Calendar

In a time of tighter budgets, finding efficiencies just makes good sense, and cents.  Come hear, and share, the various options your community has for creating inter-municipal agreements.  This could be as complex as a new entity that covers several towns, to two towns just sharing a loader. For more information, contact Kevin Geiger at [email protected] or by calling (802) 457-3188.

In a time of tighter budgets, finding efficiencies just makes good sense, and cents.  Come hear, and share, the various options your community has for creating inter-municipal agreements.  This could be as complex as a new entity that covers several towns, to two towns just sharing a loader. For more information, contact Kevin Geiger at [email protected] or by calling (802) 457-3188.

The Town Officers Education Conferences (TOEC), now in their 70th year, are organized by University of Vermont Extension in partnership with several participating organizations. The conferences are designed to help town clerks, planners, listers, select board members and other municipal officials to do their jobs more effectively by providing updates on tax laws and regulations, municipal record keeping and effective strategies for handling planning, zoning, and other town issues.

The 2015 sessions will be held on the following dates:

• April 1 – Doubletree, Burlington VT
• April 22 – Lake Morey Inn, Fairlee VT
• April 29 – Killington Grand Resort Hotel, Killington VT

The conference brochure and online registration are now available online . For more information please contact Pam Lowell at 802-777-3349 or 1-800-281-6977, x272 (toll free in Vermont).

The Sustainable Energy Resource Group (SERG) and partners will be hosting an Upper Valley Energy Committee Roundtable event on April 28th. This annual Roundtable promotes networking and information sharing to assist energy committees in carrying out their work.  This year’s focus panel will discuss COMMUNITY SOLAR GROUP NET METERING: the opportunities, resources and models to promote community solar group net metering in Vermont and New Hampshire. The event agenda is set as follows:

5:30 – 5:40pm – Welcome and Brief Introductions

• 5 second introduction by all attendees: name, town, and energy affiliation

5:40 – 5:55pm – Sponsor Introductions

 5:55 – 6:00pm – Review or Interesting EC Survey Results – Sarah, poll on interest for mini-roundtables, will have slides and pie charts

 6:00 – 6:45pm – Energy Committee Updates

• Brief 2 minute update from each energy committee represented.  Focus on the most recent and exciting project or challenge.
• Present in alphabetical order
• Have handout of what towns have been up to take notes on

6:45 – 7pm – Organizing Partner Presentations and Other Resources

 7 – 8:00pm – Community Group Net Metering – materials and resources with handouts or links for more information

• Joey Miller, Vermont Natural Resources Council
• Kate Epsen, New Hampshire Sustainable Energy Association
• Lynn Benander, Coop Power

8:00 – 8:30pm – Clean up and leave

To register for this event before April 17th, please click here.

Will your board have new members after Town Meeting Day?  Do you have questions about how municipal planning law works?  Do you need a refresher on the roles and responsibilities of your community’s many boards?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you and your members should consider joining us for an evening presentation, where TRORC staff will provide participants with an overview of land use planning in Vermont.  We are offering this presentation in two locations.  At each location we will tailor the presentation to the needs of the audience to ensure that your pressing questions or concerns are addressed.

This presentation is free of charge.  Refreshments will be provided.  To register, contact Chris Sargent at [email protected]  or by calling 802-457-3188, ext. 12.

Cold climate heat pumps have rapidly emerged as a promising technology for Vermont.  Come to a workshop to learn about heat pump options for both hot water and space heating to see if they make sense for your home.   This workshop will cover the latest in heat pump technologies, the relative economics of using heat pumps versus other fuel sources, successful case studies, and resources to help you.

The workshop will be led by Jake Marin, HVAC Program Manager with Efficiency Vermont.  Heat pump manufacturer reps and/or installers will be on-site to share information.  The workshop will be held on Wednesday, May 6^th from 6:30-8:00 pm in the Community Room of the Montshire Museum in Norwich, Vermont. Doors will open at 6:00 pm.  Food and drinks will be provided.  The workshop is being organized by Sustainable Energy Resource Group and is cosponsored by the Donnella Meadows Institute, Sierra Club of the Upper Valley, Two-Rivers Ottauquechee Regional Commission and Vital Communities. For more information, contact SERG at 802-785-4126 or [email protected].

Will your board have new members after Town Meeting Day?  Do you have questions about how municipal planning law works?  Do you need a refresher on the roles and responsibilities of your community’s many boards?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you and your members should consider joining us for an evening presentation, where TRORC staff will provide participants with an overview of land use planning in Vermont.  We are offering this presentation in two locations.  At each location we will tailor the presentation to the needs of the audience to ensure that your pressing questions or concerns are addressed.

This presentation is free of charge.  Refreshments will be provided.  To register, contact Chris Sargent at [email protected]  or by calling 802-457-3188, ext. 12.

Presentations and panel discussions include: Using Streets to Revitalize Communities, Increasing Downtown Housing Opportunities, Innovating Community Engagement, Restoring Historic Buildings, Attracting Visitors to Your Downtown and much more.

Tours include Walking History of Burlington’s Waterfront and Edible History of Burlington, among others!

This workshop is designed for all local officials involved in the local planning and development review process. Zoning administrators, planning commissioners, DRB/ZBA members, town administrators and managers, municipal planners, and regional planning commission staff are all encouraged to attend.