PUBLIC NOTICE for 12/3 Annual MAP Forum meeting

PUBLIC NOTICE

The Metropolitan Area Planning (MAP) Forum announces its 2015 Annual Meeting on December 3, 2015 at 10:30 am.  For security purposes, please RSVP either by calling NYMTC at (212) 383-7200 or by sending an email to Andrea.Miles-Cole@dot.ny.gov .  The meeting agenda appears below. If you need special accommodations to participate in this meeting, please contact Andrea.Miles-Cole@dot.ny.gov by 12 p.m. on November 30, 2015.

2015 Annual Meeting of the Metropolitan Area Planning (MAP) Forum

New York Metropolitan Transportation Council

25 Beaver Street, 2nd floor

Lower Manhattan

Thursday December 3, 2015; 10:30 am – 12:30 pm

 

       View AGENDA here

The MAP Forum is a consortium of metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. In January 2008, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC), the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA); the Housatonic Valley Council of Elected Officials (HVCEO); the South Western Regional Metropolitan Planning Organization (SWRMPO); and the Greater Bridgeport/Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization (GB/VMPO),  signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the coordination of planning activities in the three state New York-New Jersey-Connecticut metropolitan region.

Study Underway to Assess Economic Impact of the Naugatuck River Greenway Trail

For Immediate Release

Contacts:
Aaron Budris, NVCOG,  203-757-0535, abudris@nvcogct.org
Laura Brown, UConn Extension Community and Economic Development Program, laura.brown@uconn.edu

Study Underway to Assess the Economic Impact of the Naugatuck River Greenway Trail

The Naugatuck River Greenway (NRG) Steering Committee has initiated a 2015-2016 study to catalog the economic and quality of life impacts that will result from the construction of the Naugatuck River Greenway trail, a planned multi-use trail along the Naugatuck River. The study is designed to assist each of the 11 greenway municipalities and local greenway committees in furthering their work to complete sections of trail in their communities. The planned NRG route will follow the river for 44 miles bringing the trail through parts of Torrington, Litchfield, Harwinton, Thomaston, Watertown, Waterbury, Naugatuck, Beacon Falls, Seymour, Ansonia and Derby.

The NRG Economic Impact Study is being conducted by The Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments (NVCOG) in partnership with the UConn College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources Extension program in Community & Economic Development (Extension), the UConn Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis (CCEA), and the Northwest Hills Council of Governments (NHCOG). The project will be guided by the NRG Steering Committee, a group made up of representatives of the 11 greenway communities, state and federal representatives, and other key stakeholders. Funding to conduct the study has been received from The Connecticut Community Foundation, The Valley Community Foundation, The Eva M. Coty Fund of The Community Foundation of Northwest Connecticut, and The Katharine Matthies Foundation.

“It is important that each community have a detailed analysis on how both trail construction and the completed trail sections will impact the local economy,” said NRG Steering Committee Co-Chair Ingrid Manning. The study was designed to give municipalities information they need to make a stronger case for funding greenway construction, and findings will help them make stronger applications for state and federal grants. The study will determine the effects the NRG will have through local spending by trail users, changes in property values, construction related expenditures, the health and quality of life of residents, and potential tie-ins with brownfield redevelopment. Information gathered will also help them capitalize on the trail once it is a reality. It will look at how municipalities can maximize benefits through enhanced citizen participation, proper construction planning, trail management, marketing strategies, residential and commercial development and zoning changes.

UConn Extension’s staff in Community & Economic Development conducted an extensive literature review, detailing similar projects around the country. This is being used to inform ongoing data collection and analysis. Over the past several months, NVCOG staff and volunteers have been working to collect trail user data on the open sections of the NRG in Derby, Ansonia, Beacon Falls and Naugatuck, as well as on other comparable multiuse trails, namely the Middlebury Greenway in Middlebury and the Sue Grossman Trail in Torrington. Automated counters have been set out on trails throughout the summer and into the fall to track trail use. Trail users have also been greeted by staff and volunteers at several trailheads and asked to complete a short survey aimed at determining their demographics and spending patterns. Over the winter, the study partners plan to collect more information through multiple focus groups of trail administrators, recreation and land managers, adjacent property owners, area business owners, and local policy makers. CCEA will be completing the economic analysis that will include an analysis of property values, local spending patterns, a cost/benefit analysis, and construction spending from building sections of the trail.

As part of the process, the NRG Steering Committee and project partners will present study findings to municipal officials, developers, development agencies and the public both electronically and via an outreach forum. It will also solicit comments and suggestion from stakeholders in this regard.

The NRG corridor has been officially designated as a greenway by the CT Greenways Council and the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). The entire greenway trail is identified as a trail of statewide significance in the Connecticut Recreational Trails Plan, and it was designated as one of 101 America’s Great Outdoors projects in 2011 by the U. S. Department of the Interior.

More information can be found at www.NaugatuckRiver.net , at www.nvcogct.org, and at http://communities.extension.uconn.edu/. 

New Questions and Answers RE: RFQ for Engineering and Design Services at O’Sullivan’s Island

bike path in derby

Question 1: Will the contract be funded in part by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CTDEEP) and subject to requirements in the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies (RCSA) Section 22a-482-4(h), (i), and (o)? If not, will there be any other Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) or Woman Business Enterprise (WBE) participation goals or requirements for the O’Sullivan Island Recreation Park engineering and design services?

Answer: The grant was awarded by a federal entity. Applicable requirements for Minority Business participation are the following, found here. The requirements do not specify a specific participation goal, instead a process for ensuring an equitable solicitation for contractors and subcontractors:

§200.321 Contracting with small and minority businesses, women’s business enterprises, and labor surplus area firms – 

(a) The non-Federal entity must take all necessary affirmative steps to assure that minority businesses, women’s business enterprises, and labor surplus area firms are used when possible. (b) Affirmative steps must include:

(1) Placing qualified small and minority businesses and women’s business enterprises on solicitation lists;

(2) Assuring that small and minority businesses, and women’s business enterprises are solicited whenever they are potential sources;

(3) Dividing total requirements, when economically feasible, into smaller tasks or quantities to permit maximum participation by small and minority businesses, and women’s business enterprises;

(4) Establishing delivery schedules, where the requirement permits, which encourage participation by small and minority businesses, and women’s business enterprises;

(5) Using the services and assistance, as appropriate, of such organizations as the Small Business Administration and the Minority Business Development Agency of the Department of Commerce; and

(6) Requiring the prime contractor, if subcontracts are to be let, to take the affirmative steps listed in paragraphs (1) through (5) of this section.

 

Question 2: 

Is there a topographic survey available for the site? Is there a recent environmental report or remedial action plan available?

Answer:

NVCOG does not have a topographic survey available for the site at this time. There is a recent remedial action plan available upon request. 

CRCOG Hazard Mitigation Plan Update – public review and comment period ends December 3, 2015

A draft of the Hazard Mitigation Plan Update for the former CCRPA communities (Berlin, Bristol, Burlington, New Britain, Plainville, Plymouth, and Southington) has been posted for public review and comment at http://www.crcog.org/transportation/ccmpo.html. Please forward any comments to Timothy Malone, Principal Planner at CRCOG at tmalone@crcog.org. Comments will be accepted through, at a minimum, December 3, 2015.

New Questions & Answers concerning the RFP for Engineering Services Related to the Design of the Naugatuck River Greenway in Thomaston & Watertown, Connecticut

Question:

The RFP states that “the greenway trail in Watertown is approximately 2.36 miles in length and generally follows an established trail located between Route 8 and the existing railroad on property entirely controlled by the State Department of Transportation.” However, town parcel maps indicate that the trail appears to be located on private property.

Answer:

To clarify, the northern section appear to be owned by Envirite; but the ownership of the southern end will be verified by the Project Team, not the consultant engineer, during the design process.

Click here to review the RFP.

RFQ for Engineering and Planning Services Related to the Route 8 and Waterbury Branch Line Corridor Transit Oriented Development and Alternate Transit Modes Assessment Project

The Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments (NVCOG) is seeking professional engineering services to perform a multi-task engineering and planning study to assess the feasibility of implementing alternative transportation modes within the Route 8 and Waterbury branch rail line corridors. This RFQ is being issued to solicit responses from qualified and experienced engineering firms for completing the study. The NVCOG will follow a Qualifications Based Selection (QBS) process for selecting the preferred Consultant(s). Responses to this RFQ are due to the NVCOG no later than 4:00 pm on Monday, November 30, 2015.