The following awards were presented at the 2015 Annual Conference in Bloomington-Normal.
Floodplain Manager of the Year
Dallas Alley
Dallas Alley is the Floodplain Manager for St. Claire County. He has been with the County since 2005 and has committed himself to improving Floodplain Management in the unincorporated areas of St. Claire County. In addition to overseeing the development within the floodplain areas, he has been building the County’s Community Rating System program. In recognition of his efforts, he was named Floodplain Manager of the Year.
Outstanding Service
Amanda Flegel
Amanda Flegel received the Outstanding Service Award. She served IAFSM as the Education and Outreach Chair from July 2007 to August 2014, organizing local official scholarships, planning approximately 30 workshops, and providing members with CEC/training opportunities in each newsletter. During the last six months, as Inter-organizational Chair, she assisted with the Illinois Flood Risk Symposium and coordinated IAFSM’s participation in the upcoming 2016 ASFPM conference. She also currently serves as a co-chair to the Cooperating Technical Partners sub-committee of the Mapping and Engineering Standards Committee of ASFPM.
Stormwater Management
V3 Companies of Illinois
V3 Companies of Illinois exhibits cross disciplinary capacities in stormwater management, wetland & ecologoical restoration, and civil engineering. V3’s Natural Resources Division has proven that improvements to stormwater management and reductions to urban flood risks can be done with integrity and honesty to better serve the people
of the State of Illinois. V3 is a deserving recipient of this award.
Mitigation
City of Wood Dale
Located along the Lower Salt Creek just beyond the confluence with Springbrook, the City of Wood Dale has experienced disastrous flooding over the years. Working with multiple agencies to purchase flood prone properties, the City now owns and/or maintains over 30 flood prone properties, most of which were once residential homes that have now been restored to open space. Additionally, the City of Wood Dale maintains a CRS rating of 5. Congratulations to the City of Wood Dale for earning the 2015 Mitigation Award.
Journalism or Public Education Award
Mary Mitros
This award was presented to Mary Mitros, the Public Outreach Coordinator for DuPage County Stormwater Management. In the three years she has worked at DuPage County she created the ‘Love Blue. Live Green’ campaign for water quality, created several Public Service Announcements which are played on local public access channels, and revitalized the Department’s monthly newsletter ‘Currents’ which has over 1900 subscribers.
Legislation
Senator Sue Rezin
Senator Sue Rezin represents the 38th District, which includes over 100 miles of the Illinois River and 40 miles of the lower Fox River. Communities in her district have been repeatedly devastated by flooding from these rivers and their tributaries. After the flooding in the spring of 2013, she worked with other area legislators and asked communities in her district what steps could be taken to reduce flood losses. Senator Rezin spearheaded the formation of a coalition of five counties and 18 communities from the 38th District to prevent, fight, and mitigate flooding. Coalition meetings have been held quarterly, and Senator Rezin has attended each of these meetings.
Lifetime Achievement
Sally McConkey
IAFSM is pleased to honor Sally McConkey with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Sally started her first job in watershed management over 30 years ago. The past 23 years of her career have been dedicated to various aspects of project management for floodplain and watershed projects with the Illinois State Water Survey, including: Manager of Floodplain Information Services, Project Coordinator for the Fox River Watershed Investigation, Map Modernization, FEMA Cooperating Partner and MT2 Reviews. Additionally Sally has held a board or committee position with either IAFSM or ASFPM since 1995. Congratulations, Sally!
Youth Award
Brownie Troop 1106
Girl Scout Brownie Troop #1106 is the recipient of the Youth Award. The Troop worked together to film a public service announcement about prairies and wetlands and the important role they play in stormwater management. Link to the PSA can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLtrFrincDg