Transportation
Around $44 million in local urban highway projects have been funded as a result of COGCNV evaluation, ranking, and programming of projects — road reconstruction, computer signal systems, intersection improvements.

COGCNV set funding priorities and scheduled projects for the federal Transportation Enhancement program:

• Cheshire Farmington Canal and Middlebury Trolley Line recreation paths
  
• Streetscape projects in Southbury, Waterbury, and Watertown
  
• Railroad station restoration in Naugatuck
  

Safety improvements for local hazardous intersections and road sections were funded under the federal local road accident reduction program. COGCNV has been able to obtain funding for at least one project for almost every round of funding in Connecticut since the program’s inception.

COGCNV traffic studies have led to numerous improvements at congested and hazardous intersections and road sections:

• The 1962 Waterbury Area Transportation Study laid the foundation for major road improvements in the region.
  
• Traffic studies in the 1970s and 80s led to state engineering studies for the widening of I-84 in the eastern part of the region, now under construction.
  
• The state conducted a study of the western portion of I-84 as a result of COGCNV transportation studies.
  
• A detailed engineering study of the I-84/Route 8 interchange is being undertaken after COGCNV worked with the region’s Congressional delegation to secure federal funding.
  
• Traffic studies of congested locations have led to both low cost improvements and major geometric changes.
  
  

New bus schedules, system maps, and route names were developed for the Waterbury local bus system in the early 1980s, as part of a bus marketing program. In 2004, staff completed its latest route and schedule recommendations, following a comprehensive survey of bus ridership by route. A new survey is planned for 2008. The need to replace aging buses has been documented in regional transit plans, leading to the federal funding of new buses.

COGCNV planned and implemented a regional minibus service for the disabled and established the Greater Waterbury Transit District to oversee and expand the service. COGCNV administered minibus services for the disabled for over twenty years.

COGCNV evaluated and set funding priorities for minibus grants from the Connecticut Department of Transportation for municipal and nonprofit organizations. Numerous groups have received funding to replace old vans and minibuses through the program.

Land Use
COGCNV's first regional plan of development, adopted in 1967, was one of the earliest of its kind in the United States. The plan approved in 1998 received a Certificate of Merit from the Connecticut Chapter of the American Planning Association (CCAPA). The latest plan was adopted in 2008.

Staff keeps towns informed of recent trends and practices in land use planning. COGCNV work has included solar-sensitive model subdivision regulations, affordable housing studies, and the siting of regionally important facilities such as the Waterbury-Oxford Regional Airport. The agency conducted a pilot residential build-out analysis for the state's responsible growth initiative to test different techniques for forecasting the population growth potential under existing zoning regulations.

Economic Development
COGCNV prepared, with the assistance of Mount Auburn Associates, a regional economic strategic plan. Well regarded by local and state agencies, the Mount Auburn Report identifies the region's manufacturing clusters and presents strategies for strengthening the region's economy.

Emergency Planning & PPre-Disaster Mitigation
Working with local emergency management directors, staff assisted municipalities in updating terrorism response plans for their municipal emergency operations. A regional bio-terrorism exercise was held in June 2004, and a regional emergency response plan was completed in 2007. COGCNV now serves as the lead regional planning organization for Region 5 of the Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security.

COGCNV, assisted by Milone and MacBroom, Inc., has prepared, or is preparing, a disaster mitigation plan for each municipality in the region. A plan makes municipalities eligible for funding of high priority projects to address natural disaster problems.

Regional Data and Analysis
In 2000, the COGCNV received a Connecticut Chapter of the American Planning Association (CCAPA) award for its Fiscal Impact Analysis, which was prepared for each town as well as for the region as a whole. The analyses evaluated various land uses and their fiscal impacts.

Solid Waste
COGCNV developed a regional solution for municipal solid waste in the late 1980s and a regional recycling program in the early 1990s. Over half of the towns are sending their solid waste to a regional solid waste and recycling transfer station in Watertown. COGCNV funded the recycling transfer station through a state grant.

Household Hazardous Waste
COGCNV oversees three household hazardous waste collection days a year. The Council also sponsors household electronics recycling events.