== Bike-Walk Alliance of NH ==

Central New Hampshire Safe Routes to School Conference

June 11, 2010 at Holiday Inn Concord

8:00-8:40 a.m. - Registration and Networking
Bartlett Room

8:40-8:55 a.m. - Welcome and Thank You
Bartlett Room: Central New Hampshire Regional Planning Commission staff welcomes you to the first-ever Safe Routes to School conference in the state. NH Department of Transportation Deputy Commissioner Michael Pillsbury will talk about the critical role SRTS plays in helping communities be more livable.

9:00-9:40 a.m. - Session 1
Bartlett Room: What is Safe Routes to School/How to Start a Safe Routes to School Program
" John Corrigan, SRTS Coordinator, NH Department of Transportation
" Natalie Duval, Chairperson, Hopkinton SRTS Task Force

This session will introduce participants to Safe Routes to School (SRTS) concepts, goals and possibilities. Learn how to initiate SRTS activities, work to develop a successful program and what resources are available to you and your community. A question and answer session will follow.

9:00-9:40 a.m. - Session 1
Capitol Room: Travel Planning and Engineering Concepts
" Ruairi O'Mahony, Transportation Planner, CNHRPC
" Ed Roberge, Engineer, City of Concord
" Greg Bakos, Engineer, Vanasse Hangen & Brustlin

This session will outline the travel plan process, its purpose, its critical role in community engagement and how it sets up communities for future infrastructure projects. This session will also discuss best engineering practices, the role of Context Sensitive Solutions approaches and what practices lead to successful infrastructure projects. A question and answer session will follow.

9:40-10:00 a.m. - Break, Refreshments and Awards
Bartlett Room: Good Guy Awards
" Ruairi O'Mahony, Transportation Planner, CNHRPC
" Nicholas Coates, Regional Planner, CNHRPC

Join CNHRPC as it honors four local champions who made tremendous communities in the Central NH region relating to SRTS. These "Good Guys" will be recognized for all of the work they have done to make the region and state better places.

10:00-10:45 a.m. - Session 2
Bartlett Room: Building Community Partnerships and Building Program Excitement
" Deb Samaha, Director, Injury Prevention Center at Children's Hospital at Dartmouth
" Carlene Ferrier, Chair, Beaver Meadow Elementary School Task Force
" Tim Farmer, Owner, S&W Sports

Partnerships are critical among municipalities, schools, SAUs, parents, community members and the business community. This session will explain how to reach out to partners and build relationships that create dynamic SRTS programs. The session also explores how the partnerships can lead to exciting and fun events and programming. A question and answer session will follow.

10:00-10:45 a.m. - Session 2
Capitol Room: Municipal Management and Project Coordination
" Fred Reagan, Facilities Director, Merrimack Valley School District
" Shane O'Keefe, Planning Director, Town of Hillsborough
" TBA

Knowing how to manage a program effectively is critical to the success of the project. This includes grantwriting, working with your regional planning commission, choosing engineers that understand how to manage SRTS projects and successful budgeting. This session will also explore best practices on how to coordinate utility and roadway projects concurrently with SRTS infrastructure projects to maximize effectiveness. A question and answer session will follow.

10:50-11:30 a.m. - Session 3
Bartlett Room: Organizing a Walking School Bus and Bicycle Education Course
" John Freeman, Superintendent, Pittsfield School District
" Jennifer Kretovic, Executive Director, Concord 2020
" Dave Topham, Director, Bike-Walk Alliance of NH

What are walking school buses? Why are they valuable? How do you organize safe ones? This session will answer those questions. Bicycle education programs are equally critical to showing children how to get to school safely. This session will explain what options are available to communities for bicycle education and how to get started. A question and answer session will follow.

10:50-11:30 a.m. - Session 3
Capitol Room: Funding Opportunities and Funding Solutions
" William Rose, Senior Planner, NH Department of Transportation
" Cheryl Behr, Town Administrator, Town of Bradford
" Nicholas Coates, Regional Planner, CNHRPC

Improving your community to one that considers for and provides infrastructure for all modes of transportation takes time and resources. This session outlines municipal funding procedures and options for SRTS and additional state and federal funding options than can be leveraged. A question and answer session will follow.

11:30 a.m.-12:25 p.m. - Lunch (On your own)

12:25-1:10 p.m. - Session 4
Bartlett Room: Enforcement and Encouragement
" Shaun Mulholland, Police Chief, Town of Allenstown
" Bob Wharem, Police Chief, Town of Pittsfield
" Scott Lane, Police Chief, Town of Pembroke

SRTS parent surveys consistently identify the lack of safe routes and traffic speed as the critical barriers to allowing their children walk and bicycle to school. This session explains how police departments and community members can work in and out of schools to make neighborhoods and streets safer for walking and bicycling and bring communities together in the process. A question and answer session will follow.

12:25-1:10 p.m. - Session 4
Capitol Room: Avoiding Pitfalls and Troubleshooting
" John Corrigan, SRTS Coordinator, NH Department of Transportation
" Jim Marshall, Project Manager, NH Department of Transportation

Every project has pitfalls. This session looks at common pitfalls in the planning, engineering and coordination process and how to avoid and mitigate them. This session will predominantly be a Q&A session to help jumpstart, troubleshoot and discuss effective project management.

1:15-1:55 p.m. - Program Spotlight
Capitol Room: Pittsfield: Footwork Fridays
" John Freeman, Superintendent, Pittsfield School District
" Bob Wharem, Police Chief, Town of Pittsfield

Pittsfield went from having less than 10 percent of its students walking to school this year to more than one-third of students every Friday! Learn how community and school leaders began to turn things around and got their children and parents excited about walking to school and how the project has brought the community together. A question and answer session will follow.

1:15-1:55 p.m. - Program Spotlight
Lobby: Walking Audit/Level of Service (Be ready to leave from lobby promptly at 1:15 p.m.)
" Ruairi O'Mahony, Transportation Planner, CNHRPC
" Nicholas Coates, Regional Planner, CNHRPC

Walking audits and level of service data collection efforts help communities identify deficiencies and help communities understand how to improve infrastructure. This session will be hands-on that shows participants how to work with planners to conduct these critical data collection efforts. This will be a walking session. Please make sure to bring comfortable shoes.

2:00-2:30 p.m. - Keynote Address
Bartlett Room
" Dr. Susan Lynch, Pediatrician and Pediatric Lipid Specialist, Cholesterol Treatment Center at Concord Hospital, and NH's First Lady

Dr. Susan Lynch works on issues related to children's health especially related to the problem of childhood obesity, and to encourage healthy eating habits and regular exercise for New Hampshire's children and families. In addition to speaking across the state about ways to prevent childhood obesity, Dr. Lynch serves as the spokesperson for the physical activity program "Walk NH," which is designed to challenge NH families to have fun getting in shape. Dr. Lynch will talk about the childhood obesity in NH and how communities can work together to get children and families more active.

2:35-3:10 p.m. - Program Spotlight
Bartlett Room: Walk NH/Green Commute Week Activities
" Shawn LaFrance, Executive Director, Foundation for Healthy Communities
" Carlene Ferrier, Chair, Beaver Meadow Elementary School Task Force

This session will expand on Dr. Lynch's speech and talk about the benefits of walking for children and explain what Walk NH is and how it can motivate children to get excited about walking. Presenters will also discuss early successes in Concord to its most recent at Beaver Meadow Elementary School. BMES has successfully put on walking to school events with widespread participation and this session will talk about how the Task Force accomplished its successes and what it has coming up next. A question and answer session will follow.

2:35-3:10 p.m. - Program Spotlight
Capitol Room: Concord: Conant and Rundlett Walking Path
" Ed Roberge, Engineer, City of Concord
" Peter Johnson, District Facilities Coordinator, Concord School District
" Jennifer Kretovic, Executive Director, Concord 2020

The walking path connecting Conant Elementary and Rundlett Middle Schools in Concord was the state's first SRTS infrastructure project. Learn about how it was constructed, its purpose, its successes and how it has encouraged more students walk and bicycle to school. Discuss with Concord's City Engineer, the School District's Facilities Coordinator and the City's SRTS Coordinator how it all came together. A question and answer session will follow.

3:15-3:45 p.m. - Bringing it All Together and Wrap Up
Bartlett Room
" Ruairi O'Mahony, Transportation Planner, CNHRPC
" Nicholas Coates, Regional Planner, CNHRPC

This session synergizes the entire day's sessions into a final planning and wrap-up session to help participants understand what it takes to pull a SRTS program together from start to finish.

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