ILAPA News BURST! Illinois State Section Update

	The next conference of the Illinois State Section of the ILAPA will be held April 26th and 27th in Rock Island, Illinois. The conference is entitled “Wading in the Tide” and features Keynote Speaker Karen Gagnon, Cool Cities Coordinator for the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth. Do you often wonder what it takes to attract top talent to your organization and city? Karen will highlight the initiatives underway in Michigan to do just this. Michigan’s Cool Cities Initiative is founded on the cornerstone of TIDE – Talent, Innovation, Diversity and Environment. Looking for more of the traditional planning topics at the conference? Sessions on stormwater management, housing diversity, subdivision design and plan management will also be offered. In addition, the conference in Rock Island features a reception event at an adaptive reuse loft development, tours, and opportunities to experience a revitalized Rock Island. Best of all, this conference is very affordable. Registration will be around $50 dollars and the Illinois State Section will offer subsidies to those who travel a certain distance and stay overnight. Check your mail or http://www.ilapa.org/CMS/March_APA_Program_Flyer.pdf for more details. The Illinois State Section is also in the process of revamping the concept of the Regional Coordinators. A new map has been placed on the ILAPA website which shows Illinois broken into six different regions. The ISS is to appoint a Regional Coordinator from each region to help disseminate information to local planners, commissioners and others about the work of the ILAPA and ISS. It is envisioned that Regional Coordinators can also keep their eyes open for planning related news stories in their region to forward to the NewsBlast editor. The ISS is in the process of identifying the expectations of the Regional Coordinators and right now there are several opportunities to be a Regional Coordinator. Check out the map at http://www.ilapa.org/sections.html and if you are interested contact Kim Smith, Assistant Director of the ISS at k.smith@ci.peoria.il.us.

	Rob Kowalski, AICP Assistant Planning Director 102 N. Neil St. Champaign, IL 61820 Phone: 217.403.8800 Rob.Kowalski@ci.champaign.il.us