Summary of CUPPAD Staff Activities
October 1, 2006 - September 30, 2007 (FY 2007)

CUPPAD, like all regional planning commissions serves its region in a wide variety of ways.  During the fiscal year 2007, CUPPAD staff undertook such activities as seeking to provide jobs in the Upper Peninsula, the application for and administration of federal and state grant-in-aid programs and acted as the clearinghouse for others.  CUPPAD staff also developed a variety of planning documents including comprehensive plans, policy plans, hazard mitigation plans, and updated and wrote new recreation plans. Working with other agencies CUPPAD provided staff and facilities for Criminal Justice Planning.

CUPPAD staff wrote several new zoning ordinances for client cities.  Staff updated several other zoning ordinances to meet the Michigan Public Act 110 requirements.

CUPPAD’s mapping and related GIS activities includes assistance to cities, towns, and state agencies by producing a wide variety of map documents ranging from a bicycle map to 911 maintenance.  Many of these maps were done in conjunction with the Transportation Planning department which works closely with MDOT’s (the Michigan Department of Transportation’s) access management (making entry onto roads safe and convenient), and asset management (identifying and rating road conditions).  In addition CUPPAD staff has been directly involved in non-motorized trail systems, and recreational trail/route systems.

CUPPAD staff works in partnership with the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural affairs in the award and administration of arts mini-grants.  In the fiscal year 2007 eighteen mini-grant awards were given out ranging from $337 to $2000.

The remainder of this document is a more in-depth listing of the activities of the CUPPAD staff during fiscal year 2007.

1st Step Business Counseling

1st Step (NOW UNDER CONTRACT AS MI-SBTDC - Region 1)

The 1st Step program moved out of the CUPPAD office relocating their offices at the Michigan Works! office in May of 2007.  CUPPAD has contracted with

1st Step (now MI-SBTDC - Region 1) to continue providing job creation services in the six county area, as a service to the region.  During the fiscal year 2007, MI-SBTDC - Region 1 provided the following job creation services for new and existing businesses.

Jobs created:  207

Jobs Retained: 58

Started Business: 57

Loans obtained: 53

Total of Loans: $10,322,000

Owner investment: $1,138,000

Total client case load: 618

Sessions facilitated: 1596

Contact Hours: 1557

Prep Hours: 423

Travel Hours: 433

Community Planning Activities

- CDBG GRANTS AND GRANT ADMINISTRATION

CDBG Activities involve the activities required to apply for and administer CDBG Grant-In-Aid programs.  CDBG grant awards are based on the benefit to low-and-moderate income persons, on the benefits to a community to provide services such as job creation for low-and-moderate income persons, and on municipal emergency situations.  To apply for a CDBG grant, a notice of intent must be filed with the CDBG agency (MEDC or MSHDA), low/moderate income data gathered if required by the program, obtain the necessary permits, file an environmental review including a historical clearance, and obtain a contract between the CDBG agency and the grantee. 

Once approved, the community contracts with an engineer who puts together a scope of work and design specifications for the project, and lets the bid.  The engineer then sends a copy of the contract to CUPPAD, who submits a list of contractors and subcontractors to the CDBG agency for a comparison against the Federal Debarred list.  CUPPAD then submits a copy of the civil rights policy of the grantee, a HUD form 2516, conducts and submits Davis Bacon interviews transmits pay requests, and submits progress reports to the CDBG agency.

CUPPAD CDBG projects during the past year were as follows:

- CDBG Applications: CUPPAD Completed CDBG applications for:

City of Stephenson Water Well Project

City of Manistique Range Street Project  

Village of Powers Lift Station Generator Project

City of Norway Iron Street Infrastructure Project

- CUPPAD Submitted Environmental Reviews for:

City of Stephenson Water Well Project

City of Manistique Range Street Project  

Village of Powers Lift Station Generator Project

City of Norway Iron Street Infrastructure Project

- CUPPAD assisted the following communities with Low/Moderate Income Surveys required for CDBG funding by training survey personnel, tabulating data collected and assisting in submission of data upon request:

Village of Carney (submitted to the State on the village’s behalf)

Nadeau Township

Meyer Township

City of Munising

City of Ishpeming

City of Negaunee

Ford River Township

- CUPPAD provided administrative services for:

City of Stephenson Water Well Project

City of Manistique Range Street Project  

Village of Powers Lift Station Generator Project

City of Norway Iron Street Infrastructure Project

City of Norway 9th Street Infrastructure Project

- Facade Grants

Facade grants are provided through MSHDA to improve the appearance of the downtown area and promote the downtowns.  These are 50% matching grants provided for exterior improvements to businesses located within a traditional downtown. To qualify for a grant there is a job creation requirement with 51% of all new jobs being held by low/moderate income persons or showing an area wide/low moderate income benefits.  Recent Facade Grants administered by CUPPAD in 2007 were:

City of Manistique

Miscellaneous Grant Applications

Not all grants are CDBG grants.  While the requirements for grants vary with the type of grant applied for, all grants have certain commonalities.  All grants identify the need, describe the purpose of the grant and contain a budget.  Depending on the grantor, the grant application may require significant additional data collection. 

- Regional Jail:  CUPPAD worked with the Hannahville Potawatomi Tribe on a grant for a Regional Jail facility study grant for the Upper Peninsula.

Revolving Loan Funds

Revolving loan programs are designed to provide low interest loans on a portion of the gap between conventional financing and the total cost of the project.  They are not intended to replace the equity requirement of the borrower, nor to provide competition with lending agencies.  By combining the conventional loan with the low interest loan on a portion of the gap, the borrower is able to write down his interest on the project and thus increase his chances of a successful project. Revolving Loan Fund Applications vary with the type of loan and the agency providing the loan.  A typical loan application involves collecting and assembling data on the community, including but not limited to the number of jobs to be created, the demographics of the community, and in some cases industry specific data. 

Clearing House Reviews

Various federal agencies, such as the USDA Rural Development program require that all projects be consistent with area wide plans and with local and state initiatives.  CUPPAD serves as a clearinghouse for the six county region.  In the 2007 fiscal year, CUPPAD conducted clearing house reviews and provided letters of consistency on USDA loan projects for infrastructure and municipal facilities for the following communities:

City of Marquette wastewater system

Marquette Township wastewater system

Forsyth Township wastewater system

Michigamme Township wastewater system

City of Manistique water treatment system

City of Gladstone water treatment system

Breitung Township wastewater system

City of Iron Mountain sanitary collection system

Village of Carney/Nadeau Township wastewater treatment system

Republic Township wastewater treatment system

Data Requests

CUPPAD responded to numerous requests for demographic and other data as an affiliate of the Michigan Information Center from local governments, businesses, and the public.

Planning

Planning requires that information concerning the current status of a community be researched along with research on the needs, goals, opportunities, strengths, weaknesses, and threats a community faces.  This data is analyzed in terms of local, regional, or national standards and alternative courses of action are developed.  The alternatives are then analyzed and a strategy is developed which is consistent with the needs and goals of the community.  Comprehensive plans may be designed to meet the overall needs of a community or of a specific part of the needs of a community.  For example a plan may be designed to deal with land use, transportation, recreation, infrastructure, social needs, medical needs etc.  Similarly, a plan may be designed using the same techniques, which meets a single need such as policy or solid waste management.  CUPPAD has in the past fiscal year developed the following plans, of both comprehensive and specific nature.

- CUPPAD has developed the following Comprehensive Plans:

Escanaba Township’s Policy Plan

City of Menominee Master Plan

City of Munising Master Plan

Ishpeming Township Comprehensive Plan

Assisted Delta County amend their Solid Waste Management Plan to allow expansion

Obtained approval from the DEQ to amend the Menominee County Solid Waste plan to allow transfer stations

- Hazard Mitigation Plans

CUPPAD has completed hazard mitigation plans for Alger, Delta, Dickinson, Menominee, and Schoolcraft Counties.

- Recreation Plans

CUPPAD has updated or written the recreation plans for the following communities during the fiscal year 2007:

Burt Township

City of Escanaba

City of Norway

Champion Township

Marquette Township

Cedarville Township

City of Stephenson

Meyer Township

Spalding Township

Ordinances

The ordinances with which CUPPAD addresses are typically related to land use.   These ordinances require that state statutes and other applicable codes are not breached, while achieving the optimum impact toward resolving a specific problem or group of problems.  Typical ordinances that CUPPAD addresses are zoning and subdivision codes and increasingly mining related codes.

- CUPPAD has created or revised the following zoning ordinances:

Breitung Township Zoning Ordinance

Skandia Township Zoning Ordinance

Ford River Township Zoning Ordinance

Criminal Justice

CUPPAD provides the meeting room, and administrative staff.  Staff contracted by CUPPAD facilitates the meetings and the programs for the Criminal Justice Planning Committee.  In the fiscal year 2007, CUPPAD continued the Commission’s 31-year sponsorship of the Criminal Justice Planning Committee; committee comprised of professionals from law enforcement agencies, courts, social service agencies, advocacy groups and interested individuals. CUPPAD’s involvement allows the various Criminal Justice related agencies to have the necessary vehicle to coordinate programs and remain updated on each agency’s programs.

The Criminal Justice activities of CUPPAD were as follows:

- Organized five Criminal Justice Planning Committee meetings

GIS/Mapping

Maps have been a mainstay of planning efforts since long before Regional Planning agencies existed.  Some of the earliest maps were city plans drawn on clay tablets with cuneiform writing dating back several thousand years.  CUPPAD’s GIS department uses state of the art equipment to collect data and computer generate quality maps for a variety of uses.

The GIS/Mapping activities conducted in fiscal year 2007 were as follows:

- Created or updated Township zoning map for:

Ford River Township

Waucedah Township

Skandia Township

Pictured Rocks data to be used for future zoning changes

City of Menominee “land use/zoning map”

Mathias Township

Masonville Township/Rapid River

Bark River Township

Breitung Township

City of Kingsford

Felch Township

City of Munising

- Created and maintained 911 data for:

Schoolcraft County 911 fire atlas

Alger County

Delta County

Dickinson County

- Created recreation maps for:

Menominee Township

City of Escanaba Recreation maps

- Created base maps for:

City of Gladstone base maps for Gladstone Public Safety

City of Escanaba 

City of Negaunee

Wells Township (for the Wells water main extension project.)

- Road maps:

Norway Township/Village of Vulcan

Breitung Township/Village of Quinnesec

City of Kingsford

City of Norway

City of Iron Mountain

City of Escanaba

City of Negaunee (boundary and framework 6b road layer)

An Upper Peninsula road map

Prepared a data DVD for the Delta County Act 51 road atlas

- Miscellaneous Mapping and GIS Projects:

City of Norway CDBG Infrastructure project

Central Region map

Pewabic mine area located in Dickinson County

Parcel map for the City of Gladstone

Sagola Township cemetery map

MSAGS for Delta, Schoolcraft and Alger Counties

2005-2006 Aerial Photos of Menominee, Marquette, Dickinson, Delta, Alger and Schoolcraft Counties obtained from United States Department of Agriculture - Natural Resource Conservation Service

Updated 1st Step Counseling Center location map 

City of Munising utilities mapping project

City of Manistique using 2005 aerial imagery

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula map (SHPO)

Powell Township/Big Bay comp plan

Safe Routes 2 School program

Shakey Lake Park future development

Area of interest map (Kmart in Dickinson County) for MDOT

Facade Inventory map of the City of Manistique

Area of Interest map for Delta County Courthouse

City of Norway (EDA environmental review SHPO aerial map)

PDF of the Fumee Lake map for Dickinson Area Partnership

Prepared a presentation for the Northern Michigan Public Service Academy on the

topic: GIS and local units of Government “How can GIS help us?”

Heritage Route pamphlets

Tri-Township map for Ensign Fire Department

DVD disk for Ishpeming Township policy plan with maps

Dickinson county map pertaining to the City of Norway/Norway Township joint venture comp plan

“North Bluff Industrial Park Area” map for the City of Gladstone

Transportation Planning

CUPPAD works closely with the Michigan Department of Transportation collecting and analyzing data relating to all forms of transportation, including non-motorized transportation such as bicycle routes and pedestrian trails.  All of the below projects are included in the MDOT Work Programs.

- Access Management

Access management activities relate to maintaining a safe, efficient traffic flow.  Uncontrolled traffic or high volumes of controlled traffic results in congestion and delays.  Access management is an ongoing program coordinated with the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Access Management activities in fiscal year 2007 were:

• US2/141/M95 Corridor Access Review – continued from 2006
• Attend meetings and provide technical assistance as needed (so far two groups:  Marquette County, Dickinson County)

- HPMS - Traffic counting

Traffic counts are used for a variety of transportation projects. 

- Rural Elected Officials Meeting

CUPPAD assisted MDOT with the Rural Elected Officials Meeting in November.

- Asset Management

Asset management deals with the number and condition of traffic ways including streets, roads, signals and other related physical assets.

• City of Negaunee 2007 Pilot Program
• 2007 Agency Reporting/ Multi-year Program Reporting – Online reporting process  CUPPAD has conducted training sessions on the reporting process for Act 51 Agencies
• Data Collection - PASER

- Bike Map Project

Bicycles are increasingly being used as alternative transportation as well as for recreation.  CUPPAD has been directly involved in creating a region wide bike map that identifies routes and trails throughout the region.  The Transportation Planning department and the GIS department shared the effort in creating the regional map.  Already, interest has been shown in expanding the number and types of bike routes in the CUPPAD region, promising to be an ongoing project for a number of years.

• Data development
• Mapping

- UP Hidden Coast Recreation Heritage Route

Similar to the Federal Scenic Byway Program, the UP Hidden Coast Recreation Heritage Route directs both local and out of state tourism based on history, culture, natural history, and industrial developments.  Coordinated with the Michigan Department of Transportation, CUPPAD has undertaken the following Heritage Route activities in the 2007 fiscal year:

• Route inventory
• Management plan development
• Meeting facilitator
• Designation requirements

Arts Mini-Grants

In partnership with the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, CUPPAD

regranted $22,800 to local organizations for support of small arts and cultural projects:

Alger Parks & Recreation Department                        $882         Alger County

Hiawatha Interpretive Association                               $742         Alger County

Bay Area Art Association                                           $475         Delta County

Garden Township                                                       $337         Delta County

Gladstone Senior Citizens Non-Profit Corporation      $823         Delta County

William Bonifas Fine Arts Center                                $892         Delta County

Iron Mountain Public Schools                                     $1,051      Dickinson County

Gwinn Area Community Schools                                $2,000      Marquette County

Father Marquette Catholic Central School System      $500         Marquette County

Hiawatha Music Non-Profit Corporation                    $1,500      Marquette County

Marquette Arts & Culture Center                               $2,000      Marquette County

Marquette Male Chorus                                             $1,786      Marquette County

Marquette Maritime Museum                                     $1,724      Marquette County

Moosewood Nature Center                                       $662         Marquette County

NICE Community School District                               $3,000      Marquette County

Northern MI University                                              $3,000      Marquette County

Gulliver Historical Society, Inc.                                   $544         Schoolcraft County

Manistique Area Kiwanis                                           $882         Schoolcraft County

Miscellaneous

- Staffing

CUPPAD has undergone staff changes for three positions (the Transportation Planner, Community Planner and Executive Director) during the fiscal year 2007.  The new staff was hired for their considerable experience and with the stated goals of maintaining and improving CUPPAD’s service to its members, improving the relationships with related agencies, establishing new relationships with agencies with corresponding goals, and to developing an increased rationalistic approach to serving the entire Upper Peninsula.

- Business Attraction

CUPPAD has always been a major player in the attraction and retention of new business and industry.  The philosophy of regionalism dictates that, while it is the intention of CUPPAD to attract businesses to the six county region, when it becomes clear that this is not possible with a particular business or industry the goal will shift to attracting the business or industry to the Upper Peninsula rather than lose that business to another state. 

To this end, CUPPAD worked on a site location project which ultimately involved all six counties in the region, the Dickinson Area Partnership, the Lake Superior Community Partnership, the City of Menominee, and the Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Region.  This cooperation resulted in the location of a site and two rotary kilns in Marquette County based on a lead generated by CUPPAD and followed up on at CUPPAD’s request by the Lake Superior Community Partnership.

- Brownfield Projects

CUPPAD has provided letters of support on brown-field development plans, grants, and programs in concert with other agencies to find proper adaptive reuse of sites which are contaminated or perceived to be contaminated.  To date these activities were in support of a Delta County project and a Dickinson County project.  In each case, there is the potential for future involvement by CUPPAD as the projects move forward.

Staff Development

Continuing education and staff development is critical to providing the optimum service to CUPPAD members.  Among the staff development activities in fiscal year 2007 were:

- Maintains membership in the Michigan society of planning and attends workshops as appropriate.

- Maintains membership in IMAGIN (Improving Michigan’s Access to Geographic Information Networks)

- Staff attended relevant workshops and seminars sponsored by the Michigan      Economic Development Corporation, Michigan Department of Transportation, Michigan Works!, the Upper Peninsula Economic Development Association, Michigan Association of Regions, Michigan Tourism Taskforce, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, the Center for Regional Excellence, the UP Regional Homeland Security and The Small Business Administration.

Additionally, staff meets with the regional representative of the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration.