Bits and Pieces: A Weekly Update from the Strafford Region

SRPC's new Meeting Owl camera for hybrid meetings. (SRPC Photo)

Planning

Strafford Regional Planning Commission is a partner on the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) Coastal Program's new Great Bay Living Shorelines Project, and as such has been gearing up for the kick-off. Focused on creating new living shoreline projects in the Great Bay Estuary to protect salt marsh ecosystems and coastal communities from erosion and sea-level rise, the project is funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

In the Strafford region, the project will include working with community stakeholders and landowners in Durham, Dover, and Newmarket to identify, and in the case of Durham expand, living shoreline project sites, develop conceptual designs for the chosen sites, provide practical living shoreline design learning opportunities for professionals, and share recommendations for future living shoreline projects in the Great Bay Estuary. The project also includes the Town of Stratham, in the Rockingham Planning Commission region.

This project is unique in its approach of working with professionals looking to gain hands-on experience with living shoreline design. The purpose of this being to support a growing economy focused on nature-based shoreline management. Living Shoreline Design Teams will learn about and design living shoreline projects at the selected Great Bay sites.

Each team will be supported by experienced scientists and professionals, and stipends are available to support professional participation. Applications are due June 25, 2021. To learn more about the project, or to apply to be on a Living Shoreline Design Team visit the project website.

The Great Bay Living Shoreline Project is a collaboration between the NHDES Coastal Program, the Town of Durham, the University of New Hampshire, the Great Bay Stewards, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, the Strafford Regional Planning Commission, and the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership.*

Pieces of Interest

MapLab: How to Track American Migration

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* Language in the article above was adapted by a piece written by Kirsten Howard, NHDES Coastal Program Resilience Coordinator.

Transportation

In preparation for a return to in-person meetings, Strafford MPO staff have been strategizing about the best way to allow for a hybrid meeting where a quorum would need to be present in-person, but others could attend virtually. This shift is in response to the growing number of vaccinated individuals and the Governor's decision to let the state of emergency and related executive orders expire at midnight on Jun. 11.

For its meeting on Jun. 18, the Policy Committee will be meeting in a hybrid manner. To facilitate this, SRPC recently purchased a camera, microphone and speaker device called a Meeting Owl. This technology allows SRPC to capture the entire audience in a room and also focus in on each individual as they talk. This meeting will double as a Commission meeting, for SRPC's annual business items.

Pieces of Interest

Portland Installs 'Alternative Pedestrian Walkway

Economic Development

The Strafford Economic Development District's (EDD) guiding plan, the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), has recently been updated and is out for public comment beginning Monday, June 14. This iteration of the CEDS, 2021-2025, is the first full update to this document since it was originally drafted, outside of annual updates completed.

The CEDS contains an analysis of the region’s economy and identifies goals, strategies, and priority projects for implementation over the next five years. The document will be available on the SRPC website, on the homepage, and on the CEDS webpage come Monday.

Public comments can be submitted up until Thursday, Jul. 15, and at the public hearing at 9:00 am on Jul. 16. Those interested in attending the public hearing can do so in-person or electronically. Attend in-person at the address below, and electronically by dialing (646) 558-8656 and using conference ID: 833 2937 9249, or participate online at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83329379249.

Please submit any comments or questions to:

James Burdin – Senior Regional Planner

By Email: jburdin@strafford.org

By Phone: (603) 994-3500 x103

By Mail: Strafford Regional Planning Commission,

150 Wakefield St., Suite 12, Rochester NH, 03867

Pieces of Interest

NH Gives breaks fundraising record for second consecutive year

Strafford Regional Planning Commission | 603-994-3500 | srpc@strafford.org| www.strafford.org

June 11, 2021