Tuesday, September 19

Finlen Hotel Lobby

Pick-up your badges, register for the conference, register for a tour, or get a question about the conference answered.

Finlen Hotel Ballroom

An overview of APA Ethics cases and outcomes in 2022.

Presenter: Allison Mouch, AICP

Allison joined Orion Planning + Design in September 2016 and is currently based in Missoula, Montana. Bringing 16 years of professional planning experience to the team, her areas of specialization include comprehensive plans, code development, public engagement, project management, mapping, and analysis, with a focus on collaboration as a means of achieving positive outcomes. Mouch has wide-ranging experience working with private developers and public clients on forward-thinking land use and design solutions, fostering meaningful partnerships that result in sound policy and planning decisions. She is AICP and an active member of the American Planning Association (APA) as the Region V Board Director, past-president of APA’s Western Central Chapter, and currently sits on the Montana Association of Planners (MAP) Board of Directors. She holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Miami University (Ohio), and a master’s degree in urban and environmental planning from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

1 CM Ethics

Northwest Energy Building

How a group of passionate citizens partnered with the County to create an implementation focused revitalization plan. We’ll discuss how the Uptown Butte Plan came to be. How we stayed focused on implementation, and how we’ve started to fund the projects

Presenter: Shanna Adams, P.E. CNU-A

Shanna Adams is a professional civil engineer with 20+ years of experience working on infrastructure projects. Through the process of creating the Uptown Butte Plan, she’s re-discovered a passion for projects at the intersection of urban design, community development, and economic revitalization.

1 CM

Butte Archives Building

This session will focus on when a subdivision review goes off the rails: what to do and how to handle new information; when the planning board (or public) states the application isn’t sufficient; how to handle variances; public comment analysis; as well as DEQ/sanitation review and water rights.

Presenter: Karen Alley, JD

Karen Alley is Associate General Counsel for Montana Association of Counties. Her main focus is land use law and assisting counties with their subdivision review process. Karen has been at MACo for (almost) 2 years and previously was the Hill County Attorney.

1 CM

Finlen Hotel Ballroom

Attendees will receive an introduction to the Choosing By Advantages (CBA) decision making process, a methodology for making sound decisions by looking at the advantages of two or more options. The CBA process has been applied to a wide range of infrastructure and planning projects. Attendees will also experience a facilitation technique that allows a group to effectively consider varying view points while developing consensus-based decisions.

Presenter:Peter Walker-Keleher, PE, VMA

Drawing upon his background in education and facilitation, including a Masters in Education from Harvard University, Peter leads Value Analysis workshops for the National Park Service, the Montana Department of Transportation, and for the Federal Highway Administration. These workshops are grounded in the CBA methodology. Peter strives for workshops that are engaging, impactful, and useful. This one will be no exception.

1 CM

Northwest Energy Building

Transportation systems can impact both physical and mental health, but the health effects of planning decisions, beyond safety and air pollution, are often overlooked. Transportation systems serve as a modifiable variable contributing to health behaviors and outcomes. This session will review findings of a recent audit of transportation plans and explore factors preventing use of health-related performance measures to monitor impacts of transportation systems on public health outcomes in MT.

Presenter:Jennifer MacFarlane, MPH

Jen MacFarlane is a Research Assistant with over 20 years of experience in the field of Public Health. She has focused her career on program planning, implementation, and policy change related to chronic disease prevention and youth development. Jennifer’s interests include the intersection between public health and transportation, especially as it relates to increasing physical activity across the lifespan.

1 CM

Lunch
Opening Remarks
Keynote Panel Session: The Story of Butte

Presenter Bio(s):
Dylan Pipinich is Planning Director of Butte-Silver Bow. Dylan is originally from Anaconda, Montana, and received his bachelor’s in civil engineering from Montana State University and master’s in project engineering and management from Montana Technological University. Dylan worked as an engineer on cleanup projects in the Butte and Anaconda region before switching gears and becoming a planner for Butte-Silver Bow. As director, Dylan is focused on improving local policy and practices related to long-range planning, land use, and community development in a time of growth and revitalization for the historic city of Butte and surrounding communitie.

Julia is a Butte native and Master of Urban and Regional Planning with over a decade of experience in urban planning and environmental policy. Butte’s fascinating urban development tied to copper mining informs her work planning for environmental cleanup and restoration, infrastructure improvements, and redevelopment of mining impacted neighborhoods. Whether creating plans for mineyard rehabilitation, planting trees on the Butte Hill, or encouraging public involvement in environmental decision making, one thing is always at the forefront of her work – striving to do the best she can for Butte.

Aubrey Jaap serves as the Archives Director and has been with the organization since 2007. She heads the Archives digitization programs and oral history collections, as well as manages the non-current government record for Butte-Silver Bow. She collaborated with the University of Montana’s Irish Studies Program to curate an exhibit titled “Erin’s Exiled Children: Irish America and the Road to the Rising,” which traveled throughout Montana’s libraries and museums. In 2016, she successfully wrote a grant to the National Historical Publications and Records Commission to catalog and preserve the historic C. Owen Smithers Photograph Collection. Aubrey is also a member of the Montana State Historical Records and Advisory Board. She has her B.S. in Public Relations from Montana State University-Billings.

1 CM

Finlen Hotel Ballroom

County planners face multiple challenges about land use and its relation to water resources and geology. Protecting groundwater quantity and quality are high priorities for Montana’s growing population. Hazards such as earthquakes and landslides are important factors to consider prior to development. With increasing development, sand and gravel is also needed. The Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology will present available tools to help inform county planning decisions.

Presenter:Ginette Adb

Ginette Abdo manages the MBMG’s Ground Water Investigation Program. She has worked for the MBMG for over 30 years on various projects focused on groundwater/surface-water interactions and how Montana’s changing land use affects water resources. She has a Master’s degree in Hydrogeology from Penn State University.  

Presenter:Katie McDonald

Katie McDonald manages the Geologic Mapping Program. She has worked for the MBMG for over 25 years with a focus on geologic mapping in western Montana. She grew up in Philipsburg, MT and is witnessing firsthand the need for sensible planning. Katie has a Master’s degree in Geology from University of California, Davis.

1 CM

Northwest Energy Building

In the picturesque landscapes of the Mountain West, a profound transformation has been unfolding. As the era of resource extraction wanes, communities are grappling with the challenges and opportunities of pivoting to recreation-based economies. This session delves deep into the intricacies of this transition, highlighting the complexities and nuances that local leaders, businesses, and residents face. Attendees will gain insights into: 1) The challenges and pitfalls of transitioning to a recreation-based economy. 2) best practices and success stories from communities that are currently making or have made the shift. And 3) the critical role of long-range planning in ensuring community stability and vitality, and ecological conservation during this transition. This session promises to initiate engaging discussion about this topic, as well as help chart a sustainable and prosperous future for the Mountain West.

Presenter: Lindsey Romaniello, AICP

Lindsey is an associate planner for SE Group, a private consultant firm that focuses on community and recreation planning around the country. Her planning-related interests include community outreach/conflict resolution, economic sustainability, and equitable housing development. She received her master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Arizona, where she focused her studies on rural communities in the western United States. Lindsey has a public sector background and has worked as a planner for several municipalities in the Rocky Mountain west, including Missoula County. During this time, she has focused on long-range planning and the implementation and creation of land use policy. She is currently a resident of Missoula, Montana and is the board secretary for the Montana Association of Planners.  

1 CM

Butte Archives Building

Join us for an Inclusive Interdisciplinary Walk Audit (I2WA) to collaboratively assess and enhance the walkability of Butte’s neighborhoods. A successful I2WA brings together participants from various fields such as urban planning, architecture, community advocacy, accessibility, and local governance will come together to evaluate the pedestrian experience, infrastructure, and overall accessibility of key areas. The I2WA encourages open dialogue, knowledge sharing, and collaboration among diverse perspectives, fostering an atmosphere where MAP attendees and community members can actively contribute to shaping a more walkable and vibrant Butte.

Presenter: Cassie Wick

Cassie Wick is an advocate for the civil rights of people with disabilities in her day job at Ability Montana in Butte. She works toward increasing accessibility and other interventions that create better quality of life and opportunities for people living with disabilities. Cassie’s part time gig is as a co-owner and quality control supervisor at 5518 Designs and Dig City Supply. Her favorite part about owning businesses in Uptown Butte, besides adding to the overall energy of the area, is the ability for her and her partner Jon to give back to the community and its incredible members.

Presenter: Ben Weiss

Ben Weiss is Senior Transportation Planner for the City of Missoula. With his hands in many pies – from long range planning to facility design to project development to safety promotion, education and encouragement – Ben helps Missoula maintain its place among the best places to bike and walk in the country. Ben has led several walk audits alongside Meg Traci and is working to incorporate them into the pre-design phase of all city-led transportation projects. Ben is also passionate about music and encourages conference attendees to tune in to 102.5 KBMF, a community radio station he helped co-found in Butte.

Presenter: Karma Edwards

Karma Edwards is a public health consultant with the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD), and currently serves as the Walkability Lead within NACDD’s Center for Advancing Healthy Communities. With this role, she leads the Walkability Action Institute project and Island Walkability efforts for NACDD, and works with a collective total of 95 local, regional, and state project participant locations from 35 states and two island locations throughout the US mainland and island territories. She especially enjoys the
overlap between physical activity, active transportation, built design, and disability inclusion and holds the general belief that when communities are built for everyone, no one gets left out.

2.5 CM

Finlen Ballroom

This meeting of the Montana Association of Planners Legislative Committee, open to all conference attendees, is designed to inform and engage planners of the latest information in state policy and legislative activities. This last Legislative Session was especially active for legislative discussions affecting Montana’s enabling statutes. At this session, you will hear updates from the 2023 Legislative Session, discuss MAPs legislative priorities for 2025, and how MAP members can participate in MAP Legislative activities.

Presenter: Andrew Hagemeier, AICP

Andrew Hagemeier is the Senior Planner managing the long range planning and implementation section of Missoula County’s Department of Planning, Development, and Sustainability. Andrew is a member of the Montana Association of Planner’s Board of Directors, and is co-chair of the MAP Legislative Committee.

1 CM

Butte Archives Building

Join the Historic Preservation Officers from Butte-Silver Bow, Anaconda, Missoula, and Bozeman for a panel discussion where they discuss historic preservation in their communities. We will also get their perspectives on the future of historic preservation and how it can be better incorporated into planning to help achieve community goals.

Presenter: Sarah Rosenberg, AICP

Sarah Rosenberg , AICP, is a Planner and the Historic Preservation Officer for the City of Bozeman. She joined the City in 2017 as a development review planner but has since taken over managing the Historic Preservation Program. She also serves on the Montana Association of Planners board. Prior to working in Bozeman, she worked for municipalities in Colorado. She holds a Master of Science in Historic Preservation and a Master in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Colorado Denver.

Presenter: Elizabeth Johnson

Elizabeth Johnson is the Historic Preservation Officer for the City of Missoula. She started with the City in 2021 after moving to Montana from Tennessee, where she worked as a graduate research assistant at the Middle Tennessee State University Center for Historic Preservation. She holds a Master of Arts in Public History with an historic preservation emphasis from Arkansas State University.

Presenter: Kate McCourt

Kate McCourt is the Historic Preservation Officer for Butte-Silver Bow. She has worked for the State of Montana at Virginia City’s National Historic Landmark District, at the federal level as a contractor for the University of Montana’s Center for Integrated Research on the Environment, in the private sector for the Foundation for Montana’s History as Heritage Projects & Grants Manager. and in local government as Historic Preservation Officer for Great Falls-Cascade County. She holds an undergraduate degree in history, a master’s degree in archaeology, and an M.A. certification in historic preservation.

Presenter: Gayla Hess

Gayla Hess has been a Planner for Anaconda-Deer Lodge County since 2018. She is the Historic Preservation Officer with the local Historic Resources Board. The board’s recent projects have included a historic preservation plan, hosting a locally focused speaker series, and restoration of the last remaining Washoe Smelter building which marked the entrance to the complex.

1 CM

Quarry Brewery

This event will bring together Transportation Engineers and Planners in a social setting. Join for a great meeting of minds!

Carpenters Union Hall

Join us for a lively social hour at the historic Carpenters Union Hall in Uptown Butte. Enjoy live music, gourmet appetizers, and a selection of beverages. A perfect setting to mingle and unwind after the conference. See you there!