The legislature has passed and the Governor has signed S. 222, making changes to the open meeting law. These changes are largely the same as the changes that were in place during Vermont’s state of emergency that ended last June. There are a few minor changes click read more for more information on this temporary law.

Congratulations to the Town of South Hero and the Town of Richford on Municipal Planning Grant Awards!

The Town of South Hero was awarded $16,000 to develop a new Town Plan focusing on creating an inclusive and economically vibrant community. The Town of Richford was awarded $22,000 to develop a streetscape master plan for Main & River Street to promote increased safe bicycle and pedestrian circulation in the village. These awards were among 24 projects awarded $443,223 across the state, which equaled just over ½ of the amount of total project requests made to the program.

Working Communities Challenge Project Manager

The Northwest Regional Planning Commission is hiring for a new position of Project Manager for the Northwest Working Communities Challenge (NWWCC). The Project Manager will help our team meet our goal of ensuring all people have access to diverse, affordable and efficient housing. The Project Manager is primarily responsible for ensuring the development and implementation of the work plan, inclusive community engagement and participation, ongoing facilitation and communication among partners, and handling logistic and administrative details for the initiative to function smoothly. This is a temporary, three-year position, 35-40 hours per week.

The Project Manager will hold the responsibility of being a steward of the WCC mission and goals through a model of collaborative leadership. This includes being a positive, effective, and supportive leader with strong external communications skills and an inclusive management approach.

The ideal candidate has professional or volunteer experience and a base of knowledge in housing development and policy. A college degree in a related field is preferred but not required if lived experiences and/or professional experience provides the necessary qualifications for the position.

More information is available at www.nrcpvt.com. Please send resume and three references to Catherine Dimitruk, Executive Director by email or 75 Fairfield Street, St. Albans, VT, 05478. This position will remain open until filled; interviews will begin January 26, 2022.

Call for Priority List Applications!

The Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) have begun their annual funding cycle and are accepting applications for the next fiscal year. These funds provide subsidized financing and low-cost loans for planning, final design, municipal construction, and natural infrastructure projects. Eligible project categories include wastewater collection, combined sewer overflow and stormwater. When complete, projects should work to improve public health protection and water quality. Both the CWSRF application and the DWSRF application are due on February 28, 2022. To be considered, applications must be accompanied by a draft preliminary engineering report or approved equivalent and be included on a priority list for construction funding. For further questions on these programs, please contact Amy Galford by email or by phone at (802) 585-4904 relating to DWSRF and Tom Brown by email or by phone at (802) 622-4205 relating to CWSRF.

New Staff

Member

at NRPC!

Marlena Valenta started this month as NRPC's first ever Climate and Energy Planner. She is a recent graduate of Concordia University in Montreal with a degree in Community, Public Affairs, and Policy, but she couldn't resist returning to Vermont to work and live. She interned for the NRPC this past summer as a policy researcher and spent the summer reading and researching the NRP and Vermont's other regional plans. She is passionate about climate justice, the people of Vermont, and the power of local actions. 

Electric Vehicle Incentives

It has become increasingly clear that electric vehicles will be one of Vermont’s most powerful tools in the push to reduce transportation emissions and reliance on fossil fuels. While EVs are becoming more popular by the day making the switch can feel quite daunting. Our state, federal government, and electric utilities offer impressive incentives for the purchase of both new and used EVs, as well as gas/electric hybrids or plug in hybrids. With multiple different incentives based off type of car, income level, new or used status, and where you live, it can be quite daunting to figure out what you’re eligible for and what is the best deal. Here is a simple step by step guide to help you work your way through the process. 

An international committee created in 2017 to investigate ways to mitigate impacts of flooding in the Lake Champlain and Richelieu River watershed is seeking public comment on their recently released study.  The study’s findings and recommendations are divided into four themes: 1. Structural solutions; 2. Watershed storage; 3. Flood vulnerability/

resilience; and 4. Floodplain Management. 

NRPC Completes More Tasks as Clean Water Service Provider

As noted in previous newsletters, the NRPC has been designated as the Clean Water Service Provider (CWSP) for the Missisquoi Bay and Lamoille River watersheds. As a CWSP, NRPC now plays a pivotal role in the implementation of Vermont’s Clean Water Service Delivery Act (also known as Act 76).  

Do-It-Yourself Stormwater Management Workshop! 

Join the Franklin County Stormwater Collaborative and the Friends of Northern Lake Champlain on Wednesday, Feb. 16th, at 5:30pm for presentations on the practices you can implement to slow, spread, sink, and treat the stormwater that runs off your roof or driveway. We'll also discuss how these practices work to prevent flooding and reduce the amount of phosphorus and pollutants that are transported into natural waterways. If you are interested in getting advice on specific stormwater issues where you live, use this link to submit questions and photos beforehand.

Register here.

Updated Missisquoi Bay and Lamoille River Basin Plans Take Effect

Two updated Agency of Natural Resources Tactical Basin Plans encompassing parts of the Northwest Region were released this month. 

The watershed plans were developed with the purpose of both improving and protecting water quality and aquatic habitats, and present recommendations garnered from State and federal resource agencies, watershed partner organizations, planning commissions, municipalities, and individual citizens.”

The Healthy Roots Collaborative Gleaning Program

In 2021 Healthy Roots staff and volunteers delivered over 45,000 pounds of local produce and rescued food to our partners in northwestern Vermont. We also coordinated the Everyone Eats meal program for our region and helped distribute over 33,600 meals, half of which were prepared in Franklin and Grand Isle Counties. We delivered food to 28 partner organizations including food shelves, meal sites, health clinics, senior living communities, a youth center, and families/individuals in motel housing. Healthy Roots would not have been able to do this without the generous support of our local farm partners, as well as the help of more than 125 harvest and delivery volunteers, including several school and church youth groups. 2021 was our second year of year-round food distribution thanks to the donations of potatoes and other storage crops from several farms. We are looking forward to another successful year in 2022.

New Lakeshore and Bioengineering Manual Available

A new technical manual for lakeshore contractors and property owners is now available from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR). Copies of the manual may be downloaded from here. As noted by longtime ANR Lakeshore Manager Amy Picotte, “the Manual provides the recipes for installing bioengineering techniques with engineering designs, illustrations, and photos, and features several Case Studies as well.”  

Stormwater Projects Designed in Richford and St. Albans City

NRPC’s water quality staff recently announced that engineering designs have been completed for three new stormwater projects in the County. Two of the project sites are in Richford and one is in St. Albans City.  Financial support for the projects was provided by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation through a Design Implementation Block Grant (DIBG). The DIBG program funds the design and implementation of projects that have a primary purpose of improving water quality by reducing nutrient and sediment pollution.

Vermont Bond Bank Announces

Capital Plan Contest and Forum

By Mia Watson

Vermont Bond Bank has announced its first annual Capital Plan Contest as well as the Vermont Capital Planning Forum. In sponsoring the contest, the Bond Bank seeks to recognize best practices in communities of all sizes while allowing all Vermonters to benefit from exemplary models of capital planning throughout the state.

Submissions may include all formats of capital plans used by communities and organizations. To be considered, complete a short questionnaire and email your capital plan to this address. Submissions are due by February 1, 2022.

Awards will be reviewed by a panel of statewide experts in infrastructure planning, including VHFA's Managing Director of Community Development, Seth Leonard. Awards will reflect the state’s diversity across communities, with enterprise or utility submissions also welcome. 

Winners will be featured in the Bond Bank’s future publications on capital planning. Additionally, winners will receive professional photography of a related project and special recognition at the Bond Bank’s upcoming capital planning forum, and all will receive technical assistance on capital plan implementation.

The award ceremony will take place at the virtual Vermont Capital Planning Forum on Thursday, April 7, 2022.

Bylaw Modernization Grants will support local zoning bylaw updates that expand opportunities for needed homes in great neighborhoods, confront the State’s housing crisis, and ready communities for unprecedented investments in housing and infrastructure. Grants are awarded by the Department of Housing and Community Development. Municipalities will use $500,000 in one-time State funding to hire regional planning commission or consulting staff. The grants will support 23 projects in 41 municipalities, and reach all 11 regional planning commission regions, including 3 multi-town applications. The Department received a total of 31 applications requesting over $687K in funding.

NRPC Brownfields Assessment Program Supplemented with Funding from State of VT

NRPC has received the first $50,000 of a total promise of $100,000 in brownfields assessment funding appropriated by the VT legislature in 2021 to the Agency of Commerce and Community Development to be distributed to Vermont’s Regional Planning Commissions. The Brownfields Steering Committee has fully obligated the first pot of funds to assessments at the former Young Landfill in Highgate, Colony Square Apartments at 24 Maple St. in St. Albans City and at the Enosburgh Armory. The Committee will commit the second pot of fund to projects at their January meeting. This funding was critical in moving forward assessment projects in the northwest region at a time when our EPA assessment grant funds are diminished. NRPC has applied to replenish EPA assessment funds; awards will be announced in June.