SRPC's Monthly Newsletter

May 1, 2020

Strafford Regional Planning Commission Newsletter

Photograph from along the Sweet Trail on the Durham/Newmarket line. ( SRPC Photo)

Happy May, 

While this last month has been challenging for everyone, it’s encouraging to see that precautions in place are seeming to slow the spread of COVID-19. Also encouraging is the Governor’s formation of the economic re-opening task force , which is meeting regularly to plan a phased re-open of businesses and other entities in the state. Choosing to focus on the positives, we have beautiful spring blooms, lots of local recreation to (safely) enjoy (need ideas see our Pathways to Play maps ) , and warming weather as we inch towards summer.

Here at SRPC (or really, our respective home offices) we are finalizing the Dover Recreation Master Plan chapter, adapting plans for the upcoming traffic count season, and finishing up a series of trail maps for the Durham Conservation Commission. And while doing our work remotely, we are continuing to keep you all updated by sharing critical and relevant news via our  Facebook ,  Twitter , and  Instagram  pages. 

In this issue you will find information on Census response rates and related engagement, planning events of interest, important updates and cancellations, changes to bike walk to work month activities and the start of the CommuteSMART B2B Challenge (today!), staff news including Stephen Geis’ promotion, results from the NHMA COVID-10 Financial Impact Survey, opportunities for public input, some “In Case You Missed It’ items, and community happenings.

Until Next Month,

Shayna Sylvia 

IN THIS ISSUE

Census 2020 Response Rates and Engagement

Planning Events of Interest

Important Updates and Cancellations

Riding with the Flow: Bike/Walk Month Changes

Staff Updates: SRPC Promote Stephen Geis

Results from NHMA's COVID-19 Financial Survey

Opportunities for Public Input

In Case You Missed It

Community Happenings

STAFF SNAPSHOTS - April

Swag for the CommuteSMART Seacoast challenge that will be rewarded to #TeamSRPC participants once we can all safely gather again! (SRPC photo)

Photo of both public art and the playground at Henry Law Park snapped for the Dover Recreation Chapter. (SRPC photo)

Colin Lentz has still been riding his bike to the office to maintain the server backup system (SRPC photo)

SRPC Engages Residents as a 2020 Census Partner

Like a lot of other things in our current world, COVID-19 has also impacted the 2020 Census. In a normal climate, people employed by the Census would soon be following up with individuals who hadn't yet taken the census using a door-to-door approach. With this not possible currently, the U.S. Census Bureau is relying on its partners more and more.

SRPC, as a census partner, has been sharing news, information, and tips related to the Census for the last few months. This week, and weekend in particular, has been designated by the U.S. Census Bureau as digital action weekend. SRPC will be sharing information via our social media between May 1 and 3 to assist with this campaign.

Jackson Rand, GIS Planner, created two maps (click the images below to see larger PDF versions), which will be shared on our social media today showing a comparison between final response rates in 2010, and current responses rates now:

Shayna Sylvia, Communications and Outreach Planner, complemented this information with the video linked above, which shows how easy it is to take the Census. It's also important to note not only the how, but the why. Each state getting the closest to a complete count as possible is important as lots of community programs rely on federal funds issued based on census data. Data compiled by the GW Institute on Public Policy showed that in Fiscal Year 2016, NH received $3,718,487,379 through 55 federal spending programs guided by 2010 census data.

Feel free to share content posted on our social media ( Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram ) to help promote the census, or head to my2020census.gov to take your survey now!

Planning Events of Interest

Making New Hampshire More Desirable to Young People - Wednesday, May 13

On Wednesday, May 13 Will Stewart, Executive Director of Stay, Work, Play, will hold a 'Coffee and Conversations' talk on making New Hampshire desirable to young people. Coffee & Conversations is a discussion series jointly organized by the Carsey School of Public Policy, the State of NH Bureau of Education and Training, and the NH Association of Certified Public Managers to engage public service professionals in learning, problem solving, and collaboration.

Will's talk will be based off of qualitative data collected from Stay Work Play's Policy & Pints series , in which he and his team spoke with young people across nine NH regions this past fall and winter to discuss issues that most impact their lives and where they. He will also discuss how Stay Work Play is addressing these issues and how other organizations, companies, municipalities, and individuals can help make New Hampshire a more attractive place for young people.

Learn more, or register at https://carsey.unh.edu/news/coffee-conversations .

The Workings of a Planning Board - Wednesday, May 13

The New Hampshire Municipal Association will host an upcoming webinar on May 13, helpful for municipal volunteers serving as planning board members. The Workings of a Planning Board webinar will take place from noon - 1 p.m., and is geared towards both new planning board members and alternates, as well as seasoned veterans, who want a refresher course on planning board basics.

Hosted by Stephen Buckley and Counsel Natch Greyes, the training will cover what’s included in a completed application, the timeline for planning board review, conducting meetings and public hearings, making use of third-party consultants, subdivision and site plan approval, retooling your zoning to improve housing affordability and supply, the zoning amendment process, off-site exactions, innovative land use controls, driveways, the Right-to-Know Law and more.

Learn more, or register, online .

Important Updates & Cancellations

NH Planner's Association Annual Meeting

The NH Planners Association has re-shifted its annual conference to be completely virtual in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This event will now occur over three separate days from 2-3:30 p.m. on June 4, 11, and 18, respectively. Nominations for the awards given at the conference are now open, with an extended deadline of May 6 at 4:30 p.m. Awards are given in the following categories, citizen planner, professional planner, project and plan. Criteria for the nominations can be found online , along with the nomination form. Nominations must be emailed to nhplanners@gmail.com . More information about virtual conference sessions will be posted online closer to the meeting dates.

OSI Cancels Spring Conference, Will Partner With NHMA on Fall Planning and Zoning Conference

In early April the Office of Strategic Initiatives (OSI) shared that due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, and the surrounding uncertainties, they were cancelling their 2020 Spring Planning and Zoning Conference. The conference will resume in the Spring of 2021. In lieu of a Spring Conference this year, OSI will be partnering with the New Hampshire Municipal Association (NHMA) to offer a Fall Planning and Zoning Conference on Saturday, October 31, 2020 in Concord. Further information will be provided closer to October.

Riding with the Flow: Changes to Bike/Walk Month Festivities

Dover City Hall Breakfast Station from Bike Walk to Work Day 2019. ( SRPC Photo)

Every May bicyclists, pedestrians and residents across New Hampshire celebrate Bike Walk to Work Month. On the seacoast, this includes events held throughout the month, in addition to the signature CommuteSMART Seacoast B2B Challenge. While COVID-19 has thrown a wrench in some of those plans (or one might say in the spokes of the wheels), the organizing group is still encouraging safe solo biking and walking activities. The key celebrations, including the traditional breakfast commuter stations event will be moved to September, based off of the League of American Bicyclists choosing to move National Bike to Work Day to September.

Instead key organizer, Seacoast Area Bicycle Riders (SABR), is encouraging commuters to snap a selfie while they're out on a ride (to work, before work, or instead of work) on Friday, May 15, and share it using the #SeacoastBikes and #BikesUnite on the Bike Month Facebook page. SABR is also partnering with local bike shops and others, which will be holding a series of alternate virtual events for May. Join in a Fix a Flat Tire clinic over Zoom and stick around for a virtual happy hour. Get answers to all your questions about bike commuting. Pick up some ideas on bikepacking and National Bike Travel Weekend with Gus’ Bike Shop and the Adventure Cycling Association. The full Virtual Bike Month calendar with these and other events will be live on the SABR website within the next week. Stay tuned to www.seacoastbikes.org .

The other centerpiece of Seacoast Bike/Walk Month, the CommuteSMART Seacoast’s annual spring Business to Business (B2B) Challenge, will still run as planned, with a kick-off today, May 1. For those not familiar the B2B challenge allows businesses to sign up a team and rally employees to compete to log the most avoided auto commute trips during May. For a lot of people this will mean telecommuting, but with fewer cars on the road right now it’s a great time to try your commute by bike! All smart commuters get fun swag and a coffee gift card. For Challenge info go to: www.commutesmartseacoast.org .

Staff News

SRPC Promotes Stephen Geis

SRPC is proud to announce the promotion of Stephen Geis to planning technician. Stephen started as a data collection intern in June 2019 and has continued to provide part time support throughout the 2019/2020 school year. He will be graduating this month with a bachelor's degree in in Geography and International Affairs from the University of New Hampshire.

Stephen will be leading the data collection team this summer, in addition to continuing current work on the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, and assisting GIS planner Jackson Rand with mapping projects and growing our GIS program.

All staff are excited to welcome on Stephen in his new full-time position, and we hope you will join us in congratulating Stephen!

Learn more about Stephen in his "Get To Know Team SRPC" blog feature .

Weekly Team Building Meetings

As a way to break up the week staffers have been meeting virtually via Zoom on Thursdays at 4 p.m. These team building meetings have been a great way to boost morale during the Stay-At-Home order. And to make it even more fun, each week has a theme. Week one (pictured) was dress as a favorite TV or Netflix character. Other themes have included dream vacation (setting your background photo from where you’d like to go on a dream trip), home tours, and baby photos week (where staff set their profile picture as one of their baby photos)!

NH Municipal Association Releases Data from COVID-19 Financial Impact Survey

On Apr. 20, the New Hampshire Municipal Association (NHMA) released results from a survey it sent out the previous week, on Apr. 14. While municipalities were only given 48 hours to respond, 54% of NH's 234 communities submitted information. The survey was distributed in order to understand the financial impact on cities and towns, and provided important information relative to COVID-19 expenses, lost revenues, and overall budget impacts. Responses supported the already presumed notion that the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is of grave concern to municipalities, and that financial assistance is critical. 

NHMA did note that the survey did not account for any reduction in state funding to municipalities, such as Meals & Rooms tax distribution, $40 million in municipal aid, or highway block grant payments. They explained that, "All towns and cities are concerned and anxious about whether there will be cuts to those sources of funding that they rely on." NHMA also shared that, "there are so many unknowns, and circumstances are subject to change, including financial impacts. The financial impacts will be long-term and significant. Anticipated expenses and revenue losses cannot accurately be predicted, but municipalities have done their best to do so.

Based on the data received from 127 municipalities, here are some key findings:

$7.5 trillion

The amount of COVID-19 expenses to date for municipalities

$23 million

The estimated revenue shortfalls resulting from declines in motor vehicle registrations due to COVID-19

$26.7 trillion

The amount of anticipated COVID-19 expenses for municipalities through Dec.

$35 million

The estimated revenue loss for municipalities from shortfalls in other taxes and fees due to COVID-19

The average tax

delinquency rate in response to COVID-19

30%

The percentage of municipalities unsure if they will be able to borrow tax anticipation notes to meet cashflow needs over the next 6 months

The survey also gathered information on significant municipal concerns. Popular among those were:

Loss of state aid (Meals & Rooms tax distribution, Highway block grants, $20 million in FY 21 one-time funding) and other municipal revenues
Property tax delinquencies
Increased welfare expenses when Emergency Order #3 (relative to discontinuing utility services) is lifted
Ability to borrow for cashflow needs

Primary causes of revenue shortfalls were also addressed, with top responses including:

Layoffs and Furloughing of Employees
Cutting public services
Drawing down reserves

To view more details of this insightful survey, visit NHMA's website.

Opportunities for Public Input

Comment Period Open for Proposed Municipal Stormwater General Permit Modifications for New Hampshire Communities

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released information on proposed modifications to the 2017 New Hampshire Small MS4 General Permit.

One of two webinars highlighting these changes will be held on Monday, May 4 at 1 p.m. You can register for the webinar here.

EPA will accept public comments on the proposed permit modifications for 45 days. Comments can be submitted online .

Learn more on the EPA website.

Public Comment Period for Amendment 4 to the Transportation Improvement Plan Opens May 4

The Strafford Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) will hold a public comment period and public hearing for the proposed Amendment #4 to the adopted 2019-2022 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The TIP is a prioritized list of federal and state funded regional transportation projects programmed for the next four years.

More information on the impacts of Amendment #4 will be posted on the SRPC website on Monday. The public comment period will be open from May 4-14, and comments can be submitted via mail , email , and fax (603-994-3504).

An electronic public hearing will be held by the SRPC Policy Committee meeting at 9:00 am on Friday, May 15, 2020 to review comments, solicit final public feedback, and consider adoption of Amendment #4 to the TIP and corresponding amendments to the 2017-2040 Metropolitan Transportation Plan. 

Contact senior transportation planner Colin Lentz with any questions.