7:45-8:15    REGISTRATION

8:15-9:45    MORNING PLENARY:

Opening Remarks:

“STATE OF THE TOWNS & VILLAGES”

Hon. Peter Cavallaro
Westbury Village Mayor
NC Village Officials Association

Workshops I:  9:55-11:05

Youth Vision for LI’s Future
The Brain Drain has become old news – some young professionals are fleeing Long Island. Limited, expensive housing options, lack of jobs and a shortage of entertainment are common complaints. This panel will take input from several millennials and members of the LI Youth Summit and identify solutions.

Jeff Guillot, Suburban Millennial Institute
Meghan Sullivan, St. Joseph's College
David Viana, Baldwin Civic Association
Elisabeth Muehlemann, Friends of LI
Dr. Nathalia Rogers, Dowling College, Moderator

Retail Opportunities
Main Street has been transformed across Long Island. Downtown shop owners and chambers of commerce representatives will discuss what opportunities and best practices exist for healthy shopping districts in this discussion.

Julie Marchesella, Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce
Gina Coletti, Nesconset Chamber of Commerce
Molly McKay, Willdan Financial Services
Bob Feldman, Basser-Kaufman, Moderator

Public Safety
Police officers can prevent crime on Main Street, but they’re not the only ones. Adding pedestrians to downtowns improves overall safety, as can community organizations, youth programs and private security systems.  Representatives from both, as well as a retired SCPD chief, will speak in this panel.

Greg Ohanessian, I-Tech Security
Sergio Argueta, STRONG
Lionel Chitty, Hicksville Chamber of Commerce
Elizabeth Isakson MD, Docs for Tots
Gary Shapiro, Nassau County Police Department
Robert Moore, SC Police Retired, Moderator

Downtown Showcase Nassau
What’s happening in Nassau County? Elected officials from four communities with strong downtowns will give updates on current and future projects. Complete Streets projects are a highlight in Great Neck Plaza, while the arts are alive in Westbury with the Space at Westbury attracting high-end performances and the Greater Westbury Council for the Arts organizing community events. Mineola officials showed off new housing options during the first Smart Growth Saturday in May. Meanwhile, Freeport officials are promoting the Nautical Mile while trying create redevelopment and entice more pedestrians near Sunrise Highway

Hon. Jean Celender, Village of Great Neck Plaza
Hon. Peter Cavallaro, Village of Westbury
Hon. Jorge Martinez, Village of Freeport
Hon. Joseph Scalero, Village of Mineola
Salvatore Coco, Beatty, Harvey, Coco Architects, LLP
John O’Connell, Herald Publications, Moderator

Complete Streets
Over the past several decades, our streets have gone from public spaces shared by all members of society to get from place to place, to cars only spaces, engineered for speed without much consideration for other users or the surrounding context.  Complete Streets provide space for all users of the roadway: drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, transit users and the disabled, to safely use the road.  They can also serve not only as parts of the transportation network, but as public spaces that add value to the surrounding area.  Learn about Complete Streets policy and design for Long Island.

Will Stoner, AARP
Dean Gowen, Wendel
Frank Pearson, Greenman Pedersen
Kimberly Pettit, BikeLid
John Massengale, Author, Street Design, The Secret to Great Cities and Towns
Veronica Vanterpool, Tri-State Transportation Campaign, Moderator

Financing TOD
Transit Oriented Development creates nodes of walkable development in areas surrounding transit stops.  This mixed use development may not always fit into the prescribed financing categories banks use for lending.  Learn about different, innovative ways to help finance this type of development to eliminate one of the hurdles to creating more livable, sustainable places.

Bob Paley, MTA
Andrew Saluk, NEFCU
Matthew Frank, The Richman Group
Bill Purschke, Zodiac Title Services
Gerry Bogacz, NYMTC
Anthony Manetta, Standard Advisors Group

Renewable Energy
Renewable energy and  energy efficiency are a crucial part of fueling our economy without causing irreparable damage to our climate and environment.  Learn about ways that Long Islanders can better utilize a range of renewable energy sources.

Clint Plummer, Deepwater Wind
David Schieren, Empower Solar
Beth Fiteni, NYSERDA
Hon. Connie Kepert, Town of Brookhaven, Moderator

Economic Development & Infrastructure Suffolk
Infrastructure are one of the key ways that government can help spur economic development.  Infrastructure can allow businesses to thrive by allowing for growth, providing efficient transportation between locations, and creating public spaces that enhance the value of their surroundings.  Learn what Suffolk County is doing to help businesses thrive within the county particularly in aiding Smart Growth projects in our downtowns and the creation of new town centers.

Hon. DuWayne Gregory, Presiding Officer, Suffolk County
Joanne Minieri, Suffolk County IDA
David Calone, Suffolk Planning Commission
John Kominicki, Moderator

Workshops II: 11:10-12:20

Downtown Showcase-Suffolk
In the wake of Smart Growth Saturday, a number of downtowns are capitalizing on opportunities to strengthen and grow their communities. Patchogue officials will touch on new housing options and entertainment options, like the Emporium and the Patchogue Theater for the Performing Arts. Bay Shore had been a rough town not too long ago, but a focus on a safe and appealing downtown helped attract tenants to new apartment buildings. And in Coram, construction is underway on Wincoram Commons. The extensive mixed-use project will create a much-needed community center and connect to another new housing development.

Hon. Paul Pontieri, Village of Patchogue
Larry Gargano, Greenview Properties, Bayshore
Erma Gluck, Coram Civic Association
Danny Schrafel, The Long Islander, Moderator

Tourism & Downtowns
With beautiful beaches, the Hamptons on one end and New York City on the other, why leave the region when it’s time to vacation? Long Island is a community of communities, each with their own identity and opportunities. Villages and downtown communities offer a wide variety of boutique shops and restaurants to enjoy. Listen to tourism experts, a municipality’s tourism boss and a videographer who’s featured a number of the island’s towns on screen in this workshop.

Kim Kaiman, Town of North Hempstead
Dr. Janice Scarinci, St. Joseph's College
Karen Harding, THEM Media
Gregory Zeller, LI Business News, Moderator

Jobs, Taxes, Small Business
Job development is the no. 1 issue facing Long Islanders. This panel of employers, business incubators, nonprofits and elected officials will discuss opportunities in downtowns and the proposed NYS small business savings legislation.

William Wahlig, LIFT
Tyler Roye, Launchpad Huntington
Tonya Lewter, New Millenium Development
Hon. George Maragos, Comptroller, Nassau County
Silvana Diaz, Noticia NY
Roger Clayman, LI Federation of Labor, Moderator

Future of Energy on Long Island
How will Long Island meet its future energy needs?  Hear from leaders in the energy industry on Long Island how Long Island will move forward with managing our energy supply.

Michael Voltz, PSEG
Sean Mongan, National Grid
Ross Ain, Caithness Energy
Richard Kessel
Neal Lewis, Sustainability Institute at Molloy, Moderator

Transit Opportunities
Long Island has the most highly used commuter transit system in the world.  However, Long Islanders need transit to travel around the island, not just into the city.  Learn about what is being done to improve transit island-wide.

Mitch Pally, MTA
Alex Matthiessen, Move NY
Anita Halasz, LI Jobs with Justice
Rosemary Mascali, Transit Solutions
John McNally, Energeia Partnership
Denise Carter, Greenman Pedersen, Moderator

Water
Water quality is an issue that affects all Long Islanders.   Living above our water supply presents challenges to keeping it safe for us to drink. Learn what is being done to help protect our groundwater and surface waters while still allowing for growth on Long Island.

Dennis Kelleher, H2M
Gary Rozmus, GEI
Peter Scully, NYS DEC
Dr. Chris Gobler, SUNY Stonybrook
Adrienne Esposito, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Moderator

Healthy Communities
Our health is impacted in many ways by the environment in which we live.  Those who live in walkable communities tend to have lower obesity rates, and better health than those who are stuck driving to every destination.  Learn how your community can affect your lifestyle and subsequently your health.

Hon. Laura Curran, Nassau County
Kathy Munsch, American Heart Association
Jenn O’Connor, Council for a Strong America
Bernadette Martin, Friends & Farmers, Moderator

Economic Development & Infrastructure Nassau
Infrastructure is one of the key ways that government can help spur economic development.  Infrastructure can allow businesses to thrive by allowing for growth, providing efficient transportation between locations, and creating public spaces that enhance the value of their surroundings.  Learn what Nassau County is doing to help businesses thrive within the county.

Hon. Norma Gonsalves, Presiding Officer, Nassau County
Nick Terzulli, Nassau County IDA
Jeff Greenfield, Nassau Planning Commission
Mike DeNicola, Hazen & Sawyer
Hon. Ed Ambrosino, Town of Hempstead
Rich Bivone, LI Business Council, Moderator

Education & Economic Development
The economics of education is almost as challenging as the business of teaching and learning.  The costs associated with delivering services have made School Districts weigh in on development projects while seeking alternative solutions with their own facilities.  This panel will tackle the changing nature of school districts on Long Island and provide a look as to what issues they are facing.

Dr. Patrick Harrigan, Half Hollow Hills School District
Dr. Mary Kelly, Amityville School District
Dr. Albert Inserra, Dowling College
Steve Krieger, Engel Burman
Mark Grossman, Mark Grossman Public Relations, Moderator

LUNCH: 12:30-2:00

Opening Messages:

Parking, Design and Codes
Parking can be both crucial for a downtown's survival and detrimental to its health all depending on how it is designed and managed.  Not enough and it can discourage shoppers, too much and it can harm the walkability of the downtown which is what makes it successful.  Learn about parking management best practices, regulations and strategies downtowns on Long Island and beyond are using to manage this resource.

Mark Gander, AECOM/Green Parking Council
Robert Scheiner, Huntington Chamber of Commerce
Victor Dadras, New York Main Street Alliance
Kathleen Deegan Dickson, Forchelli Curto Deegan
Sean Sallie, Nassau County Dept. of Public Works
Elissa Ward Kyle, Vision Long Island, Moderator

New Town Centers
While Long Island has seen improvements to many downtowns with small, incremental development, several large projects are transforming downtowns and creating new ones.  Learn about the progress on some of the larger Smart Growth development projects happening across the island.

David Wolkoff, Heartland Town Square, Brentwood
Robert Coughlan, TRITEC Real Estate, Ronkonkoma
Thomas Graham, RXR - Garvies Point, Glen Cove
Stephen Holley, AKRF - Wyandanch Rising
David Winzelberg, LI Business News, Moderator

Arts & Destinations
Downtowns can be destinations unto themselves, but they are also great locations for destinations within.  Learn about some of the many great places to eat, drink, shop, experience art and music and otherwise enjoy yourself on our Main Streets.

Terry Statz Smith, Arts Alive
Diana Cherryholmes, Huntington Arts Council
David Saul, The Electric Dudes
Frank Paruolo, LI Board of Realtors
Heather Johnson, Northport Historical Society, Moderator

Smart Growth Around the Region
Long Island has built some great examples of Smart Growth in our downtowns and transit hubs, but more can always be learned from the successes of other developments.  Learn about projects from around the New York metro area and how their successes can inform how we develop here.

Matt Carmody, VHB – Roosevelt Island
Meredith Bostwick-Lorenzo Eiroa, SOM : Architecture
Steven Jacobs, U3 Advisors
Jaime Stover, Mill Creek – Jersey City
Ron Stein, Vision Long Island
Charles Lane, NPR, Moderator

Sandy Recovery
Superstorm Sandy struck the Tri-State area in October 2012. When the second anniversary arrived last month, many South Shore residents were still not home and some who did return were bogged down in a tangle of red tape, misinformation and debt. This workshop will include an update from NY Rising officials, along with discussions about infrastructure and an update from some afflicted communities.

Jon Kaiman, Governor’s Advisor, NYS Office of Storm Recovery
Zachary Richner, NY Rising
Paul Beyer, NYS Office of Smart Growth
Dan Berkovits, NYS Office of Storm Recovery
Deborah Kirnon, St. Anne’s Parish Outreach
Kim Skillen, Neighbors Supporting Neighbors
Jon Siebert, Friends of Long Island, Moderator

LI REDI
LI REDI stands for Responsible Economic Development Initiative. It’s a campaign to invest in critical infrastructure and gain public support with the goal of reversing the unsustainable living environment prompting many to leave. The ‘Long Island is REDI’ campaign kicked off with a conference focusing on Millenials this fall. This panel will include representatives of unions, government officials and developers discussing the viability of this campaign and other regional plans.

Brandon Palanker, Renaissance Downtowns
Tara Bono, Destination Long Island
Joe Montalbano, Greater New York Laborers Coop and Education Trust
Anthony Macagnone, Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters
Keith Archer, Harras Bloom & Archer
Hon. Dr. William Spencer, Suffolk County
Bill Tuyn, Forbes Homes, Moderator