The Southwest Missouri Council of Governments (SMCOG; pronounced: sim-cog’) has partnered with Webster County to develop a Public Transit and Active Transportation Plan for the county and will be seeking public input in the coming months. The Plan will focus on opportunities to improve access to transportation in the county, particularly for individuals with disabilities, individuals with low income, and older adults. This planning effort is made possible by SMCOG’s recently awarded Rural Community Innovations: Transportation Planning Grant, funded by the Federal Transit Administration and administered by the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC). The Plan will serve as a guiding document for the transportation decision-making process and future investments. The main purpose of the Plan is to develop a set of multimodal transportation improvements that address deficiencies and provide enhancements to Webster County’s transportation system. The planning process will ensure community input and involvement so that the final plan accurately reflects the needs and preferences of all residents.
Over the next few months, SMCOG will be working with the county to facilitate the planning process. Webster County residents will be invited to participate in a county-wide survey and a series of public meetings. The survey and public meeting discussion questions aim to identify existing challenges and influence potential future solutions for accessible transportation in Webster County.
Residents are asked to complete the survey between December 2, 2024, and January 10, 2025, to allow SMCOG staff time to analyze response data. The survey can be found at https://www.smcog.org/webstertransportationsurvey. Paper copies of the survey can be found at the Seymour Senior Center, Fordland Clinic, Webster County Health Unit, Jordan Valley – Marshfield, Ozarks Area Community Action Corporation (OACAC) – Webster County, and OATS buses.
SMCOG will also host four public meetings throughout the county to gather input on transportation needs.
If you need assistance getting to the meeting, we encourage you to contact OATS at 417-887-9272 or 800-770-6287.
The Southwest Missouri Council of Governments (SMCOG) is a Regional Planning Commission and an association of local governments in the ten-county area of southwest Missouri. SMCOG serves Barry, Christian, Dade, Dallas, Greene, Lawrence, Polk, Stone, Taney, and Webster counties. SMCOG is one of 19 active regional planning organizations throughout Missouri.
All comments and questions should be directed to Aishwarya Shrestha at (417) 836-6901 or by email at AishwaryaShrestha@MissouriState.edu.
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