We organize workshops for Conservation Commissions, Planning Boards, Boards of Health, Selectboards, and other municipal officials to provide them with better tools for understanding and protecting natural resource assets. The Connecticut River Watershed Restoration Project has used innovative soil bioengineering techniques to stabilize several thousand feet of streambank. Another current project is working to introduce a system of stream classification and assessment to municipal boards and members of the regulatory and development community so that they may better understand how land use in a watershed may impact stream stability, ecosystem viability, and water quality. Planning and Development compiles socioeconomic, land use, transportation, and other information that concerns Massachusetts and the Franklin County region. Data is available for national, state, county, town, and census tract levels.
Staff assist municipalities with TIP project development and tracking.
Staff also support municipalities through all phases of the Enhancements program, from project inception and application to contract execution. The Enhancements program is a federal transportation funding program for non-traditional transportation projects. Additional municipal services include traffic counting, pavement management analysis, intersection analysis, parking studies and acting as a liaison with State transportation agencies. Current transportation projects include working with the MassHighway Department and the Route 2 Task Force to implement projects recommended in the Route 2 Safety Improvement Study . The TDM Grant Program provides funding for transportation-related projects that help improve air quality.