Historical Events
Please Note, this is not a complete list of events held prior to the creation of the current website in 2021. These are just those that are known to APA WV.
1946 - 1st Annual State Development Conference: building a better West Virginia
This was sponsored by the State Planning Board in cooperation with the Upper Monongahela Valley Association. The State Planning Board was later repealed in 1959. (Acts, 1959, Reg. Sess., Ch. 50)
1998 Planning Institute at Canaan Valley Resort
This was sponsored by the WVPA after six years of absence.
2000 WVPA Annual Conference, Oct 14-17, Embassy Suites, Charleston WV
2001 WVPA Annual Conference, Oct 19 - Flatwoods, WV
There were three speakers:
Gregory Lipscomb, AICP, is the chief planner in the Charleston office of HNTB Architects Engineers Planners started off the conference with a talk on “The Job Description of a Planning Commissioner.”
R. Michael Chandler talked about “Why Communities Plan” in the morning and then followed that with a discussion on “Plan Adoption.” Chandler is on the National Board of Directors of the American Planning Association, representing the region that includes West Virginia. He is a professor in Agricultural and Applied Economics at Virginia Tech.
James A. Segedy, AICP, twice spoke in the afternoon. His first talk revolved around “Community Identity and Character.” Then he closed the conference by letting people know, “There’s Gold in Them, There Hills.” Segedy is an associate professor of planning at Ball State University. He is also the Chair of the Small Town and Rural Planning Division within the American Planning Association.
The attendance was particularly encouraging at the conference, as it had to be postponed from
Sept. 15 in light of the world events occurring at that time.
2002 WVPA Annual Conference, Oct 12-14 - Erickson Alumni Center, Morgantown WV
Saturday’s sessions were held at West Virginia University’s Erickson Alumni Center. Sessions included opening remarks from Mayor Ron Justice, updates on the proposed enabling legislation changes, tours of the new WVU Student Recreation Center, a downtown Morgantown walking tour, and a planned “pub crawl.”
Sunday morning, the activities moved to the Clarion Hotel Morgan in the historic downtown. Sessions that day included commissioner training, a slide show on principles of new urbanism, a cycling tour of the rail trail, and other exciting events. The keynote speaker was Thomas Hylton, author of Save our Lands, Save our Towns, at the awards luncheon.
Monday was the final day of the conference, and there was tours of the West Virginia GIS Center, a presentation on Morgantown’s award winning Main Street program, and other excellent topics.
Other speakers included:
• Scott Rotruck, Morgantown Chamber of Commerce
• Bill Wonderlin, Citizens for Responsible Development
(Morgantown)
• Marjorie Ryan, Benetec Associates
• Jim Wood, AICP, Morgantown City Planner
• Kevin Leyden, WVU Department of Political Science
• Mac Warner, Square at Falling Run (Morgantown)
• Susan Salisbury, Charleston Renaissance Corp
• Michael Castle and Rich Lane, Petroplus Associates
• John Culler, Beyond Marketing
• Lonnie Stringer and David Rathbun, West Virginia
Housing Development Fund
• Terry Cutright, Main Street Morgantown,
Awards Given:
Outstanding Comprehensive Plan or Ordinance: City of Weirton
Distinguished Service in Planning: Brooke-Hancock Veteran’s Memorial, Inc.
Outstanding Public Participation/ Outreach: City of Morgantown
Outstanding Development Project
Using Significant Public Sector
Funds: Co-Recipients were Huntington Housing Authority and the
Harrison County Planning Commission