E-Newsletter Volume 12, Issue 1 / January 2022

Contact Our Staff Services Plans & Maps Sheboygan MPO News & Funding

Celebrating 50 Years!

April 2022 will mark 50 years of Bay-Lake RPC providing planning services to northeastern Wisconsin! The Bay-Lake RPC was established in 1972 at the request of seven county boards in the Bay-Lake region as the official area-wide planning agency for northeastern Wisconsin. In December 1973, Florence County joined the Commission bringing the total number of counties within the region to eight. Throughout 2022, the Commission will be using a different logo to celebrate the past 50 years of planning.

Job Opening - Community Assistance Planner

The Bay-Lake RPC is looking for a dedicated and collaborative individual to fill an open Community Assistance Planner position. This Planner II/III is full-time and will work closely with local communities and Bay-Lake RPC staff members to create planning documents for a variety of community related projects. This position will remain open until January 15, 2022. For a full job description of this open position and for application materials, please visit our website.

2022 Technical Assistance Grant Now Open!

We are once again offering our Technical Assistance Grant Program to our member communities. This program offers limited free professional planning assistance on small-scale plans or projects. Eligible projects must fit within the Commission’s work program and fall under the categories of community planning, economic development, mapping/visualization, environmental planning, or transportation planning. Up to three projects from throughout the Bay-Lake region will be selected to be carried out by Commission staff at no cost. Projects will be limited to a maximum of 40 hours of staff time. Larger projects are also eligible as a means to get a project underway. Project must begin and end in 2022. Please visit our Technical Assistance Grant Program webpage for more details. Applications are due by Monday, January 31, 2022.

Main Street Bounceback Grant Program Update

Bay-Lake RPC is continuing to accept grant applications for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) Main Street Bounceback Grant program. Since the program began, we have received over 530 Intents to Apply and funded 226 applications! Grant eligibility includes: New purchaser or tenant with a 12 month or longer signed lease of a vacant commercial space or a business that expanded its existing footprint into additional vacant commercial space. Lease or sales contract must be dated on or before June 30, 2022. Some exceptions may apply.

To learn more about the program and to find application details, visit www.baylakerpc.org/mainstreet or contact us directly at: mainstreet@baylakerpc.org.

Sheboygan MPO Update

The 2022 Sheboygan Metropolitan Planning Area Transportation Planning Work Program has been posted to the Commission website, and can be found here. Commission staff continued work on the annual transportation system performance indicators report. This report will be presented at a joint meeting of the Sheboygan MPO Technical and Policy Advisory Committees on January 27th.  Commission staff has participated virtually in two meetings of Sheboygan County’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Transportation Taskforce and one meeting of the county’s Transportation Coordinating Committee (TCC) in recent weeks.

Please contact Jeff Agee-Aguayo or Chris Garcia if you have questions regarding Sheboygan MPO activities.

We Value Your Opinion! Want to help make an impact in our region? Below are links to the public input activities and surveys that are currently open. Town of Grover Community Survey Luxemburg-Casco Safe Routes to School Online Community Engagement

Upcoming Events & Meetings

Sheboygan MPO Technical and Policy Advisory Committees Joint Meeting Thursday, January 27, 1:00pm Sheboygan City Hall, Sheboygan and a Virtual Option Bay-Lake RPC Executive Committee Meeting Friday, January 28, 10:00am Bay-Lake RPC Office Check with the Bay-Lake RPC COVID-19 Response and Recovery Portal for new and upcoming events/workshops. Community Resources Business Resources

Future Events - February 23 - 25 - 2022 WLIA Annual Conference The Osthoff Resort, Elkhart Lake, WI - February 24, 2022 - Sheboygan MPO Technical and Policy Advisory Committees Joint Meeting 1:00pm Sheboygan City Hall, Sheboygan and a Virtual Option

Funding and Grant Opportunities

Click here to enter the Bay-Lake RPC Funding and Grant Opportunities Portal!

January and February Grant Deadlines The following grants have deadlines approaching these next couple of months. For more details on these grants and others please view the Bay-Lake RPC Grant Deadline Calendar.

WisDOT Local Roads Improvement Program (LRIP) (January 15)  USFS Community Wood Energy and Wood Innovation Program (January 19)  DWD Wisconsin Fast Forward Grants (January 20)  EDA Good Jobs Challenge (January 26)  FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) (January 28)  FEMA Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Program (January 28)  FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (January 28)  WisDOT Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) (January 28)  BLRPC Technical Assistance Grant Program (January 31)  WDNR Sport Fish Restoration – Boat Access (February 1)  WisDOT Freight Railroad Infrastructure Improvement Program (February 1)  WisDOT Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) (February 15)  USDA Rural Development Broadband ReConnect Program (February 22)  FWS North American Wetlands Conservation Act: Standard Grants Program (Cycle 1) (February 25)  USDA Rural Business Development Grant Program (February 28)

Do you want to know more about planning services or grants available?

The staff of the Bay-Lake RPC are happy to speak to your boards/councils, committees, organization, or community groups about what is happening in our region. We are also available to assist communities and counties with meeting facilitation.  Please contact us at (920) 448-2820 or letsplan@baylakerpc.org.

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