In early January, we sent a survey to our member municipalities to help us assess their interest in shared services and how the CCRPC can improve our services.

The survey was emailed to 150 municipal officials, including all local elected officials, CCRPC Board members, and municipal managers/administrators. We received 45 responses and some excellent feedback. Thank you to all who participated.

The greatest interest in shared/additional services was expressed in the following areas: Public Safety (54%); Cooperative Purchasing (51%); Conflict Management (46%); Grant Writing (46%); IT Specialist/Website (41%); Shared Equipment/Highway (38%); Shared Equipment/Public Safety (38%); and Consulting Services (38%).

We also received a number of written suggestions and ideas for improvements to CCRPC services.

In the coming months, we will be working with our municipalities on how best to proceed with meeting their needs in current and expanded service areas. If you have any suggestions, ideas, or feedback on how the CCRPC can better serve your municipality, please contact us.

Best regards,

Charlie Baker

Executive Director

The CCRPC is currently accepting applications for summer internships (May-August 2015). [Learn More]

The Town Officers' Education Conferences are designed to help town clerks, planners, listers, select board members and other municipal officials in Vermont do their jobs more effectively by providing updates on tax laws and regulations, municipal record keeping and effective strategies for handling planning, zoning and other town issues. [Learn More]

Michele Boomhower, former CCRPC Assistant/MPO Director, was awarded the Association for Commuter Travel (ACT) Patriot Chapter's TDM Excellence Award for an Individual for accomplishments during her six years at the CCRPC. Michele is currently the Director of Policy Planning and Intermodal Development at VTrans.

Join CarShare VT for a delicious, family-style dinner and gathering at the Penny Cluse Cafe to benefit its MobilityShare Program. [Learn More]

The CCRPC was featured as one of two case studies in the US Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration's "Performance-Based Planning for Small Metropolitan Areas" report. The report provides insights on effective practices by MPOs that plan for Urbanized Areas with populations less than 200,000, and the case study focused on performance measures in the Chittenden County ECOS Plan and Metropolitan Transportation Plan. [View the Report]

This one-day workshop will address the ABCs of roundabout design, examine its many benefits, and analyze a Burlington intersection for roundabout conversion. Held at UVM and co-sponsored by AARP Vermont, UVM Center on Aging, Addison County RPC, Chittenden County RPC, Northwest RPC, Vermont Local Roads and VTrans.

Roundabouts offer reduced costs, reduced environmental impacts, and improved safety over intersections with traffic signals. Watch the video to learn what a roundabout is, and how to properly drive through one. [Watch the Video]

Vermont Internships is a new website designed for students to connect with Vermont employers and land internship opportunities in technical, creative, and business pursuits. The State of Vermont supports this collaborative effort to retain top students and support technology companies. [Learn More]

Brainstorm and reality-filter business ideas, find resources, and make a plan with a community of your business-exploring peers with the Mercy Connections' Women's Small Business Program. For more information and to enroll, contact WSBP Director Gwen Pokalo: 846-7338 or gpokalo@mercyconnections.org.

This year's round of the climate game Vermontivate! boasts a brand new website and a fresh set of challenges designed to make a big difference. Teams can include everything from towns, schools, and businesses to neighborhoods, churches, synagogues, book groups, and even bowling leagues. [Learn More & Sign Up]

Join VECAN and the Chittenden County RPC for an overview of tools, resources, guidance and success stories of community solar solutions. The goal is to create a space for dialogue around regional challenges and opportunities. Contact Ben at bciviletti@vnrc.org to RSVP. [Learn More]

Can collecting food scraps for composting make your community more resilient? You bet! Every year, the Vermont Organics Recycling Summit (VORS) brings community members and municipalities together with experts to help determine the right mix of options for your neck of the woods. [Learn More]

If you've ever bemoaned the piles of packaging, coffee cups, and cigarette butts that appear along the roadsides in spring, you know Green Up Day is a needed and engaging statewide event for all ages. Check out your town's bag pick-up and drop-off sites in preparation, and for more information and to volunteer, please contact greenup@greenupvermont.org.

Based on community input from the Public Design Workshops in June, this draft code lays out future zoning regulations for the 'Gateway Corridors' of E. Allen St, Main St. and Malletts Bay Ave. The draft code and a survey to provide feedback can be found at: www.winooskigateways.com. Comments will be accepted until March 20th.

In 2014, the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce, through its Burlington Young Professionals group, created the Young Professionals Advocacy Task Force with a specific focus on housing issues in and around Burlington. As one of its first steps, the Task Force compiled a survey to better understand the needs and concerns of Vermont's young workforce. [Survey Results]

Newly developed tools are generating innovative solutions in communities across the country by guiding planners, architects and public officials as they assess, forecast and create healthy places. In this webinar, a panel of professional and academic leaders will discuss emerging tools for building bridges toward better health through the built environment. [Learn More]

Presented by the Greater Burlington Multicultural Resource Center, the 2015 Diversity Conference will explore the challenges and possibilities that are faced in the workplace today. It will also seek to explore the leadership roles that are exercised as we try to empower ourselves and our communities of color. [Learn More]

The Chittenden County RPC and the University of Vermont Center for Rural studies put together an infographic depicting behavioral health issues. The infographic combines survey responses from community leaders on their top issues and benchmarked data from state sources. To request copies contact Melanie Needle at mneedle@ccrpcvt.org. [View the Infographic]

The Center for Rural Studies at the University of Vermont with the Chittenden County RPC and the Burlington Police Department Service Executives Committee were awarded a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture funded project to address behavioral health. In the coming months, the team will develop an innovative community health and public safety dashboard around a locally determined set of community behavioral health issues, including substance abuse, mental health, and domestic violence. Based on findings, they will then select and implement a community intervention. For more information about this project contact Melanie Needle at mneedle@ccrpcvt.org.

The We All Belong Program works with Burlington area non-profits, schools and City departments to help create inclusive workplaces and to offer more culturally competent services, events and programming for Burlington's increasingly diverse community. Serve your community locally! Check out the full position description and apply by sending a resume, cover letter and two references to weallbelongvt@gmail.com.

The checklist provides local government officials, community organizations, and nonprofits with a new tool to assess a community's readiness to prepare and recover from future floods. To learn more, read the report on Planning for Flood Recovery and Long Term Resilience in Vermont.

The Connecticut River Watershed Council has released six short videos to help communities prepare for flooding. The videos highlight steps that communities can take to reduce exposure to damage from flooding. [Learn More]

For questions regarding emergency preparedness, including LEPC 1, please contact Lee Krohn in the CCRPC office.

The New England Chapter of the APWA is pleased to announce its Spring Conference on Tuesday, April 14, 2015 at the Marriott Hotel in Windsor, CT. Topics include: Low cost walk/bike improvements; sustainable capital investment planning; modern roundabouts; pavement preservation; and energy conservation in municipal buildings. [Learn More]

VTrans is developing an On-Road Bicycle Plan in support of enhancing on-road bicycle improvements on state highways. The plan will assist VTrans in understanding where to focus limited resources toward bicycle improvements and allow better integration into Agency projects. [Learn More]

Burlington will host the 2015 Downtown and Historic Preservation Conference on Friday, June 5th at Main Street Landing. The conference offers walking tours and education sessions packed with practical ideas and information you can use to help your community thrive. Registration coming soon. For more information, contact Gary Holloway.

Save the date for the Vermont League of Cities & Towns' Planning & Zoning Forum. [Learn More]

Save the date for the 2015 APA Getting Ahead of the Future conference in Saratoga Springs, NY. [Learn More]