DVRPC News - Spring 2006

DVRPC TO BID FAREWELL TO JOHN J. COSCIA
After 25 years of dedication to DVRPC and the region, Executive Director John J. Coscia's effective retirement date was March 31, 2006. He will be remembered as someone who wholeheartedly devoted many years to one agency and one region.

Having worked at DVRPC since 1969, John Coscia was Director of Environmental Planning from 1972 until 1980, when he was named DVRPC's Executive Director. Prior to joining the Commission, Mr.= Coscia was employed at the Philadelphia Water Department where he served as Executive Assistant to former Water Commissioner Samuel Baxter.

Chester County Commissioner Earl M. Baker and Mr. Coscia listen to a presentation by Montgomery County Commissioner Paul Bartle at a Board Meeting (circa 1981).	John J. Coscia

"He will be remembered as someone who wholeheartedly devoted many years to one agency and one region."

He is a registered Professional Engineer with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from Drexel University and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Villanova University. He has lectured at Drexel and Villanova Universities, and has also taught courses at the University of Pennsylvania graduate school and for the American Institute of Planners.

Mr. Coscia is a member and former Director of the Philadelphia Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Planning Association, the American Water Works Association, and the Water Pollution Control Federation. He is also a member of Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honor society and is a former President of the Engineers' Club of Philadelphia. He had been selected by his peers at the national level to be an elected member of the Executive Directors Council of the National Association of Regional Councils.

He is active in a number of civic organizations and is a former member and past Chairman of the Whitemarsh Township Planning Commission. He is a member and former Chairman of the Board of the Water Resources Association of the Delaware River Basin and the Board of the Delaware Estuary Partnership. Mr. Coscia resides in Lafayette Hill, Montgomery County, with his wife.

After retirement, Mr. Coscia looks forward to traveling and spending time with his family. His friends and colleagues will dearly miss him, and wish him the best in the next stage of his life!

An Executive Search Committee is interviewing prospective candidates to replace Mr. Coscia. A Board action has extended Mr. Coscia's tenure until a new Executive Director is named.

"His friends and colleagues will dearly miss him, and wish him the best in the next stage of his life!"

Bucks County Commissioner Andy Warren, Mercer County Executive Bill Mathesius, and John Coscia enjoy a boat tour on the Delaware River (circa 1986).

19TH ANNUAL BOARD RETREAT
DVRPC's 19th Annual Board Retreat was held in December, 2005 at Resorts Hotel, Atlantic City, NJ.

Thomas Carver, Executive Director of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, participated in the first panel discussion, Riches or Regrets?: Lessons Learned from the gaming Experience in New Jersey. The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, which is funded by a tax on gross gaming revenues, has invested more than $640 million in development projects across the State of New Jersey, the bulk of which are in Atlantic City. Also speaking on the panel were Susan Ricciardi, Director of Media Relations for the Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority; and Kathi Aufschneider, Director of Policy and Planning of the South Jersey Transportation Authority.	Sean Fordham, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Gaming Advisory Task Force, provided a local perspective on the gaming issue during the second panel discussion, Betting on the Odds: Making Informed Choices in Pennsylvania. The Task Force, created by Philadelphia Mayor John Street, has studied and recommended the best settings for gaming facilities in the city. Also participating in the panel were Anne Lacour Neeb, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board; and The Honorable Gregory Fajt, Pennsylvania Secretary of Revenue.
Kathi Aufschneider responds to a question during the panel discussion, Riches or Regrets?: Lessons Learned from the gaming Experience in New Jersey. On the left is Susan Ricciardi.	Board Chair Tom Gurick and John Coscia study an action item at the Board Meeting, which was held in a Resorts ballroom following the Board Retreat.
Linda M. Kassekert, Chair of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission, spoke about the changes that gambling has brought to Atlantic City and the State of New Jersey during the Keynote Address, Then and Now: The Changes Brought About By Gaming. The New Jersey Casino Control Commission is the panel charged with regulating New Jersey's casinos, and is comprised of five members who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the State Senate. Ms.Kassekert was appointed to the Commission by Governor James McGreevy in November, 2002.

REGIONAL SAFETY TASK FORCE TO ADDRESS ISSUES IN THE REGION
Each year, close to 90,000 crashes occur on the roadways in the Delaware Valley region, resulting in approximately 500 fatalities. With a refocused emphasis on the issue, DVRPC is addressing transportation safety through its newly formed Regional Safety Task Force.

The Task Force will provide another means through which DVRPC can proactively shape a comprehensive vision for the region's future. Modeled from the Commission's Incident Management Task Force and Goods Movement Task Force, the Regional Safety Task Force is a multidisciplinary group of safety professionals and stakeholders. Its purpose is to promote safety in the region through the sharing of a wide variety of information and resources. The Regional Safety Task Force is the outcome of Local Safety Conscious Planning forums held in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. It will build and maintain effective partnerships with the goal of reducing the number of crashes and casualties in the region. The Task Force will play an integral role in guiding and directing DVRPC's safety conscious planning program through the identification, development, prioritization and implementation of regional safety strategies. The focus is multi-disciplinary, encompassing such areas as engineering, education, enforcement, emergency services and funding; and it is multimodal, including automobile, transit, bicycle, pedestrian, and freight.

"The purpose of the Task Force is to promote safety in the region through the sharing of a wide variety of information and resources."

The Task Force will also provide a means to integrate safety conscious planning at all planning levels, with information being shared through meetings, e-mail and website postings. With a large percentage of crashes and subsequent fatalities occurring on local roads in the region, it is imperative that safety be incorporated at the local planning level. Task force members are able to network and share information with colleagues, members of the public and elected officials.

As Pennsylvania and New Jersey develop their Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP), the Task Force participants will have the chance to address concerns and ensure that regional specific issues are addressed in these plans. This group represents a collective voice on safety policy and legislative issues working to gain the attention of, and to educate, elected officials. Communication and collaboration is fostered not only between the Commission and Task Force members but also between members of the Task Force itself.

Currently, the Task Force plays a central role in the development of the MPO's Regional Safety Action Plan by developing effective safety initiatives and programs with significant input from non-traditional partners, as well as DVRPC's traditional planning partners. For more information on the Regional Safety Task Force, visit: www.dvrpc.org/transportation/safety.htm.

TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY EXPERTS TO CONVENE IN PHILADELPHIA
More than 3,000 intelligent transportation systems (ITS) professionals will be in Philadelphia for the ITS America 2006 Annual Meeting and Exposition, May 7-9, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The conference is the leading ITS event in the country, drawing a wide range of experts from state, federal and local agencies; transit authorities; systems integrators; software developers; equipment vendors; and more.

ITS provides a major part of transportation funding through increased highway and transit dollars that are now available through SAFETEA-LU, the federal transportation bill enacted by Congress in 2005. Under this legislation, ITS is no longer a special niche program; it has now become a part of the mainstream in transportation funding.

Michael Powell, former Chair of the Federal Communications Commission, will kick off the annual meeting with an opening plenary. He will provide a candid look at the regulatory process, what needs to change as Congress considers a new telecommunications law, and what is at stake in the process. The conference will feature 64 educational and specialty sessions on a variety of topics related to automotive, telecommunications, and consumer electronics; commercial vehicle and freight mobility; homeland security and public safety; research and training; transportation system operations and planning; and more.

Along with the sessions, attendees will have the opportunity to attend various networking/social events, technical tours, an awards program, and a packed exhibit hall with the latest ITS projects and solutions. During the closing plenary, Gary Parsons, XM Satellite Radio Board Chairman, will provide valuable insights into the near-term and longer-term future of consumer electronics, traffic information, navigation, and other enhanced services that are enabled through satellite radio. The meeting will conclude with the 15th Anniversary Celebration which will give attendees an opportunity to network, and enjoy great food and entertainment.

For information about volunteer opportunities, contact John Ward at 215-238-2899 or jward @ dvrpc.org.
For more information about the ITS America 2006 Annual Meeting, visit www.itsa.org/annualmeeting.html.

DVRPC GRANTS $1.5 MILLION FOR REVITALIZATION PROJECTS IN NJ AND PA
Often lauded for its innovation in supporting communities that implement municipal, county, state and regional planning objectives, DVRPC has awarded $1.5 million in grants to twenty-three area municipalities. The Transportation and Community Development Initiative (TCDI) program provides these funds, with an additional $60,000 made available by the William Penn Foundation.

The TCDI grants are given to municipalities to assist in reversing the trends of disinvestment and decline in many of the region's core cities and first generation suburbs by supporting local planning projects that will lead to more residential, employment or retail opportunities; by improving the overall character and quality of life within these communities to retain business and residents; by enhancing and using the existing transportation infrastructure capacity in these areas to reduce demands on the transportation network; and by reducing congestion and improving the transportation system's efficiency. In effect, the program provides a mechanism for municipalities to undertake locally directed actions to improve their communities.

"In effect, the program provides a mechanism for municipalities to undertake locally directed actions to improve their communities."

Selection was made by separate review committees which were established for each state, representing county, state, non-profit, academic, and citizen interests. The committees met and presented a recommended list of projects to the DVRPC Board for approval. The TCDI program has now funded 100 different projects over the past four years, with $6 million in grants leveraging over $160 million dollars in additional public funding and over $2.2 billion in private funding. To view a complete list of communities selected for the 2005 grants, visit: www.dvrpc.org/planning/tcdi/2005.htm.

DVRPC CONFERENCE TO FOCUS ON OLDER SUBURBS
The Delaware Valley's older suburbs will be the focus of DVRPC's regional conference, Building from Strength II: More Strategies for Older Suburbs and Boroughs, on Thursday, May 18, 2006, at the Radisson Hotel, in Trevose, Bucks County. Funded through a grant from the William Penn Foundation, the conference will target the elected and appointed officials from municipalities across the region. It is part of a project called Strategies for Older Suburbs, and serves as a follow-up to a similar conference held in 2002. Since the publication of the report The Future of First Generation Suburbs in the Delaware Valley in 1998, DVRPC has worked with groups of older suburbs throughout the region to support redevelopment and revitalization through cooperative planning and action.

This conference is intended to expand the knowledge and improve the ability of officials in older suburbs to undertake projects to support revitalization, while also broadening the market awareness of both private developers and the general public about opportunities for investment and lifestyle in these communities.

"This conference is intended to expand the knowledge and improve the ability of officials in older suburbs to undertake projects to support revitalization."

The program will offer attendees information about new markets for older communities, tools and techniques for zoning and planning; managing change; and more. The keynote address will be given by Thomas Adams, mayor of the village of Green Oaks, Illinois. As Chairman of the Metropolitan Mayor's Caucus, which is comprised of 252 mayors from the 6-county Chicago Metro Region, he will bring experience and insights from regional and local levels. During a panel discussion, Meet the Mayors, two mayors from Pennsylvania and two from New Jersey will discuss issues pertaining to older communities. Representatives from Pennsylvania and New Jersey state agencies will present the variety of state funding and assistance programs to support municipal revitalization and redevelopment in each state. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with agency staff to learn about available funding.

For more information about the conference, contact Karen Cilurso at 215-238-2813 or kcilurso@ dvrpc.org.

THE COMMISSION FUNDS NEW PROJECTS IN FISCAL YEAR 2007
DVRPC's Board recently took action to lock into place the documents that steer the Commission's work for the coming fiscal year. The agency's FY 2007 Planning Work Program (UPWP) and Budget have been officially adopted by the Board, thus addressing issues currently facing the region, as well as furthering long-range
plans for orderly growth. The documents outline all of the federally funded planning projects slated for the nine-county region from July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007, and lists DVRPC projects, as well as projects planned by member governments and transit organizations. The total budget for the FY 2007 UPWP is $22,672,000 with over 100 individual projects.

Some of the new projects for FY 2007 include a Feasibility Study for Amtrak Service at the Chester Transportation Center, New Ramp Analysis at US 202 and US 322 and a Route 202 Land Use Implementation Project. All of the new projects were chosen from recommendations by DVRPC's advisory committees and state, county, and local governments. Development of the Work Program began last Fall, and a full draft was
released for public review in December 2005. After its adoption by the Board in January, the publication was sent to both NJDOT and PENNDOT for final approval in March 2006. Meant to serve as a flexible document, the Work Program can be, and often is, amended to respond to the changing needs of our region.

Public Comment Period for DVRPC's TIP
Each year DVRPC opens a public comment period during the month of May for the New Jersey Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), the agreed-upon list of priority projects for Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Mercer counties. This year, the public comment period will also be for the Pennsylvania TIP. Updated every other year, the PA TIP is the list of priority projects for Montgomery, Bucks, Delaware, Chester, and Philadelphia counties.

An "open house" public meeting will be held at DVRPC's offices on Tuesday, May 23, 2006 from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. For more information, visit www.dvrpc.org and click on the DVRPC calendar.

DVRPC'S FIFTH ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF REGIONAL EXCELLENCE DVRPC's
Fifth Annual Celebration of Regional Excellence was held to honor John J. Coscia, recognizing his many years of service to the region. The dinner was on May 4, 2006 at the Four Seasons Hotel, Philadelphia. The Commission wishes to thank those who supported the dinner through their attendance and through advertising opportunities.

NOTICE TO MUNICIPALITIES NEW FOR 2006!
An E-newsletter featuring news for municipal officials as well as a calendar of events, workshops and other educational opportunities in the region.

If you wish to receive the E-news, send your e-mail address to Kelly Rossiter, Regional Planner, at krossiter@dvrpc.org.