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ECOS-funded project profiled on WCAX
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To help raise awareness about the importance of stormwater, the ECOS Project funded the Connecting-the-Drops rainbarrel installation in downtown Burlington. See the story about it from WCAX.
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Neighbor Rides available in several towns
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The new Neighbor Rides program from United Way connects people who need local rides (to appointments, shopping, etc.) with people who can offer them.To learn about the program or volunteer, visit the Neighbor Rides website.
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July Incentives for Giving Blood
FREE Ticket for the Spirit of the Ethan Allen (while supplies last), FREE Lifesaver t-shirt, Coupon for Turkey Hill Ice Cream, $5 Freihofer Coupon and Raffle for Red Sox Tickets!
You can help avert a summer blood shortage!
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Open Monday-Friday, 9 am to 6 pm and Saturdays, 7:30 am to 1 pm.
Walk in or by appointment call 1-800 RED CROSS or online at redcrossblood.org
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 | | C i l l e y H i l l R o a d a f t e r f l o o d i n g , M a y 2 3, 2 0 1 3 |
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Greetings!
We certainly hope everyone is managing well in the heat, and finding ways to enjoy the activities of summer.
Of course we'd like remind folks to prepare for extreme heat and rain during hurricane season (now in Vermont!) and if they get hit to make sure they document damages. Please see the Emergency Preparedness section below for links to some resources in this area. Let us know if our staff can assist you in developing a system to track the before and after. Sincerely,
Charlie Baker
Executive Director
Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission
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Of Note
Colchester gets bus service!
Slowly but surely, CCTA bus service is expanding into the towns surrounding the metropolitan core. Beginning in July 2014, the Milton Commuter will begin operating along Route 7 in Colchester between Milton and Winooski, with stops at Creek Farm, Severance Corners, and Water Tower Hill. As next summer approaches, watch for additional information on schedules and parking.
CCRPC Staff members promoted
Chris Dubin, who focuses on Transportation data collection and GIS analysis, Bike and Pedestrian Studies, and Municipal asset inventories,has been promoted to Transportation Planner.
 Jason Charest, who works primarily on Jason works predominantly with the Technical Assistance, Transportation Systems Management, Safety, and Signal Optimization programs, has been promoted to Senior Transportation Planning Engineer .
Discounted rate for Vermont Gas available to lower-income VTers
Effective July 1, 2013, lower-income Vermont Gas customers may qualify for a special rate that is 20% less expensive than the standard residential rate. The rate was created as a result of a Vermont Public Service Board initiative to help lower energy costs for the most financially vulnerable natural gas customers. To learn more about the program and eligibility requirements, visit the Vermont Gas website.
Changes to national fire codes could add costs to Vermont projects While architects and construction companies have  | |
Creative Commons photo by DVS via Flickr
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new guidelines for building, organizations and individuals will need to budget for changes. Read an article about the changes and implications in this article from VT Digger.
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Transportation News
Completed Projects
We have recently completed several studies, and have posted the reports to our online library. Here are links to two of them:
For the latest news with several of our projects, please click on a link below:
Of course, there's lots more going on all over the County, and we plan to have web pages for almost all our projects by summer.
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The ECOS Plan in Action
[In this section of the newsletter, we will highlight the work of your town or organization that is contributing to the ECOS mission of a healthy, inclusive and prosperous community. To be included, please send your news to agrayson@ccrpcvt.org.]
The ECOS Plan was adopted by the CCRPC Board of Commissioners on Wednesday, June 19th. Now we're all
responsible for making it a reality.
ECOS Grant recipient Science to Action
The Science to Action Project, funded by an ECOS grant through the CCRPC, will inventory wildlife habitat, wetlands, uplands, natural communities and working lands in Bolton, Huntington, Jericho, and Richmond and meet each town's needs through the following interrelated objectives: 1. Natural Resource Inventory; 2. Technical Assistance to support town plans; and 3. Education and outreach.
They've developed some wonderful activities. The next one coming up is a Bird-Friendly Forestry Workshop 
Saturday, August 10th, 9:00am - 11:00am
FREE! Meet at the Birds of Vermont Museum parking lot,
900 Sherman Hollow Road, Huntington
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| Energy & Natural Resources
Shoreland Buffer Protection Informational Meeting
Tuesday, July 30th at 7pm
If you are interested in learning about how shoreland buffer  zones will affect your property or business, join us for an informational meeting with the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (110 West Canal St, Winooski). Susan Warren, Lakes and Ponds Section Chief in the VT DEC Watershed Management Division, will be discussing the status of the legislative process, the scientific basis for good shoreland management, the legal basis for shoreland regulation and the relationship of shoreland management to other lake uses. This is an opportunity to learn about shoreland regulations in anticipation of an upcomin g public hearing to be held by the legislature's Shoreland Commission. The Commission will be holding regional public meetings to discuss H.526, legislation proposed to introduce shoreland protection standards. Please RSVP to matt@vermont.org if you plan to attend.
Energy Action Network Conference October 1 & 2
The Energy Action Network works on strategies for achievin
g Vermont's renewable energy and conservation goals by  focusing on: capital mob reform, and technology innovation. Their annual meeting will be held at the Basin Harbor Club in Vergennes on October 1 and 2, where the keynote speaker will be Goteberg Award winner, Soren Hermansen. For more about EAN and the conference, go to: http://eanvt.org
Home Energy Tip of the Month
Limited time offers from Efficiency Vermont
- Get a $100 discount on an energy audit.*
- Receive up to $2,000 upon completing qualifying energy efficiency improvements.
- Earn an additional $500 bonus for completing the improvements by December 31, 2013.
Total incentive cannot exceed project cost.
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For questions about energy planning, contact Melanie Needle in the CCRPC office at mneedle@ccrpcvt.org, or 802-846-4490 x27.
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Emergency Preparedness
Documenting storm damage resources  - This article about hazard mitigation and the importance of, from the - Vermont League of Cities and Towns - This interactive web-based course from FEMA explains accessing funding. - This article is an overview of the Public Assistance program Changes coming to national flood insurance Last year, the U.S. Congress passed the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012. In addition to reauthorizing the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) through September 2017, the law is attempting to make the NFIP more financially stable by raising artificially low flood insurance premium rates which, at present, do not reflect the true flood risk. You may hear emergency managers and insurance agents refer to the new law as "B-W" or "BW-12." Read an article about it in the Vermont League of Cities and Towns newsletter.
* * * For questions regarding Emergency Preparedness, including LEPC 1 or 5, please contact Paul Luciano in the CCRPC office at pluciano@ccrpcvt.org. |
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Opportunities & Resources
Funds for Municipal Planning Grants Increased --
Applications Now Available The Legislature increased the amount available for municipal planning grants by 10% this year, and the maximum award per municipality has been increased from $15,000 to $20,000. A high priority for funding this year will be bylaw updates - to ensure that local regulations accurately reflect and implemen t the town or village plan and support smart growth principles. If local officials in your municipality have been keeping a list of regulatory issues that need to be addressed, or if you suspect that your bylaws don't align well with your plan, now is the time to consider an update! Other funding priorities this year include infrastructure planning, comprehensive plan updates, and flood resilience planning. BCRC staff is available to meet with local officials to discuss possible projects and to assist with applications. For details on the program, refer to the
Online Tool Helps Find Opportunities for Bike/Pedestrian
Project Funding
A new tool from Advocacy Advance makes it easier to identify the federal transportation programs that could be used to pay for many types of walking and bicycling programs. The tool also provides helpful information about each type of federal transportation funding source available for biking and walking projects, including what it is, how much funding is available, and who to approach for more information. Click here to access the tool.
New State Initiative Support Local Food Systems
Our local food systems are a vital part of our communities and economy  and the importance of these networks of farmers, distributors, markets, stores, and support businesses will only grow in coming years. A critical component to the success of any such system is a good communication network and state and local efforts are focusing on facilitating those connections. The new state Food System Atlas (www.vtfoodatlas.com) is now online; visit the site for maps and directories of local businesses as well as a large amount of information and technical assistance.
How Resilient is Your Community?
 The Vermont Natural Resources Council recently released a Resilient Communities Scorecard, a set of checklists to help towns rate whether or not they are economically, environmentally, and socially resilient. This update to the Smart Growth Scorecard, published by the Vermont Forum on Sprawl in 2001, consists of twelve checklists on key topics, including land use, transportation, energy, and healthy community design. Each checklist has a series of questions that, when answered, combine to create a "score" for each topic. The tool will help communities address today's difficult challenges - like incremental and scattered development, rising energy costs, and climate change - and help position them to meet those challenges. You can access the scorecard at VNRC's website:
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Save the Date
CCRPC Calendar of Upcoming Meetings
August - No Board meeting, Executive Committee Meeting, or TAC
Sept. 3, 2013, 9:00am - Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC)
Sept. 4, 2013, 5:45pm - Executive Committee
Sept 18, 2013, 2:30pm - Planning Advisory Committee (PAC)
Sept 18, 2013, 6:00pm - CCRPC Board Meeting
********************************************************************************** Save the Date! 2014 TRB Tools of the Trade Conference - July 21-23, 2014 The CCRPC is the local host for the 2014 Transportation Research Board's conference focusing on small and medium sized communities. Join us for 2 ½ days of presentations, interactive sessions, and panel discussions to enhance your transportation planning practice in small and medium sized communities. Room registration now open at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center, The Technical Committee seeks exceptional papers or presentations on transportation planning topics and tools that are applicable to small and medium-sized communities. Please submit your abstract via the website submittal link located at http://www.trbtoolsofthetrade.org
*********************************************************************************** Brown Bag Lunch Discussions at
UVM's Transportation Research Center
The free discussions are on Fridays from 12:00 to 1:00 in Decision Theater, Farrell Hall. The building is accessible and directions can be found here. Remote access capabilities will also be provided. Directions on how to link to the presentations or view recordings of previous presentations can be found on the Brown Bag Website.
July 26th - Refugees and Transportation in Vermont: Travel Behaviour and Critical Questions based on Gender, Age and Transportation Hierarchies
(*NOTE: this Brownbag will start at 11:30am) Hosted By: Glenn McRae of the Transportation Research Center
August 9 - Pervious Concrete Pavement at UVM's Trinity Parking Lot Hosted By: Amanda Hanaway-Corrente of the Transportation Research Center
September 13th - Health Care Systems and Transportation Hosted By: Glenn McRae of the Transportation Research Center ****************************************************************************** Graduate-level Housing Policy Course Online from August 26th to October 18th. Taught by Maura Collins, Policy and Planning Manager at Vermont Housing Finance Agency. Learn more about housing policy and finance in a highly interactive format. No text book is required and course work will draw from national and local case studies including an in-depth review of a local municipality's housing market.
Save your spot and register online today!
Non-UVM students: https://learn.uvm.edu/register/
UVM students: http://www.uvm.edu/~rgweb/
The course is listed as PA395, CRN 94785
Email Maura at mcolllns@vhfa.org with questions
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Sept 11-13, 2013 Tri-State Transit Conference
At the Burlington Sheraton, hosted by Vermont Public Transit Association (vpta.net). Schedule and registration information here.
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