• An important conference announcement from the Illinois State Section (ISS) – save March 27-28 to go to Springfield! This conference offers amazing value in learning and, of course, plenty of certification maintenance credit opportunities. Check out the special rebates for student attendees and those of us traveling over 75 miles to get there. APA-IL members that are in the Chicago Metro Section are invited to attend. Amtrak service is available between Chicago Union Station and Springfield for as little as $36 round trip!
• A Legislative update, with some positive news and handy links to write to your representatives. I find the legislation updates extremely helpful, because tracking pending legislation can be an onerous and time-consuming effort, even with the web resources that exist. Thank you to Chair Sharon Caddigan and the entire APA-IL Legislative Committee!
• Upcoming monthly workshops from the Chicago Metro Section. I just put the 3/20 workshop on “Complete Streets” into my calendar, and plan to attend as many as I can throughout the year. Remember, any Chapter member can attend. These workshops seem to have been steadily increasing in attendance, so try to register early.
• Citizen planner (e.g. Plan Commissioner) training opportunities throughout the State. As you plan and budget for the skill-building of you and your staff, identify ways to keep your citizen planner volunteers up-to-date. There are also many sessions at the National APA conference that are geared to citizen planner types.
• Chapter committee openings. Are you ready to see more actual urban planners commenting on planning issues in the media? Are you ready for a broader public knowledge and understanding of the importance of planning? I thought so. See the article by Jason Zawila, dedicated chair of our Public Relations Committee, to see how you can get involved.

Last but not least, I want to commend our Webmaster/Newsletter Editor, Paula Freeze, on a comprehensive redesign to update our Chapter web site. I have no idea how she did it, but the site is even more informative, attractive, and easy-to-navigate. It went from great to greater . . . and I know she is always working on keeping it current. Many thanks, Paula!

As I shoveled a foot of snow this week, I was thinking about what a good argument the snow makes for compact development, garages on alleys, public transit., etc. The thought made shoveling enjoyable for a while. Nonetheless, I hope that when I write to you in early April, it is sunny and warm.

Karen