Today is the Transportation Summit Day!

Why is Lake County always in last place when it comes to securing Federal, State and Tollway $$'s for the construction of major Highway/Transportation Infrastructure capacity additions and/or enhancements? Because as a community of business, governmental and civic leaders, we have been unable to speak with one voice on highway add-lanes projects with our Congressional, State General Assembly, County Board and Municipal Leaders, unlike other Chicago Metropolitan Counties. Our goal at tomorrow's Transportation Summit , which will be held at the College of Lake County's Auditorium from 8:00 AM to Noon, is to change that.

Highlights will be participation from the State's Transportation Infrastructure Leadership, General Assembly Leadership, County Board Leadership and Municipal Leadership in tomorrow's Summit; all you have to do is show up and let your vote be counted. At the end of tomorrow's session, we will present a unified Transportation Agenda to Lake County's Legislators - our Congressional reps, General Assembly Leadership, County Board Leadership and Municipal Leadership, that they can work together on to secure funding in the Spring/Fall 2006 Session - 4 Projects (one needing construction monies, one needing engineering design/right of way acquisition funding, one needing planning monies and one regional project needing planning/consensus building monies) .

Our goal is to hold a Joint Transportation Goal Setting Summit Annually, but it all starts tomorrow and we need you to show up and vote so our governmental leaders understand your concerns about moving goods, materials and employees in and out of Lake County.

Attendees will be Lake County business and community leaders, as well as Lake County residents in business and professional associations that share your interest in effecting meaningful transportation improvements in Lake County. It will be a long, incremental journey to attain transportation congestion relief, unfortunately it is the nature of the beast. We have to start somewhere and I encourage you to be part of our efforts to kick-start the journey tomorrow. Thanks!