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Happy September!
There are only 15 days until autumn is upon us, and there are lots of fall activities to be excited about. New England fair season arrived yesterday with the start of the Rochester Fair. The Deerfield Fair will kick off at the end of September. Corn mazes, apple picking, and pumpkin-inspired treats are some other exciting fall favorites to look forward to.
Here at SRPC, staffers have been finishing the FY 2018 Annual Report and Commissioner's Handbook, getting our new GIS planner/analyst up to speed, and scheduling the final field work of the season.
In this issue you'll read about the promotions of two SRPC employees, what's happening in the housing planning field, a water supply workshop SRPC is hosting with NHDES, planning events of interest, a new report by the NH Fiscal Policy Institute, and community happenings.
Until next month,
Shayna Sylvia
Communications and Outreach Specialist
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SRPC Promotes Colin Lentz
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Strafford Regional Planning Commission is proud to announce the promotion of Colin Lentz to senior transportation planner. Colin started as a planner with SRPC in March 2014 and was promoted to regional transportation planner the following October.
Colin will continue to coordinate all Strafford MPO programs and activities. In FY 2019 he will focus on updating the travel demand model, working with regional communities to submit Ten Year Plan projects to NHDOT, assisting with TAP applications, and building SRPC's technical assistance capacity.
We're extremely happy for Colin and ask that you please join us in congratulating him on this wonderful news!
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SRPC Promotes Shayna Sylvia
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SRPC is proud to announce the promotion of Shayna Sylvia to communications and outreach planner. Shayna joined SRPC as a marketing and communications outreach intern in November 2012 and was promoted to communications and outreach specialist in July 2014.
Shayna will continue to coordinate SRPC's communications channels including the website, social media, and e-news, in addition to organizing Commission and executive committee meetings and working with other SRPC planners on outreach and engagement for regional and statewide projects.
We're extremely happy for Shayna and ask that you please join us in congratulating her on this wonderful news!
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What's Happening With Housing?
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2018 Housing & the Economy Conference
The New Hampshire Housing and Finance Authority (NHHFA) will hold its annual Housing & the Economy Conference on Thursday, Oct. 4, from 8 a.m.
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12:30 p.m. at the Manchester Downtown Hotel (formerly the Raddison). The event costs $60, which includes full breakfast and parking. The agenda includes a welcome and housing market update from Dean Christon, NHHFA executive director; a state legislative report from Ben Frost, NHHFA director of legal and public affairs; and a talk from the accessory dwelling units (ADU) guru and author of "Backdoor Revolution: The Definitive Guide to ADU Development," Koi Peterson. Cheryl Young, a senior economist at Trulia, will deliver the keynote address and discuss how housing policy affects local housing markets and general housing trends. She also will offer her insights on housing affordability and issues facing first-time homebuyers.
You can register for the event or find more information
here.
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13-15 Hanson Street Source: WHC/City of Rochester
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Rochester Housing Workshop - Sept. 26 & 28
The City of Rochester is partnering with the Workforce Housing Coalition of the Greater Seacoast to host a workforce housing workshop on Sept. 26 & 28. The first day will include a walking tour of 13
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15 Hanson St., which will leave from the Rochester Performing Arts Center (32 North Main Street) at 2 p.m. Following the tour, two listening sessions will take place (one from 3
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5 p.m. and one from 6
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8 p.m.). These sessions will allow stakeholders and residents to share their ideas and concerns about possible housing development plans for Rochester's downtown. Light refreshments will be provided to participants.
On Friday, Sept. 28,
the charrette team, made up of volunteer housing professionals with design, planning, and development backgrounds, will regroup and work collaboratively throughout the day to craft design options for the site, which will include workforce housing units. Any interested persons are invited to drop by to observe at any time at the Rochester Performing Arts Center. The finished design concepts will then be shared that evening in a public presentation. A charrette booklet with the organized design concepts will be produced following the workshop and made available to city staff and the general public for future housing development projects.
For more information contact Sarah Wrightsman, executive director of the Workforce Housing Coalition of the Greater Seacoast, at [email protected].
ADU Homeowner's Guide
The New Hampshire Housing and Finance Authority (NHHFA) recently released a partner guide to its
"Accessory Dwelling Unit in New Hampshire: A Guide for Municipalities" titled
"A New Hampshire Homeowner's Guide to Accessory Dwelling Units." The new guide was created to educate homeowners about New Hampshire's Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) statute (RSA 674:71 - 73), which became law in 2017, and to provide a useful tool for homeowners considering whether to construct or renovate existing space to create an ADU (also known as a mother-in-law apartment). The guide notes that "the creation of more ADUs will expand the supply of housing in New Hampshire, encourage efficient use of existing housing stock and infrastructure, and provide more affordable housing options."
To learn more about housing in New Hampshire, visit the NHHFA
website.
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SRPC Partners with NHDES to Hold Drinking Water Supply Workshop
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The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) and SRPC will host a three-hour workshop highlighting the importance of protecting land where drinking water supplies are located. Topics will include integrating municipal planning and conservation, protecting municipal water sources, and information on planning resources available to communities. Attendees will hear about some area communities that have undertaken efforts to protect the land from which their drinking water originates.
The workshop will be held on Monday, Sept. 24, from 10 a.m.
-1 p.m. at the Rochester Community Center, 150 Wakefield St. The event is free, but space is limited so registration is required. For questions or to register, please contact
Andrew Madison.
The event notice is available for viewing on the SRPC
website.
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Planning Events of Interest
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2018 New Hampshire Municipal Law Lecture Series
The New Hampshire Municipal Association (NHMA) will hold its annual law lecture series beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 26. The lectures are intended for municipal officials interested or responsible for any aspect of municipal land use regulation, including members of planning boards, zoning boards, conservation commissions, and select boards, as well as councilors, planners, building inspectors, and code enforcement officers.
All lectures will occurs from 7 - 9 p.m. at each of the following three locations, Chesire County Hall in Keene, Derry Municipal Center, and the Stratham Municipal Center. Lecture one, Planning Board Fundamentals, will take place on Sept. 26. The second lecture, How to Read a Survey Plan and the Professionals Involved, will be held on Oct. 3. The third lecture will focus on Model Solar Ordinance and Guidance, and takes place on Oct. 10.
The registration fee is $35 per lecture or $90 for all three.
Alternately, participants can attend all three lectures in one day at the NHMA Office in Concord. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on
Saturday, Oct. 20, include a continental breakfast, and cost $100.
Pre-registration is required one week prior to each lecture.
Questions? Please call 800-852-3358, ext. 3350 or send an email to
NHMA.
NH Listens: Facilitating for Public Engagement
NH Listens will hold a daylong public engagement workshop on Friday, Sept. 21, from 9 a.m.
-3 p.m. at New England College, 63 North Main St., in Concord. Participants will gain an understanding of the critical role facilitators play in the broad spectrum of public engagement work. Time will be spent discussing local and statewide projects, walking through a typical "talk-to-action" process, and emphasizing the principles that guide public engagement facilitators' work. Prior facilitation experience is helpful, but not necessary. The $50 fee will be waived for students and those with financial need.
You can register for the workshop
here.
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New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute Release New Report
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Map from the "
Measuring New Hampshire's Municipalities: Economic Disparities and Fiscal Capacities." report
Source: NHFPI
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The New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute recently released its report "Measuring New Hampshire's Municipalities: Economic Disparities and Fiscal Capacitates."
The report explains that, while the New Hampshire economy is growing overall, there are gaps in economic condition and services in different parts of the state. The disparities in services persist at the regional level, the report notes, because many services are provided at the municipal level.
The report examines these differences and uses them to discuss the impacts these disparities may have on the ability of local governments in New Hampshire to provide needed services. It includes information on the number and age of populations across the state, the property valuations of different communities, median household incomes and concentrations of higher income earners, and Medicaid and food stamp enrollment by municipality.
The report can be accessed
here
. Supplementary interactive maps are also available
online
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Community Happenings
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Rochester Fair, Rochester Fairgrounds, Thursday, Sept. 6 to Sunday, Sept. 16 (closed Mon.-Wed.), hours vary
After a one-year hiatus, the Rochester Fair is back! The fair is open Thursday-Sunday with different events each day. Fan favorites include the school bus derby (Sept. 8 at 7 p.m.) and horse pulling (Sept. 15 at 11 a.m.). Head on over to the Rochester Fairgrounds for great food, rides, and entertainment. Visit the
Rochester Fair website
for admission prices and the full schedule of events.
Durham Day Celebration, Wagon Hill Farm, Saturday, Sept. 22, from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Durham will hold its annual Durham Day celebration on Saturday, Sept. 22. This free community BBQ includes boat tours, information booths, family activities, live music & more! The rain date for the event is Sunday, Sept. 23.
Ocean Discovery Day, UNH's Chase Ocean Engineering Lab, Sept. 29, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Dive into marine science at Ocean Discovery Day when UNH opens its marine research laboratories to highlight how scientists and students engage with our rich natural resources and use our proximity to the ocean for their studies. Join us at the Chase Ocean Engineering Laboratory on the UNH Durham campus and enjoy family-friendly, hands-on demonstrations, tours, and talks.
Drive mini-ROVs, dissect a squid, and watch animations of whale behavior underwater. Demos and talks on a wide array of ocean topics from mapping to acoustics will be offered, while hands-on activities include marine life touch tanks, fish printing, and knot tying. Join us for this free day of ocean discovery!
Learn more at the UNH School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering
website
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Sincerely,
SRPC Staff
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