a shared vision for a thriving region
Transcription
a shared vision for a thriving region
A SHARED VISION FOR A THRIVING REGION A SHARED VISION FOR A THRIVING REGION Power of 32 is a regional visioning initiative designed to leverage the potential of the region and compete as a region to increase our financial, political, and intellectual power. By bridging borders and recognizing shared challenges and opportunities, Power of 32 is committed to improving the future of the 32+ counties in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia, which are the economic region centered on Pittsburgh. Power of 32 was created by the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership, and Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission. After working together to study regional visioning efforts from across the country and around the world, the following Steering Committee was recruited to lead the community visioning and agenda development phases of the Power of 32 effort. Mercer Mahoning Lawrence Butler Columbiana Armstrong Beaver Hancock Indiana Allegheny Cambria Blair Jefferson Westmoreland Brooke Ohio Washington Belmont Marshall Greene Monroe Somerset Marion Harrison Bedford Allegany Monongalia Wetzel Tyler Fayette Preston Garrett POWER OF 32 CO-CHAIRS EXECUTIVE AND STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS, 2008 – 2011 Georgia Berner* Berner International Corporation, Lawrence County, PA Ron Aldom Somerset County Chamber of Commerce, Somerset County, PA William P. Getty Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, PA & WV (affiliation as of time of service) Jerry Andree Cranberry Township, Butler County, PA Heather Arnet The Women and Girls Foundation of SWPA, Allegheny County, PA Louis P. Astorino Astorino, Allegheny County, PA Honorable Tom Balya Westmoreland County Commissioner, PA David Barensfeld Ellwood Group Inc., Lawrence County, PA Gregg Behr* The Grable Foundation, Allegheny County, PA Dr. JoAnne Boyle Seton Hill University, Westmoreland County, PA Diana Bucco The Forbes Funds, Allegheny County, PA Honorable J. Bracken Burns* Washington County Commissioner, PA Stan Caldwell Carnegie Mellon University, Allegheny County, PA Doris Carson Williams African American Chamber of Commerce of WPA, Allegheny County, PA Candi Castleberry-Singleton* UPMC Center for Inclusion in Health Care, Allegheny County, PA Dr. Diego Chaves-Gnecco Chaves-Gnecco General Academic Pediatrics, Allegheny County, PA G. Reynolds Clark* ex officio, University of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, PA Aradhna Dhanda Leadership Pittsburgh Inc., Allegheny County, PA Mike Dunleavy IBEW, Allegheny County, PA Aliya Durham YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, PA Joy Eggleston* Southwest Regional Medical Center, Greene County, PA Laura Ellsworth Jones Day, Allegheny County, PA Evan Frazier Highmark, Allegheny County, PA Honorable Donna Gority Blair County Commissioner, PA Court Gould* Sustainable Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, PA Colleen Peterson* The Greater Cumberland Committee, Allegany County, MD Dan Guida Downtown Business Civic Association, Hancock County, WV Nancy Railey Railey Realty, Garrett County, MD Ashley Hardesty Bowles Rice McDavid Graff & Love, LLC, Monongalia County, WV Mayor Luke Ravenstahl Office of Mayor Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, PA Dr. Tori Haring-Smith Washington & Jefferson College, Washington County, PA James E. Rohr PNC Financial Services Group, Allegheny County, PA Amy Hart* Center for Hearing & Deaf Services Inc., Allegheny County, PA Scott Rotruck* Chesapeake Energy, Monongalia County, WV James Hassinger Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, Allegheny County, PA Audrey Russo* Pittsburgh Technology Council, Allegheny County, PA James C. Hunt Sunnyside Up Campus, Harrison County, WV Honorable Pam Snyder Greene County Commissioner, PA Ron Justice West Virginia University Mountainlair, Monongalia County, WV Rob Stephany Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, PA Mike Kane Community Foundation for the Alleghenies, Cambria County, WV Honorable Patricia Kirkpatrick Armstrong County Commissioner, PA Allen G. Kukovich SmartGrowth Partnership, Westmoreland County, PA Sean Logan UPMC, Allegheny County, PA Ed Looman Progress Alliance, Jefferson County, OH Chris Masciantonio US Steel Corporation, Allegheny County, PA Kathy McKenzie West Penn Allegheny Health System, Allegheny County, PA Hersh Merenstein Student Taylor Allderdice High School, Allegheny County, PA Larry Merry Belmont County Port Authority, Belmont County, OH Susie Nelson Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley, Ohio County, WV The Right Reverend Douglas Nowicki Saint Vincent College, Westmoreland County, PA Chief Executive Dan Onorato Allegheny County, PA Clara Pascoe Community Foundation of Fayette County, Fayette County, PA Eric Peters Tyler County Development Authority, Tyler County, WV John Surma US Steel Corporation, Allegheny County, PA Mitch Swain Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, Allegheny County, PA Steven Tritch* Westinghouse, Allegheny County, PA Honorable John Vatavuk Somerset County Commissioner, PA Sunil Wadhwani iGate Corporation, Allegheny County, PA Mayor Jay Williams City of Youngstown, Mahoning County, OH William D. Wilmoth Steptoe & Johnson, Ohio County, WV Abby Wilson LUMA Institute, Allegheny County, PA Dennis Yablonsky* Allegheny Conference on Community Development, Allegheny County, PA * Executive Committee TURNING VISION TO ACTION The first two phases of the visioning initiative were facilitated by the Institute of Politics. First, in 156 community conversations in every one of the 32 counties, the Power of 32 collected more than 15,000 comments from diverse people who offered their perspectives on our strengths and challenges, their hopes for our brightest future, and how best to ensure it. The message was clear: if the region is to thrive, the citizens, our leaders, and business, education, and government must work together on common issues and not be stymied by political and parochial boundaries. Six Issue Teams—Economy, Education, Environment, Government, People and Community, and Transportation and Infrastructure— led by regional leaders knowledgeable in these areas then worked together to develop projects which met three criteria: •T he project addresses a regional challenge or opportunity. •R egional action plausibly can be more effective than action state-by-state. •A n entity or group was willing to accept responsibility for implementation of the project. The Six Issue Teams recommended 14 initiatives meeting these criteria, which became the Regional Agenda, published in the fall of 2011. MOVING FROM VISIONS TO ACTIONS: THE 14 INITIATIVES The third phase of Power of 32 involved a transition to distributed project leadership. ECONOMY EDUCATION Create a Regional Venture Fund Create a Regional STEAM Network Create a regional ‘Early Stage Fund of Funds’ to support start-ups, stimulate entrepreneurial environment, and create high quality jobs across diverse industries. Improve academic achievement and mastery of 21st century skills (such as the abilities to deconstruct problems, think flexibly, and work with others to design solutions) through the cultivation of student creativity and inspired learning. Lead Organization: Allegheny Conference Lead Organization: Sprout Fund ECONOMY Create Better Sites for Business Growth in the Region EDUCATION Match Education Programs to Jobs Launch a fund to assist development of high-quality sites, emphasizing redevelopment of brownfields, to support business relocations and expansions to the region. Create a standardized and seamless career education system that coordinates curricula between high school and higher education, based on employer hiring needs and job qualifications in regional growth industries. Lead Organization: Allegheny Conference Lead Organization: Allegheny Conference ENVIRONMENT GOVERNMENT Promote Sustainable Use and Conservation of the Region’s Water Establish a Power of 32 Caucus Create an Ohio River Headwaters Committee to promote policies and resources to protect our region’s water, including with respect to diversions and withdrawals from the watershed. Lead Organization: Headwaters Resource Committee staffed by CMU ENVIRONMENT Develop strategic state and federal collaborations including the formation of a caucus of the region’s representatives. Lead Organization: Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce GOVERNMENT Develop a Government Best Practices Collaborative Implement a Regional Air Quality Improvement Strategy Create a “Best Practices Bank” to share ideas and proven concepts to help governments be as cost-effective as possible. Develop a regional air quality improvement strategy and promote the coordination of efforts across the Power of 32 region. Lead Organization: Local Government Academy Lead Organization: Heinz Endowments ENVIRONMENT Create a Shale Initiative Develop a comprehensive cross-sector initiative to promote environmentally responsible development of shale gas. This became two initiatives: Three-state strategy to attract downstream manufacturing activity. Lead Organization: Allegheny Conference Regional energy strategy built upon energy sources and uses analysis. Lead Organization: Sustainable Pittsburgh PEOPLE & COMMUNITY Connect the Regional Trail System Create a comprehensive regional trail network. Lead Organizations: Pennsylvania Environmental Council, The Progress Fund, and the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE Maximize Use of Alternative Fuels Maximize the transition to alternative fuels for all forms of transportation, prioritizing fleet vehicles and river tugs. Lead Organization: Port of Pittsburgh TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE Create a Real-time Traveler Information System Create a regional traveler information system to provide real-time information to enable modal and route choices for people and freight. Lead Organization: Traffic 21 Center at CMU TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE Increase Commerce Through Improved Freight Transportation Develop and maintain a sustainable, multi-modal, interconnected freight transportation system that enables the region to compete globally. Lead Organization: Allegheny Conference TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE Maximize Success at Competing for Funding Maximize regional success in competing for private sector, government, and foundation funding for transportation and infrastructure. Lead Organization: Fourth Economy IMPLEMENTATION OVERSIGHT While each of the Power of 32 projects is led by an entity or group committed to implementation, ongoing efforts are encouraged by an Implementation Committee: Chair, Greg Babe Liquid X Printed Metals, Inc., PA Georgia Berner Berner International Corporation, PA Steve Craig Lawrence County Commissioner, PA Gordon Gee West Virginia University, WV William P. Getty Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, PA Court Gould Sustainable Pittsburgh, PA Thomas Humphries Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber, OH James Hunt Amazing Cities, Inc., WV Ed Looman Appalachian Partnership for Economic Growth, OH Colleen Peterson Formerly the Greater Cumberland Committee, MD Scott Rotruck Spillman, Thomas, and Battle, Morgantown, WV Audrey Russo Pittsburgh Technology Council, PA Rick Stafford Heinz School Carnegie Mellon University, PA Richard Taylor Imbue Technology Solutions, Inc. (ImbuTec) Bill Wilmoth Steptoe and Johnson, WV Dennis Yablonsky Allegheny Conference on Community Development, PA PROGRESS REPORT The 14 initiatives are being implemented by teams of leaders from business, government and nonprofits—working together to connect across places and perspectives in the region to inspire new ways of thinking, build strong relationships, and generate the commitment required for the region to thrive. Here are some highlights of recent milestones. REGIONAL SITE DEVELOPMENT FUND DEVELOP A GOVERNMENT BEST PRACTICES COLLABORATIVE To create better sites for business growth in the region, a fund has been formed and is ready to begin making below-market-rate loans primarily to brownfield sites. Development of these sites will have a positive regional hiring and economic impact. Under the leadership of the Allegheny Conference, a committee has begun to review sites nominated from across the region. Of particular interest to elected officials, the Local Government Academy (LGA) is leading a project to create a “learning site” to promote best practices across local governments in the region. LGA retained Five Star Development, Inc. to survey regional elected officials as to their prospective interest in using such a site. They have reported that there is strong interest in a site that provides access to sound information about ways and means being used to address common problems, as well as a place to interact informally on-line with other elected officials facing similar challenges. Nonprofit entities such as the Pennsylvania Housing Alliance and Sustainable Pittsburgh have expressed a willingness to use the site to provide educational materials. CREATE A STEAM NETWORK This project, led by the Sprout Fund and Kids+Creativity Network, focuses on collaborative work across the region to develop educational technology. It has drawn funding from the MacArthur Foundation in Chicago, which has recognized the Pittsburgh region as a national leader in this field. Efforts within this project include the nationally-recognized “Makeshop” at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, and a collaboration between the CREATE Lab at Carnegie Mellon University and satellites at Marshall University, West Liberty University, West Virginia University, and Carlow University. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT With federal funding grants known as ShaleNet I and ShaleNet II — and the leadership of the Allegheny Conference—community colleges and Workforce Investment Boards in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia have worked together to create training that better matches education to jobs in the energy sector and the manufacturing sector, which hopefully will be revitalized through efforts based on the shale opportunity. DEVELOPMENT OF REGIONAL ENERGY STRATEGIES Two projects are underway. The first, led by the Allegheny Conference, is a three-state effort to develop a strategy to permit the region to take advantage of the opportunities for downstream manufacturing activity related to the shale. The second, headed by Sustainable Pittsburgh, is a regional energy sources and uses baseline being developed as the formative step to develop a broad regional energy strategy. This effort is being advised by a committee of experts recruited from across the region and the country. SUPPORT FOR NETL The “Friends of NETL,” a regional collaboration led by the Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, has been effective in not only protecting but also increasing the federal budget for the National Energy Technology Lab co-located in Morgantown and South Park. REGIONAL TRAIL NETWORK Under the leadership of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, the Progress Fund in Greensburg, and representatives of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Cleveland, a collaboration of regional trail groups, regional government planning authorities and economic development entities is developing a plan for creation of a world-class trail network throughout the region. Since starting in 2012, the regional trail network has been expanded to 53 counties in five states, and nearly 1,600 miles of trails—about 53% are already complete. The Regional Trail Network is using technology to promote the trails and trail towns. They continuously update GIS trail data and present the data on www.gototrails.com, a site used by project partners and other trail planners. Pennsylvania Environmental Council is additionally developing a wayfinding app (now in beta form) that guides trail users to area trails and trail town amenities. To learn more, contact the Power of 32 at: c/o The Pittsburgh Foundation Five PPG Place, Suite 250 Pittsburgh, PA 15222-5401 412-246-3200 [email protected] www.powerof32.org
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