This week at the WRC: 1/27 - 1/31
- January 28, 6:00 pm: Full Commission, Newbrook Fire Department
- January 29, 4:30 pm: Emerald Ash Borer Preparedness & Management Training, Newbrook Fire Department
- January 30, 5:30 pm: Planning Coordination Committee, WRC Conference Room
Full Meetings and Events Calendar, and Warnings | Current Newsletter | December 2019 Staff Report
From the Director, Winter 2020 Ready for a New Year and a New Decade
It's been a year of much change at the Windham Regional Commission, but we are ready for and looking forward to the new year and decade ahead. We've had transitions in the roles of Associate Director, Finance Manager, Transportation Planner, and Natural Resources Planner, and after the normal adaptation and settling in process we end 2019 on very solid footing. Thank you to the Windham Region towns, our Commissioners, our agency and foundation project partners, other stakeholders, and our staff for your unwavering commitment and engagement throughout this past year.
Regional Broadband Project Begins; Kick-off Meeting Presentation Available
The Windham Regional Commission (WRC) held a region-wide meeting on Thursday, January 9th, 2020 to kick-off the new Windham Region Broadband Project. The presentation from that meeting, which describes the elements of this project in detail, is available here. A video of the meeting is available here.
The next meeting will be held February 6th (February 13th snow date) at 6 p.m. at the Newbrook Fire Department in Newfane and will focus on the administration of the broadband survey.
Emerald Ash Borer Preparedness & Management Workshop
Hosted by Windham Regional Commission
Presentations by Vermont Urban & Community Forestry Program and a Panel of Local Communities who have addressed EAB
DATE AND TIME: January 29, 2020 - 4:30pm to 6:30pm
In the event of inclement weather please visit the WRC homepage at www.windhamregional.org or call the office at (802) 257-4547 to determine if the meeting has been cancelled
LOCATION: Newbrook Fire & Rescue Community Room, 698 VT Route 30, Newfane, VT
REGISTRATION: Free Workshop – Registration Requested – Register Here
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.
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.
