From the Director, Spring 2019 - New Collaboration Around Nuclear Plant Closures & a Reminder of the Importance of Economic Development Planning
A new effort is underway to bring federal agency attention to the economic and social impacts of nuclear plant closures. This effort led by the Nuclear Decommissioning Collaborative i s a project of the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration. I was invited to participate in the inaugural meeting of the Collaborative in Washington, D.C. in April. I was joined by the Mayor Al Hill of Zion, Illinois and Rochelle Becker, Executive Director of the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility in California, to represent the perspective of host communities in a convening of staff from multiple federal agencies including the Department of Commerce, the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
WRC Seeks Full-time Finance Manager
The Windham Regional Commission (WRC) seeks a highly skilled, self-motivated, full-time (37.5 hrs/wk) Finance Manager to work with a team of dedicated professionals, volunteer commissioners, and municipal officials. Working directly with the Executive Director, responsibilities include management of WRC financial business and accounts, organizational budget development and oversight, development of indirect cost rate proposals, financial reporting to the Commission, preparation of grant budgets and contracts, financial aspects of grant reporting, management of payroll and staff benefits, annual audit preparation, and general oversight of office financial operations. Knowledge of Sage Accounting Software is a plus. Finance Manager must work well with people.
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.
WRC Continues to Assist With Town Enhanced Energy Planning
The Windham Regional Commission is working with member towns to develop enhanced energy elements for town plans. These enhanced elements meet state standards therefore making the town plan eligible for Substantial Deference in Section 248 proceedings. So far, WRC has assisted nine towns in the development of these plans.
Statewide Parcel Mapping Project Moving Forward
Imagine having up-to-date information on ownership and generalized boundaries for every parcel in Vermont, at your fingertips. This is well on its way to becoming reality, as we found out at a recent Statewide Parcel Mapping Project update meeting. WRC hosted the meeting in January 2019 for town officials in conjunction with the Vermont Center for Geographic Information (VCGI). The goal of the project is to create current, standardized parcel data across the state that is linked to each town’s grand list.
Feel Good Heat Campaign Asks "Are You Stoked?" WRC Is!
The Windham Wood Heat Initiative through the Windham Regional Commission has officially become a supporter of the Feel Good Heat campaign. The campaign is a collaborative effort by environmental and community development non-profits, wood pellet producers, and automated (or "self-stoking") wood heat systems distributors across New England and New York. Together, the collaborative is growing energy independence here at home, creating local jobs and supporting our forested landscape. WRC signing onto this campaign was a natural fit with the Regional Plan because of policy supporting modern wood heating and the emphasis on supporting the local forestry industry.
WRC Awards Grant to Red Clover Commons for Rooftop Solar
The Windham Regional Commission awarded the third round of competitive funding totaling $66,000 from the Windham County Renewable Energy Program to the development of rooftop solar on the Red Clover Commons. The Energy Committee received three strong applications and chose this project as it met the program priorities best as the solar will serve the vulnerable population residents, the applicant is a nonprofit, the installation will not only include the solar array but also an educational component displaying the generation and consumption on a screen in the public lobby, and the housing development itself is on a brownfields redeveloped site. The development will be completed before May 2019.
Materials from the Forum on Wastewater Solutions for Unsewered Villages
Thank you to everyone who came out for the village wastewater forum on August 2nd. The following are links for materials presented at the meeting:
Wastewater Solutions for Villages in the Windham Region (Department of Environmental Conservation);
Organizing Wastewater Solutions - A Workbook for Local Leaders (Department of Housing and Community Development).
We are currently scheduling a follow-up meeting for interested towns. For more information please contact Emily Davis (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).
