Northwest Regional Planning Commission Awarded $650,000 EPA Grant for Brownfields Development
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| Rendering of the Maiden Lane Housing Project, which will receive RLF Cleanup Funding from NRPC this summer. |
The Northwest Regional Planning Commission (NRPC) has been awarded a highly competitive Brownfields Assessment grant in the amount of $300,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in addition to $350,000 to re-capitalize its Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund (RLF). This grant will continue to support redevelopment of Brownfields sites in Franklin and Grand Isle counties.
A brownfield is a vacant or underused property where redevelopment may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.
To date, the program has brought $3M in federal funding to the region. Last year, NRPC used over $170,000 in brownfields funding to determine the extent of contamination and develop a corrective action plan at the Ace Hardware redevelopment in Swanton, currently under construction. In June 2019, NRPC approved over $300,000 in RLF cleanup funds for the Congress and Main redevelopment in St. Albans City, which will break ground this summer. NRPC Brownfields projects have transformed polluted sites into affordable housing, new jobs, green spaces and recreation areas. The program has helped developers, owners and the community better understand how to address contaminated properties and put them back into use for the good of the community.
If you own or wish to develop a property that is contaminated or suspected to be contaminated, please consider applying. To get started, find out about the different types of assistance and send us a site nomination form available on our website. For questions, please contact Greta Brunswick, Senior Planner at NRPC at 802-524-5958 or via e-mail.
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Healthy Roots Gleaning Program Updates
In partnership with the Healthy Roots Collaborative, NRPC has a staff member focused on gleaning-
rescuing quality vegetables and fruits from farms and redistributes to charitable food sites.
The last three weeks have been a whirlwind of activity for the Healthy Roots Gleaning Program. After a cold spring and slow start to the season, farms now have a lot (at least in the way of lettuce) to offer. We have been gleaning at two farms each week - Pomykala Farm in Grand Isle and River Berry Farm in Fairfax. We are looking forward to gleaning at more farms and having more crops available soon.
Our volunteer turnout has been very strong so far. We have had individuals volunteer to glean on multiple occasions and several have also delivered to food shelves afterward. Having volunteers do deliveries is especially helpful since we provide produce to charitable food sites all over Franklin and Grand Isle Counties. In early June, we had two school field trips to West Farm in Jeffersonville. Classes from Bakersfield and Fairfield pulled rocks and planted potatoes. Coming up, we are excited to have more groups volunteer to glean with us from a variety of places including NRCS and NRCD. We will have several more school gleaning field trips in the fall. Stay tuned for more!
If you're are interested in volunteering, e-mail the Healthy Roots Gleaning Coordinator,
Peter Jenkins.
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Franklin Grand Isle Opioid Response Consortium Hosting Listen and Learn Forum
The Franklin Grand Isle Opioid Response Consortium is pleased to host a Listen & Learn Forum in July to talk about the effects of substance use disorder on our communities. These forums are open to everyone and a light dinner will be provided. Children's activities led by volunteers will also be available.
Date: July 24th, 2019
Time: 5:30-8 p.m.
Location: Enosburg Fire Department
83 Sampsonville Road
Enosburg Falls, VT 05450
The purpose of the forums:
- To share information about the 1-year planning grant from the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) that the community received to look the impact of the opioid epidemic on our region and how it is being addressed through prevention, treatment and recovery efforts and services.
- To hear from the community and to learn about what people are experiencing, what's working and also needed to continue to address this issue in our community. The goal is to hear people's stories and learn what is important to them.
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Summer Meals for Kids and Teens in Franklin and Grand Isle Counties
Free summer meals are being offered at multiple locations for children 18 and under in Franklin and Grand Isle counties. No application or registration is required. Meals are being offered at sites in Alburgh, Enosburg Falls, Montgomery Center, Richford, Saint Albans, and Swanton. A full list of the dates, times, and locations can be found
here.
In addition, those who are looking to stretch their food budget, try new foods, and support local farmers are encouraged to look into 3SquaresVT. Many who apply are surprised that they qualify, and receiving a 3SquaresVT benefit this summer means that automatic free school breakfast and lunch will be offered to your children in the fall. 3SquaresVT money can be doubled at farmer's markets with Crop Cash- $10 in 3SquaresVT = $20 for food.
Visit
www.vermontfoodhelp.com to learn more and get an application, or call 1-800-479-6151.
Catherine Dimitruk from NRPC currently serves as Co-Chair of the Franklin-Grand Isle Hunger Council, hosted by Hunger Free Vermont. For more information about the Hunger Council, please contact Catherine via e-mail or Hunger Free Vermont at www.hungerfreevt.org.
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New Vermont Initiative to Promote Housing Choices
The Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development has announced Zoning for Great Neighborhoods
, a project aimed at helping Vermont cities and towns address regulatory barriers to providing housing choices for more Vermonters. The project will provide guidance and model regulations to build a better pipeline for the development of all types of housing, particularly multi-family housing, and walkable communities.
Decent, affordable, and reasonably located homes, more than anything, determine the well-being of every Vermonter. Location and transportation connection are especially important: Where we live can ease or complicate our access to work, schools, recreation, and services. Many Vermont households - including the majority with moderate incomes - must make difficult trade-offs to find a home that is both conveniently located and within their means.
The Zoning for Great Neighborhoods project will draw on national and regional expertise from the nonprofit
CNU
and Vermont's Regional Planning Commissions. Their perspective is important to introducing-and often reintroducing-multi-family and combined housing types that were once traditional forms throughout Vermont, such as homesharing or accessory dwelling units.
"Residents and communities are sometimes uneasy about these options," says Catherine Dimitruk, who heads the Northwest Regional Planning Commission. "People get concerned the change could negatively affect the character of their community, the value of their property and their quality of life. Showing examples of where it has worked is really valuable."
A stakeholder kick-off meeting is scheduled in July. Next steps will involve identifying the types of regulatory barriers that prevent homes from being built, analyzing typical local regulations, and proposing alternatives that can support the types of homes needed. Tools for municipalities to use will be completed in the Spring of 2020.
Taylor Newton from NRPC is serving on a technical advisory team for this project. For more information, please visit this link.
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2020 Municipal Planning Grants Announced
Do you have the information, tools and resources you need to make the place you call home better? Do you want to make your city or town more attractive, vibrant, and prosperous? Did you know that
Municipal Planning Grants
have helped communities just like yours implement town plan recommendations and jump start initiatives to find wastewater solutions, update zoning regulations to increase local housing options, and develop strategic plans to diversify the local economy?
Towns may apply for up to $22,000 and joint applications from several municipalities (a consortium) may apply for up to $35,000. A wide range of municipal planning and implementation activities are eligible for funding. Strong grant applications must demonstrate community engagement and buy-in, so communities are encouraged to reach out now to stakeholders and discuss local needs, opportunities and strategies for change.
Please review the
Program Description for eligibility requirements and use the new
Application Guide and the criteria for successful applications. Even the
smallest Vermont towns can write a winning application and open doors to new opportunities.
Application Schedule for the 2020 Grants:
- Online application (GEARS) opens for use: August 1, 2019
- Training videos posted: August 1, 2019
- RPC confirmation of municipal planning process (for eligibility): September 30, 2019
- Application Deadline: September 30, 2019 @ 6:00 p.m.
- Award Decisions: Early December 2019
If you would like assistance preparing a grant application or advice about a project idea, please contact NRPC staff Greta Brunswick or Taylor Newton. Questions about the Municipal Planning Grants can also be directed to [email protected]
or at 802-828-1948.
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2nd Annual Vermont Community Leadership Summit
Join local leaders working to improve life in their communities at the Vermont Council on Rural Development's 2nd Annual VT Community Leadership Summit!
Date: August 12, 2019
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Location: Vermont Technical College, Randolph, VT
Price: $50 (s
cholarships are available for interested students and others who need one on a first-come-first-served basis.)
Participants will have the opportunity to:
- Follow up on action and progress since the 2018 Summit
- Hear inspiring stories of community success
- Access skills to support community initiatives
- Engage in envisioning the future of Vermont leadership
- Connect to leadership resources
In democracy, all citizens are called upon to lead - where leaders step up, communities achieve great things. Local Citizens Make It Happen!
Those interested in attending can register at this link.
Contact the Vermont Council on Rural Development with any questions via e-mail
or at 802-223-6091.
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Bill H.526 Establishes GIS Updates
Bill H.526
was signed into law this session, bringing with it two updates for GIS users.
An online statewide survey library designed to house digital copies of survey plats will be available for use on January 1, 2020.
The library, created and hosted by VCGI, will be a public resource for accessing digital copies of survey plats created by Vermont licensed land surveyors in PDF format. The survey plat filed with the town clerk of the respective municipality in which the survey is located remains the official plat of record. The survey library is currently being developed by VCGI with input from the Board of Land Surveyors, the Vermont Society of Land Surveyors, and other parties. It will be available for use by January 1, 2020.
Bill H.526 also established a new requirement for boundary law changes. In the instance of changes in property lines and subdivisions, a survey is now required statewide. Digital copies of these surveys of boundary line adjustments are required to be submitted by the VT licensed land surveyor to the online survey library. The requirement will take effect on January 1, 2020, affecting line changes from that date forward.
The survey library and requirement stem from the three-year
statewide parcels project
that will have updated or developed digital parcel data for every municipality in Vermont by the end of December 2019. Among other uses, the library will provide documentation useful for the update and maintenance of municipal parcel data beyond the initial three-year project, whether that data is maintained by a map vendor or the town.
More information about the survey library, including the URL of its online home, is coming later this year. Stay tuned to
vcgi.vermont.gov for news and updates.
For additional questions,
contact VCGI
here.
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Electric Car Purchase Incentives Currently Available to Vermonters
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| The number of electric vehicles in Vermont has been rapidly increasing since 2013. |
A variety of electric car purchase incentives are currently available to Vermonters. Most electric utilities in the state are offering customer incentives to help meet their
Vermont Renewable Energy Standard Energy Transformation (Tier III) obligations
to reduce customer fossil fuel use. Some Vermont utilities are even offering incentives on electric bicycles and lawncare equipment. Specific details on electric utility offerings can be found on this page from Drive Electric Vermont.
In addition, the federal income tax credit for electric car purchases is also available, which can provide up to $7,500 depending on the size of the battery and your annual tax liability. Lessees can benefit from the federal credit as mentioned in our blog post on purchasing vs leasing electric cars as at least a portion of the federal tax credit is usually passed through by the leasing company.
The State of Vermont does not currently offer electric car incentives, but the Legislature included funding for a new state incentive program in the 2019 transportation bill (H. 529). Section 34 of this bill included at least $1.1 million in funding for electric car incentives on new purchases or leases. Eligibility will be limited to vehicles with base pricing of $40,000 or less and households with annual income below about $92,000 (officially 160% of the state median household income). Details on incentive amounts and means of delivery will be determined by the Vermont Agency of Transportation, which hopes to launch the program in the fall of 2019.
NRPC's regional energy plan projects that by 2050, electricity will provide approximately a third of the energy needed for transportation. This goal will be met through an increase in efficiency for gasoline vehicles, and a gradual shift toward electric passenger vehicles over the next 30 years.
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Free Mental Health First Aid Training Being Offered
A free Mental Health First Aid Training course is being offered to all organizations that are members of the Franklin/Grand Isle Community Partnership and to the general public.
Date: Wednesday, August 14th
Time: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Location: Northwest Access Television
616 Franklin Park West, St. Albans
Mental Health First Aid Training teaches participants how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance misuse disorders. The 8 hour training will give participants the skills they need to reach out and provide initial support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance misuse problem and help connect them to appropriate care.
This course is a great fit for employers, police officers, hospital staff, first responders, faith leaders, community members, and caring individuals.
Those interested can register by contacting Lance Metayer
via e-mail or at 802-582-8039.
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