Regional Local Government Workshop
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Fall 2009 Local Government Workshop Friday - November 20, 2009
Holiday Inn Batavia, New York
Presenters
Julian W. Adams Presentation Topic: Historic Preservation and the New York State Building Code: Understanding how they Interact Julian Adams is the Community Liaison and Certified Local Government Coordinator for the New York State Historic Preservation Office. A native of Georgia, he holds a Masters of Historic Preservation from the University of Georgia at Athens. After a brief time in private consulting, he took a job in the Technical Services Unit of the SHPO in 1988, overseeing rehabilitations and restorations across New York State under federal and state programs. During a sabbatical from the SHPO in 1995-1996, he worked with the Historic Natchez Foundation in Natchez Mississippi, overseeing low income housing development in historic neighborhoods, working with the local preservation commission and planning department, and assisting in heritage education. In 2000 he was named head of the Technical Services Unit, overseeing all rehabilitations and restorations across New York State, a position he held until 2004. In 2005 he took a position as Sr. Architectural Historian/Historic Preservation Specialist with a nation-wide environmental consulting firm out of Dallas, Texas, where he traveled around the US working with military bases in their responsibilities to identify historic resources under Federal Historic Preservation law. He returned to state service in 2006 as Community Liaison and Certified Local Government Coordinator, assisting communities and municipalities across New York State with their preservation issues. The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, Division for Historic Preservation, acts as the State Historic Preservation Office, overseeing and administering all state and federal historic preservation programs. These include the National Register of Historic Places, Federal and State regulatory review under Federal and State Historic Preservation laws, the Certified Local Government program for local municipalities, and general technical assistance, outreach, and educational programs for individuals, organizations, and municipalities.
Eric C. Bradshaw, CPCA Presentation Topic: Historic Preservation and the New York State Building Code: Understanding how they Interact Eric Bradshaw is a Senior Code Compliance Specialist with the New York State Department of State, Division of Code Enforcement and Administration. Eric is specifically assigned to the Education Services Unit within the Codes Division. The Education Services Unit develops and provides the basic training programs for the initial certification of code enforcement personnel in New York State. The Unit also develops and presents annual in-service programs for the maintenance of the certification, as well as review and approves courses developed by outside agencies.
Presentation Topics: Zoning Board of Appeals Overview, Planning Board Overview, and Case Law Review Darrin Derosia serves as an Associate Counsel within the Office of the General Counsel of the New York State Department of State. His work with the Department comprises all aspects of local government law. Prior to his work at the Department of State, Mr. Derosia served as Counsel to the New York State Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness. He was the legal advisor to the Commission members and staff, helping to develop and draft the Commission’s report, 21st Century Local Government, and accompanying technical briefs (available at www.nyslocalgov.org). Previously, Mr. Derosia was Corporation Counsel for the City of Cohoes, NY from 2000 through 2007. As such, Mr. Derosia was the chief legal officer for the City and managed the department of law. He has been an associate at an Albany law firm and an assistant public defender. Mr. Derosia received a J.D. from Albany Law School in 1996, and a B.S. from the Pennsylvania State University in 1989. He is a member of the Committee on Character and Fitness for the Third Judicial District, and he sits on the Executive Committee of the Municipal Law Section of the New York State Bar Association.
Christopher Eastman
Presentation Topics:
Zoning Board of Appeals Overview Christopher Eastman is a Land Use Training Specialist with the New York State Department of State's Division of Local Government. Prior to joining the Training Unit, Chris had a variety of planning jobs at both the city and county level. He as also worked for the Preservation League of New York State and owns his own business restoring antique windows. Mr. Eastman has a Masters in Regional Planning from the State University of New York at Albany, and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Bates College. He was also part of a design team which earned "Outstanding Student Project" designation from the American Planning Association in 2002.
Robert Ewing Presentation Topic: SEQR 101: Guiding the Process Robert (Bob) Ewing is an Environmental Analyst 2 in the SEQR and Training Unit of the Division of Environmental Permits, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), in Albany, NY. His primary tasks are organizing training programs for new staff and supervisors; responding to SEQR inquiries; assisting staff with cultural resource issues; and working with State Environmental Revolving Fund review issues. Bob has been in state service since 1984 and has worked in three different agencies: the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP); NYS Department of Transportation (NYSDOT); and the DEC. Bob's work in OPRHP and NYSDOT includes over ten years of professional review and management of archeological and historic research projects conducted in compliance with state and federal historic preservation laws. Bob's twelve years with the DEC in Environmental Permits includes project management in the energy projects unit in Albany and the coordination of environmental reviews for a wide range of projects in the Region 4 office in Schenectady. Prior to state service, Bob spent several years as a practicing archaeologist with academic and private appointments. He holds a BA in anthropology from the State University of NY (SUNY) at Potsdam, an MA in anthropology from SUNY at Binghamton, an MBA from SUNY at Albany, and has done additional graduate level course work at the Rockefeller College of Public Administration.
Tony Favro Presentation Topic: Municipal Climate Programs Tony Favro is the Director of Planning and Zoning for the Town of Irondequoit. He is currently responsible for updating the Town’s master plan, Local Waterfront Revitalization Program, and comprehensive Energy and Environmental Policy. He has a Phd in geography from Syracuse University.
Razy Kased Presentation Topics: Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) Razy is a Planner with the Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council (G/FLRPC). Prior to joining G/FLRPC, Razy interned with the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC), he also served on the executive board of a not-for-profit corporation Sub-Board 1 providing services for students, and helped Co-Found a not-for-profit, Buffalo CarShare. Razy is currently completing his Master’s degree in Geography from the New York State University at Buffalo, and holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography from the State University College at Buffalo.
Mark DePaul Lowery
Mark Lowery is climate project
coordinator in the New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation’s Office of Climate Change. He holds a bachelor’s degree
in biology from Franklin and Marshall College, and a master’s degree
in Environmental and Forest Biology from the SUNY College of
Environmental Science and Forestry.
The mission
of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is to
conserve, improve and protect New York's natural resources and
environment and to prevent, abate and control water, land and air
pollution, in order to enhance the health, safety and welfare of the
people of the state and their overall economic and social well-being.
DEC's goal is to achieve this mission through the simultaneous pursuit
of environmental quality, public health, economic prosperity and
social well-being, including environmental justice and the empowerment
of individuals to participate in environmental decisions that affect
their lives.
Andy Lukasiewicz, Director of
Municipal Open Access and Broadband Development
Presentation Topic:
Broadband
Technologies and the Role of the Community
As Director of municipal open
access and broadband development for ECC Technologies, Andy uses his
unique blend of technical, operational, and organizational management
expertise with extensive P&L experience to provide consulting services
to various municipal entities on issues involving telecommunications
and technology development.
As an award winning broadband
pioneer, Andy brings more than 21 years experience in leadership and
innovation in the data and telecommunications industry. Most notably,
Andy was responsible for introducing and managing Time Warner Cable’s
Road Runner High Speed Online services in the Rochester, NY market. In
addition, as Vice President of Commercial Services for Time Warner
Cable, Andy created and managed a new business to business sales,
marketing and support organization which became a standard for
national development. Prior to that venture, Andy held multiple
positions in engineering, operations, marketing and business
development at Rochester Telephone/Frontier Corporation. He was
responsible for launching Rochester Telephone and Frontier’s Internet
Services.
A graduate of Rochester Institute
of Technology (RIT), Andy holds a Bachelor of Technology in Electrical
Engineering Technology degree, graduating with High Honors.
ECC Technologies offers
comprehensive technology consulting services to educational, corporate
and community clients. Over the past 10 years, ECC has been engaged
in approximately $500 million of technology planning, technology
development and technology programs. ECC Technologies is a current
state contract holder for professional services.
Patricia Matson
Patricia Matson is a Land Use
Training Specialist with the New York State Department of State’s
Division of Local Government. Prior to her service at the Department
of State, she worked at the New York State Office of Real Property
Services. Ms. Matson holds a master’s degree in Regional Planning
from the State University of New York at Albany, with an environmental
concentration that studied wind turbine planning considerations, and a
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from St. John Fisher College in
Rochester. Prior to her public service, she was an editor for a
national legal publishing firm.
Nancy P. Merritt
Presentation Topic:
Preparing for the 2010 Census
Nancy P.
Merritt, is a Partnership Specialist with the US Census Bureau -
Boston Region, and is based in Rochester, New York. She is
responsible for a seven-county territory including Monroe, Ontario,
Livingston, Orleans, Wyoming, Genesee and Niagara Counties. Doing
advance work for the US Census and Census 2010, Ms Merritt’s primary
responsibility is to establish partnerships across the sectors,
including businesses, local governments, faith-based organizations,
community organizations, elementary and secondary schools and colleges
and universities. The primary goal of Partnership is to get the
highest possible mail-back response to the Census Questionnaire,
reduce the undercount differential and encourage cooperation with
Census employees in the field.
For the US Department of
Commerce, US Census Bureau website visit
www.census.gov.
The
Rochester Local Census Office is located at 1600 Lexington Avenue,
Rochester, NY 14606.
Sarah A. Meyer
As Community
Outreach Coordinator, Sarah provides leadership and direction for the
FLI community outreach program. Sarah provides ongoing lecture series,
publications, educational exhibits, and internships for college
students. Major projects have included creating an expanded
clearinghouse of resource information; managing content of the FLI
website; organizing guest lectures, public symposiums, workshops, and
the FLI’s annual Finger Lakes Research Conference; and designing and
coordinating the FLI Demonstration Rain Garden.
A native of
Geneva, NY, Sarah pursued her Bachelors of Science (2000) and Masters
of Professional Studies (2003) from the State University of New York
College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY. Her
higher education concentrated on information and technology,
environmental science, and water and wetland resource studies. Sarah
credits her early interest in the environment and protecting our
natural resources to her participation in the Hobart and William Smith
Science on Seneca (SOS) Educational Program, Girl Scouts of America,
and the Student Conservation Association.
Since
receiving her degrees, she has been employed by the Federation of New
York State Solid Waste Associations, New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation, The Great Lakes Research Consortium, and
the United States Forest Service Wrangell Ranger District in Wrangell,
AK. Through her experiences, Sarah has gained skills in and knowledge
of environmental education, information design and watershed
hydrology. In her free time, Sarah enjoys kayaking within the Finger
Lakes Region, travel, nature photography, cycling and gardening.
The Finger
Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith Colleges is dedicated to
the promotion of environmental research and education about the Finger
Lakes and surrounding environments. In collaboration with regional
environmental partners and state and local government offices, the
Institute fosters environmentally-sound development practices
throughout the region, and disseminates the accumulated knowledge to
the general public.
Presentation
Topic;
Local Laws and Agricultural Districts: How Do They
Relate
John F.
Rusnica has been an attorney for the New York State Department of
Agriculture and Markets since 1992, and works primarily with the
Divisions of Agricultural Protection and Development Services and Soil
and Water and the New York State Soil and Water Conservation Committee
on right-to-farm, local law and agricultural-environmental matters.
Mr. Rusnica has a B.A. in Law and Public Policy from Union College,
Schenectady, NY and a J.D. from Albany Law School. He has lectured
extensively on the Agricultural Districts Law before farmers,
municipal officials, and attorneys. Mr. Rusnica’s published articles
include New York Court of Appeals Decides Farmworker Housing Case,
Reversing Lower Courts in Favor of On-farm Housing, American
Agricultural Law Association’s Agricultural Law Update,
November 2001; Local Laws and Agricultural Districts: Guidance for
Local Governments and Farmers, NYSBA Municipal Lawyer,
Winter 2004, Vol. 18, No.1; and Protecting New York’s Farm
Operations: Agriculture and Markets Law §305-a Limitation on Local
Laws, Matthew Bender & Co., Inc., Environmental Law in New York,
February 2005, Vol. 16, No. 2.
Robert
Somers, Ph.D.
Robert Somers
is the Manager of the Agricultural Protection Unit of the New York
State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Bob has been with the
Department since 1993 and is responsible for the administration of the
Agricultural Districts Law and the Agricultural and Farmland
Protection Program. His work is focused on “right-to-farm” issues,
such as sound agricultural practices, unreasonably restrictive
ordinances, and agricultural impact statements. Bob graduated in 1986
with a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Forest Soils from the SUNY
College of Environmental Science and Forestry and his undergraduate
and graduate education was in forestry and natural resource
administration. Prior to working for the Department, Bob spent 12
years in Kentucky and South Carolina mapping soils and participating
in the National Cooperative Soil Survey Program.
Joe Starks, President and Founder
Joe Starks is president and
founder and of ECC Technologies Inc. In addition, Joe is a founder and
partner of several successful for profit and municipal based
not-for-profit companies. Joe specializes in the development of
collaborative partnerships between diverse entities. These
partnerships include governmental, educational, business and other
organizations both public and private. These collaborative
partnerships are designed to create operational efficiencies and
opportunities for community and region wide infrastructure development
and management.
He is considered a leader in the
development of Public Private Partnerships for the purpose of
technology-led development. Joe is a pioneer in the development of
Municipal Open Access Models, broadband initiatives, and
community-wide fiber infrastructure development.
ECC Technologies offers
comprehensive technology consulting services to educational, corporate
and community clients. Over the past 10 years, ECC has been engaged
in approximately $500 million of technology planning, technology
development and technology programs. ECC Technologies is a current
state contract holder for professional services.
Timothy M. Sullivan
Presentation Topics: Online Mapping Tools and Data Resources: An Over
View
Tim is a Planner with the Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning
Council (G/FLRPC). Prior to joining G/FLRPC, Tim worked with the
Buffalo-Niagara Partnership and the Erie County Industrial Development
Agency. Tim holds a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from the New
York State University at Buffalo, with a concentration in Economic
Development and a bachelor’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning and
Analysis from the State University College at Buffalo. |
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50
West Main Street, Suite 8107
Rochester, New York 14614
tel:
585.454.0190
fax: 585.454.0191
Last Modified: September 15, 2010