Union Meadows in Wakefield, NH (Photo Credit: Reif Fogg).

Greetings,

Just like that it's August and with it, a mean heat streak. I hope everyone has been finding ways to keep cool, whether in our ocean, lakes, rivers, pools, splashpads, or in the good ole' A/C.

Here at SRPC we are preparing for our RHNA workshop to get feedback from municipalities on housing, planning our next resiliency roundtable for September (stay tuned), and working on Durham's Hazard Mitigation Plan update.

In this issue you will find information on SRPC and its partners' latest reports, funding opportunities in our grant corner, summer data collection, an upcoming presentation at the CTAA SUN 2022 conference by SRPC staff, planning events of interest, staff news, a SRPC project featured by the National League of Cities, information on statewide drought conditions, and community happenings.   

Until Next Month,  

Shayna Sylvia 

IN THIS ISSUE

SRPC and Partners' Latest Reports

Grant Corner

Summer Data Collection by The Numbers

Save The Date: SRPC presents at CTAA SUN '22

Planning Events of Interest

Staff News

Durham climate project featured by NLC

Drought Update in NH

Community Happenings

SRPC GIS planner Jackson Rand and data collection intern Mark Davie hike Mt. Moosilauke. (SRPC photo)

ICYMI: Nondiscrimination Plan

At the Jul. 15 Policy meeting, committee members approved the Strafford Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Nondiscrimination Plan.

This important plan documents SRPC’s mission to comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to ensure that no person is excluded from participation in, denied access to, or discriminated against in all planning activities based upon race, color, and national origin. In does so by addressing strategies and practices to ensure SRPC becomes a more active and inclusive MPO, expanding activities to actively reach out to and involve more members of the public and particularly those who are not traditionally heard during the transportation planning process.

This document addresses both Title VI and Environmental Justice requirements and practices.

View it on the SRPC website.

Partner Feature: Great Bay Living Shorelines Project Phase II Road Map

The Great Bay Living Shoreline (GBLS) project created a pipeline for living shoreline projects that protect shorelines, salt marshes, and communities from erosion and sea-level rise in the Great Bay Estuary in New Hampshire. 

The project had two phases, Phase I Wagon Hill Farm living shoreline management and monitoring and Phase II Scaling Up Living Shorelines in the Great Bay Estuary.

This new Road Map documents the process of implementing the project, Scaling Up Living Shorelines in the Great

Bay Estuary, and summarizes what the Project and Design Teams learned. It identifies barriers to adoption of

living shorelines and includes next steps and recommendations for landowners, state and local governments,

and practitioners.

Learn more and read the document on SRPC's website.

_____________________

*The language above is taken directly from the "Great Bay Living Shorelines Project Phase II Road Map"

Responsive Grants from NH Children's Health Foundation - LOI August 30

The next call for responsive grant proposals thought the NH Children's Health Foundation (NHCHF) is now open. Requests will be considered for: healthy eating, active living and promoting oral health. Applicants can apply for single-year grant of up to $30,000, two-year grants of up to $60,000, and three-year grants of up to $90,000.

Letters of inquire are due on Aug. 30.

Learn more on the NHCHF website.

Brownfields Cleanup Grants - Due Sept. 15, 2022

On a biannual basis, NHDES holds a competition for brownfields cleanup grants of up to $200,000 per site. The grants provide funding to conduct cleanup activities at sites where the redevelopment or reuse of the site is complicated by the presence or potential presence of hazardous substances or contaminants. All grants relating to this program are subject to Governor and Executive Council approval.

The grant competition for year 2022 is now open. The deadline for submitting applications is September 15, 2022.

The forms to apply for a brownfields cleanup grant are available below:

Notice of Cleanup Grant Funding Availability

Cleanup Grant Application

ICYMI: Municipal Grants - Rolling Applications

Pre-applications opened Jul. 29 for Invest NH's municipal grant, and will be accepted on a rolling basis until the programmed $40 million is fully allocated (this is in addition to the $60 million capital grant program).

The municipal grants, which are broken into three programs, are aimed at stabilizing the housing market via incentivizing affordable housing. The three programs include the municipal per unit grant program, the municipal demolition grant program and the municipal planning & zoning grants.

To further assist interested applicants, a grant writing and administration webinar is being scheduled for mid-August or reach out to InvestNH@livefree.nh.gov. 

SRPC is available to assist municipalities' applications to the municipal planning and zoning grants. If you are interested in applying and would like grant writing assistance, please contact Jen Czysz or call 603-994-3500 x100. Please note, depending on demand, SRPC may need to prioritize grant writing assistance to those municipalities that intend to work with SRPC as their selected project consultant.   

81 traffic counts have been set during the 2022 data collection season; 20 of which have been supplemental counts.

11 of SRPC’s 18 communities have had traffic counts set within their boundaries.

28 bike and pedestrian counters have been set in 17 of SRPC's 18 communities.

HB 1661: What Local Land Use Boards Need to Know - Wednesday, Aug. 10, noon - 1 p.m.

Join Office of Planning & Development’s Principal Planner, Noah Hodgetts, and NHMA’s Government Affairs Counsel, Natch Greyes, to learn about the major changes to the land use statutes caused by the passage of the Governor’s housing bill, including new training requirements for local land use boards. Our speakers will also discuss a new zoning exemption for properties used primarily for religious purposes.

This webinar is open to all NHMA members and will benefit all land use boards who want to better understand the changes made to certain land use statutes in the last legislative session.

Register online.

PLAN NH Fall Conference | Retail Remade: New Life for Downtowns and Commercial Districts - Sept. 29, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.

The PLAN NH fall conference is back, and this year will focus on "Retail Remade: New Life for Downtowns and Commercial Districts."

The program will highlight the current and future state of commercial/retail space and the integral role these spaces play in community revitalization and vibrancy across New Hampshire.

Session topics will include New Chapters for the Old Mall, Downtown Traffic and your Downtown Businesses, Destination Retail: New & Old, What To Do with the Ground Floor, and Bringing Your Downtown Together.

David Dixon of Stantec is this year's keynote speaker. 

Learn more and register on the PLAN NH website.

SRPC Welcomes New Record Digitization Interns

Resilient Shoreline Tour Stop in Newmarket.

The National League of Cities released the “Leveraging the Arts” fact sheet in July 2022, which features a project led by SRPC and partners at the Town of Durham, University of New Hampshire’s Cooperative Extension, New Hampshire Sea Grant, and Northeastern University.

The Climate Remembrance project was one of the first in a larger, national initiative called “Remembrance of Climate Futures” spearheaded by Thomas Starr, professor of Design at Northeastern University. The installation was intended to strengthen the public awareness of climate change by using site-specific markers of projected climate impacts to induce a personal and thought-provoking response. Each marker is inscribed with a message that places the reader in the future by using the language of historical markers, e.g., “Wagon Hill closed for summer due to health concerns related to outbreak of ticks – June 8, 2044.” By framing these future events in the past tense, the viewer is presented with the long-term impacts of climate change in a more immediate, local, and impactful way. At times, practitioners and researchers are faced with the challenge of downscaling a global problem to the local level. This initiative helps to counteract this issue by making the immediacy and scale of climate impacts more apparent to community members who resonate with impacts they can visualize in their own hometowns.

Read the feature online.

9th Annual Farm Day

Various Locations

Saturday, Aug. 20

10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Take advantage of all the amazing farms in Durham, Lee and Madbury on Farm Day!

The extended brochure lists all participating locations, and activities that you can enjoy on Saturday, Aug. 20.

Yoga and Cider

North Country Cider

38 Littleworth Road, Dover

Sunday, August 28 at 11 a.m.

Join North Country Hard Cider at its new location in Dover, for an afternoon of yoga and fun!

The yoga session will be a 60 minute all levels class, followed by some hang time as a community after.

This class includes a 12oz cider of your choice. North Country believes that life is all about balance and encourages you to honor your body first and then honor your taste buds!

Cost is $25.

Learn more.