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What We Do
The Citizen Planner Training Collaborative provides local planning and zoning officials with tools to make effective decisions regarding their community's current and future land use.
- Training workshops delivering a Level I and Level 2 core curriculm, taught across the state by expert attorneys and professonal planners.
- Internet access to core training units, a bylaw collection, many planning related links, and training calendars.
- On-demand training to any community needing to focus on a specific topic.
- Annual conference addressing important land use issues on a more in-depth basis.
CPTC is a member of the Local Capacity Building Partnership - an affiliation of training providers assisting local officals in dealing with land use issues.
Board of Directors
(appointees of signatory organizations)
- University of Massachusetts Extension: Michael DiPasquale
- Mass. Association of Planning Directors: Ralph Willmer
- Mass. Chapter of the American Planning Association:
Sean Bender
- Citizen Planner Training Collaborative Advisory Board: Bruce Hughes
- Department of Housing and Community Development: Elaine Wijnja
- Mass. Association of Regional Planning Agencies: Chair; Lawrence Adams
- Mass. Federation of Planning and Appeals Boards: Linda Finan
Members of the Advisory Board
Bruce Hughes, Chair; Economic Development Specialist, Old Colony Planning Council
Heidi Ricci, Senior Policy Analyst, Mass Audubon
Sharon Rooney , Chief Planner, Cape Cod Commission
Robert Mitchell, Special Assistant For Sustainable Development,
Office for Commonwealth Development
Mark Racicot, Planner, Metropolitan Area Planning Council
Alan Pease, Ashby Planning Board
Douglas Albertson, Town Planner, Belchertown
Catherine Miller, Planner, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission
CPTC Trainers (back to top)
To review our trainers' bios, click on the person's name
Robert T. Akroyd
Robert T. Akroyd is Principal and Owner of Greylock Design Associates, a multi-disciplinary firm dealing in Landscape Architecture, Land Planning and Site Engineering, based in Lenox, Massachusetts. He has a B.S. in Landscape Architecture from the Department of Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning at the University of Massachusetts and an AS. in Arboriculture and Park Management from the Stockbridge School of Agriculture. Mr. Akroyd is a registered Landscape Architect in Massachusetts and Connecticut and a certified Horticulturist and Arborist in the state of Massachusetts. Rob was on the Planning Board in Lenox for five years and is also a planning assistant to Berkshire Regional Planning Commission. Mr. Akroyd is a member of the American and Boston Society of Landscape Architects and the American Planning Association.
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Mary Albertson
Mary Albertson is the Director of the Office of Planning and Development for the City of Leominster. Her duties include municipal planning; site plan review, subdivision and ANR review; preparation of Planning Board decisions; business attraction and retention; drafting Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations. The City of Leominster is a U.S. HUD Entitlement Community; therefore, Ms. Albertson is responsible for the administration of approximately $530,000 per year in Community Development Block Grant Funds. Ms. Albertson received her Masters in Urban Design and Planning degree from the University of Washington in Seattle. She was the City Planner for the City of Westfield, Massachusetts and the Director of Planning and Development for the Town of Holden, Massachusetts. She is a member of the Massachusetts Association of Planning Directors, the American Planning Association and the Women's Transportation Seminar.
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Jeanne Armstrong
Jeanne Armstrong is the President of LandUse Incorporated. LandUse's clients include municipal and state agencies, citizens' groups, and private landowners and development companies. LandUse provides a broad range of services: research, data collection and analysis, citizen participation, policy formulation, master and strategic planning, drafting of bylaws and regulations, impact assessment, feasibility studies, technical assistance, staff training, and expert witness testimony. Over the past thirteen years Ms. Armstrong has worked in more than sixty communities across the Northeast, has presented at national conferences concerning planning, design, economic development and industrial development issues, and has authored papers that have been published in several national journals. Ms. Armstrong received her Masters in Landscape Architecture from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She is the Western Massachusetts Regional Representative to the Board of the American Planning Association's Massachusetts Chapter.
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Joel Bard
Joel Bard is a partner in the law firm of Kopelman and Paige, P.C., in Boston, where he practices land use and environmental law as well as general municipal law. Kopelman and Paige represents more than 100 towns and cities as Town Counsel or City Solicitor across the Commonwealth. Joel represents and advises numerous boards and commissions on land use and environmental matters within those municipalities, as well as in communities where he or the firm is special counsel. He is a graduate of Yale College (1970) and Boston University Law School (1973). You can contact Joel Bard at jbard@k-plaw.com
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Mark Bobrowski
Mark Bobrowski is a professor of law at the New England School of Law in Boston, where he teaches Land Use Law, Local Government, Administrative Law, and Property. He also has a practice in land use law based in Concord, Massachusetts. He is the author of the "Handbook of Massachusetts Land Use and Planning Law" (1993), published by Aspen, and supplemented annually. Mark Bobrowski has worked with dozens of cities and towns across the region to promote economic development, protect resource areas, and manage residential growth.
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Pamela Brown
Pam Brown is a partner with Brown and Brown, P.C., a general practice law firm, where she concentrates her practice on municipal, zoning and land use law. Ms. Brown brings a background in the environment, planning and law; holding a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Middlebury College, a Masters in Regional Planning from UMass- Amherst and a J.D. from Massachusetts School of Law. She is a Certified Planner and a Member of the Massachusetts and New Hampshire Bars, President of the Board of Directors for the Frank A. Waugh Alumni Association of the Dept. of Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning at UMass, Treasurer of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Assoc. of Planning Directors, Inc. and member of the Property Council of the Mass. Bar Association. She assists towns with the implementation and regulatory elements of the master planning process and private parties before local permitting authorities. You can reach her at: pbrown@brown-brown-pc.com
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Judith Cutler
Judith Cutler is principal of Kopelman and Paige, P.C., a municipal law firm which represents nearly one third of the cities and towns in Massachusetts. Ms. Cutler holds a Masters degree in Community Planning in addition to her law degree, and worked as a planner for many years before joining Kopelman and Paige in 1990. Since 1990, Ms. Cutler had developed and extensive practice in land use law, which includes advising municipal boards on routine (and not so routine) zoning, conservation, and subdivision issues, as well as defending the boards' decisions before the trial and appeals courts. She brings to her work and enthusiasm for both the theory and practice of local land use regulation. She can be reached and jcutler@k-plaw.com
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Patricia Daley
Patricia Daley, Esq. is a Senior Environmental Analyst at the consulting firm of Horsley & Witten, Inc, in Sandwich, Massachusetts. Prior to her position there, she served as legal counsel to the Cape Cod Commission where she advised the commission, local officials, and citizens on zoning and land use permitting matters. Ms. Daley graduated from Vermont Law School where she specialized in the fields of land use and environmental law. She is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts and Maine.
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Donald Dubendorf
Williams College, B.A. (Phi Beta Kappa)
Boston University School of Law, J.D.
Professional Attorney at Law. Partner, Grinnell, Dubendorf & Smith LLP, Williamstown, Massachusetts. Concentration in corporate and business law, land use and zoning. Member: American, Massachusetts and Berkshire Bar Associations.
Community Activities: Northern Berkshire Health Systems, Inc. (North Adams Regional Hospital)
Accomplishments
Recipient of 1996 Francis H. Hayden Award for Outstanding Community and Civil Leadership from Northern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce.
Recipient of 2000 Charles Kusik Award for Outstanding Contributions to Land Use Planning within Berkshire County from Berkshire Regional Planning Commission."
Co-Author of "The Insider Buyout" published by Storey Communications, Inc. September 1985. Back to CPTC Trainers.
Lynn Duncan
Lynn Duncan has over 20 years experience in planning and community development and is currently the Director of Planning & Conservation for the Town of Wilmington, a position she has held for the past twelve years. In this role she is responsible for planning, conservation, housing, and community development. Prior to working for the Town of Wilmington, she worked for several different municipalities and was a principal of a planning and community development consulting firm. Lynn serves as the Vice President for Professional Development for the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Planning Association and is past chair of the Massachusetts Association of Planning Directors (MAPD). She is on the Board of Directors of the Citizens' Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA), and has been active in education and regulatory reform of 40B.
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Wayne Feiden
Wayne Feiden, AICP, is Director of Planning and development for the City of Northampton. He oversees the city's planning, conservation, housing, and community development activities. He had worked as a planner for twenty year is Massachusetts and Vermont and also does some limited consulting. He holds a Masters Degree in Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina and a bachelor's in Natural Resources from the University of Michigan. He also served as an Eisenhower Fellow to Hungary. Mr. Feiden has had five peer-review or invited research publications and periodically teaches planning classes at Westfield State College and planning law and extension classes at the University of Massachusetts. He has been periodically teaching CPTC classes for six years. He can be reached at wayne@feiden.org
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John J. Goldrosen
John J. Goldrosen, Associate, is a member of Choate, Hall & Stewart's Land Use and Environmental Group and the firm's Real Estate and Litigation Departments. Mr. Goldrosen's practice concentrates on land use litigation, regulatory law, and motion and appellate practice. He represents and counsels clients in such aspects of land use and environmental law as environmental liability, zoning, permitting, eminent domain, telecommunications law, development impact analysis, and regulatory compliance. In addition to representing individuals and corporate clients, Mr. Goldrosen also represents public entities such as regional planning commissions, municipalities, and state agencies and independent authorities. He is a member of the Massachusetts, Boston, and New Hampshire Bar Associations. He is currently an associate member of the Zoning Board of Appeals in Whitman, and was previously a member and chairman of that town's Finance Committee. He has also served as a director of local youth and adult sports clubs for soccer and running.
Mr. Goldrosen received a B.A., magna cum laude, from Harvard College in 1971, a Master of Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina in 1975, and a J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 1996.
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Robert Hoogs
Rob Hoogs combines a diversified planning, design and technical background with construction administration and practical business experience gained from over 25 years in the design professions. Rob is the President and Principal Planner of Foresight Land Services, in charge of site and project planning, and FLS's project manager on many large-scale building projects as a member of the design team. He has particular expertise in conducting environmental and feasibility studies, making public presentations, and coordinating permitting activities with local, state and federal agencies.
Mr. Hoogs has a strong personal interest and expertise in historic preservation and adaptive reuse of former estate properties.
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David A. Johnson
Boston University, 1987; Master of Urban Affairs in Planning
American Institute of Certified Planners Licensure
D.E.P. Certified System Inspector
Experience:
1996-Present P.M.P. Associates, LLC
Manager of Planning Services/Project Manager-Responsible for land-use and master site development planning and engineering of projects; and municipal planning consulting services.
1984-1986 Town of Plymouth, MA
Assistant Planner-Responsible for the administration of the subdivision rules and regulations; review of site development plans; preparation of Zoning By-Laws; and technical and administrative support of Planning Board.
1976-1982 Old Colony Planning Council
Regional Land-Use Planner-Responsible for development of regional plans, technical assistance in the areas of land-use, growth management and economic development planning. Back to CPTC Trainers.
Jeffrey R. Lacy
Mr. Lacy is Chief Environmental Planner with the Metropolitan District Commission's Quabbin Reservoir Field Office where he is responsible for regional water quality protection planning, technical assistance to municipalities, and administration and enforcement of state water quality regulations. He is also active in the Zoning Reform Working Group, a technical advisory group to the Massachusetts legislature. Prior to joining the commission, he was a Land Use Planner with the Cape Cod Commission and Director of Planning for the County of Kauai, Hawaii. He has also spent time as a Land Use Planner with the Center for Rural Massachusetts; served as an instructor at the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning, University of Massachusetts; and was a land use planning consultant in Massachusetts and Hawaii.
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Elizabeth Lane
Elizabeth (Betsy) Lane is a principal in the state-wide law firm of Kopelman and Paige, P.C. The firm serves as Town Counsel to over 100 municipalities throughout the Commonwealth, and numerous others as special counsel. For over twenty years, Betsy had been serving municipalities as their land use counsel, dealing with all aspects of land use, zoning, subdivision control, wetlands and Board of Health Regulation. She also holds a Master's degree in secondary education and taught eighth grade English in Quincy for six years prior to attending Northeastern University School of Law and becoming a lawyer. Betsy specializes in land use law, both counseling and litigation, and special permitting forms a large part of the issues she regularly deals with. She often counsels Boards of Appeals as to how to conduct hearings and write good decisions, and has written a number of zoning amendments to provide greater flexibility to communities in the area of special permitting.
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Brian C. Levey
Mr. Levey is director with the law firm of Beveridge & Diamond, P.C. (http://www.bdlaw.com/attorneys-72.html) in its Wellesley office. His practice focuses on real estate development and land use and zoning law. He represents builders, developers and property owners seeking special permits, site plan approvals, variances and comprehensive permits before local boards throughout eastern and central Massachusetts. His environmental practice also focuses on permitting before local boards and State agencies on wetlands and Title 5 matters. Representative projects include residential subdivision, retail stores, restaurants, telecommunication towers and assisted living facilities. He also has experience representing abutters and neighborhood associations and serving as special counsel to local boards.
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Peter C. Lowitt
Peter C. Lowitt, AICP is Land Use Administrator and Director of the Devens Enterprise Commission. Prior to accepting this position Mr. Lowitt spent 6 years as Director of Planning and Economic Development in Londonderry, New Hampshire where he updated the community Master Plan and received an award from the New Hampshire Office of State Planning for his plan implementation efforts. Prior to working in New Hampshire Mr. Lowitt was employed by the Towns of Grafton and Acton and the City of Waltham. Mr. Lowitt was the former president of the New Hampshire Planners Association and is currently Vice Presidident for Chapter Affairs of the Mass Chapter American Planning Association as well as Past Chairman of the Economic Development Division of the American Planning Association. He has a B.A from Brown University and a Masters Degree from Tufts.
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Donna L. MacNicol
Attorney Donna L. MacNicol practices law in Franklin County and is a partner in the law firm of MacNicol, Tombs & Brown. LLP. After several years as a partner in a larger Greenfield firm, she and two friends opened their own practice in October 1997. She is a cum laude graduate of the Western New England College School of Law and has specialized in municipal law, criminal and civil litigation, and discrimination cases. She presently represents several local towns, the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, numerous municipal districts, cooperatives, regional school districts, private schools, and housing authorities. She is a member of the Franklin County Bar Association and its President-Elect, the Franklin County Bar Advocates, the Massachusetts Bar Association, and the City Solicitors/Town Counsel Association and the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards. Over the course of the last several years, she has taught numerous seminars for municipal employees on a wide range of subjects, including Chapter 3OB Procurement Law, District Court Procedures for Municipalities, and Grandfathering in Zoning, to name just a few.
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Robert Orsi
Robert Orsi is an attorney with extensive experience in land use, development and municipal law, both as an attorney and as a municipal official. He served on the Planning Board of Millis from 1988 - 1991. He has been the town's representative to the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, the primary land use planning authority for eastern Massachusetts.
For two years he was chairman of the Millis Finance Committee. He has written
portions of the Millis Zoning By-Laws, and has worked on many open space
acquisitions. Mr. Orsi is also the past chairman of the Board of Selectmen in Millis. He also teaches zoning and land use planning for public officials through the University of Massachusetts.In September 2002, Bob founded his own firm.
You can reach him at: rorsi@reoag.com
Carol A. Rolf
Carol A. Rolf is a practicing attorney in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. She represents developers, municipalities, and abutters in all aspects of land use cases not limited to zoning and subdivision matters. Before becoming an attorney, Carol worked for a number of years at the Executive Office of Communities and Development as a planner in the land use section of the organization. Previous to that she was a planner for the Town of Plymouth. Her undergraduate degree is in Landscape Architecture, so she has had experience in all aspects of land use from design through legal.
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Sharon J. Rooney
Sharon has been a regulatory Planner with the Cape Cod Commission since its creation in 1990, and Senior Regulatory Planner since 1995. Sharon is a registered landscape architect in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She has a Master's degree in landscape architecture from Harvard University, Graduate School of Design. Sharon's professional experience at the Commission includes 10 years of experience coordinating the Development of Regional Impact (DRI) review process for numerous commercial, residential and institutional projects. Sharon has coordinated major regional planning projects including the Massachusetts Military Reservation Master Plan, and is currently working on a master planning effort to guide the siting of personal wireless service facilities on the Lower Cape. Sharon provides ongoing local planning and technical assistance in the development of local comprehensive plans and model bylaws for use by Cape Cod towns. Publications on which Sharon has played a major role include Designing the Future to Honor the Past, Design Guidelines for Cape Cod, which received a 1995 Massachusetts Chapter APA Comprehensive Planning award; and the Route 6A Corridor Management Plan, which received a 1995 national APA Special Citation award.
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Joel Russell
Joel S. Russell is a planner and land use attorney specializing in drafting innovative zoning bylaws. He assists municipalities throughout the U.S. in protecting open space and community character and implementing "smart growth" plans. He has drafted land use regulations that protect rural and village character while encouraging affordable housing and desired economic activity. Joel is the principal co-author of a three volume set of model community design guidelines published by the New York Planning Federation, as well as numerous articles on smart growth and zoning reform. An active member of the Massachusetts Zoning Reform Working Group, he has been a leader in the effort to reform Massachusetts land use statutes. Educated at Harvard and Boston University, he has 25 years of experience as a land use and environmental consultant and attorney for local, state and federal governments, conservation organizations, and developers.
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BARBARA J. SAINT ANDRÉ
Barbara Saint André is the senior land use attorney at Petrini & Associates, a boutique law firm located in Framingham that provides legal services in the areas of municipal law, land use law, construction, and employment. Ms. Saint André was a principal at Kopelman and Paige prior to moving to Petrini & Associates. She has over 21 years of experience as a municipal attorney, representing towns across Massachusetts. Ms Saint André’s particular expertise is in land use law, including zoning, subdivision control law, comprehensive permits, wetlands, board of health, and litigation. She is a frequent speaker on both land use and general municipal law topics, including programs sponsored by CPTC, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Mass. Association of Planning Directors, Mass. Health Officers Association, and regional planning agencies. She served 20 years as an elected Town Meeting Member in Braintree, where she was also on the Housing Authority for 9 years, and served on the Finance Committee and other appointed boards.
William V. Scanlan
Masters in Regional Planning, UMass, Amherst, 1980
Senior Planning, Framingham, Mass., 1980-1983
Community Development Manager, CMRPC, 1984 - Present
Responsible for overseeing land use and community development activities on behalf of the Commission's 40 communities.
Providing technical assistance to Planning Boards on growth and development issues. Preparing a regional policy plan, known as the Development Framework, the first in 20 years. Preparing a regional Strategic Economic Development Plan in conjunction with Worcester's Office of Planning and Community Development Administering grants for communities, including Community Development Block Grants and the Septic System Repair Program. Performing planning studies for member communities, including land use plans, masterplans, and environmental studies.
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Alan Seewald
Juris Doctor: Western New England College School of Law, Magna Cum Laude, 1985.
Law Review: Member, Western New England Law Review, 1983-1984
Bar Admissions: Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1985
United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, 1986
United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, 1986
Employment: SEEWALD, COLLINS & JANKOWSKI, P.C., 5 East Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01002, Partner, January 1, 1988 to present. Partner in general practice firm engaged in municipal law, real estate conveyancing and mortgage closings, land use planning, estate planning, business and corporations, and civil litigation. Engaged in all aspects of representation of Town of Amherst, a municipality of approximately 30,000 residents. Specializing in civil litigation of zoning and planning issues and municipal liability under Federal and State Civil Rights Acts and under the Massachusetts Tort Claims Act.
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Andrew Sheehan
Andrew Sheehan, AICP, is the Community Development Coordinator for the Town of Chelmsford. His duties include municipal planning; site plan, subdivision, and ANR plan review; 40B review and coordination; preparation of Planning Board and Board of Appeals decisions; business attraction and retention; drafting of zoning bylaws, subdivision regulations, and Board of Appeals rules. He also reviews applications and monitoring compliance of projects approved by the Conservation Commission. He has been in his current position since 1994 and previously served as the Conservation Administrator for the Town of Pepperell. Mr. Sheehan holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Education degree from the University of Lowell. He was admitted to the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) in 2002.
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F. Sydney Smithers
F. Sydney Smithers is a member of the Pittsfield law firm of Cain, Hibbard, Myers & Cook, PC, where he practices in the areas of real estate development, land use, environmental, zoning, subdivision control, municipal and conveyancing law. Mr. Smithers is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Finance and Commerce and Boston University School of Law and was appointed as a Land Court Examiner in 1974. A former Chairman of the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education Real Estate Curriculum Advisory Committee, he is also former President of the Massachusetts Conveyancers Association and now serves as a member of the MCAD Dispute Resolution Panel. Mr. Smithers is a member of the Abstract Club and the Berkshire Bar Association, the Massachusetts Bar Association, the New England Land Title Association and the Massachusetts City Solicitors and Town Counsel Association. Mr. Smithers is a contributing author to "Crocker's Notes on Common Forms" (8'" ed., MCLE 1995) and is a member of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers.
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Gisela Walker
Gisela Walker is an Extension educator since 1980 with UMass Extension, one of the outreach programs of UMass Amherst. She works out of the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning. The majority of her work in Extension has focused on programs for members of local government on energy, water quality, solid wastes and land use issues. Gisela has been the founder and co-director of Citizen Planner Training Collaborative since 1995. She holds a master's degree in Education. She has been a member of the Franklin County Regional Planning Board for the past 10 years.
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Jon D. Witten
Jon Witten has seventeen years of professional experience in the fields of land use planning and environmental resource protection. He has worked with numerous cities and towns throughout the United States and has successfully developed hundreds of regulatory and non-regulatory strategies for controlling and guiding growth and development. Since 1989, Jon has been Horseley&Witten's Project Manager for EPA's Office of Ground Water Protection Wellhead Protection Tools for Local Governments workshops and EPA's Office of Oceans, Wetlands and Watersheds Management and Protection of Estuaries, Wetlands, and Near-Coastal Waters workshops. He has lectured nationally on appropriate strategies to mitigate the effects of land development on ground water, coastal and near-coastal waters, and natural resource systems. He is an adjunct faculty member in Tufts University's Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners.
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Joseph Zeneski
Registered Professional Engineer working in the public and private sectors on land and utility planning, engineering and construction for over 20 years. Oxford Town Engineer and Planner since 1990. Provides technical assistance to the Town's Planning Board, Conservation Commission, Board of Health, and Board of Selectmen.
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CPTC is jointly supported by UMass Extension and the Dept of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning, located at 109 Hills North, UMass Amherst MA 01003 and by the Department of Housing and Community Development, at 617/573-1360, 100 Cambridge Street, 3rd floor, Boston MA
02114
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