Greetings! 

It is hard to believe we are halfway through November and that Thanksgiving is next week! Winter is here and Mother Nature has already given us a little preview of what is to come: snow! 

In this issue you will find information on grant awards and opportunities; the Rail Trails Coalition and New Hampshire Planners Association conferences; planning events of interest; and community happenings. Below you can read about the SRPC the data collection team switching gears from data collection to data analysis for the winter. 

The staff at SRPC wish you a safe and happy Thanksgiving! Our office will be closed on Thursday November 23 and Friday November 24.  

IN THIS ISSUE

SRPC in the News!

Staff News

Staff attends NNECAPA

Partner Spotlight: Rail Trails

Grant awards and Opportunities

Planning Events of Interest

Public Input Opportunities

Grant Corner

Community Happenings  

HAPPY BELATED NATIONAL STORMWATER DAY!

It was on November 16, 1990 that the NPDES Phase I Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) was announced. While New Hampshire MS4 communities were not regulated until the NPDES Phase II of the program, this truly marks an important day. Many thanks to all who tirelessly commit to addressing stormwater and its associated runoff that creates water quality issues. In addition, your commitment to meeting the NH MS4 requirements is making a difference and does not go unnoticed. For more information, visit the DES website.

SAVE THE DATE

The second quarterly Commission meeting will take place on December 7, 2023, 3:45 – 5:30 PM. More information to follow in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned to www.strafford.org. 

Strafford RPC was recently featured in the Union Leader Sunday News as one of three regions in New Hampshire working on projects to help promote outdoor Recreation. “Playing outside: The antidote to the metaverse?” looks at the public health and community benefits of getting outdoors and exploring “pathways to play.” SRPC along with its peers in the greater Nashua and Manchester Regions have each developed interactive online recreation viewers Promoting Outdoor Play! 

A collective hooray from the SRPC data collection team - Yay! We finished! SRPC wrapped up the field work season in November. The team collected 125 traffic counts across the region and over 20 bike/pedestrian counts. The team will now transition to in-office work but any ideas of locations throughout the winter or next summer are welcome! New this year, SRPC purchased a traffic camera system this summer and is looking forward to using it throughout the Winter in high-demand areas. The bike/pedestrian counters are also available through the winter for municipalities looking for short-term counts. Contact Stephen Geis at sgeis@strafford.org for more details or requests.  

Last week, SRPC staff members Jen Czysz, Kyle Pimental, Courtney Grugnale, and Angie Cleveland, attended the 2023 Northern New England Chapter of the American Planning Association Conference. The event was held at Wentworth by the Sea in New Castle, New Hampshire. Attracting over 300 professionals in the planning field, the conference was one of the largest events in recent history with presentations on a variety of topics – ranging from housing, transportation, economic development, resilience planning, and natural resource protection.

When asked about the conference, Angie said, “It was a reminder of not being afraid to continue moving forward and of the importance of bringing people along in the process.” One of Jen’s takeaways was, “Master planning should be about shaping our path forward.” Courtney added, “It was great that so many sessions were focused on housing and community engagement.” 

Part of this year’s conference also included several mobile tours. In Newmarket, participants had the opportunity to hear from staff on recent investments and regulatory reform that has led to significant improvements to the downtown core; in Dover, a van tour visited the recently completed tiny house cottage project; and in Durham, there was an informal conversation of what a career in planning looks like.

SRPC staff took a tour of downtown Newmarket to learn about their revitalization, redevelopment and watershed protection efforts.

On Friday, October 27th, SRPC staff members, Mark Davie and Colin Lentz, attended the NH Rail Trails Coalition's statewide conference. Rail trails are important for New Hampshire's future. Visitors and residents using these rail trails generate a combined $18.7 million. The conference covered a wide range of topics related to planning and implementation of rail trails. New trails can take a lot of careful engagement and planning with abutters, but can be a huge asset for municipalities. The Cotton Valley Rail Trail connects Wakefield to Wolfeboro. Farmington and Rochester are working together to directly connect their downtowns through the Farmington Rail Trail. Hop on the Rockingham Recreation Trail at the Newfields/Newmarket border and you can ride all the way to Manchester or Windham. 

November 29, 5-8 PM: Farmington Route 11 Corridor Project Workshop.

Join us at the Old Town Hall in Farmington for a discussion on the proposed pipeline for transportation funding projects, market analysis, and results of the survey completed in October. There will be an open house from 5-6pm, followed by presentations at 6pm. Refreshments will be provided. For more information and to RSVP, please email Angie at acleveland@strafford.org. Learn more about the project on the SRPC website. 

December 5, 2023: Workforce Workshop: Attracting, Developing and Retaining talent.

Join SRPC, the Seacoast Economic Development Stakeholders and employers across the region on December 5th at the Seacoast Repertory Theater, 135 Bow Street, Portsmouth for a workforce workshop on attracting, developing and maintaining talent! Chase Hagaman, NH BEA will kick off the session and you will hear from employers around the region that have successfully deployed strategies to support a thriving workforce. This event is free! 

More upcoming events:

December 1, 2023, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm: New Hampshire Planner’s Association (NHPA) Annual Meeting and professional development session on artificial intelligence.  

December 6 and 7, 2023: NHMA workshops on Violations and Enforcement of your Floodplain Management Ordinance.

December 8, 2023: Connect to Protect webinar: How Coastal NH/ME Communities are Advancing Land Conservation Priorities.

December 8, 2023: The Center for Ethics in Society at Saint Anselm College, Signs of Hope: The 6th Annual Housing We Need Roundtable Forum.

December 12, 2023: UNH Cooperative Extension Introduction to ArcGIS Pro Workshop Get started using ArcGIS Pro! 

December 21, 2023: PLAN Webinar: 2023 Planning & Zoning Legislation Review and 2024 Preview

New Planning Resources:

NH OPD - NH Municipal Land Use Regulations Annual Survey Results  

NH OPD - 2024 Zoning Amendment Calendars Now Available

Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD)

The State of New Hampshire, Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) has released its draft proposals for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), BEAD program, required to apply for the State’s federal BEAD allocation of $196,560,278.97. The goal for use of this funding will be to deploy broadband infrastructure to 100% of addresses in the state that currently lack broadband speeds. Feedback and comments can be e-mailed to broadband@livefree.nh.gov. All comments must be submitted by December 13, 2023 at 12:00 PM EST.

NH Climate Action Plan

New Hampshire Listens, working on behalf of NH Department of Environmental Services (DES) to design and facilitate community engagement with NH’s Priority and Comprehensive Climate Action Plans (PCAP and CCAP). These plans are being developed under NHDES’ Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. There are three upcoming cross-sector stakeholder gatherings:

November 30, 2023 - 2:30 PM - 4:00PM 

January 11, 2024 - 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM 

February 8, 2024 - 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM 

ALERT: “humble brag” incoming! SRPC collaborated with The Granite YMCA (TGY) to submit for $500,000 in CDBG funds to renovate and upgrade the Somersworth Early Learning Center, which TGY had recently acquired. We are proud to announce that on November 2nd, CDFA awarded the full $500,000 to the City of Somersworth/TGY for their project under the “public facilities” category ($500,000 is the maximum award for this category). 

We were extremely proud to offer our Grant Writing services to TGY and prepare a thorough application of the project’s benefits to the low-moderate income residents of Somersworth. SRPC guided the City and TGY through updating its Housing & Community Development Plan and Anti-Discrimination Plan, as well as the mandatory public meetings. We organized the 30+ threshold documents, edited narratives and budgets, and assisted with the site visit. In total, SRPC logged over 35 hours of time to help prepare the grant application. 

If your community wishes to learn more about the CDBG program and how to apply for grant opportunities, please join SRPC and CDFA at the workshop below in the Grant Corner!

Community Development Block Grant Workshop

The CDFA will be conducting a virtual workshop for organizations interested in applying for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds or learning more about the program on Wednesday, November 29, 2:00-3:30 PM. The workshop is encouraged for grant administrators, grantees and any projects that intend to apply for the following programs: Housing, Public Facilities, Economic Development, Emergency or Planning. 

Interested in applying? Register online for the virtual workshop. If you cannot attend live and are interested in learning more, please register as we will be following up with materials, including the presentation and webinar recording.  

Child Care Operating Expense Reduction Grant

The NH Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday it is offering $3.5 million in grant money for childcare providers across the state to offset operating costs to bolster workforce recruitment and retention efforts. Applications for this grant, which will provide funding directly to eligible childcare providers in the form of reimbursement for eligible operating expenses incurred between March 3, 2021, and September 30, 2023, must be received no later than December 1st, 2023. 

On November 8, the City of Dover celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise with the unveiling of two commemorative markers which recognize Dover as the birthplace of the TMNT. 

Seacoast Eat Local is kicking off its Winter Farmers' Market Program! 

November 18: Saint Mary’s Christmas Fair in Rollinsford

November 19: Northwood Conservation Commission Hike

November 23: Rochester Runners Club 22nd Annual “Free Fall 5k Race”