NOVEMBER 2018
Strafford Regional Planning Commission Newsletter
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Happy November!
I hope everyone got their share of tricks or treats this Halloween week! SRPC staffers celebrated with a staff potluck on Wednesday before taking turns after work either handing out candy or taking their kids trick or treating. There were many awesome costumes, but I think senior transportation planner Colin Lentz won the prize, dressing up as principal regional planner Kyle Pimental (picture above). As we begin the month of November, we have Thanksgiving to look forward too, and, I'm sure, lots to be thankful for.
Here at SRPC we are preparing for our MPO certification review with the NH Department of Transportation, beginning to compile our town reports to our member communities, and worked to create this new template for our monthly newsletter!
In this issue you'll read about the kick-off meeting for the 2019 Coastal Flood Risk Science and Technical Advisory Panel, our next Commission meeting, planning events of interest, SRPC's participation in a health and transportation roundtable, the HNH Foundation's re-branding, the FY2018 SRPC Annual Report,
Seacoast NH and sea level rise featured on Boston 25 News, and community happenings.
Until Next Month,
Shayna Sylvia
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IN THIS ISSUE
2019 STAP Kick-off Meeting
Save the Date: SRPC Q2 Commission Meeting
Planning Events of Interest
SRPC Staffers Attend Medical Roundtable
HNH Foundation Re-brands
SRPC Releases FY 2018 Annual Report
Seacoast NH and Sea-Level Rise News Feature
Community Happenings
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STAFF SNAPSHOTS - OCTOBER
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Kyle Pimental, principal regional planner, prepares for his NNECAPA presentation. (
SRPC Photo
)
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NHDOT Commissioner Victoria Sheehan speaks to the Strafford MPO Policy Committee. (
SRPC Photo
)
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SRPC staffers take a tour of the Great Bay with Watershed Keeper Melissa Paley (
SRPC Photo
)
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2019 Coastal Flood Risk Science and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) Holds Kick-off Meeting
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The 2019 Coastal Flood Risk Science and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) held its kick-off meeting on Friday, Nov. 2, at the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services at the Pease International Tradeport in Portsmouth. The STAP is part of the NH Coastal Risk and Hazards Commission. The commission was tasked by the New Hampshire Legislature with recommending legislation, rules, and other actions to prepare for projected sea level rise and other coastal watershed flood hazards and the risks they pose to municipalities and state assets. As part of this effort, the STAP released the report
Sea-Level Rise, Storm Surges, and Extreme Precipitation in Coastal New Hampshire: Analysis of Past and Projected Future Trends
in July 2014.
The STAP is now preparing to update the 2014 plan. At the November meeting, STAP members and stakeholders reviewed goals and objectives along with the proposed work plan/time line for the 2019 report, clarified the panel’s roles and responsibilities, and considered how to present and obtain input on the proposed vision for the 2019 Coastal Flood Risk Science Summary & Guidance.
SRPC's role in the effort includes participating on the steering committee during the STAP update and informing future implementation of Senate Bill 185, which extends the community tax relief program to coastal properties subject to storm surge, sea level rise, and extreme precipitation.
Learn more about the STAP and its work
online
.
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Save the Date: SRPC December Commission/EDD Meeting
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Strafford Regional Planning Commission will hold its next quarterly Commission meeting on Thursday, Dec. 6, in SRPC's Conference Room 1A. Commissioners and guest are encouraged to arrive at 3:45 p.m.; the meeting will begin promptly at 4 p.m.
The theme of the meeting will be inclusive community design. Speakers will be announced next week.
We will send out more information in the next week or two. Stay tuned to the
SRPC website
for more information as well.
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Planning Events of Interest
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Guest speaker Rebecca Rule (
Photo Courtesy of NHMA
)
New Hampshire Municipal Association Annual Conference
The New Hampshire Municipal Association (NHMA) will hold its
77th annual conference
at the Manchester Downtown Hotel on Nov. 14 & 15. The meeting's theme is Sharing Ideas: Shaping the Future. Rebecca Rule, a New Hampshire author, story teller, and humorist, will be the keynote speaker. New session tracks this year include governance/select boards and trustees. Learn more about the sessions
here
.
Register online.
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Creative Look at Housing (
Illustration Courtesy of the NHPA
)
Creative Look at Housing
The NH Planner's Association, in conjunction with its Annual Meeting, will hold a
full-day housing finance development training
on Tuesday, Dec. 6. This training will take place at the NH Housing and Finance Authority, 32 Constitution Ave. in Bedford, and will be hosted by the National Development Council (NDC). The training will cost $25 and is limited to 50 attendees.
On the following day, Dec. 7, the half-day NHPA annual meeting will take place at Murphy's Carriage House in Bedford. Presentations will cover such topics as the transfer of development rights in Dover; mixed-use: market & main project in Bedford; and by-right density bonus ordinance in Portsmouth.
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SRPC Staffers Attend Non-Emergency Medical Roundtable
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The President of Coordinated Transportation Solutions gives a presentation during the roundtable. (
SRPC Photo
)
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On Tuesday, Oct, 30, senior transportation planner Colin Lentz helped facilitate a roundtable on Non-Emergency Medical Transportation with regional transportation providers and members of the medical community. Participants discussed the challenges and opportunities for improving the coordination of transportation and medical services in the region.
Every time a patient misses an appointment, there is a cost to the patient and to the healthcare system. The patient’s cost is a lack of improvement in their health. The medical provider’s cost is time wasted and a missed opportunity to schedule another patient during the time slot of the missed appointment. Other patients also miss an opportunity to be seen by a doctor or nurse.
One of the main reasons people miss appointments is they lack a way to get to them. Research suggests that up to 30 percent of missed appointments occur due to lack of transportation. Whether they are unable to drive, do not own a car, are living alone, or are disabled in some way, they need help getting to their appointments. Some larger hospitals and medical centers do have their own vehicles that can pick up patients and drop them home, and some facilities are served by public transportation. But there is a lack of reliable, cost-effective transportation options—particularly for those in need in the more rural parts of our region.
One aim of the roundtable was to build relationships between transportation and medical providers and to get into the “nuts and bolts” of how transportation logistics are dealt with now. The desired outcome is improved efficiency and communication between these groups. The discussion also highlighted the need for funding for this service along with legislative support.
The event was held WHERE and organized by the Alliance for Community Transportation, which is part of the Cooperative Alliance for Seacoast Transportation (COAST). Along with COAST staff and board members (including Colin Lentz), the president of Coordinated Transportation Solutions, which handles all Medicaid transportation in the state, was present. Representatives from many area hospitals and medical centers, including scheduling staff, care managers, and a chief medical officer, also participated.
A great deal of helpful information was shared and new barriers and challenges were identified by the roundtable participants. The event was a very productive first step in addressing a major service gap and getting into some of the finer details and logistical solutions that could help alleviate the situation.
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The HNH Foundation, founded in 1997 as the Healthy New Hampshire Foundation, has changed its name to the New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation to more accurately reflect its mission "to improve the health and wellness of New Hampshire’s population, with a focus on its most vulnerable children.”
Staffers will continue to carry forth the same mission and will expand the renamed organization’s role as the lead funder for
children’s health in the state. The New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation’s grant making will continue to focus on prevention and early intervention for children up to age five.
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SRPC Releases FY 2018 Annual Report and Commissioner's Handbook
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At their Sept. 27 quarterly meeting, Commissioners voted unanimously to accept the Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report and Commissioner’s Handbook. The Commissioner’s Handbook provides an overview of how SRPC is organized, its functions, the roles of the Commissioners and Executive Committee, and a list of SRPC staff.
The annual report portion of the document gives our Commissioners, municipalities, partners, and other stakeholders an update of the Commission’s work during the past fiscal year. It highlights important projects and processes that occurred during the fiscal year and presents new staff members, awards, and other recognition along with the FY 2019 budget and member dues. The project updates are organized by the three functions of SRPC: regional planning, transportation planning, and economic development planning.
SRPC will soon be sending copies of the document to each member municipality and to other identified stakeholders.
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Seacoast NH and Sea-Level Rise Featured on Boston 25 News
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Early last month, Boston 25 News featured a three-minute report on
"What will happen to history as climate change batters the New England coast?"
The segment featured Meghan Howey of the UNH archaeology department talking about the effects of sea level rise on historic sites along the shore of the Great Bay estuary. "Up to 14 percent of New Hampshire’s cultural heritage is threatened by sea level rise," she said. Howey also noted that 25 feet of Great Bay shoreline has been lost over the past 10 years.
The news segment also addressed the effects of sea level rise at Strawberry Banke in Portsmouth. It included a
popular time-lapse video
depicting the effects of a tidal river on groundwater rise. The video shows the basement of the Shapley-Drisco house, part of Strawberry Banke, flooding during a recent King tide. A King tide is an especially high tide that occurs twice a year when the moon is closest to the earth and the gravitational pull of the sun and moon reinforce one another.
For more resources, documents, and reports on sea level rise, visit the
online resource library
of the New Hampshire Coastal Adaptation Workgroup.
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Pedalpalooza Portsmouth
Sunday, Nov. 4, from 1-3 p.m.
Lafayette School park
Pedalpalooza will celebrate the new Middle Street Bike Path. Events include guided rides on the new bike lanes, a kid's bike decoration station, food and live music. The celebration is hosted by Seacoast Area Bicycle Riders, Commute Smart Seacoast and PS21.
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Guided Walk of New Northwood Trails
Saturday, Nov. 10, at 9 a.m.
Northwood Meadows State Park
Members of the Northwood Conservation Commission will lead a hike through the new trails on the Guptill Lamprey Pasture Conservation Area and the Coe-Brown Academy Mead Lot conservation easement. Interested individuals should meet at the parking lot of Northwood Meadows State Park. The 101 acre Guptill Lamprey Pasture Conservation Area was purchased by the town in 2011 using funds from the Conservation Commission’s conservation fund.
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Festival of Trees
Friday, Nov. 30, from 4 - 8 p.m.
Dover City Hall Auditorium
Festival of Trees, underwritten by Kennebunk Savings, will feature over 30 trees, elaborately decorated by local businesses and organizations, to be auctioned and raffled off to benefit the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce City Lights Committee. The event also includes live choir performances, children's activities, holiday carols, refreshments and more!
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