The Vital Communities Transportation Program works with employers, municipalities, school districts, and regional planning commissions to improve transportation options and reduce reliance on driving alone.

Getting Around

The Upper Valley offers great commuting opportunities with transit, carpools, biking, walking, and telecommuting.

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Communities

We work with towns, schools, and community organizations to lower residents’ transportation costs.

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Workplaces

Smart Commute helps Upper Valley employers lower the costs of commuting to work.

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VTEN

The Vermont Transportation Efficiency Network (VTEN) is a group of providers, planners, and advocates who gather to reduce the costs and environmental impacts of our transportation system.

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Advance
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Real-Time

Real-Time Photo Project

Find your bus in real-time and plan your trip at AdvanceTransit.com OR download the iPhone or Android real-time app developed by students from Dartmouth’s Thayer School of Engineering.

We’re working with workplaces and communities in the Advance Transit service area over the next year to promote Advance Transit’s real-time system and trip planner. Using proven Community-Based Social Marketing methods, we hope to increase ridership on Advance Transit by making it easier and more routine to take the bus.

Interested in getting your workplace or organization involved? E-mail Bethany@VitalCommunities.org.

What's Happening

Donuts & Hogwarts: A Transit Travel Training Case Study

One thing a group of Millennial cartoonists doesn’t need is help using a smartphone app – especially an intuitive one that shows the real-time loc [...]

Buses are FREE Thursday for Dump the Pump Day!

Join people around the Upper Valley and nationwide and take the bus Thursday, June 21 for the 13th annual Dump the Pump Day. Stagecoach and Connectic [...]

Y’all Curbed the Car!

On Friday, May 18, the Upper Valley celebrated its newest holiday: Curb the Car Day. Riffing off National Bike to Work Day, Curb the Car Day embra [...]

Featuring Your Friends & Neighbors!

Recognize anyone? Thanks to some dedicated bus riders with bright smiles and great stories, we've put together this poster series promoting Advance Tr [...]

About the Upper Valley Transportation Management Association (UVTMA)

The Vital Communities Transportation Program convenes the Upper Valley Transportation Management Association (UVTMA), a membership-ba [...]

Remembering Shawn Donovan

With great sadness we announce that Lebanon resident Shawn M. Donovan, one of the co-founders of the Upper Valley Transportation Management Associ [...]

Need Transportation in the Upper Valley?

This fall, Vital Communities' Transportation Program collaborated with Go! Vermont to develop a one-page guide to transportation in the Upper Valley, [...]

Your Bus in Real-Time.

Not sure when and where to catch Advance Transit or if the bus is on time? Download the Advance Transit Real Time App or check the Where’s My Bus? f [...]

Chugga Chugga, Chugga Chugga, VTEN!

The Vermont Transportation Efficiency Network (VTEN), convened semi-annually by the Vital Communities Transportation Program, met on Monday, September [...]

Vital Communities & VT Climate Commission

This summer I got a call from Montpelier asking me to serve as the transportation representative on Governor Phil Scott’s Climate Actio [...]

Upper Valley Transportation Management Association (UVTMA)

We convene the Upper Valley Transportation Management Association (UVTMA), a membership-based group of workplaces, transportation providers, municipalities, and planners. Dues-paying members are eligible for customized programs and services for their town or workplace.

Join us to help solve the transportation challenges affecting the Upper Valley. E-mail Bethany to learn more about becoming a UVTMA member.

UVTMA Steering Committee

Dartmouth-Hitchcock: Dan Dahmen
Norwich Energy Committee: Susan Hardy
Hanover: Carolyn Radisch
Lebanon: Rebecca Owens
Hartford: Matt Osborn
Dartmouth College: Patrick O’Neill
Enfield: Scott Osgood

Lyme: Daniel Brand
New England Transportation Institute: Matthew Coogan
Plainfield: Betsy Rybeck Lynd
Lebanon School District: Wanda Hastings
Hanover Bicycle/Pedestrian Committee: Scot Drysdale

Advance Transit: Van Chestnut
Resource Systems Group: Ben Swanson
New Hampshire House of Representatives: Patricia Higgins
Hypertherm: Stacey Chiocchio
Hartland Energy Committee: Karl Kemnitzer

UVLSRPC: Meghan Butts, , Steering Committee Chair
TRORC: Rita Seto
SWCRPC: Jason Rasmussen
Southwestern Community Services: Terri Paige
Stagecoach:
Vital Communities: Bethany Fleishman & Paige Heverly

Calendar

	October 2018
Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
	1 UV CRAFT- Luna Bleu Farm UV CRAFT- Luna Bleu Farm Starts: 9:00 pm Ends: October 1, 2018 - 11:00 pm Location: Luna Bleu Farm, 96 Boles Rd, South Royalton, VT 05068, USA Description: This event is not open to the public. Contact Nancy@VitalCommunities if you want to learn more about the CRAFT program. More details... LFA Business of the Month: Co-op Food Stores LFA Business of the Month: Co-op Food Stores Starts: 12:00 am Ends: October 31, 2018 - 11:59 pm Description: Celebrate the Co-op Food Stores as Business of the Month AND National Co-op Month all October. Mention Local First or thank the Co-op for all they do to support our community and SAVE 10% on your purchase of Co-op Brand Coffee in the bul department. Learn more. More details... • •	2	3	4 Can Accessory Dwelling Units Help Meet Our Region’s Housing Needs? Can Accessory Dwelling Units Help Meet Our Region’s Housing Needs? Starts: 8:00 pm Ends: October 4, 2018 - 10:00 pm Location: Kilton Public Library, 80 Main St, West Lebanon, NH 03784, USA Description: Can Accessory Dwelling Units Help Meet Our Region’s Housing Needs? Join Vital Communities and the City of Lebanon in welcoming ADU guru Kol Peterson for a presentation and discussion from 4 to 6 pm on Thursday, October 4, at the Kilton Library in West Lebanon This is a FREE event, but please register here. An accessory dwelling unit is a simple and old idea: having a second small dwelling right on the same grounds as (or attached to) your regular single-family house. An ADU can provide an affordable place for you or others to live, can be designed for your needs, and can provide rental income. Copies of Kol Peterson’s book Backdoor Revolution: The Definitive Guide to ADU Development can be purchased online for $10 (a 60% discount) and picked up at the event. This event is generously sponsored by AARP and presented by New Hampshire Housing, who has published a helpful Homeowner’s Guide to Accessory Dwelling Units to help you think through questions about ADU construction and ownership. The Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development has also published a helpful brochure about ADU requirements, available here. More details... •	5	6
7	8	9	10 Leadership Upper Valley - Education Day Leadership Upper Valley - Education Day Starts: 12:00 pm Ends: October 10, 2018 - 8:00 pm Location: Hartford Town Hall, 171 Bridge St, White River Junction, VT Description: This is a Vital Communities Leadership Upper Valley Class of 2019 event. If you'd like to apply for next year's LUV Class, please contact Rob Schultz at rob@vitalcommunities.org. LUV alumni are welcome at current year classes with advanced notice. Please contact Rob for details. More details... •	11	12	13 Valley Quest Guided Cemetery Tour Valley Quest Guided Cemetery Tour Starts: 5:30 pm Ends: October 13, 2018 - 6:30 pm Location: Hartford Cemetery, Rt 14, White River Junction, VT, 05001 More details... •
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25 UVTMA Monthly Meeting UVTMA Monthly Meeting Starts: 8:00 pm Ends: October 25, 2018 - 9:30 pm Location: Lebanon City Hall, North Park Street, Lebanon, NH (unless otherwise noted) Description: We meet in the West Meeting Room, by the City Council Chambers. We typically NO NOT meet in August and December. More details... •	26 Fall Business Leaders Housing Breakfast Fall Business Leaders Housing Breakfast Starts: 11:30 am Ends: October 26, 2018 - 1:00 pm Location: Fireside Inn & Suites West Lebanon, 25 Airport Rd, West Lebanon, NH 03784, USA Description: The Fall Business Leaders Housing Breakfast, co-hosted by Vital Communities and Twin Pines Housing, is being held on Friday, Oct 26, 2018 at the Fireside Inn in West Lebanon. Registration and a full breakfast buffet will begin at 7:30 am followed by presentations from 8:00 am to 9:00 am. A very special thank you to Bar Harbor Bank & Trust and Vermont Housing Finance Agency for sponsoring this important event! Dartmouth College geographer Garrett Dash Nelson will present the regional nature of our housing challenge and current possibilities for change. Vital Communities will be encouraging each attendee to participate in a local planning meeting in the next 3 months. You will also hear the latest on the Upper Valley home purchase and rental markets from Buff McLaughry of Four Seasons Sotheby's International Realty and Lynne LaBombard of Housing Solutions Real Estate. Come join us for the informative presentations and great networking opportunities that you have come to expect from this event! Please RSVP by Friday, Oct 19. While the breakfast is sponsored, a $10.00-$20.00 donation at the door to support Vital Communities’ housing program is encouraged. More details... •	27
28	29	30 Droughts & Downpours: Managing for Extremes Droughts & Downpours: Managing for Extremes Starts: 8:30 pm Ends: October 31, 2018 - 12:15 am Location: Hypertherm Inc, 71 Heater Rd, Lebanon, NH 03766, USA Description: Join Vital Communities and the Upper Valley Adaptation Workgroup (UVAW) for a community conversation about how shifts in precipitation patterns are affecting the Upper Valley. Hear from regional planners about how these changes are already impacting towns, private citizens, and state-level management practices. Local practitioners will explain how managing for flooding can also help in times of drought. Attendees will tour Hypertherm’s innovative stormwater projects, get a chance for Q&A with the panelists, and learn how to put best practices into action. A light meal will be served. The event is FREE, but registration is required by October 25: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07efph7hne0d316a75&llr=7jf5uhcab More details... •	31

Vital Communities News

2018 Farmer Celebration Mixer

Join us to celebrate the work we did together in 2018! Do your chores early, leave the spreadsheets behind, and come share some beer, crepes, and farm chat with fellow farmers as we celebrate the successful 2017 season. Monday, ...more

Donuts & Hogwarts: A Transit Travel Training Case Study

One thing a group of Millennial cartoonists doesn’t need is help using a smartphone app – especially an intuitive one that shows the real-time location of buses in the rural transit system, Advance Transit. No, ...more

Farmers' Market Roundtable

Join Vital Communities and NOFA VT for a Farmers' Market Roundtable November 7, 2018 from 4-7 pm at the Wilder Club & Library in Hartford, Vermont The roundtable is an opportunity to network, share market successes and challenges, gain ...more

Celebrate Co-op Month with the Co-op Food Stores!

Celebrate October as Co-op Month, Fair-Trade Month and Co-op Food Stores as the Business of the Month! Visit the Co-op Food Stores during the month of October and save 10% off purchase of Co-op Brand Coffee from ...more

EPA Recognizes Hanover Co-op Food Stores with National Award

Congratulations to The Co-op Food Stores! EPA Recognizes Supermarkets Across America for Smart Refrigerant Management WASHINGTON — Yesterday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized 13 organizations in the supermarket industry for their achievements in protecting human health ...more

Market-Fresh Cooking Demos

Love to shop at the farmers' market, and want to learn a new tip or recipe for cooking with all the great produce that is available this month? Join local chef Holly Pierce for weekly cooking ...more

September Market-Fresh Cooking Demos

Love to shop at the farmers' market, and want to learn a new tip or recipe for cooking with all the great produce that is available this month? Join local chef Holly Pierce for weekly cooking ...more

The Norwich Bookstore is the BOM!

Celebrate The Norwich Bookstore as the September Business of the Month! And as a founding Local First Alliance member, The Norwich Bookstore has been and an anchor business in downtown Norwich providing the community with expert ...more

Lebanon Area Businesses - Join us on Sept. 27

So many small businesses in the Upper Valley are burdened with high energy costs. And not enough time to do anything about it! We've got some good news for you. A group of Lebanon residents are ...more

Bird and Quest

The Vermont Center for Ecostudies lists 382 species of bird that occur in Vermont, whether year-long resident or migratory visitor. The VCE’s Vermont Atlas of Life citizen science operation has recorded sightings of 332 of ...more

Mascoma Bank is the BOM!

Celebrate Mascoma Bank as Business of the Month August 6-17 and support three nonprofits while you're at it! Mascoma Bank has put community first since 1899 and as their way of celebrating being the BOM, Mascoma ...more

Subbasin Spotlight!

This year's Aquatic Adventure Super Quest showcases the 5 subbasins that make up the Upper Connecticut River Valley, or, more fondly, the Upper Valley. A subbasin is a term used to describe a watershed within a ...more

A Valley Side-Quest

While Questing is an absorbing hobby in its own right, it opens the door for a number of Side-Quests that you may find enrich the experience. One such Side-Quest is to collect data for any of a ...more

A Lot Lighter with More Hands: Leadership Upper Valley

On the bright, sunny morning of June 13, Cobb Hill was waking up, and the soon-to-be graduating 2018 Leadership Upper Valley class was just arriving for their final meeting. Before the ceremony at Harpoon Brewery, ...more

Longevity & Commitment: Keynote Remarks from Heroes & Leaders 2018

Editor's Note: Many thanks to Kevin Peterson, Director of Economic Development for the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority, who offered the keynote speech at our May 3 Heroes & Leaders celebration. Read his complete remarks ...more

Long-Standing Stewards: Heroes & Leaders 2018

Every spring, Leadership Upper Valley, a program of Vital Communities, hosts a Heroes & Leaders celebration to recognize individuals who make significant contributions to the greater Upper Valley region. This year, Heroes & Leaders is ...more

Get Stoked on Automated Wood Heat!

Boiler on its last legs? Looking to opt out of fossil fuels? Come learn about today's self-stoking automated wood heat! Opt out of oil with delivery of local wood pellets and whole home wood heating ...more

Weatherize Events in January

Weatherize Round Two kicks off this month across the Upper Valley region. What is Weatherize? Vital Communities partners community volunteer teams with local contractors to help Weatherize participants complete cost-effective home energy improvements. These upgrades save residents money on ...more

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Bethany Fleishman

Transportation Program Manager

Transportation

802.291.9100 x 111

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Transportation

— Bethany Fleishman, Transportation Program Manager

Bethany Fleishman was born at the old Mary Hitchcock hospital in Hanover, N.H., grew up in West Hartford, Vt., and now lives in Hartford Village, where she can see the White River and the trains from her window. She has a biology degree from St. Lawrence University and has worked in public health outreach, as a line cook in San Francisco, a pastry chef in Hanover, and as a member of the Town of Hartford Selectboard. She serves on the board of directors for both Advance Transit and Upper Valley CarShare and is a lifelong bike commuter.

Paige Heverly

Energy and Transportation Project Coordinator

Transportation, Energy

802.291.9100 x 114

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Transportation, Energy

— Paige Heverly, Energy and Transportation Project Coordinator

Paige Heverly joined Vital Communities in 2017 as the Energy and Transportation Project Coordinator. Hailing from the suburbs of Philadelphia, she moved to Vermont in 2011 and earned a joint BA in Renewable Energy and Ecological Design and Environmental Studies from Green Mountain College. After completing her Master of Energy Regulation and Law from Vermont Law School, Paige worked in energy efficiency consulting in Portland, Oregon. Her love of local food systems, the White River, and the Green Mountains brought her back to the Upper Valley to work on regional issues with localized solutions. Paige is passionate about closing ecological loops and treating waste as food. In her free time, she enjoys baking homemade English muffins, weeding her garden, and writing letters to her pen pals.

The Vital Communities Transportation Program works with employers, municipalities, school districts, and regional planning commissions to improve transportation options and reduce reliance on driving alone.

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What's Happening

Upper Valley Transportation Management Association (UVTMA)

UVTMA Steering Committee

UVTMA Members

Greatest Hits

Calendar

October 2018

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Vital Communities News

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Bethany Fleishman

Transportation

— Bethany Fleishman, Transportation Program Manager

Paige Heverly

Transportation, Energy

— Paige Heverly, Energy and Transportation Project Coordinator

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