NHPA 2004 Conference Report


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NHPA 2004 Conference Report By Angela Rapp, NNECAPA Representative After an almost two year hiatus, NHPA members came together to attend the 2004 NHPA Conference: Put a LID on It – a Conference on Low Impact Development Techniques. The conference was held on May 20th and 21st in Waterville Valley, NH. This year’s conference organizers focused on bringing new topics to this year’s event. Low Impact Development, or LID, is the latest planning buzz phrase. While conventional development focuses on taking water away from the site, LID techniques find diverse ways of managing stormwater on the site. Communities are now using LID not only to comply with Phase II regulations, but for water supply and watershed protection, flood control, and to increase aquifer recharge. The keynote speaker for this year’s conference was Larry Coffman, the guru and founder of LID techniques from Prince George’s County, Maryland. Mr. Coffman has traveled throughout the United States to speak about the principles and techniques of Low Impact Development and how they can be implemented in every kind of climate, including here in New England. Numerous handouts were available on LID techniques, all of which can be obtained by contacting the Office of Energy and Planning. The Thursday workshops presented developments that implemented LID here in New Hampshire. Examples included a commercial development in the Town of Exeter and residential developments in the Towns of Derry, Hollis, and New London. The workshops were both inspirational and enlightening. As is tradition at NHPA conferences, ample time for was set aside for “planner networking.” This year, there was some recreational planning on the golf course and on the trails, and some event planning at the last session of the day at the conference center’s watering hole. On Friday, the day began with a presentation on specific techniques that New Hampshire communities can use to implement Low Impact Development. Eileen Pannetier from Comprehensive Environmental, Inc. (CEI), introduced numerous strategies to overcoming some of the climate-related obstacles to addressing LID. She provided attendees with specific examples from the Town of Peterborough and the Town of Merrimack, both of which are available by contacting CEI. The conference wrapped up with a creative and interactive workshop, led by Steve Whitman of Jeff Taylor and Associates, which allowed planners to create developments that implemented the techniques they learned over the past two days.