Emergency Service Function 1 (Transportation), made up of representatives from MetroCOG, NVCOG, and WestCOG met on September 5th to coordinate the duties tied to CTDOT’s efforts to update diversion routes for the State of CT. WestCOG will have to meet with municipal stakeholders to review these updated diversion routes. ESF1 hopes to work with its other partner emergency service functions to identify what transportation planning information would best serve their emergency response services.

 

Executive Director, Francis Pickering, presented on a DEMHS Region 5 initiative, to develop digital First Responder Cards during the Emergency Management Peer Exchange on GIS conference sponsored by FHWA in South Carolina this past September 11th. The First Responder Cards would allow for a mash up of data relevant to emergency response and allow first responders to obtain relevant information on the scene quickly and reliably.  This project is currently in its infancy, with initial efforts to collect baseline parcel data within the region. 

WestCOG Legislative Committee

The WestCOG Legislative Committee held its first meeting with strong attendance and healthy discussion on Sept 10th. During the productive meeting, members reviewed last year’s legislative priorities and will be working to establishing priorities for next year. In attendance were Donald Lowe - Town of Sherman; Jayme J. Stevenson - Town of Darien; Julia Pemberton Town of Redding; Michael Pollard - City of Stamford; Kevin Moynihan Town of New Canaan; Matthew S. Knickerbocker Town of Bethel; Pat Del Monaco - Town of New Fairfield; Rudy Marconi - Town of Ridgefield. WestCOG looks forward to future meetings.

In line with WestCOG’s effort to identify regional services, WestCOG intends to meet with municipal staff in various departments to develop the state of data within the Region. WestCOG hopes to learn which data is most valuable, data that is in demand but not available, data pain points, and data success stories. WestCOG hope to provide more reliable and authoritative datasets for its partners and these discussions will be a step towards that direction. Data workshops will be help in upcoming Planner’s Lunch and TAG meetings. Stay tuned for future updates on the State of Data!

CTDOT, UConn, and COG partners helped develop a Stormwater Infrastructure Data Schema that can be used by municipalities to collect stormwater data within the standards outlined in the CT MS4 Permit. The deadline for COG towns to have systems mapped is July 1st, 2020. Contact Mike Towle, Deputy Director at WestCOG, for advice on data collection solutions using this schema.

During Western CT Economic Development District (WCEDD) meeting on Sept 12th, WestCOG presented an update on economic performance measures (identified in the WestCOG CEDS). The update, following edits will be shared as an annual attachment to the CEDS. More information on WCEDD, upcoming meetings, and minutes is available online on WestCOG’s WCEDD Meeting Page.

The WCEDD convened its first sub committee on the topic of Smart Cities on Sept 12th. Smart Cities, we define as identifying best practices, review of existing systems, and application of technology resources to provide efficient and cost-effective solutions for municipal operations. The committee hopes to identify priority projects for the region, develop scopes of work, and pursue grant funding to see them through. 

AppGeo showcased its MapGeo product, a regional parcel map viewer, for assessors, planners, and GIS professionals within the region. AppGeo is building a viewer for the WestCOG region that is expected to be up and running by December. WestCOG will also be working with municipal staff to identify strategies and schedules for data exchange to maintain the GIS service. As reference, here is a sample MapGeo Viewer set up for the CRCOG region. 

Health Enhancement Community Initiative RFP
The State Innovation Model (SIM) Program has released a Request for Proposals (RFP), soliciting 13-14 participant communities to work with the State in planning for a new Health Enhancement Community (HEC) initiative. The HEC initiative aims to foster community-wide, multi-sector collaboration, and accountability to promote community health improvement and equity in defined geographies through broad, systemic change. Respondents to this RFP can request funding of up to $25,000 to support costs related to their participation in this planning process, with an additional $10,000 if they opt-in to the rapid-cycle measures portion of the RFP. Applications are due by 12pm noon, October 1, 2019. More information and application instructions can be found here.

Sustainable CT Community Match Fund
Sustainable CT is thrilled to announce the launch of our Community Match Fund through a series of info sessions in September throughout the state. This is an innovative program that will provide a fast, flexible funding mechanism to support sustainability-related projects throughout Connecticut. 
Sustainable CT will provide one-to-one matching funds for projects that align with Sustainable CT actions and Community Match Fund projects will help your town earn points towards certification. 
More details, information session schedules, and instructions can be found on their website here.

Walk Friendly Communities Applications due December 15:
Walk Friendly Communities is a national recognition program developed to encourage cities and towns across the United States to develop and support walking environments with an emphasis on safety, mobility, access, and comfort. Walk Friendly Communities awards designations from bronze to platinum to participating communities with a commitment to improving and sustaining walkability and pedestrian safety through comprehensive programs, plans, and policies. For more information, or to apply, go to the Walk Friendly Communities website, http://walkfriendly.org/.

Other opportunities can be found here.

Employment opportunities at WestCOG are posted here, and WestCOG's requests for proposals, qualifications, and other business or funding opportunities are posted here. Check back for open positions and other opportunities!

Regional News & Events

'Savor Lobster' at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk this weekend:
From their eventbrite page: "TownVibe joins forces with the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk for Savor Lobster—a lobster lovers' event on September 22 from 3 PM - 6 PM, featuring businesses like LobsterCraft showcasing their best lobster bites for a special tasting contest. Adults only, with cocktails, treats, and music. Great seafood from more than a dozen area eateries, plus wine, spirits, and beer, all for one inclusive price of $40 (additional food and drink available for purchase)." Find more information and purchase tickets on their eventbrite page here.
 

Help the Connecticut Department of Transportation Develop the Next Generation of Rail Cars: The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) is seeking public input from Connecticut residents and regular rail riders as it develops the state’s next generation of rail cars.  CTDOT is purchasing a fleet of new rail cars to replace its existing push-pull coaches operating on the Hartford Line, Shore Line East, Danbury Line and Waterbury Line.  To assist CTDOT in developing rail cars that are reliable, comfortable, attractive, and sustainable for the next 30 or more years, the Department is seeking interested residents who are current rail riders to participate in a Customer Advisory Panel (CAP).
The goal of forming the CAP is to gain feedback from a diverse group of existing and future rail customers on the possible features and amenities desired in the state’s next generation of rail cars. The Panel will include up to three representatives from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) advocacy community including persons with visual and mobility disabilities, the bicycle and pedestrian community, and a representative of the Connecticut Rail Council.  The Customer Advisory Plan also will include customers from each rail line.  These customers will be selected through an open lottery process.  CTDOT encourages customers to visit http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/newrailcars to participate in a five-minute survey and apply for a position on the CAP.
 

Save the Date: The Fourth Annual CT Trails Symposium, “Shout it Out!”: Trails Tourism and Marketing, presented by the CT Greenways Council In Partnership, will be held on the East Hartford Campus of Goodwin College on Thursday, October 24, 2019, 9am-3pm.
"We in Connecticut, over the last decade, have made great progress in building and connecting our trail systems.  So much so that the CGC believes now is the time to celebrate and shout about our trail systems assuring that all members of our communities can gather, recreate, relax, run errands and even commute or travel together.  This year, the Symposium hopes to offer sessions that focus on engaging with state and local tourism and marketing resources as well as technology that can maximize effective delivery of your trail information." 

 

Do you have news or events you would like to share with the rest of the Region? Send your updates (please include a summary of up to five sentences, and complete links) to Ari at avera@westcog.org.