ACRPC May Newsletter

Posted on May 4th, 2022 to Uncategorized

The ACRPC Newsletter contains Addison County announcements, events, grants, and training for the upcoming month. Click below to see this newsletter and other resources on our website. Please contact Maddison Shropshire with questions, [email protected]

ACRPC Update

ACRPC’s Annual Meeting

Dear Commissioners:

I am pleased to welcome you all to ACRPC’s Annual Meeting. This year, we will be holding our Annual Meeting on Wednesday June 8th from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Tourterelle Restaurant in New Haven, Vermont in their back open-air meeting room. I very much look forward to seeing all of you in person. As this will be a dinner meeting, we will NOT have a remote option. We will start with a social hour at 5:00 to allow all of us to catch up, in person. We will serve dinner at 6:00 p.m. followed by our Speaker, Middlebury Commissioner Ross Conrad will discuss his recent book on beekeeping in Addison County, the Land of Milk and Honey. After Ross’s presentation and a brief time for discussion, we will move to an abbreviated business meeting to elect officers and pass our budget. Dinner is free to Commissioners and one guest each. Others wishing to join should contact Adam [email protected]. I look forward to sharing a meal and good conversation with all of you!

Best,

Adam

Vermont 2022 Walk/Bike Summit

ACRPC is proud to host 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.

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.

Events

This newsletter is financed through the State of Vermont Dept. of Housing and Community Affairs. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the State of Vermont. All programs of the Addison County Regional Planning Commission are ADA accessible.

Announcements

Park Your Carbon Week

May 16th-20th. Want to try a different way of getting around? How about a healthy option, one that can save you some money and even be fun? You can reduce carbon pollution in Vermont and impact worldwide climate change. Park Your Carbon is a week-long initiative to help change Vermonters’ transportation and commuting habits by encouraging green ways of travel. Do it for a day, a week, or make it a habit. Bike. Walk. Share Your Ride. Bus. Work From Home. Take the pledge and Go Vermont will plant a tree!

Transportation for an Aging Population

VTrans and AARP have asked us to share this survey outreach to help them best support Vermonters as they age. If you are age 45+, please take this survey https://bit.ly/3N2aADp and tell us what’s important to you as you get older, share your experience and let us know how well our communities are supporting older Vermonters right now.Vermont’s demographics are changing. 1 in 4 Vermonters are over the age of 60. Are Vermont’s communities ready and able to meet our changing needs and goals as we age? Join us in creating EnVision Vermont: A 10-Year Action Plan for Aging Well. DEADLINE TO RESPOND: May 20th, 2022. To learn more or request a paper copy of the survey, go to https://dail.vermont.gov/resources/legislative/older-vermonters-act or call 1-800-642-5119

Frog Hollow Bike Swap – May 7th

It’s time for our annual bike swap to benefit Safe Routes Middlebury. Upgrade your ride or make space in your garage. Want to sell a bike? Bring your bike to Frog Hollow Bikes 10am-5pm from Monday, May, 2nd through Friday, May 6th. Staff will be available to assist in helping you set prices and check your items in. All bikes must be in rideable condition. Collect cash or pick up any unsold bikes by Saturday, May 14th at 5pm. Want to buy a bike? Stop by the shop Saturday, May 7th from 9am-12pm and browse our selection of used bikes.

DETAILS HERE

Climate Change and Land Use Guide Available

This guide is intended to provide municipalities with guidance on how to amend land use regulations to limit low density sprawl, enable compact walkable neighborhoods, and protect the working and natural landscape to ensure climate change resilience. Learn More

Downtown and Historic Preservation Conference

The Department of Housing and Community Development and the Preservation Trust of Vermont is pleased to present the Downtown and Historic Preservation Conference on Thursday, June 9, 2022, in St. Johnsbury. This will be an in-person event without virtual offerings. Register Now. Take advantage of the early bird rate until May 13^th. Space is limited and the conference may sell out quickly. Please visit our website for more information on the schedule, sessions, and additional conference information.

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]).

Grants and Funding

Community

Local Food Market Development Grants

The purpose of this grant is to foster Vermont producers’ access to wholesale markets and to increase the quantity of local food available in Vermont institutions and other Vermont wholesale markets by addressing barriers in the supply chain. This program encourages local food wholesale market development opportunities with an institutional focus across the state from Vermont farmers, producer groups, and value-chain facilitators. Proposed projects must improve quality, efficiency, or food safety; address distribution challenges; or mitigate the financial risks associated with scaling up to meet new market demands.

Learn more: Here | Due: May 10th, 2022

Farm Agronomic Practice Grant Program

The Farm Agronomic Practice (FAP) grant program provides financial incentives to Vermont farms to implement soil-based agronomic practices that improve soil quality, increase crop production, and reduce erosion and agricultural waste discharges.

Learn more: Here | Due: June 15th, 2022

Transportation

Safe Streets and Roads for All

The Safe Streets and Roads for All program has recently been announced by the federal government. This is a new program that came out of the federal Infrastructure Bill. Funds are available to develop, update, or implement a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan, a plan aimed at preventing transportation-related fatalities and serious injuries in a locality. An informational webinar for municipalities will take place on May 2 from 1-3 PM.

Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Grants

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) has issued a grant solicitation for new infrastructure projects that improve access and safety for bicyclists and pedestrians.The AOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Program improves access and safety for bicyclists and pedestrians through the planning, design, and construction of infrastructure projects. The program improves transportation options for commuters, visitors to the state, and recreational use.

Learn More: here. | Due: 1:00 PM, June 8, 2022

Energy

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.

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

Water Quality

2022 Design and Implementation Block Grant Open Round

Watersheds United Vermont (WUV) is pleased to announce a new round of grant funding under the Design and Implementation Block Grant (DIBG) Program. Funding for this program is provided by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Clean Water Initiative Program (CWIP) through the state Clean Water Fund. The goal of the Clean Water Fund is to support projects whose primary purpose is to reduce sediment and nutrient pollution, including phosphorus, from runoff and soil erosion that discharge into the state’s rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, and wetlands. All projects under this funding source are to be completed by November 1, 2024. Funds available under this DIBG round include $350,000 for stormwater projects and $415,000 for natural resources projects. Contact Christian Pelletier ([email protected]) or Lyn Munno ([email protected]) with any questions.

Applications Due: May 27, 2022
View Application Materials on the WUV website

Emergency Preparedness

Hazard Mitigation Grant Program

The HMGP program is funded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and is administered by Vermont Emergency Management on behalf of the state. Federal funds are available to cover up to 75% of approved project costs; however, please note that there is a 25% local match requirement that is the responsibility of the applicant town. Typical hazard mitigation projects include: mitigation of local roads and bridges, home acquisition (buyout), structural elevations or relocations, replacement of undersized culverts, mitigation outreach and education, etc. Project proposals do not need to be directly connected to damages incurred from the most recent declared disaster.

Learn More: Here | Due: June 30, 2022

Resilient Communities Fund Grants Available

The second round of Resilient Communities Fund grants will fund buyouts of flood-vulnerable homes, floodplain restoration, and other natural resource projects that will help protect life and property from future floods in Vermont. More than $2.1M in grants will go to towns and non-profit organizations in round two of the program. The second round of Resilient Communities Fund grants were awarded fund buyouts of flood-vulnerable homes, floodplain restoration, and other natural resource projects that will help protect life and property from future floods in Vermont. ACRPC received two awards for projects in the Region:

Addison County Regional Planning Commission ($81,900) – old bridge removal and restoration (Starksboro)
Addison County Regional Planning Commission ($31,500) – project scoping – Lewis Creek Reaches (Starksboro/Bristol)

A third round of funding is now open to applications due October 22nd.

Learn More: HERE

Tools and Trainings

Energy

Webinar: Planning for EV Infrastructure in Vermont

Join Vermont Clean Cities, Drive Electric Vermont, and VTrans on Wednesday, May 18 at 1pm for a free webinar about electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Vermont. Hear about funding opportunities, federal and state EV charging goals, and more. Learn More & Register »

Community

VLCT Effective Board of Civil Authority Property Tax Assessment Appeals

A taxpayer in your municipality who is not satisfied with a decision of the listers may appeal to the Board of Civil Authority (BCA). In this session you’ll learn the legal and practical parameters within which the BCA must operate – including deadlines, the rules governing participation, and requirements for decision making. To help illustrate these legal requirements and best practices, MAC staff created a mock BCA hearing recording which will be available for registrants to view.

Learn more: Here

Date: May 05, 2022 9:00 am to 12:00 pm

VLCT Legal and Effective Meetings

Engaging in civil discourse while discussing policy differences and controversial topics can be challenging for local officials, especially when board, commission, and committee members must also make sure to comply with Vermont’s Open Meeting Law. In this session you’ll hear from experts who will review strategies for working through tough conversations, including a review of best practices for managing and resolving conflicts and how to discuss options when a resolution or agreement is clearly not attainable. Throughout the presentation a focus will be on how to conduct your meetings legally, even and especially when those meetings are difficult.

Learn more: Here

Date: May 11, 2022 9:00 am to 12:00 pm

Digital Access: Key Elements for Inclusion of Disabled People

Inclusive Arts Vermont has partnered with the Vermont Arts Council to offer a series of workshops on improving digital access to arts programming for the inclusion of disabled people. There are nine workshops altogether. All workshops will be held on the first Tuesday of the month, through July 2022. Recordings will be posted on our website after the event. Learn more and register here.

Fiber Installer Technician Credential Course

The proposed Vermont 2023 Budget includes 100M$ of state money to bring high speed internet service to underserved areas of our state, and this is driving demand for knowledgeable installers. If you’re interested in communications and networking from the bottom up, there is a FREE four-day credentialing course this Spring at Vermont Technical College in Randolph Center to help prepare motivated people to do this work – one day of classroom and three days of practical hands-on training.

Learn more: Here

Dates: May 24, 2022, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, May 27, 2022

Water Quality

Target Setting for Water Quality Projects

VT DEC has developed a new Clean Water Service Provider Target Setting Primer! This training was created for Clean Water Service Providers (CWSP) and Basin Water Quality Councils. A PDF version of the presentation with the presenters’ notes is available for viewing: Clean Water Service Provider Target Setting Primer PDF.

During this video, you will learn about Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) and the TMDL Implementation Plans for Lake Champlain and Lake Memphremagog in Vermont. Our presenters will also discuss the regulatory and non-regulatory actions needed to meet the Phase 3 phosphorus reduction targets. They will describe how non-regulatory targets are set, along with the funding to achieve them. Video Link: https://youtu.be/KSspAZRTqVU. This video provides information that is foundational to CWSP and Basin Water Quality Council operations.

Natural Resources

Sam Lovel Expeditions: A Bird Walk with Ruth Brooks & Dean Leary

Join avid birder Ruth Brooks and Rokeby Board member, Dean Leary, for a guided bird walk that explores migrating birds and all the wildlife that calls this special place home. Throughout the walk, participants will experience first-hand the landscape that inspired the writings of Rowland Evans Robinson.

May 7th @ 7:30am to 10:00am. Meeting at Rokeby Museum. $5/Members; $10/ Nonmembers. Register: https://rokeby-museum.square.site/

Community Wildlife Program at Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department Trainings

Please join us for one of these informative webinars or in-depth training!

Follow these links to see the description below.

Registration and more information is available on our Trainings page where you can also find our library of previously recorded sessions. Contact Jens Hilke, [email protected] for more information.

Vermont Urban & Community Forestry Program Events

Arbor Day? How about Arbor Month! Vermont’s official Arbor Day is on Friday, May 6th. In place of our annual Arbor Day Conference, this year the Urban & Community Forestry Program is hosting a series of topic based (in person) field events throughout the month of May. Plus, check out our online trainings and EAB Awareness week toolkit!

May 2nd-31st: Tree Warden School (online)
May 5th, 6pm: Tree Walk, Middlebury College
May 22nd-28th: EAB Awareness Week (toolkit)
May 23rd, 4pm: A Walk and Talk in Huntington Community Forest, Huntington
May 24th, 6pm: EAB and Resilient Roads, East Montpelier

Let’s celebrate trees all month long. We hope to see you at one (or many!) of these events.

Workshop Series: Habitat Connectivity and Biodiversity in the Champlain Valley

Sponsored by The Vermont Master Naturalists Program, Middlebury Area Land Trust, and Otter Creek Audubon.

Habitat Connectivity in Bird Populations using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Geolocators and The Motus Wildlife Tracking Network. Wednesday, May 18^th, 7:00-8:00PM, Online Workshop via ZOOM. Register Here.

Habitat Connectivity in Bird Populations. Saturday, May 21^th, 7:30am-10:00am Register Here. In-person workshop (Limited to 20 participants) at the Ganley-Roper land in Weybridge.

Additional Bird-Banding Opportunity at Hurd Grassland in Weybridge,VT. Saturday June 4, 7:30 AM – 10:30 AM Register Here

Seeing the Bigger Picture: The Vermont ANR Atlas for Landowners . Wednesday, June 8^th, 7:00-8:00PM. Online Workshop via ZOOM. Register Here