Happy New Year!  Hopefully 2010 is off to a great start for you!

The deadline for submitting comments to the Indianapolis MPO on its Public Participation Plan has been extended to Friday, January 15^th.  The Public Participation Plan is the document which provides the public participation requirements for the transportation planning process within the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Area.  Public comments should be directed to Anna M. Tyszkiewicz (317.327.5487, atyszkie@indy.gov).  We anticipate many MPO activities related to transit in 2010, so this is a good way to offer your first bit of input!

The 2010 HbD calendar is already loaded with several great events and conferences.  Be sure to keep an eye on it regularly for the latest updates and additions, and be sure to let me know of things you’d like included. 

• Mark your calendars for Communities at the Crossroads XII, Doing More with Less: Investing in Quality of Life in Challenging Fiscal Times to be held February 19^th.  This year, there is also a call for posters for this event!  
• Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard and members of his staff and city departments will hold a Mayor’s Night Out Question and Answer Forum on the Near Eastside next Monday, January 11^th, from 6-7 PM, at Emerson Avenue Baptist Church (308 N Emerson Ave.). 
• The Indiana High Speed Rail Association is hosting a luncheon on Friday, January 29^th at 11:30 AM, at the Gary/Chicago International Airport.  Business and government leaders are invited to hear from Joseph A. Szabo, administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, about the high-speed rail system proposed for the Midwestern United States and the economic benefits of the system.
• Applications are being accepted through January 20^th for the Built Environment Assessment Training (BEAT) Institute, to be held June 13-18 in Philadelphia, PA. The goals of the BEAT Institute are: 1) to prepare investigators and practitioners to use both observational and self-report measures of nutrition and activity environments and related behavioral assessments through lectures, fieldwork, hands-on skills, group work and individual consultation with BEAT faculty, and 2) to increase the number of professionals qualified to conduct built environment assessments for nutrition and physical activity.