I read this article today and thought about how we were trying to encourage the government to look at a wiki-based platform to encourage more visibility & open communication.  In the birthplace of the Wiki and the hotbed of open source and community networking software development, we should have/could have set a national standard. 

 

Of course, we could be #1 in the nation simply by coordinating a few local developers & companies, who would probably do it pro bono...if anyone in government cares about this???

 

 

By Tracy Loew • Statesman Journal

Oregon needs to do a better job of letting the public know how it is spending more than $3.9 billion in federal stimulus funds, a new national study has found.

The report by Good Jobs First, a non-profit research center based in Washington, D.C., rates and ranks the official Recovery Act Web sites of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.  It also evaluates the quality of each state's online reporting about Recovery Act highway projects.

 

"Oregon is in the middle of the pack for transparency of stimulus spending overall and better than average for transportation stimulus spending but has room for improvement all around," said Jon Bartholomew, advocate for the Oregon State Public Interest Research Group.

President Obama pledged unprecedented transparency and accountability in carrying out the $787 billion federal stimulus plan.

But the study found wide differences in the quantity and quality of information state Web sites offer.

Based on 10 criteria, it graded each state's stimulus spending Web site on a scale of 0 to 100.

 

Oregon received a score of 25, ranking it No. 23 among the states. For Recovery Act-funded highway spending, Oregon scored 55, placing sixth among the states.

 

The report criticized Oregon for:

-Not mapping locations of individual projects.

-Not naming project contractors or dollar amounts or including text of contracts.

-Not including any information about jobs created or saved.

-Not including data on duration of projects or portion completed.

-Having some data only on agency sites and not clearly linked to the main site.

-Not indicating the currency of the information on the site.

 

The Web site is overseen by Gov. Ted Kulongoski's office.

 

Governor office's spokeswoman Anna Richter Taylor said the state is in the process of improving the Web site but she couldn't speak to the specific deficiencies outlined in the report.

 

"The stimulus has been in effect for five months now. The dollars are just starting to come in. We're all in new territory," she said.

 

Guidelines for Oregon Way Advisory Group Projects   as copied from the Oregon State Government Web site 5.13.2009 Introduction   The Oregon Way Advisory Group (the "Advisory Group") was appointed by the Governor to advise and assist state agencies and other partners seeking federal competitive grants under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act ("ARRA").   The Advisory Group has been charged with identifying signature projects across the state that will showcase Oregon's green expertise to the nation, helping to bring long-term job growth as others look to Oregon to tap this knowledge base.   The guidelines set forth below are intended to identify the types of projects the Advisory Group is likely to recommend to the Governor and the types of data project sponsors are expected to provide the Advisory Group as part of the review process.     Guidelines     1.  To be considered by the Advisory Group, a proposed project must be co-sponsored by at      least one state agency and one private sector company or organization. The private sector      company or organization may be a for-profit business entity or a non-profit organization. 2.  To be considered by the Advisory Group, a project must project immediate and long-term job      creation for Oregonians. Immediate job creation will typically mean that the project is anticipated      to create new employment within the State within 60-90 days following the award of federal      funds under the ARRA, but no later than the period identified within the specific ARRA grant      funding opportunity(ies) to be pursued. Long-term job creation means the creation of long-term      family wage jobs. 3.  To be considered by the Advisory Group, a project must have the potential to attract a significant      ARRA funds to Oregon. While no funding minimum is specified, the Advisory Group anticipates      that most proposals advanced for its consideration will have the potential to compete effectively      under the applicable funding opportunity and propose to apply for ARRA funds in excess of $10      million. 4.  To be considered by the Advisory Group, a project must reasonably be expected to contribute      to longer term economic prosperity in Oregon. Projects can reasonably be expected to      contribute to longer term prosperity where they include training opportunities that improve the      overall marketability of the Oregon workers, where they generate investment in research and      development activities within the state, and/or where they enable Oregon companies to develop      and demonstrate expertise that can be leveraged into additional project opportunities beyond the      project that is being proposed. 5.  The Advisory Group will give preference to projects that involve collaboration among multiple      public and private partners. 6.  The Advisory Group will give preference to projects that employ Oregon companies and      sourcing of local materials. 7.  The Advisory Group will give preference to projects that promote Oregon's sustainability,      renewable energy, carbon reduction, energy efficiency, and green development goals. 8.  The Advisory Group will give preference to projects that are scalable to accommodate      available funding by either increasing or reducing project scope. 9.  The Advisory Group will give preference to projects that are replicable across the state. 10. Project sponsors must address each of the following as part of their proposal for      consideration by the Advisory Group: 10.1  Identification of public and private organizations and firms that will be involved. 10.2  Technical and economic feasibility of the project. 10.3  Proposed budget for the project, including sufficient detail of projected expenses         to enable the Advisory Group to determine economic feasiblity of the project. 10.4  Specific proposed sources of funding, including ARRA funds, state or local         government funds, and private investment. 10.5  Projected project specific job creation, including salary ranges for projected         jobs. Project sponsors must differentiate between short-term or temporary job         creation and anticipated long-term job creation. 10.6  Projected project specific job retention, including salary ranges for retained jobs.         Project sponsors must differentiate between jobs retained on a temporary         capacity and those anticiapted to be reatined on a long-term basis. 10.7  Analysis of projected long term economic benefits to Oregon, including: (a)  Training opportunities that improve the overall marketability of       Oregon workers; (b)  Opportunities to generate investment in research and development       activities within Oregon including as detailed information as possible       regarding specific opportunities or specific types of opportunities; and (c)  Opportunities for Oregon companies to develop and demonstrate       expertise that can be leveraged into additional project opportunities       beyond the project. 10.8  To what extent the proposed project will serve demographic groups that are         economically disadvantaged at levels disproportionate to their population within         Oregon. 10.9  How the proposed project promotes Oregon's sustainability, renewable energy,         carbon reduction, energy efficiency, and green development goals. 10.10  The degree to which the project is scalable.   10.11  The degree to which the project is replicable.

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From:     the-oregon-way@listsmart.osl.state.or.us

    Subject:     [The-Oregon-Way] NEWS RELEASE: Governor Applauds Early Work of Oregon Way Advisory Group

    Date:     May 13, 2009 1:33:41 PM PDT

    To:     the-oregon-way@listsmart.osl.state.or.us

 

Governor Applauds Early Work of Oregon Way Advisory Group

 

(Salem) - Governor Kulongoski today applauded the early work of the Oregon Way Advisory Group and endorsed the Oregon Department of Transportation’s application for federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding to build Oregon’s electric vehicle infrastructure, after the Advisory Group approved the request during their most recent meeting. The proposal represents a public-private collaboration of more than 70 organizations that could bring up to $15 million in ARRA funds, hundreds of electric vehicles and over 1,000 charging stations to Oregon.

 

“I have been a strong proponent of electric vehicles over the past few years and this opportunity presented by the Oregon Way Advisory Group has the potential to strengthen Oregon’s position as a national and international leader in reducing our carbon footprint,” said Governor Kulongoski. “I am excited about this federal economic recovery grant program, as it gives Oregon a chance to demonstrate to the nation and the world our leadership in sustainability and carbon reduction as we build our future economy.”

 

The Oregon Way Advisory Group was appointed by the Governor to advise and assist state agencies and other partners seeking federal competitive grants under the ARRA. The Advisory Group has been working over the past six weeks to refine its guidelines for identifying long-term economic recovery proposals in Oregon and looking for opportunities for the state to compete for federal dollars.

 

“The Oregon Way Advisory Group, along with state agencies, has been extremely responsive to this unprecedented level of assistance from the Federal government,” said Governor Kulongoski. “In just over a month the group has developed further guidance for state agencies and local and private partners, and already has recommended an innovative proposal.”

 

The new guidance put forth by the Advisory Group will help to identify clearly the kinds of signature projects that will showcase Oregon’s green expertise to the nation and promote long-term job growth. The guidance also helps to demonstrate that the Advisory Group is not the only way to access federal economic recovery dollars.

 

The Oregon Way Advisory Group is just one part of a larger effort to invest federal economic recovery dollars. The state’s recovery website has been significantly expanded in an effort to provide greater transparency and clarity to Oregonians. Now, the public will be able to see the federal funding opportunities available to the state and learn more about how to take advantage of them.

 

Oregon’s economic recovery Web site is available at: http://oregon.gov/recovery   

 

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Oregon Way Advisory Group Meeting Announcement

 

The next meeting of the Oregon Way Advisory Group will occur this Thursday, April 30, 2009 in Salem, Oregon.

 

Oregon Way Advisory Group Meeting

DATE:  Thursday, April 30, 2009

TIME:    7:30 am – 9:30 am

LOCATION:   Oregon Department of Transportation Building

355 Capitol Street

Salem, OR

Conference Room 122 - 1st Floor

 

 

 

 

To view the agenda for the meeting on Thursday click here. Google map directions here.

Note:  Public seating is limited.

 

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The Governor's Office Responds to Our Efforts!

April 22, 2009

 

Thank you for your leadership efforts regarding potential project opportunities related to federal stimulus opportunities that will be made available to Oregon.  The issue areas that you have covered (broadband, energy efficiency, smart grid, health care information technology, and renewable energy) are likely sources of focus for the Oregon Way Advisory Group.  The information available on your Wiki has been and will continue to be of interest to the members of economic recovery executive team. 

 

We are working to review the significant number of concepts/proposals that have been submitted to our office with the intent of directing the proposers towards the appropriate source of funding or other assistance. That funding or assistance could relate to a specific federal stimulus funding or incentive source implemented through a state or local agency or an existing (non-federal stimulus) state or local program. Projects that most closely meet the criteria outlined in Governor Kulongoski’s Executive Order 09-06 (http://www.oregon.gov/Gov/docs/executive_orders/eo0906r.pdf) may be considered by the Oregon Way Advisory Group for possible recommendation to the Governor to seek competitive federal stimulus grants that are or will become available. These criteria include: job creation, local sourcing, workforce development, energy impact, integration, and applied innovation.

 

Please continue to check our website regularly (http://www.oregon.gov/recovery/).  The recovery team continues to update the website and will soon make available additional information regarding available funding opportunities and other incentives as they become available.  We encourage you to explore those opportunities with an eye towards identifying specific project funding sources, project partners, etc. We are also planning to establish a web portal for more direct submission of project concepts for consideration by state agencies or the Oregon Way Advisory Group. That web portal will collect project information, including:  the project proposal, scope of funding requirements, existing sources of funding, current or proposed partnerships, anticipated stimulus funding stream (if known), and any additional information that addresses the criteria outlined in Executive Order 09-06. It may be helpful for you to be thinking about how to draw the Wiki concepts up to that more defined proposal level (recognizing, of course, that much of the federal grant guidance is still being developed).

 

In the meantime, thank you for your continued leadership. We appreciate your offer of technical assistance for these and other concepts and will likely touch bases with you soon to discuss how to take advantage of that offer. You can also give me a call if you would like to talk in the next few days.

 

Very sincerely,

 - Cora

 

Cora R. Parker

Program Manager | Energy and Community Development

The Oregon Way | Economic Recovery Executive Team | Office of the Governor

 

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Our Submission to the Oregon Way Advisory Group

April 20, 2009

 

Dear ERET staff,

As it became clear that Oregon would have a distinct approach for applying for ARRA funds, many people in the technology community, led by the Software Association of Oregon, saw this an opportunity to have everyone interested assist in the creation of proposals to for these funds.

We developed a Wiki (a collection of web pages designed to enable anyone with access to contribute or modify content) and held a community meeting on March 24th with over 200 people in attendance.  During the meeting we focused on 5 areas of interest for the technology community and broke into subgroups to craft interesting proposals that matched the Oregon Way Advisory Group’s six criteria.  The 5 technology-oriented areas of interest were:

•    Broadband Deployment

•    Energy Efficiency

•    Smart Grid

•    Health Care IT

•    Renewable Energy

All notes from the 5 meetings were typed real-time into the Wiki and proposals were vetted using its unique collaborative tools.  Over 130 individuals have contributed to these ideas - below is a summary of the top ideas from the meeting and subsequent online conversations, all of which can be viewed at http://oregonstimulus.pbwiki.com. 

We are not sure how much additional effort should be put into these proposals – with your feedback, the Wiki community (and the larger tech community) can quickly turn around any information that you desire.  We are also available should you need technical expertise for further development of other submissions.  We believe in Oregon and want to see our state take the best advantage of the infrastructure investments that the ARRA promises.

Thank you,

Harvey Mathews

503-999-5849

 

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12 Important New Points From an Oregon Way Advisory Group Member (4/2/09)

 

We learned a few things today:

The April 15th deadline isn't in stone - the deadline is "mid-April".

They are looking for BIG ideas...agressive, mulit-party, multi-disciplinary proposals.

In order for a project concept to be considered for submission to the Oregon Way Advisory Group, the team of public and private sponsors should contact the Economic Recovery Executive Team (ERET) by email here or by phone here: 503-378-6929

A project will be moved to the advisory group only after project sponsors have worked with the state agency or agencies applicable to their project concept, in order to build a public-private collaborative team.  A list of agency contacts by category is available here.

Co-chairs of the Advisory Group will work with the Governor and the ERET to identify project proposals ready for the Advisory Group to evaluate under the Oregon Way criteria (see post below - they have been slightly modified).

Once a project concept is selected for consideration, a lead member of the ERET will be assigned and the Advisory Group will hear presentations on concept details from public and private project sponsors.

If the Advisory Group determines that the project concept meets the Oregon Way criteria, it may then forward it to the Governor for his consideration with any additional recommendations. Alternatively, the Advisory Group may decide to request further analysis of the proposal by the ERET.

Decisions on how to proceed with project concepts will be determined by a majority vote of Advisory Group members present.

For project concepts referred by the Advisory Group to the ERET for further analysis, the lead staff member will work closely with relevant agencies to prepare a report identifying competitive federal grant dollars that may be available, delineating how the project meets each of the Oregon Way criteria, evaluating scalability, and addressing any issues raised by Advisory Group members.

Once the Advisory Group then reviews the staff report, it will determine whether to forward the proposal to the Governor for his consideration, with any additional recommendations, including possible modifications to the project concept.

In light of the Advisory Group’s recommendations, the Governor will then decide whether to assist in pursuing competitive federal funding of the project, and otherwise elevate the project in order to leverage state and federal dollars and private investment to maximize efforts that deliver short-term stimulus and long-term economic prosperity.

I've uploaded 2 new documents created by the Oregon Way Advisory Group (in the "About the Oregon Way" file on the right) regarding their process & vision.

 

- Harvey

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Wiki Upgraded to Allow for More Users (3/30/2009)

The Wiki was upgraded because we quickly went over the limit of users on the free account (100 max).  We've purchased the upgrade so that those members that joined after #100 can now edit and comment freely.

 

- Harvey

 

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The Oregon Way Advisory Group Press Release (3/27/09)

 

 Economic Stimulus and Recovery: "The Oregon Way"

 

You are receiving this email because you have signed up to receive updates on The Oregon Way, a coordinated recovery effort to deliver short-term stimulus and long-term prosperity to Oregon's economy.

 

Much of this effort is focused on the dollars coming to Oregon from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Oregon has already received some funding, investments that are helping the state manage through this recession, as well as more than $320 million in transportation funds that are creating jobs right now.

 

For all information regarding ARRA, visit the state’s economic recovery Web site at: www.oregon.gov/recovery.

 

Governor's Economic Recovery Executive Team

 

To manage the formula and grants dollars coming to Oregon under ARRA, Governor Ted Kulongoski recently announced an executive team responsible for the overall management of the infusion of federal stimulus funding. That team will be led by Brian Shipley, the Governor's Deputy Chief of Staff.

 

This team is also responsible for ensuring that Oregon meets the strict federal reporting requirements for the use of stimulus dollars. As part of this effort to be transparent and accountable to taxpayers, the Governor launched a Web site that provides the public with a tool to "track the dollars."

 

If you have a project that you are looking to fund with federal grant dollars, please visit www.oregon.gov/recovery. There you will find links to grant information on state and federal Web sites. You will also find contact information for state agency employees who can assist you with your project proposals.

  

Governor Kulongoski also announced an advisory group that will help the state identify signature projects eligible for competitive grant dollars that will showcase Oregon's green expertise. The goal of the advisory group is to invest in projects that will continue to pay dividends for Oregon's economy long after initial investments are made. The Governor believes that by demonstrating this expertise in a very public way, others will look to Oregon to tap our public and private sector knowledge base in sustainability.

 

The Governor will be meeting with this group next week to share his vision for their work and examples of potential projects he would like the group to explore. Identified projects will be sent back to the Governor for consideration as signature projects. Project announcements will be posted on the advisory group's Web site.

 

If you would like to be taken off this email list, please contact Shelley Chamberlin at rochelle.chamberlin@das.state.or.us.

 

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Stimulus Proposal Suggested Guidelines:

 

As mentioned at the unconference, we are still waiting to see the actual funding announcements that the Oregon Way team is pursuing. They are going to have to take the component proposals from our SAO members (and others) and roll them up into something that the federal agencies want. And depending on the agency, the requirements might be different...so our suggestion here is to act now, but be flexible.  Here's what we suggest for your Proposal:

 

Proposal Elements (keep it tight - less than 1 page for each item):

 

1.  Exec summary

Definition of the Problem

Proposed Solution (describe community partnerships here)

Expected Benefits

Risks

Summary

2.  Budget (2-year)

Salaries

Expenses

Revenues 

 

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