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2007 MSFA Conference

New Venue – Well Done!

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. Next year’s conference will again be at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids and is scheduled for March 18-21, 2008.

Great Administrative Support and Superb Facilities

Attendee comments on the 2006 conference at the Grand Traverse Resort, in Acme :

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 20^th 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 21^st 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:

This year the Michigan Stormwater-Floodplain Association (MSFA) held its 18^th 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.