Walkability Reception & Workshop with Jeff Speck - May 22 + 23

Jeff Speck has dedicated his career to determining what makes cities thrive. He's boiled it down to one key factor: walkability. In his essential new book, Walkable City, Speck reveals the invisible workings of the city, how simple decisions have cascading effects, and how we can all make the right choices for our communities.

Jeff Speck, city planner, architect and author, will be the featured speaker at the Albany Roundtable’s Annual Meeting on Wednesday, May 22, 2013.

The event is open to the public, and will be held at the National Register-listed University Club of Albany, 141 Washington Avenue at Dove Street. The reception will take place from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., and will feature a social hour with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, a short update on the Albany Roundtable Civic Luncheon Series, the presentation of the Good Patroon Award, the presentation of the inaugural Albany Roundtable Scholarship, and a talk and book signing by the visiting speaker. Tickets are $30 and may be purchased online.

The following morning, the Albany Roundtable will sponsor a workshop with Speck for planning professionals, municipal leaders and interested citizens, titled“Walkability 101- 999: Everything You Need to Know to Make Your City More Walkable.” The workshop will be held at the University Club from 10:00 a.m. – 12 noon with registration at 9:30 a.m. The cost for the workshop is $20. Participants are invited to stay for lunch for an additional $20. Reservations for the workshop and lunch may also be made online.

Attend one, two or all three of the events - it's up to you! 

www.jeffspeck.com

Corporate sponsors for the book signing and workshop are the Capital District Transportation Committee, Capital District Transportation Authority, and Capital District Regional Planning Commission. Additional support is provided by Empire State Future; Society of Architectural Historians, Turpin Bannister Chapter; American Institute of Architects, New York State and the Capital District Planners Association, a section of the American Planning Association. Continuing education credits will be available for planners and architects.

Speck, who lives in Washington, D.C., advocates internationally for smart growth and sustainable design through writing, lectures, and built work. As Director of Design at the National Endowment for the Arts from 2003 through 2007, he oversaw the Mayors’ Institute on City Design and created the Governors’ Institute on Community Design, a federal program that helps state governors fight suburban sprawl.

Prior to joining the Endowment, Mr. Speck spent ten years as Director of Town Planning at Duany Plater-Zyberk and Co., a leading practitioner of the New Urbanism, where he led or managed more than forty of the firm’s projects. He is the co-author of Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream as well as The Smart Growth Manual. He serves as a Contributing Editor to Metropolis Magazine, and on the Sustainability Task Force of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. His new book,Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2012), is now available in print, digital, and audio format.

At the evening reception, the Albany Roundtable will present its Good Patroon Award to The Music Mobile and its founder Ruth Pelham for teaching children the importance of civility, fostering cooperative behavior, and imparting the value of tolerance. The Good Patroon Award was established by the Albany Roundtable in 1988 to recognize outstanding contributions to the community by institutions and individuals. The Albany Roundtable will also present a $1,000 scholarship to Jonah Mackay, a senior at Clayton A. Bouton High School in Voorheesville, for demonstrated civic leadership.

“The Albany Roundtable has embraced the concepts of smart growth, New Urbanism and sustainability since it was founded in 1979,” said Colleen Ryan, president of the all-volunteer 501c3 corporation. “As Howard Mansfield wrote over a decade ago in his book,The Same Ax, Twice, ‘the last forty years of suburban development have wiped out our memory of how to build towns … There is a growing movement of architects … who are looking to revive traditional town design.’ We’re looking forward to learning more about how to make better choices for our communities, and how a commitment to walkability inevitably enhances city life.”

The Albany Roundtable’s previous Visiting Speakers have included John Norquist (CEO, Congress for the New Urbanism); Janet Flammang (The Taste for Civilization); Colin Beavan (No Impact Man), Jaime Correa (planner, architect and professor at the University of Miami); Stan Eckstut (NYC architect, Battery City Project); Tony Hiss (Project for Public Spaces); Robert McNulty (Partners for Livable Places); Paul Pritchard (National Parks and Conservation Association); Richard Bradley (proponent of Downtown business districts); Ray Oldenburg (The Great Good Place); James Howard Kunstler (author and new urbanist); Jane Holtz Kay (architecture critic, author of Asphalt Nation); Joseph P. Riley (Mayor, Charleston, South Carolina); Richard Reinhart (Buffalo Place); and others.

Tickets for the reception, workshop and/or lunch must be purchased by Friday, May 17. For more information, email albanyroundtable@yahoo.com or call The University Club at 518-463-1151.

PS: If you would rather mail your payment, use this handy form!

PPS: Not sure if you're membership is current? Click here.

Ray Rudolph to Address Albany Roundtable

CEO of CHA (Clough Harbour & Associates) will speak on April 10

Raymond L. Rudolph, Jr., PE, Chief Executive Officer of CHA, will address the Albany Roundtable on Wednesday, April 10, 2013. Albany Roundtable luncheon meetings are held at the National Register-listed University Club, 141 Washington Avenue at Dove Street in Albany, and are open to the public.

In the summer of 2012, CHA announced its participation in an initiative to support SUNY Albany’s College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering’s (CNSE’s) efforts to combine innovation and education in next-generation technologies to establish the Albany as a hub for 21st century industry. Rudolph will provide an overview of CHA’s role in passenger rail projects, advanced manufacturing, nanotechnology and “smart cities,” and their plans to establish an office in Kiernan Plaza in downtown Albany.

CHA is a full service engineering firm with the in-house capabilities to supply the engineering, planning, surveying, permitting, environmental, and construction inspection and administration services needed to complete complicated projects. This eliminates the need for their clients to engage multiple subcontractors, increases efficiency and reduces expenses.

The cost for the luncheon is $20, which may be paid at the door. The Roundtable is also offering its guests the option of paying in advance with a credit card. The University Club will serve a hot and cold buffet from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m., with the program commencing at 12:30. Reservations for the April 10 luncheon are required by Monday, April 8 and may be made by prepaying online, by calling 518-431-1400 (the Albany Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce) or by sending an e-mail to albanyroundtable@yahoo.com.

The Albany Roundtable’s annual evening reception, featuring Visiting Speaker Jeff Speck, will be held at the University Club on Wednesday, May 22. Speck is an architect, planner and the author of Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time. The following day, the Albany Roundtable will sponsor a workshop with Speck for planning professionals, municipal leaders and interested citizens, titled “Walkability 101- 999: Everything You Need to Know to Make Your City More Walkable.” Tickets for these events may be purchased online after April 15 at www.albanyroundtable.blogspot.com .

Irish American Heritage Museum director will speak on March 13

Jeff Cleary, Executive Director of Albany’s Irish American Heritage Museum, will address the Albany Roundtable on Wednesday, February 13, 2013. Albany Roundtable luncheon meetings are held at the National Register-listed University Club, 141 Washington Avenue at Dove Street in Albany, and are open to the public.

The Irish American Heritage Museum is a permanently chartered 501(c)3 non-profit with an educational mission: To preserve and tell the story of the contributions of the Irish people and their culture in America, inspiring individuals to examine the importance of their own heritage as part of the American cultural mosaic. As such, the Museum is unique in America, where almost 40 million individuals claim Irish ancestry. It is committed to the basic tenet that preserving one’s heritage is vital to providing a cultural and historical foundation to future generations of Americans.

The museum, located at 370 Broadway in downtown Albany, provides year-round access to exhibits, the Paul O’Dwyer Library, lectures, presentations, film screenings, book signings and other special programs. The Museum was an integral force in requiring instruction in New York State’s public schools about the Irish Famine of 1845-1853.  The museum is open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 12 noon to 4 p.m., and closed Monday and Tuesday.

Mr. Cleary has been associated with the Irish American Heritage museum since 2009, and managed all aspects of the acquisition and build out of the museum’s new facility. He oversees daily operations and staff and has acquired over $500,000 in grants for the museum in the last three years.

Mr. Cleary is also the President of Knickerbocker Consulting, LLC. Knickerbocker provides Public Relations, Communications, Government Relations, Project / Event Management, Political Consulting and Leadership Development to a diverse group of clients. He resides in Waterford, New York with his wife, Michelle and their son Nolan.

The cost for the luncheon is $20, which may be paid at the door. The Roundtable is also offering its guests the option of paying in advance with a credit card at www.albanyroundtable.com. The University Club will serve a hot and cold buffet from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m., with the program commencing at 12:30. Reservations for the March 13 luncheon are required by Monday, March 11 and may be made by prepaying online, by calling 518-431-1400 (the Albany Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce) or by sending an e-mail to albanyroundtable@yahoo.com.

Jeffrey W. Cannell to Address Albany Roundtable

NYS Deputy Commissioner for Cultural Education 
Will Speak on February 13

ALBANY, NY – January 3, 2013 – Jeffrey W. Cannell, Deputy Commissioner for Cultural Education at the New York State Education Department will address the Albany Roundtable on Wednesday, February 13, 2013. Albany Roundtable luncheon meetings are held at the National Register-listed University Club, 141 Washington Avenue at Dove Street in Albany, and are open to the public.

Mr. Cannell was appointed New York’s Deputy Commissioner for Cultural Education in 2007. In that role, he oversees the State Library, State Museum, State Archives and the Public Broadcasting Program.

Prior to this appointment, Mr. Cannell served for nearly 10 years as Director of the Albany Public Library. Previously, Mr. Cannell was Director of the Wayne County Public Library in Goldsboro, North Carolina; Manager, Cliffdale Branch, Cumberland County Public Library and Information Center, Fayetteville, North Carolina; Branch Manager of Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; bookseller for a number of enterprises from 1971-1980 and Reference Librarian at Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York. He has a Bachelor of Arts in English and Comparative Literature and a Master of Library Science, both from the State University of New York at Albany.

The Office of Cultural Education (OCE) is responsible for increasing the knowledge and information resources of State and local government, businesses, and individuals. The Office supports research, operates programs, and develops collections that serve the long-term interests of the institutions and residents of New York. The Office of Cultural Education provides services directly to individuals and government; distributes aid to libraries and library systems, local governments, and public broadcasting stations; and provides instructional television services through the Public Broadcasting Program.

For one month only, the Roundtable Raffle returns! Drop a business card to win a pair of tickets to help eba celebrate their 40th anniversary at the Ruby Cabaret on Saturday, March 2 at 7 p.m.!

The cost for the luncheon is $20, which may be paid at the door. The Roundtable is also offering its guests the option of paying in advance with a credit card at www.albanyroundtable.com. The University Club will serve a hot and cold buffet from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m., with the program commencing at 12:30. Reservations for the February 13 luncheon are required by Monday, February 11 and may be made by prepaying online, by calling 518-431-1400 (the Albany Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce) or by sending an e-mail to albanyroundtable@yahoo.com .

Albany Roundtable Launches Scholarship

Open to High School Seniors, Must be Sponsored by Member of Albany Roundtable 

ALBANY, NY – January 10, 2013 – The Albany Roundtable, an all-volunteer non-profit corporation celebrating its 34th season in 2013, is accepting applications for The Albany Roundtable Scholarship.

The group presents a civic luncheon series which is open to the public and attracts an average of 70 participants each month to hear speakers with diverse viewpoints on timely subjects relating to the region.

The scholarship in the amount of $1,000 will be awarded to a high school senior who is recommended by a member in good standing of the Albany Roundtable. The application must be submitted by a student in his or her senior year of high school, and will be awarded contingent upon acceptance an attendance at a two- or four-year college or university. Applications must be postmarked no later than Thursday, March 21, 2013, and the scholarship will be awarded at the Roundtable’s Annual Meeting in May at the University Club of Albany.

A short questionnaire, available on the organization’s website at www.albanyroundtable.com and at Roundtable meetings in January, February and March, must be accompanied by a letter of recommendation from a teacher or counselor at the applicant’s school, or if the student is home-schooled, by a member of the community. An official transcript including courses, grades and grade point average should be included, as well as an essay of 300-500 words on the following topic: “Citizenship includes the exercise of certain personal responsibilities, including considering the rights and interests of others. Discuss your involvement in a community organization, school group or in a volunteer capacity which promotes citizenship.”

Applications may be mailed to the Roundtable or may be submitted by email to ecrosen@nycap.rr.com .

“The Albany Roundtable has a long history of providing a forum for civil discussion of the issues of the day,” said the Colleen Ryan, who has served as the President of the 501c3 organization since September, 2008. “We hope that this scholarship will help to foster a new generation of civic leaders who will go on to contribute to their communities in ways that we cannot yet imagine.”

The Albany Roundtable Scholarship - 2013 by Colleen M. Ryan

Mayor Jennings - DATE CHANGE - Thu. Jan 10!

Mayor Gerald D. Jennings to Address Albany Roundtable
DATE CHANGE for First Civic Luncheon of 2013 – Thursday, January 10

ALBANY, NY – December 12, 2012 – Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings will address the first Albany Roundtable luncheon of 2013 on THURSDAY, January 10. The Roundtable usually meets on the second Wednesday of the month, but the date was changed to avoid a conflict with Governor Cuomo’s State of the State address.

Albany Roundtable luncheon meetings are held at the National Register-listed University Club, 141 Washington Avenue at Dove Street in Albany, and are open to the public.

Mayor Gerald D. Jennings was elected the 74th Mayor of the City of Albany in 1993. Born in North Albany, Jennings had a 21-year career as a teacher and high school administrator for the Albany City School District and served 13 years on the Albany Common Council representing the 11th Ward.

The Mayor has successfully established collaborative partnerships with New York State, the business community, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations that have produced new development projects representing more than $6 billion in new investment since 1994.

The Mayor will discuss the recently announced Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP) undertaken to discuss the future of Albany’s waterfront as well as a number of other important developments in the city of Albany.

KeyBank N.A. is sponsoring the January 10 luncheon. “Key is pleased to provide charitable support to area cultural and educational resources, to volunteer efforts that help build local neighborhoods and livelihoods, and to civic leadership,” said Mitchell Miller, Senior Vice President, KeyBank. “Key’s success – and the success of our communities – is one and the same.”

The cost for the luncheon is $20, which may be paid at the door. The Roundtable is also offering its guests the option of paying in advance with a credit card at www.albanyroundtable.com. The University Club will serve a hot and cold buffet from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m., with the program commencing at 12:30. Reservations for the January 10 luncheon are required by Monday, January 7 and may be made by prepaying online, by calling 518-431-1400 (the Albany Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce) or by sending an e-mail to albanyroundtable@yahoo.com.

Carm Basile, CEO of CDTA, to address Roundtable on 11/14

Carm Basile, Chief Executive Officer of the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA), will address the Albany Roundtable on Wednesday, November 14, and discuss CDTA’s history of connecting Upstate New York. Albany Roundtable luncheon meetings are held at the National Register-listed University Club, 141 Washington Avenue at Dove Street in Albany, and are open to the public.

 

CDTA was created in 1970 by the New York State Legislature as a public benefit corporation to provide regional transportation services by rail, bus, water and air. Today’s CDTA is the premier mobility provider in the Capital Region, providing regular route bus service, shuttle systems and paratransit services. CDTA owns and operates the Rensselaer Rail and Saratoga Springs Train Stations. The Rensselaer Rail Station recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, serving as a Capital Region success story.  CDTA also operates the Northway Xpress Commuter Service between Saratoga County and downtown Albany. CDTA’s BusPlus program is a limited stop service on Route 5 between downtown Albany and downtown Schenectady that provides riders train-like service with added convenience and accessibility.  Today, 650 people work at CDTA to deliver a transit system that serves more than 800,000 people who live and work in the region, transporting more than 55,000 customers each weekday.

 

Carm Basile was appointed CDTA’s Chief Executive Officer in September 2009, and is responsible for the operation of the Authority’s fleet, facilities, staff and management. He has worked for CDTA since July 1981, holding a number of senior level positions, including Deputy Executive Director for Business Development, Director of Business Development, Chief of Staff, Director of Marketing and Transportation Planner.

 

Mr. Basile serves as a Board Member at the Colonie Chamber of Commerce, the Clearview Center, Colonie Senior Services and the Sports Foundation of the Capital Region. He serves as Board Member and President of the New York Public Transit Association and is a Board Trustee for Christian Brothers Academy. Born and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts, he holds a BA degree in Urban Studies from Worcester State College in Worcester, Massachusetts.

 

The cost for the luncheon is $20, which may be paid at the door. The Roundtable is also offering its guests the option of paying in advance with a credit card at www.albanyroundtable.com. The University Club will serve a hot and cold buffet from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m., with the program commencing at 12:30. 

Reservations for the November 14 luncheon are required by Tuesday, November 13 and may be made by prepaying online, by calling 518-431-1400 (the Albany Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce) or by sending an e-mail to albanyroundtable@yahoo.com.