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Register Now for SRPEDD's Annual Meeting on Wednesday, May 22, 2019
with Fire Chief Michael Winn!
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Fire Chief Michael Winn
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Details are continuing to fall into place for what promises to be another informative and enjoyable
SRPEDD Annual Meeting, slated for Wednesday, May 22 at
Barrett's Fireside Grill in
Middleborough.
We are very pleased to be joined by Chief Michael Winn of the
Centerville-Osterville-Marstons Mills (COMM) Fire Department in Barnstable
, and a member since 2015 of the Southeastern Regional Homeland Security Council (SRAC), who will be serving as this year's Keynote.
Scheduled to take place from 6:00 - 8:30 pm (following a 5:30 Business Meeting for Commissioners) at the Fireside Grille, tickets are $40 per person, or $320 for a table of 8, for an all-inclusive delicious buffet.
Registration for the SRPEDD Annual Meeting is available online
Click here, via email, or by phone to Stacy Royer, at
ssousa@srpedd.org or 508-824-1367.
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Identifying Transit Needs with the Coordinated Human Services Plan
In December 2018 SRPEDD updated the region's Coordinated Human Services Transportation (CHST) Plan. The plan is required by the Federal Transit Administration and identifies the transportation needs of older adults, persons with disabilities, and low-income individuals. The plan is updated every four years and is used to set regional planning and coordination priorities. The plan is also used to validate the transportation needs in applications submitted to MassDOT's Community Transit Grant Program.
The need to connect the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA), Southeastern Regional Transit Authority (SRTA), and Brockton Area Transit Authority (BAT) service areas, specifically providing service between Taunton and Fall River, and between Taunton and Brockton, were identified as needs within the plan.
Additional needs identified include providing service between Fall River and Providence; increasing intercity connections across southeastern Massachusetts; identifying more on-demand transportation options to provide first mile/last mile connections to other modes of transportation; and providing low-income transportation to medical appointments and employment. This includes the need for night and additional weekend service in the GATRA and SRTA service areas to support second- and third-shift workers, support evening education and employment opportunities, as well as service to faith-based services on Sundays.
The South East Regional Coordinating Council on Transportation (SERCCOT) is in the process of identifying ways to support addressing these needs through a regional action plan aimed at bringing together stakeholders and creating working groups.
For more information about MassDOT's Community Transit Grant Program, or how to become involved in the SERCCOT action plan effort, please contact Angie Constantino at
aconstantino@srpedd.org
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Representing Rural SRPEDD Communities in State Policy Development
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Middleborough. MA
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The RPAC is focused on preparing a state Rural Policy Plan (RPP). The RPP will examine the ways in which infrastructure, housing, natural resource, land use, transportation, economic development, and local capacity issues manifest in rural places. It will highlight the unique challenges that rural communities face, where low population densities add another dimension to many of these thematic issues. It will also describe the benefits that rural lands bestow on the Commonwealth as a whole by providing undisturbed land for ecosystem preservation, climate change mitigation, and public recreation, as well as areas of rich agricultural production that bolster local food security.
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In March, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) announced the launch of the Regional Energy Planning Assistance (REPA) program. REPA seeks to retain technical assistance agencies (such as SRPEDD) to provide energy planning assistance to its member municipalities. Specifically, REPA was created to augment the municipal capacity that is necessary to participate in the Green Communities Designation and Grant Program and to advance clean energy projects in under-resourced municipalities. REPA, which will begin on July 1, 2019 and run for two-year period, is replacing the existing Municipal Energy Technical Assistance (META) program, which will end on May 30, 2019.
Services eligible for REPA funding include:
- Preparation to become a Green Community (maximum of $7,500 per municipality)
- Assistance for New and Existing Green Communities (maximum of $4,000 per municipality), which includes assistance with grant application preparation (maximum of $1,500), assistance with Annual Report preparation (maximum of $2,500), and municipal energy data analysis and evaluation (maximum of $3,000)
- Assistance with procurement activities for approved grant funded projects (maximum of $2,500)
- Clean energy project management in Non-Green Communities (maximum of $3,000 per municipality)
- Clean energy planning (maximum of $3,000 per municipality)
SRPEDD is in the process of reaching out to all 27 municipalities in the region to determine the demand for REPA assistance in each community. Please contact Eric Arbeene at
earbeene@srpedd.org
or (508) 824-1367 x317 for additional information.
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Brayton Point Chimney Demolition |
Late last month, the three chimneys at the former Brayton Point Power Plant in Somerset were imploded while other ongoing dismantling efforts continue to move the site forward for readiness. The two
massive 500-foot cooling towers are scheduled to come down Saturday, April 27th around 8:00 A.M. and are expected to take 6-8 seconds to fall. The implosion of the cooling towers is part of a phased demolition and dismantling plan, which is expected to be completed within 3 years, positioning the 300-acre site for redevelopment.
The new owners, Commercial Development Company (CDC) of St Louis, Missouri have rebranded the site as the Brayton Point Commerce Center to promote the property as a world-class logistics port, manufacturing hub and support center for the emerging offshore wind sector.
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Route 1 Public Meeting
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SRPEDD recently hosted public meetings in Attleboro and North Attleborough to present the findings for the Route 1 Corridor Transportation Study that included traffic capacity and safety analyses.
And short- and long-term recommendations for multi-use paths, bus pull-outs, two-way continuous left-turn lanes, and the connection of back roads along Route 1.
SRPEDD is presently working on finalizing the draft report for a late April 2019 release. The study was a collaborative effort of the communities of Attleboro and North Attleborough, rural GATRA, and MassDOT, as well as the general public.
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Homeland Security Active Shooter Training
The Southeast Regional Homeland Security Advisory Council (SRAC) continues in its efforts to develop, review, and approve planning, training, exercising and specialized equipment projects. Recently, SRAC has partnered with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and the National Center for Biomedical Research and Training (NCBRT) of Louisiana State University (LSU) to hold a three-day Active Threat Integrated Response Course (ATIRC) at COMM Fire in Centerville, MA. From May 14th to the 16th, 25 law enforcement officers and 20 firefighters from across Southeast Massachusetts will participate in this active shooter training.
ATIRC incorporates the rescue task force concept using the Active Shooter Incident Management Checklist. Participants will be guided by LSU instructors and will learn how to respond to an active shooter situation through implementation of emergency casualty care tactics to increase victim survivability rates. Participants will be involved in several active shooter scenarios and will be provided Simunition (non-lethal training ammunition) to mimic real-life shooting events.
The ATIRC is just one of several exciting projects the council is working on. Currently, SRAC is focused on expanding interoperable communications, improving emergency sheltering and community preparedness, enhancing tactical and technical rescue response capabilities and supporting the regionalization of emergency assets. Furthermore, SRAC remains steadfast in its commitment to collaborate with regional stakeholders to strategically utilize Homeland Security grant funding to advance the National Preparedness Goal of preventing, protecting against, mitigating, responding to, and recovering from the threats and hazards that pose the greatest risk to communities within Southeast Massachusetts.
The SRAC serves 96 cities and towns and has provided millions of dollars in U.S. Department of Homeland Security funding to communities since 2004. It has members representing all relevant public safety disciplines including law enforcement, fire service, emergency management, local public health, hospitals, emergency medical services, public works, transportation, corrections and local government administration.
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