News
& Notices The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services announced the last of three public information meetings will be held to present the final results of the independent evaluation to determine the specific causes of recent floods in New Hampshire and provide recommendations for ways to mitigate future flooding.
The public meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 25, 2008, at 7:00 PM in the Auditorium of the Spaulding High School, 130 Wakefield Street, Rochester, New Hampshire. At the meeting, the engineering consultants who performed the evaluation will discuss what can be done in the future to reduce flooding impacts in New Hampshire. In addition, they will also review their findings on the causes of the May 2006 and April 2007 floods, which they presented in detail at the second public meeting.
The $330,000 study is being funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and performed by a team led by the URS Corporation, an international engineering firm under contract to FEMA. In addition, an independent panel of national experts in water resources management is overseeing the entire study to ensure that the work and recommendations meet the highest level of professional independence and expertise. The independent panel will also be present at the public information to discuss their conclusions.
Additional information on the study, as well as directions to the Spaulding High School, is available on the Department of Environmental Services website at www.des.nh.gov/dam/floods.htm. For more information, please contact Jim Gallagher, at the Department of Environmental Services Dam Bureau, at 271-1961.
Jim Gallagher, 603-271-1961
Concord, NH - The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services announced today that the changes to the Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act (CSPA) enacted April 1, 2008 have been repealed and reenacted with a new effective date of July 1, 2008. The state is now operating under the preexisting law and rules. New projects and activities conducted within the protected shoreland do not require a permit until July 1, 2008.
Certain elements of the CSPA enacted on April 1, 2008 were not repealed and will remain in effect, including:
The minimum primary structure setback in all towns is 50 feet from protected waters. This provision supercedes local ordinances that maintain a lesser primary setback. The CSPA now applies to the Saco and Pemigiwasset Rivers and all great ponds and 4th order or greater streams.
The New Hampshire Legislature is considering additional amendments to the CSPA, which may also become effective July 1, 2008. For further information or clarification, visit the DES website at www.des.nh.gov/cspa or call Jason Aube, Shoreland Protection Outreach Specialist at 603 271-8176.
The long-awaited USGS Seacoast water use report is now available on-line: http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2007/5157/
The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services announced today that it is preparing to implement the revised Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act. The changes and associated rules will go into effect on April 1, 2008. However, the legislature is currently considering a bill that could later change that effective date. DES understands that this situation may temporarily create uncertainty for development projects within the protected shoreland. Read press release.
Application period for Round 2 of SRTS Funding opens March 17 and closes 4 p.m. on Monday, May 12, 2008. After review and scoring by the Regional Planning Commissions (RPCs) and the Statewide Advisory Committee (SAC), the N.H. Department of Transportation (NHDOT) anticipates announcing awards on Monday, Aug. 25, 2008. More Information
The New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning (OEP) is now accepting applications for Housing and Conservation Planning Program (HCPP) grants. This new grant program enables municipalities to purchase technical planning assistance in order to plan for housing and conservation through a unified approach. The program awards grants through four progressive grant stages:
Stage 1: Research, mapping, and data analysis -- grants up to $20,000
Stage 2: Growth and development strategy planning - grants up to $15,000
Stage 3: Master plan updates -- grants up to $15,000
Stage 4: Implementation into the regulatory framework -- grants up to $30,000
A total of up to $200,000 will be awarded to municipalities during this first application cycle.
Applications, guidance, and additional program information are available online and may also be obtained by contacting OEP. Completed applications must be submitted to OEP by April 11, 2008, 4:30 PM and awards will be announced by April 25, 2008.
Please feel free to contact Jennifer or Dari at OEP or visit the HCPP application website for more information. Also online, learn how to access grant writing assistance or find out about upcoming workshops.
OEP has prepared a press release that you may use to further advertise the availability of HCPP grants. Additionally, please forward this information on to your members or constituents as appropriate.
Contact:
Jennifer Czysz, Senior Planner
Dari Sassan, Assistant Planner
Office of Energy and Planning
57 Regional Drive, Suite 3
Concord, NH 03301
p: 603.271.2155
f: 603.271.2615
Just published, 2007 FY Transportation Projects receiving Federal funding.
Download document (1.3MB PDF format)
Coordinated Public Transit Human Services Transportation Plan
for the
Seacoast Region of New Hampshire
The New Hampshire Seacoast Metropolitan Organization (MPO) through the Strafford and Rockingham Regional Planning Commissions has drafted its Coordinated Public Transit Human Services Transportation Plan for thirty-eight communities in the New Hampshire Seacoast Region. The Plan will be available for a thirty-day public review and comment period beginning October 29, 2007.
The Coordinated Plan can be downloaded from the link below and can be viewed at the following locations:
Comments will be accepted until close of business on November 27, 2007.
If you have any questions please contact:
Myranda McGowan
Strafford Regional Planning Commission
2 Ridge Street, Suite 4
Dover, NH 03820
(603) 742-2523
Email mmcgowan@strafford.org
Download the complete plan (3.1 MB PDF format)
The Strafford Regional Planning Commission (SRPC) announces its intent to amend the 2007-2010 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). This is the 4th amendment programmed for the STIP. Amendments to the STIP require a Public Hearing, a 30-day public comment period, and approval by the SRPC MPO Policy Committee.
A combined Public Hearing and MPO Policy Committee meeting to address STIP Amendment #4 will be in September. A date has not yet been determined, but will be announced in advance of the meeting. For further information contact either Cynthia Copeland or Dale Abbott at the Strafford Regional Planning Commission at 603-772-2523.
Download these related documents:
Communities throughout the Granite State are recognizing the many benefits of safe walking and bicycling to school.
Burning calories instead of gasoline, reducing traffic jams in school zones, and improving air quality are the potential benefits of the New Hampshire Safe Routes to School (NHSRTS) initiative administered by the state Department of Transportation (NHDOT).
May promises to be a busy month for the program. More communities are beginning the planning process while the department prepares for the first round of funding. Complete Information
EPA has released the following four new smart growth publications:
Read complete press release with content summaries and links to the EPA web site.
Announcing a great new web site resource.The Active Living Network is a gateway to tools and resources for promoting active living and healthy community design. The network conects people working on local, regional and national effort to design and build vibrant, healthy communities. It is a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. [http://www.activeliving.org]
From the Nov. 3, 2005 letter from Cynthia Copeland, Exec. Director, SRPC:
We need your local knowledge and expertise! The Strafford Regional Planning Commission is working within a collaborative partnership with The Nature Conservancy, Society for the Protection of NH Forests, and Rockingham Planning Commission to prepare a coastal watershed land conservation plan.
Staff from The Nature Conservancy came to our office in Dover and reviewed community Master Plan documents looking for policies and priorities on land use, open space, recreation, and natural resources. The goal was to find general and specific land protection priorities.
We have briefly reviewed the information that was collected and would like to ensure that the data used in this plan is the most current for your community or organization.
Would you kindly review the matrix for your town (group), and make any corrections needed to the matrix? The matrix will be available for your use on our website at www.strafford.org. (Download matrix here) Please return to our office via email or mail by November 30, 2005. Thank you for your support.
If you have any questions, please contact Dale Abbott at dabbot@strafford.org regarding GIS and data related issues, and Cynthia Copeland at cjc@strafford.org regarding master plan policies and priorities or the overall status of the project.
Download the sample matrix to give us your updated priorities [66k PDF format].