 VOLUME XXI, ISSUE 7 JULY 2008
|
|
|
|
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
As I approach the mid-point of my presidency, I have been reflecting on the Chapter’s transitions and the achievements I have seen over the past few years. I’ve seen our ranks swell to an all time high, crossing the 1600 member summit. Our services multiply, our member volunteerism boom and our financial position become one of the strongest of any chapter in the country. APA Washington is a going concern I am thankful to the many of YOU, our Chapter members, who have made it so. I welcome and congratulate new Board members and thank and congratulate those whose Board service has come to an end. As of July 1, Past-President Steve Butler culminates his five years of Board service (one year as vice president, one year as president-elect, two years as president and one year as past-president). We should all be thankful for the leadership Steve provided and the tremendous growth and strengthening of Chapter services achieved during his tenure. I am glad that Steve will continue to model service to the Chapter as co-chair of the “Kids in Planning” task force. Thanks, Steve for your continuing commitment! Also on July 1, our current Vice-President Scott Greenberg becomes our new President-elect. Scott has taken charge of major upgrades to the content (and soon the format) of the Chapter newsletter and website. One of his greatest accomplishments to date has been to convene a new Communications Committee, co-chaired by Bryan Fiedor and Bill Mandeville, to keep those Chapter services growing and valuable to our members. Scott has also assisted me with Executive leadership to our Legislative Committee and stepped up to represent the Chapter in a number of dialogues with other stakeholder groups. Because Scott vacated the Vice-Presidency, I appointed Hiller West to serve out the remaining year of Scott’s V.P. term. Hiller has served as the President of the Puget Sound Section, so he is able to continue his service on the Board without skipping a beat. Thanks, Hiller! As of July 1, we also welcome new Puget Sound Section President Patricia Love to the Chapter Board, along with the new Inland Empire Section President Gideon Schreiber. I want to thank outgoing Inland Empire Section President Heather Trautman for her years of excellent service on behalf of both the Section and the Chapter. Another new Board member is Janet Rogerson, the Chapter’s new Planning Official Development Officer (PODO). She fills the vacancy created when Ted Gage departed CTED some months ago. I look forward to continued close coordination between Chapter activities and CTED in many ways, including the Planning Short Course that Janet is now in charge of. I would also like to acknowledge the continuing contributions of all the other Chapter Board members, (named in the box to the right.) As I reviewed their reports for the June 27 board meeting, I was again impressed with their dedication, the growth in value and the reach of the programs and services that they administer for the Chapter. If you would like to review those reports for yourself, they are posted on the Chapter website. It makes for interesting reading and gives you a fuller sense of all of the things that the Chapter is doing on behalf of its members and the communities we serve. If the report sparks an interest, I would urge you to contact the committee chair to find out how to get involved. I recently reviewed the pre-release draft of the APA Washington white paper on the “Cost of Regulation”. Committee Co-Chairs Rose Curran and Michael Hubner have worked for several months with almost a dozen other Chapter members to prepare an insightful and useful document. It is a compelling rebuttal to some of the conclusions set forth in a recent UW study, which purported to “document” inappropriately large scale costs associated with regulation in Washington. We will post the final document on the website in late July and it will be presented at one of the breakout sessions at our Fall Conference in Spokane. I recently appointed Melissa Wittstruck-Eadie as the Chapter’s representative to the Childhood Obesity Policy Project, which is meeting this summer to prepare recommendations to the legislature next year. Melissa brings years of experience to the topic from her work in Spokane. She will provide a planner’s perspective to the project as well as information back to the membership about the issues. Thanks for stepping up, Melissa! This is part of a welcome pattern of other organizations approaching APA Washington to ask for our presence and perspective in their efforts. For example, the Washington Association of Realtors recently asked us for a panelist to participate in one of their educational events. Another recent example was my appointment of Ikuno Masterson as the APA Washington representative to the State’s Biodiversity Council (see Ikuno’s report elsewhere in this issue). In a similar vein, in early June, I attended the first meeting of the GMA/Climate Change Advisory Committee created by ESSB 6580. This first meeting focused on establishing a schedule, ground rules, and scope of issues for the committee to address. We each received a “homework assignment” prior to our July meeting, so I will be spending some of my spare time doing some reading and thinking before then. I hope to keep you updated on the Committee’s progress between now and its sunset in December. Note that the Chapter will include the GMA/Climate Change issue, as well as the implementation of the Evergreen Communities Act, as part of a pre-conference workshop on day one of the Fall Conference in Spokane (Oct. 13 to 15). This is similar to the successful format we pioneered last fall in Tacoma with a brunch served. We expect to have a number of legislators and other GMA/Climate Change committee members there for the workshop. Keep an eye out for the Preliminary Conference Program reaching your mailbox later this month. Spokane 2008 is going to be a great conference in a cool city. Don’t miss it! That is all from here for now. Next month I’ll give you an update on various Chapter activities, and a bit about what is going on at National with proposed reforms to the AICP Certification Maintenance program. Until then, excelsior! APA WASHINGTON BOARD OF DIRECTORS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President
President Elect
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Columbia Section President
Inland Empire Section President
Northwest Section President
Peninsula Section President
Puget Sound Section President
Southwest Section President
STANDING COMMITTEE CHAIRS & OFFICERS Planning Official Development Officer
Professional Development Officer
Awards
Communications Co-Chair
Communications Co-Chair
Community Planning Assistant Team Co-Chair
Community Planning Assistant Team Co-Chair
Continuing Education Co-Chair
Continuing Education Co-Chair
Legislative Co-Chair
Legislative Co-Chair
Membership Chair
Nominations Chair
Scholarship Chair
Senior Action Chair
Tribal Committee Chair
UW Student Representative
EWU Student Representative
AD HOC COMMITTEE CHAIRS Sustainable Washington Co-chair
Sustainable Washington Co-chair
Sustainable Washington Co-chair
EX-OFFICIO REPRESENTATIVES Planning Association of Washington Rep.
CTED Representative
UW Faculty Representative
EWU Faculty
Chapter Administrator
Ikuno Masterson, AICP – ESA Adolfson Do you remember those word association games when you were a kid? Let’s try your hand at this one (*answers provided at the end of this article). For each item in the left column, select an item in the right column that is a best match.
What is biodiversity? Biodiversity is the full range of life in all its forms and includes:
Too often we view the “environment” separately and distinctly from humanity. However, even from a human-centric view that focuses on what is necessary for the well-being of the current and the next generation of the human species, we would find that we humans are intrinsically linked to that “environment.” While we often associate environment with aesthetic, recreational, ethical or economic benefits, the association game above demonstrate how much we depend on even the most seemingly insignificant species. Biodiversity is the key to maintaining our well-being. Washington’s varied landscapes not only support a variety of birds, mammals, plants, and other elements of biodiversity, but also a diverse cross-section of people who live and work here. Washington’s biodiversity continues to be exceptionally rich and varied. In fact, Washington contains most of the major ecosystem types found in the western United States, including two found nowhere else in the world: the Olympic rainforest and channeled scablands of the Columbia Basin. We are fortunate that there have been dedicated organizations, private landowners and others who have been and continue to work on conserving our natural landscapes. Our forests support a timber industry that continues to employ thousands of people. Farmers have converted much of the semi-arid shrub-steppe into one of the nation’s breadbaskets. Local rivers and saltwater habitats still support commercial and recreational fishing. Biological diversity provides Washingtonians with economic, health, and cultural benefits that include the economic returns of agriculture, forestry, and fishing, which generate roughly $3.5 billion in income in Washington annually. Healthy ecosystems provide services, such as the flood protection, valued at up to $51,000 per acre. While Washington is one of the most biologically diverse states in the nation, the health of its native plant communities, wildlife, and lifestyles is declining. Major causes of this decline are due to habitat fragmentation, degradation, and conversion, as well as from climate change and the continual invasion of exotic plant and animal species. Although we do not fully understand all the consequences of this loss, we do know that a diversity of healthy, functioning ecosystems is essential for maintaining our quality of life and economic viability into the future. The State Biodiversity Council was chartered in 2002 to develop a strategy to conserve Washington’s biodiversity. The Washington Biodiversity Project: Conservation Strategy is designed to conserve Washington’s unique communities and was finalized in late 2007. Three broad initiatives form the heart of the strategy—a new approach to defining priorities, fostering widespread landowner engagement, and measuring progress as described by the following:
The Council is in the process of further identifying which of the 60 recommendations within these broad initiatives should get priority for this next legislative session. Since funding runs only through 2009, the Council must make recommendations regarding future management challenges of biodiversity. I have the honor of representing the Washington Chapter of APA on the Biodiversity Council. If you have ideas about these initiatives and issues related to biodiversity, please contact me at imasterson@esassoc.com (206.789.9658 or 888.878.7000). Your ideas and input are very much appreciated. We won’t always know which species or set of relationships provides the link that is critical to our future well being, so conserving those “patents of nature” is vital. Who knows, maybe a chemical compound in a moth’s DNA could hold the cure to arthritis and help us to all age more gracefully. . . *Answers to word association game:
PUGET SOUND SECTION REPORT
The Puget Sound Section had a busy spring. Last January Jill Sterrett, FAICP, requested that the Puget Sound Section co-sponsor with the Washington Chapter of APA an evening lecture series this spring at the UW campus. It pertained to emerging issues regarding planning for sustainable communities. The lecture series was tied to a university course on the same topic. It was offered through the UW Urban Design and Planning Department. The Section agreed to co-sponsor the event. The lecture series was made available to all interested planners and the public. The speaker series was also webcasted for those unable to attend in person. The Spring Brown-Bag Lunch series included a diverse list of topics. For instances, topics included interview skills for planners, legislative actions impacting affordable housing efforts, non-conforming uses, TDR, and even urban planning in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Stan May has been doing a truly outstanding job taking over for Steve Ladd on the Brown-Bag series and deserves a round of applause! There were four open positions on the Puget Sound Section Board in 2008: Pierce and King County representatives, Secretary and President-elect. When all ballots were counted, Emily Terrell was elected Pierce County Representative, Kent Hale is the new Secretary, and Salina Lyons was elected King County Representative. Candidates Julia Park and Geoffrey Thomas tied in the race for the President-Elect position! The Board is currently evaluating options to resolve the tie that range from a coin-toss to a re-vote (stay tuned . . .). Patricia Love, the current President- elect, will be Section President for a year beginning in July. Over the next year, the Puget Sound Section board will evaluate converting to an electronic ballot. The section will soon begin planning for the bi-annual Law Conference which they anticipate will be held in spring, 2009, at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue. This very popular one-day conference has traditionally been packed with sessions examining all legal aspects of our profession including emerging legal trends locally as well as nation-wide. Anyone with ideas for topics, or anyone interested in coordinating a session, is asked to contact Section-President Patricia Love at: plove@ci.mukilteo.wa.us. Watch for more information regarding this conference later this year. Finally our Section Treasurer, Jim Colburn, indicates the section’s finances are healthy with approximately $10,000 in savings and $4,000 in the checking account. This should enable the section to make early arrangements for the APA Holiday Banquet in December. It will be held at the World Trade Center in Seattle. Other section activities include possible registration fee scholarships for students at the State Chapter Conference this fall in Spokane. All section members are encouraged to attend the section’s monthly board meetings, usually held on a Wednesday evening. My thanks go to the Board and all section volunteers for their efforts on our multiple projects. It has been a pleasure working with all of you as President this past year!
AWARDS PROGRAM ON HIATUS IN 2008 The APA/PAW Joint Awards Program will not occur in 2008, but will be back better than ever next year. The reasons for canceling the program this year include lack of an APA Awards Committee chairperson, concerns about award nomination submittal requirements, desire to review awards categories and inadequate time to promote the program and convene the awards panel prior to the Chapter conference in October. The PAW Board reached the same conclusion at their Board meeting of June 13. If you are interested in serving on a subcommittee to review and improve the awards program for 2009, please contact Chapter President-Elect Scott Greenberg at scottg@burienwa.gov.
AICP OUTSTANDING STUDENT AWARDS AICP has announced its 2008 Outstanding Student Awards. The purpose of the award is to recognize outstanding attainment in the study of planning by a student who will graduate from a PAB-accredited planning program during the academic year of the award. This year’s winners from Washington State planning programs are Margie Hall and Joshua Hall from Eastern Washington University and Clay Harris Veka from the University of Washington. Congratulations to all three award recipients! SEEKING MINNEAPOLIS CONFERENCE PROPOSALS APA invites you to submit a proposal for the 2009 National Planning Conference in Minneapolis next spring. Explore the many proposal formats and select one that most closely matches the content you want to provide. All proposals must be submitted online, and the deadline for most types of proposals is August 26. For more information, visit the proposal webpage. http://www.planning.org/2009conference/sessionproposal/index.htm
HOUSING WASHINGTON CONFERENCE COMING THIS SEPTEMBER Michael Shadow, a local coach in persuasive communication with an international reputation, will kick off the 15th annual affordable housing conference taking place September 15 & 16 at the Tacoma Convention and Trade Center. More than 800 people involved in all sectors of affordable housing will gather at this 15th annual event. Attendees will explore how best to forge progressive partnerships to provide sustainable and affordable housing for the homeless, low-income wage earners, service workers, young families, the elderly, disabled or specially-challenged people and others in need. The conference presents new and stimulating ideas, policy debates, hands-on workshops, and many opportunities to confer and partner with those involved in affordable housing. Gain a wide variety of information from more than 60 lenders, architects, public agencies, nonprofit developers and service providers at their booths in the Exhibitor Showcase. Learn from over 70 presenters, including the keynote speakers:
Conference highlights include a VIP Reception and the 25th annual Friend of Housing awards. For more information visit www.wshfc.org/conf. Sponsorship, exhibit space and scholarships are still available. Online and mail registration opens in July.
URBAN WATERFRONT REVITALIZATION CONFERENCE September 10-12, 2008
Join the City of Bremerton as they host fellow communities and explore case studies, approaches and solutions from real projects and the pioneers leading the revitalization of these important assets. Program Focus
Who Should Attend
Though Mike Shaw is frequently an article author, the Legislative article in the June newsletter was actually written by the Legislative Co-Chairs Esther Larsen and Josh Peters; not Mike who received the byline. Sorry, Esther and Josh!
REMINDER The chapter-only group membership opportunity is available to planning commissions, city councils and commissions, tribal councils, and board members of non-profit organizations and other professional associations. Up to 10 members may be included in a group membership. The group rate is $150 and is administered by the chapter office. To obtain a group membership form or learn more about the benefits of this membership, contact Anna Nelson, AICP, Membership Committee chair, at (206) 382-9540 or anelson@GordonDerr.com.
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER Have a project you want to highlight for planners across the state? An issue you think more planners need information on? Planning Northwest is always looking to highlight projects and research of our members. If you are interested in having an article published feel free to contact the editor. The deadline for the newsletter is the fifteenth of every month, preceding the publication month. Please submit all newsletter articles to newsletter@washington-apa.org. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|