 2019 – The Mid-MO RPC region came away with two TAP grant recipients this cycle. The City of Pilot Grove received funding for a sidewalk that will connect Pilot Grove School to St. Joseph’s Catholic School, giving both schools access to a current MoDOT sidewalk project along College Street/Highway 135.

Also receiving funding is City of Fayette for their sidewalk project along Church Street/Highway 240 that will safely connect the center of town and students at Central Methodist University to essential shopping venues.

Within the Mid-MO RPC region are also our two Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) who both came away with project funding of their own. The City of Columbia received funding in the CATSO region for a sidewalk project along Leslie Lane that will bring much needed connectivity to public facilities in that area.

January 15, 2019 – Recreational Trails Program (RTP) grant offers up to $250,000 to state and local governments, schools, non-profit, and for-profit organizations for trail related projects at a 20% match. Details on the RTP grant can be found at:
https://mostateparks.com/page/61220/recreational-trails-program-rtp-grants

Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant offers up to $250,000 to local government, city and county, and public schools for public outdoor recreation projects at a 50% match. Details on the LWCF grant can be found at:
https://mostateparks.com/page/61215/land-and-water-conservation-fund-lwcf-grants

January 14, 2019 – The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has awarded $80,776 in grant funding to the Mid-Missouri Regional Planning Commission to help further develop plans for the newly formed Callaway County Sewer District. Grant funding will be used to fund a feasibility study that will identify the optimal location to construct the district’s first centralized wastewater system. Funding will also be used to plan for a clear path for the sewer district administratively and financially.

Feasibility study contributing partners include the Callaway County Commission and the Callaway County Health Department. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – Region 7 has provided funding for this project under Section 604b of the Clean Water Act, and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources will administer the grant funds.