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Happy June,
Only 20 days until summer! I am so thankful for the longer days, warmer weather, and approaching summer farmers market season. (Check out the list of awesome upcoming markets
here
.) I'm also looking forward to putting my kayak in for the first time this year, and I can't wait to try out
Dover's new paddle dock
. I'm sure each of you has your favorite parts of this time of year to look forward to as well!
Here at SRPC, staffers are getting our new executive director, Jen Czysz, up to speed, coordinating the final details for our Annual Luncheon, and diving in to traffic count season.
In this issue you'll learn about Jen's first week at SRPC, our social media campaign to countdown to the annual meeting, new grant funding opportunities, the Dover Rising Tides Youth Art Contest, Strafford EDD's CEDS Annual Update public comment draft, SRPC's latest blog post, an opportunity to learn about why young people stay in NH and why they don't, the results of the commuteSMART Seacoast B2B challenge, and community happenings.
Until next month,
Shayna Sylvia
Communications and Outreach Specialist
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SRPC welcomes new executive director, Jen Czysz
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All SRPC staffers are excited to welcome our new executive director, Jen Czysz, on board. Jen, who started on Tuesday, May 29, has an extensive planning background and most recently was the assistant executive director at the Nashua Regional Planning Commission.
Jen has jumped right into the role of executive director, attending the Technical Advisory Committee meeting and scheduling meetings on upcoming grant funding during her first week. She has also met individually with the entire staff to discuss roles, current and upcoming projects, office culture, and professional goals.
When not at work, Jen can be found sitting on her front porch reading a book. She also enjoys skiing, swimming and pretending she can keep up with her seventeen year old son.
We encourage our partners and stakeholders to extend a warm welcome to Jen as she settles in at SRPC, and we know Jen is also looking forward to meeting all of you in the coming months.
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SRPC's Facebook campaign for the Annual Luncheon goes live
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The countdown to the SRPC Annual Luncheon is on, and to celebrate we have launched a social media campaign focused on providing insights about the awesome trail systems in the region. The
Annual Luncheon
, which will take place at the Governor's Inn on Thursday, June 28, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., will highlight trails' importance as recreational resources, their economic impacts, and the many other benefits they provide.
The first week of our countdown includes a
post
about the Plummer's Ridge Forest and Farms Hiking Trail system in Milton, which SRPC staffers helped map and launch in 2017.
Don't forget to check the
SRPC Facebook page
each week for #trailtalkthursdays and learn about a new trail system in the region as we celebrate the #annualmeetingcountdown.
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New Hampshire coastal resilience grant funding opportunity
The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) Coastal Program has $200,000 in funding available to support projects that will improve the capacity of the state's 17 Coastal Zone communities to prepare for and "bounce back better" from hazardous events such as hurricanes, coastal storms, and long-term sea level rise and its associated impacts.
Proposed projects must carry a price tag of between $20,000 and $100,000 and have a 2:1 non-federal match through cash or in-kind services. Two types of projects are eligible for this funding opportunity: Creative Capacity Building and Design & Construction. NHDES may allow exceptions to the match requirement for Creative Capacity Building project applicants who can demonstrate hardship securing a match.
The funds are being made available to the NHDES Coastal Program through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office for Coastal Management, under the Coastal Zone Management Act.
Contact
Kyle Pimental
, SRPC principal regional planner, for more information or for assistance with your proposal or subsequent application materials.
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Brownfields RLF cleanup grants now available
New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
is looking to award two or more cleanup grants as part of its Brownfield RLF program. The grants, totaling $400,000, will fund clean-up work on properties whose redevelopment or reuse is complicated by the presence-or potential presence-of a hazardous substance or contaminant. Individual grants will be limited to $200,000 per site. The deadline for submitting applications is July 31, 2018.
Applications and additional information are available at:
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Dover Rising Waters launches youth art competition
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This week, Dover Rising Waters announced an art competition for Dover youth. Dover Rising Waters is a group of citizen volunteers working to implement climate actions identified in the new climate adaptation chapter of the city's master plan. The group's first undertaking, the High Water Mark Project, seeks to engage community members and raise awareness to help better understand the ways climate change will affect our environment, our streets, our recreational spaces, and our daily life.
The first round of the High Water Mark Project focuses on a
public contest for youth art. At least one winning project proposal will be selected, and the artist will win a cash prize.
Once the winner is selected, the High Water Mark Project team will seek funding to implement the designs and will collaborate with the winning artist to implement and publicize the project. In the project's next stages, proposals from professional artists and other interested parties will be sought. It is hoped that these art installations will help the Dover community recognize the important changes that are happening every day and will spark community conversations about climate change.
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Draft CEDS Annual Update released for public comment
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The draft annual update of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for 2017 is available online for public comment until Wednesday, June 27.
Strafford Economic Development District (Strafford EDD) released the draft on Tuesday, May 29. You can learn more about the CEDS and how to comment
here
.
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SRPC's latest blog post
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Party Planning Committee from NBC's the Office
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SRPC's most recent blog post, "Party planning 101 - How to plan the most talked about community engagement event," features 10 steps for executing a successful outreach event. The blog features tools and techniques taught by UNH Cooperative Extension at its yearly Community Engagement Academy training. As explained on UNHCE's website, the academy "is an interactive three-day Academy led by experts from the University of New Hampshire and the University of Maine. Designed for practitioners and community volunteers, the Academy takes place in three communities in different stages of downtown revitalization. Participants will learn from local speakers about their community engagement efforts. The Academy provides best practices for community engagement and introduces participants to engagement beyond the standard community forum...."
Learn more about these tips and techniques by reading our blog
here.
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Why Young People Stay in New Hampshire-and Why They Don't
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It's hardly news that the Granite State's population is getting grayer all the time. As reported in the master plan
Local Solutions for the Strafford Region, the number of residents in the region aged 65 and older increased significantly between 1990 and 2010. In the decade from 2000 to 2010, the state's population of residents aged 20 to 29 fell by more than 10 percent. These trends continue, and many NH organizations and the state government are trying to figure out how to encourage young people to move to, or stay in, New Hampshire.
To explore this issue, the University of New Hampshire's Coffee and Conversation Program is devoting its next community session to considering what factors influence whether young people stay or leave New Hampshire and why it matters. This talk will be led by Stay Work Play Executive Director Will Stewart on Wednesday, June 13, from 8 to 9:30 a.m. in room 204 of the Warren B Rudman Center at the UNH Law School, 2 White St., in Concord.
Stewart's presentation will focus on the results of a random survey given last December to 420 Granite Staters between the ages of 20 and 40. Stay Work Play conducted the survey in partnership with Eversource Energy.
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CommuteSMART Seacoast challenge outcomes
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SRPC staffers on the last day of the CommuteSMART B2B Challenge
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SRPC ended the fourth annual commuteSMART Seacoast B2B Challenge this week with some impressive statistics, including a 100-percent participation rate. SRPC staffers logged 79 trips avoided during May, totaling 2,399 miles and equating to savings of 2,206 pounds of CO2 and $1,367 in travel costs.
To get to work, staffers left their personal cars at home and carpooled, biked, took the COAST bus or Amtrak Downeaster, walked, rode their moped, used multi-modal transportation, or telecommuted! The only alternative travel modes not logged were vanpooling and skateboarding/rollerblading, but there's always next year!
Now that the challenge has ended, commuteSMART's next competition, Dump the Pump, begins! Smart commuters are encouraged to log their trips between June 1 and August 31 to earn individual prizes and to be entered into a raffle for additional goodies! Participation is ranked in levels: one to 15 round trips will earn you a sticker, 16 to 30 trips a magnet, 31 to 45 trips an ice-cream, and more than 45 trips a coffee gift card! There is also an ongoing scavenger hunt to find Supra the Smart Commuter, which will move around the Seacoast. Find Supra, snap a picture, and post it to social media using the #DumpThePump to win a Supra t-shirt! As an alternative, email your Supra selfie to
info@commuteSMARTseacoast.org.
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Community happenings
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2018 Wings & Wheels, Skyhaven Airport, June 2, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Rochester Rotary's Wings & Wheels takes off on Saturday, June 2, at Skyhaven Airport in Rochester. Wings & Wheels benefits local nonprofit organizations and brings over 5,500 people together to enjoy aviation adventures, a car & motorcycle show, crafts, exhibits, music, concessions, games, raffles, and more! Guest admission is a suggested monetary donation to Rochester Rotary Charities.
More information can be found at:
Sippin' For Seals, Seacoast Science Center, June 14, from 6 to 9 p.m.
Enjoy fabulous bites prepared by chefs from your favorite local restaurants, sip on a cool cocktail by the sea, and dance the night away to live music.Tickets are $50 per person and you must be 21 or over to attend. All proceeds from Sippin' for Seals benefit the Seacoast Science Center Marine Mammal Rescue program.
Learn more at:
http://www.seacoastsciencecenter.org/events/sippin-for-seals/
Southern New Hampshire Ukulele Group's SNHUGFEST, Henry Law Park, June 30, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Southern New Hampshire Ukulele Group's SNHUGFEST, an all-day ukulele festival, will be held on Saturday, June 30, at Henry Law Park in Dover. The festivities will begin with a ukulele lesson for children at Earcraft Music from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., then move to Henry Law Park. The festival and lesson are free. Space is limited for the children's lesson, so be sure to sign up at Earcraft Music.
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Sincerely,
SRPC Staff
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