ODOT Presents its 2008-2009 Business Plan to NOACA Governing Board

If you were going to put in a new driveway, you might experience sticker shock when you find out that the $10,000 driveway you wanted two years ago will now cost more than $12,500. Put that kind of inflation on a larger scale and you’ll appreciate the situation that the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) finds itself in, with its construction costs increasing more than 40 percent from July 2003 through June 2007.

At the January 11 meeting of the Governing Board of the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA), ODOT representatives will present ODOT’s 2008-2009 business plan (available on its Web site) to deal with the challenges it faces. The plan sets forth how ODOT intends to use its personnel and resources to promote safety and reduce congestion on our transportation system, encourage economic development across our state, and advance a multimodal approach to addressing Ohio’s transportation needs.

“We understand and share ODOT’s concerns,” says Howard R. Maier, NOACA executive director. “With decreased federal funds and higher construction costs, we’re facing the possibility of limited major new construction in Northeast Ohio.”

In addition to hearing the ODOT presentation, the NOACA Governing Board will elect officers for calendar year 2008. The following slate of candidates will be recommended (candidates with an asterisk next to their names will also be members of the Executive Committee, as will Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson):

President:                      Commissioner Mary Samide, Geauga County*
1st Vice President:      Mayor William Grace, City of Elyria, Lorain County*
2nd Vice President:     Engineer James Gills, Lake County*
Secretary:                      Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones, Cuyahoga County*
Asst Secretary:            Mayor Deborah Sutherland, City of Bay Village
Asst Secretary:            Commissioner Betty Blair, Lorain County*
Treasurer:                     Commissioner Stephen Hambley, Medina County*
Asst Treasurer:            Director Julius Ciaccia, NE Ohio Regional Sewer District
Asst Treasurer:           Commissioner Robert Aufuldish, Lake County*
Immediate Past President:   Director Robert N. Brown, City of Cleveland*

The Governing Board meeting will be held on Friday, January 11, at 10:00 a.m. at NOACA’s offices, 1299 Superior Avenue in downtown Cleveland.

For more information, call Gayle L. Godek, Communications Specialist, at 216-241-2414, ext. 283; or Steve Jones, Associate Director of Divisional Services, at ext. 352.