Eight counties | 36 cities | one region

NADO President Terry Bobrowski (left) presented an Innovation Award to T.R. Dudley (right), chairman of Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC), St. James, and mayor of Potosi, at the October 2015 NADO Training Conference in New Orleans for MRPC’s Mobility Management planning efforts.

ST. JAMES, MO— T.R. Dudley, chairman of the Meramec Regional Planning Commission, St. James, and mayor of Potosi attended the Annual NADO Training Conference in New Orleans in October to accept MRPC’s Innovation Award. MRPC, along with Boonslick Regional Planning Commission and Mid-Missouri Regional Planning Commission, were recognized for their mobility managementplanning efforts.

In all three regions, transit planning efforts had identified the need for improved and expanded transit options, and the three RPCs conducted additional planning work, primarily to determine the feasibility of developing mobility management systems that would coordinate and promote existing transit services, look for increased service opportunities, simplify access and improve customer satisfaction. The planning work has led to the development of staffed, mobility management programs in all three regions.

NADO President Terry Bobrowski presented the award to Dudley. As part of the training, Dudley hosted a roundtable discussion on the MRPC’s Mobility Management program and shared information with other regional planning commissions and councils of governments from around the country who were interested in learning more about the project.

MRPC was among five Missouri regional planning commissions and one university sharing in six innovation awards from the National Association of Development Organizations in 2015. For 29 years, NADO’s annual Innovation Award program has honored members who have made significant impacts on their regions through innovative approaches to problem solving and program delivery. NADO recognized 115 projects from 32 states with awards.

Missouri winners, along with the project for which there were honored, include:

· Boonslick Regional Planning Commission, Meramec Regional Planning Commission, and Mid-Missouri Regional Planning Commission, Missouri Mobility Management Planning

· Basin Regional Planning Commission, Regional Economic Development Program

· Kaysinger Basin Regional Planning Commission, Truman Regional Education Center

· Mo-Kan Regional Council, Mo-Kan My Map

· Southeast Missouri State University – Institute for Regional Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Regional Entrepreneurship Assessment & Strategy Reports

NADO, based in Washington, D.C., provides advocacy, education, research and training for 540 multi-jurisdictional regional planning and development organizations across the nation. The association and its members promote regional strategies, partnerships and solutions to strengthen the economic competitiveness and quality of life across America’s local communities.

Formed in 1969, MRPC is a voluntary council of governments serving Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Osage, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties and their respective cities. A professional staff of 24, directed by the MRPC board, offers technical assistance and services, such as grant preparation and administration, housing assistance, transportation planning, environmental planning, ordinance codification, business loans and other services to member communities.

To keep up with the latest MRPC news and events, visit the MRPC website at www.meramecregion.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/meramecregion.