Updates and outcomes from MARC's September Board meetings

Oct 10, 2023
| Posted in
Lia McIntosh is the director of KC Rising.

At the MARC Budget and Personnel Committee meeting on Sept. 26, attendees took the following actions:

  • Volunteer matching: The committee voted to expand the Give 5 program, which matches older adults with volunteer opportunities at local nonprofits. The $89,595 agreement with the Missouri Association of Area Agencies on Aging will expand the program from one to three cohorts starting next spring.
     
  • Double Up Food Bucks: To help families access healthy food, the committee approved a $110,000 contract amendment with Harps Food Stores to continue offering the Double Up Food Bucks program to customers in De Soto, Kansas; Poplar Bluff, Missouri; and Richmond, Missouri. The Double Up Food Bucks program helps SNAP users stretch their food dollars when purchasing fresh produce.
     
  • Regional 911 System: Several upgrades to the Regional 911 System are moving forward following the committee’s approval of $350,000 in projects. The upgrades include replacing 30 routing switches and accompanying power supplies, and the renewal of 911 router dataspace storage.
     
  • UrbanSim platform: The committee approved $92,500 to upgrade and customize the UrbanSim platform, which will give decision makers access to new land-use and growth forecasts for the region. Insights from the UbanSim’s platform will also support the metropolitan transportation plan update and provide information about where the region will grow.