Greetings! 

I hope you all weathered the storm unscathed! This morning I woke up to the sounds of songbirds, generators, plows and snow blowers; a lovely April morning in New England! My neighborhood, like so many in the region, lost power, but, simultaneously the power of community kicked in full force. Neighbors plowed and shoveled each other out, checked in on one another and delivered hot meals to those that did not have the means to cook. That was the silver lining of an otherwise miserable nor'easter.

There has been a lot going on here at SRPC. We said farewell to one of our planners and welcomed two new staff members. Staff have been very busy working on numerous projects, including the Flood Smart Seacoast Project and Natural Resources Inventories for the Town of Lee and the City of Dover. 

Stay Safe!



Megan Taylor-Fetter

In this Issue

Staff News

Partner Spotlight

Update on the Flood Smart Seacoast Project

Lee Natural Resources Inventory Community Workshop

Planning Events of Interest

In Case You Missed It

Grant Corner

New Planning Resources

Public Input Opportunities

Community Happenings

Farewell Angie

Please join us in wishing Angie Cleveland good luck in her new position with North Country Council, and in her new business endeavor, “The Place Above the Notch.” 

Welcome, Kerrie and Nadege! 



Please join us as we welcome two new staff members to SRPC and look forward to Brian staying on through the summer.

Kerrie Diers, Principal Regional Planner

Kerrie is joining SRPC as Principal Regional Planner. She has served as a professional planner in New Hampshire for over 25 years, working at the state, local and regional levels. Kerrie earned her law degree from Vermont Law School, and undergraduate degree from Beloit College. She is a member of the NH Bar Association, NH Planners Association, and is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners. 

She began her career with the NH Office of State Planning, providing communities assistance with the National Flood Insurance Program. She was director of planning and economic development for the Town of Pembroke, NH, providing support to the town’s various land use boards and commissions. Kerrie served as Executive Director of the Central NH Regional Planning Commission before moving to the Nashua Regional Planning Commission where she served as Assistant Director and Executive Director. She gained executive and corporate management experience in the environmental consulting sector as vice president at Normandeau Associates, Inc. 

Currently, Kerrie serves as business manager to the Northeast Regional Ocean Council, and keeps her hand in the planning world by staffing specific planning projects. Kerrie has served on numerous boards and commission, including NH Businesses for Social Responsibility and Neighborworks of Southern NH. She and her husband, Ted, split their time between Concord and Bethlehem, NH with their elderly dog, Emmett.

Nadege Masumbuko, Environmental Intern

Originally from Manchester, NH, Nadege Masumbuko is SRPC’s first Environmental Intern. She is a senior Environmental Conservation and Sustainability Major with a minor in Public Health at the University of New Hampshire, graduating in May 2024. Her interests include traveling, hiking, running and most outdoor activities.

Brian to Stay at SRPC

We are thrilled to announce that GIS Intern Brian Notinger will extend his time at SRPC into the summer, continuing to assist in the land use coverage update and pedestrian level of stress (PLTS) study, and will be joining the data collection crew on the road conducting traffic counts! 

Join Us for an Adapting Together Workshop

New Hampshire is changing. Increased flooding, drought, heat waves, damaged road networks, and extreme storms are more commonplace. In this time of change, you can inform Adapting Together, a community-guided funding program intended to help all residents of the Great Bay Watershed adapt and thrive. Attend an Adapting Together Workshop this spring and put your experience and knowledge to work in ways that will benefit your community. Your input will help shape a community-guided program that funds high impact projects that support natural resources and people. This program will begin in 2025. 

Audience:

Municipal officials (staff and volunteer), Natural Resource Providers, Social Service Providers, Recreation Use Providers, Cultural Service Providers or anyone whose work will be touched by climate impacts in the Great Bay Watershed of New Hampshire. 

Workshop Dates, and Locations:

(Lunch or supper provided. Visa gift cards are available to thank you for your participation.) 

• May 10, 9:00 am to 1:30 pm Hugh Gregg Coastal Conservation Center, Great Bay Reserve 
• May 22, 9:00 am to 1:30 pm Rochester Public Works 
• May 29, 2:00 to 6:30 pm Wakefield Gafney Library 
• June 13, 2:30 to 7:00 pm Kingston Community Library 

At the workshop, you will... 

• Share your community needs with regard to the impacts of climate change; 
• Identify projects that would help your community address those needs; 
• Network with other communities and technical assistance providers; 
• Share what would make participating in this funding program easy for you; 
• Walk away with ideas to collaborate on climate resilience projects. 

More information can be found here: https://prepestuaries.org/adapting-together

This project is supported by the Great Bay 2030 partnership, which is funded by the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.

Successfully Moving Your Small Business to Brick-And-Mortar

Are you interested in opening your business to the public? Join our colleagues at the City of Dover Office of Business Development and UNH Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for a panel on transitioning your business to brick and mortar. Panelists include Ed Miles and Amy Sterndale from UNH SBDC, Reid Bickley from Dover’s Office of Business Development, and Roni Watkins, owner of My Country Story in Dover. This event is FREE and in-person only. 

Date: April 15th

Time: 8:00AM to 9:00 AM

Location: McConnell Center, Room 306 32 St. Thomas Street, Dover, NH 03820

Register for the event here.

Lee Natural Resources Inventory Community Workshop

Photo Credit: Catherine Fisher

When: April 9th, 6:30 PM

Where: Lee Public Safety Complex. 20 Bennett Road, Lee, NH 03861 

Join members of the Conservation Commission, Town staff, and partners at SRPC at a meeting of the minds to plan for the future of Lee’s natural resources. We’ve planned a fun night of activities, with free refreshments! The event is free, but registration is requested. 

Register here: bit.ly/LeeNRIws 



Reach out to Lisa Murphy for more information.

Series: Building Your Virtual Facilitation Skills (Online)

NHFPI Series: Strengthen the Foundations of a Thriving Economy (Online)

April 10, 12pm-1pm: Getting Good Help: Recruiting and Retaining Trail Volunteers

April 16 & 17, 9am-4pm: Food Waste Diversion & Composting Workshop Series—FREE!

April 18, 12pm-1pm: NHOPD Monthly Webinar Series - Welcome to the Board - 2024

April 30, 2pm-6pm: NH Center for Justice & Equity Annual Meeting

May 6, 6pm-7pm: Tenant Talk Live Webinar

May 7, 9am-4pm: NHMA 2024 Local Officials Workshop—FREE!

May 9, 9am-1:30pm: NHMA 2024 A Hard Road to Travel Workshop

May 11, 8:45am-3:30pm: NHOPD Spring 2024 Planning and Zoning Conference

May 16, 9am-3:15pm: NHDES Source Water Protection Conference

 

May 17, 9am-4pm: 2024 NH Food System Statewide Gathering

Dover Housing Survey and Visual Preference Activity

The Dover housing survey is still ongoing. You’ll have an opportunity to share information about your neighborhood and housing story, including details about your housing costs. In person, there is an opportunity to share the types of housing you feel make a good fit in Dover! In the coming weeks, you may find interactive poster boards at the city clerk’s office, the library, and senior center to share your thoughts.

Take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZSPQRHG 

Reach out to Mark Davie for more information!

Dover Natural Resources Inventory Survey

SRPC, in association with the City of Dover, is conducting a Natural Resources Inventory (NRI)! We want to hear your opinions on Dover’s natural resources. Do you recreate on City trails, or enjoy Dover’s conservation lands? Do you want to protect threatened species? Sharing your thoughts will ensure our natural resources are managed in a way that aligns with the needs and desires of the community for years to come.

Take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DOVNRI 

Reach out to Autumn Scott for more information!

NHDOT Public Involvement Process (PIP) Document Open for Public Comment

NHDOT has released its PIP for public comment through May 15. This document provides an overview of the Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), Ten-Year Plan (TYP) and Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) processes and purpose, identifies opportunities to participate and where to find information. 



Learn more here.

NH Total Solar Eclipse 2024

The solar eclipse is upon us!

Check out VisitNH for travel plan ideas and tips. 

Join Seacoast 4-H for Plant A Row 2024! 

Plant A Row is a neighbors-helping-neighbors initiative, started in 2020 during the pandemic, and is organized through UNH Cooperative Extension and New Hampshire 4-H. Similar programs exist nationwide.

Participating households (in Rockingham & Strafford Counties) will receive a colorful grow kit and pledge to grow an extra row (or extra container). The produce from this row will be donated to a local food pantry, a neighbor in need or used to supplement a participant’s own need for fresh produce.

It’s really as simple as Plant – Grow - Donate! You don’t need to be a 4-H member to participate. 

Find more information and registration details here.