Member Services
The Nashua Regional Planning Commission provides its 13 member communities with comprehensive services in the areas of transportation, land use, GIS, and environmental planning.
Metropolitan Planning Organization—NRPC serves as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Nashua Region and is responsible for the process that ensures federal funds are available in the region. Click here for more information on NRPC’s responsibilities in this role.
Transportation Improvement Program—NRPC develops a list of projects derived from the Long Range Transportation Plan that are scheduled for implementation by the State for the short-term period.
Long Range Transportation Plan—a vision for the future of regional transportation. NRPC works with its member communities to get their recommendations for transportation improvements to be included in the State’s planning process. The Long Range Transportation Plan includes a prioritized list of many of these projects.
Application Assistance—NRPC offers assistance in applying for funding under state-run programs, such as Congestion Mitigation & Air Quality (CMAQ), Transportation Enhancements (TE), and Safe Routes to School. TE and CMAQ programs award Federal funding to projects that provide improvements to specific aspects of the transportation network. Safe Routes to School encourages students from kindergarten through 8th grade to safely walk or bike to school using a variety of education methods and incentives.
Traffic Count Data—each year NRPC conducts well over 100 traffic counts at locations throughout the region. This data is used by both NRPC and the NH DOT in generating reports that assist in decision making by local and state officials. NRPC also maintains historical records for many of these locations so that growth trends can be examined.
Transit Planning—transit planning identifies existing and needed transportation services in the region for persons with disabilities, older citizens, and individuals with lower incomes.
Travel Demand Modeling—NRPC maintains a regional travel demand model, which is used to predict changes in traffic volumes based on future or planned projects. A primary use of the model is to forecast traffic for the Long Range Transportation Plan and to analyze air quality benefits of transportation-related projects. It can also examine local issues, often down to the city-block level.
Fact sheets & Guidebooks—reference materials are regularly published on a host of cutting edge planning topics. Fact sheets provide a quick refresher or general overview on a topic. Guidebooks offer more in-depth information than a fact sheet, but are written in an easy-to-read format.
Lending Library—NRPC’s Lending Library is continuously updated with the most current books on any planning related topic you are interested in.
Resources for Board Members—whether you are a new to a board or a long standing member with a planning question, NRPC is a resource for you. The iTRaC website is a great source of general information on a variety of planning topics: www.nashuarpc.org/itrac. NRPC staff members are also available to answer any questions you might have.
Trainings—NRPC works with local leaders in the planning field to conduct free trainings on timely planning issues. Communities can select topics that are most relevant to their needs and NRPC will organize and facilitate the training at a convenient time and location in the community.
Special Projects and Research Assistance—communities often struggle to find the time and budget to conduct research or implement plan recommendations. NRPC’s iTRaC program helps with these tasks and focuses on projects that integrate transportation and land use to address growth and foster a sense of place.
NRPC GIS offers a variety of data, analysis and mapping services to member cities and towns. Most of the services are provided free of charge, including basic data requests and demographic information. More in-depth data requests involving custom map creation and analysis are undertaken on a contractual basis. NRPC GIS also has the technical resources to be an inexpensive alternative to member communties for GIS implementation and data creation.
Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collections—HHW comes from everyday products used in the home and yard. By definition, they are corrosive, flammable, toxic, or reactive. Oil-based paints & solvents, oven cleaners, pool chemicals, pesticides, drain opener, and auto chemicals are just a few common examples. NRPC holds roughly six HHW collections each year for residents in communities belonging to the Nashua Regional Solid Waste Management District. There is a $10 user fee to participate, which covers up to 10 gallons or 20 pounds of waste per household.
Brownfields—since 2004 NRPC has worked with the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields Program to facilitate the cleanup and reuse of contaminated sites in the Nashua Region to their highest potential. In 2004 NRPC received grant funding to identify and assess petroleum contaminates sites in the Nashua Region. Then in 2007, NRPC was awarded a grant to complete assessment activities related to brownfields sites containing hazardous substances.
Energy Program—NRPC helps communities to establish Local Energy Committees and develop scopes of work and goals, conduct energy inventories of municipal buildings an schools, write Energy Action Plans based on the results of their inventories, and conduct community-specific public outreach campaigns. NRPC also facilitates a Regional Energy Roundtable, which is open to anyone with an interest in energy issues. The goal of this group is to share knowledge, technical expertise and lessons learned as communities in the region take action to address climate change at the local level.
Links
Nashua Regional Planning Commission
9 Executive Park Drive, Suite 201
Merrimack, NH 03054
Phone ~ 603.424.2240 | Fax ~ 603.424.2230