Welcome to the Green Hills Regional Planning Commission.

The Green Hills Regional Planning Commission is one of nineteen organizations operating as a sub-state planning and development agency serving the State of Missouri. The Commission is organized as a voluntary association of local governments, and retains a staff of professionals who work on projects intended to foster improved quality of life throughout the 11 county "Green Hills" region.

GHRPC News

• PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE: CITY OF MENDON (01/24/12)
  
  The City of Mendon will hold a public hearing at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, February 9, 2012, at The Mendon Mercantile, 400 Main Street, to discuss the past performance by the city in carrying out the 2009 Neighborhood Development project. The city was awarded $59,100.00 by the State of Missouri Community Development Block Grant program with which they did 11 demolitions with CDBG monies.
  
  All interested citizens and groups are encouraged to attend the scheduled hearing.
  
  For more information, or if you require special accommodations at the hearing, please call City Clerk Lesa Longfield at 660-272-1010 or Ann Hamilton at 660-359-5636 ext 20.
  
  
• COMPLETED: 1st Draft Environmental Review (CEST) for the Livingston County Restroom ADA Renovation Project. (01/24/12)
  
  
  
• Natural Hazard Mitigation Plans for each of the three electric cooperatives operating in the Green Hills region have recently been completed. 01/24/12
  These Mitigation Plans are available for public comment. The plans are for Farmers Elelectric Cooperative, Grundy Electric Cooperative, and North Central Eletric Cooperative.
  
  
  
• BROADBAND SERVICE AND SPEED MAPS UPDATED (01/13/12)
  
  The updated regional service and speed maps have been uploaded and are available on the MoBroadbandNow website under "Maps" tab and "Regional Maps" drop down".
  
  TRAVELERS CAN STAY UP-TO-DATE ON ROAD CONDITIONS FROM MODOT (01/13/12)
  
  MoDOT wants to remind travelers that road condition information is easy to access by using the MoDOT Traveler Information Map online, downloading a new free smartphone application, or by calling a toll-free, 24-hour customer service center.
  
  MoDOT's Traveler Information Map gives drivers an up-to-the-minute view of road conditions for state highways and interstates. Conditions for these routes are color-coded to give visitors the information they need at a glance. In addition, closed circuit video cameras are there to give you instant visual information about road conditions.
  
  The Traveler Information Map App is another great tool and available at both the iPhone App Store (for iPhone 3GS and above) and Android Marketplace (2.2 and above) and provides the latest information on road conditions, work zones, flooding and incidents. The app offers the same information as its online big brother, the Traveler Information Map, but with the convenience people have come to expect with the mobile revolution.
  
  Weather-related road conditions are loaded as a default, but users can view work zones and incidents by choosing their display options.
  
  Motorists can also contact MoDOT's customer service representatives 24 hours a day by calling 888- ASK-MODOT (888-275-6636), toll-free.
  
  In addition, MoDOT uses Facebook and Twitter to provide weather-related information and tips. Visit www.modot.org/northwest and click on the Facebook and Twitter icons.
  
  
• $35,000 IN ROADWAY SAFTEY GRANTS AVAILABLE (01/02/12)
  
  The Northwest Region Coalition for Roadway Safety is working to ensure everyone in the 20 county area Arrives Alive, by awarding several new grants totaling more than $35,000 in funding to improve safety on our roads.
  
  "Our goal as a coalition is to make our roads as safe as possible," says Tony McGaughy, director of the coalition's northwest region. "We hope to identify and support more area safety efforts with this process to reduce traffic crashes and injuries, and save lives. We are extremely pleased with the results of this first effort."
  
  In previous years, programs that promote traffic safety, including the Battle of the Belt, I'm a Safe Driver, road safety audits, defensive driving courses, and various other educational campaigns have been funded through this money. This year, a new grant application program was implemented in cooperation with area regional planning commissions. Applications were made available to schools, community groups, law enforcement, health centers, and others. All submissions were reviewed and scored by local Transportation Advisory Committee members, and by members of the Northwest Region's Blueprint Coalition. Grant reviewers scored based on eligibility and best use of funds to improve safety on our roads.
  
  Seventeen applications were received, and the following 10 were approved for funding:
  
  • Mo-Kan Regional Planning Council/Green Hills Regional Planning Commission/Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments - up to $4,450 for the funding of their district speed radar sign share program
  • Grundy County Health Department - up to $3,000 for training new child passenger safety seat technicians
  • (Two grants) St. Joseph Safety & Health Council - up to $404.50 for the purchase of LATCH manuals and up to $2,030 for driver safety educational materials • Trenton Police Department - up to $4,500 for the purchase of radar guns
  • Andrew County Sheriff's Department - up to $5,998.50 for the purchase of radar guns
  • Buchanan County Sheriff's Department - up to $10,050 for the purchase of radar guns
  • Midland Empire Alcohol Task Force - up to $3,000 for underage alcohol enforcement
  • Northwest Regional Council of Governments - up to $977 to fund part of their Transportation Safety Fair
  • Northwest Missouri State University - up to $977 to fund part of their Transportation Safety Fair.
  
  Questions regarding this program and the grant process may be directed to Missouri Department of Transportation Customer Relations Manager Melissa Black at 888-275-6636 or 816-387-2481. Visit saveMOlives.com for more information.
  
  
  
• PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE: CITY OF GALLATIN (01/06/12)
  
  The city of Gallatin will hold a public hearing on January 20, 2012 at 3:00.m. at 112 East Grand St., Gallatin, Mo. 64640 to discuss the city's submission of an application for the Fiscal Year 2012 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. The city is interested in obtaining all citizens' input on community development needs within the city. As part of the hearing process citizens will be asked to verbally to assist in the completion of a Needs Assessment document. The document will detail what the residents feel are the strengths and weaknesses of the community. The city needs as much local participation as possible in order to reflect the true desires of the community as a whole, as well as the comments relating to the proposed project application. The State has established a maximum application request for each funding category. Activities that are eligible for funding include the improvement of public works, public facilities, housing rehabilitation, and other allowed by law. At least 51% of the funds must be used to benefit low and moderate-income persons. No displacement of persons will occur at any point due to this project.
  
  The proposed project will consist of the construction of a new 500 g.p.m. lime softening water treatment plant, construction of a 200,000 ground storage tank clearwell, rehabilitation of the current 300,000 gallon clearwell, construction of a new pump house, well field improvements, construction of lime sludge lagoons, and the installation of controls for all of the proposed improvements. The estimated cost of the project is $4,618,490 with CDBG providing $500,000 in grant funding, USDA RD providing $3,296,000 in loan funds and $819,490 in grant funds and the City of Gallatin will be contributing $3,000 of In-kind labor.
  
  The project will bring the city of Gallatin into compliance with all of the clean water regulations instituted by MoDNR.
  
  For more information on the proposed project, contact Zac Johnson, 112 East Grand St., Gallatin, Missouri 64640, or phone 660/663-2011.
  
  - Barb Ballew, Mayor
  
  MoDOT Removing Island on U.S. Highway 136 in Bethany (12/27/011)
  
  To improve safety for the traveling public, the Missouri Department of Transportation has decided to remove the center island on U.S. Highway 136 that runs west from 38th St for approximately 100 feet in Bethany. This section is off exit 92 from Interstate 35, which is the main exit into Bethany.
  
  "The main reason we are removing the island is for safety reasons," said Tonya Lohman, area engineer for MoDOT. "We've had large vehicles and equipment try to go through this area that won't fit between the curbs of the westbound lanes. We want traffic to flow as smoothly and safely as possible through this area."
  
  The project will begin Dec. 28 and take approximately three days to complete. Work will begin at 8 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. each day. Striping and super ducts will be added to direct traffic on proper lane usage, instead of the center island.
  
  "We try to look at each location independently and create the best and safest traffic solution we can," Lohman said. "We want to try an alternate solution here that might better serve this specific location."
  
  For more information on projects in Northwest Missouri, visit www.modot.org/northwest or call 888-ASK MODOT.
  
  
  
• NEW! MAJOR/MINOR ROUTE MAPS AVAILABLE
  

  The Missouri Department of Transportation has provided maps showing roads classified as major and minor routes in the state system. Maps for each county are available:
  
  Caldwell, Carroll, Chariton, Daviess, Grundy, Harrison, Linn, Livingston, Mercer, Putnam, Sullivan

  
  
• Release of the NIMS Training Program
  
  The National Integration Center (NIC) has developed a National Incident Management System (NIMS) Training Program, superseding the Five-Year NIMS Training Plan, released in February 2008.
  
  The NIMS Training Program establishes a common national foundation for NIMS training and qualifying emergency management and incident response personnel. More specifically, the NIMS Training Program guides NIMS training activities; supports stakeholder training and planning; and serves as a single-source, regularly updated compilation of training within the NIMS national core curriculum.
  
  The NIMS Training Program is available on FEMA's NIMS Resource Center.
  For additional information on NIMS, NIMS implementation, or NIMSCAST contact the National Integration Center at 202-646-3850 or via e-mail: FEMA-NIMS@dhs.gov.
  
  
  
• 09/14/11 - Funds Available for Transportation Safety Programs
  
  Transportation safety affects every citizen of Missouri. Missouri's Blueprint to Arrive Alive is the state's strategic highway safety plan to reduce traffic crashes and injuries, and save lives. In previous years, programs that promote traffic safety including Battle of the Belt, I'm a Safe Driver, road safety audits, defensive driving courses, and various other educational campaigns have been funded through this plan. This year, the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety's Northwest Region has a minimum of $44,000 to support regional transportation safety programs. Eligible programs must address one of the Blueprint-identified emphasis areas including serious crash types, high-risk drivers and occupants, special vehicles, vulnerable roadway users, and special roadway environments.
  
  Grant applications will be available at www.savemolives.com/northwest/index.html or through your local regional planning commission beginning Sept. 16.
  
  Completed applications are due Oct. 21, with awards announcements in December. All awarded funds must be spent by June 15, 2012.
  
  For more information, contact the Missouri Department of Transportation at 888-ASK MODOT, or go to www.savemolives.com/documents/FINALBlueprintdocument.pdf
  

• 06/06/11 - Missouri Broadband Now Project: Buisiness Surveys available
  click the link to complete the Business Survey.
                                        
  
  
• 04/25/11 - Missouri Broadband Now Project: Sector Surveys available
  click the link to see the Sector Surveys now available. Please choose the sector that is most relevant to your field and complete the survey.
  
  
  
• 03/23/11 - State-Wide Broadband Infrastructure Improvement was the topic of a power point presentation shown to community and business leaders in the GHRPC conference room. Led by staffers from the State Office of Administration, the discussion revolved mostly around the planning efforts currently underway as part of the Missouri Broadband Now project. Broadband Now was created with the goal of seeing that at least 95% of Missouri's citizens have access to affordable broadband service in the next five years. The presenters focused particularly on the need for involvement at the local level, with similar meetings being held at RPCs around the state meant to foster the creation of a network of regional planning teams. These teams will analyze their own individual regions, creating a detailed state-wide picture of existing broadband infrastructure and highlighting those areas where such infrastructure is either insufficient or non-existant. To aid the planning teams, a broadband business survey has been made available for local businesses explaing how they currently utilize broadband services and what impact broadband has on their business. A similar survey geared for residential users will be available soon.
  
  Green Hills RPC has been tasked with coordinating the RTPT in the Green Hills region. The staff contact regarding this progam is Kim Chavez. She may be contacted by email or by phone at (660) 359-5636 Ext. 23. In addition, a page on our wesite will be dedicated as a resource for planning team members as a repository of news, notices, and links to pertinent online information.putnam county PWSD No. 1 EA

Gilman Amendment