CONVENTION PROGRAM
















February 4, 2010

8:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Registration

8:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Exposition Open

8:30 a.m.–9:45 a.m. Breakfastin the Exposition Hall

                               Early Bird Raffle Drawing

9:45 a.m.–11:00 a.m. Concurrent Workshops–Session I
  • "New Developments in Public Works Funding & Financing"
    Bristol "A" Room
    A team of state and municipal officials, financial consultants and environmental professionals will present creative concepts for assisting Rhode Island municipalities in navigating through the current economic climate. These concepts will include funding, public/private partnerships, inter-municipal collaboration, cost savings and efficiency, alternative project delivery, and other innovative economic solutions.

    Moderator:

    Jay Sheehan, PE, Sr. Vice President, Woodard & Curran

    Speakers:

    Shawn J. Brown, Town Administrator, Town of Middletown
    Keith W. Stokes, RIEDC, & Newport Chamber of Commerce
    Rick McAuliffe - President, Mayforth Group
    John Daniels - Infrastructure Finance Specialist, Woodard & Curran


  • "Liability and Insurance Implications of Regionalization and Shared Service Agreements"
    Bristol "B" Room
    Managing municipal budgets is becoming more difficult during these challenging fiscal times, and there is an increased need to consolidate services in the public sector. As a result, Municipalities are looking to each other to share services and equipment. However, the sharing of municipal services creates a set of problems not often faced before by Municipalities in the form of increased and shared liability. This educational session will discuss and explore the liability and insurance implications on current initiatives already involving shared services, the creation of joint boards through regionalization, and what it all means to Municipalities.

    Speakers:

    Thomas E. Dwyer, President Executive Director, Rhode Island Interlocal Risk Management Trust
    Ian C. Ridlon, Esq., General Counsel, Rhode Island Interlocal Risk Management Trust
    Paul F. Dutra, Esq., Claims Supervisor, Rhode Island Interlocal Risk Management Trust



  • "403(b)/457- The Right Equation or 403(b) Regulations"
    Narragansett Room
    403(b)/457 is an explanation and comparison of the different options available for retirement plans.  403(b) Regulations is an explanation of the IRS regulations for 403(b) plans.

    Speakers:

    Christina Menard, Client Relations Manger, ING
    Stephen Brown, Registered Representative, ING


  • "Climate Protection Measures and Sustainability"
    Ocean Room
    Sustainability efforts at the local, state and regional scale will be presented by leaders in the field of climate protection, alternative fuels and local government policy.

    Speakers:

    Angela Vincent, Regional Director, ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability
    Wendy Lucht, Ocean State Clean Cities
    Matt Stark, Director of Policy & Legislative Affairs, City of Providence

  • "Compliance w/EPA Stormwater Regulations w/GIS as a Tool"
    Rhode Island Room
    New Stormwater regulations from EPA will require mapping of drainage systems, investigation of illicit connections, and possible implementation of stormwater utilities. These items and methods of utilizing GIS as a compliance tool will be discussed.


    Speakers:

    Cynthia Baumann, P.E. - Project Manager, CDM
    Jayson Brennen, GISP - Senior GIS Program Manager, CDM
    Joseph Ridge - Vice President, CDM

  • "Exploring the New "Green Buildings Act" LEED-Sustainability for Public and Municipal Projects"
    Patriots Room
    The new requirements of the "Green Buildings Act", recently signed into law by Gov. Carcieri, and how it pertains to public and municipal construction projects in RI will be explored. This workshop will also help to "debunk" some of the myths behind the perceived cost and complexities of LEED and other related green building standards, and show how easily and cost effectively it can be integrated into your next municipal project.

    Moderator:
    David DeQuattro, Principal, RGB

    Speaker:
    Steven Hughes, Associate, RGB
11:45 a.m.–1:00 p.m. ConcurrentWorkshops–Session II
  • "Energy Conservation for Indoor and Outdoor Lighting"
    Bristol "A" Room
    An in-depth description of the EESONA Energy Saving Technology as well as an explanation of the EESONA Holdings No Cost to the customer and “Revenue Share” Program.

    Speaker:

    David A. Lowman, VP of Sales & Marketing, EESONA Holdings, Inc.

  • "Ratings 201-S & P’s Views on Lessons Learned in the Recession"
     Bristol "B" Room
    The past 2 years have brought change to the capital markets and credit rating agencies. Standard & Poor’s employees will share observations on the economy and changes made in criteria for rating Rhode Island municipalities, including the state of the capital markets; the rating scale; general obligation debt rating criteria; OPEB’s.

    Moderator:

    Geoffrey Buswick, Managing Director, Standard & Poor’s

    Speaker:

    Henry Henderson, Associate Director, Standard & Poor’s


  • "Disaster Prevention and Response for Public Records"
     Narragansett Room
    Having a disaster plan to protect vital and historical city and town records is essential for assuring continuity of business and preserving local history. Learn about a free online disaster planning tool, created by Rhode Islanders for Rhode Island record keepers.

    Moderator:

    Donna Longo DiMichele, RI Office of Library and Information Services

    Speakers:

    R. Gwenn Stearn, RI State Archivist, Office of the Secretary of State
    Leigh A. Botello, Town Clerk, Town of East Greenwich
    Jack Sullivan, Department of Homeland Security, FEMA, Region I


  • "Available Public Funding for Property Redevelopment “Environmental Issues & Water Resource Concerns"
     Ocean Room
    If you know where to look, funding can be found to assist municipalities in the assessment and mitigation of environmental and water resource challenges to facilitate site redevelopments, property acquisitions, or to mitigate degradation of environmental resources important to municipalities. Many different state and federal funding programs are available to provide grants and loans to offset project costs, or in some case cover the entire capital costs of these projects. Such funding can be critical in completing projects, improving existing projects, or providing incentive or seed money for projects that would otherwise be infeasible.

    Moderator:

    John A. Chambers, LSP, PG, Vice President, Fuss & O’Neill

    Speakers:
    Patrick J. Dowling, CPG, Project Manager, Fuss & O’Neill
    Cynthia Gianfrancesco, Principal Environmental Scientist, RI DEM
    James Riordan, AICP, LEED-AP, Senior Project Manager, Fuss & O’Neill
    John Manning, PE, Principal Sanitary Engineer, RI DEM


  • "What’s New in Stormwater Phase II & TMDL’s Stormwater Financing"
     Rhode Island Room
    RI Cities and Towns are facing more stormwater regulations & programs than ever before. TMDL’s are being issued with calls for major reductions in pollutant loads. More Phase II Stormwater regulations are also on the way. This workshop will cover what’s new in stormwater Phase II & TMDL’s and will update attendees on financing options including grants, loans and fee systems.

    Speaker:

    Eileen Pannetier, President/CEO of Comprehensive Environmental Inc. (CEI)


  • "Practical Programs to Increase Municipal Recycling Rates"
     Patriots Room
    This session would present two programs to increase municipal recycling rates and lower solid waste disposal costs-“No Bin, No Barrel”, and “Pay As You Throw”. The workshop will describe the programs’ Best Practices and review Lessons Learned from recent implementations. A panel of municipal recycling coordinators will discuss their on-the-ground experience, and provide a roadmap for other communities to follow.

    Moderator:

    Sarah Kite, Director of Recycling Services, RI Resource Recovery

    Speakers:

    Steve Mutter, Recycling Coordinator, City of East Providence
    Will Cronin, Recycling Coordinator, Town of Middletown
    Daisy Diaz Rivera, Assistant Director of Environmental Services, City of Providence
1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m. Luncheon in the Exposition Hall

                               Raffle Drawings

2:30 p.m.–3:45 p.m. Concurrent Workshops–Session III
  • "Bond Provisions of the American Recovery Investment Act"
     Bristol "A" Room
    This session will focus on the advantages of two new bond programs made available under the “ARRA” bill which enables municipalities to promote economic development projects.

    Moderator:

    William Fazioli, Sr. Vice President, First Southwest Company

    Speakers:

    Antonio Afonso, Partner, Moses & Afonso, Ltd.
    The Honorable Frank T. Caprio, Rhode Island General Treasurer
    Jamia McDonald, Director, Governor’s Office on Economic Recovery

  • "Cooperative Purchasing, Green Purchasing, and Saving Purchasing Dollars"
     Bristol "B" Room
    Cooperative Purchasing is a proven way of reducing costs and making the purchasing process more efficient. In today’s economic climate, municipalities especially need to use all the tools at their disposal to save money. US Communities can provide another cost saving option for municipalities looking to save money and time.

    Speakers:

    Alexis Turner, Program Manager

  • "Avaya IP Office & Unified Communications"
     Narragansett Room
    In today’s SMB business environment you are constantly challenged to do more with less. How do you keep costs down, make your people more productive, and provide the best service possible to your customers? Let Carousel Industries and Avaya show you the value of Unified Communications.

    Speakers:

    Rian Fern, SMB Sales Manager, Carousel Industries
    Joe Legendre, Carousel Industries


  • "Creating Greater Transparency and Efficiency Using E-Government Technologies"
     Ocean Room
    Progressive local governments throughout the world are seeking to become more transparent through the deployment of e-government technology. The 24-7 City Hall is now reality. Learn how to make your community more transparent.


    Speakers:

    Rob Conti, Vice President, Document Management, General Code



  • "Off the Beaten Track for Municipal GIS-Discovering More Ways to Save Time, Money, and Enhance Municipal Government"
     Rhode Island Room
    Many municipalities have established a geographic information system (GIS) to help manage properties and public work assets. Now, municipalities are finding ways to extend the benefits of their GIS investments to other departments, essential work processes, and important database systems. This presentation will describe and demonstrate how greater integration of geographic data visualization capabilities can be applied to non-traditional aspects of municipal government.

    Moderator:

    Steve Anderson, Vice President, Applied Geographics, Inc.

    Speakers:

    JAndrew Buck, Sr. Program Manager, Applied Geographics, Inc.
    Michele Giorgianni, GIS Analyst, Applied Geographics, Inc.



  • "Beginning Youth Wellness Programming Even on a Limited Budget"
     Patriots Room
    Already an epidemic, childhood obesity rates continue to climb, so offering youth wellness programming is becoming all the more critical. Given the tight budgets in today’s economy, this session will share effective ways to build youth wellness and outdoor programming into your plans and bring it into your community.

    Speaker:

    Melissa Hanson, President/CEO, Säjai® Foundation



The Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns extends its warmest thanks to each of the seminar and workshop participants who generously contributed their time and efforts to make our program possible.





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