The Big Questions

Thursday: Climate Change Conversation

Now this is where we talk about what how to plan for the flooding of Broadway. I don't know if I can make this: please leave your thoughts in the comments if you're able to go.

CITY OF ALBANY TO HOST NATIONAL CONVERSATION ON CLIMATE ACTION
OCTOBER 4TH

Community Discussion Will Address Climate Science, Solutions; Events Happening Nationwide

[Albany, NY] - The City of Albany announced today that it will be part of the National Conversation on Climate Action and will host an event October 4, 2007 to discuss the science and what is needed at the local level and beyond to solve global warming. Albany joins local government leaders from across the country in hosting these events, which will be part education and part interactive community-wide discussion. The National Conversation is sponsored by ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and the Association of Science-Technology Centers.

For more information on the National Conversation on Climate Action, including an up- to-date list of participating cities, please go to www.climateconversation.org.

“This is a great opportunity for Albany to take part in the national discussion on global warming and to begin looking at what we can do to effect change at the local level,” said Mayor Jennings.

The event is open to the public and will take place at the main branch of the Albany Public Library on October 4, 2007 from 6 to 8 pm.  The guest speaker will be Andrei Lapenas, who is an associate professor of climatology at the University at Albany.

The National Conversation is designed to highlight and catalyze local efforts to address global warming, build local awareness and facilitate community engagement.  Participants at the event will hear from climate scientists, local government officials, and leaders from the faith, environmental, business and other stakeholder communities as well as take part in an interactive discussion about climate solutions.
Local governments are uniquely positioned to significantly reduce global warming pollution. They have been spearheading the effort to implement innovative strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while saving energy and money and fostering healthier, more livable communities.

“We hope the National Conversation on Climate Action will spark a broad discussion that starts at the local level about the challenges and solutions associated with global warming and that ultimately leads to real, effective action,” said Michelle Wyman, Executive Director of ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability.

CONTACT:
Douglas Melnick, Director of Planning, City of Albany
518.434.2532

Monica Walters, ICLEI
510.844.0699 x315

Inclusive Planning

Councilwoman Barbara Smith, the planning department, and the Arbor Hill and South End neighborhood associations are hosting a community meeting with the specific intent of getting "residents from Albany's most challenged neighborhoods to get involved in the comprehensive planning process and in other planning initiatives or at least to become better informed about them."

It will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 9, 6-8 PM at the Albany Housing Authority building, 200 S. Pearl Street. Refreshments provided. Spread the word if you know anyone who lives in those neighborhoods.

It will be very interesting to see what kind of turnout this has, and what sorts of ideas it generates. I think it's great that this is happening so early in the process.

On that note, I've been meaning to share with you the insights of Carmen Duncan, a young woman who participated in the SDAT process and had some good thoughts about inclusive outreach so I pestered her to write some of them down. (I'd been hoping, I admit, to collect answers to these and other questions from more folks, but I haven't had the time to harangue people.)

How should the comp plan process in general, and particular meetings in specific, be publicized?

Information should be posted throughout Albany not just in particular places. In such places as Equinox, bus stops, and colleges  i.e. Hudson Valley, Sage, RPI, SCCC, etc. 

Where should meetings be held? 

Meetings should be held at a neutral place, a location that all are familiar with whether it be because they have been there or heard of it. My suggestion is UAlbany.

What language should or shouldn't be used to describe them?

Use vocabulary that all are able to comprehend and/or if words such as "charrette" are used the meaning to that word should be in parentheses next to it so  those that are unfamiliar with the word will have now learned a new word and the meaning for it. This will be two lessons in one just from reading a posting.

What evidence of good will could convince the disengaged to engage?

In engaging the disengaged, one main thing is to recognize their suggestions and include them in the process. Example: In rebuilding Arbor Hill and South End let the individuals that live in this community assist in the clean up and rebuilding process. Many individuals in these communities do have skills that everyday contractors, laborers, and clean-up crews have. To have the opportunity to work with those that do the job everyday will also help make people feel good about themselves. The children should definitely be involved. For those that have to do community service and/or are on social services that do not have employment should have to work in their neighborhoods, particularly closer to their residence, during this process. This will provide a sense of inclusion which will aid in maintaining the cleanliness because they have put their hard work and time into it.

What will shoot any attempt at inclusivity in the foot?

People may turn their back on attending a meeting to learn information if the meeting is at such a place that is known for "business men/women" When posting the information for times and dates in bold print it should read "WE WANT HELP FROM THOSE IN THE COMMUNITY" and provide the communities, i.e. pine hill, south end, arbor hill, etc. because this way it is noticeable that it is not just about the "business world"

presentation tonight

Contrary to my previous post, the SDAT presentation tonight will be from 5:30-7:30, not 5-7. Sorry.

It's at St. Joseph's Auditorium on the St. Rose Campus, 985 Madison Ave. (#4 on this map.) Parking at the LaSalle Lot (Entrance at 415 Western, P7 on same map).

Get out and plan!

OK, enough ruminating and analyzing and talking about how citizen-led planning should happen: In less than two weeks, it'll be time to do it.

The Sustainable Design Assessment Team charettes are happening Aug. 6, 1:30–5 and 6–7 PM and Aug. 7, 9 AM–noon at St. Rose. Kids are welcome at the charettes. And, as I discuss in my column this week, signs are hopeful that they are being organized as a true citizen-led effort.

A more general town-hall meeting with a Q&A format will take place Aug. 6, 7–9 PM. The team will present their recommendations on Aug. 8, 5–7 PM. All events will take place at the College of Saint Rose. For details about location, parking, etc., call 434-2532 ext. 16, or visit albanysdat.com. (The website just seems to be a home page with the phone number on it right now, but it is very new.)

Mark Your Calendars: SDAT meeting

The SDAT team will be in town from August 6-8. They don't have final details worked out yet, but it looks like interested folks should mark their calendars for both the evening of the 6th (to give input) and the 8th (to hear the presentation). It'll be interesting to see who has been chosen as team members and who has been invited as stakeholders. More as I have it.

August 6:
Team Debriefing
Team Tour of Community
Stakeholder meetings (invited stakeholders and interested parties)
Public Meeting (Evening)

August 7:
Stakeholder meetings through the afternoon
Team work sessions

August 8:
Team work sessions
Report and PowerPoint presentation
Public presentation of findings and recommendations

Apply Yourself

It's time. Deadline for applying to the Albany Comprehensive Plan Board is July 6. Don't let anyone say only white nonresident bankers applied. If you want a nicely formated pdf to print and post/hand out, contact me. The site where I was hosting pdfs is having problems.

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City of Albany Common Council
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
The Albany Common Council, in cooperation with the Mayor, is seeking nominations of qualified residents of the City of Albany, or non-resident stakeholders, for the following position:

Title of Position: Member, City of Albany Comprehensive Plan Board
Term of Appointment: Members serve until the Comprehensive Plan process has been completed (approximately 24 months)
Position Responsibilities/Duties: On May 7 the Common Council established the “City of Albany Comprehensive Plan Board” with the charge of developing a comprehensive plan in accordance with section 28-a of the NYS General City Law. A comprehensive plan is a strategic document which sets forth a commu-nity’s goals, objectives, principles, guidelines, policies, standards, devices and instruments for the immediate and long range protection, enhancement, growth and development of a community.

Members of the Comprehensive Plan Board will be responsible for putting in place an organizational structure and process for development of a comprehensive plan which maximizes opportunities for public participation and input (including public hearings, workshops and other community forums). Members will also develop a strategic plan for accomplishing the Board’s charge and may also enter into contractual relationships with outside entities to assist in the project.

Members of the Board should be individuals who have a demonstrated interest in the City of Albany, a record of community involvement and who are able to commit a substantial amount of time to the process. It is expected that the Comprehensive Plan Board, including subcommittees, will meet for approximately 8-12 hours per month. Meetings will most likely take place during evenings and weekends.

Statutory Authority: NYS General City Law, Section 28-a
Common Council Resolution 25.31.07R, as adopted 5/7/07

Application Requirement: Applicants are requested to submit a letter of intent describing qualifications and include a current resume, with physical address, to:
Cashawna Parker
Legislative Aide
Albany Common Council – Room 206
City Hall
Albany, NY 12207
Tel: 434-5087
Fax: 434-5081
e-mail: [email protected]

Applicants will be interviewed by a selected committee of the Common Council prior to appointment.

Deadline for Applications: July 6, 2007

Policy Statement
The Albany Common Council is committed to assuring that its appointments to city boards, authorities, commissions or committees are representative of the diversity of Albany’s population. Consistent with the City of Albany Human Rights Law, it is the policy of the Common Council to prohibit discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, age, disability, marital or domestic partner status in all aspects of its personnel policies, programs, practices and operations.

How to make a public comment

If you want to comment at tonight's, or any other, common council meeting, here are your options:

You can sign up ahead of time, either by callingthe Albany City Clerk at 434-5090 before noon on the day of the meeting, or by getting there early and filling out a form. People who sign up are called on first.

Or you can wait and after all the people who signed up have been called, the Common Council president will ask if anyone else wants to speak and will call people from the audience. You will be asked to give your name and address (a request people often ignore) and to keep your comments to 5 minutes, less if there are a lot of people. You may bring a printout of your comments to have entered into the public record. Just hand it to the person taking notes after you're done speaking.

 

(Clarification: The rules are different for public hearings.  People do not sign up. There is usually no time limit on a public hearing and people can speak as long as they want.  Public hearings are usually held prior to the Public Comment Period. Tonight is not a hearing. Thanks, Lynne.)

Coming up...

The comprehensive plan enabling legislation goes before the Common Council tomorrow night (Monday, May 7). (The Common Council meets on the first and third Mondays—ignore the dates on the city website. They're last year's. It always takes them months to update it.)

The meeting will be held at City Hall, on the 2nd floor. There is a "caucus" at 6:30 PM (which will have everyone present, because there are only Democrats on the council) in the court room. Most of the substantive discussion will happen here. The meeting is at 7 PM in the council chambers. There is a public comment period.

I wanted to post the actual text that will be voted upon, but apparently it won't be available until the caucus. Not all that conducive to thoughtful debate or comment. Luckily, my understanding was that only three minor changes to the last version were agreed upon at the committee meeting:

• Clarify the wording to make it crystal clear that the Common Council is doing the appointing, but will appoint 10 on the recommendation of the mayor.
• Add an expected time frame of 18-24 months.
• Add a stipulation that a majority of the appointees will be city residents.

So we have a general idea of what to expect.

If you want to comment on this legislation or the general structure of how the board that will be running this process is set up, this is your last official chance. (Since much is being left up to the board itself, you may be able to weigh in there, but it's unclear if all of their organizing meetings will be open or take comment.) If you are most concerned about getting to weigh in on content, keep your eyes out for the upcoming charette that is part of Albany's SDAT grant, which will probably be your first chance to get into those issues, and which will lay the groundwork for the meat of the comprehensive planning process to follow.