Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative

Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative

Join the growing number of people in Allamakee, Chickasaw, Clayton, Fayette, Howard and Winneshiek counties working together to create vibrant communities where the healthy choice is the easy choice.

The healthy choice means that every day all people in NE Iowa have access to healthy, locally grown foods and abundant opportunities for physical activity and play.  Food and fitness is important  because no matter where we are, the places where we live, learn, work and play affect our health and quality of life.

For the past ten years, this effort has been a part of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Food & Community program.  Food & Community invests in community-driven policy and system change projects to transform our food and fitness systems.  NE Iowa was chosen as one of nine locations across the country for this project. For more information contact Ashley Christensen.

Click Here for More Information

Active Living Work Group

Ensuring that people use the natural and built environment for physical activity, play and active transportation

Active Living Work Group

"Active Living" means to integrate physical activity, such as walking and other active body movements, into our daily routine. Being physically active positively impacts our health, our community and our environment. From trails to parks to bluffs and beyond, Northeast Iowa provides an exceptional environment for physical activity.

The Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative's (FFI) Active Living Work Group aims to increase use of Northeast Iowa's natural and built environment by encouraging people of all ages and abilities to be active outdoors. The Active Living Work Group is made up of key individuals from multiple sectors working together to make the group's strategy a reality:  parks and natural resources, city engineering, physical therapy, county conservation, trail enthusiasts, public health, community and transportation planning and Safe Routes to School.

As the core partner invested in FFI's Active Living and Safe Routes to School efforts, UERPC convenes the Active Living Work Group. The work group meets quarterly and always welcomes new members! Please contact Ashley Christensen to learn more.

ALWG Meeting Minutes

News Headlines

The September 2022 Newsletter is Here!

Posted: Mon, September 19, 2022

The UERPC September 2022 Newsletter is here! 

Highlights include:

  • YOU'RE INVITED! UERPC's 50th Anniversary Celebration on October 18th!
  • Mark Your Calendars for the Get Charged Up! EV Event! on October 13th!
  • Open House for Fayette County Housing Study on Sept. 22nd in Fayette
  • UERPC Announces Grant Awards for Transportation Projects
  • UERPC Attends Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals National Conference
  • UERPC Notices
  • Northeast Iowa STEM Festival is October 27th!
  • Funding Available through the Unified Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant Program
  • Job-related Resources
  • September 5-2-1-0 Feature

Want to view the newsletter? Click here:  http://uerpc.org/newsletters.html 

Want to receive our newsletter in your inbox? Sign up here: http://uerpc.org/newsletters.html 

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Open house for Fayette County housing study Sept. 22 in Fayette

Posted: Fri, September 9, 2022

UERPC wrapped up a housing study this summer for Fayette County in collaboration with Fayette County Economic Development and Tourism (FCEDT). The goal of this effort was to identify housing needs and gaps to assist local stakeholders in finding solutions to current and future housing challenges.

All Fayette County stakeholders, residents, and community leaders are invited to join UERPC and FCEDT for an open house to learn about the completed study. The open house will be on Thursday, September 22, 2022, from 5pm-7pm at the Fayette Opera House in Fayette, Iowa. Attendees will have the opportunity to review the study and chat with representatives about how the study was conducted and how to best utilize the analysis for efforts to improve and expand housing in Fayette County communities.

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UERPC announces grant awards for transportation projects

Posted: Fri, August 19, 2022

Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission (UERPC) today announces more than $3.5 million in federal transportation grants for local projects, supporting more than $6 million in total project investments in the region.

UERPC is the designated Regional Planning Affiliation (RPA-1) for the northeast Iowa counties of Allamakee, Clayton, Fayette, Howard, and Winneshiek. Each year, the five-county region receives federal funding for diverse transportation projects that further the goals of RPA-1’s Long-range Transportation Plan. The RPA-1 Transportation Policy Board is responsible for evaluating grant applications and deciding which projects are awarded. Funding is typically awarded four years out (2026 for this round), but some projects received funding for 2023 and 2024 during this year’s application cycle.

The grants can support a wide variety of projects. Some address needed maintenance of the rural secondary road system, such as Fayette County’s pavement overlay project on W42/Juniper Road. Others, like the Main Street/IA-9 Corridor Vision Plan for the City of Lansing, support transportation planning efforts.

Funding also supports non-motorized transportation infrastructure, such as the City of Guttenberg’s Big Springs/Mississippi River Trail Connection; continued development of the Dry Run Trail in Winneshiek County; and an extension of the Turkey River Recreational Corridor trail east of Elgin into Clayton County.

The grants are funded by the Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) Program, and the STBG set-aside for transportation enhancements and alternatives. Continued and increased funding for these programs was enabled by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, passed by Congress and signed into law last year.

Through these projects, RPA-1 seeks to advance the regional transportation goals set forth in the Long-range Transportation Plan. A complete listing of projects funded through the next four years can be found in the RPA-1 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) document, available at uerpc.org/transportation.html. Additional information about UERPC and Regional Planning Affiliation 1, including the region’s Long-range Transportation Plan, “Safe Mobility for Everyone,” can also be found at the link above.

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The August 2022 Newsletter is Here!

Posted: Wed, August 17, 2022

The UERPC August 2022 Newsletter is here! 

Highlights include:

  • YOU'RE INVITED! UERPC's 50th Anniversary Celebration on October 18th!
  • Mark Your Calendars for the Get Charged Up! EV Event! on October 13th!
  • Gov. Reynolds Issues Disaster Proclamation for Five Counties
  • Homes for Iowa Home Arrives in Fayette
  • NEIRHTF Accepting Applications
  • Homebuyer Educational Courses Offered
  • Back-to-School Transportation Safety:  It's the responsibility of each of us
  • UERPC Notices
  • Waukon and Lansing Residents and Business Owners:  Northeast Iowa Needs Your Help!
  • 5-yr CEDS Report Adopted
  • Funding Available for Upper Explorerland Regional Housing Authority Section 8 Program
  • Job-related Resources
  • The Walking and Biking School Bus Fall Season is Almost Here!
  • Keep Iowa Beautiful Photo Contest is Now Open
  • UERPC Employee Spotlight Board Brings Smiles and Spreads Kindness!
  • August 5-2-1-0 Feature

Want to view the newsletter? Click here:  http://uerpc.org/newsletters.html 

Want to receive our newsletter in your inbox? Sign up here: http://uerpc.org/newsletters.html 

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