CommuteSMART Seacoast celebrates its fifth birthday at the quarterly advisory board meeting.
( Photo Courtesy of Shayna Sylvia)
Planning
On Thursday, Apr. 11, principle regional planner Kyle Pimental facilitated a meeting of the Madbury Hazard Mitigation Committee. This was the group's second meeting focused on updating the 2014 Madbury Hazard Mitigation Plan . Hazard mitigation plans, which are written to reduce and mitigate future losses from natural and man-made hazardous events, are required to be updated every five years, and need to be in place for communities to be eligible for certain Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants and funding.
 
This second meeting allowed volunteers and municipal staff to review topics covered in chapter six and seven of the document including declared disasters, descriptions of hazards, hazard vulnerability ranking, and existing mitigation strategies.
 
The committee's next meeting will take place on May 9, at the Madbury Town Hall.
 
Contact Kyle Pimental at 603-994-3500 for more information.

Pieces of Interest



Transportation
On Wednesday, Apr. 10, Senior Transportation Planner Colin Lentz attended a pedestrian safety workshop in Dover. The workshop was facilitated by FHWA through the S.T.E.P program (Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian). He was joined by state and local engineers, planners, staff from cities and towns, and other RPC staff. The day-long workshop covered a wide range of topics and recommendations related to improving pedestrian accessibility and safety that are applicable to any community in the Strafford region. Here’s a core set of techniques that could improve pedestrian safety in your community (click on each item to see examples and find out more information):


All or some of these techniques can be part of a  Road Diet ”. For even more information visit the STEP website . The final part of the Dover workshop was a site walk along Chestnut St north of the bridge over the Cocheco River. That section of Dover is seeing new development and the city wants to improve pedestrian access to the downtown. Similar workshops occurred this week in Manchester, Claremont, and Concord. 

Pieces of Interest

Economic Development
On Thursday, Apr. 11, communications and outreach planner Shayna Sylvia attended the CommuteSMART Seacoast advisory board meeting. Agenda items included discussion on bike and pedestrian access across Little Bay, an update on tracked performance metrics, and a conversation about the upcoming business to business (B2B) challenge in May.
 
The commuter challenge, for those not familiar, encourages seacoast businesses (and those in surrounding towns) to engage in friendly competition for the most sustainable trips logged during the month of May. Acceptable modes include carpooling, walking, biking, transit, skateboarding, using a moped or taking part in a van or motor-pool. Those that compete are in for some great prizes, and the chance to win in each of the five size categories .
 
CommuteSMART Seacoast is excited to host its fifth challenge this year, also celebrating its fifth birthday.
 
To learn more about CommuteSMART Seacoast visit their website . For more information about signing up for the challenge contact Shayna Sylvia at 603-994-3500 .

Pieces of Interest


Strafford Regional Planning Commission | 603-994-3500 | srpc@strafford.org | www.strafford.org
April 12, 2019