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Fall is officially here, although it doesn't really feel like it with the 80 degree weather we were graced with earlier this week. Events like the upcoming Dover Apple Harvest Day do signal the early days of fall-as do the changing leaves and soon-to-arrive leaf peepers.
Here at SRPC we are busy wrapping up the field work season, holding outreach events for the Setting Sail NH project, updating the Metro Plan to integrate performance based planning, and beginning to plan the December Commission meeting.
In this issue, you will find information on upcoming events related to coastal adaptation awareness, a goodbye to data collection and analysis assistant Derrick Bartlett, an announcement about the Partnering for Performance NH website, SRPC's latest blog, accolades to UNH, a grant opportunity related to walkability, and community happenings.
Until next month,
Shayna Sylvia
Communications and Outreach Specialist
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SRPC holds successful September Commission/EDD meeting
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SRPC Commissioners and staffers at the Sept. 28 Commission meeting
Photo Credit: John Forti |
Strafford Regional Planning Commission (SRPC) and Strafford Economic Development District(EDD) held their joint Commission and EDD Board of Directors meeting on Thursday, Sept. 28. The meeting was held at Bedrock Gardens in Lee and included a guided tour of the lovely gardens and artwork that make up this incredible oasis. Owner Jill Nooney and Executive Director John Forti led Commissioners and staffers though myriad landscapes, explaining the types of plants and artwork throughout the tour.
Following the tour, communications and outreach specialist Shayna Sylvia questioned Nooney and Forti on subjects such as the history of Bedrock Gardens, their future vision of Bedrock as a public garden and their
"Gateway to the Garden" campaign. They also talked about the importance of the arts and education in their mission at Bedrock, gardens as a place of healing, and other topic such as sustainable tourism, regionalism, and planning processes involved in the growth of their gardens.
Commissioners and staffers enjoyed the meeting, and we thank Bedrock Gardens for hosting us. We encourage you to learn more about this regional resource at
http://www.bedrockgardens.org/.
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Climate adaptation happenings: outreach, contests and more!
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#KingTideNH2017
The NH Coastal Adaptation Workgroup (CAW) is gearing up for the 2017 King Tide Photo Contest. This year's King Tide will occur between Nov. 5 and 7. Anyone interested in entering the contest must simply snap a photo of the King Tide-check a local tide chart for the exact time of high tide-and submit it by posting on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook with the hashtag #KingTideNH2017.
Entries can also be emailed to:
Photographing extreme high tides is an effective way to help coastal communities identify areas prone to flooding, visualize potential impacts of sea level rise, and start planning for the future.
To see the official contest rules and donated prizes,visit:
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Dover Takes on Climate
The City of Dover will hold two workshops related to climate adaptation planning, on Oct. 19 (6:30 - 9 p.m.) and Oct. 21 (9 - 11:30 a.m.), Dover Middle School. As Dover works to draft the climate adaptation chapter of its master plan, planners and city officials are looking to gather input from the public regarding climate change's impacts on energy, food, infrastructure, health and safety, natural resources, and water availability and quality. Refreshments will be served.
All feedback will be documented, compiled, and summarized for the Steering Committee to review when revising and finalizing the chapter. A summary of feedback will be sent to workshop participants and survey respondents. Check out the draft chapter content and related materials at http://tinyurl.com/DoverMP (scroll down to the "Climate Adaptation - 2017" section).
RSVP for one of the workshops at:
http://tinyurl.com/Doverworkshops
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SRPC Wishes Derrick Bartlett Great Success
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SRPC would like to thank Derrick Bartlett for his time here at Strafford Regional Planning Commission. Derrick joined the team as a data collection and analysis assistant in April 2017. He worked alongside Stef Casella, Mason Twombly, and Molly Belanger to complete culvert, roadside surface management system, and sidewalk assessments, and to set and process traffic counts. He also assisted with other transportation planning processes.
We wish Derrick the best of luck as he continues on his career path.
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SRPC's Latest Blog
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SRPC's most recent blog post went live on Tuesday, Oct. 3. This post, the second in the "Volunteer Today!" series, features the American Cancer Society's Road to Recovery Program. This volunteer driver program is dedicated to driving cancer patients to and from medical appointments. The program relies on generous volunteer drivers who donate their time and the use of their personal vehicles to help make patients' treatment experience a bit less stressful.
Learn more about the program and how you can get involved by reading our blog here.
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Accolades to our colleagues at the University of New Hampshire
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The University of New Hampshire (UNH) recently earned a Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) Platinum rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Educations (AASHE). UNH one of only three institutions of higher education in the world to receive this rating. Among UNH's achievements in sustainability are the following:
- The main campus is powered 100 percent by renewable energy.
- 85 percent of campus energy comes from recycled landfill gas.
- UNH is home to the first organic dairy research farm in the nation.
- The university composts 25,000 pounds of dining hall food waste each month.
- UNH ranks second in North America for the study of ecology.
SRPC would like to congratulate UNH on this awesome achievement and for promoting standards of sustainability.
Learn more at :
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It's live: Strafford MPO launches Partnerning for Performance NH website
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The Partnering for Performance New Hampshire (PFPNH) team is excited to announce the launch of its website.
One of the many products of the recently completed PFPNH project, the website was made possible by the dedicated organizations represented on the project workgroup and by numerous other stakeholders throughout the state.
The website was funded through the Federal Highway Administration's SHRP2 Planworks program. It features a variety of data, resources, and tools associated with the two-year performance measures planning
project focused on creating regional performance measures that complement federally required ones
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We encourage you to check out the site at:
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Grant funding opportunity
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America Walks recently announced the opening of its 2017 community change micro grants program. These grants of up to $1,500 fund individuals and municipalities interested in improving the public sphere for walking or otherwise helping to make walking more commonplace.
According to America Walks, the grants favor "smaller scale, low-cost projects and programs that increase the prevalence of walking, expand the diversity of people and organizations working to advance walkability, and help to make walking safer, easier, and more fun for all community members."
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Community Happenings
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Rochester's October Festival
on Saturday, Oct. 7, from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
The City of Rochester will hold its annual family festival on Saturday, Oct. 7, on
Hanson Street and in Central Square. It will
feature an
a
pple pie contest, children's games, Wildlife Encounters, a pumpkin patch, the Roaming Railroad, food vendors, great music and entertainment, and more!
Learn more about this family-friendly event at:
Ocean Discovery Day, Saturday, Oct. 14, from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
UNH invites you to visit its marine research laboratories on Oct. 14 to learn how scientists and students engage with our rich natural resources and take advantage of our proximity to the ocean for their studies.
This free, family-friendly event will take place at the Chase Ocean Engineering Laboratory on UNH's Durham campus. It will include hands-on demonstrations, tours, and talks. Participants will be able to drive mini-ROVs, dissect a squid, and watch animations of how whales behave underwater. Demos and talks on the sounds of the polar ocean, torpedo rays, and other marine topics will be offered. Hands-on activities will include marine life touch tanks, fish printing, and knot tying.
The event will also feature The Seafood Throwdown, which will offer visitors a chance to taste local seafood prepared by guest chefs.
Portsmouth 23rd Annual Halloween Parade, Tuesday, October 31, at 7 p.m.
The annual Halloween parade in Portsmouth will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 31. All attendees are invited to dress up and join in the procession beginning at Pierce Island. The parade is a not-to-be-missed event. Learn more at:
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You may unsubscribe to this E-Bulletin anytime you wish.
Sincerely,
SRPC Staff
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