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Morpsy tells Knox County leaders about passenger-rail planning, $4.8 million safety grant and grant support services
Summary
Morpsy representatives outlined regional planning work, said two passenger-rail corridors are in phase two of federal review and announced a $4.8 million Safe Streets for All grant to be distributed to member communities; they offered planner-pool assistance and competitive-project advocacy to help Knox County secure state or federal funds.
Joe Gerty, chief strategy officer for Morpsy, and Eileen Lub, member services lead, presented the organization’s work to the Knox County Board of Commissioners on April 2. Gerty described Morpsy as a 15-county, member-driven regional organization that helps local governments pursue state and federal infrastructure and economic-development funds.
Gerty said two passenger-rail corridors — a Cleveland–Columbus–Dayton–Cincinnati corridor led by the state and a Chicago–Fort Wayne–Columbus–Pittsburgh corridor pursued with regional partners — have advanced to phase two of the Federal Railroad Administration’s corridor identification program. “If there were no delays, things could be operational by the mid 2030s,” he said, but he cautioned that station locations and detailed service plans will be determined in upcoming phases.
He announced Morpsy had won a $4.8 million Safe Streets for All grant that will be distributed to member communities for safety projects and named Mary Turner as the point of contact for distribution. Gerty also described Morpsy’s competitive advantage projects list and a planner-pool program that provides technical assistance and vetted consultants to help local governments prepare grant applications; he offered Morpsy staff time and planner loans to counties that lack in-house capacity.
The Morpsy team discussed trails, regional advocacy with congressional delegations, and work to coordinate regional partners through the Columbus Region Coalition and other efforts aimed at aligning projects for federal funding. Commissioners asked whether the passenger-rail route would cross Knox County; Gerty said current maps place a route slightly to the west/north of Knox but that nothing was final.
Morpsy offered to help Knox County with grant applications, technical assistance and connections to federal discretionary funding; the board accepted the update with no formal action requested.
