2045

COVID-19 Doesn’t Stop Public from Providing Valued Feedback

While COVID-19 changed our original plan to host an in-person alternatives and strategies public meeting, that didn’t stop us from continuing to seek out public feedback on the 2045 LRTP. In June 2020, GIAMPOGrand Island Area Metropolitan Planning Organization hosted an online public meeting, available in both English and Spanish, to ask Grand Island residents to provide their feedback on potential future multi-modal strategies and proposed alternatives that might be included in the plan. The online public meeting received a lot of support and input via comment mapping tools and survey responses with:

• 256 unique online meeting users
• 509 unique comment entries

The project team is currently evaluating project ideas provided by online meeting participants, and comparing those ideas to the technical analyses and the goals of the LRTP, including safety, accessibility, efficient and reliable, economic growth and preservation of the existing system. In the meantime, view the full online public meeting summary.

Further analyzing and refining project alternatives that will be incorporated in the 2045 LRTP means that we’re getting closer to having a final 2045 LRTP published. Before that happens though, we’ll prepare a draft 2045 LRTP for one last opportunity for the public to review and comment. Stay tuned!

Grand Island’s Transportation Vision Continues to Develop

GIAMPOGrand Island Area Metropolitan Planning Organization has completed public input opportunities on the Transportation Visioning & Issues Identification phase of the 2045 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTPLong Range Transportation Plans)! In February 2020, GIAMPO hosted a Public Visioning Workshop, Focus Group meetings and presented to the GIAMPO Technical Advisory Committee to gain an understanding of current transportation issues and obtain feedback on a shared vision for Grand Island’s transportation future.

GIAMPO cast a wide net to engage with a large and varied set of community members and stakeholders:

• Over 3,000 people were directly contacted by GIAMPO, or GIAMPO advocates and champions, to participate in the 2045 LRTP. Notably, the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce emailed over 2,500 people to promote the Public Visioning Workshop and survey
• Approximately 65 people attended the Public Visioning Workshop and participated in Focus Group meetings
• Over 500 community members responded to the 2045 LRTP Issues Survey
• Over 3,200 people were informed and engaged through Facebook

The GIAMPO team sincerely appreciates all public participation and feedback during the visioning and issues identification process. We heard a lot of comments related to several transportation goal areas, including:

• Safety
• Accessibility
• Efficient and Reliable
• Economic Growth
• Preservation of the Existing System

Feedback will continue to be an important component of the 2045 LRTP development process.

With initial public input opportunities behind us, the team is wrapping up technical analyses of Grand Island’s multi-modal transportation system, and beginning to develop potential transportation improvement alternatives and strategies for the plan. The alternatives and strategies will be evaluated for how well they address key issues within Grand Island’s transportation network, and how they fit with the vision and goals. The alternatives and strategies will include potential improvements to highways, roads, transit buses, freight, bicycle and pedestrian facilities. The public will be asked to weigh in and help provide their alternative and strategy priorities at a Public Prioritization Workshop, anticipated to occur in May 2020. More details are forthcoming!

Meet Grand Island's Newest MPO Manager

GIAMPOGrand Island Area Metropolitan Planning Organization is excited to announce Andy Gomez as Grand Island’s newest MPO Manager! Andy joined the GIAMPO team on September 30, 2019 and as the MPO Manager is responsible for researching and preparing all of the documents necessary for the MPO program, including LRTPsLong Range Transportation Plans, as well as assignments originating from both the Policy Board and Technical Advisory Committee as directed by the MPO Director. Before Andy joined GIAMPO, Andy served as a Senior Project Manager in Transportation Planning at Atkins in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area. Before his time at Atkins, Andy served as the MPO Manager for the Corridor Metropolitan Planning Organization in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Andy attended the University of Miami where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. He also obtained a Master of Science in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Iowa and a Master of Science in Economics from the Colorado School of Mines. In his spare time, Andy likes reading, watching movies and going to the gym.