…region…regional…Regionalization

Let’s face it—when it comes to finding solutions to a challenge, more than likely, someone else has gone through exactly what you’re going through. Or something very similar. Learning from the experiences of others can help save valuable time and resources.

MVPC represents 15 individual communities in the region, and has learned that although they are all very different, many of the challenges they face are very similar. Recognizing and supporting community individuality while promoting community cooperation and development is paramount to MVPCs mission. That’s why we take a strategic regional approach to solving issues—by looking at common needs, mutual problem solving helps everyone across the region.

Regional Success Stories

Merrimack Valley Mayors & Managers Coalition

Q. What do 5 Mayors and 3 town Managers have in common?
A. The desire to identify common challenges and work together to find solutions.
In 2007 the forming of the Merrimack Valley Mayors & Managers Coalition struck a chord with the community and helped pave the way for regional problem solving. MVPC provides the administrative, personnel and expertise support necessary to implement their programs, which include:

• Advocacy with the region’s State and Federal legislative delegation
• Joint procurement
• Regionalization of services

This regional Coalition led to even more collaborations in other areas:

• The City of Amesbury and the Town of Salisbury collaborated on a joint public health services district. MVPC provided technical support and drafted the contract.
• Since 2008, DPW Directors from the region’s communities have collectively procured services for roadway maintenance.  Please see the results of the latest 2011 Merrimack Valley Regional Services Consortium Invitation for Bid Summary.
• In 2009, the Merrimack Valley Energy Management Program was formed to help communities develop energy management strategies and conservation programs. It is administered by MVPC with technical assistance provided by the Peregrine Energy Group. The need for an Energy Services Company (ESCO) to implement energy conservation improvements on public buildings was identified, and MVPC facilitated ESCO services for interested communities in the region, including the Pentucket Regional School District and the Greater Lawrence Technical High School.
• Developing solar energy farms on closed landfills in the region, a concept coined as turning “Brownfields” into “Brightfields,” is another example of collaboration. There are over 160 acres of landfills, and communities are working together to explore the solar energy opportunities based on successful efforts in Brockton, MA. MVPC engaged analysis by Meridian Associates on various landfills to determine if they are suitable candidates for renewable energy. If the analyzed sites are suitable, interested communities may work with solar energy developers in 2011 to bring the “Brightfields” program to the Merrimack Valley.

Energy Plan Kicks off at Regional Planning Day

After the event Alix Driscoll from the Andover Conservation Commission commented that the Regional Planning Day event was “an excellent symposium on energy and how to understand the issue.  This is very important as Sun Gen Mark Andover, LLC (solar developer) is before the town board’s right now to seek permits for a large solar array on 18 acres off Interstate 93”.

Merrimack Valley Means Business & Merrimack Valley Priority Growth Strategy

As a pioneer in thought leadership and regional collaborator, MVPC is constantly seeking innovative ways of doing things in an already established field, as exemplified in these two regional projects:

Merrimack Valley Means Business (MVMB.biz) is a one-stop location for businesses, realtors, local planning officials and economic development practitioners to obtain valuable business, property, mapping and demographic information in an interactive, easy-to-use module. This valuable resource is a result of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) and Merrimack Valley Priority Growth Strategy, designed to help the business community identify and evaluate potential existing or developable business sites throughout the region.

Merrimack Valley Priority Growth Strategyis the official planning policy for all of Merrimack Valley and its 15 communities, the first of its kind in more than 30 years. It serves as the basis for identifying strategic priorities throughout the region and identifies Concentrated Development Centers where communities want to encourage growth while suggesting areas to preserve and protect environmental resources.

Merrimack Valley Economic Development Corporation

At the turn of the 20th Century, textile and shoe manufacturers flourished in the Merrimack Valley region, concentrating in Lawrence and Haverhill. When these industrial centers diminished, the communities sought to stimulate the economy and provide financial incentives to small businesses to create job opportunities in the region. MVPC created the Merrimack Valley Economic Development Corporation (MVED) a 501-C-4 not for profit organization to provide business loans throughout the region. Capitalized by a $1,000,000 EDA grant in 1997, MVED has loaned over $2 million and has created or retained over 200 jobs. As a nonprofit community development corporation, MVED can sponsor businesses for various public loans. To date, MVED has arranged for lending to regional businesses from the Commonwealth Trust and the Commonwealth Development Finance Corporation (CDFC) for over $2.5 million.

Regional GIS Service Center

Technology can assist communities be more productive and effective, yet many communities lack the capacity in personnel or technical resources to utilize technology. Working as the state-designated Regional GIS Service Center for northeastern Massachusetts (see M.G.L. Chapter 21, Section 4B), MVPC fosters cooperation among local, state, regional and federal government agencies and the private sector in order to improve the quality, access, cost-effectiveness and utility of Geographical Information System (GIS) as a strategic resource. MVPC provides access to information technology (IT) through the provision of GIS/IT services on a regional basis, with services ranging from:

• Parcel mapping
• Pictometry products
• Municipal Information Mapping Access program (MIMAP)
• MVMB.biz
• Training and support

This strategic regional approach allows MVPC to explore technological innovation and act as a laboratory for new technology, allowing smaller communities to have the latest in technology and support.

Eight Towns & the Bay

Communities along the Northeastern Massachusetts coast decided to use a regional approach to protect this important coastline and associated watersheds. Established in 1992, Eight Towns & the Bay promotes local and regional coastal water quality initiatives, and is comprised of citizens appointed by chief elected officials in each of its nine member communities (Amesbury, Newburyport, Salisbury, Newbury, Rowley, Ipswich, Essex, Gloucester and Rockport). Eight Towns & the Bay works with communities and the general public to foster stewardship of coastal resources by heightening public awareness of solutions to pollution problems, providing technical assistance and supporting local research and education projects. MVPC and the Massachusetts Bays Program provide technical assistance to the committee in the form of coastal project identification, grant writing and site assessment. This initiative has also resulted in the formation of the North Shore Greenscapes and the Great Marsh Coalitions.