This week at the WRC: 12/2 - 12/6
- December 3, 6:00 pm: Project Review Committee, WRC Conference Room CANCELLED
- December 5, 8:45 am: Brownfields Steering Committee, WRC Conference Room
- December 5, 6:00 pm: Energy Committee, WRC Conference Room CANCELLED
Full Meetings and Events Calendar, and Warnings | Current Newsletter | October 2019 Staff Report
From the Director, Summer 2019 - When Growth Comes, Where Will It Go?
"To plan development so as to maintain the historic settlement pattern of compact village and urban centers separated by rural countryside." It's the primary planning goal established by Vermont statute, and it's repeated as a goal in the Windham Regional Plan and town plans. But when growth comes, is that what your town planning work will deliver? Will the policies of your town plan, and bylaws (if your town has them), result in your plan's stated goals and objectives? Have you tested them to see what settlement patterns are supported and discouraged?
WRC Hosts Training for Municipal Energy Planning December 12
The Windham Regional Commission will be hosting a training for municipalities on developing enhanced energy elements. The event will take place on Thursday December 12th, 2019, 6-7:30pm at the Townshend Town Hall. The training will discuss best practices gathered from municipalities and planning commissions across the state in developing the enhanced energy elements. The enhanced energy elements are comprehensive energy plans with a deep dive into town specific data on energy consumption which meet the standards as outlined by the state. This element is not required for town plans, however, with an approved enhanced energy plan, the town plan receives higher standing in the review process of new energy generation facility siting. This event is geared toward town planning commissions interested in learning more about the process and standards associated with these plans. The event is open to the public.
WRC Mourns Loss of Our Friend and Colleague, Mike Shaughnessy
On Thursday, July 11th we learned of the unexpected death of our friend and colleague, Mike Shaughnessy. Mike had worked at WRC as finance manager since he was 21 years old, and for more than 30 years was central to the operation of the Commission and our strong financial integrity. He was a resource for our towns and a leader among the regional planning commission financial managers.
Broadband in Southeastern Vermont
Communities interested in improving high-speed broadband access met last week (9/11/19) in Wilmington to discuss options and ask legislators questions about Vermont’s new broadband legislation. Representatives from Windham County, as well the Director of Telecommunications at the Department of Public Service, Clay Purvis, shared information about new planning grants that will help communities identify the best path forward. Communities were strongly encouraged to work together by creating Communications Union Districts, a model that is working in other parts of the state, including EC Fiber serving communities just north of the Windham Region, and Central Vermont Fiber. Solutions to the problems around the lack of connectivity in Southeastern Vermont are complex and expensive. Connecting communities with broadband is a critical economic development issue, as well as a health and safety concern as it becomes as fundamental to basic communications as the legacy phone lines used to be. Communities in the Windham Region must collaborate to determine the best path forward for the region.
VTrans Looking for Your Input on Public Transit
Got 5 minutes? Do you ride the bus? Carpool? Uber? VTrans want your input! VTrans is updating the Vermont Public Transit Policy Plan (PTPP), examining Vermont’s transit needs and proposing programs and policies to address them. VTrans has heard from Vermonters across the state and have identified public transit issues and challenges, as well as potential strategies for addressing them. You can help VTrans fine tune these items by taking their new survey and letting them know what you think. Survey takers can register for a drawing for a $50 gift card! Your input will help VTrans shape the future of public transportation in Vermont. The survey will be open until September 1st. You can access the survey here.
Introducing WRC’s Summer 2019 GIS/Transportation Technicians
Summer is the height of the field season at WRC, and to help get our work done we’ve hired two GIS/transportation technicians. Both Nick Young (left) and Mike Murphy (right) come to us from the Keene State College Geography Department. Nick hails from Pelham, N.H. and after pursuing a career in computer science enrolled in Geography at Keene State. He plans to graduate this December. Mike is a recent graduate of Keene State and calls Wayland, Mass home. Golf is his passion. He has worked as a caddie since age 14 and more recently doing maintenance at a country club.
Nick and Mike join Lisa Donnelly who came to WRC last year as summer employee and is now a full-time staff member. If you see someone on the back roads of the Windham Region, decked out in a safety vest and holding a tablet, GPS unit, or traffic counter tube, it might be one of our team. Say hello!
Windham Wood Heat Projects Gain Spotlight Across State Lines
Two advanced wood heat projects in Windham County funded in part by the Windham Wood Heat Initiative have been highlighted in the four-state effort to positively message automated wood heat. The Green Street School in Brattleboro (right) and the Windham and Windsor Housing Trust development Putney Landing in Putney are both featured as "Stoked Stories" on Feel Good Heat's website.
WRC Project Showcased at the 2019 Leahy Summit at the ECHO Center
On Friday, April 5th, 2019, staff planner Emily Davis lead a panel discussion with her project partners at the 2019 Leahy Center Environmental Summit at the ECHO Center in Burlington. Hosted by the VT Clean Water Network, the Leahy Summit is a biennial clean water networking event designed to pull together clean water partners involved with community resilience, policy, funding, project development, and clean water implementation. Starting in response to the need for a more holistic approach to watershed planning following Tropical Storm Irene, each Leahy Summit has a theme. The theme for 2019 was: "The Alchemy of Arts & Science."
Windham Regional Commission Receives $300,000 Brownfields Grant
WRC was selected as one of six organizations in Vermont selected to receive a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency for environmental assessment work. The $300,000 grant will cover five site assessments, five cleanup plans and the development of an area-wide plan. This work will be targeted in the communities with the most need, Brattleboro, Bellows Falls and Wilmington, although brownfields projects throughout the region are eligible. “The Windham Regional Commission is pleased to be able to help more communities and property owners clean up and redevelop contaminated sites in Southern Vermont”, said WRC Senior Planner Susan Westa.
New Brattleboro Road Map Now Available
WRC has completed a large version of a Brattleboro road map, with every named road and street in town, public and private, on one page, with no insets. The map also includes a name index to help you locate those streets you’ve never heard of before. Lisa Donnelly of the WRC staff gets much of the credit for being the cartographic contortionist, fitting nearly 340 road names into Brattleboro’s very non-linear street network. Interested in a smaller size? WRC also has an 11x17-inch version, on two pages with insets.
PDFs of both maps are available on the WRC web site here. Anyone can take the PDFs to a commercial establishment for printing, or WRC can print out copies of the large map for a small fee. Thanks to the Brattleboro Planning Services Department for reviewing the map.
Funding Available for Dry Hydrant Projects, Other Rural Water Supplies
Are you a town or fire department looking to improve fire suppression capabilities? If so, you may want to check out grant funding opportunities from the Vermont Rural Fire Protection Task Force (formerly the Dry Hydrant Grant Program).
The 2019 program offers grants up to $5000 for installation of new dry hydrants and other types of water supplies, along with repair, upgrade, replacement, or relocation of existing rural water supplies. New this year is funding for drafting site development.
The next round of applications deadlines are June 1st and August 1st, 2019. More information can be found at https://www.vacd.org/programs/rural-fire-protection/
WRC Welcomes Susan Westa as New Senior Planner
Susan Westa, AICP, joined the Windham Regional Commission in January 2019. Susan will be the new Community Development lead at WRC, including the Brownfields program and the regional plan update. Susan comes to WRC from the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission in western MA where she was working with Planning Boards reviewing large scale solar applications and helping develop marijuana zoning bylaws. She also led the development of a Joint Land Use Study with the Westover Airbase and surrounding communities.
WRC Commissioners Visit Rich Earth Institute, Windham County SWMD
On November 15, 2018, the WRC's Energy and Natural Resources Committees attended a field trip to the Brattleboro-based Rich Earth Institute (REI), and the Windham County Solid Waste Management District (WCSWMD). The theme of the trip was energy-efficiency, resource recovery, and closed-loop systems, or sustainable processes that intentionally convert "waste" products into resources. This field trip was especially relevant to the Committees following the approval of the Windham Regional Energy Plan, which contains policies that encourage resource-conscious practices and industries.
People Are Hitting The Trails This Winter
What were people in Brattleboro doing on Christmas Day? How about New Year’s Eve? Would you believe that dozens of people each day were out on the West River Trail? Windham Regional Commission has expanded its pedestrian count program to the winter months, and recent data both surprised and pleased us.
WRC Hosts Successful Emergency Management Director / Fire Chief Roundtables
Windham Regional Commission has held two of our first Emergency Management Director (EMD) and Fire Chief Roundtables. This began after WRC ceased work with the Local Emergency Planning Commission 6 in Summer 2018. WRC's Emergency Planner felt there was a need to engage EMDs as a group and the first quarterly roundtable was held in Fall 2018. The idea was to host an event that was casual enough to promote open discussion, while also bringing up topics to keep the conversations productive.
