Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission

MEDIA ADVISORY:
March 26, 2002

CONTACT: Jim Ford
jimford@nipc.org
Phone: 312-454-0400
or
Martha Hudak
mjhudak@rcnchicago.com
Phone: 773-275-9901
Mobile: 312-209-9901

NEWS CONFERENCE APRIL 2 IN CHICAGO FOR SIGNING
OF NATION’S FIRST TRI-STATE REGIONAL ACCORD

Wingspread Regional Accord Information Kit

DESCRIPTION:	Representatives of four adjacent regional planning agencies from Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin will sign the nation’s first tri-state regional accord on Tuesday, April 2 and announce the group’s initial work projects. Tri-state agreements previously have been signed at the state level, but this is the first time that regional planning agencies in three states are entering into an accord. The regional planning commissions involved cover northeast Illinois, northwest Indiana and southeast Wisconsin. They conduct transportation, land use and environmental management in their respective areas.
TIME/DATE:	10 a.m., Tuesday, April 2
LOCATION:	Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission Commission Chambers Room 222 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 1800 Chicago, IL 60606
AGENCIES:	Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission (NIPC), www.nipc.org Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC), www.nirpc.org Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC), www.sewrpc.org Chicago Area Transportation Study (CATS), www.catsmpo.com
SPEAKERS:	Herbert T. Schumann Jr., President, NIPC Scott King, Chairman, NIRPC, and Mayor of Gary, Ind. Jean M. Jacobson, Secretary, SEWRPC, and County Executive of Racine County, Wisc. Jeffery Schielke, Vice Chairman, CATS, and Mayor of Batavia, Ill.
BACKGROUND:	Representatives of the four agencies initially met in 2001 at the Wingspread Conference Center in Wisconsin to lay groundwork for a tri-regional accord. By the end January 2002, all four agencies had endorsed the accord. The final document will be signed by the four agencies at the April 2 news conference.