For Immediate Release: June 1, 2018
NOACA wins Vibrant City Impact Award
Award to be presented at fourth annual Vibrant City Awards Lunch on June 8th
CLEVELAND – Cleveland Neighborhood Progress is pleased to announce that Northeast Ohio Area Coordinating Agency (NOACA) will be the recipient of the 2018 Vibrant City Impact Award. NOACA will receive this award at the June 8th Vibrant City Awards Lunch. Winners of seven other Vibrant City Awards will also be announced at the event, which takes place at Cleveland Metroparks Lakefront Reservation on the border of the Glenville and St. Clair Superior neighborhoods.
“The Vibrant City Impact Award was introduced to recognize community partners that are positively impacting the lives of Clevelanders,” states Joel Ratner, President & CEO of Cleveland Neighborhood Progress. “NOACA believes that a strong urban core is the foundation for sustainable and equitable growth of the region. The organization is helping to revitalize Cleveland neighborhoods through transit planning and implementation and is making smart investments for our future.”
The agency is responsible for planning all transportation projects that use federal funds in the five county region. It works through a 45-member Board of Directors, which is supported by a dedicated staff of planners, engineers, and administrators. It operates with a clear sense of values that requires always striving to work collaboratively and transparently with its partners. NOACA is recognized as the regional expert in funding, programs, policy development, best practices, and technical assistance as related to transportation.
“NOACA is honored to receive the Vibrant City Impact Award,” states NOACA Executive Director Grace Gallucci. “Economic growth, equity and quality of life are the imperatives embedded in the NOACA Strategic Plan – and common goals we share with Cleveland Neighborhood Progress. By investing in projects that make our neighborhoods places where people want to live, work, and play, we are investing in the future for all of us as a region,” Gallucci continued.
Since 2006, NOACA’s Transportation for Livable Communities Initiative (TLCI) has provided over $13 million in support to plan and implement innovative ways to strengthen community livability including sustainable development, multimodal transportation, and complete and green streets. It has befitted numerous Cleveland neighborhoods from MidTown to Kamm’s Corners and Union-Miles to the Campus District, and impacted many neighborhoods in between.
Additionally, NOACA’s equity work to define Urban Core, Disadvantaged Communities and Environmental Justice policies are helping to improve the work being performed in Cleveland’s urban neighborhoods.
The Cleveland Metroparks won the first-ever Vibrant City Impact Award in 2016 and Cleveland Public Library was the 2017 recipient.
At the annual Vibrant City Awards Lunch, Neighborhood Progress will also present awards for community collaboration efforts, placemaking, economic opportunity programming, neighborhood marketing, urban development and civic champions. Additionally, the organization will present the Morton L. Mandel Leadership in Community Development Award at the luncheon. Past recipients of this award include Daryl Rush (2015), Joe Cimperman (2106) and Judge Raymond Pianka (2017).
All award finalists will be recognized at the event, when civic leaders, community development professionals, local developers, investors, realtors and passionate Clevelanders will gather to celebrate city neighborhoods. Local chef Chris Hodgson of Driftwood Catering will be coordinating an authentic Cleveland fish fry for lunch and 2017 Cleveland Chain Reaction winner Claude Booker of Sides To Go BBQ will provide dessert.
Kenny Crumpton of Fox 8 will serve as emcee.
The event is open to the public. More information concerning event details, registration and the award finalists is available at www.ClevelandNP.org/VCAL .