Executive Committee Members Present:
Angela Vincent, Mikaela Engert, Ben Frost, Jennifer Czysz, Pierce Rigrod, Kerrie Diers, Rebecca Hebert, Jim Campbell, Christa Koehler

J. Czysz called the meeting to order at 10:05 a.m. 

Minutes
The minutes of the January 24, 2008, meeting, were approved with minor revisions.

NNECAPA Update

1. NNECAPA Retreat: M. Engert provided an overview of the recent NNECAPA retreat in Crawford Notch. Items discussed at the retreat included: work plan for 2008, how to better utilize the website, outreach to state chapters, improving relationships with educational institutions, faculty liaisons, working with educational institutions to certify planning programs, improving relationships between state associations and NNECAPA/APA, and the state chapter grant. M. Engert explained that NHPA is a provider of CM credits; other state chapters have not addressed this issue yet.  
2. Conference: M. Engert reported that the next NNECAPA conference will be in Woodstock Vermont and that any proposals for presentations will need to go out next week.
3. CM: The group discussed the upcoming professional development opportunities. APA CD workshops will be held at various locations.

NHPA 2008 Action Plan
J. Czysz explained that she has reviewed the bylaws to determine the responsibilities of each position; an example is who would be responsible for registering NHPA as a CM provider. She passed out an action plan that identifies the responsibilities of each position and also indicates where deadlines might be needed. The group discussed the newsletter and suggested the following deadlines for publication of the newsletter: March 15, June 15, September 15, and December 15. Discussion also included the establishment of an editorial board to assist in the review of articles. It was also suggested that a new page be created on the website to allow individuals to submit articles and information for the newsletter electronically. The guidelines for the articles could also be posted on the website. J. Czysz suggested that we review the membership forms to identify members who might be willing to volunteer. 128 members have renewed their membership, 23 members and 6 organizations have not renewed their memberships yet. Officers should email J. Czysz with potential deadlines for responsibilities outlined in the action plan.

NHPA Awards
The Vice President (VP) and Public Information Officer (PIO) are responsible for updating the awards form and sending this out to members. The PIO sends the information out and the VP receives all of the applications. The deadline for submissions should be April 10th, which is one week prior to the meeting. The awards form needs to be posted on the website along with a reminder to submit applications. This information should also be included in the newsletter. It was suggested that last years award winners be archived on the website. The group discussed electronic submissions; this may not work because files are large. We could change the submission requirements to a pdf submittal and limit the file size.

Membership renewal update
B. Frost reported that the NHPA membership has increased from 150 members to 180 members. We have 13 organizational memberships, 73 professional memberships, and 13 related professionals, and 7 members categorized as “other”. We need additional revenue and should try to reach a membership of 200 this year. A. Vincent will contact the NNECAPA faculty liaison to solicit student memberships. We can contact Steve Whitman at Plymouth State, and Antioch College to encourage student memberships.

DES Sponsorship Opportunity
P. Rigrod explained that the DES has invited NHPA to apply to be the sponsor of the Drinking Water Protection Conference this year. B. Frost will look into the indemnification clause. The group discussed what would happen if revenues exceeded expenses. P. Rigrod explained that the State is not supposed to profit from the conference and any extra money will be returned to NHTI. K Diers moved to submit the application to the DES as amended by B. Frost. A. Vincent seconded the motion. All in favor; motion passed. The group discussed the possibility of the DES registering as a CM provider with APA. This would increase the overall cost of the conference because they are not allowed to charge differently for the CM credits.  This topic should be added to the next meeting agenda.

NHPA Conference 2008
K. Diers reported that the COG will be meeting today immediately following the Executive Committee meeting. The conference will have two tracts sustainability and revitalization. The presentations will show examples of tools and case studies. There will be a mobile workshop in the afternoon with transportation from the Radisson to downtown Nashua. Peter Francese will be the keynote speaker. C. Koehler discussed the greening of the conference and suggested that we hand out USB instead of paper. The cost would be $500 for 100 USB flash drives. The presentations could also be loaded onto the flash drives. The presentations would need to be sent in advance and could also be posted online. NHPA could direct people to the website rather than passing out paper handouts of each presentation at the conference; this would save money and paper. A. Vincent will work with K. Diers to figure out how much paper we have used in the past, if the cost is equal we could consider using the flash drives. A. Vincent will meet with the hotel to discuss other way the conference could be more sustainable.

Officer Updates

1. Public Information Officer: There is nothing new to report.
2. Treasurer: B. Frost provided an overview of the FY 2008 budget. There is a need to increase NHPA revenue. K. Diers moved to accept the Treasurer’s report. All in favor; motion passed.
3. Legislative Committee: B. Frost provided updates on the following bills and distributed an updated spreadsheet of pending legislation for the 2008 session.

HB 1223: Relative to exemptions from local ordinances for excavation sites 
HB 1259: Authorizes communities to establish municipal housing commissions
HB 1324: Relative to amending zoning ordinances at official ballot town meetings
SB 341: Prohibiting digital advertising devices on certain highways
SB 396: Relative to the establishment of a statewide transportation policy
SB 416: Relative to subdivision and site plan regulation waivers
SB 422: Adding an energy section to the zoning and planning master plans
SB 452: Relative to transportation planning

1. Professional Development Officer: There is nothing new to report.
2. Newsletter Editor: There is nothing new to report.
3. Sustainability Coordinator: A. Vincent discussed the upcoming conference and will be looking into options to make the event more sustainable. NHPA should also integrate sustainability throughout the action plan and officially endorse the APA energy policy.  

Next Executive Committee Meeting

The next committee meeting will be March 27, 2008. 

Meeting adjourned at 11:55 a.m. 

Rebecca Hebert, Secretary