SACRAMENTO (December 13) - The Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) will present the 2004 SACOG Salutes! awards on Thursday, December 16. The annual awards program recognizes outstanding and innovative efforts in the Sacramento region in the areas of transportation, smart growth planning and air quality.

This year's recipients include three individuals and several organizations and businesses whose contributions made a significant difference in the Sacramento region in 2004. The awards will be presented in the categories of Organization of the Year, Business of the Year, Project of the Year, Citizen of the Year and Employee of the Year.

Two new categories are making their debut in 2004: the Bill Hughes Elected Official of the Year, named for the visionary leader who was chair of the SACOG Board of Directors when he passed away unexpectedly in 2003, and the Blueprint Excellence Award, which recognizes a project or organization for unique approaches to smart growth.

For information on the awards, categories and past recipients, please go to http://www.sacog.org/about/categories.cfm or contact Joan Medeiros at 916-321-9000.

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