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SWRPC |
February 2010 |
| Commission Highlights |
Vol. 16 - No. 2 |
Planning Commission's Winter Meeting set for March 16, 2010
The Planning Commission's Winter Meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at Papagallos Restaurant located in Swanzey, NH. A social will begin at 6:00 p.m. with dinner served at 7:00 p.m. Our featured guest speaker is Michael Durfor, Executive Director of the Northeast Resource Recovery Association. Announcements for the event have been distributed and advance registration is required. For additional information or to register, please contact Becky Baldwin of Commission staff.
SWRPC Staff Completes Emergency Operations Planning Training
SWRPC staff recently completed the latest Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) training recommended by NH Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM). This training involved the completion of online FEMA courses covering the National Incident Management System, the National Response Framework, the Incident Command System (ICS), and ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents. SWRPC staff also participated in a HSEM training session covering EOP creation and update processes. For more information on EOP creation and updates, please contact HSEM staff at (603) 271-2231 or contact Rebeckah Bullock of Commission staff.
Recent Site Nominations Approved for Southwest Region Brownfields Program
SWRPC is pleased to announce that two new site nominations were recently approved for the Southwest Region Brownfields Program. Approved late last year, SWRPC Brownfields environmental consultants are now wrapping up a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment for the Cheshire County Courthouse in Keene. Cheshire County, a member of SWRPC, is utilizing the program in order to understand any potential contamination risks associated with expanding courthouse operations and offices on its current site. In February, the nomination of the former Electrosonics site and the abutting Post Garage located in Spofford Village was approved by the Brownfields Advisory Committee. Assessment activities will begin soon in an effort to bring the landmark building in the center of the village back to productive use. For more information, please contact J. B. Mack of Commission staff.
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Awarded for the Town of Hinsdale
On February 18, 2010 the Town of Hinsdale was awarded $320,000 in CDBG Economic Development funds on behalf of the Monadnock Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) in order to assist Tri-State Firearms, LLC in creating 16 new full-time jobs, a majority of which will be available for low-moderate income persons. MEDC will use CDBG funds to provide a loan to Tri-State Firearms toward the purchase and installation of equipment at 243 Monument Road in Hinsdale. The Tri-State Firearms project involves the development of a new indoor firing range and retail sales store, located at 243 Monument Road, which is a currently vacant 55,200 square-foot building. For more information, please contact Eric R. Smith, AICP of Commission staff.
Conservation Leadership Training Returns
The schedule for the 2010 Conservation Leadership Training series has recently been announced. The success of the program last year and the continuation for this year is an indicator that this is an important issue in the Region. Training sessions are offered through the Monadnock Community Conservation Partnership to provide a range of information to participants interested in protecting our natural resources. This program is a great opportunity for members of the community to help better understand conservation issues such as conservation methods, funding strategies, stewardship, and landowner outreach. The training sessions will be held on March 31, April 14, April 28, and May 12 from 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. at the Keene Public Library. Sessions are limited to 20 people and are offered on a first come first serve basis, so sign up early. The cost is $50 per session, however a group discount is offered to members of a community enrolling 3-6 people in this training. For additional information or to register, please contact Peter Throop of the Monadnock Conservancy at 357-0600 or pete@monadnockconservancy.org
New Hampshire Broadband Mapping Program and Expansion Grant Efforts
As presented in last month's Highlights, the 9 regional planning commission and GRANIT are conducting an inventory of broadband availability across the state to identify the areas which are underserved and unserved. Over the past month an inventory of the state's community anchor institutions (K-12 schools, public safety, medical facilities, municipal offices, higher education and libraries) was developed. Each of the institutions were surveyed to determine their access to broadband. Over the next months each of the 76 service providers in our Region will be contacted to develop a map of their service coverage areas. Additionally, the Planning Commission has been working with the New Hampshire Fastroads broadband project to submit an application for broadband expansion funding. The NH Fastroads project is a collaboration of the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority, the Monadnock Economic Development Corporation, the City of Keene's Municipal Broadband Committee, WCNH.net (eight towns of the Upper Valley-Lake Sunapee region), and SWRPC. The goal of this exciting effort is to ensure that businesses, institutions, and residents in the Region have the right broadband infrastructure to support jobs and sustainable economic development. For more information, please contact Michael Blair of Commission staff or go to www.iwantbroadbandnh.org or www.swrpc.org/broadband.
New Hampshire Public Works Mutual Aid
The NH Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (NH HSEM) is encouraging towns to consider joining NH Public Works Mutual Aid. The NH Public Works Mutual Aid program is the first state-wide program of its kind in the U.S. The program provides a system where local public works departments can share resources during emergency situations. Interested towns with questions or concerns should contact Kathryn Myers at the UNH Technology Transfer Center at k.myers@unh.edu, visit the UNH Technology Transfer Center website at http://www.t2.unh.edu/ma or contact their local NH HSEM Field Representative for more information.
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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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