South Central Regional Council of Governments

09/10/2026

🌟 Meet Our 2026 Interns from UConn School of Public Policy! 🌟

We’re excited to welcome Eric Meade Jr. as our Municipal Services Intern and Paige Booth as our Regional Planning Intern!

🏛️ Eric is a second-year Master of Public Administration student at the UConn School of Public Policy, with undergraduate degrees in political science and sociology from UConn. With previous experience at both the municipal and state levels, Eric is looking forward to expanding his perspective through regional work. During his internship, he’ll assist with municipal services projects and conduct select on-loan projects working directly with municipalities. He brings a strong interest in civic engagement, social policy, and community building to the team!

🌎 Paige is a second-year Master of Public Policy student at the UConn School of Public Policy and holds a BS in Environmental Science from UConn. With previous planning experience at SECOG, she’s excited to continue her work in the SCRCOG region. Paige will support major plan updates, including the Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) and Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD), as well as projects focused on third spaces, trails, and other regional planning initiatives. Her interests include sustainability, climate resiliency, housing, and community and economic development.

We’re thrilled to have Eric and Paige on board and look forward to the energy, ideas, and expertise they’ll bring to our work across the region! 👏

09/03/2026

Reminder for our Green Schools workshop with CT Green Bank next Thursday, 9/10 at 10am virtually! Register below ⬇️

🏫🍎🚌 School is back in session, let's start the new year off on a green note! 🌱

Join the South Central Regional Council of Governments (SCRCOG) and the CT Green Bank on Thursday, September 10 at 10 am to learn about the Green Bank’s programs to support municipalities and schools to improve their resilience and energy use.

Register by visiting https://tinyurl.com/3hjhmyx8.

08/31/2026

As August comes to a close, our Highway Safety program is sharing Connecticut Highway Safety's reminders for Back to School Safety!

Learn more about CT's Highway Safety Office here: https://portal.ct.gov/highwaysafetyoffice/public-outreach?language=en_US

08/28/2026

Municipal budgets are stretched thin, and many municipalities and fire departments are missing opportunities to recover costs they're owed.

Join Napoli Shkolnik and the South Central Regional Council of Governments (SCRCOG) for a free webinar: "Cost Recovery Programs for Municipalities & Fire Districts: Methods to Plug Budget Gaps," including strategies for fire apparatus overcharging and turnout gear cost recovery.

🎙️ Hank Naughton, Partner

🎙️ Sam Wade, Water Consultant

📅 Wednesday, September 2, 2026 - 2:30 to 3:15 pm - Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hepAEQeEQLm9QyW5wqDTrA #/registration

📅 Thursday, September 3, 2026 - 10:00 to 10:45 am - Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_iPSdGWGHTF6X1NObjHMLQw #/registration

(Please note: There are two webinar options. Both will cover the same content.)

08/28/2026

What will it take to make getting around South Central Connecticut better in the years ahead? 🚗 🚌 🚶 🚲

We’re working with VN Engineers, Inc to update the region’s Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP), which will help guide transportation priorities and investments for the next 20+ years. From reducing congestion and improving public transit to creating safer streets and expanding walking and biking options, we want to hear what matters most to you.

➡️Take our short survey and share your priorities for the future of transportation in our region: bit.ly/scrcogmtp2055

➡️Learn more about the MTP 2055 and upcoming events: https://scrcog.org/mtp2055/

08/27/2026

🏫🍎🚌 Back to school mode activated! Start the new school year off on a green note 🌱 Join SCRCOG and the CT Green Bank on Thursday, September 10th at 10 am to learn about the Green Bank’s programs to support municipalities and schools to improve their resilience and energy use.

➡️Register here: https://tinyurl.com/3hjhmyx8

08/25/2026

This month, SCRCOG's Highway Safety program is highlighting NHTSA's Drive High, Get a DUI campaign urging drivers to understand the importance of sober driving.

• From 2019-2021, NHTSA conducted a study at several trauma centers and medical examiner offices involving drivers who were seriously injured or killed. The study found that about 26% of those drivers had active THC, which is found in ma*****na, in their system.

• Law enforcement can tell. A Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) is an officer specially trained to recognize impairment
in drivers under the influence of drugs other than, or in addition to, alcohol. The DRE Program is active in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

If You Feel Different, You Drive Different. Drive High, Get a DUI.

➡️Learn more about this campaign and find materials to share here: https://www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov/safety-topics/drug-impaired-driving #3806

08/21/2026

🌳This summer, SCRCOG had the pleasure of hosting Maya Avilés as our Sustainable CT Fellow! 🌱 A recent graduate of Columbia University with a B.A. in Sustainable Development, Maya brought her experience in environmental education, student engagement, and community building to a range of projects supporting our municipalities and regional sustainability efforts.

During her fellowship, Maya:
• Supported Sustainable CT certification for Town of Bethany, Town of Branford, CT, and City of New Haven by reviewing actions, auditing points, and identifying documentation gaps.

• Collaborated on a statewide assessment of municipal tree regulations, reviewing how CT's 169 municipalities regulate, protect, and manage trees.

• Helped produce the August episode of Sustainable CT’s podcast, The Impact, which explored the Fellows’ research on municipal tree regulations.

• Helped develop SCRCOG’s Tree Resource Hub (coming soon!) by researching resources, drafting webpage content, and supporting the hub’s preliminary design and development.

• Created an MS4 Storm Drain Art Toolkit based on Town of Branford, CT's program to help other Connecticut municipalities develop similar public education initiatives.

We’re grateful for Maya’s contributions to SCRCOG, Sustainable CT, and our municipal partners this summer. Thank you, Maya, for all of your hard work—we wish you the very best in your next chapter!

08/20/2026

SCRCOG is excited to co-host an upcoming solar energy webinar with ! 🌞 The permitting and inspection process is one of the most important tools local governments can use to encourage more rooftop solar installations.

📌Join SCRCOG on Thursday, September 3rd from 1-3 p.m. ET for the free webinar, Best Practices in Permitting and Inspection for Solar PV and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), to discover effective strategies for streamlining permitting processes and improving solar inspections, as well as an overview of best practices for BESS. This webinar is eligible for 0.20 ICC credits.

➡️Register today: https://icma-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Mie1xM2xTa2tGh-wYXyJUg #/registration

Energy Ready is led by The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) and ICMA - International City/County Management Association with support from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

08/11/2026

🍂Fall 2026 workshops loading! Join SCRCOG and CT Green Bank for a festive fall filled with informative and timely workshops on Green Schools, Energy Storage Solutions, Smart-E Loans, and another round of drop-in office hours.

➡️Register for one or more workshops here: https://tinyurl.com/3u4nvrj4.

And a big thank you to our Summer 2026 workshop attendees! In case you missed our workshops on Sustainable CT 🌍 and resiliency planning 🔨, please contact Sabrina Davis at SCRCOG for more information: https://scrcog.org/contact-us/.