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SWRPC |
December 2008 |
| Commission Highlights |
Vol. 14 - No. 11 |
Summit on "Building Community Transportation in New Hampshire"
Planning Commission staff participated in a State of New Hampshire Working Summit, "Building Community Transportation in New Hampshire," on December 9th in Concord. Hosted by the Department of Transportation, Department of Health and Human Services and the State Coordinating Council, the goal of the summit was to review the status of existing regional efforts to coordinate community transportation, to share information on innovative ways to achieve coordination and better community transportation, and to create an action plan to improve transportation in our State. The day included panels featuring representatives working on coordination around the state as well as private sector perspectives on community transportation. For more information, please contact J. B. Mack of Commission staff.
Monadnock Region Land Summit - January 31, 2009
The Community Conservation Partnership (CCP) will host the Monadnock Region Land Summit on January 31, 2009. The all day event on land conservation and development designed for local decision makers will include workshops featuring components of successful land conservation at the community level and emphasize the real-world experiences of our towns. CCP is a collaborative effort among The Monadnock Conservancy, Southwest Region Planning Commission, Antioch New England Institute, The Center for Land Conservation, UNH Cooperative Extension, The Harris Center for Conservation Education, and the towns of the Monadnock Region. There is a $20 registration fee for the event that includes lunch and materials. Registration deadline is January 16th. For more information or to register, please contact Dee Robbins at the Monadnock Conservancy: (603) 357-0600.
Grant Award for Transportation Management Association Development
During December the Planning Commission was notified that it has been selected to receive a grant award in the amount of $10,000 to support the development of a Monadnock Region Transportation Management Association (TMA). Funding for the project was provided by the Monadnock Region Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. Submitting the grant application was a recommendation of the ad hoc committee, Travel Demand Management for Keene and Beyond. TMAs in the United States tend to be non-profit, member controlled organizations that assist local government and area businesses in optimizing transportation efficiency in a particular geographic area. TMAs provide an institutional framework and forum for the public and private sector to improve area transportation efficiencies by building consensus on transportation needs and solutions as well as providing technical assistance, education services and promotion on ways to improve transportation. In New Hampshire, the formation of TMAs is increasing in popularity as a cost-effective way to organize consensus around regional transportation issues. There are currently two TMAs in New Hampshire in the Upper Valley Region and Seacoast Region. For more information about this project, please contact J. B. Mack of Commission staff.
Housing and Conservation Planning Forum
On December 18, 2008 Commission staff, in partnership with Moosewood Ecological LLC., helped facilitate a community forum in the Town of Marlow as part of their Housing and Conservation Planning Program grant. The Town was one of four within the State to be awarded grant money to prepare a plan for housing and conservation. The grant allows the town to purchase technical assistance in all aspects of plan preparation including community involvement as a means of gathering important information related to natural and historical resources, housing needs and demographics, and potential growth and development. Residents participating in the forum shared information on the community's natural resources, strengths and weaknesses, goals, and visioning. For additional information, please contact Lisa Murphy of Commission staff.
Community Development Finance Authority Grant Application Writing Workshop
On December 4, 2008 Planning Commission staff participated in the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Application Writing Workshop hosted by the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA). Presenters outlined examples of projects and provided answers to a variety of frequently asked questions. In addition, presentations included detailed explanations and strategies to aid applicants in strengthening their applications. CDBG funds are awarded to each state by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development to benefit low- and moderate-income households and have been used in the past to develop affordable and senior housing, address infrastructure needs, and foster job creation in our Region. For more information about the workshop, please contact Neel Patel or Brian McMaster of Commission staff.
Regional Information Systems (RIS)
In recent months, the Commission's RIS/GIS program has been busy working with several of the Region's municipalities on a variety of projects. These projects include: updating tax parcel boundaries for the towns of Dublin, New Ipswich, and Chesterfield; updating of the Town of Rindge's Zoning map; and Natural Resources Inventory map production for the Town of Sullivan. In addition to these activities, we look forward to upcoming projects ranging from data automation and analysis of the Region's e911 system and tax parcel boundary updates for the Towns of Hinsdale and Surry. For further information, please contact Michael Blair of Commission staff.
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Southwest Region Planning Commission
20 Central Square, 2nd Floor, Keene, NH 03431
Ph: (603) 357-0557, Fax: (603) 357-7440
General E-mail: admin@swrpc.org
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