Participants in outreach for Farmington's Master Plan at the town's Hay Day event. ( Photo courtesy of Arnett Development Group) 
Planning

Over the last several weeks, SRPC has provided technical assistance to the Town of Farmington’s Planning Board and its master plan consultant, Arnett Development Group (ADG). This sub-contract includes GIS mapping services and assisting with outreach and engagement activities. SRPC has provided input on a survey that is now live online and created a series of engaging posters that staffers from ADG used to solicit input from residents at Farmington's Hay Day event on Saturday, Aug. 17. The three posters developed by SRPC included a sticky dot display surveying participants on funding priorities in town, a visual preference survey for spaces and buildings, and a third poster highlighting questions from the online survey about density and zoning. 

Feedback from ADG noted the success of the posters in engaging attendees at the town event. 
Pieces of Interest

Transportation

Over the course of the week, Rachel Dewey, data analyst, has been working to analyze Strava data and compare it with the network analysis results from the Rockingham Planning Commission's (RPC) bicycle level of traffic stress (LTS) project. Strava is an app that bicyclists can use to log their bike rides. NHDOT has been purchasing data from this app since 2016.

Bicyclist data will be compared with the Bicycle Level of Traffic Stress database built by SRPC, RPC, Nashua Regional Planning Commission (NRPC), Southern NH Planning Commission (SNHRPC), and Central NH Regional Planning Commission (CNHRPC). This project rated roads based on how safe they are for bicyclists. Data was collected via Google Street View assessments and input from users.  

The comparison will look at roads with high levels of traffic stress and the bicycle volumes on roads that connect people to destinations. This information can be used in project prioritization for transportation alternatives, the Ten Year Plan, and municipal projects.

In the coming months, the LTS group will be looking at connectivity to schools, employers, and other community destinations to determine how accessible communities are by bike. 

For more information contact Rachel Dewey , at 603-994-3500.
 Pieces of Interest

Economic Development

In Jun. 2019, SRPC was awarded its second EPA Brownfields grant . As part of the grant, Strafford Economic Development District (EDD) must go out to bid for a qualified environmental consultant.

The Request For Proposals (RFP) was posted this week, and can be found on the SRPC website. The proposal, which must include a cover letter, general firm qualifications, project personnel qualifications, approach, and references, is due by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13.

This second round of Strafford EDD's Brownfields program will allow the selected environmental consultant to assess more sites in the region. In preparing for the next grant round, SRPC is accepting input from communities regarding potentially eligible sites, which are locations complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. To nominate a site, or to learn more, contact James Burdin at 603-994-3500.
 Pieces of Interest

Strafford Regional Planning Commission | 603-994-3500 | srpc@strafford.org | www.strafford.org
August 23, 2019