Catawba Regional Council of Government Receives National Association of Development Organizations 2020 Impact Award

WASHINGTON, DC – Catawba Regional Council of Governments based in Rock Hill, South Carolina has received a 2020 Aliceann Wohlbruck Impact Award from the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) for the City of Tega Cay 2025 Comprehensive Plan Update.

The City of Tega Cay, with assistance from the Catawba Regional Council of Governments and resident task forces, updated the City’s Comprehensive Plan and added a new element, Health and Active Living.  The purpose of the new element was to enhance and strengthen the overall physical and social well-being of residents. The project incorporated an interactive mapping tool to gather input from residents on current conditions, gaps, and opportunities for both pedestrians and cyclists.  The input from residents was incorporated into the Comprehensive Plan to provide the City with a framework for proposed biking and pedestrian infrastructure.

NADO is a Washington, DC-based membership association of regional development organizations that promote programs and policies that strengthen local governments, communities, and economies through regional cooperation, program delivery, and comprehensive strategies.  The association’s Impact Awards program recognizes regional development organizations and their partners for improving the economic and community competitiveness of our nation’s regions and local communities.

Award-winning projects were recognized during NADO’s virtual 2020 Annual Training Conference, held online October 20-22.  The 2020 class of award recipients consists of 79 projects from 48 organizations spanning 19 states.  These projects are presented in an interactive “Story Map” developed by NADO that includes project summaries, partners, and images.  The Story Map is available online at:  https://www.nado.org/impactawards/.

“Our annual Impact Awards program is an opportunity to highlight the important work our members do every single day to serve their local communities,” said 2019-2020 NADO President Kevin Byrd, executive director of the New River Valley Regional Commission, located in Radford, VA.  “These projects show the best that regional development organizations have to offer and are a real testament to the value they add to their regions.”

The NADO Impact Awards are presented in honor of the late Aliceann Wohlbruck who was NADO’s first executive director and served 24 years as a tireless champion for regional approaches to economic development in rural communities.

For more information about this award-winning project, contact Kara W. Drane, AICP, Catawba Regional Council of Governments, Susan Britt, AICP, Tega Cay, and Joseph Shook, Tega Cay.