Building Partnerships helps Communities offer Transportation Systems that Impact Rural Quality of Life

Public Transportation

At no cost to Noble County, SEAT agreed to launch a six-month transportation pilot…

Communities with no or limited access to public transportation still exist across rural Appalachian Ohio. Nationally, only 11 percent of rural residents report having access to transportation near their home, compared to 83 percent of central cities in metropolitan statistical areas.[i] Whether it is access to transportation for Medicaid medical appointments, the need for senior citizens to get to the grocery store or other needs, limited resources can impact quality of life in a community.

The Noble County office of Ohio State University Extension researched and shared the need for more structured access to public transportation to the Noble County Board of Commissioners. While limited access to transportation exists in the greater Noble County community through eligibility-specific programs such as Veterans Services, Senior Services, or the Medicaid program, no general public transportation is available.

Identified by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) as one of only 27 counties in the state without public transportation services, and also identified by the ODOT Regional Transportation Planning Organization’s (RTPO) needs analysis and transportation opinion survey reports as lacking a coordinated transit plan or services, Noble County offered great opportunity for partnership.

Research identified several successful rural regional transportation models; and one partner, Southeast Area Transit (SEAT), a Regional Transit Authority (RTA) serving nearby Guernsey and Muskingum Counties, came to the table to offer a pilot program. At no cost to the county, SEAT agreed to launch a six-month transportation pilot to help determine service needs.

As a social determinant of health, access to high-quality, affordable transportation is fundamental to mental, physical, and emotional well-being.[ii] The partnership window initially opened with a contract between SEAT and the Noble County Job and Family Services (JFS) program for Medicaid non-emergency medical transportation. Previously providing only gas vouchers for transport, the JFS Director saw a greater need.

Additional research and conversations led to a meeting with county leaders and representatives from the transit agency which yielded a pilot program offer. The pilot program will be a hands-on opportunity to introduce services to the rural communities and further determine needs and opportunities for additional contract services and future funding options.

Barriers to rural transportation systems include long travel distances, low population density, and lack of basic public transit infrastructure (vehicles, staffing). Access to transportation impacts the well-being of rural residents with issues as varied as food access, social support, education, employment, and community and health services.

Noble County’s population trends also reveal important indicators of current and future need for community services and supports including transportation. Noble County’s population is aging; the share of the population that is 60 years and older is projected to lead the state as it continues to grow over the next 20 years (49.5%), outpacing the state’s average (28.7%).[iii] For aging and disabled populations, public transportation can also help to reduce social isolation.[iv]

Partnerships assist with identifying deficiencies, recommending improvements, and developing real-world implementation strategies (especially when rural resources are at a minimum). Partnerships can also provide coordination of services and help improve transportation reach and efficiency, as well as sustainability.

Following the pilot program, partners will consider next steps for expansion of services with the goal to provide safe, reliable, and courteous public transportation in a community where there previously was very little offered.
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[i] Promising Practices for Increasing Access to Transportation in Rural Communities – The Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis – April 2018

[ii] Rural Transportation: Challenges and Opportunities – University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center; Nov. 2017

[iii] Projections and Characteristics of the 60+ Population – Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University; Jan. 2014

[iv] Promising Practices for Increasing Access to Transportation in Rural Communities – The Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis – April 2018


Gwynn StewartGwynn Stewart, educator, CD, OSU Extension-Noble County.

Multi-University Collaboration for Sustainable Land Use Planning- A Tipping Point Planner Perrysburg, Ohio Case Study

The City of Perrysburg drains into three watersheds at the Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) 12 scale—Grass Creek Diversion (HUC 04000090901), Grassy Creek (HUC 04000090902), and Crooked Creek (HUC 0409000090903)—which feed into the Maumee River and, subsequently, western Lake Erie. This area was identified by Ohio Sea Grant and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant as an ideal location to hold a Tipping Points Planner (TPP) workshop. Through collaboration with Reveille, a local planning consultancy, Perrysburg, Ohio was identified as a potential community partner because the city is in the initial stages of preparing a comprehensive plan update.

Workshop

In total, over 55 people participated in the workshop sessions. Ohio Sea Grant, Reveille, and the City of Perrysburg led the development of a steering committee which included key stakeholders from city departments, elected officials, and the public, as well as representatives from the City of Toledo, relevant state agencies, and Wood County. The steering committee held an initial meeting on August 13, 2018 in Perrysburg, Ohio to discuss goals for the workshop series and to identify additional planning considerations that may fall outside of the purview of the Tipping Point Planner. The steering committee also identified three key focus areas for the workshop: Land Use Planning and Open Space, Green Infrastructure and Stormwater, and Nutrients and Food Webs.

The Tipping Point Planner workshop was held to support Perrysburg’s comprehensive plan update by investigating water quality issues tied to topics listed above. A public visioning session, technical tipping points data and breakout session, and an action planning workshop were held from August 13 to August 15, 2018 at Perrysburg’s City Administration Building and Way Public Library. All meetings were open the public.

During the visioning session, participants were asked a series of questions to identify community characteristics and to understand how the public values natural resources in the Perrysburg area. Participants also discussed assets and opportunities related to the three key topics described above.

During the second meeting, participants received in-depth presentations on nutrient loading, green infrastructure, and land use issues in the region. Researchers from Michigan State University, University of Michigan, and Purdue University who developed the models forming the foundation of TPP presented, discussed the data, interpretations, and took questions from those in attendance.

The final meeting was an action planning session held on August 15 in which participants reviewed best management practices for watershed management using TPP. Through a facilitated discussion, action steps were identified that combined ideas developed during the previous visioning session with locally generated goals and TPP best management practices. The results comprise the final outcome of the workshop, an account of public input on land use and water quality, and a set of community based actions that incorporate best practices for addressing community water quality and quantity challenges through a comprehensive plan.

The community visioning session was facilitated by Ohio Sea Grant and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant facilitators. The team employed a framework called PESTLE, which is used to consider a wide range of topics from business decisions to natural resource management initiatives. The strength of this approach is that participants are encouraged to think from six perspectives: Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental.

Workshop

In this session, the PESTLE framework was coupled with the SOAR (Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, Results) method of appreciative inquiry. By focusing on strengths, assets, and opportunities, within the key topic areas of Land Use Planning and Open Space, Green Infrastructure and Stormwater, and Nutrients and Food Webs, program participants were able to identify what strengths exist in the community as well as what opportunities may be possible based on their existing assets. As the workshop progressed, participants rotated between table topics and were able to provide input on all of the workshop’s three key topic areas.

Workshop

In the second meeting, the steering committee and interested individuals from the earlier community visioning session were able to choose one of the three key workshop topics to investigate using the Tipping Point Planner (TPP) Decision Support System. In a facilitated session, participants were guided through a series of maps within the TPP, and were able to manipulate various parameters within the watershed related to nutrient loads, time, and land use. This provided an opportunity for participants to visualize how changes in their watershed related to land use and nutrient loading would affect not only water quality in their local streams and rivers, but also the Lake Erie food web. A structured discussion was facilitated based on questions developed for each of the program’s three key topic areas.

Program participants engaged in a final facilitated discussion centered on identifying action strategies for each topic area. Each group was asked to identify or generate three to five goals using the community input received from the previous community vision session as well as the data and maps provided within the TPP system. Participants were facilitated through a series of questions that assisted in identifying appropriate goals and action strategies in the TPP system. Each goal was accompanied by Best Management Practices including sample ordinances, plans, community practices, incentives, and education options that were chosen by the group, and which are included in the Appendix of this report. Responsible parties, timelines and action items were also developed.

The process documented in the final report reflects in-depth public engagement with the residents and civic leadership in Perrysburg, Ohio on land use planning, stormwater, and nutrient loading issues. Participants engaged with forecasting models and provided their vision for the future. Finally, the group selected goals and strategies to work toward implementation of its vision.

 

The process is not over; as shown in the final report, there are many things left to be developed and decided. It is the hope of Ohio Sea Grant and Illinois-Indiana that the community continue to collaborate on the development of their comprehensive plan and that it be inclusive or informed by the contents of this final report. Example strategies and ordinances—as well as sample plans—can be found in the appendix of the final report. These resources include digital links to websites, documents, and other tools to help establish these strategies for Perrysburg and the surrounding area.

Find more information on Tipping Point Planner here.

Visit the previous Tipping Point Planner blog article here.

View final Perrysburg, Ohio report and appendices here.


Joe LucenteJoe Lucente is an Associate Professor and Extension Educator, Community Development, Ohio Sea Grant College Program and OSU Extension.

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Growing Philanthropic Capacity in Your Community

A number of factors impact the sustainability of rural communities in Eastern Ohio. Some of the factors have a positive impact, and others provide a challenge. A challenge can lead to what we call at Ohio State University Extension-Community Development a teachable moment. Most recently, federal, state and county budgets have been tightened or money has been directed to different initiatives. This has become a teachable moment for OSU Extension-Community Development to grow philanthropic capacity in the community.

Raising Money

How did we do that and what does that mean for you? Two words come to mind….Capital Campaign. A capital campaign is an intense effort to raise significant dollars in a designated period of time for a one-time need, usually a structure or building. OSU Extension-Community Development has worked with the YMCA and Southeastern Ohio Regional Medical Center (SEORMC) in Guernsey County to advance their capital campaigns. These two campaigns will provide two new structures and buildings in the community.

The YMCA will have an additional 3,400 square feet of program space. The additional space makes it possible for 1,000 new members and 15 new classes for almost any age group from 2 years old through senior age adults. The SEORMC capital campaign will build a cancer center. The goal of the hospital is not just a cancer building but also supportive programs for those in treatment. These are two of several philanthropic initiatives in the community that will affect many individuals and families and contribute to the quality of life in the community.

If you are interested in building philanthropic capacity in your community, please contact OSU Extension-Community Development.


Cindy BondCindy Bond is an assistant professor and educator, community development (CD),  OSU Extension-Guernsey County.

 

The Relevance of Community Strategic Planning in Corporate Location Decision-Making

In recent years, many communities have been encouraged to invest in “greenfield” development sites as a way to attract large manufacturing and distribution operations. This is also taking place at a time when such businesses are changing the way they make decisions about where to locate and expand. These business decisions have far-reaching implications for communities. Some businesses may decide to visit and negotiate for community incentives; others may want to know what communities are doing to improve the business climate. However, these incentives alone may not secure a relocation or expansion project for the community. It is becoming apparent that businesses are also interested in the contents of a community’s strategic plan.

A community’s strategic plan might not seem important. However, when it considers things such as a community’s workforce, business attraction and retention approaches, and an integration of economic and community development, the plan can be very helpful in expediting the site selection process.

How can strategic planning help businesses decide where to locate?

Companies look for employees with experience in cutting-edge manufacturing, robotics, and other fields. A strategic plan enables community leaders to bring existing key business and educational institution leaders together to discuss each other’s needs and find solutions for them.

Community members participate in community strategic planning process

Community members share in the community strategic planning process.

Although attracting new businesses is a common economic development strategy, research indicates that about 80 percent of all new jobs in a community come from existing businesses. A strategic plan that takes into account the need to retain and expand a community’s existing businesses may indicate to potential new businesses that the community is dedicated to assisting its businesses to become more competitive.

Companies want to see how communities foster social and economic integration by the way they plan to address local issues such as housing, education, healthcare, and cultural diversity. They also want to see how all stakeholders — residents, community-based organizations, public agencies, and the private sector — work together to promote residents and community quality of life.

Fayette County, Ohio recently revised and updated its strategic plan to provide a vision and a vehicle for creating short- and long-term community and economic growth for residents and businesses in the community. The vision considered all the vital elements: workforce, business attraction and retention, and importance of integration of economic and community development. The community’s workforce plan involves implementing youth workforce programs, including a Manufacturing Day Tour and a Career Expo for high school students.

The community’s business retention and expansion strategies support and develop existing businesses. This pro-business attitude can add to the attractiveness of the community as an excellent environment for new businesses. Most importantly, the community has nearly 1800 acres of “greenfield” development acreage (1,600 acres for the county and 200 acres for the City of Washington Court House). These “greenfield” development sites have infrastructure, including utilities and water, available on site for investors seeking a business location.

Community strategic planning has helped in Fayette County. How might it help in your community?

Reference:

http://www.areadevelopment.com/corporate-site-selection-factors/Q4-2017/importance-of-community-strategic-planning-location-decision.shtml


Apaliyah, GodwinGodwin Tayese Apaliyah is an Extension educator in Fayette County.