Annual Report 2012

COGCNV  STAFF   Peter Dorpalen,  Executive Director  Samuel  Gold, Senior  Planner   Joe  Perrelli ,  Senior Planner    Pat  Gallagher,  Regional Planner   Glenda  Prentiss,  GIS Coordinator   Aaron  Budris,  Planning  Assistant,  GIS  Lauren  Rizzo, Administrative  Assistant  Patricia  Bauer, Financial  Manager     COUNCIL OF   GOVERNMENTS   Municipalit y  COGCNV  Member  Alternate  Beacon  Falls  Gerard  Smith   Dominick  Sorrentino   Bethlehem  Jeff Hamel   Ellen Samoska   Cheshire   Timothy Slocum Michael  Milone  Middlebury  Edward  St. John   Joseph  Salvini   Naugatuck  Robert Mezzo   Tamath Rossi  Oxford   George Temple  Joanne  Pelton  Prospect   Robert Chatfield  Tom Galvin   Southbury  Edward Edelson  Carol Hubert   Thomaston  Edmond  Mone  Roger Perrault   Waterbury  Neil O’Leary  Ronald Pugliese   Wat ertown  Raymond  Primini Charles Frigon   Wolcott   Thomas Dunn  Vacant  Woodbury  Gerald Stomski  Barbara  Perkinson     REGIONAL  PLANNING   COMMISSION   Municipalit y RPC Members   Beacon  Falls  David Chadderton,  Richard Minnick   Bethlehem  Maria Hill,  Ellen Samoska   Cheshire   Martin Cobern   Middlebury  Mary Barton,  Ken Long   Naugatuck  Anthony  Malone,  Joseph McEvoy   Oxford   Harold Cosgrove   Prospect   Gil Graveline   Southbury  Leslie Maclise ‐Kane,  Nancy  Clark  Thomaston  Robert Flanagan,  Bill Guerrera   Waterbury  Geoffrey  Green,  James  Sequin   Watertown  Ruth Mulcahy, Rosalie  Loughran  Wol cott   Steven Bosco,  Cathe Sherman   Woodbury  Martin Overton   Annual Report 2011 ‐2012     Naugatuck  River,  Thomaston.    Photo courtesy  of  Rivers  Alliance       49 Leavenworth Street, Suite 303 Waterbury, CT 06702 Phone: 203-757-0535 Fax: 203-756-7688 Email: cogcnv@cogcnv.org Website: www.cogcnv.org Beacon  Falls   Bethlehem    Cheshire   Middlebury    Naugatuck   Oxford    Prospect  Southbury    Thomaston   Waterbury   Watertown    Wolcott   Woodbury     Long Meadow  Pond  Brook  ERT  Field  Review.    Photo courtesy  of  CT  ERT     The  Council  of  Governments  (COGCNV)  is  the  regional   planning  organization  for  the  Central  Naugatuck  Valley  Region.  The  CNVR,  consisting  of 13  municipalities  in  the   greater  Waterbury  area,  is  one  of  the  15  state ‐ designated  planning  regions  in  Connecticut.  The  mayors   and  first  selectmen  of  the  member  towns  make  up  the   Council.  A  Re gional  Planning  Commission,  with  two   appointed  representatives  from  each  town,  serves  as  the   planning  advisory  group  to  COGCNV.  COGCNV  will  be   relocating  to  a new  office  on  49  Leavenworth  Street,   Suite  303 in Waterbury  in  February  2013.   REGIONAL   PLANNING   Land Use  Planning  and  Referrals   COGCNV  coordinated  regional  involvement  in  the   planning  process  for  Connecticut’s  new  Conservation   and  Development  Policies  Plan,  including  holding  a  planners  workshop  and  a  public  hearing,  presenting  the   draft  plan  to  planning  and  zoning  commissions,  and   submitting  comments  and  updated  maps  for  the  draft  State  Plan  to  the  Office  of  Policy  and  Mana gement. Staff   also  assisted  Southbury,  Beacon Falls, and  Thomaston   with  their  new  plans  of  conservation  and  devel ‐ opment.   In April  2012,  staff  participated  in  an  ERT  field   review  of  the  Long  Meadow  Pond  Brook  in Naugatuck.   Under  state  statutes,  COGCNV  staff  reviews  proposed   zoning  text  and  map  cha nges  that  affect  property  within  500  feet of  municipal  boundaries  and  subdivisions  which  touch  or  cross  town  lines.  Last  year,  COGCNV  received  50  referrals  and  responded  to  10.    Regional  Animal Shelter  Study   The  towns  of  Beacon  Falls,  Bethlehem,  Middlebury,   Naugatuck,  Prospect,  Southbury,  and  Woodbury  would   like  to  establish  a  regional  facility  to  re duce their   municipal  animal sheltering  costs.  COGCNV  submitted  an   OPM  Regional  Performance  Incentive  Proposal to  conduct  a  study  to  evaluate  site  and management   options  for a  regional  facility in  sufficient  detail  to  enable   the  participating  towns  to  move  forward  with  the  study’s   preferred  recommendation.  Grant award  is  anticipated   in  Au gust  2012.    Economic  Development   COGCNV  refers  business  requests  from the  state  Eco ‐ nomic  Resource  Center  to  local  economic  development   commissions  and  coordinators.  Staff  tracks  economic   trends  and,  with  GIS  mapping,  the location  of  major   employers,  industrial  and  commercial  areas, and  other   economic  development  information. COGCNV  is  seeking   funding  for  a  ne w  regional  economic  strategic  plan.   Regional  Data  COGCNV  provides  census  and  other  statistical  informa ‐ tion  to  municipal,  non ‐profit,  and  private  organizations  in   a  variety  of  forms,  including  its  website.  An  updated   Profile  of  the  CNVR ,  which  presents  Census  2010  and   American  Community  Survey  2005 ‐2009  5‐year   estimates,  was  distribute d to  municipal  officials  in  the   region.   American  Community  Survey  2006 ‐2010  five ‐ year  estimates  data  were downloaded  and  compiled   when  they  became  available  in  December  2011.   HHW  and  Electronics  Recycling   Household  Hazardous  Waste  (HHW)  collections  were   held  in  Waterbury,  Middlebury,  and  Woodbury.  A total   of  1,171  vehicles  brought  in  75 ,500  pounds  of  hazardous   waste,  including  paint,  pesticides,  and  other  flammable   or  corrosive  materials.  COGCNV  staff  worked  with  the   Connecticut  Resources  Recovery  Authority  to  organize   three  consumer  electronics  recycling  events  in  Watertown  and  Southbury.  Residents  from  CNVR   municipalities  disposed  of  over  42,300  pounds  of   electronics,  including  televisions,  computers,  and   monitors  durin g  the  three  events.  COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS CENTRAL NAUGATUCK VALLEY As  of  January  2013   87.6% 0.3% 3.6% 8.5% 14.7% 4.3% 8.5% 52.3% 20.0% 0.2% EMERGENCY   PLANNING   COGCNV continued  its  role  as  the  fiduciary  agent  in  CT   Department  of Emergency  Management  and Homeland   Security  Region  5.  Items  purchased  for  Region  5  included   license  plate  readers  for  law  enforcement,  ham radio  equipment  for  local  emergency  operations  centers, and  Cambro  feeding  system  equipment  for  shelters   throughout  the  region.  As  of  Au gust  1,  2012,  the   Litchfield  Hills  Council  of  Elected  Officials  took over  as  the   fiduciary  agent  for Region  5.    Staff  assisted  in  submitting  applications  for an  update  of   local  Pre‐ Disaster  Mitigation  plans  under  a  CT  DEEP  grant   and  FEMA’s  Hazard  Mitigation  Grant  that  followed   disaster  declarations  in  2011.  Municipalities  applied  to   upda te  their  plans  under  three  separate  grants.  Each  grant  will  be  managed  by  a  single  municipality.                                 Waterbury Bus  Ridership  Map   G EOGRAPHIC   INFORMATION  SYSTEMS   (GIS)  COGCNV  staff  compiled  a  database  and  map  layer  of  all   bus  stop  signs  along  the  bus  routes  operated  by  CT   Transit  Waterbury.  An  updated  regional  bus  system  map   was  prepared  showing  the  cumulative  ridership  for  each   bus  route.   Mapping  was  also  provided  for  a  Regional   Water  Authority  grant,  a  Hazard  Mitigation  grant,   Waterbury’s  traffic  signal  system,  and  the  location  of   2012 ‐2015  TIP  projects.   Staff  performed  a  region ‐wide  build ‐out  of  residential  popula tion  using  buildable  land  and  current  zoning.   Using  CommunityViz,  a  detailed  residential  population  build ‐out  was  completed  for  Beacon  Falls.   In addition,   COGCNV  staff  updated  its  GIS datasets  and  assisted   municipalities  with  specific  GIS  requests.   TRANSPORTATION  PLANNING   Freight Planning   COGCNV  staff  identified  and  mapped  motor  freight   hazards  in  the  region  such  as  low‐ clearance  bridges and   high‐ accident  locations,  and  made  recommendations  for   improvement.  Staff  also summarized  conditions  for  rail   freight  and  included  maps  that  identified  rail ‐accessible  parcels  in  the  region  that  could  attract  manufacturers   and  freight  distributors  who are  interested  in an   alternative  to the  state’s  con gested highway  system.    Congested  Intersection  Studies  COGCNV  staff  initiated  the  congested  signalized   intersection  study  to  identify  deficiencies  in  the   highway  network  caused  by intersection  delay.  Staff   collected  turning  movement  counts  at  9 locations,   including   several   intersections   along  Route   10  in       Main  Street  Streetscaping,  Southbury,  Photo  courtesy  of  Don  Antilla     America’s  Great  Outdoors  celebration  of  the  Naugatuck  River  Greenway     Cheshire.  Data will  be  analyzed  with a  signal  timing   program.  Staff  will  recommend  improvements  at  these  locations  based  on  the  signal  timing  analysis   and  the  analysis  of  accident  data.   Transportation  Funding  Programs   Staff  solicited  and  ranked  new  projects  for  the  STP ‐ Urban  program,  the  Local  Road Accident  Reduction   Program,  the  Congestion  Mi tigation &  Air  Quality   Program,  and  the  Transportation  Enhancement   program.  Projects  consisted  of  safety  and  capacity   improvements  to  the  highway  network,  transit en ‐ hancements,  and  greenway  trails.   TIP  2012 ‐2015   COGCNV  staff  updated  the  four ‐year  Transportation   Improvement  Program.  The TIP  is  a  federally ‐ required  four ‐year  funding  schedule  of  hig hway  and   transit  projects  paid  for  by  federal,  state,  and  local   funding  sources.  Some  of  the  projects  included  in   the  TIP  are the  Naugatuck  River  Greenway  trail,  the   I‐84  upgrade  in  the  eastern  Waterbury,  the  re‐ construction  of  Christian  Street  in Oxford,  and  the   repair  of four  bridges  on  the  Waterb ury  Branch  Line.    Greenways   The  Naugatuck  River  Greenway  was  recognized  in  the   America’s  Great  Outdoors  (AGO)  initiative  by  the  U.S.   Department  of the  Interior  as  one  of  the  top  101  outdoors  projects  in  the  country.   COGCNV  worked  with   the  National  Park  Service  and  the  municipalities  along   the  river  to  coordinate  events  celebrating  the  planne d  greenway  trail.   Staff  assisted  the  City  of  Waterbury  in  its   Waterbury  on  Wheels  event  around  The  Green  as  part  of   the  AGO  celebrations.   COGCNV  also  helped  organize  the  first  annual  bike  to  work  day  in  May  2012.   Public  Transit   Evening  bus  service  started  in  October  2011  in  Waterb ury.   Ridership  ranges  from  700  to 900  riders  per  night.   Paratransit  services  for  people  with  disabilities   were  expanded  to  provide  transportation  to  Southbury,   the  Gaylord  Rehabilitation  Hospital,  and  evening  non ‐ ADA  paratransit  trips  outside  of  Waterbury.   Public  Participation  Plan  /  Title  VI   COGCNV  staff  updated  the  agency’s  Public  Participation   Plan  to  lay out  the  public  involvement  process  for   transportatio n planning  activities.  The  new plan  calls  for   an  increased  use  of visualization  techniques  and  consideration  of  the  effectiveness  of  communicating   COGCNV  activities  using  social  media.  In addition,  new   procedures  were  put  in  place  to document  complaints   under  Title  VI.   FINANCIAL   STATEMENT   Revenues   $2,080,659        Expenses  $2,036,165          Federal $1,822 ,231 State $75,081 Other  Govt. $177 ,705 Agencies Mis cellaneous $5,642 Total $2,080 ,659 Salaries $298 ,898 Subreci pients $87,021 Consultants $173 ,055 Other $1,064,796 Indirect  Costs $408 ,193 De preciation $4,202 Total $2,036,165