Eight counties | 36 cities | one region

ST. JAMES—Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) and the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) is beginning work on updating the Public Transit-Human Service Transportation Coordination Plan for the Meramec Region. The first community meeting to begin identifying needs in the Meramec Region will be at 9:30 a.m. on Aug. 29 at MRPC #4 Industrial Drive, St. James.

The plan, originally drafted in 2008 and updated in 2013, identifies public transit needs of individuals with disabilities, older adults and people with low incomes in the Meramec Region and outlines strategies to fill those needs. MRPC was contracted through the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) to update the plan, which is updated every five years.

The meeting will cover a review of the planning process, a discussion on community involvement and assistance, and will begin the service inventory and needs identification process. Identifying the needs will be a critical part of the process, and we want to include all transit providers as well as those who utilize local transit services.

“It is extremely important to have good representation from across the region to ensure that all needs and planned endeavors are incorporated into the transit plan,” said Anne Freand, MRPC senior community development specialist.

Please RSVP to Anne Freand or Linda Carroll at 573-265-2993 or email afreand@meramecregion.org to ensure enough materials are provided for all attendees. If you need special accommodations to participate in the meeting, please contact MRPC at least one week in advance.

For more information on the update of the Public Transit-Human Service Transportation Coordination Plan, contact Anne Freand with MRPC at 573-265-2993.

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 23, 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.orgor on Facebook at www.facebook.com/meramecregion/