Positions Available on Southern NH Planning Commission

With Windham officially a member of the Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission, volunteer positions are now available for residents.

A two-year, full member position and two alternate positions for one year and two years are available.

Last week, the Windham Board of Selectmen discussed the statuses of the commissioners from Windham who were part of the Rockingham Planning Commisison before the switch.

Member Peter Griffin and alternate Mark Samsel expressed the desire to return to the commission, which they were granted. Lee Maloney saw her term expire, but also expressed desire to return.

The SNHPC meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 11:30 a.m. at the organization's office in Manchester.

Community Development Director Laura Scott outlined the functions of both the SNHPC and the Metropolitan Planning Organization:

A board of local representatives, called the Board of Commissioners, who represent the member-communities in the region, governs the SNHPC.  The main functions of the SNHPC are to increase communication; promote intergovernmental cooperation and coordination between planning boards and local officials; promote coordinated development of the region; prepare and adopt regional plans, including policies and strategies for the region; and perform other acts or functions as deemed appropriate to fulfill its duties.

The primary functions of the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), as defined by federal and state transportation regulations, the primary functions of the MPO are to:

• Establish the goals, objectives and policies governing transportation planning in the region.
• Approve an annual Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) and budget.
• Direct the preparation and adoption of long and short-range strategies of the Transportation Plan.
• Recommend projects for implementation through the adoption of the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).
• Perform the air quality conformity determination for the Transportation Improvement Program.

Those interested in any of the three positions should submit a letter of interest to Laura Scott, Community Development Director, at lscott@windhamnewhampshire.com or PO Box 120 Windham NH 03087 by 4pm on March 15^th.

The Planning Board will review all letters of interest and for the positions at their the March 20 meeting, which will take place at 7 p.m.

Any questions should also be directed to Laura Scott at 432-3806 or lscott@windhamnewhampshire.com

Selectmen also appointed board members and employees in town to various committees in the SNHPC.

Joining a committee related to mutual sharing will be Town Administrator Dave Sullivan and Selectman Phil LoChiatto, with Selectman Kathleen DiFruscia serving as an alternate.

The committee comes up with public policies and opportunities for towns to work together on bulk purchasing.

The Transportation Advisory Committee will see participation from Community Development Director Laura Scott with Sullivan as an alternate.

A broadband committee will see participation from Windham's IT/GIS Director Eric DeLong with Scott serving as an alternate.

Finally, a planner's roundtable will see membership from Community Planner Elizabeth Wood and ZBA/Code Enforcement Officer Nancy Prendergast.