SRPC's Monthly Newsletter | |
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Greetings!
And just like that, it’s fall! Temperatures are cooler, leaves are changing, and the leaf peepers are on the move.
Halloween is around the corner and October is shaping up to be a busy month for Team SRPC! This month, staff wind down from data collection season and many grant applications. This fall, we gear up for the annual data snapshot, some streamlining of outreach, many environmental projects, and a handful of conferences!
Losing daylight can be hard, but October is Positive Attitude Month, and there are dozens of Community Happenings going on this month to help! Check them out below.
Until Next Month!
Megan Taylor-Fetter
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In this Issue
Staff Fun
SRPC's Latest
Partner Spotlight
Planning Events of Interest
Grant Corner
Public Input Opportunies
ICYMI
Helene Recovery
Community Happenings
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Heading North to Peep?
Check out the White Mountains Fall Foliage Guide!
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Are You Ready?
October is Fire Prevention Month. Be Ready with Ready.gov
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Staff and their families have been busy at home and away this September! | |
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WEEK WITHOUT DRIVING
It’s Walktober and this past was the Week Without Driving Challenge! This event encourages everyone to consider what their lives would be like if they couldn’t drive. Could you get to work, get to a medical appointment, or pick up groceries?
Principal Planner Colin Lentz biked to work with a stop along the way to drop off his son Oliver at daycare and other SRPC team members carpooled to Rochester. Look for more stories from the Week Without Driving from participating workplaces around New Hampshire.
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BUSES, BIKES, AND BROOMS CHALLENGE
CommuteSmart’s annual Busses, Bikes, and Brooms Challenge is back! The challenge encourages EVERYONE to think critically about how we get to school and work! When we commute sustainably, by walking, biking, carpooling, taking transit, or telecommuting, we can save time, expenses, and gas, and maybe get some cardio in!
When you compete in the challenge, you are entered to win a gift card raffle, and as a Halloween extra, you can enter a second raffle when you commute in costume!
Compete with your colleagues and sign up to use CommuteSmart’s commute log!
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CALL FOR PROJECTS
It's that time! Know of transportation projects your municipality or agency would like to develop? BETA is SRPC's on-call engineering consultant dedicated to developing scopes, cost estimates, and conceptual designs for projects. SRPC has $50,000 available for engineering new projects in development. Principal Planner Colin Lentz can help you get started.
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The Data Team is winding down data collection season with some final traffic counts in Durham and some final bike and trail counts for leaf peeping season!
This week, the data team was out in the fall colors moving trail counters on the Cotton Valley Rail Trail and Blue Job State Forest.
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MILTON THREE PONDS WATERSHED PLAN
SRPC is working with FB Environmental, Three Ponds Protection Association (TPPA) and the Town of Milton to create a Watershed Managment Plan. The first activity for data collection began with a shoreline survey around all three ponds. FB Environmental worked with volunteers in boats to collect data along shoreline areas about stormwater gullies and other sources that might be contributing to water degradation. The study was completed with five boats with two volunteers each over five days. Thank you to the Milton volunteers who used their boats and those who gave up a day to assist in the data collection!
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Want to keep up with the Watershed Management Plan? Contact Senior Planner Lisa Murphy. Want to keep up with the data team? Contact Senior Planning Technician Stephen Geis. | |
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COAST is piloting an additional day of service on Fridays starting TODAY through September 2025. A successful pilot may result in a commitment of longer-term support.
Check it out!
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PLANNING EVENTS OF INTEREST | |
GREAT BAY RESOURCE PROTECTION STEWARDSHIP GRANT | |
Stewardship Grant Program applications are available to assist with land stewardship costs for permanently protected conservation lands in the Great Bay watershed.
Eligible Stewardship activities include habitat management, existing trail maintenance, property and project planning, and natural resource inventory projects.
Eligible applicants include the fee owner or conservation easement holder of eligible conservation properties, including qualified nonprofit tax-exempt 501(c)(3) conservation organizations, municipalities and units of government.
Stewardship Grant Application Instructions and Application Form are available on the GBRPP website. Applications are due November 1.
| USDA RURAL WASTE & WATER INFRASTRUCTURE ASSISTANCE | |
"...USDA is accepting applications through the Solid Waste Management Grants program and the Water and Waste Disposal Technical Assistance and Training Grants program...
...Through the Solid Waste Management Grants program, USDA expects to make available approximately $4 million for organizations that offer technical assistance or training to help rural communities manage solid waste sites and eliminate water pollution. Eligible applicants include public bodies, nonprofit organizations, federally recognized Tribes and academic institutions supporting rural areas and towns with 10,000 or fewer residents. Special consideration may be given to projects serving areas with fewer than 5,500 or 2,500 people, multiple states or lower-income populations."
Check out information about both grants on USDA's website. Applications are due December 31.
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IT'S ZONING AMENDMENT SEASON
Some highlights of 2024 changes in planning & zoning law:
- Abutters & Right to Appeal
- Master Plan Waste Planning
- RSA 79-E
- Zoning Amendments in Towns
- Alternative Parking Arrangements
...and more. Check out these resources from the NHMA and BEA:
Guide for Municipalities and Slides from their Sept. 19 Webinar
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FEMA UPDATE
FEMA recently issued preliminary copies of the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) and Flood Insurance Study (FIS) for Strafford County communities. This excludes the four coastal communities (Durham, Dover, Madbury, and Rollinsford), whose maps went effective in 2015.
The FIS report for Strafford County describes the flood hazard information updates made to the FIRM and FIS report and the source information used in making the updates. FEMA has revised only those FIRM panels with updated flood hazard information.
There is now a review period for community officials and citizens to identify changes or corrections to non-technical information, such as corporate limits, road names, and stream names on the FIRM or in the FIS report.
SRPC has downloaded the countywide dataset and can help those communities without GIS capabilities with map or data requests. Reach out to Senior GIS Planner Jackson Rand for help.
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PUBLIC INPUT OPPORTUNITIES | |
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The Draft 2024, 303(d) List of impaired surface waters and related documents are now available DES website. Comments must be submitted in writing by Monday, October 21. Guidance for submitting comments is also included.
More info on DES' site
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HOP APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED | |
On Monday, September 30, Wakefield, Nottingham, Newmarket, and Somersworth submitted their applications for a final round of Housing Opportunity Planning (HOP) funding from NHHFA. These four communities are keen to keep the momentum going on addressing the housing crisis with master plan and zoning work and more conversation with communities. Stay tuned!
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HELENE RECOVERY: HOW YOU CAN HELP | |
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Tomorrow: Dover Apple Harvest Day
Tomorrow: 18th Annual Black New England Conference, Manchester
Tomorrow: Wildflower Training, Kingston
Tomorrow: No-Till Educational Gardens Volunteer Day, Milton
Tomorrow: Festival in the Field - A Benefit Concert Fundraiser to Fight Human Trafficking, Durham
Tomorrow: Powderkeg Beer & Chili Festival, Exeter
This Weekend: First-Ever New Hampshire Book Festival, Concord
First-Ever Sound & Color Festival: October 18-19, Concord
SELT's Annual Trailfest! Sat October 19, Epping
Agamenticus Shrub Management, Sat October 19, York
StrongTowns Seacoast Monthly Meeting: Sat October 19, Dover
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The Woodman Museum's “Voices from the Cemetery” will be held on Sat. and Sun., Oct. 12 & 13 at Pine Hill Cemetery. Guided tours will feature over a dozen actors portraying notable Dover citizens from the past, sharing their stories at their gravesites. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for ages 17 and under when purchased in advance online. | |
MAZES, PUMPKINS PATCHES, AND MORE | |
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October 19: Milton Spooktacular
October 24: Barrington Spooktacular, and Costume Exchange
October 26: Barrington Fall Fest, Brookfield Spooktacular
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October 30: Brookfield, Rochester, Dover, Somersworth
October 31: Barrington, Farmington, Lee, Madbury, Milton, Northwood, Nottingham
WMUR's Guide
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Strafford Regional Planning Commission
150 Wakefield Street, Suite 12
Rochester, NH 03867
www.strafford.org
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