December 2019
Strafford Regional Planning Commission Newsletter
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Principal planner Kyle Pimental's dog Buffett poses on the trails at Kingman Farm in Madbury (
Kyle Pimental/SRPC Photo)
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Happy December,
Winter seems to be unofficially here (There are still 15 days left of fall!) considering the amount of snow we saw in the beginning of the week. Notable snowfalls seemed to cap out in the region with 14 inches recorded in Nottingham! With this kick-off to the holiday season, I wish everyone the best in their shopping expeditions, planning for parties and family time, and in the snow-related activities we can now indulge in (think skiing, sledding, and ice skating -
Portsmouth's outdoor rink
opened this past weekend!).
Here at SRPC we are reviewing outreach comments so we can identify themes and create draft recommendations for Dover's recreation plan; reviewing various site plan applications as part of our contract planning with Farmington, Nottingham, and Northwood; and finalizing the Pathways to Play Phase II report regarding recreation and access in the City of Somersworth.
In this issue you will find information on the recipients of the 2019 Land and Community Heritage Investment program grants, Stefanie Casella's promotion to regional planner, exciting happenings in Durham and Rochester in our 'Community Spotlight' section, a save the date for our upcoming regional trends and needs workshop, planning events of interest, a summary of this week's second quarter Commission meeting, and community happenings.
Until Next Month,
Shayna Sylvia
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IN THIS ISSUE
LCHIP Announces 2019 Grant Recipients
Staff News: Stefanie Promoted to Reg. Planner
Community Spotlight: Durham & Rochester
Save the Date: Regional Trends Workshop
Planning Events of Interest
SRPC Commission Meeting on Recreation
Community Happenings
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STAFF SNAPSHOTS - November
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Attendees at the Lead Safety workshop put on by the City of Rochester and the Strafford County Public Health Network. (
Nancy O' Connor/SRPC photo)
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From left, James, Kyle, Shayna and Stefanie at the close-out of the NNECAPA Conference at the Omni Mount Washington Resort.
(SRPC Photo
)
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Stefanie Casella, regional planner, and Stephen Geis, data collection intern, complete sidewalk assesments in Downtown Rochester. (
Stefanie Casella/
SRPC Photo)
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Land & Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) Announces 2019 Grant Recipients
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Furber Chapel in Somersworth's Forest Glade Cemetery. (
Photo courtesy of the City of Somersworth.)
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Governor Sununu joined with the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) on Wednesday, Dec. 4 to announce the 33 grant award winners for 2019, with awards totaling $3.5 million dollars across the state. He shared, "
LCHIP defines the 603. These grants not only help preserve some of our states most important natural, cultural, and historic sites, but provide an immeasurable benefit to Granite Staters.
¹
"
The projects supported this year include 21 historic properties and 12 natural resource projects. While the grant awards do
require a dollar for dollar match, most projects are able to raise much more in match. LCHIP explains in its press release: "This year’s awards of $3.5 million will be matched by more than $10 million that the project proponents will raise from other public and private sources, infusing a total of almost $14 million into the state’s economy in direct project activity."
In the Strafford region, the following locations received grants:
- Tuckaway Farm - Emerson Tract, submitted by the Forest Society and totaling $73,000 in funds awarded
- Clarke Farm in Newmarket, submitted by the Southeast Land Trust and totaling $150,000 in funds
- Newmarket Community Church, submitted by Newmarket Community Church and totaling $22,500 in funds
- Furber Memorial Chapel, submitted by the City of Somersworth and totaling $30,000
Strafford Regional Planning Commission would like to congratulate these grant awardees, and the
rest of the awardees
in the state!
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SRPC Promotes Stefanie Casella
Strafford Regional Planning Commission is proud to announce the promotion of Stefanie Casella to regional planner. Stefanie started as the data collection and analysis assistant with SRPC in April 2017.
Stefanie will continue to manage data collection and field work related to transportation planning, while also taking on a larger role in the area of land use planning.
In FY 2020 she will focus on assisting the Town of Nottingham as its contract planner. Stefanie started in this role back in July and holds weekly office hours at the Town Hall. She also attends bi-weekly planning board meetings and assists planning and zoning staff with application review. Stefanie will also be assisting our other contract planners James Burdin, senior regional planner, and Kyle Pimental, principal regional planner, as they continue to provide planning service to SRPC communities.
We're extremely happy for Stefanie and ask that you please join us in congratulating her on this wonderful news!
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From left: Todd Selig accepts the 2019 CAW Community Champion Award at the NH Climate Summit; Lilac mural recently painted in downtown Rochester (
Photos courtesy of NH CAW and Kyle Stucker/Foster's Daily Democrat, respectively)
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The
Town of Durham's
Town Administrator, Todd Selig, was
honored as the 2019 Coastal Adaptation Workgroup (CAW) Community Champion at the NH Climate Summit on Tuesday, Dec. 3. Those who presented the award shared,
“In a world of tight budgets, limited staff capacity, and inadequate funding, Todd has found ways to achieve many [Durham] Town Council’s goals, which include pursuing long-term environmental sustainability and resiliency, specifically taking into account existing and predicted impacts of climate change, in an efficient and timely manner.” Todd engages in many initiatives which made him a worthy recipient of this award, some of which have included: oversight on the development of the energy and natural resource chapters of the master plan; installation of climate art signs; completion of a sea-level rise vulnerability assessment; update to the town’s hazard mitigation plan; adoption of more stringent floodplain regulations and the state’s first use of advisory zones for sea-level rise; and the construction of a living shoreline at Wagon Hill. He also makes a point to stay up to date with ever changing climate science and share what he learned with the town council and residents alike. Join us in congratulating Todd on this award.
The
City of Rochester
was recently featured on a
NH Chronicle segment
which highlighted the downtown, new outdoor murals, the City's accessible public art, and the Opera House. This five-minute segment addressed revitalization in the downtown and the City's ongoing downtown master plan process, before diving into the new moose and lilac murals that were painted by local artists. Reporter Ted Reinstein also talked about the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts' multiple galleries in the Rochester Community Center and Library, before taking a trip to the Opera House to see its movable floor firsthand. What an awesome way to share some of the awesome things happening in the Lilac City!
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Save the Date: Regional Trends and Needs Workshop
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Please Save the Date to join Strafford Regional Planning Commission along with colleagues from other municipalities for coffee, pastries, and discussion on Jan. 10 from 9 a.m. – noon.
The workshop will focus on three key areas (housing, economic development, and transportation) explored through the lens of regional trends, themes, and goals. It will also provide SRPC an opportunity to gain insight on how we can better support our communities, and highlight the ways in which municipal departments from various towns interact and how we can learn from one another.
The intended audience for this event includes town administrators or leaders, planning department and economic development staff, and road agents or public works representatives.
Further details, including location, will be provided as soon as possible.
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Planning Events of Interest
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NH Listens: Advanced Facilitator Training - Thursday, Dec. 12
New Hampshire Listens, a civic engagement initiative of the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire, will hold its Advanced Facilitator Training on Thursday Dec. 12 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. This training will teach participants to remain neutral when serving as facilitators, enhancing confidence to productively address issues, encourage and move conversation in a constructive manner.
The workshop fee is $50, which may be reduced or waived for students and those with financial need. Please get in touch with
Michele Holt-Shannon
for a promotion code.
Community Development Block Grant Implementation Training
The Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA) will be hosting a training on
the administration of Community Development Block Grants in the State of New Hampshire.
This training will focus on a section (chapters 4-12) of CDFA’s
Community Development Block Grant Implementation Guide
.
The training is required for anyone planning to administer a Community Development Block Grant in the 2020 program year, but all involved in the program’s grant process or interested in learning more are invited to attend.
CDFA requests that each interested organization send one representative as space will be limited. In the event of inclement weather, the workshop will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 15.
NHMA Webinar: Is Recycling Still Worthwhile In New Hampshire Today? - Wednesday, Jan. 29
Reagan Bissonnette, Executive Director of the Northeast Resource Recovery Association-the nation's oldest recycling cooperative-will host a webinar on the economics of the current recycling markets on Wednesday, Jan. 29. Reagan will cover the basics of what has happened and what the future portends for recycling, composting, and trash. This information will help communities make informed decisions about continuing to recycle or changing current practices and understanding China's role in all of this.
This webinar is geared towards town administrators, planners, selectboard members, clerks, and any others who have input on or manage any part of a municipal budget.
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Commission Meeting Offers Insight into Regional & Local Recreation Planning
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Commissioners and SRPC staff at the December Commission Meeting at Somersworth City Hall. (
Stefanie Casella/SRPC Photo)
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On Thursday, Dec. 5 Strafford Regional Planning Commission held its second quarterly Commission meeting at the Council Chambers at the Somersworth City Hall. The meeting's theme, recreation planning, was covered by staffers Nancy O'Connor (program content coordinator), Jackson Rand (GIS Planner) and Shayna Sylvia (Communications and Outreach Planner) who presented on the Pathways to Play project and the Dover Recreation Master Plan chapter.
Nancy and Jackson kicked off the presentation giving some background on the Pathways to Play (PTP) program, a one-year project funded by the NH Children's Health Foundation (NHCHF). The particular grant program at NHCHF supports projects that prevent childhood obesity, promote oral health, and reduce food insecurity. They discussed the regional component of the project, which is almost finalized, and includes maps of recreation sites for all eighteen SRPC communities. Jackson reviewed different data compilations he had put together with maps showing recreation sites in conjunction with age cohorts, areas with poverty, bus routes, sidewalks, and other datasets. Nancy explained the second phase of the project which included a pilot in Somersworth to look at access to three parks close to the City's downtown. This effort involved a large outreach component which allowed for great feedback on park uses and needs, and information on why some of these parks may be underutilized.
Shayna followed with a presentation of the recreation chapter of the Dover Master Plan. SRPC was awarded the contract to work with the City on this project in July, Shayna discussed how the data collected as part of the PTP project was a great baseline for looking at recreation sites in Dover. She reviewed preliminary maps for the project, and work to date, which included a large outreach effort garnering input from over 1,2000 people.
For outreach, SRPC attended four events and used a variety of strategies to engage with individuals. Some of the techniques including visual preference surveys, sticky dot exercises, graphic art renderings, a sticker activity for children, an online survey, and an open-ended chalkboard.
In next steps for the project the data from the outreach will be grouped into themes to inform recommendations, which SRPC will refine with the steering committee. Project Manager Kyle Pimental, principal regional planner, will also be meeting with municipal staff at the City to review the 2009 plan recommendations in order to track progress, and identify shortfalls to better inform the next set of recommendations.
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Seacoast Eat Local Winter Farmer's Market
Saturday, Dec. 7
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Wentworth Greenhouses
The Seacoast Eat Local Winters' Farmers Market will take place at Wentworth Greenhouses on Saturday, Dec. 7. This is the second of six to be held at Wentworth Greenhouses between November and April; the other fourteen take place at Exeter High School and the Kittery Community Center. The markets features local cheese, maple syrup, eggs, vegetables, bread, beer, soap, crafts, lots of other goodies - and music. Head on over and check it out!
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Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol
Dec. 12
– 15, Dec. 19 – 22
Various Times
Rochester Opera House
Head on over to the Rochester Opera House in December to enjoy a presentation of
Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol
. This beloved classic will be performed between Dec. 12 – 15, and between Dec. 19 – 22 with evening and matinee shows. Special performances on Wednesday, Dec. 18 & Thursday, Dec. 19 at 10 a.m. will cost only $7 and every 16th ticket will be free. Those tickets are available by calling 603-948-1682, where all other tickets are available
online
.
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Cocoa & Carnations
Monday, December 23
5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
The Flower Room Education Center & Design Studio
The Flower Room will be holding 'Cocoa & Carnations" at its Education Center & Design Studio.
Complimentary cocoa, tea, and coffee will be provided as participants create holiday floral arrangements.
The event cost is $50.
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