Shayna Sylvia, communications and outreach planner, representing the NHARPC at the NHMA conference.
( SRPC Photo )
Planning
The NH Municipal Association held its annual conference in Manchester on Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 14 and 15. The event is popular with planners, municipal staff, government officials, and other stakeholders. Many different vendors set up at the conference, and planning and municipal staffers held and attended different talks and sessions.
 
Executive Director Jen Czysz was part of the panel presentation "Introduction to New Hampshire's Local Land Use Boards." She joined Michael Klass from the state Office of Strategic Initiatives and Anne Cunningham of the Town of Freedom to facilitate an interactive discussion on the responsibilities and duties of local land use boards. Jen and her colleagues provided a broad overview of basic procedures, including those relevant for a municipal land use board administrator. They also discussed current planning topics and reviewed information resources. The presentation concluded with an opportunity for questions and answers.
 
Communications and outreach planner Shayna Sylvia also attended the conference, as an exhibitor. Shayna staffed the NH Association of Regional Planning Commissions’ booth, where she talked with conference attendees and handed out NHARPC's new brochure , which she helped design.
 
The conference was well attended. Learn more about NHMA on its website .

Pieces of Interest

Transportation
On Tuesday, Nov. 13, data collection and analysis assistant Stefanie Casella and data analyst Rachel Dewey collected the last traffic count of the season, which was set in Somersworth. During the 2018 field work season, Stefanie and data collection intern Monique Duchesne set 112 of 113 counts requested by the New Hampshire Department of Transportation. (The missing count failed and did not include a complete data set.) SRPC’s data collection staff also set 12 counts requested by communities, known as supplemental counts, in Barrington, New Durham, Rochester, and Dover.
 
Additional field work included a pedestrian count in Rochester, road surface management system (RSMS) assessments in Nottingham, a sidewalk assessment in Rochester, and a few culvert assessments. SRPC also purchased a game camera to count traffic on a dirt road in Barrington.
 
To learn more about SRPC's data collection efforts, visit our website . 

Pieces of Interest

Economic Development
Strafford Economic Development District (EDD) hosted an informational meeting about the state's new opportunity zones program on Wednesday, Nov. 7.
 
The meeting was held at the SRPC conference room and facilitated by Strafford Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) Executive Director Dennis McCann. Attendees included the NH Housing and Finance Authority (NHHFA), the NH Business and Finance Authority (NHBFA), and municipal representatives from communities designated as opportunity zones.
 
In addition to learning more about the program, the group discussed the draft regulations governing it, which were released last month by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Attendees left the meeting with a stronger understanding about what this program is going to look like.
 
Learn more about the opportunity zones program on the NH Economic Development website .


Pieces of Interest

Strafford Regional Planning Commission | 603-994-3500 | srpc@strafford.org | www.strafford.org
November 16, 2018