April 2, 2021
Strafford Regional Planning Commission Newsletter
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The Cocheco River off of the Cochecho River Trail Loop (SRPC photo).
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Greetings,
It's officially spring, and while this seems to be a week with some April Showers, we have May flowers and a sunny Easter weekend to look forward to! Get those Cadbury creme eggs while you can! (or my personal favorite - Reese's eggs).
Here at SRPC we are finalizing our Metropolitan Transportation Plan to go out for public comment in mid-April, conducting outreach for the upcoming statewide and seacoast commuter challenges in May, and are underway with the Rollinsford and Somersworth hazard mitigation plans.
In this issue you will find information on the SRPC Resiliency Subcommittee's inaugural resiliency roundtable, regional transportation updates, SRPC’s latest map set, planning events of interest, potential funding sources in our grant corner, upcoming community forums for our Communities for Healthy Aging Transitions (CHAT) project, the upcoming commuter challenges, NH Planners Association news you may have missed, and community happenings.
Until Next Month,
Shayna Sylvia
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IN THIS ISSUE
SRPC Resiliency Committee Holds Inaugural Roundtable
Regional Transportation Updates
SRPC's Latest Map Set
Planning Events of Interest
Grant Corner
Upcoming CHAT Community Zoom Forums
Get Ready for May's Commuter Challenges
In Case You Missed It
Community Happenings
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SRPC staffer prints large poster to promote the CHAT survey at local vaccine clinics. (SRPC photo)
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A staffer snapped the view when checking out a trail included on SPRC's draft Promoting Outdoor Play! recreation app at the Bellamy River Wildlife Sanctuary. |
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SRPC Resiliency Subcommittee Holds Inaugural Roundtable |
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The SRPC Resiliency Subcommittee will hold its first Resiliency Roundtable on April 15, at 9:30 am! This premiere round table will feature Hazard Mitigation Planner Kayla Henderson and Senior Field Representative Heather Dunkerley from the New Hampshire Department of Safety, Homeland Security and Emergency Management. This Roundtable series will continue on the third Thursday of every month as 9:30 a.m. Bring you coffee and bagels and join us for a vibrant discussion on regional resiliency!
Join the inaugural roundtable on Apr. 15 at 9:30 a.m. using this link.
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Regional Transportation Updates |
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NHDOT Announces Changes to Toll Collection Hours
The New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) has been monitoring traffic volumes since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and recently announced the following change to toll collection operations, which they expect to continue for the foreseeable future:
Beginning on Friday, Apr. 9 the Toll Plaza Cash Lanes will be staffed from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM only. Between the hours of 6:00 AM and 10:00 PM, customers will be able to pay the toll fare by cash in an attended cash lane, or by E-ZPass in a dedicated E-ZPass lane.
During the overnight hours of 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM, Toll Plazas will operate as All Electronic Tolling (AET). There will be no cash collection during these hours. To avoid receiving an invoice, customers can use the "7-Day to Pay" option at www.ezpassnh.com/postpay-trip or contact Customer Service Center as listed below.
Customers with any questions regarding E-ZPass transactions or invoices may contact the E-ZPass Call Center at Toll Free Number: (877) 643-9727 Monday through Friday – 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Saturday – 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
NHDOT Announces Road Repair Work on Spaulding Turnpike
The New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) will begin road and guardrail repair work on Monday, April 5, 2021 on the Spaulding Turnpike (Route 16).
This work will require lane closures on both the north and south bound sections of the Spaulding Turnpike, just north of Exit 9 in Dover and south of the Rochester Toll Plaza for several weeks.
Beginning April 12, 2021 at 6:30 am northbound travel will be reduced to one 12 foot lane for approximately two weeks. Once this work is completed, on or about April 24, 2021, northbound will reopen to two full lanes and road repair operations will shift to the southbound section where travel will be reduced to one 12 foot lane. The southbound work is anticipated to be completed and reopened to two full lanes before May 21, 2021.
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*The text in these articles is taken directly from NHDOT's website.
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Trail at Doe Farm in Durham, NH (SRPC Photo)
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SRPC recently finalized a set of maps for the Durham Conservation Commission detailing trails and nature landmarks for eight town-owned recreation sites.
These maps were created by GIS planner Jackson Rand with assistance from principal planner Kyle Pimental and Communications and Outreach Planner Shayna Sylvia.
Durham's Conservation Commission also played an important role in reviewing and perfecting this map set, which is planned for printing and installation at each respective trailhead kiosk.
The maps completed are for the following recreational areas:
Happy trail hiking!
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Planning Events of Interest |
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EPA Office of Environmental Justice Webinar Series: Redlining and the Climate Crisis - April 6 from noon - 1 p.m.
EPA’s Environmental Justice (EJ) and Systemic Racism Speaker Series' April webinar is focused on Redlining and the Climate Crisis. The co-authors of a recent study on the correlation of redlined areas and the location of urban heat islands will discuss their participatory research on the spatial distribution of climate impacts, involving communities in measuring heat in cities. Registration is free, but required.
PLAN NH Workshop #2: Pop-Ups 101 With Rebecca Stone of Community Workshop - Apr. 15 at 9 a.m.
Join Rebecca Stone of Community Workshop to learn about pop-up projects, and why they're such a useful and smart planning strategy.
This fast-paced session will dig into the best ways to plan, design and create pop-up projects with impact. You’ll learn about a number of project types, best practices for setting up pop-ups that catalyze longer-term impacts, and stories of towns that have strategically used pop-ups to test and refine livability improvements. Registrants will receive a link to the DIY Community Cookbook – a resource packed with how-to instructions for small projects with big impacts.
Recycling 101: Municipal Solid Waste & Recycling in New Hampshire Virtual Workshop - Thursday, Apr. 22 from 9:00 a.m. - noon
Join Reagan Bissonnette and Heather Herring of the Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA) for an in-depth workshop on solid waste, recycling, and waste reduction for NH municipalities. Over 80% of New Hampshire’s towns and cities are members of NRRA, a recycling nonprofit that helps municipalities manage their own recycling programs. The workshop will provide an introduction to municipal solid waste, recycling, and other waste reduction techniques, including composting and pay as you throw.
Attendees will learn about recycling markets, including recent changes during the pandemic, and how municipalities can make informed decisions to improve their recycling programs and reduce their costs. To bring these concepts to life, the workshop will include case studies about plastic and glass recycling as well as specific examples for how other New Hampshire municipalities are successfully managing their recycling and solid waste.
Learn more and register online.
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2021 AARP Community Challenge Grants, due: Wednesday, Apr. 14
The AARP Community Challenge provides small grants to fund quick-action projects that can help communities become more livable for people of all ages. Applications are accepted for projects to improve public spaces, housing, transportation, civic engagement, coronavirus recovery, diversity and inclusion, and more.
Conservation License Plate Grants, LOI due: Friday, May 7
The Department of Natural and Cultural Resources has announced its 2021 Conservation License Plant Grant program, with a Letter of Intent (LOI) due May 7. This funding supports the conservation of publicly owned artworks, artistic elements of publicly owned historic cultural facilities that serve as sites for arts programming, projects that improve public access to significant artwork or arts documents, and projects that make historic cultural facilities and the arts programming that takes place in them, more accessible to the public.
Eligibility entities include New Hampshire municipalities and towns, county agencies, state agencies (other than the State Library, Division of Historical Resources and the State Arts Council), federal agencies, or nonprofit organizations that have submitted all required reports on past State Arts Council grants, and are in “Good Standing” with the State Arts Council and the NH Attorney General’s Office.
Grant requests can be made in the amount of $2,000 - $20,000 and no match is required.
Recreational Trails Program Grant, due: Friday, June 18
Recreational Trails Program (RTP) is a competitive grant program that offers funding for quality public trail projects throughout New Hampshire. Limited grants are available for motorized, non-motorized and diversified trails. Eligible projects include maintenance and restoration of existing trails, purchase and lease of trail construction and maintenance equipment, construction of new trails, development and rehabilitation of trailside and trailhead facilities and trail linkages. Applicants may be non-profit organizations, private groups or government entities.
Two virtual RTP workshops are scheduled for May 5, one at 10 a.m. and one at 6 p.m. Prior registration is required via eventbrite. Attendance at least one workshop is mandatory to apply to the RTP grant.
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Upcoming Communities for Healthy Aging Transitions (CHAT) Outreach Forums |
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As part of its Communities for Healthy Aging Transitions (CHAT) project, SRPC staff are seeking input on “how your community provides an inclusive, welcoming, supportive, and healthy environment for people of all ages?” One way in which this is being accomplished is through interactive community Zoom forums.
To date, SRPC has held two forums, one in Dover and one in Durham. In addition, SRPC has scheduled additional forums in the following communities:
Let's CHAT About Aging in Newmarket
Date: Mon, Apr 5th, 2021
Let's CHAT about Aging in Brookfield, Farmington, Middleton, Milton, New Durham and Wakefield
Date: Wed, Apr 7th, 2021
Let's CHAT About Aging in Rochester
Date: Mon, Apr 12th, 2021
Let's CHAT About Aging in Somersworth
Date: Thu, Apr 15th, 2021
Let's CHAT About Aging in Barrington, Northwood, Nottingham, and Strafford
Date: Mon, Apr 19th, 2021
Let's CHAT About Aging in Lee, Madbury and Rollinsford
Date: Thu, Apr 22nd, 2021
Please register for the virtual event in your town, and share your feedback with us!
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Two Challenges - One Leaderboard |
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Both the statewide CommuteSMART NH and CommuteSMART Seacoast B2B challenge are happening synchronously during the month of May. If your business is located in the greater Seacoast region please read the CommuteSMART Seacoast article, and if your business is located outside of the greater Seacoast region, please read the CommuteSmart NH article. |
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CommuteSmart NH Statewide Challenge
For the second year (last year was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic) CommuteSmart NH (CSNH) will hold its spring statewide challenge. This year, the timeline for the competition is being shifted to the month of May to align with the CommuteSMART Seacoast B2B Challenge.
In promoting both events, the two entities have chose to explain the connection as "two challenges, one leaderboard."
The CSNH challenge is open to businesses across the state.
Once again businesses will form a team of employees to compete against others across the state for the title of statewide champions by logging the most per capita smart commuter trips, which includes telecommuting, walking/skateboarding, biking, transit, and carpooling.
If you’re participating in the Challenge for the first time, please register your team through this online registration form. Once we have notified you that your team has been created, your team members can register individually here and begin logging their trips on May 1.
Those looking to compete whose business is not able to take part in the challenge can join the free agents team upon registration.
For returning participants, we ask that you also fill out our online registration form as a way for us to track which businesses are competing this year. Once this has been submitted team members who have previously participated can simply l og their trips beginning May 1. For new members on existing teams, the new participants can easily create an account here and join their respective team.
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CommuteSMART Seacoast B2B Challenge
CommuteSMART Seacoast’s annual Business to Business (B2B) Challenge is back! During the month of May, commute to work using any mode that isn’t driving alone such as telecommuting, walking, biking, carpooling, or public transit.
This challenge invites employers in the Seacoast to compete for the honor of having the smartest, greenest commuting workforce.
If you’re participating in the B2B Challenge for the first time, please register your team through this online registration form. Once we have notified you that your team has been created, your team members can register individually here and begin logging their trips.
For returning participants, we ask that you also fill out our online registration form as a way for us to track which businesses are competing again this year. Once this has been submitted team members who have previously participated can simply visit commutesmartseacoast.org and click “log trips” on the home page to access their account and begin recording their commutes on May 1. For new members on existing teams, the new participants can easily create an account here and join their respective team.
Team captains are encouraged to attend the CommuteSMART Seacoast B2B Challenge Team Captain Kickoff Meeting via Zoom on Tuesday, Apr. 6 at 8 a.m. You can register for that online.
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NH Planner's Association Engages with Stakeholders
The NH Planner's Association is currently engaging with planners across the state in seeking nominations for its annual awards, feedback on the types of trainings and topics membership would like to see, and are promoting their next webinar on the 2020 Census on Apr. 9.
Award nominations for Citizen Planner of the Year, Professional Planner of the Year, Plan of the Year, Project of the Year, and the Jeffrey H. Taylor Lifetime Achievement Award can be submitted by Apr. 9 to nhplanners@gmail.com. For more information, please check out the criteria and the nominating form.
NHPA stakeholders can share their thoughts on what types of trainings and planning topics should be showcased in this year’s NHPA sponsored events (spring and annual conference, brown bag lunches, webinars, etc.), as well as feedback on event planning logistics via this survey.
Lasyly, those interested in attending the 2020 Census Webinar hosted by OSI's Ken Gallager can register online.
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Flower Bar the Lee Public Library
Apr. 3 at 9 a.m.
Join the Friends of the Lee Public Library and Pinewoods Yankee Farms at their Annual Flower Bar. Drop in starting at 9 a.m. at 9 Mast Road in Lee to create a special flower bouquet for your Spring Table. This event will take place as long as supplies last.
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Seaweed Mania! Virtually delicious edition with Chef Evan Hennessey
Apr. 14 from
6:30 -7:30 p.m.
Did you know that seaweed is edible? Join 3-time Food Network Chopped Champion, Chef Evan Hennessey, in his kitchen for a virtual culinary challenge featuring seaweed ingredients! Marine scientist, Dr. Gabriela Bradt, will answer all of your questions about seaweed along our coast.
Register for this virtual event below. Grab bag "Seaweed Kits" will be available in the Dover Public Library's Children's Room to participants while they last--we will notify attendees once they are ready. These free Seaweed Kits include ingredients from Maine Coast Sea Vegetables, recipes and a seaweed identification guide.
This program is brought to you by the Dover Public Library, New Hampshire Sea Grant, and Evan Hennessey of Stages at One Washington.
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Stonehouse Forest Perimeter Hike
Apr. 24 from
8:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Celebrate Earth Day with GOAT Extraordinaire, Sue Mayotte, for a hefty hike around SELT’s Stonehouse Forest. Enjoy the scenery and explore one of SELT’s largest properties. The hike will be on trails and is about 7 miles long with lots of hills – so be sure to come prepared with plenty of snacks and water while you enjoy the great outdoors as spring springs around you!
Learn more and register online. |
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