VITAL COMMUNITIES
$500 Mini Grants for Towns and Schools!
The VTrans Public Transit Section offers grants to municipalities and schools to assist in building a statewide outreach and advocacy network for the Go! Vermont Program. Who is eligible?
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selectboards
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school groups (K-12)
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volunteer committees (such as town energy committees)
Learn more!
Winner of the Planning Project of the Year Award from the NH Planners Association in 2008! This checklist helps developers, planners, and town boards understand how to “think beyond the car” and integrate biking, walking, and transit into their plan development. It was created with the help of the Upper Valley’s professional planning community and revised in 2014.
Smart Commute Home Edition
Our Smart Commute Home Edition program worked with towns to lower residents’ transportation costs. Modeled after our successful workplace-based program, Home Edition followed a simple process to evaluate opportunities and develop tailored recommendations like new park-and-ride lots, improved marketing of carpool and bus resources, better telecommuting opportunities, electric vehicle charging stations, and more.
Smart Commute created a tailored commuting program designed to meet the needs of participating towns. Starting with a short survey of town residents, we established baseline data on commuting habits, developed a sustainable commuting plan, and worked with town officials and volunteers to implement it.
Participating Towns
2014 Smart Commute Bradford Action Plan
2014 Smart Commute Hartford Action Plan
2015 Smart Commute Hartland Action Plan
2014 Smart Commute Norwich Action Plan
2015 Smart Commute Royalton Action Plan
2015 Smart Commute Sharon Action Plan
2014 Smart Commute Windsor Action Plan
2016 Smart Commute Action Plan for Sustainable Woodstock
Resources for Towns
White River Junction Downtown Parking Study Final Report (2017)
This study for the Town of Hartford, Vermont, was produced by Vital Communities and RSG to examine parking constraints and options in the town’s burgeoning historic downtown.
A Look at the Municipal Vehicle Registration Fee (2015)
This study examines an optional $5 vehicle registration fee used by over a dozen New Hampshire municipalities to build local transportation improvement funds. Authorized under RSA 261:153 VI, the optional fee allows municipalities to establish local transportation improvement funds for projects as diverse as basic road maintenance, sidewalk construction, and public transit. The study concludes that many towns are seeing significant benefits from the optional fee and more are interested in adopting the optional program.
Mobility Checklist (2014)
Winner of the Planning Project of the Year Award from the NH Planners Association in 2008! This checklist helps developers, planners, and town boards understand how to “think beyond the car” and integrate biking, walking, and transit into their plan development. It was created with the help of the Upper Valley’s professional planning community and revised in 2014.
Managing Transportation Demand in the NH Route 120 Corridor: Policy, Finance, and Governance Options (2012)
This study examines how a commute trip reduction ordinance, parking revenue, and a corridor management authority could improve transportation options in the Route 120 corridor.
A Widening Gap (2007)
This study advocates for increased funding for transit services in New Hampshire and Vermont.
Operational Impact Study of Advance Transit Fixed-Route Bus Network (2005)
The “Operational Impact Study” examines the positive contribution of Advance Transit to maintaining clean air in the Upper Valley.
East Central Vermont Sustainability Consortium
Vital Communities is proud to be part of the East Central Vermont Sustainability Consortium, a three-year effort to plan for the future needs of Orange and Windsor Counties, Vermont.
Success Stories
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 [...]
Bike to Work Day at Dartmouth College
Bethany and I arrived bright and early at the Hop at Dartmouth College Friday, May 19, to greet employees and students who arrived that morning on two [...]
Dirty Hands, Clean Bikes
I had a lot of fun teaching a Basic Bike Maintenance workshop at the Upper Valley Haven on April 29, ably assisted by Lisa from the Haven!
A doze [...]
Spring Into Bike Riding Season…
...with practical skills training to get you riding more!
What is Everyday Bicycling?
It’s using your bike for those everyday trips that we all ma [...]
Survey Says: Parking and Transportation in White River Junction Are…
Thank you to the more than 500 downtown White River Junction residents, employees, business owners, and visitors who took our survey about parkin [...]
Start a Vanpool in Woodstock!
Looking for a better way to get to work? If you have at least 5 people who share a similar commute and schedule, you can create a vanpool!
Va [...]
Planning the Parking Future of White River Junction
Hartford Awards Grant for White River Junction Parking and Transportation Plan; Vital Communities and RSG to Lead Project
Vital Communities and nei [...]
Advance Transit Releases Real-Time App
An increasingly common tool in urban areas, a real-time transit app has come to the Upper Valley. You can now use an iPhone or Android to see wher [...]
More Bus Service for the Bradford Area and I-91
Exciting new bus service improvements from our partner, Stagecoach Transportation Services!
Expanded RIVER ROUTE (Wells River-Newbury-Bradford-Fa [...]
New Study on Funding Local Transportation
Vital Communities is pleased to release a new study that examines an optional vehicle registration fee used by over a dozen New Hampshire municipaliti [...]
Vital Communities Program News
Celebrating our Volunteer of the Year
Ed. note: Vital Communities Executive Director Tom Roberts made the following remarks to honor 2019 Volunteer of the Year Bill Geraghty at our Open House on December 6. We are delighted to celebrate Bill Geraghty as ...more
Rooted in Community = Giving Back All Year
Locally owned businesses are rooted in the Upper Valley and donate time and money every month of the year as they support nonprofits, schools, and communities. Keep your dollars where your heart is and support the ...more
Join Us: Open House December 6!
Our annual Open House is one of our favorite events of the year—a chance to catch up with old friends of Vital Communities, make welcome new connections, and celebrate positive change in the Upper Valley ...more
Efficient Heating in Vermont
Check out this newly produced, six-minute YouTube video on Efficient Heating in Vermont, created by Two Rivers Ottauquechee Regional Commission. The video describes the types and benefits of home heating options and describes the current rebates ...more
Shop Indie Local this Season!
Every dollar spent at a local, independent business returns 2-4 times more to be re-spent in the community than a dollar spent at a non-local business. With consumers reporting that they will spend more than ...more
Support TLC Campaigns Now!
Invest in your community and contribute to campaigns today! Visit the TLC Upper Valley campaign page The Local Crowd (TLC) Upper Valley is a community-based crowdfunding platform that empowers individuals to support the businesses, organizations, and initiatives ...more
Exciting TLC Projects to Fund!
Invest in your community and contribute to these exciting campaigns! Whaleback Base Lodge Energy Efficiency Updates, Enfield You might not know this, but Whaleback is run by The Upper Valley Snow Sports Foundation (UVSSF), a nonprofit entity, ...more
Nov. 19 Green Real Estate Crash Course
Vital Communities is offering its popular Green Real Estate Crash Course again on Tuesday, November 19, at Service Credit Union, just off I-89 in Lebanon, NH. Earn 3 elective credits in VT and NH. Register online at vitalcommunities.org/greenrealestate This is NOT your average CE ...more
Fall Guided Quest: Trees of Dartmouth Quest
Join Vital Communities' Valley Quest Coordinator Beth Roy on a guided treasure hunt of the trees of Dartmouth. Celebrate fall as we discover many exotic trees around the Dartmouth College Campus and learn about their ...more
A New Quest to Celebrate the Mascoma River Greenway!
Have you been on the Mascoma River Greenway yet? If not, it is time to check it out. I had a fantastic time follwing the new Quest of the Mascoma River Greenway. I took my ...more
Celebrate Farm to School Month With Our Fall Farm to School Forum
Meet Your Local Farm to School Network! The Upper Valley Farm to School Network invites you to gather in your region to build local connections with peers and Farm to School practitioners, and access resources. Find ...more
From the State House to the Farm House
Calling all Vermont Farmers! You're invited to the second annual From the State House to the Farmhouse event on Sunday September 22nd from 1-4 pm and talk one-on-one with your legislators and influence policy. Across the state ...more
A New Quest in Pomfret, Vermont
Earlier this summer I had the fortune of working with the amazing staff of the Artistree Community Arts Center in Pomfret, Vermont on offering a Questing Camp. Over the week the campers learned about the ...more
Stand in Your Circle of Strength and Lead
Ed. Note: On May 30, Vital Communities honored 12 community leaders who’ve added immeasurably to the vitality of the Upper Valley at its annual Heroes & Leaders Celebration. The following are the event’s keynote remarks ...more
Heroes & Leaders: Creating a Vital Upper Valley
Every spring, Leadership Upper Valley, a program of Vital Communities, hosts the annual Heroes & Leaders Celebration to recognize individuals who make significant contributions to the Upper Valley. In 2019, we are pleased to honor ...more
12th Annual Roundtable - May 7
You're Invited! The 12th Annual Upper Valley Energy Committee Roundtable is Tuesday, May 7, 5-8 pm in West Lebanon! This annual gathering of local energy volunteers is open to all, whether you serve on an energy committee, wish to ...more
April Meet-Up Series for Beginning Farmers
We have an exciting project for new farmers in the White River valley portion of our region! The High Meadows Fund is supporting a series of free peer-to-peer gatherings for beginning farmers to build community and learn. ...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
Staff
Ana Mejia
Climate Projects Coordinator
Transportation, Energy
Transportation, Energy
— Ana Mejia, Climate Projects Coordinator
Ana Mejia is the Climate Projects Coordinator at Vital Communities. She is a Southern California native and first arrived to the Upper Valley in 2018. Ana received her Bachelor’s degree in Geology from Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania and her Master’s in Environmental Sciences and Policy from Central European University in Budapest, Hungary, where she wrote her thesis on solar home affordability and energy efficiency programs for low income families. When she is not actively working towards creating sustainable communities, Ana enjoys swimming, cross-country skiing, birding, and trying out new dessert recipes with her KitchenAid mixer.
Bethany Fleishman
Transportation Program Manager
Transportation
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.
