Technical Assistance Grant Program Now Open

The Bay-Lake Resource Planning Commission Technical Assistance Grant Program is an annual program that provides an opportunity for member counties and municipalities to receive free professional planning assistance on small-scale plans or projects. Most projects fit within the commission’s work program and fall under the categories of community planning, economic development, mapping/visualization, environmental, and transportation.

One to three projects within the region will be selected for 2019. Projects are limited to a maximum of five days (40 hours) of staff time, and must be started and completed in 2019. Some potential project categories include the following:

• Community Planning: comprehensive planning, zoning and other plan implementation activities; hazard mitigation; site design; housing studies; grant seeking, writing and administration; demographic analyses/assessments.
• Economic Development and Housing: housing studies; funding identification; grant writing and administration; business/industrial park planning; capital improvement plans; brownfield reuse planning.
• Environmental: beach improvements, invasive species; outdoor recreation; restoration planning; urban forestry; surface water issues; grant seeking, writing and administration.
• Mapping and Visualization: GIS technical assistance and training; official maps; plat books; one-on-one training and setup assistance; custom mapping, map updates, brochures, inventories, Story Maps, ArcGIS Online Collector inventories, graphic design.
• Transportation: transit technical assistance; local road and street issues; traffic forecasts; bike & pedestrian planning; corridor planning; Safe Routes to School; grant seeking, writing and administration.

The Commission is now accepting applications for technical assistance projects under this program. An application for the Technical Assistance Program is available at baylakerpc.org. Applications are due no later than 4 pm on Jan. 31, 2019.