3 minute read
American Public Works Association
Website: NewYork.APWA.net
Geoffrey Benway, PE, Genesee Valley Branch President
Genesee Valley Branch Serving Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans and Wayne County
Nelson Mandela
2017 APWA Conference
Have a unique product or interesting project that you would like to present to public works professionals from all over NY State? The 2017 Conference will be held in Rochester, NY in March 22- 24, 2017 and is a perfect venue to educate all kinds of public works personnel. For the rest of our public works community, this is a great opportunity to learn what others are doing to address the same issues as each of you. Education is a powerful tool to expand your knowledge of public works products, services, and legislation. The 2017 Conference will be in downtown Rochester and I encourage our public works agencies and our consultant community to take this opportunity to support the NY Chapter Conference and consider sending several of your employees of all ages to the Conference.
2017 Awards Banquet
The 2017 Annual APW award nominations are out! The GVB Board of Directors would like to have a strong turnout for the awards nominations. Go the GVB website (see above) and download the forms. We would like to see submissions from all six of our branch counties, including the towns and villages as well as our county and state agencies! We have a lot of talent in our area that should be recognized for their contribution to public works. Thanks to our Award Committee for their commitment and dedication.
Public Works & Planning
The public works community includes our brothers and sisters in planning and zoning. Good planning is the keystone of a great community. What makes a great community involves diversity in the residential, commercial, agricultural, and industrial uses that help to balance issues such as traffic, school enrollment, tax base, and utility impacts. Two recent projects in the news have puzzled me and have expanded the meaning of NIMBY! Towns and villages use their local codes to address a diverse collection of uses and services. The NIMBY’s seem to think that once they move into a town/village, the door should be shut to prohibit the dreaded “urban sprawl!” The Town of Penfield is dealing with a Cider Mill east of Route 250. Local residents are “outraged” over the operation because they do not want their view filled with a rustic, 2500 square foot cider house located on 27 acres. The Town of Webster is dealing with a hydroponic greenhouse for tomatoes that covers approximately 80 acres. Agriculture used to be the primary employment in our region’s history. Now it seems as if agriculture is the big bully in rural America. Both of these uses involve new trends in growing our agriculture prosperity and diversity. Both uses have minimal impact on schools, traffic, and utilities. Both provide jobs, tax revenue, and preserve agriculture. Yet both have stirred the emotional stew of each community. Why? Because they are not “traditional” agriculture! Did the gas engine change “traditional agriculture”? Did genetic engineering change “traditional agriculture"? Does agri-tourism deviate from “traditional agriculture”? Like any business, all towns/villages must adjust with the times and embrace “change.” This is the future of the agriculture to provide low cost and abundant products!
The American Public Works Association (www.apwa.net) is a not-for-profit, international organization of more than 29,000 members involved in the field of public works. APWA serves its members by promoting professional excellence and public awareness through education, advocacy and the exchange of knowledge. APWA is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, and has an office in Washington, D.C. with 63 chapters throughout North America.
apwa news NOVEMBER 2016 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 35
