The plan’s objectives include embracing sustainability and linking it to other concepts, something that Pruitt said is new for Alabama. He also said they had an understanding of what was happening in the region, but didn’t know how Alabama fit into the global economy. The Center for Business and Economic Research helped the AARC form the guiding principles that call for global awareness and regional competitiveness, finding that foreign direct investment, exports, and transportation were important elements of the state’s role in the larger economy.

Foreign direct investment has greatly increased in Alabama since Mercedes Benz opened an assembly plant in the state in 1993. Honda, Toyota, and Hyundai followed, increasing automotive manufacturers’ presence and contributing to a total of 360 foreign-based plants today, with a book value of $22 billion. This level of investment has impacted the composition of Alabama’s exports (which total $11.2 billion), with automotive and other transportation equipment as the largest category, followed by chemicals and minerals.

This, of course, has several implications for Alabama’s transportation system. The Port of Mobile, on the Gulf of Mexico, is the ninth largest port in the U.S. for cargo volume and the 25th largest for container volume. The state also has 11 inland docks and a major air freight terminal in Huntsville with a large intermodal facility. A new intermodal facility will soon open near Birmingham. Compared to other southeastern states, Alabama has a relatively low reliance on truck traffic. Although truck congestion may not be a problem, increasing general congestion can still cause problems for truck traffic. Pruitt expressed the need for the state to make rail improvements; the north-south rail corridor is almost at capacity.

The Alabama CEDS identifies 31 transportation projects that are key from a statewide perspective, 25 of which are highway projects and the remainder air and rail. Seven projects have a statewide significance, 12 regional, and four local. The transportation element of the CEDS emphasizes moving people and goods, maximizing capital investments, and making healthy communities while incorporating sustainability. Click here for more information about the Alabama CEDS.

A participant asked how the presenters see transportation planning evolving in their agencies in the next months to years. Pruitt mentioned the new transportation bill and making sure transportation officials and other stakeholders are aware of the CEDS and the 31 projects it indentified. Ouellette said that transportation will continue to play a significant role in the planning process, especially after seeing an unexpected level of private sector investment following the public investment in rail infrastructure. Livingston referred to trying the change the conversation, for example using the phrase “mobility planning” to encourage more collaboration and participation by groups not traditionally involved in transportation planning. He also sees a role for increasing use of technology. The Connecticut Office of Policy and Management has recognized the growing importance of public-private partnerships and will hold a conference on the topic. Seto said that transportation planning at all levels will remain a top concern in rural communities. Bair mentioned the implications of a “changing energy future” on transportation networks.

A final question asked if the projects involving partnerships encountered skepticism about the probability of their success. The most skepticism on the northern Maine rail project was from the private sector, particularly the former operator MMA that did not expect the state and regional organizations to mobilize in the way they did. Ouellette said they were able to “meet this challenge right on” and serve as a good demonstration of teamwork. Constant engagement in eastern Connecticut helped to avoid the sentiment of people simply showing up at one meeting for a grant. Livingston explained how valuing participants’ time and commitment was important for sustaining interest.

Return to Overview

Montreal Maine & Atlantic officially announced its intent to apply for abandonment in early 2010. The NMDC worked with state legislators on critical documents, while Maine’s congressional delegation played an important role in setting meetings and securing support, such as a meeting in Bangor, Maine between the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the U.S. Department of Transportation, and shippers. The shippers clearly articulated their position and the FRA pledged assistance to secure a future for the rail system. Around this time, Railroad Industries, Inc. released its report, finding that the line was viable but in need of work.

Through the spring and summer of 2010, NMDC hosted shipper meetings with the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) to reaffirm the level of support and were met with a strong response, which Ouellette referred to as a “pivotal moment.” An $18 million bond was approved for the purchase of the rail, which included $7 million in new bonding authority, $7 million that was reallocated, and $4 million from Maine’s rainy day fund. Then-Governor Baldacci established an oversight task force of congressional delegates, state highway and economic development commissioners, and private shippers, while the NMDC played a role in maintaining communication with the business community to keep them apprised of progress on the project. MaineDOT also applied for TIGER II funds.

The next stage of the process involved negotiations between MaineDOT and Montreal Maine & Atlantic, particularly for trackage rights on both ends of the line. The deal granted the new operator access to parts of the rail still owned by MMA. After what Ouellette called a “frustrating process,” the abandonment process was dropped. If the project had not been successful, the only option would have been to sell off the line’s steel as scrap and face the job and revenue losses outlined above, making the deal a victory for northern Maine. USDOT awarded TIGER funds to repair and rehabilitate the rail.

In January 2011, the state purchased the railroad and issued an RFP for operators. Eastern Maine Railways was selected on the basis of its comprehensive proposal, familiarity with the region, and financial stability. Since beginning operations, the average speed of the line has increased from 15 to 35 miles per hour.

Ouellette concluded by sharing lessons learned in the words of his colleagues. It is important to begin background work early and to be tenacious and committed to the project. The Executive Director of NMDC Robert Clark attributes success to keeping the shippers engaged and involved throughout the process.

For more information about the NMDC, click here. For more on the partnership with MaineDOT, read the 2011 NADO Research Foundation Connecting the DOTs by former MaineDOT Commissioner David Cole.

Return to Overview | Next >> Jeff Pruitt, Top of Alabama Regional Council of Governments

Livingston and Paquette explained how they engaged both traditional and nontraditional partners in the grant process, allowing them to reach the population base that is a key component of the Sustainable Communities grant focusing on housing and jobs. Consortium members also included a wealth of people who would not be involved in a more traditional transportation project led by the DOT. The project expanded the realm of who was involved in the planning process and functioned as a fully integrated plan. In the context of home rule municipalities in Connecticut, where county governments are not dominant, this level of regional thinking is often considered “almost taboo,” and Paquette suggested might have been easier in other states.

The goals of the plan center around improving quality of life in the region, and all of its components (mobility, employment, and housing) return to this point. A large variety of jobs are available in the region, and a total of 113,000 people both live and work in the region, with a larger outflow than inflow of workers. This information was important for studying the demands on the transportation network and how mobility and access could be improved with more options.

Livingston and Paquette emphasized that transportation is a means to an end. The goal should be to increase transportation options and create linkages between housing, jobs, and retail, needs that are not always best served by transit. In promoting affordable transportation, it is important to consider cost to both the user and the provider—sustainable solutions must be innovative and built on partnerships. Another goal of this plan has been to connect the three rural transit districts in eastern Connecticut. The speakers cited a lack of awareness of what resources are available, resulting in some duplication of services. The plan aims to increase understanding of what agencies are already providing service to facilitate further collaboration.

As the project continues, Livingston and Paquette will continue to reach out to constituents to determine their concerns and needs. They plan to create a video as part of the visioning session required by the Sustainable Communities grant to help “tell the story of what’s actually happening in the region.” For more information, visit http://sustaineasternct.org.

A participant asked Livingston and Paquette if they experienced any political pushback in eastern Connecticut for the sustainability grant. They replied that they made a consistent effort to frame the plan as a way to promote quality of life and access to economic opportunities and did not encounter any notable opposition. Paquette also responded to a question about engaging youth in the planning process. He praised the local community college for being very adaptable by offering new training programs, such as one for brownfields remediation technicians.

Return to Overview | Next >> Alain Ouellette, Northern Maine Development Commission

The program uses Microsoft Excel and can be customized based on a community’s needs. Each town has a master list that identifies materials, activities, infrastructure, facilities, equipment, and staff. Each staff member has his or her own tab, containing a timesheet with summaries of hours worked and a list of activities entered on a daily basis. While many departments still use paper timesheets, this system allows an administrator or the staff member to access electronic records of time worked and activities performed.

The staff timesheet data is then filtered into other parts of the program and into summary tabs to create a snapshot of what is going on in the department day to day. For each staff member, the program can display a percentage breakdown of work activity performed, which can be aggregated to show how many hours the whole highway department spends on a certain activity. The materials summary is especially useful during the budgeting process when estimating future needs. The equipment summary tracks how much time is spent using certain equipment, which is important for monitoring maintenance needs and life spans.

The highway department timesheet program is a customizable tool that provides invaluable information for budgeting as well as transparency, by showing residents how their tax dollars are being used. A cumulative chart of what infrastructure is currently up to date provides a snapshot of future needs. The program, released four years ago to three pilot towns, now has 10 – 12 towns in the region actively using it. It was especially useful after Hurricane Irene because it gave towns a way to communicate their actions with FEMA. Seto said that it would have been nice to have the program in place after a 2007 wind storm required cleanup that reduced time for regular summer maintenance tasks. When residents pointed to unmaintained roads in the fall, the department had no systematic record to show how its time was spent. For more information on the Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission, click here.

A symposium participant asked what inspired Seto to design the program to be used by towns and how this fits in with her agency’s goals. Because Vermont, like most New England states, does not have strong county-level government, most of the commission’s interaction is with road foremen and town officials. Seto’s predecessors mentioned a need for a way to help highway officials track work and improve management skills. The program has gone through several revisions, and now is simple enough to be replicated using Excel, which is widely used. It was designed to be very user-friendly after a quick tutorial for foremen who may not have significant computer experience, with information on pull-down lists to reduce the amount of typing required.

Another participant asked the whole panel about how these examples of technical assistance that go beyond a normal RPO work program have allowed them to demonstrate their value to the local governments. Bair said that her project was driven by local residents who asked for help, leading her agency to recruit engineers to assist with the task. In responding to Hurricane Irene, Otto knew what was outside of her agency’s expertise and performed outreach as necessary to make sure that needs were being met. Seto said that relationships and partnerships among different agencies provide a bird’s eye view of regional needs and perspective on how to improve efficiency.

Return to Overview | Next >> Ken Livingston, Fitzgerald & Halliday, and Mark Paquette, Windham Regional Council of Governments (CT)

Otto explained the traditional roles of Vermont’s RPCs, including transportation, land use, emergency, and natural resource planning, as well as GIS mapping and analysis assistance. After Irene, the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) requested help from the RPCs to restore the state’s transportation networks. This primarily involved assisting municipalities with tasks such as mapping, data collection, resource matching, communications, and technical assistance. In Vermont, counties are not responsible for maintaining roads and the towns are small—ranging from 250 to 9,000 in population in this area, with an average of 3,000—and often lack resources and capacity. The Southern Windsor County RPC was well-suited for this task because of existing relationships with local staff and other officials, as well as strong working relationships with state agencies and the network of RPCs helping each other.

Otto also identified areas where the recovery process could have been improved. First, there was no established role for RPCs to assist VTrans in this context. Some staff members lacked the appropriate knowledge and training for the assignments requested. The large size of the task often led to conflicting messages and an inundation of information, as well as changing expectations that made it difficult to keep up with the demanding process. Despite these challenges, the RPC was able to help towns restore a large proportion of their roads that were damaged.

The RPCs’ work was discussed further in the webinar Lessons Learned from Irene: Regional Planning Commission Involvement in Recovery of Vermont’s Transportation Network, which occurred in June 2012. For more information on the Southern Windsor County RPC, click here.

Return to Overview | Next >> Rita Seto, Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Planning Commission (VT)

During the first year of this process, participants shared best practices (such as examples of permits) and discussed how counties with a large wind energy presence could manage challenges. For example, future road improvements are limited in many places, and developers are not familiar with the standards in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. While Bair was a critical resource in these efforts, she helped secure funding for an engineering firm to complete the best practices. This firm calculated the truck loads associated with installing a turbine base to determine the impact of this travel on roads. They found that 1,584 truck loads were required for an entire site, in addition to 79 truck loads per turbine. The engineers compared the ESAL (equivalent single axle load, a summary measure of traffic load) from turbines to a typical load for local crops, which have a much smaller impact.

With the new knowledge of the impact of turbine development projects on the state’s transportation system, the engineers examined sizes and weights of different cranes more closely and identified best practices for crane crossings to protect the road. These and other resources are available on the website of the Minnesota Local Road Research Board. Bair has continued to monitor energy projects and has increased communication among officials, engineers, and developers, resulting in a more efficient process. For more information, visit the Southwest Regional Development Commission.

Return to Overview | Next >> Katharine Otto, Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Commission (VT)

2011 NADO Annual Training Conference

Regional CEDS and EDD Innovation Learning Lab (Part 1) Americana Salon 1
Growing Regional Innovation-Based Economies: The Kansas Opportunity Innovation Network This special workshop will explore an innovative partnership focused on increasing the number of globally competitive products and services produced in Kansas. As part of the Kansas Opportunity Innovation Network (KOIN), Kansas State University’s Advanced Manufacturing Institute, the state’s EDA Economic Development Districts, and other partners are working to create an environment that transcends geographic isolation, discovers new markets, innovates openly, and fosters global competitiveness to be at the intersection of great ideas and new opportunities.
• John Cyr, Kansas Association of Regional Development
Organizations
• Brad Kramer, Advanced Manufacturing Institute,
Kansas State University

Cyr and Kramer Presentation Slides

Regional CEDS and EDD Innovation Learning Lab (Part 2)
Regional Asset-Based Cluster Strategies: Mobilize Maine Mobilize Maine is a statewide asset-based approach to economic development centered on private sector engagement. Mobilize Maine takes a bottom-up approach to identifying
assets, including linking traditional workforce development and economic development planning. This process, coordinated by the state’s seven EDA Economic Development Districts (EDDs), emphasizes the regional nature of Maine’s economy. Representatives from two EDD pilot regions will discuss the planning and implementation processes that their organizations followed, including strategies to engage the private sector and align federal workforce and economic development resources.
• Michael Eisensmith, Northern Maine Development
Commission
• Elizabeth Sutherland, Sutherland Weston Marketing
Communications (ME)
• Moderator: Bob Thompson, Androscoggin Valley COG (ME)

Eisensmith Northern Maine

Eisensmith Eastern Maine

Regional CEDS and EDD Innovation Learning Lab  (Part 3)Assessing Your Regional Innovation Assets
Entrepreneurship. Technology. Innovation. Commercialization. These concepts are fundamental drivers behind the Regional Innovation Acceleration Network (RIAN). Funded by the U.S. Economic Development
Administration (EDA) and supported by the State Science and Technology Institute (SSTI), RIAN is a virtual networking tool that bridges together people, ideas, and resources as the basis for economic growth and development. Learn about the core principles of RIAN and receive in-depth training on the RIAN asset toolkit and how it can benefit your region.
• Mark Skinner, SSTI and Regional Innovation
Acceleration Network
• Moderator: TBA

View the slides below or click here to see the forum agenda.

View the slides below or click here to see the forum agenda.

View the slides below and click here to see the forum agenda.