Wayne County Life

Got stormwater? Got flooding? 

Interested in reducing runoff that collects pollutants on its way to the Great Lakes or the water body nearest to your community?

Ready to add natural elements to your developed areas to reduce nuisance flooding, improve streetscapes, enhance property values, and add to the quality of life in your community?

Learn how at the Green Infrastructure Retrofit Manual Training workshop, one of many educational opportunities at the 2018 Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council Fall Local Government Conference, on November 14 at the Quality Inn and Suites in Batavia, N.Y. 

Green infrastructure (GI) is a design strategy that applies a natural systems approach to managing stormwater and creating healthier, more sustainable environments.

"This workshop uses hands-on activities to help participants think through the aspects of GI and GI retrofit, including funding. The exercises improve familiarity with the Green Infrastructure Retrofit Manual and empower participants to apply what they learn to benefit their communities," said Mary Austerman, a Coastal Community Development Specialist with New York Sea Grant (NYSG), Newark, N.Y.

Workshop presenters will include Austerman; Tashya Allen, Coastal Hazards Specialist, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Charleston, S.C.; and Senior Managing Environmental Scientist David Hanny and Senior Managing Landscape Architect Thomas Robinson with Barton & Loguidice, D.P.C., Rochester, N.Y.

Participants in the three-hour Green Infrastructure Retrofit Manual Training at the November 14 conference will receive a copy of the 189-page manual and its 109-page appendices resource developed by NYSG in partnership with the City of Rochester, Monroe County, NOAA, the Association of State Floodplain Managers, and Barton & Loguidice, D.P.C.

Although the Green Infrastructure Retrofit Manual was developed with input from localized stakeholders for the City of Rochester and Monroe County, the guidance in the manual is applicable to communities elsewhere.

For most municipalities this workshop at the Local Government Conference fulfills state law requiring training for local planning officials. At the completion of the training, participants can request a Certificate of Participation from the Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council for the number of hours of attendance. This training is eligible for 3 AICP CM credits and pending CFM and PDH/CEU credit approvals.

To register for the 2018 Fall Local Government Council, contact David S. Zorn, Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council, Rochester, N.Y., 585-454-0190 x14, dave.zorn@gflrpc.org.

Earlier this year, the Great Lakes Commission issued a report outlining steps to increase the adoption of green infrastructure of communities across the Great Lakes region.

For more information on New York Sea Grant, a NOAA cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York, visit www.nyseagrant.org.

ACRONYM KEY:

. AICP CM: American Institute of Certified Planners Certification Maintenance

. CEU: Continuing Education Unit

. CFM: Certified Floodplain Manager

. PDH: Professional Development Hour