The role of the WMRPC is to coordinate the effort, gather information, and write the many sections of the Plan with the involvement of the City’s Plan Board and a working committee established to move the project forward. The City is coordinating the mapping and the community survey, and Lynne Scheible is performing the focus group sessions and assisting with other public participation actions.

The Plan is scheduled for completion in early 2009. Contact the City’s Neighborhood Services Department or the WMRPC for additional information.

The WMRPC recently completed the update of its Grant and Loan Opportunities for Local Community Development. The document contains a list of grant and loan opportunities for communities related to economic development, transportation, water and sewer, recreation, environment, housing, and community facilities. The document also contains a list of private and community foundations. While the document does not list every opportunity, there are 43 pages of resources that include such information as who to contact, deadlines, grant amounts, match and eligibility requirements. Limited copies are available for members of the WMRPC. The document will also be available on our website (wmrpc.org).

A point to remember when using this resource is that available programs should never be a substitute for a clear vision for your community. Communities should have a vision of their preferred future in place before shopping around for resources. Nobody builds a house based on what is on sale at the local lumberyard – why should your community be any different?

If your community is interested in obtaining funds from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), the project needs to be identified in the CEDS document maintained by the WMRPC. Since the CEDS is now a three-year program, the document is not updated every year, but the WMRPC will submit a supplemental list of projects each year for projects not listed in the 2007-2009 CEDS. If your community is satisfied with the list of projects currently identified in the CEDS, no actions are necessary. But, if your community would like to add or modify projects, it should contact the WMRPC to arrange to have the project listed.

If your community has a project listed in the CEDS, or would like to have a project listed, it is important to remember that this is only the first step – a project will not move forward simply by completing the one-page form. When your community is ready to move forward with a project, contact the WMRPC to work with your community to develop a project that meets EDA’s goals. This initial process simply involves developing a memorandum to submit to EDA that describes the potential project and how it would fit into your community’s economic development strategy.

Over the past eight years communities in the WMRPC service area have received EDA grants for expanding wastewater treatment facilities, building industrial parks, improving water and sewer facilities, and improving streets. There are currently $3 million in EDA grants in the final approval stages in the Region.

Potential EDA projects can include improvements to infrastructure such as industrial parks, roads, water, wastewater, or business incubators. Other projects can also be considered, but should relate to job creation and should be publicly owned facilities. Contact the WMRPC for additional information.

The WMRPC currently has the capacity to work with a few communities to develop recreation plans. Recreation plans are required for any community seeking funds from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund for the acquisition of land or the development of recreation facilities. Recreation plans are five-year plans and include a variety of information describing the community, and a list of actions the community would like to undertake to address its recreation needs.

Plans written by the WMRPC have assisted communities in acquiring grants for land acquisition, park improvements, an accessible fishing pier, and many other improvements to parks maintained by counties, cities, villages, and townships.

Contact the WMRPC if your community is interested in performing or updating a recreation plan.

■  Executive Committee – May 16, 2008

■  CEDS Committee – May 28, 2008

■  WMRPC Board Meeting – June 20, 2008

■  CEDS Committee – August 27, 2008