Michigan Stormwater-Floodplain Association

The 20^th annual Michigan Stormwater-Floodplain conference was held at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids, Michigan February 20 through the 23^rd. 110 persons registered for the conference. The program features included a floodplain management/National Flood Insurance Program refresher course given by PBS&J Consulting of Beltsville, Maryland on the first day of the conference. The refresher was geared toward preparations for those individuals intending to take the Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) exam the following morning. The exam was proctored before the main conference opened. Sixteen persons sat for the refresher, and nine took the exam.

The main conference program featured 16 presentations covering a variety of subject areas such as floodplain construction requirements, the NFIP community rating system, the flood insurance side of the NFIP, drainage and soil erosion technology, relationship of emergency management to floodplains and mitigation planning, rain garden and stormwater management technologies, roof garden technologies, and real life experiences and observations in Katrina aftermath.

The conference evaluations indicated a high satisfaction with the program content, schedule, food, and facilities. Many suggestions were received for subject areas to consider for next year’s program. Several suggestions were made for the planning committee to consider when designing next year’s conference that should produce an improved conference next year. So, feel free to pass the word on to your fellow members that did not attend this year and to other community leaders you believe would benefit by attending the annual conference.

2006 MSFA 19th Annual Conference Was a Good One

“Good range of subjects this year.”
“Overall, a very good conference.”
“Great job!”
“Floodplain management (101 workshop) … was a good forum for
discussion and review of the basic concepts.”
“Very good conference—very organized and put together.”
"Great job of keeping presentations on schedule.”

Many other very constructive comments and suggestions were received
for next year’s conference development. The multi day format seemed to
work well for the second year in a row. It does provide flexibility in
conference planning for providing a variety of presentations for the wide
range of interest and roles represented by the association’s membership.
There were 118 registered attendees for the conference. The exhibitor
portion of the conference was supported by 16 exhibitors from private
consulting and product firms to state and federal agencies. Four entities
provided specific sponsorship support of the conference and they
included the consulting firms of Fishbeck Thompson, Carr and Huber,
Spicer Group, PBS&J, and the Federal Emergency Management
Agency.

The program provided 24 presentations of varied issues related to
stormwater and floodplain management. Two presentations were of
workshop formats and were well received and productive. One was a
“Floodplain Management 101” session attended by many local building
officials looking for a better understanding of what they need to know and
consider when processing a building permit application for construction
within the floodplain. Another workshop presentation was an opportunity
for community officials to learn more about the FEMA NFIP Community
Rating System (CRS) program. It provided one-on-one work sessions
with the CRS representative Scott Cofoid to review individual community
programs and to begin preparation of the enrollment application packet.

Next year’s conference will the Association’s 20th and is set for February
21-23, 2007. The conference location will be moved from the northern
lower peninsula down to the southwest portion of the state in response to
past membership suggestions to move the conference location around
the state. Final contract terms have been worked out with the Amway
Grand Hotel in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Next year’s conference format
will be similar to that of the last two years. General sessions with
breakout concurrent sessions and exhibitors are planned. A CFM exam
refresher course and the proctoring of the exam will again be part of the
conference. There are tentative plans to schedule the refresher on
February 20, 2006 with the exam proctored the following morning the 21st just prior to the start of the conference in the afternoon. This will allow the CFM exam takers the chance to attend all of the conference sessions.

The 2007 conference development committee welcomes your ideas and
suggestions for subject matter to build into the program. You may
submit your ideas and suggestions to:

Les Thomas
NFIP Coordinator
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
Land and Water Management Division
PO Box 30458
Lansing, Michigan 48876
517-335-3448
thomasl@michigan.gov

This year the Michigan Stormwater-Floodplain Association (MSFA) held
its 18th annual conference, but with a major change from past years. In
response to the membership’s feedback that a multi-day conference
should be provided, the 2005 conference was planned for February 14
through February 16. The conference agenda included the Association’s
annual general membership business meeting, general presentation,
and concurrent sessions, including a floodplain management refresher
course, a proctoring of the national Association of State Floodplain
Managers’ certified floodplain manager (CFM) exam, a vendor display,
and reception area. During the evenings, many conference participants
took advantage of more casual setting opportunities to meet with fellow
professionals and the vendor representatives at vendor?sponsored
hospitality gatherings.

The board of directors began its consideration and initial planning for this
year’s conference shortly after the conclusion of the 2004 conference.
They met regularly throughout the year right up to the conference date. It
takes a lot of time commitment from many volunteers to successfully
plan, develop, and orchestrate a successful multi?day conference. The
Association officers and the board of directors deserve a great deal of
credit and gratitude for their efforts.

The process was a learning experience, and fortunately there was an
opportunity to take advantage of what others already knew about putting a
large conference together. The MSFA was able to work with the
Michigan Association of County Drain Commissioners (MACDC)
and piggyback with its winter conference planning efforts. Due to
common interests between the two associations, it was determined that
the scheduling of both association conferences back to back at the same
location could facilitate a mutually beneficial relationship between the
association members.

Comments received during and after the MSFA and the MACDC
conferences from attendees were positive and supportive of the new
format and the developing relationship between the two associations.
The MSFA conference had 103 attendees and nine firms represented in
the vendor portion of the conference. The Grand Traverse Resort
conference facilities, lodging, and its atmosphere were very conducive
and complimentary to an enjoyable and successful conference
program. The MSFA’s officers and board of directors held a post
conference evaluation meeting and have started preliminary plans for
next year’s conference. Strong consideration is being given to
another multi-day format next year in concert with the MACDC
winter conference. The timing for the conference will likely be in the
month of February again and at the Grand Traverse Resort and
Spa. So, start looking at your training and travel budget for next
year and consider budgeting for your attendance next year so you
can join us and benefit from this great conference.