March 11, 2022
www.ssmma.org
News from SSMMA
Registration for SSMMA's Annual Vendor Fair Appreciation Dinner Ends Today
SSMMA is excited to announce the return of this year's Annual Vendor Fair Appreciation Dinner! RSVPs for the dinner are due today, Friday March 11. Click here to register now!

Join us on Thursday, March 17th at 4:30pm at the Tinley Park Convention Center. This event will be hosted by Mayor Glotz and the Village of Tinley Park. Sponsors for the event include Comcast, ComEd, Nicor, and AT&T.

SSMMA would like to thank all of our Associate Members for their ongoing support. Our current registered vendors include AT&T, Azavar, Baxter & Woodman, Calumet City Plumbing, CSCC, CSVCB, Colonial Life, Comcast, ComEd, Core Construction, CSI, First Midwest Bank, Grand Prairie Services, Granite Government Solutions, Homewood Disposal, Kasperek & Co., Laski Advisors, Minuteman Security, Nicor, and SDA.

There is still time for Associate members to reserve vendor tables by contacting Melissa Doud at melissa.doud@ssmma.org as soon as possible.

Complete event details can be found here to learn more about this year's vendor fair. We will be following the CDC's current guidelines on masks. Find more information here to become a member.

Upcoming Meetings and Events

Click here to view SSMMA's 2022 meeting schedule.
Mark your calendars for SSMMA's Annual Vendor Fair

This event will be held on March 17th at 4:30pm at Tinley Park Convention Center.

The deadline for registration is March 11th.


For more information contact Melissa Doud.
SSMMA Data & Resource Pages
• On Friday, February 4, 2022, the City of Chicago, Cook County, and the State of Illinois convened a joint summit to inform organizations on what it takes to be ready to apply for grants and contracts funded by ARPA. Find the presentations here.

• SSMMA offers an American Rescue Plan Act resource page for community leaders to access the latest information about program criteria and updates for Cook and Will County municipalities.

SSMMA 2020 Census Data

• Access the most recent 2020 Census data for the SSMMA region on the Census Resource Page by viewing the dashboard and repository map.
COVID-19 News
• SSMMA's COVID Vaccine Tracker shows that the current regional vaccination rate is 54.7%, compared to 67.8% statewide.

• As of March 11th, the seven-day average positivity rate for the SSMMA region is 1.8%. Suburban Cook County positivity rate reports as low according to Cook County Public Health.


• Find regional vaccination rates and vaccine clinics directly at ssmmacovid.org.
State and Local COVID-19 Information
• Governor Pritzker issued an updated COVID-19 Executive Order on March 4, 2022.

• Cook County Department of Public Health issued Mitigation Order 2022-1 on February 28th.

• Will County Health Department & Community Center allows residents to schedule first-time vaccinations and booster shots directly on their website.

Community Vaccination Information
• The mass vaccination site in Matteson has re-opened from 8am - 6pm Tuesday - Saturday and from 10am - 4pm on Sunday. Walk-ins are welcome.

• Cook County Department of Public Health is offering free COVID-19 Drive-Thru Testing and Vaccinations at Oak Forest Health Center thru March 24, 2022.

• South Suburban College is partnering with IDPH to provide all three vaccinations and PCR testing Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 8am - 4pm. No appointment is required, pre-register here.

• Will County Health Department offers vaccination clinics for residents. Learn more.
Business & Residential Resources

• Find a list of federal and DCEO grant opportunities here.

• The Pritzker Administration has announced $45 million in grants through the Restore, Reinvest, and Renew (R3) Program for eligible organizations. Learn more.

• Gov. Pritzker and DCEO Launch $3.5 Million Investment in Regional Planning to Spur Economic Recovery (RISE) Program

• Pritzker Administration Announces up to $30,000 in Housing Relief per Eligible Homeowners. Learn more.

• Will County offers resources for residents and businesses impacted by the pandemic.
Grant Opportunities from Our Community Partners
Women Transportation Seminar Scholarship
• WTS Greater Chicago will be awarding up to $30,000 in grants for women in the transportation industry.

• The application deadline has been extended to Friday, March 18.

• Find additional information and application details here.
Cook County Announces Call for Invest in Cook and Community Development Block Grant Program Applications
• Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways is now accepting applications for the Invest in Cook and Community Development Block Grant Program.

• The application deadline for both programs is Wednesday, March 16 at 5:00pm. For more information contact Kristi DeLaurentiis or Leslie Phemister.








• The Cook County Justice Advisory Council (JAC) is holding a series of virtual information sessions on the upcoming Gun Violence Prevention and Reduction Grant opportunity.

• Pre-Submittal Conference will be held on Monday, March 14 at 10:00am. Register here.

• Applications are open from March 8 until April 11.
• The United States Department of Transportation announced they are accepting project applications through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Program.

• Applications are due on April 14, 2022, by 5:00pm.

Hazard Mitigation Grant Funding Opportunity Application Reopen
• The Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) is reopening the application period for Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding.

• Applicants are invited to submit the

• Applications are due April 30, 2022.
News from Our Community Partners
Pace & RTA Seek Public Input on I-294 Tri-State Market & Facilities Feasibility Study
• Pace and RTA are looking for the public to complete a survey for feedback on I-294 Tri-State Market & Facilities Feasibility Study.

• The ongoing Illinois Tollway Central Tri-State Project will incorporate improvements including Flex Lanes, which will be available to Pace buses to avoid congestion.

Requests for Proposals
• SSMMA offers a list of RFP's from throughout the south suburban region directly on our website.

• Municipalities and organizations can send proposals here to have their RFP's publicly posted.
SPC News

April 19th Surplus Vehicle and Equipment Auction

  • The next SPC Surplus Vehicle and Equipment Auction is scheduled for noon on Tuesday, April 19th, at America’s Auto Auction in Crestwood. America’s AA offers a wide variety of convenient services to prep your vehicles and garners the highest possible price, and as noted last week, prices for used cars are up 40% year-to-year due to chip shortages and high demand.

  • Please note that vehicles and equipment can be listed for disposal at the SPC auction right up to the morning of the auction day. Sell them now to get a fresh start and please keep in mind that a portion of the proceeds helps support the operations of the organization.

  • If you can’t make the April Auction, live auctions will also be held on July 19th and October 18th. In addition, America’s Auto Auction hosts online sales on par with other government surplus Internet auctions. For questions or additional information, please contact staff or Berry Ellis, 312-371-5993 or berry.ellis@americasautoauction.com.  

There's Still time to Register for SPC/Granite SIP Solution Webinar

  • On Friday, March 18, Suburban Purchasing Cooperative (SPC) Telecommunications Vendor Granite Government Solutions (Contract #205) will host a webinar on SIP Solutions. This free webinar will begin at 11:00 a.m. and will be led by Granite Senior Sales Executive Frank Ventrella.

  • SIP is a signaling protocol used for initiating, maintaining, modifying, and terminating real-time sessions that involve voice communications applications and services between two or more endpoints on IP networks. It allows customers to route calls to the PSTN using IP infrastructure, overcoming scalability limitations of traditional voice infrastructure, such as PRI and POTS.

  • Please note that Granite is offering a 30-day free test period to determine if Business SIP Trunking is the correct solution for you. It allows you to test the compatibility between your equipment and Granite’s voice platform before proceeding with a permanent SIP Business Trunk solution.

  • If someone else in your agency would like to attend, please have them contact NWMC Purchasing Director Ellen Dayan, edayan@nwmc-cog.org. For more information on the webinar or to review the complete lineup of services offered by Granite, please contact Frank Ventrella, 630-649-0823 or fventrella@granitenet.com. 

SPC Extends Lane Marking Contract with No Increases!

  • The Suburban Purchasing Cooperative (SPC) is pleased to announce the first of three possible, one-year contract extensions on the 2022 Thermoplastic and Urethane Lane Marking Material and Labor Road Marking Program (Contact #201) with Superior Road Striping of Melrose Park.

  • The contract extension runs from April 12, 2022, through April 11, 2023, and contains no price increases! Pricing may be found at SPC Lane Marking. For questions or additional information, please contact staff, Joan Yario, or Sandy DeHoyos at thermopros@sbcglobal.net or call 708- 865-0718.

View the current SPC Catalog here.
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