Planning

Program content coordinator Nancy O' Connor met this week with the public health network coordinator of the Strafford County Public Health Network (SCPHN) to discuss representing SRPC on their Strafford Public Health and Advisory (PHAC) committee. According to the SCPHN website, the network's mission "is to improve the health, wellness, and quality of life for all individuals in Strafford County."
  
SRPC is interested in participating in the network because of the significant link between planning, transportation, and public health. Former SRPC planner Liz Durfee was a PHAC executive committee member and made great contributions serving on a childhood obesity subcommittee and helping with data, mapping, funding applications, and the launch of the Somersworth Farmer's Market among other projects. 
  
The Strafford PHAC meets six times a year and brings together important stakeholders to discuss and collaborate on strategies to address issues such as obesity, substance misuse, emergency preparedness, mental health, and heart disease. SRPC can provide data and guidance on land use, planning, and transportation-related issues such as walkability, access to green spaces and trails, and public transportation. We are excited to get back to work with the PHAC's dedicated members and contribute to their continued success. 


Pieces of Interest
   
 
Transportation

This month the Strafford Metropolitan Planning Organization (Strafford MPO) adopted two essential documents drafted by staffers. The 2017-2040 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) and the 2017 Annual Listing of Obligated Projects were recommended by the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and adopted by the Policy Committee. The updated MTP, like its previous iterations, serves as the comprehensive transportation-planning document for the Strafford MPO region. The most recent update fully integrates performance based planning, as a result of the SHRP2 project and Partnering for Performance NH (PFPNH) efforts.

The Annual Listing of Obligated Projects is required under the federal Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. Obligated projects are those which the federal government is legally committed to pay for, or to reimburse the states or other entities for the federal share of a project's eligible costs. Each year, MPOs report on the total amount of federal funds that were obligated in their regions during the preceding fiscal year.
 
Strafford MPO also released its draft Prospectus on Wednesday, Dec. 20. The prospectus describes the requirements for plan development and follows a defined public participation process. Comments can be submitted until Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018, or at the public hearing on Jan. 19. 

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Pieces of Interest
 
Economic Development

The Town of Barrington, with support from regional economic development planner James Burdin, has recently completed a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis for the economic development chapter of its master plan. Work on the chapter began in October, with the convening of an economic development sub-committee. The SWOT analysis will serve as the basis for the chapter, which will be drafted over the next several months. James will also begin the process of data analysis, which will be included in the chapter as well. The economic development subcommittee will meet next in January.