Work continues on two of the southern Windsor County's largest and most challenging Brownfield sites. Over the summer the SWCRPC has worked with the Springfield Regional Development Corporation, the VT Department of Environmental Conservation, and the Vermont Department of Health to develop and/or implement asbestos abatement plans at the Jones & Lamson and Bryant Grinder sites in Springfield. For more information contact
Dan Potter.
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Vermont Emergency Preparedness Conference
The 9th annual Vermont Emergency Preparedness Conference will be held November 4 & 5, 2016 at Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee, VT. For information as it is added go here.
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Red Cross Boot Camp
The Red Cross held a Disaster Boot Camp training on
Friday (night) September 23, Saturday 24
th
, and Sunday 25
th in White River Junction at the Hartford Fire Department. The purpose was for new volunteers to be exposed to as many areas of disaster services as possible including Disaster Cycle Service training, Client Assistance (Casework) training, Shelter Fundamental training (with hands on simulation), as well as other relevant new member training.
For more information visit this site.
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Act 174
During the 2015 legislative session, Vermont passed Act 174. Act 174 aims to strengthen local and regional energy planning and give towns and regional planning commissions further input into the siting of energy projects. Towns and regions that wish to receive "substantial deference" in Section 248 regulatory proceedings for energy projects must develop an energy plan that meets a set of standards. The Department of Public Service is currently developing the standards; expect a draft during the month of September. It is important to note that towns will not be required to meet the standards, they only need to if they wish to receive "substantial deference." Please visit the DPS' website for more information or contact Dan.
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New Statewide Parcel Mapping Program
On September 7th, SWCRPC hosted an informational meeting about the new Statewide Property Parcel Mapping Program which was created by the
Transportation Bill
passed in 2016 by the Vermont Legislature. State agencies need standardized, statewide parcel data in order to answer questions about the effectiveness of state programs, plan for transportation construction projects, and identify economic development opportunities. This need provides an opportunity for a win-win partnership between state government and towns in Vermont. For examples of how SWCRPC uses town parcel data,
click
here
. For more information about the program visit this site.
For a summary of what was discussed at the 9/7 meeting or to be added to the contact list for future information about this new program, please contact Katharine.
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Municipal Planning Grants Announced
Do you need funding to help with a local planning project? The FY 2017 round of Municipal Planning Grants (MPG) was announced recently. Applications are due on October 31, 2016. Priority projects for the State this year include:
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Municipal plan updates for:
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Promoting revitalization of historic centers and compact, walkable development including housing
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Addressing inconsistencies with statewide planning goals or incompatibility with the Regional Plan, identified by the regional planning commission review of the municipal plan.
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Bylaw updates for:
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Correcting clear conflicts with the Municipal Plan
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Increasing housing options in walkable places
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Promoting compact, walkable development
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Special projects for designated areas (i.e. Downtowns, Village Centers) including:
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Plans, studies and bylaws to improve the physical and economic environment such as downtown master plans, revitalization plans and form-based regulations.
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Infrastructure studies and capital improvement planning in support of designated areas.
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Applications for a new designated Neighborhood Development Area or
Growth Center.
Be aware of the new
MPG procurement requirements
. In general, you will need to follow certain procedures to hire a consultant. All projects over $10,000 in cost will require an RFP or RFQ. For more information, visit the
grant website
.
In order to be eligible to apply for most types of projects, a municipality's local planning process must be confirmed by the regional planning commission. If you have a recently adopted municipal plan, check to make sure you have been confirmed. Contact
Jason Rasmussen if you have questions.
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VTrans New Website and Mobile App "Click To Fix"
In July, VTrans unveiled its new website,
http://vtrans.vermont.gov
. It should be easy to find what you are looking for, but contact Katharine if you have any trouble. Check out VTrans' "Click to Fix," a mobile app and website that enables you to report issues you find along roadways. Take a look here.
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2016 Transportation Alternatives Grant
This year's round of Transportation Alternatives Grants have been announced. Approximately 50% of the TA funding ($1.1 million) is reserved for environmental mitigation projects relating to storm water and highways. Other eligible projects include bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, Safe Routes to School projects, and community improvement projects that focus on transportation. Applications are due
October 20, 2016 and more information can be found here.
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Tier 2 Roads and Rivers Training Sessions in October
The Agency of Natural Resources is hosting another round of Tier 2 Roads and Rivers Training sessions. It focuses on how rivers and streams work, and how they interact with transportation infrastructure like roads, culverts, and bridges. The training will involve some classroom work with outside field visits to see how the theory works in the real world! Classes are in Rutland (10/4-5) and Wilmington (10/18-19). For more information contact Katharine or register on the website.
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Transportation and the Clean Water Act
In early September, the RPC emailed a technical bulletin that focused on how our transportation network will be affected by Vermont's 2015 Clean Water Act. It included information on the Municipal Roads General Permit, inventories, upcoming changes to the Town Road and Bridge Standards, and funding opportunities. You can view this technical bulletin by going
here
. Please contact Katharine if you would like to be added to the email list for future updates on this topic.
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Southern Windsor Windham Counties Solid Waste Management District
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Primary Battery Recycling Up Almost 3000% So Far this Year in VT
The state of Vermont has eagerly embraced a leadership role as the first US state to mandate the recycling of primary or single-use (alkaline) batteries . After six months, single-use battery collections are up 2,947% from 2015 (when collections were not mandated). Even rechargeable battery collections (mandated since the mid-1990s) are up 29% year over year.
What does this mean? Fewer batteries are going into the trash can and landfill. Instead they are being recycled into byproducts that are used to make new batteries, stainless steel, and fertilizer. It also means battery recycling is simpler for Vermont residents, who no longer need to separate single-use from rechargeable batteries for recycling. Bring used batteries to your local transfer station. For more information, tryt his site.
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Please refer to our
Grants Website
for up to date information about existing grants relevant for our towns and region.
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Way To Go Commuter Challenge
The Way To Go Commuter Challenge has returned - this time for two weeks - September 26th to October 7
th
. It is a challenge for commuters to find alternatives to driving alone to work. Our region has options for ride shares, carpools, bicycling and public transit with "The Current". For more information contact Katharine or visit
here
to sign up.
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ACCD New Website
In early September, ACCD revealed its new
website
. Most links have changed, so here are a few useful ones that you can click on to view and bookmark.
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Techinal Bulletin
The SWCRPC sent out a Water Quality technical bulletin in early August. In case you missed it, you can access an archived version here
. Please contact Dan if you would like to be added to the email list for future updates on this topic.
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Don't forget about us!
When there are personnel changes on your boards or in the office, please help us by sending your updates to us promptly. We use your contact information for a variety of purposes including:
grant opportunities;
upcoming road construction projects (including road and bridge closures);
trainings and events
and many other things!
If you have any updates for town staff or volunteers, please send them to
Chris Titus
.
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Are you on Front Porch Forum?
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The towns of Cavendish, Reading, Weathersfield, West Windsor, and Windsor have all joined. The mission of Front Porch Forum is to help neighbors connect and build community. It does that by hosting regional networks of online neighborhood forums. Common sense and a growing body of research tell us that well-connected neighborhoods are friendlier places to live, with less crime, healthier residents, higher property values, and better service from local government and public utilities.
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