New Blog Post

We are shifting over to tumblr for the blog. Today's is on 6 elements of planning. Check it out at: http://dovernhplanning.tumblr.com/post/23542753063/basic-planning-building-blocks or just follow the blog itself at http://dovernhplanning.tumblr.com

New EPA Nitrogen Restrictions

On February 9, 2012, the City hosted a public hearing for the US Environmental Protection Agency, regarding the upcoming pollution discharge permit renewal that it will receive for our Waste Water Treatment Facility. This permit is required for the City to operate the facility, which is part of our sanitary sewer system. In basic terms, if we don't have a permit to operate the facility, we will have a major problem.

In general there aren't concerns about the permit being issued. What is a concern is that the EPA wishes to increase the restrictions being placed on the amount of nitrogen allowed in the Great Bay Estuary. Currently, the plant discharges approximately 22 mg/l (milligrams per liter). The EPA has proposed allowing 3 mg/l as the acceptable threshold. The City is requesting that the threshold be 8 mg/l, still a significant adjustment.

Putting aside the direct cost of this difference, one thing that jumps out to me is the impact this can have on Smart Growth based planning. For over a decade, we have been looking to make it easier for growth in Dover to be centered around infrastructure, and away from rural areas. Even before the form based code changes to the downtown area, I think that we were moving in the direction of concentrating our development downtown, building off the successes we have and the strength of our core. 

I believe Dover is very progressive and responsible when it comes to the environment. We have made huge investments in conservation and preservation of open space. The City has expended over 5 million dollars, which has been leveraged with an additional 6 million dollars to protect 792 acres, over the past decade. This property limits the amount of developable land in Dover and has the added benefit of protecting habitats and the waterways that exist in Dover.

In addition to this work, the City has also implemented various aspects of low impact development guidelines, and also made improvements in the way we review site and subdivision plans. These changes and improvements have helped guide us to be more mindful and ultimately respectful of the environment and to consider development in a more holistic fashion. I believe that we are making smart and responsible choices in regards to the impact man has on the land.

So, if we do have this requirement presented and that is the only option is it the end of the world? Not hardly. It is a blow to urbanism, I believe. It appears to double the effective sewer rate in Dover. This makes it hardly a welcoming place to tie into the sewer system. I believe it will encourage people to want to investigate and ultimately utilize a septic system for their sanitary sewer needs. This can lead to sprawl and to other unintended consequences. There is plenty of disheartening information about the havoc that septic systems have raised in the Chesapeake Bay area. Dover has worked very long and hard to protect its natural rsources and will continue to do so in the future.

If you missed the EPA public hearing and want more information, please check the webpage we have set up for it.

Community Character

What does an attractive City look like? It is an interesting question. I suppose, like with any other subjective measure, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What I want in a City might be different than what you want, and what your neighbor wants may be totally different.

I asked the question because I was watching a movie the other night, with Ms Dover Planner, and a comment was made about how the city the movie was set in (Paris) is beautiful in the day and night, and especially in the rain. While I can't comment on any of those opinions, I liked the overall thought. Today it has snowed, and I felt, looking out the window, that it was an attractive snowy day. I am sure that when I leave to go home and the snow has turned that brownish gray color that dirty snow gets I'll reconsider. Is a community's beauty the same?

Do we like it when we are insulated from it (ie a visitor), but see it for the gritty reality it is when we live someplace?

I've probably said before that I always hear from friends of mine that moved here, how great Dover is, and how the people who grew up here don't see it for the place it truly is. We found similar suggestions in 2006 as part of the last Master Plan survey work. People who moved here within 5 years, which was a higher percentage than lifers, had a much more favorable opinion of Dover than the lifers.

Two questions jump to my mind. First, do people that move here feel it is better because they chose to come here, so maybe there is a desire to validate that choice? Second, what are those of us who have lived here for decades missing? What don't we see?

Dover residents were asked to participate in a citizen's survey in the summer of 2011. One of the results of that was that 84% of respondents reported that Dover has an overall quality of life rating of “excellent” or “good”. That is a very high number, in my mind. Respondents noted that they like the look and feel of Dover and that they enjoy the cleanliness of Dover. Interestingly the respondents were asked how long they have been residents and the two highest responding categories are those that have lived here 2 - 5 years and those 20+ years of residency.

This information is fun to play with and interesting to think about. The overall tie into it is that we are in the process of starting the Community Visioning components of the Master Plan. This is an update to work began in 2006. We have a committee in place, a consultant in place and some dates and times we will be holding public hearings. What we need is the public to speak. We will ask questions like, what do you think of your neighborhood, and what do you want to see it evolve to in 20 years. We will have plenty of notice for these sessions, which will begin in March and we hope to have a large turn out.

If you have suggestions of how we can get 200 (out of 30,000) people to attend these sessions, please feel free to comment here, on Facebook, or email me.

PS, I wanted to have a photo to go along with this entry, and when I Googled "Community Character images", most of the things I found were pictures of the TV show Community. There is a connection with this blog entry, somewhere, I am sure of that.

December to Remember

Below is my report to the City Manager, for activities the Planning and Community Development department undertook/completed in the month of December, 2011.

Continue to communicate with the community through hosting of periodic ward and neighborhood meetings such as quarterly Dover Discussions along with exploring new methods to increase interaction and participation by citizens in local governance and community forums.

The Department of Planning and Community Development continued to update its blog, face book page and twitter feed to communicate with the public. The Department of Planning and Community Development has 139 Facebook (City of Dover NH Planning) friends and 271 followers on Twitter @DoverNHPlanning).

During the month of September, eight (8) Planning blog posts were drafted, including one on announcing a winter sign sweep; one thanking Ron Cole, former Planning Board member for his twenty (20) years served; two about shopping local, one about the launch of the Gundalow, and one about the tenth anniversary of the Downeaster.  Finally there were two encouraging people to come to meetings (one for FastTrans and on for the Capital Improvement’s Program).

The Department of Planning and Community Development promoted the Dover Community Trail through the facebook fan page for the trail (with 294 fans), as well as a Sustainable Dover facebook fan page for the trail (with 122 fans).

The Director of Planning and Community Development attended a public meeting, on December 29, 2011, on changes that are required to maintain funding for portions of the FastTrans intra-city bus service the City and COAST offers.

Finally, this month the Department of Planning and Community Development sent out 56 letters to new homeowners congratulating them on their purchase, as well as informing them of the current zoning for their property and alerting them to the various methods the department uses to inform and update the public.

Attend workshops and participate in other education opportunities to further continuing professional development.

In December, Planning and Community Development staff participated in one (1) webinar. The topic was blue urbanism –how sea level and climate change affect cities and towns.

Develop a closer working relationship with the School Department and all other City Departments. Further explore and pursue opportunities where City and Schools can combine and/share services for the benefit of the community and report to the City Council.

The Planning Department worked with the School Department to formalize the request process to utilize impact fees.

Complete the implementation of the ongoing energy efficiency improvements and provide periodic reports of energy savings.

The City of Dover, NH and Johnson Controls, Inc (JCI). entered into a performance contract in September in 2009. The installation phase was completed with the receipt of the certificate of completion on October 16, 2011. The guaranteed savings portion of the contract (ten years) started on November 1 of 2011 and will end on October 31, 2021.

The original annual savings guarantee of $304,510 includes $256,990 in energy cost avoidance, $13,680 in operations and maintenance (O&M) cost avoidance, and a future capital cost avoidance of $33,840. This initial savings guarantee was increased from the original amount to $319,463 due to Change Order (CO) # 9236-0142-CO2 which comprised of a lighting retrofit project at the McConnell Center. The annual guaranteed energy savings amount escalates by 3% and the O&M savings escalates by 4% each year to compensate for inflation. Total term benefits are $3,623,746. Facility improvement measure (FIM) savings are not guaranteed individually; the savings guarantee reflects the whole project. Therefore deficiencies from one FIM can be overcome by another FIM to result in overall project savings.

As JCI has completed the installation phase baseline information was collected on the FIMS. Installation savings are realized when individual measures are completed but the overall job has not yet been completed. Since measures are completed at different times, they save energy while the other measures are still being worked on. Over the course of the installation period the estimated savings for all measures total 1,043,577 kWh & 1,962 kW ($123,804), 20,739 MMBTU’s ($266,359) and 2,031 kGals of water/ sewer savings ($22,431). There was no operation and maintenance (O&M) savings or capital cost avoidance during the installation period. Total installation period savings are estimated to be $402,233.

GENERAL DEPARTMENT UPDATES:

FOCUS/GOALS: 

The Director of Planning and Community Development spent much time in December working on reviewing performance standards. This included reviewing three books (Extreme Government Makeover, Measuring Up 2.0, and We Don’t Make Widgets), and participating in online research and one on one conversation with others in the field.

In addition to the day to day activities in the Planning Department, staff facilitated the following applications before Boards and Commissions:

Planning Board

·         An extension of a Conditional Use Permit for Thornwood Commons LLC, located on Thornwood Lane. (P05-62)

o   The permit was needed to extend the Conditional Use Permit beyond the original five year approval.

·         An extension of a Conditional Use Permit for VC Dover Investments LLC, located on Grapevine Drive. (P06-25E)

o   The permit was needed to extend the Conditional Use Permit beyond the original five year approval.

·         A Site Plan Review of land for VC Dover Investments LLC, located at Grapevine Drive. (P11-62)

o   This plan will construct a 9,100 square foot retail building.  

Zoning Board

·         One Administrative Appeal was dismissed as moot by the Board for property located at 26 Horne Street.

Conservation Commission

·         NHDES Minimum Impact Expedited Permit for NH Department of Transportation  located at Hilton Park on US Route 4/NH Route 16

o   This is connected to the Little Bay Bridge project. Proposal is to impact 200± sq. ft. of shore land to construct a natural gas pipeline.

·         A Conditional Use Permit was tabled for Michael and Shelby Brewer located on Fourth Street

o   This would allow encroachment into the wetlands buffer for a house and driveway.

Ensure timely preparation and presentation of the FY13 – 18 Capital Improvements Program.

The Capital Improvement’s Program was approved by the City Council on December 14.

Coordinate update of Land Use and Transportation chapters of the Master Plan, through development and implementation of Speak Out Dover and associated survey programs.

Staff drafted and released a request for proposals for a consultant to assist the committee in gathering community information and views to develop the visioning and goals for the Master Plan.  

Three teams were interviewed by a panel, and one consultant, Roger Hawk, was selected for the work. The City Council awarded the bid on December 14, 2011, and this work should begin in January.

The Master Plan steering committee met for the first time on Wednesday December 28. It elected Planning Board member Kirt Schuman as its chair.

Planning and Community Development Staff worked with PlanNH, the Workforce Housing Coalition of the Greater Seacoast and the Urban Land Institute to develop a charette and education program that will be held in the late winter/spring for the downtown.

Review, and update as needed, the Community Development Block Grant program to ensure compatibility with Best Management Practices.

Department of Planning and Community Development staff continued to review how neighboring communities administer their Community Development Block Grant programs. This review is part of the overall review staff is completing on our program.

Promote streamlining plan review through use of electronic means amongst internal staff (smart board at TRC etc).

Pricing of the installation of a smart board in the Second Floor conference room in City Hall has placed this project on hold.

Analyze the City Code to ensure that City regulations encourage sustainable practices in city operations and encourage green practices by residents and business owners.

The Planning Board approved 10 of the 15 land use amendments suggested by the EPA Building Blocks report. These amendments act to promote alternative energy sources, reduce the City’s carbon footprint and encouraging use of sustainability through resource allocation. The City Council will review these zoning amendments.

The Planning Board posted 22 subdivision and 9 site review regulation amendments. A public hearing for these amendments will be held on January 10, 2012.

Develop educational opportunities for staff and board/commission members that are low resource cost, whether through staff presentations to boards/commissions, or web based education.

The Director of Planning and Community Development worked with the Planning Board Chair to develop an educational program for the 2012 workshops that occur the second Tuesday of the month for Planning Board members. There are 9 workshops scheduled with topics ranging from legislative updates, to low impact development.

Increase outreach and education to business and residents on benefits of infill development and transit oriented development as means to develop and redevelop in Dover’s urban core.

The Director of Planning and Community Development and the Economic Development Director have discussed options for increasing education about signage for the business community.

Coordinate discussions and implementation of improved pedestrian and vehicular way finding signs in downtown Dover.

Notes and ideas from the May wayfinding meeting have been reviewed, by planning staff and are being coordinated for follow up.

DEPARTMENTAL COLLABORATION & ENHANCEMENTS

The Planning Department worked with the Community Services Department to identify needs on the Community Trail. This work included requesting bids for extended the section on Whittier Falls Way to the Spaulding Turnpike.

Planning and Community Development staff assisted the Community Services and Inspection staff with a review of outstanding issues on several projects, and took the lead on reaching out to the developers. The plans/projects are as follows:

·  Gladiola Way

·  Nye Lane/Pacific Landing

·  Willand Pond

·  375 Sixth Street

Planning staff worked with land owners of property at the following locations on development or redevelopment opportunities:

• NH Coffee on Sumner Drive
• 385 Sixth Street
• 1 Washington Street
• 3 Dover Street
• 35 Second Street
• Intersection of Oak Street and Central Avenue for redevelopment
• Intersection of Court Street and Central Avenue for redevelopment
• Thornwood Commons project
• Robbins Auto properties throughout the City
• Property on Mast Road
• Property on Tolend Road
• 6 Brick Road

DEPARTMENTAL ACKNOLWEDGEMENTS

After 20 years on the Dover Planning Board, Ron Cole, chairman for 17 years, has stepped down from the Board. Ron’s last meeting was December 20, 2011. Ron was a fixture on the board for his tenure offering a positive outlook, strong citizen planning skills, and a desire to improve Dover on a daily basis.

The Director of Planning and Community Development was selected as one of the 2012 participants in the Leadership Seacoast program. This program is 9 full days, spread out over 4 months, designed to challenge personal assumptions about critical issues while exploring diverse ideas, resources and practices. This is all done with a focus of the seacoast region.

Tracking Success

As we celebrate ten years of revived passenger rail service in Dover, here's what I remember the day the Downeaster came to town. I remember that on December 15, 2001, I had lunch at the pizza place next door to the transportation center, and watched the festivities from there, as opposed to being part of the mob, with a fellow employee of the Community Services Department.

I remember that I felt bad for Bruce. Bruce was the planner (who recently retired) who had championed the City's efforts to secure the train stopping in Dover. I felt bad because Bruce was in the Air National Guard and he had been called up as part of the massive call up post 9/11. So as people were celebrating the arrival of something he had worked so hard to help secure, Bruce was in the Middle East defending the rest of us.

Beyond that specific day, what I think about the Downeaster falls into two categories. The first is emotional and the second is rational. The emotional is the connection the Downeaster has to parental memories. My son was 3 in 2001. He and I would drive downtown, get a coffee and a pastry, run to the post office for the mail (we had a PO Box), and then head to the transportation center to watch the train come through every Saturday. We rode it for the first time together in December of 2002, when we went to Exeter and back.

My son's reaction to seeing the train, and (in my experience) general every child's reaction is that of elation. Kids love to see the train come into town, and they love to ride trains when they can. This feeling I think is second only to planners love of the idea of a train, or mass transit for that matter. Not sure where the emotional connection comes from (that's why its emotional, right?), but it is a visceral response. Eyes light up, we start swaying to a fro, get nervous; the whole nine yards. You'd think the prom was coming up and we are taking a model.

This flows into the rational connection I have with the Downeaster. We are very lucky as a community to have not only the Downeaster stop through Dover, but to have our station downtown. The ability for travelers to step off the train, cross the street (admittedly not the safest crossing), and shop, eat, stroll, etc, is a true bonus for us. I won't go into ridership numbers or the statistical info, but will say they are excellent and continue to grow each year.

The Downeaster was Amtrak's fastest-growing service in fiscal years 2006 and 2008, and continues to be a route that brings in necessary revenue for the Amtrak system. Are there things that could be improved upon? Sure, there are in every aspect of life. That said, on a birthday, let's focus on the great thing it is to be located on this line, to be able to experience that feeling of giddy joy riding the train and celebrate ten years of success.

Were You There?

Saturday, December 10th, saw the launch of the gundalow Piscataqua in Portsmouth. This was an historic event, and I was happy to participate. For those readers, who aren't aware, I am on the Board of Director's for the Gundalow Company. The company has a mission of preserving and enhancing the maritime history and environment of the Piscataqua region.

The Piscataqua (gundalow, not river or region), was born out the hard work of many people. I joined the Board in 2009, and remember the first meeting I attended was spent looking at a the drawings and blueprints for the new boat, which at the time was still a desire, and not a reality. The Board had been working on this dream for some time already, and looking back it is impressive to see the Piscataqua in the Piscataqua.

Countless hours have been put into the creation and fundraising of and for this vessel. It is amazing to have been a small part of it, and there are many people who are due a great deal of thanks for their efforts and resources. 

I have enjoyed being on the Board, as it really allows myself the opportunity to interact in different ways with different people in the Seacoast. It also allows me to be a part of the launch of something that hasn't been launched since the 1980s, and really hasn't been common since the 1880s. I am taking some liberties here, but really, two centuries ago gundalows were common transportation features, today only two working ones exists, and they are located down the road here in New Hampshire.

In the industrial revolution gundalows were common. They were riding up and down the Cochoecho, the Piscataqua and most other rivers in the new world. These vessels are flat bottomed and convey goods from port to port and offered a similar function to the tractor trailer trucks might today. The transportation of these goods has evolved, or in some cases devolved.

One reason I love being on the Board is the sense that we are educating people to this alternative mode of transit. Anyone that has read this blog will know that I am a supporter of the idea that we are ruining out of oil, and I believe we need to reawaken ourselves to the reality of other modes of transit. Modes other than automobiles. I think, beyond the awareness we are building about the fragility of the Piscarqua River's ecosystem, we are also going to be building awareness of the value of wind powered transit.

Overall for me the best part of Saturday's launch was not the pleasure of riding the Piscataqua on her first tour, nor was it the thrill of being with 1,000 people celebrating the launch. The best part was sharing it with my 13 year old son. He fussed about going, and he flittered about the cold when we got to Pierce Island. That said, when we saw the Piscataqua sitting in its cradle and poised for launch he started to change When we were able to join the crew and other board members onboard he really got excited.

It is great to see a child get excited about a wooden boat. A vessel that is built for education and not for excitement or thrill riding. That was pretty cool. I can't wait to see school kids riding, and learning aboard the Piscataqua . It will be a very good addition to the region.

When you get a chance to visit the Piscataqua at Prescott Park, enjoy her majesty and celebrate her mission.

Imprints

I have said, before, that I started out as an intern with the City. Since then I morphed into other roles, as a paid employee. Over the years I have seen my fair share of interns come and go. I always compare them to my perception of how I did (perfect, of course).

This week is the last week (hopefully for now), of employment with the City for our Sustainability Coordinator, Michele Alexander. Michele is a bright, enthusiastic, smart person who honestly wants to serve the public interest. Michele is leaving because the funding for her position runs out on June 30th. We haven't been able to secure funding through grants, and the general fund could not sustain the position when comparing it with others that we have within the municipal corporation.

Michele started out as an intern. She came to me while finishing her Master's in Public Administration at UNH. One thing early on that stood out with Michele was her intelligence and maturity. She is older than many of our past interns, so comparing maturity is not fair, but really is life? Michele brought the ability to reason, and to question with logic. She has been willing to pitch in and grow in the organization and truly has accomplished both.

Michele's first task was to work with staff to document tasks we have and how we complete them. I am a systems thinker and I like the idea of developing standard operating procedures. Michele took that bull and ran with it. She interviewed the employees and sat down and came up with bullet point based project/task steps. These will continue to be useful in the future as they help define what is expected when we process a development application or draft a letter.

The next project Michele worked on was to develop a work plan template. This project encouraged the department to think about projects before they get beyond the proposal stage. In other words, with the work plan template, when a project gets suggested, we can use the model and fill in questions regarding funding needs, and availability, also we can look for connections to the Master Plan and decide what key resources are required. In the end myself and others can then review the project request and decide if we have the time and other resources to complete the project in the best manner possible.

Finally, as an intern, Michele worked to rehab the Community Trail. She saw the need to champion that project and pulled various resources together last summer to develop the work plan for the trail and then gather outside resources to conduct clean up events, organize the grand opening and perform other tasks that helped move that project on.

So, that's that. Her intern career in a nutshell. From September to November Michele hung around as a volunteer. In November, I found some money to fund a sustainability coordinator position and she jumped at the chance to hang around more, much to our luck.

As an intern and as an employee she has stood out. She will go further than the rest of us, if she wants to. I have said a few times to her, that I expect one day to open up a planning journal or magazine and read about something she is doing or perfecting. I can't wait for that time.

I can fill the rest of this blog entry with useless skills and meandering that interns have brought to us, or I could talk about how I had to fire one once (it is a good story, so I'll save it for another blog entry). Instead I'll leave you with this: at the start I said that I have judged interns by my perception if how I did. No longer, now I can judge them by Michele's imprint.

That is pretty cool.

It's Florida....

Looking out on a rainy Wednesday, I figure it is a perfect time to reflect on an annual trip I take. Like many New Englanders, come mid winter I desire some warmth. So, I like to visit Florida for some spring training baseball.

Now, I could recount the five baseball games I saw (in five days no less), but that isn't really planning related. Instead, I want to pass on some observations, which are planning in nature. As a quick aside, Amy, I didn't take any photographs of catch basins or manholes - sorry (enjoy the one from Seattle).

Transportation

Air Travel
One thing about Florida from a transportation planning POV is that they have the airports/air travel aspect down. You'd expect this from an area with such a strong tourism industry. You can easily reach the airports, the means to get in and out are clear and the flow at the airport seems to work well. No issues with rental cars either.

Car Travel
Every road seems to be a major arterial. It is amazing to me what auto travel on roads that were not originally cow paths that were eventually paved can be like. I am not just writing about interstates here, nor the limited access state highways. Typically we have three types of roads, local roads (residential in nature), collectors (think Whittier Street, or Sixth Street), and then arterial (Central Avenue). Well, my experience in Florida is that the local roads might be the same, but the next step seems to be an arterial. These roads are designed to be four lane roads, with a very wide Right of Way - even if not all used - that are flat and straight. They are designed with limited access built in and are not to be traveled at a slow 30 miles an hour.

Bike, Train etc
Famously, now, the State of Florida has turned down the federal stimulus moneys to be used to expand train systems. The Governor has said he does not favor high speed rail, and does not see the value in linking Tampa and Miami via trains.

I found it odd, then, that there is a very strong bicycle ethic in Florida. Everywhere you turn there is a bike path, and I am not just talking about sidewalks that double as bike paths, though sidewalks are everywhere. It helps that so much of the terrain is flat, and it is impressive to see people using the bike paths. There were some along the highway, and you could see that people use them and enjoy them. I do wonder if it is an affordability aspect. Bikes cost less to purchase and operate than cars, and with a temperate climate, can be used year round for many trips. Florida things nothing of bike racks, stands as common place - from what I saw.

Development
The development pattern seems to be very proactive. I am not sure who puts the infrastructure in, whether it is the government (County is very strong), or if developers put it in, but there is a long view horizon used in placing infrastructure in the ground. The roads are designed for future use, with curb cuts and water/sanitary and storm water infrastructure put in the ground for the build out, as opposed to incrementally upgraded. Roads that I drove in 2007 had the four lanes etc, and cow pastures on either side. Now they have commercial nodes or golf course subdivisions where the cow pastures were. They built it (infrastructure) and development came.

Speaking of development, it is very much its own animal in Florida, and for that matter maybe other locales. Being a tourism based place, much of the development seems to be national chains and familiar names. Looking for someplace to eat, you'll feel at home with the Applebees, Friday's, Denny's etc. I didn't see much local, though I am sure it exists, just not in the commercial nodes off the major roads. I suspect this comes to a cost of rent/lease rate issue.

One interesting thing to me, coming from an urban center (didn't say vast or large), is the suburban feel to it all. Sure you have great urban centers like Sarasota, parts of Ft. Myers, or nice downtown areas like Venice, but the majority of what I saw was suburban strip. The community I stayed in had a new town center, off a major thoroughfare, with a new City Hall and new post office. You have residential enclaves that have access to the arterial, which have commercial nodes off them. I saw very little integration of uses. There are few if any neighborhood stores. Sure the residential enclave might have a gas station/convenience store at the entrance, but beyond that I did not experience a mixed use center outside of the established downtowns, such as Sarasota.

I didn't get to experience it, and certainly I was a tourist, but I always wonder in scenarios like that how the community aspect is. Do people feel part of the "municipality" or are they more rooted in their residential development? Do they say they are from Sarasota, or from Sarasota County? What is community living like? It is so automobile centric, that I wonder if it is that much harder to develop that community - place - driven feeling we enjoy in Dover.

Weather
Obviously it doesn't snow in Florida - at least Southwest Florida, and if it does, it is not snow like we have in New Hampshire. This allows for much different infrastructure development. Not just more bike paths, and roads, that treat storm water run off differently, (scuppers instead of catch basins), and certainly the consideration for plowing is not present. But there is a different year round use of the commercial nodes and roads.

The weather, climate and terrain, allows for a much different street scape consideration. Beyond palm trees and the like, vegetation is very different. It has a different flow to it. It certainly is more tropical, and has a different hue to it. I also noticed that there is a lot more sand or grit in places I wouldn't have expected either element.

Overall, Florida is certainly not New Hampshire. Nothing bad here, just different. I think it is a important to see different communities and places, and am happy to have had the opportunity. Experiences frame our thinking and make us better planners. It is always good to research and learn from our neighbors and partners no matter how close or far away they are.

Speaking of learning, I'd like to remind you (presuming you've read this far), that this Saturday is TuttleFest. You can come and learn about the work we are doing to promote sustainability in Dover, and learn about local farming and agricultural needs.

Energy Investments Update

In October, I had a post about the energy infrastructure improvements that have been completed here in Dover. My office has overseen the improvements and has worked continuously with Johnson Controls, the vendor to install, test and ultimately commission the infrastructure.

The improvements have included retrofitting lighting, toilet retrofits weatherization and installing air conditioning units in City Hall. Lighting in the Mast Road public works facility, McConnell Center and various recreation facilities has also been installed. Included in the recreation facilities has been improvements to the pools, and vending machines. Finally, improvements will be made to the Waste Water Treatment Facility's aeration blower and upgrades to transformers in various buildings.

As of January 19, 2011, we know that there has been a lowering of consumption and of emissions of green house gases. These emissions amount to:

Electricity:
reduced GHGs 81.8 tons CO2

Natural Gas:
reduced GHGs 339.8 tons CO2

Fuel Oil:
reduced GHGs 117.8 tons CO2

A good comparison is that we have lowered the CO2 equivalent to planting 13,830 tree seedlings, if they grew for 10 years, or 123 acres of pine or fir trees. This also equals the emissions of 99 cars (reduced that amount), or saved 1,254 barrels of oil from being consumed.

In regards to consumption savings, overall we have seen:

Electricity:
reduced 24kW
Cut 215,485 kWh
Saved over $23,000

Natural Gas:
reduced 7,997 Therms
Saved over $102,000

Water:
reduced 1,012 gallon
Saved over $11,000

In total there has been over $137,500 saved because of the improvements.

I will continue to include these stats from time to time to bring people up to speed. For now though, take a look at some of the improvements, and compare how far we've come since October. Better yet, take a minute to think about how you can meet or beat the City at the savings/sustainability game.