North Country Council Projects
This page describes a sampling of the many different projects North Country Council is currently involved in or has recently completed.
Economic Development
Groveton Mill Reuse Initiative
Over the past several years, North Country Council has focused over $440,000 in resources on activities designed to lay the groundwork for the sustainable redevelopment of the Wausau Mill and Groveton Paper Board properties and the revitalization of this community and the surrounding area. These activities began with a combined heat & power district heating feasibility study and downtown market study of Groveton Village. The full reports on these projects can be found here for district heating and here for market study.
More recently, several Brownfields Assessments have been conducted on the Wausau Mill and Groveton Paper Board properties, the wastewater treatment plant, and the lagoon system. The final supplemental Phase II Assessment is nearing completion. The Assessments indicate some very positive news for the redevelopment of the mill properties. Depending on the final re-use, the extent and type of clean-up required is nothing out of the ordinary for any large industrial site. The full assessment reports can be found here,
The Groveton Mill Re-Use Feasibility Study has concluded that there is excellent re-use potential at the site for technology-assisted agriculture. This would include indoor crop production and value-added products, and could incorporate combined heat and power production. A powerpoint presentation on this specific re-use can be downloaded here (100 MB pptx).
Where do we go from here?
North Country Council is now embarking on a 6 month effort, in coordination with the NH Business Resource Center/DRED and other community partners such as CEDC, the Northumberland Selectboard, and the property owner to bring together the public and private sectors to explore the potential for a public-private partnership united behind a defined re-use of the Groveton Mill site.
Towards that end, meetings are being scheduled to bring interested partners together. The NH Business Resource Center at DRED is actively working with potential purchasers, investors, and developers. The contact person for these activities is Michael Bergeron at mbergeron@dred.state.nh.us .
North Country Council is leading a coalition of public agencies to look at investment opportunities that could be coordinated with the private effort. The contact person for these activities is Patricia Garvin at pgarvin@nccouncil.org .
Dartmouth Regional Technology Center Expansion
The Dartmouth Regional Technology Center (DRTC) has received funding from the US Dept of Commerce, Economic Development Administration in the amount of $4,333,786 to begin the expansion of this very successful business incubator. Ground-breaking will take place in May, 2010, and will take approximately one year to complete. The existing 32,500 square foot incubator has served 38 high-growth technology start-up companies since opening in 2006, resulting in the creation of over 150 jobs. The demand for laboratory space is high and this is the perfect time to expand the facility to meet this demand. This new 28,000 square foot addition will continue to be a regional economic development driver, attracting new businesses designed to commercialize technology-based innovations in precision technology, biotech, biomedical, environmental and life sciences. Businesses locating at the DRTC are provided with business development services and entrepreneurial education programs through a management contract with Dartmouth College’s “Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network (DEN) office, located at the DRTC.
The EDA grant is supported by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).
I hereby certify for the North Country Council that the following described ARRA infrastructure investment has received the full review and vetting required by law and that as the authorized representative of the North Country Council accepts responsibility that the infrastructure investment for the Dartmouth Regional Technology Center expansion project is an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars.
Michael King, Executive Director
For more information, go to www.recovery.gov
Brownfields Assessment Program
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has selected North Country Council to inventory and assess Brownfields sites within our planning region. The grant can be used to identify and characterize known or potential petroleum-contaminated site and sites with all other hazardous contamination. The grant is also used to conduct approved Phase I and Phase II assessments. Read more about Brownfields here. For more information on how this program can help your community, contact Pat Garvin at pgarvin@nccouncil.org or 603-444-6303 ext. 25.
Coos County Sudden and Severe Impact Grants
The first Sudden and Severe Impact Grant for Coos County (2007-2008) from the Economic Development Administration supported ten projects, all focused on moving the economy of Coos County away from its dependence on the declining pulp and paper industry. The grant resulted in a 5 Year Coos County Economic Action Plan, a definitive study of the timber resources available for existing and new industries, a feasibility study for distributed energy and heat in Groveton, and the Phase III NH Rural Development Council Telecom Feasibility Study. It also produced an engineering study for expanding the White Mountains Community College, an inventory of the creative economy facilities and sites, and a flood mitigation pre-engineering study for Colebrook. It also provided for enhanced services from the NH Business Resource Center, a business and entrepreneurial training program, and a market study for downtown Groveton. Read more about the Coos County Sudden and Severe Impact I Projects here.
Three separate applications were funded through the second Coos County Sudden and Severe Impact Grant (2008-2010). North Country Council’s grant for economic adjustment planning included funding for business support services, entrepreneurial training, a business and worker survey, regional marketing, and the redevelopment planning for the Wausau/Groveton Paper Board mill complex. In addition, the Town of Whitefield received funding to replace the bridge into their industrial park ,and Northern Community Investment Corp. received funding for broadband infrastructure. Read more about Coos II projects here.
Northern Forest Sustainable Economy Initiative (SEI)
North Country Council and the Northern Forest Center led a 60 member steering committee appointed by the governors of Maine, New Hamsphire, Vermont and New York to develop an economic strategy for the Northern Forest.
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View or download a summary of the Northern Forest SEI strategy here.
View or download the complete Northern Forest SEI report here.
Click here for a link to the Northern Forest Research page.
Click here for a link to the searchable Northern Forest Database.
Looking for ways to save money and help make your municipality more efficient?
The Energy Technical Assistance and Planning for New Hampshire Communities (ETAP) is a two year program providing energy efficiency technical assistance at no charge to municipalities and counties in NH. ETAP's goal is to advance energy efficiency in all New Hampshire municipalities and provide the tools communities need to monitor energy performance. ETAP is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 and administered through New Hampshire's Office of Energy and Planning.
For more information, please download the Energy Technical Assistance & Planning For New Hampshire Communities Flyer.
Broadband Mapping & Planning
The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded the University of New Hampshire (UNH) approximately $1.2 million for broadband data collection and mapping activities over a two-year period and nearly $500,000 for broadband planning activities over a five-year period in New Hampshire. The program, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will increase broadband access and adoption through better data collection and broadband planning. The data will be displayed in NTIA’s national broadband map, a tool that will inform policymakers’ efforts and provide consumers with improved information on the broadband Internet services available to them. UNH has partnered with New Hampshire’s nine regional planning commissions including North Country Council (NCC) to assist in the collection of broadband data.
The 1st phase of the project will be the collection of Community Anchor Institutes. These facilities include at a minimum: Schools (K-12), libraries, medical and healthcare providers, public safety entities, institutions of higher education, other community support government, other community support non-government. The following base information will be collected for each facility: Name, address, facility type, broadband service, service provider, technology of transmission, advertised download and upload speeds.
A staff member from NCC will be contacting these facilities over the next few weeks to gather this information. If there is a specific person who can answer these questions, please forward their contact information to James Steele at jsteele@nccouncil.org or 444-6303 ext. 15.
North Country Rideshare
North Country Council received Federal Transit Administration funds through NHDOT to develop, launch and promote "North Country RideShare": an initiative to promote NH RideShare, a free carpool matching service, and provide public education to increase participation in the program in the North Country. North Country RideShare will offer some residents an alternative to single occupancy vehicle commutes, and, for others who have no vehicle at all, a means to travel to employment where none now exists. Finding an alternative means to and from employment or appointments will reduce commuting costs for community members, saving money in the long run.
This start-up phase will include developing and facilitating an advisory committee, developing a North Country webpage linked to NH Rideshare, developing promotional materials, and conducting outreach to residents of four pilot communities – Whitefield, Lancaster, Northumberland and Stratford, both in town and on-site at major employers serving that labor market area.
Wetland Delineation Project Along the Connecticut River
The Vernal Pool Inventory funded by the Upper Connecticut River Mitigation and Enhancement Fund pointed to the need to enhance efforts to protect and restore the region's wetlands and wetland buffers. To help member communities make informed decisions regarding wetland priorities, North Country Council contracted with Watershed to Wildlife to conduct functional assessments of important wetland complexes in nine North Country towns. The work was performed over a three year period. Studies for the towns of Lancaster, Northumberland and Dalton were completed in the first round; Haverhill, Bath and Monroe in the second; and Columbia, Stratford and Colebrook in the final round. For a sampling of this work, download Dalton's wetland study here. This project was funded through the Upper Connecticut River Mitigation and Enhancement Fund. For more information or an update on this project, contact Tara Bamford at tbamford@nccouncil.org or 603-444-6303 ext. 20.
Community Planning
Easton Master Plan
The Easton Planning Board began their master plan update with a community survey and a build-out analysis. The results of each were examined and found to be markedly different, i.e. what residents want for a future and what the town is currently zoned for are very different. Over the past year, North Country Council staff worked with the Planning Board to develop a set of policies and recommendations to bring the town in a direction more consistent with residents' desires. The new master plan can be downloaded here (14 MB Word).
Whitefield Master Plan
North Country Council assisted the Whitefield Planning Board with the development of a new master plan, adopted in December 2008. Download the cover pages (MS Word 1 MB) and body of the plan (MS Word 2.7MB) to view this very readable and focused plan for Whitefield's future.
Hazard Mitigation
North Country Council has been working with communities to develop hazard mitigation plans since the Disaster Mitigation Act (DMA) was first enacted in 2000. Local governments are required to prepare and adopt hazard mitigation plans meeting strict federal and state and requirements as a condition to receiving Hazard Mitigation Grants or certain disaster relief funds. Federal funds have been available through NH Homeland Security & Emergency Management (HSEM) to conduct this work.
In 2006-07, North Country Council led a pilot program for the creation of Wildfire Mitigation Plans. Subsequently, FEMA has integrated wildfire mitigation with hazard mitigation to create the new format, Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plans. With collaboration from the US Forest Service (USFS), North Country Resource Conservation and Development (NCRC&D) and NH Forests and Lands (DRED), the Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan is written to gain acceptance not only as a FEMA approved hazard mitigation plan but also as a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) approved by DRED. Designation as a Community Wildfire Protection Plan provides community access to federal funding for hazardous fuels reduction and other mitigation projects supported by the US Forest Service. By merging the two federal planning processes (hazard and wildfire), duplication is eliminated and the town has access to a larger pool of resources for pre-disaster planning.
Most North Country towns have completed their initial Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plans and now are working on their first five-year updates. Download a sample plan here (2.7 MB PDF). If you wish to have your community participate in this process please contact June Garneau at 444-6303 ext 13.
Innovative Land Use Guidebook
North Country Council is pleased to announce the publication of Innovative Land Use Planning Techniques - A Handbook for Sustainable Development The Handbook was written collaboratively by staff of the state's eight regional planning commissions, with input from NH Department of Environmental Services (NHDES), NH Office of Energy and Planning, and NH Municipal Association. The project, spearheaded by the NH Association of Regional Planning Commissions, was funded through the NHDES Regional Environmental Planning Program (REPP).The purpose of the Handbook is to provide details on how to develop and create innovative land use controls as established under RSA 674:21 Innovative Land Use Controls.
Samle Handbook Topics:
Lot Size Averaging - One Size Does Not Fit All
Conservation Subdivision
Agricultural Incentive Zoning
Stormwater Management
Steep Slopes and Ridgeline Protection
Habitat Management
Wetlands Protection
Protection of Groundwater and Surface Water Resources
Shoreland Protection: The Importance of Riparian Buffers
Flood Hazard Area Zoning
Access Management
Preserving Dark Skies
To view or download the entire Innovative Land Use Planning Techniques guidebook, or specific chapters, go to the NHDES website.
If your community is interested in free assistance using one of these innovative land use techniques, or would like to learn more about them, please contact Tara Bamford at tbamford@nccouncil.org or 603-444-6303.