Maine Association of Planners
November 2, 2007
Minutes

Attending: Jim Fisher, Hugh Coxe, Rebeccah, Judy, Carl, Maureen O’Meara, Beth Della Valle,
Helen , Kathleen , Jane Lafleur, Linda , Stephen Condon, Noel Musson, Anne Krieg

Review of October Minutes
Minutes accepted without Revision

President’s Report

Membership concerned about AICP

• MAP should be involved in some way
• We should be encouraging ongoing education of planners

Membership

Over one hundred
New names are trickling in
Will send another email reminder

Newsletter
Deadline November 9th
Send articles to Rschaffner@newgloucester.com

Jane - Working waterfronts
Carl – Energy Conservation
Judy     – Community Matters Conference
- Column on GIS
Rebeccah – article with Kathy Fuller
Beth – Legislative Policy
Linda and Steve – Informed growth act

• State Planning office has created a list of qualified preparers

Display Board – Judy Colby George

• Materials needed
• Logo
• Covers for past award winners
• Map of MAP Members
• Mission/Goals/Long Range Plan
• Brochure
• Membership application forms

Beth will email Matt Nazar about his records on past award recipients.
Jim will send his list to Beth and Judy

Continuing Education – Kathy Fuller

Kathy Fuller – sent a two page document summarizing protocol and options for AICP Certification Maintenance

Option 1 – purchase CD based educational programs

• Deposit based loan system

Option 2 – develop a list of providers that are certified

• Annually contact providers and offer to cosponsor
• MAP is already covered under NNECAPA’s certification

NNECAPA Executive Board met and discussed CM at length

Two professional development positions will be created

• New AICP certification
• Certification Maintenance

Need to follow through with the protocol that Kathy outlined in her two page document

Maureen asked – what does MAP have to do to get an event registered?

1. determine if it is a singe event or a multi-part event
2. registered the programs on the AICP website
1. show that it meets a planning related need
2. admin and delivery criteria

Maureen suggested that we dive into this and see what happens
Beth – this is supposed to be training that aims higher than basic levels of planning education

The NNECAPA conference discussion of AICP CM raised a number of concerns.
Many sessions deserved credit, and some should be given credit retroactively.  Attending sessions that may get retroactive registration CM is a risky strategy.

Maureen – AICP requirements technically do not take effect until January 1.  She would like to provide information on past workshops.

The online system does not allow for adding sessions other than those that are already registered.

MAP needs to decide how we can set up our future meetings, register them, etc.

Ethics and Law classes – might want to bring a consultant in to the annual meeting to cover one or the other requirement.

Jim – offered to write and article about an open-source Wikipedia approach to planning education as an alternative to lecture format education. (NB. Jim forgot to do this.)

Beth – the NNECAPA representatives at the conference have hoped that this process would stimulate discussion about how to implement the program.  Some changes have been made recently, like dropping sign up sheets and mini-exams.

Kathy is offering to help this process along.  She is willing to contact some state organizations.

MAP may be able to sponsor 8 hours per year. 
MAP can also co-sponsor with MMA, GrowSmart Maine, etc.

Judy is willing to work with Kathy to get her workshop registered for CM.

John Lockman is working with Lorman Associates to grant credit for his course.  Classes cost about $400. 

Motion: Beth moved that MAP adopt options one and two of Kathy’s proposal and authorize a committee to operationalize these two processes.  Initial motion to fund the committee with $500 to purchase credits to be reimbursed

• Kathy Fuller has agreed to chair
• Anne Krieg offered to help
• Jim offered to help and to provide Kathy with a list of AICP MAP Members
• Several board members suggested that this can go forward without a committee assignment.

MAP can start out under the NNECAPA umbrella.

Beth’s motion passed as amended without dissent.

Motion: Beth offered another motion: to fund staff time for preparing AICP CM paperwork.
Several people spoke in opposition to the motion.  Kathy Fuller had to leave the meeting.
The motion was defeated.

Carl – NNECAPA purchase of Audio Web Conferences

• There are five different topics
• One was held in Vermont and will be repeated
• One can earn 12 CM by traveling to all of the events.
• You can only get the credits if you participate during the web sessions.
• Portland Maine USM – will be on March 5th

Website Sponsors

Dawn Emerson – is seeking sponsors
Motion: Steve moved the concept of seeking website sponsors.
Jim – spoke against the motion to seek additional website sponsors until we need additional funds.
Steve withdrew the motion

Treasurer’s report

Memberships are good – contributing
The balance is $22,349.83

Maureen asked whether we should update the strategic plan
The board agreed to review the strategic plan for the next meeting.

Next Meeting: December 7 – postponed
                        January 4 – postponed
                        January 11 – settled