Excellence in Small Town and Rural Planning

Deadline: January 29, 2010

The Small Town and Rural (STAR) Planning Division invites nominations for its Planning Awards to recognize outstanding individuals and projects for their contribution to planning excellence in small town and rural communities. The program is open to any individual, organization, or consulting firm involved in planning for small town and rural areas. Members of the Awards Committee (and their organizations) are not eligible for an award. Nominated plans, projects, programs and studies must have been completed within two years of the nomination submittal date. For Comprehensive Plans and Special Project Plans prepared by consultants, the award recipient shall be the client for whom the planning activity was conducted.

The categories are:

Outstanding Small Town and Rural Planner
Given to an individual in public service, academia or the private sector that has made an outstanding contribution to planning in their community.

Outstanding Comprehensive Plan or Special Project Plan
Given to an outstanding comprehensive plan or special project plan that addressed the development of a neighborhood, community, county or region.

Outstanding Planning Initiative
Given to an outstanding initiative or program in public education, workshops, ordinances, or enforcement that promotes planning in small towns and rural areas.

Outstanding Student Project
Given to an outstanding project by a graduate or undergraduate class or individual that addresses a planning issue facing small town or rural areas.

Award recipients will receive the award, a one-year membership in the STAR Division, and up to $700 reimbursement for travel, lodging and/or registration expenses for public sector or academic employees to attend the APA National Planning Conference in New Orleans on April 10-13, 2010. Additional copies of the award may be ordered for support staff and consultants at a nominal cost.

Awards Committee

The STAR Executive Committee has appointed a four-member Awards Committee responsible for evaluating award nominees. All awards will be made at the sole discretion of the Awards Committee. The Committee may grant more than one award in each category.

The Awards Committee will use the following criteria in its consideration of award nominees:

• Innovation
• Quality
• Measurable results and implementation
• Role of Elected Officials
• Transferability
• Collaboration/Public Involvement
• Long-Term Sustainability and/or use of Smart Growth Principles

Nomination Procedures

Anyone may place a nomination for any of the awards categories before the Awards Committee. Nominations must be submitted according to the following rules.

A complete nomination package must be submitted (postmarked) no later than Friday, January 29, 2010, using the Entry Form.

All submissions are non-returnable and each application package must include:

• Four (4) copies of the award nomination Entry Form;
• Four copies of a 300 to 500 word summary statement indicating why the nominee merits the award;
• Four copies of the plan or project report being nominated, or a resume or biography for an individual being nominated;
• Four copies of letters in support of the nomination;
• Four copies of any supporting reports, plans, articles, newsletters or other supporting documentation (CD-ROM is an acceptable format); and
• A check for the nomination fee made payable to APA STAR Division ($25 if nomination is made by STAR member, $100 if nomination is made by someone who is not a member of the STAR Division)

Nomination packets must be submitted to:

Mickey L Rhoades
STAR Awards Committee
City of Manassas Dept of Family Services
9324 West St.
Manassas, VA 20110

Awards recipients will be notified as soon as possible and invited to receive their award at the STAR Business Meeting and Reception at the 2010 APA National Planning Conference in New Orleans. As a public sector or academic award recipient, STAR will pay up to $700 for reimbursement of travel, lodging and/or registration expenses to attend the STAR reception. STAR will make other arrangements to present awards to recipients who are unable to attend the 2010 Conference.

Questions

For further information, contact Mickey L Rhoades at 703-361-8277 ext 2328 or mrhoades@ci.manassas.va.us.

2009 Awards

The Division is honored to recognize its 2009 Small Town and Rural Planning award winners. The winners were selected from numerous nominees based on their quality, innovation, effective results, public participation, transferability, collaboration and long-term sustainability and use of smart growth principles. The nominees were judged by a four-person jury consisting of Mickey Rhoades (City of Warrenton, Virginia), Paul Bednar, AICP (Paul Bednar Planning & Design, Ltd, Illinois), Leanne Harter, AICP (Story County, Iowa), and Jon Sevald (Sherburne County, Minnesota).

Award recipients