Northern Middlesex Council of Governments

10/27/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us on October 21 at the Chelmsford Center for the Arts to celebrate the people, partnerships, and progress shaping Greater Lowell!

The evening featured:

🔹 A Year in Review with Executive Director Jennifer Raitt, highlighting NMCOG’s accomplishments, regional partnerships, and progress on shared priorities across our nine communities.

🔹 An engaging keynote conversation with Amy Dain of Boston Indicators exploring housing policy, barriers to housing production, the complexity of local zoning and other rules, and opportunities to create more inclusive communities.

🔹 Our 2026 Distinguished Service Awards, honoring State Senator Vanna Howard for her leadership and commitment to regional collaboration and the Merrimack River Watershed Council for its dedication to water quality, watershed stewardship, and environmental resilience.

We are grateful to our Council, staff, community, regional, state, and federal partners, and everyone who contributed to a memorable evening. As we look ahead, we're energized to continue working together.

📸 View event photos and learn more about our work at https://nmcog.org/330/2026-Annual-Meeting.

10/26/2026

NMCOG is seeking consultants for two open RFPs:

• Coordinated Public Transit–Human Services Transportation Plan, due Monday, Nov. 23 at 12:00 p.m.

• Northern Middlesex Brownfields Assessment Program – Qualified Environmental Professional Services, due Friday, Nov. 20 at 4:00 p.m.

Full details and submission requirements: www.nmcog.org/bids

10/26/2026

We're growing our team at NMCOG!

Are you passionate about building stronger communities and making a difference in Greater Lowell?

We have two exciting opportunities to join our team!

📍 Regional Planner | Full-Time
Work on housing, transportation, land use, and other planning initiatives that shape the future of our region.

📍 Transportation Planning Intern | Part-Time
Build valuable experience in transportation planning, data analysis, fieldwork, and community engagement. Up to 20 hours per week.

At NMCOG, you'll be part of a collaborative team working with nine communities to address regional challenges and create lasting positive change.

Explore our openings and apply today!
www.nmcog.org/jobs

Know someone who might be a great fit? Please share!

10/06/2026

NMCOG's Annual Meeting is on Wednesday, October 21 at the Chelmsford Center for the Arts. Doors open for a brief Council meeting at 6:15 pm, and open to the public for networking and desserts at 6:30 pm. The formal program will begin at 7:00 pm. In addition to our keynote with Amy Dain from the Boston Indicators.

NMCOG is pleased to announces this year's recipients of NMCOG's annual Distinguished Service Awards.

Please use this link to RSVP: https://lnkd.in/gNY_MNEb

Senator Vanna Howard will receive an award for her legislative leadership and commitment addressing the critical challenges facing communities across Greater Lowell. Her leadership benefits the entire NMCOG region and the Commonwealth. With over three decades of dedicated public service, Senator Vanna Howard became nation's first Cambodian American State Senator, when she was elected on March 3, 2026, in a special election. On March 18, 2026, she was sworn in as the Massachusetts State Senator for the First Middlesex District.

Previously, Senator Howard was elected in 2020 to the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the 17th Middlesex District, becoming the first Cambodian woman elected as a state legislator in the U.S.

During her three terms in the House, she served on four key committees: Ways & Means, Higher Education, Community Development and Small Businesses, and Racial Equity, Civil Rights, and Inclusion.

As Senator, currently she serves on five Committees:

Chair - Joint Committee on Emergency Management and Preparedness

Vice Chair – Joint Committee on Higher Education

Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources

Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government

Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts, and Cultural Development

She currently serves as an at-large board member of the MA Caucus of Women Legislators. She is also a member of the Commission of the Status of Persons with Disabilities.

She is a survivor of the genocide in Cambodia, where both of her maternal grandparents, three younger siblings, and father died at the hands of the Khmer Rouge regime between 1975-1979. She resettled in the U.S. at age 11 after having spent more than 2 years in a Thai refugee camp. As a child refugee who spoke no English, she overcame tremendous adversity, confronting racism, physical abuse, and homelessness. She went on to earn a college degree, get married and raise her family here.

10/04/2026

09/29/2026

🌧️ Did the storm cause flooding in your neighborhood?

The City of Lowell is part of the Merrimack River Revive, and we are collecting local reports to help map where heavy rain causes flooding across the region.

If you've seen a flooded road, overflowing stream, or drainage problem, share what you observed using the Merrimack River Revive flood reporting tool: engage.nmcog.org/MRR

Northern Middlesex Council of Governments

09/24/2026

The Burlington Economic Development Office was invited to the 2026 Greater Lowell Economic Summit this week. Take a look at the video for some of our takeaways!

09/18/2026

Bicycle and Pedestrian Counts in Lowell

NMCOG and the City of Lowell, MA - Government are collecting bicycle and pedestrian activity data using a temporary Wavix-AI radar counter. The device is *not* a camera and does not record images, video, or personal information.

The data will help identify travel patterns and inform future transportation planning and safety improvements.

Learn more about our regional bicycle and pedestrian planning efforts: nmcog.org/glbpp

09/08/2026

What does it take to keep development moving in Greater Lowell?

That’s one of the questions we’ll dig into during a special Developer Roundtable at the 2026 Greater Lowell Economic Summit on September 22.

We’re bringing together four voices with different perspectives across the development landscape:

🔹 Jeff Bush, President, Heritage Properties
🔹 Steve Horn, Vice President – Leasing, Farley White Interests
🔹 Sandi Silk, Executive Vice President of Real Estate, MassDevelopment
🔹 LZ Nunn, Executive Director, The Lowell Plan, Inc./LDFC — Moderator

This will be a candid conversation about the realities of development today, from market conditions and financing to leasing, investment, public-private partnerships, and the opportunities developers see in our region. Whether you’re a municipal leader, business owner, planner, community partner, investor, or simply someone who cares about the region’s economic future, this is an opportunity to hear directly from people making decisions about where and how investment happens.

Come listen, ask questions, share your perspective, and help shape the conversation about what Greater Lowell needs to be future-ready.

📅 September 22, 2026 | 9:00 AM–12:00 PM
📍 UKG Headquarters, Lowell
🔗 RSVP: nmcog.org/summit

More speakers and sessions for the Summit will be announced soon!

08/12/2026

Register for the 2026 Greater Lowell Economic Summit!

Join us on Tuesday, September 22, from 9 a.m.–12 p.m. at UKG Headquarters in Lowell for this free regional event focused on the opportunities and challenges shaping Greater Lowell’s economy.

The summit will feature a developer roundtable and panels on:

* Building organizational and community capacity
* Destination development
* Leveraging regional opportunities
* Infrastructure

Participants will also have an opportunity to weigh in on the progress the region has made in advancing the 2025–2030 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS).

Business leaders, elected and appointed officials, nonprofit organizations, and community members are all invited to participate.

📅 Tuesday, September 22 | 9 a.m.–12 p.m.
📍 UKG Headquarters, 900 Chelmsford Street, Lowell

Register today: https://nmcog.org/summit

Co-sponsored by NMCOG, Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce, MassHire Lowell Career Center, The Lowell Plan and the LDFC, Middlesex 3 Coalition, and Revolutionary Valley.