SRPC and OSI staff during Monday's joint meeting. (SRPC photo) |
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Planning
On Monday, Jan. 11 staff from the NH Office of Strategic Initiatives (OSI) joined SRPC's staff meeting as part of their ongoing regional planning commission road show. This joint meeting allowed both entities to improve coordination of planning-related initiatives and resources, and collaborate on providing information and training to communities . OSI also looked to assess the need for assisting with implementation of recommendations in SRPC’s Regional Master Plan.
OSI gave an update in each of its program areas: municipal and regional planning, floodplain management, state data center, and geographic information systems (GIS). SRPC staff gave updates in the realms of land use planning, transportation, economic development, and communications and outreach.
There was great discussion on the ongoing need for trainings for board members and having more on-demand materials readily available. This includes resources such as online videos, or shorter "cheat sheets" that pull out key information from OSI's planning and zoning board handbooks.
To learn more about OSI visit their website.
Pieces of Interest
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Over the course of the summer, SRPC completed a street tree inventory as part of Dover’s Urban Tree Plan & Stormwater Management Coastal Resilience Project which is a collaborative effort with the City and Liz Durfee of EF | Design & Planning, LLC.
Staff, with help from community volunteers, collected data between June and August to create an inventory of existing urban street trees within the Central Business District (CBD).
During the data collection process, SRPC created a dashboard to manage the information collected in the field. This is one of the first times SRPC has used this ArcGIS Online feature, which can now be viewed on SRPC's ArcOnline site.
Following data collection, GIS planner Jackson Rand created a map depicting all inventoried trees so that gaps can be identified. This info will now serve as the foundation for the long-term urban street plan, which will guide increased resiliency of the downtown core via preservation and enhancement of the urban landscape. It will also address invasive species.
Once completed, the urban street tree plan will address public space and rights-of way, including medians, planting strips, and sidewalks. It will have a strong focus on tree lifecycles, aesthetics, heat reduction benefits, invasive species, groundwater uptake, nitrogen removal, and carbon sequestration, and will serve as the foundation to guide increased resiliency of the downtown core via preservation and enhancement of the urban landscape.
For more information on the GIS and data portion of the project contact Jackson Rand and for questions on the street tree plan contact Kyle Pimental.
Pieces of Interest
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In her role as economic recovery coordinator, Natalie Moles recently launched a regional business survey to gain insight into technical assistance needs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. After hearing from over 110 businesses, it was evident that many need a clear channel of information about funding and other forms of support.
In response, Strafford Economic Development District (EDD) is now sending out regular, targeted emails to regional businesses sharing valuable information. This week, of particular importance, Strafford EDD shared information on the recently launched second round of the Payroll Protection Program (PPP). Earlier this week, the program initially opened for Community Financial Institutions to promote access for smaller lenders and their clients. On Friday, Jan. 15 the PPP loan portal re-opened to eligible lenders with $1 billion or less in assets. Subsequently on Jan. 19, the PPP loan portal will re-open to ALL participating PPP lenders.
Applications will be accepted from January 13, 2021 until March 31, 2021.
Pieces of Interest
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