Member Profile

Humboldt County Association of Governments (HCAOG)

Agency Type:

  • Council of Governments
  • Regional Transportation Planning Agency

Responsibilities:

  • Service Authority for Freeway Emergencies
  • Regional Housing Needs Assessment

Overview:

The Humboldt County Association of Governments (HCAOG) is a Joint Powers Agency comprised of the seven incorporated cities and the County of Humboldt.  It is the designated Regional Transportation Planning Agency (RTPA), as well as the Service Authority for Freeway Emergencies (SAFE).  The agency is largely responsible for programming State highway, local street and road improvements, public transportation resources, and the roadside call box program.  HCAOG also bears responsibility for preparing and implementing the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP).  The transportation planning and programming processes are accomplished by a multi-layered committee structure.

HCAOG is a member of the North State Super Region.

Primary Funding Sources:

Federal and state funds

Total Members:

7: the county and six cities

Population Represented:

135,116

Staff:

5

Program Highlights:

  • Highway 101, Fortuna Downtown and Riverwalk Area Complete Streets and Connectivity Planning Study–Funded by a Caltrans Sustainable Communities Planning Grant, the study provides an overview of design alternatives to improve connectivity between Highway 101 and the City of Fortuna’s downtown area and Riverwalk area.  US 101 is Humboldt County’s main thoroughfare for commuting, tourism, and recreation and runs parallel to the Eel River, which separates the Riverwalk area from the rest of Fortuna.  Some solutions provided for enhancing access to the city’s downtown and Riverwalk area include placemaking through landscape improvements, signage, placement of parking, preservation of redwood trees, transforming vacant lots into parks, and providing complete streets for bicyclists and pedestrians.
  • Transit Marketing Plan–New to the region, the Transit Marketing Plan identifies concepts and action plans for building a unified regional transit brand and the feasibility for upgrading to a regional transit website.  Marketing campaigns will be tailored to target and appeal to baby boomers, active aging in place, and riders taking transit to recreational destinations, or using transit as part of a multimodal trip.  Strategies will improve equity in regional transit marketing and delivery.

Board Makeup:

The Board of Directors is comprised of 7 members representing the incorporated cities within Humboldt County and the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors.

Executive Director:

Beth Burks

CALCOG Board Representative:

Stacy Atkins-Salazar, Council Member, City of Arcata


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