This project was designed to help the town pursue impervious surface removal through the identification and evaluation of permeable pavement installation opportunities and the partial design of three priority projects. A project team has been assembled with representatives from two town departments (OPDS and Department of Public Works) and technical experts from the UCONN CLEAR Connecticut Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (CT NEMO) group. The consultant to be hired will work with the project team to implement the project through the completion of several key activities. The first step will be to evaluate all town-owned and managed properties for the feasibility of replacing impervious pavement (parking lots, etc.) with permeable pavement. The feasibility analysis will integrate environmental justice and sustainability considerations in alignment with the Long Island Sound Futures Fund cross-cutting principles. A prioritization rubric will be created and the top three priority projects selected. Those projects will then be designed to 50-60% completion. The consultant will meet with the town (and UCONN partners, as time allows) throughout the design process to share the work performed and steps taken, thereby providing a transfer of knowledge that will assist the town in designing its own projects moving forward. The consultant and the town, with review performed by UCONN partners, will also develop a “how-to” guide to record the steps of the processes taken and the key decisions made. Having the guide will help the town institutionalize the use of permeable pavement in its operations moving forward. This project also has a significant education and outreach component. The project team will convene a regional workshop at the end of the project to share the knowledge gained by the town with other municipalities in the region, hopefully reducing the barrier for them to pursue permeable pavement projects. The project will also be the focus of a Clean Water Ways episode. Clean Water Ways is a new video series co-produced by the town and Save the Sound as part of the town’s MS4 education program.
