Alaina Rogers, data collection and analysis assistant, picking up a traffic count.
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Planning
On Thursday, July 30, Strafford Regional Planning Commission submitted a Coastal Resilience Municipal Planning Grant proposal to the NH Coastal Program. In addition to SRPC’s proposal, staffers were involved as partners with two other applications for this funding opportunity. These included one with Rockingham Planning Commission (RPC) and one with the University of New Hampshire (UNH) and EF | Design & Planning, LLC.
SRPC's project, “Building Coastal Resilience by Building Equity in Dover”, seeks to diversify community input by engaging Dover’s socially vulnerable populations in climate change planning conversations. This will in turn strengthen the City’s resilience to climate change. Outcomes will include increased public participation, promotion of equitable practices in implementing climate adaptation plans, and development of a resilience-based vision that accommodates all Dover residents for the future.
The other two projects are more regional in scope. The project with RPC seeks to develop a user-friendly coastal innovative land use guide focused on model regulations, land development standards, and resource protection to inform municipal climate change adaptation and resilience actions. The UNH/EF | Design & Planning, LLC. project seeks to advance local and regional capacity to plan and prepare for climate change through an investigation of the social, economic, and land use planning implications of climate migration. This project will conduct a buildout and vulnerability assessment in two coastal communities.
Pieces of Interest
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Strafford Metropolitan Planning Commission staff, beginning in the spring of each year, start the data collection season, which includes setting traffic counts and submitting associated data to the NH Department of Transportation (NHDOT).
At this point in the summer, data collection staff, primarily Stephen Geis, planning technician, and Jack Aponas and Alaina Rogers, data collection and analysis assistants, have set 56% of the total 113 counts required by NHDOT. Required counts for this season are in 15 of Strafford MPO's 18 communities. During the week of July 26, nine counts were set in the City of Rochester.
In addition to the required counts, Stafford MPO staffers set supplemental counts, one requested by member communities. This year there are supplemental counts in Rochester, Milton and Somersworth.
For more information of question on the traffic count program contact Stefanie Casella at
scasella@strafford.org.
Pieces of Interest
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On Monday, July 27 the Explore Moose Mountains (EMM) Board held its first meeting since being joined by UNH Cooperative Extension staff Charlie French and Shannon Rogers at the end of June. The meeting with Charlie and Shannon allowed the group to discuss and identify challenges and opportunities.
EMM grew out of community visioning in 2014, and has since taken shape through the social accounts under “The Moose, NH”, which now have
has
over 5,000 followers. The intent is to promote and increase public awareness of local resources in order to take advantage of potential regional economic opportunities, especially now during the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the group's July meeting members reflected on challenges identified by UNH staff, and members set action items to be completed for the next meeting. This included drafting questions for a survey the group plans to send to local businesses.
The group is also looking to recruit new members to grow the EMM effort. Any interested citizens or business owners in the towns of Brookfield, Farmington, Middleton, Milton, New Durham, Wakefield, and Wolfeboro should reach out to Shayna Sylvia at
ssylvia@strafford.org
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Pieces of Interest
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