The Polk Transportation Planning Organization’s December Board meeting has been changed to Tuesday, December 7, 2010. The meeting will be held in the Polk County Board of County Commission Chambers, Polk County Administration Building at 330 West Church Street, Bartow, Florida beginning at 9:00 a.m. or shortly thereafter.

Click here for meeting information.

The Polk Transportation Planning Organization won the Jan Johnson Memorial Public Involvement Award at the Heart of Florida Section of the Florida American Planning Association’s 2010 Planning Awards ceremony.

The Jan Johnson Memorial Award for Excellence in Public Involvement is given annually to a professional organization or individual in the planning field who advances community education and public participation in the planning process. It is awarded to an individual who displays the following traits and qualities as part of an effective public involvement project or program:

• Professionalism – dedication to craft and the planning process;
• Innovation – use of latest medium to promote effective public involvement;
• Compassion – displaying a genuine concern for others;
• Creativity – bringing a story to the message; and
• Humor – adding “more cowbell” to the message.

The TPO is the long-range transportation planning organization for Polk County and recently adopted the 2035 Mobility Vision Plan. The TPO plans roads, sidewalks, multi-use trails, bike lanes and transit. Corporate, Community Groups, Home Owner Associations and Clubs interested in learning about future road and transit plans and projects for their neighborhoods in Polk County may schedule a speaker from the TPO at (863) 534-6486.

Caption for photo: Polk TPO Staff from left to right: Ben Dunn, Laura Lockwood, Ryan Kordek, Curtis Knowles, Cherie Simmons, and Diane Slaybaugh.

The October 13, 2001 Polk Transportation Planning Organization Board meeting video is available here. Click the link to watch the meeting, have access to all materials and take advantage of video indexing, which allows you to view any portion of the meeting you want by clicking the agenda item in the video player. For a full list of available meetings go to polk-county.net and select the PGTV link.

Stay informed about the road improvement project at the intersection of U.S. 98 and S.R. 60 in Bartow by clicking here or go to www.idriveus98.com. The site has up to date information on improvements that run from S.R. 60 (Van Fleet Drive) in Bartow to East Edgewood Drive in Lakeland.

The TPO Board endorses FDOT’s FY 2012/13 – 2016/17 Draft Tentative Work Program for Polk County. The Draft Tentative Work Program contains all of the transportation projects they intend to implement in the next 5 years which include highway, transit, safety, aviation, rail, resurfacing, bicycle and pedestrian projects. Download the full DTWP here.

The Polk Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) is currently seeking Polk County residents to fill the following vacancies on the Transportation Disadvantaged Local Coordinating Board (TD LCB):

• Economically Disadvantaged – A person who is recognized by the Florida Association for Community Action (President), representing the economically disadvantaged in Polk County
• Elderly Population – A person over sixty years of age representing the elderly in Polk County
• Disabled Population – A person with a disability representing the disabled in Polk County
• Citizen Advocate – A citizen advocate who uses any transportation services as their primary means of transportation in Polk County
• Local Medical Community – A representative of the local medical community which may include kidney dialysis centers, long-term care facilities, assisted living facilities, hospitals, local health department, home/community based services, etc.

The purpose of the TD LCB is to identify local transportation needs and to provide information, advice and direction to the Polk County Community Transportation Coordinator about services for the transportation disadvantaged population in the county.

The TD LCB meets quarterly at the Polk County Administration Building located in Bartow. Transportation will be provided to and from the meetings for those needing assistance. If you are interested in transportation issues and one of the above vacant positions, please contact Diane Slaybaugh at the Polk TPO (863) 534-6495.

FDOT pre-applications for all transportation projects are due to the TPO by Dec. 15th. To assist in this application process Polk TPO will hold a Transportation Projects workshop on Thursday, November 10th, at 9 a.m. in Room 413 of the Neil Combee Administration Building. TPO and FDOT will educate local governments about how and when to submit project proposals for Transportation Enhancement, Multi-Use Trail,
Regional Multi-Use Trail, Congestion Management, and Safe Routes to Schools projects to the Polk TPO. Download the Polk Transportation Projects: Application Guidelines or contact Laura Lockwood Senior Transportation Planner with Polk TPO, (863) 534-6783 or lauralockwood@polk-county.net.

The Polk Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) is seeking public comment on draft amendments to the 2035 Mobility Vision Plan.

The draft amendments can be viewed on the TPO website by clicking the link below or by contacting the TPO using the contact information provided at the bottom of this page.

The 45-day public comment period is underway and will remain open until January 22, 2012. A public hearing will be held during the TPO Board meeting on February 23, 2012. The Board will hear and consider public comments prior to taking action on this item.

http://www.2035mobilityvisionplan.org/index.cfm?pg=topics