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Burlington among most expensive housing markets in country. Read report here.
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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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August is a great time to Give Blood!
FREE Movie pass to Essex Cinemas or a FREE Champlain Valley Fair Pass--plus a case of water from Walgreen's!
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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S u m m e r i n t e r n T o r y D u m a s d o i n g t r a f f i c c o u n t s a t t h e i n t e r s e c t i o n
o f P e a r l & P r o s p e c t S t r e e t s i n B u r l i n g t o n
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Greetings!
Hope you are all reveling in these beautiful days as we wind down the summer, and prepare to move into fall. The newsletter usually takes off the month of August, but there's just too much information to share!
If you haven't heard, the CCRPC has begun producing a bi-monthly TV show on CCTV called ECOS in Action, where we will be highlighting activities that helping to advanced the shared vision of the ECOS Plan. The most recent show focused on Transportation and Economic Development, and featured me along with Sandy Thibault from CATMA. You can read more and link to the show below, as well as the featured segments with UVM and Burton.
Sincerely,
Michele Boomhower
Assistant Director / MPO Director
Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission
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Of Note
Melanie Needle and Jason Charest represented the CCRPC in the United Way's Mission Possible Fundraising event. They rais ed $500 for the United of Way of Chittenden County and they had an absolute blast! Mission Possible is an annual off-the-wall Scavenger Hunt and Adventure Race in which teams compete in fun physical and mental challenges that highlight some of the amazing non-profit programs supported by United Way of Chittenden County! The activities included stand up paddle boarding on Lake Champlain, touring COTS, and putting a computer together at the Boys and Girls Club. More d etails about this event can be found here:
www.MissionPossibleVT.com.
Jason also appeared in a news segment on WPTZ about studies underway to improve flooding and congestion on Route 117 in Essex. |
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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:
The Industrial Avenue Corridor Study was prepared to anticipate future travel demands along Industrial Avenue and to define multi-modal strategies to accommodate these demands. Jericho Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Project Nearly Complete In 2008 the CCRPC (then CCMPO), Jericho Elementary School, and Town of Jericho, with assistance from RSG, completed a planning study to improve pedestrian circulation at Jericho Elementary and reduce conflicts between walkers/bikers and vehicles. In 2011 the school was awarded a Safe Routes to School infrastructure grant to construct the improvements. The CCRPC agreed to serve as the Local Project Manager for the construction project, a first for the organization. Don Weston Excavating was awarded the contract in July 2013 and work is nearly complete, with striping to occur before classes begin in late August. Kudos to the School District, Town, RSG (planning), Lamoureux & Dickinson (design), Stantec (inspection), Don Weston and subcontractors, and VTrans LTF staff for your key roles in this important project. Students from nearby neighborhoods can now enjoy easier walking/biking access to the school and safer accommodations on-site, and vehicle drop-offs/pick-ups are more clearly defined.
 | Before SRTS Grant Project
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 | | After SRTS Grant Project |
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 connect@ccrpcvt.org.]
ECOS in Action TV Show: Transportation & Economic DevelopmentThe 2nd ECOS in Action TV Show featured a conversation with Michele Boomhower, Asst. Director / MPO Director at the CCRPC, and Sandy Thibault the Director of CATMA. The show, hosted by Eric Agnero, explored the ways in which transportation planning is supporting b  usinesses and employees in their efforts to get to work more sustainably. UVM and Burton Snowboards have featured video segments.
Rain Barrels Going to Auction
The exhibit of painted rain barrels on Church Street has been a great success with a huge spike in traffic to the l etitrainvt.org website, an increase in applications to the Let it Rain Stormwater program, and strong partnerships between several local organizations. Mostly, this project has provided a platform to talk about a serious issue, stormwater, in a fun and accessible way.
The rain barrels go to auction during the Art Hop on September 7th at 7:00pm, at the ArtsRiot space on Pine Street (behind or next to Speeder & Earl's). Come get yours!
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| Energy & Natural Resources
Energy Action Network Conference October 1 & 2
The Energy Action Network works on strategies for achieving
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
First-ever statewide "Button Up Vermont!" Day of Action October 5th
Modeled after Vermont's successful "Green Up Day," the Button Up Vermont Day of Action is happening on Oct. 5th. Communities across Ve rmont are organizing events to motivate their friends and neighbors to retrofit - a.k.a weatherize- their homes and take action on energy efficiency . Sign up today to volunteer in your town and receive updates to the local event list
as we receive more details! Local organizers will have a specific action planned - likely a door-to-door, phone-a-thon, tabling event, or an energy open house. Don't miss this opportunity to inspire your friends, neighbors and fellow Vermonters to invest in heating efficiency!
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
Advanced Assistance Program now available
CCRPC has partnered with CVOEO on a new FEMA Funding Program Application known as Advanced Assistance. This program came out of the Hurricane Sandy Bill and is designed to fund the research needed to develop future Hazard Mitigation Grant Projects (HMGP). Specific to the partnership, CCRPC will provide technical assistance and grant management to CVOEO as they develop a process by which prior damage and expenditures are collected from all mobile home residents in the state in order to develop a list of eligibility for HMGP floodproofing and acquisition projects.
* * * 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
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Strategic Funding for Employment Strategies available from the United Way
The United Way of Chittenden County (UWCC) makes strategic investments to address community-defined priorities in the areas of Education, Income & Health. The overarching goal of UWCC's Income Impact area is that all people in Chittenden County can meet their basic needs and be financially stable. UWCC currently has a Strategic Funding Opportunity of up to $100,000 with specific interest in funding innovative, collaborative proposals that focus on employment strategies as a way of promoting financial stability. Download the brief RFP here. Deadline October 1st, 2013.*******************************************************
Please spread the word to anyone you think might be interested or have an eligible project to me. Or they can check out the program application and RFP at www.blcp.org. This project will fund existing groups or those who have come together to solve a problem in the community. We are flexible and encourage anyone with a good idea to contact us to see if their program is a good fit. Contact Kelly Stoddard Poor. Associate State Director of Outreach
kstoddardpoor@aarp.org
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Save the Date
CCRPC Calendar of Upcoming Meetings
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
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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.
*************************************************************************************** Burlington Plug In Day Saturday, September 28, 11am-2pm on Church Street Questions about electric cars? Check out the latest models-and learn what it's like to drive electric from the Vermonters who own them. Drive Electric Vermont is partnering with National Plug In Day to bring you Vermont's electric car event of the year. Join us on the Church Street Marketplace from 11am-2pm for a look at some of the most innovative car models available. Local owners and partners will be on hand to answer all your electric car and charging questions. Be sure to stop by our information booth for a chance to win a two-night getaway to Stowe Mountain Resort!
More info and to let them know you're coming, click here.
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Mark your calendars:
Fall Way To Go Week is October 14-18, 2013!
***************************************************************************************** Natural Gas Vehicles - The Here and Now Technology: A Workshop for New England -- November 13, 2013, 8:00am - 3:30pm Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center You are cordially invited by the Clean Cities Coalitions of Northern New England to attend one-day workshops to inform you about the options available for using compressed natural gas (CNG) in fleet vehicles. These events will assist you in determining if CNG is right for you, help you develop a business case for CNG, and provide information on implementing and financing a project if you decide to move forward.
Information and registration links available at http://bit.ly/14M2fH9 ***************************************************************************************** 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
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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.
September 13th - Health Care Systems and Transportation Hosted By: Glenn McRae of the Transportation Research Center
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