ACRPC April Newsletter
Posted on April 8th, 2022 to Uncategorized
The ACRPC Newsletter contains Addison County announcements, events, grants, and trainings for the upcoming month. Click below to see this newsletter and other resources on our website.
ACRPC Update
Vermont 2022 Walk/Bike Summit
ACRPC is proud to be the host of the 2022 Walk/Bike Summit. The 2022 Walk/Bike Summit will showcase projects, innovations and advocacy that support increased pedestrian, bike, and public transportation infrastructure, resulting in livable, healthy and vibrant communities. The Summit will take place on May 6, 2022 at the Town Hall Theater and various locations across Middlebury. The event will include interactive demo workshops, peer exchanges, a highly acclaimed keynote, and a variety of dynamic presentations and topics including advocacy and education, safe and healthy communities, economic development, and the built environment.
This year’s keynote, Don Kostelec, is a principal at Vitruvian Planning in Boise, Idaho, a 17-year veteran of comprehensive transportation planning and health analysis. Don is a provocative speaker focused on the development of equitable and safe street designs that prioritizes people over the movement of vehicles.
This event is open to all community members, pedestrian and bike enthusiasts, designers, planners and researchers throughout the state.
Fill out the Event Registration form AND ALSO purchase your ticket by clicking the buttons above. Learn more about this event at VTWalkBikeSummit.com.
Events
Announcements
ACRPC is Hiring!
The Addison County Regional Planning Commission (ACRPC) seeks to hire 2 interns for the summer months (June – August) of 2022. This position’s main duties are field data collection and supporting computer work related to transportation infrastructure and clean water.
ARPA Funding Municipal Planning Roundtable
Wednesday, April 27 at 12pm – Addison County municipalities will receive more than $10 million in municipal and county funds from the Federal Government through American Rescue Act Funding (ARPA) in 2021 and 2022. This roundtable discussion will cover ARPA Accounting and Reporting requirements and summary of projects currently being undertaken in the region with the ARPA funding.. Selectboard members and administrators, Town Clerks, and Managers are encouraged to attend and bring questions.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has issued its Final Rule on ARPA spending, which takes effect April 1, 2022 and provides significant flexibility in spending to fund “government services”. Until April, the interim final rule remains in effect and the first round of ARPA reporting is due by April 30th of this year.
Please contact ACRPC planner, Andrew L’Roe ([email protected]) with questions. For more information on ARPA funding, please see the VLCT webpage: https://www.vlct.org/arpa and the ACRPC webpage: https://acrpc.org/regional-programs/arpa/
Brownfield Sites Sought for Assessment
Do you own or want to develop properties in Addison County but think they might have environmental contaminants from previous activities? These types of properties might include old gas stations, auto repair shops, dry cleaners, landfills, junkyards, industrial buildings, or vacant sites where any of these used to be. These Brownfields are properties which have, or could potentially have, hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants. These can significantly complicate the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of these properties, so ACRPC is working to identify sites so that we can work with interested parties to assess and remediate them. If you have site suggestions or plans to purchase one, please contact ACRPC planner, Andrew L’Roe ([email protected]).
ACORN is Hiring!
ACORN seeks an organized, collaborative, detail-oriented, self-motivated food systems professional with customer service skills to manage the emerging Champlain Valley Food Hub and to support ACORN’s Farmacy program in Middlebury.
VTrans Press Release
Salisbury/Cornwall, VT – An Alternatives Presentation for Bridge 8 will be held on Thursday, April 7, 2022, beginning at 7:00 PM. The meeting may be attended virtually by following the zoom link below. The meeting will be held jointly between the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) and the Towns of Salisbury and Cornwall. A copy of the Scoping Report for this project is available online HERE.
Zoom Meeting ID: 304 948 3370 Passcode: 968361
Downtown and Historic Preservation Conference
The Downtown and Historic Preservation Conference which will be held in person June 9th in St Johnsbury and is currently seeking session submissions from across the State with a particular focus on four main themes: Redefining Main Street and Rural Economies; Outdoor Recreation; Arts, Culture and Creative Industries; and Housing. Submission proposals are due March 28 at the link to the right.
Shopping Buddies Desperately Needed
You grocery shop for yourself every week – ho-hum. Turn this mundane chore into an uplifting experience by bringing along a senior neighbor who can’t drive herself/himself to access food. Please call Amy Buxton at Tri-Valley Transit, 802-388-2287, for more information. You can relieve desperate need just by sharing a ride. TVT will handle all the logistics and even pay for your gas!
Energy Announcements
Public School Grants for HVAC and Clean Heat
The PSD/CEDF requests preliminary grant applications from Vermont public schools in low-income areas for repairs of existing HVAC systems and the installation of new clean heating systems. $2.5 million in ARPA funds are available. The RFP can be found HERE
Climate Action Plan Public Forum
Learn About the Climate Action Plan and Provide Your Input at Upcoming Public Forum – April 12th, 6:00 PM & April 13th, 12:00 PM – Join the Vermont Climate Council for one or both virtual public forums – Tuesday, April 12 or Wednesday, April 13 – to learn about the Council’s ongoing work and share your feedback. Register here, and read below for more information.
Free Municipal Energy Consultation
Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VLCT) and Efficiency Vermont Partner to Expand Municipal Energy Efficiency Program – VLCT and Efficiency Vermont have launched a new partnership to lower municipal energy costs and climate impacts. Municipalities can sign up for a free energy consultation to identify cost-effective solutions to lower energy costs. Read more here.
Climate Toolkit Focus Group
Share Your Feedback: Climate Toolkit Focus Group Survey – Responses Due by April 7th – The Rural Resilience and Adaptation Subcommittee of the Vermont Climate Council is seeking input on the needs of municipalities taking climate action to help inform the development of a toolkit. Please fill out this survey to share your input by Thursday, April 7th. Read below for more information.
GreenSavingSmart Program
Reaching Energy Equity Goals with GreenSavingSmart – GreenSavingSmart is a new service administered by Vermont’s five community action agencies that connects financial coaching with energy savings for low- and moderate-income Vermonters to ensure a cleaner, greener Vermont. Learn all about this initiative here. And, if you missed VECAN’s March 2nd webinar about this program, you can watch the recording here.
Grants & Funding
Community Grants
Equitable and Inclusive Communities grant program
In cooperation with the Vermont League of Cities and Towns and the state of Vermont’s Office of Racial Equity, the Vermont Community Foundation is seeking proposals from Vermont villages, towns, and cities that close the opportunity gap by supporting local efforts to foster inclusion and belonging for people of all races and backgrounds. We recognize that Vermont communities are starting in different places in their work on equity, inclusion, and belonging, and that communities will need different things at different times. We welcome communities at all stages of learning. Grants are up to $10,000. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Learn more, and see the evaluation criteria and application requirements, here.
Vermont Community Development Program Grants
The Vermont Community Development Program (VCDP) assists communities on a competitive basis by providing financial and technical assistance to identify and address local needs in the areas of: housing, economic development, public facilities, and handicapped accessibility modifications.
Due: April 12
Cultural Facilities Grant
From the VT Arts Council, the Cultural Facilities Grant help Vermont nonprofit organizations and municipalities enhance, create, or expand the capacity of an existing building to provide cultural activities for the public.
Due: May 2
Transportation Grants
RAISE Discretionary Grants
This program provides a unique opportunity for the DOT to invest in road, rail, transit, and port projects that promise to achieve national objectives.
Due: April 14th
Bicycle and Pedestrian Grants
The Bicycle and Pedestrian Program goal is to provide safe and convenient facilities for those Vermonters who desire alternative transportation opportunities. VTrans is set to announce a new round of Bike/ Ped funding in April.
Due: Late June
Water Quality Grants
ACRPC Awarded CWIP Block Grant
The ACRPC was awarded a Clean Water Initiative Program (CWIP) Project Development Block Grant in the amount of $200,000 by the Vermont DEC. As one of three block grantees in the state, the ACRPC will solicit proposals and distribute funding to support the expansion of water quality improvement projects that reduce sediment and nutrient pollution of state waters.
Tools & Trainings
Community Training
Engaging with Municipal Leadership in Your Community
An often important component of advancing projects in your community may be to engage and work with local municipal leadership – Selectboards, Planning Commissions, City Councils, etc. In this workshop, we will hear from community and municipal leaders and discuss effective ways to communicate and coordinate with municipal leadership and work together for the future of your community. Learn more here.
Friday, April 29: 10-11:30AM
Older Driver Webinar Series
Vermont Department of Health partnered with many organizations to launch a new webinar series focused on older driver safety in Vermont held on the last Wednesday of every month from April – June from 12-1pm. More info: HERE. The events are free.
Energy & Natural Resources
CVOEO Weatherization Services
Please join us Thursday, April 14 at noon for a Zoom presentation by Dwight DeCoster, CVOEO’s Weatherization Services Director, to learn more about the program, who might qualify, and how your community might assist with outreach.
Emerging Technologies for Indoor Agriculture
Indoor Agriculture, also known as controlled environment agriculture (CEA), includes everything from home seed starting to commercial year-round food and cannabis production. On April 14th from 9:30-11 AM we’ll describe the expanding indoor agriculture market and opportunities for contractors.
Pesky Plant Trackers
The Pesky Plant Trackers Campaign is a community science opportunity focused on wild parsnip and knotweed. VT Dept. Forests, Parks & Recreation is helping the researchers for Pesky Plant Trackers bring their efforts to track invasive plant phenology into the Northeast, and we need your help! Participation in this project is straight forward — all you need is a Nature’s Notebook account, a smart phone or computer, and the ability to regularly return to your plants to make observations. Join us, and make a real difference, today!
Pollinator Pathways of Addison County
On Thursday, April 14 at 7pm, join Sefra Alexandra, known as The Seed Huntress, who will talk on “Ecotypes, Ecoregions + Ecological Restoration: fortifying the living seed bank for the pollinators!”.
Tuesday, April 19, 7:00 PM, will be the Pollinator Pathway of Addison County Spring Forum. The Forum will provide a platform for connecting with other people interested in biodiversity and rewilding in each town in Addison County.
