Date: September 30 – October 2, 2009
Location: Athens, Georgia

Join your fellow planners, elected officials, and others at the annual GPA Fall Conference in Athens, Georgia. This year’s conference is sure to be an educational and fun event with numerous opportunities to learn from and interact with your colleagues. Highlights of the conference include an opening plenary session, over 40 breakout sessions in 4 tracts and mobile workshops, opening reception with auction to benefit the GPA Memorial Foundation, awards lunch and the annual GPA Membership Meeting. Two special tracks will be offered that include the Planning Officials track and the AICP Prep track. The AICP Prep was very successful and offers a limited number of spaces that provide several sessions that review the materials for the AICP exam. In addition, there will be ample opportunity to enjoy local activities and experience the community through mobile workshops and free time.

The primary hotel for the fall conference is the Classic Center Hilton Garden Inn. This hotel is located just across the street from the conference venue. We have negotiated a special rate of $119 that will last until September 9. Call the number below and let them know you are with the Georgia Planning Association.

The Classic Center Hilton Garden Inn
390 East Washington Street, Athens, GA 30601
Phone: 706.353.6800
Rate: $119 a night (mention Georgia Planning Association)
Rate after Sept. 9: $139 a night

Items of Interest:

• Registration will open in early July
• Submissions for session proposals will be accepted starting in a few weeks.
• Sponsorship opportunities will be available starting in the next few weeks.

If you have any questions please contact Jessica Gibson.

The awards will judged on the basis of the following criteria:

• Innovation of concept
• Transferability to other areas or projects
• Quality of thought and analysis
• Effectiveness of, or promise for, Implementation
• Comprehensiveness of principles observed
• Strong effort to solicit Public Participation
• Use of Technology in planning processes
• Demonstration of Equity in planning processes and implemented projects
• Integration of Sustainable practices to mitigate adverse impacts from development and everyday living

All awards will need to meet the criteria above. Each award category may have a particular emphasis on one or more of the above criteria which will be noted below. A Large Community is any community within a county with a population of 50,000 or more.

2009 Awards process will open June 29th and that all submittals must be posted via the GPA website at that time.

To view the awards categories, please visit our:
GPA AWARDS CATEGORIES PAGE

Scholarships funds are available for the 2009 GPA Fall Conference through the Georgia Planning Memorial Foundation, Inc. Qualified individuals are planners, planning commissioners, and other persons in the state of Georgia in similar roles (collectively, “Planners”) who work in or serve rural or poorer communities that meet the Foundation’s eligibility and selection criteria.

Eligibility:
To be eligible, the Planner must work for, be an appointed official of or otherwise serve in an official capacity for a city or county that meets at least one of the following criteria:

• Qualification by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs as requiring a “minimal” or “basic” level of community planning;
• Counties (and cities within such counties) that have a higher proportion of their workers employed in “farming, fishing or forestry” than the State average, as reported by the State of Georgia; or
• Counties (and cities within such counties) that are ranked as “Tier 1” counties for job tax credits by the State of Georgia.

For more information, please visit the:
MEMORIAL FOUNDATION WEBPAGE

June 15 :: Planners Book Club
June 20 - 23 :: Georgia Municipal Association Conference
July 07 - 08 :: Planning Commissioner Training
July 07 - 08 :: Community Planning Institute
July 07 :: APA South Carolina Summer Conference

For a complete calendar of events, please visit the:
GPA CALENDAR WEBPAGE