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Serving Local Governments In Benton, Iowa, Jones, Johnson, Linn And Washington Counties For Over 40 Years

Calendar
     
August 25th
 ECICOG Board of
Directors Meeting* 
ECICOG Office
700 16th Street NE, Ste 301
Cedar Rapids
1:30 p.m. 

September 5th
ECICOG Office closed in observance of  Labor Day

September 29th
 ECICOG Board of 
Directors Meeting*
ECICOG Office
700 16th Street NE, Ste 301
Cedar Rapids
1:30 p.m.
 
 Middle Cedar WMA 
Board Meeting
Farmer's Savings Bank & Trust
401 B Avenue
Vinton
5:00 p.m.

October 3rd - 5th
Iowa Recycling & Solid Waste Management Conference
Rivercenter
136 E 3rd Street
Davenport


* The Policy Committee will meet as an item on the Board's agenda to discuss transportation items


View our full calendar at
www.ecicog.org/event-calendar
ECICOG was established in 1973 to promote regional cooperation and provide professional planning services to local governments in Benton, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn and Washington Counties. ECICOG also provides solid waste planning services to Tama County and transportation planning services to Cedar County.

2016 Members of the ECICOG Board of Directors:
Aaron Moniza

John  Harris

Alan  Johnson
(Chair)
Jon  Zirkelbach
Bob Yoder

Kathleen
VanSteenhuyse
Brent  Hinson

Kevin    H eitshusen
 
Dale Snipes

Ben Rogers
Darrin Gage

Pauline Taylor

Dave Fish

Sara Morlan
Don  Gray

Todd  Wiley
Dusty  Embree

Tony  Hocamp
Ed  Raber

Vicki Pope
Jasmine  Almoayed
ECICOG Staff
Ext
Doug Elliott
   Executive Director
122
Gina Peters
   Administrative Assistant
120
Tracey Achenbach
   Housing Trust Funds
139
Mary Rump
   Transportation & Regional
   Development Director

128
Brock Grenis, AICP
    Transit Administrator/Planner
137
Nicole Van Nelson
    Public Information Specialist
125
Chad Sands, AICP
    Housing & Community
    Development Director

127
Gary Hughes
    Grant Writer/Administrator
129
Melanie Riley
    Community Development
138
Mark Culver
    Housing Specialist
124
Jennifer Ryan Fencl
    Solid Waste & Environmental 
    Services Director
131
Alicia Presto
  Iowa Waste Exchange
121
Robyn Jacobson
    Contracts Administrator
134


East Central Iowa
Council of Governments
700 Sixteenth Street NE, Suite 301
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
319-365-9941
Fax: 319-365-9981

DNR SWAP Grant Awards
Finished Benton County Landfill concrete pad
 
ECICOG secured a Department of Natural Resources Solid Waste Alternative Program (SWAP) grant on behalf of the Benton County Landfill and the Tama County Landfill to start new diversion programs.

The grant award was $20,000 total with $5,039 going to Tama County Landfill for a glass recycling program, $12,500 going to Benton County Landfill glass and asphalt shingle recycling programs, and the remainder for public outreach.  

The Benton County Landfill has completed a 40 foot by 100 foot concrete pad to create customer friendly storage spaces for the new asphalt shingles and glass programs, as well as the existing electronics and appliance recycling programs.

We anticipate that both diversion programs will be implemented by this fall. We will provide updates in future newsletters on the progress of these programs.

The next SWAP deadlines are October 3, 2016 and January 2, 2017. All cities, counties, and solid waste facilities are all eligible to apply.
ECICOG Revolving Loan Fund   

 
Due to great response, all of the money in ECICOG's RLF program has been loaned out, and ECICOG is no longer accepting new applications. We anticipate that the ECICOG RLF will start taking new applications again in about a month.

Until then, if you know a business looking for gap financing, ECICOG also administers a few other loan programs that are in the Cedar Rapids and Marion areas. For more information on these program visit www.ecicog.org/revolving-loan-funds
RideConnect Now CorridorRides   

ECICOG has decided to rename our transit services from RideConnect to CorridorRides, based on stakeholder suggestions. 

This name change was made due to the growing concern about other similar nationwide and local services that also have the same RideConnect name. We also think this will tie in much better with our region, Iowa's Creative Corridor.

The brand will be officially launched in a few months, along with our vanpool service and carpooling ridematching website. Beyond the vanpool and ridematching website, the CorridorRides brand will also include our demand response service in our six county region and the future Express Bus Service.

Our new logo will be coming soon!
Local Governor's Environmental Excellence Award Winners   

 
Congratulations to all the Governor's Environmental Excellence Award winners. The award winners in our region include Weikert Iron and Metal Recycling providing services to our local solid waste facilities, Price Creek Watershed Project and Iowa County Soil and Water Conservation District in Williamsburg, Quaker Oats in Cedar Rapids, Cedar Rapids/Linn County Solid Waste Agency in Marion, Hy-Vee Food Stores, and ITC Midwest in Cedar Rapids.

For more information on the awards, visit 
www.iowadnr.gov/eeawards