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See you on Monday, October 21st in Waterville!

We Get What We Plan For:

How Smart Growth Creates Community

Monday, October 21, 2024

Downtown Waterville

Housing, transportation and utilities, food systems, cultural and natural spaces are interconnected and essential community infrastructure. Learn how integration of these assets builds a sustainable community

As in built and natural ecosystems, resilient and thriving communities welcome diversity. Explore how public places and infrastructure define a community, convening with local, regional, and statewide leaders, conservationists, developers, and planners.

Join us in Waterville, our host community again this year. The Summit will be held at the beautiful Waterville Opera House and in the adjacent Paul J. Schupf Art Center. Local walking tours and the location of the post-Summit reception will be announced soon.

The day will feature a national keynote speaker Dr. Basil Gooden, USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development (Confirmed) and our state keynote speaker, Honorable Hannah Pingree, Director, Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future. Presentations and discussion will be followed by Community Spotlights to demonstrate how building and conserving infrastructure and public places defines their community.


Maine Smart Growth Awards video, GrowSmart Annual Meeting, and City Experience Walking Tours round out the program before a Networking Reception.

The GrowSmart Maine Summit is approved for four AICP Certification Maintenance (CM) credits! You can find more information by clicking here.

Recordings from the Summit!

More about our Keynote Speakers:

Dr. Basil Gooden was confirmed by the United State Senate to serve as Under Secretary for Rural Development on Monday, February 26, 2024. 

Prior to his confirmation as Under Secretary, Gooden served as Director of State Operations for Rural Development. In this role, he led and supported USDA’s team of 47 Rural Development State Directors who extend USDA’s state-level leadership and help ensure the department’s investments reach all rural communities. From 2016-2018, he served as the 3rd Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Prior to that, Dr. Gooden served as the Virginia State Director for Rural Development at USDA. He has previously held roles as the Chief Deputy Director of the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, as a Cooperative Extension Specialist at Virginia Tech, and as a Farm Service Agency County Committee member. Dr. Gooden holds a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech, a master’s degree in social work from Syracuse University, and a master’s degree in Public Health and a Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a native of Buckingham County, Virginia, where he and his family still own and operate a cattle farm.

Hannah Pingree was appointed as director of Governor Mills’ Office of Policy Innovation and the Future (GOPIF) in 2019. As director, Hannah leads cross-agency efforts to develop innovative policy solutions that address pressing long-term challenges for Maine, such as climate change, energy, housing, workforce and economic development, coordinating federal infrastructure investments, and supporting children and older Maine people. She was also appointed by Governor Mills in 2019 to co-chair the Maine Climate Council, which leads climate planning for the state. Hannah served four terms in the Maine Legislature from 2003 to 2010, and served as both Speaker of House of Representatives and House Majority Leader.

Moderator: Kate Cough is editor of The Maine Monitor. She previously served as enterprise editor for The Monitor while also covering energy and the environment and writing the weekly Climate Monitor newsletter. Before joining The Monitor, Kate was a beat reporter for The Ellsworth American and digital media strategist for The Ellsworth American and Mount Desert Islander. Kate graduated with honors from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and Magna Cum Laude from Bryn Mawr College. Kate is an eighth generation Mainer, who lives on Mount Desert Island with her husband, daughter, and dogs.

Community Spotlights

We’re thrilled to highlight this year’s lineup of Community Spotlights! Each Community Spotlight demonstrates local connection to the focus of this year’s Summit; planning and investing in social and physical infrastructure to grow communities.
  • Maine CITE (Community Inclusion through Technology) is a statewide program helping people with disabilities increase their independence in all areas of life through assistive technology (AT)
  • JustME for JustUS is a youth-led nonprofit in rural Maine dedicated to amplifying the voices of young people on issues affecting their communities.
  • The Town of Houlton: Fostering a sense of community and helping newcomers feel at home – from last spring’s eclipse to the Gateway Ambassador Program.
  • The Town of Danforth: A town undergoing transformation spurred on by revitalization efforts focused on clean-up, rebuilding, and re-connecting.
  • Maine Seacoast Mission Sunbeam: Since 1905, Maine Seacoast Mission has been connecting people to their strengths by offering healthcare, education, food, shelter, and spiritual support.
  • Age-Friendly Saco: The work of this volunteer-driven initiative high- lights the interconnections between housing, transportation, and social networks.
  • Penobscot Nation Tribal Farm: A tribally-owned and operated farm dedicated to food sovereignty, environmental stewardship and community well-being through regenerative agricultural practices and strategic partnerships.
  • Natural Products and Agriculture Working Group, Auburn: Auburn’s Natural Products Working Group works to pro- actively build a stronger natural resource economy in Auburn and to address the ongoing needs of protecting and promoting farms, farmland, woodlots, and natural resources based industries.
  • Fork Food Lab: Supporting a just, diverse, and sustainable food economy, where food entrepreneurs are supported in their quest to produce high quality and sustainable products utilizing locally sourced ingredients.
  • Maine Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum:This is the only Country Music Hall of Fame museum east of Nashville; an amazing showcase for thousands of historic memorabilia accumulated over the decades, bringing to life, and preserving the legacy of over 160 inductees from all over the State of Maine.
  • The Town of Van Buren: Van Buren is utilizing art as social infrastructure to strength- en community connections and celebrate its rich Acadian heritage.

City Experience Walking Tours

RIVERWALK TOUR led by Peter Garrett, Founder, Kennebec Messalonskee Trail System and local Rotarian. This tour will feature open and green spaces that are meant to connect people to Waterville’s natural resources and will include the Head of Falls, 2-Cent bridge, Scott Park.

WATERVILLE DOWNTOWN VISION PLAN AND IMPLEMENTATION: Transportation, economic development, open space, walkability and housing are interrelated and interdependent. Join Waterville Community Development Specialist Michael Hall and local resident and developer Patric Moore in a tour and discussion of the Waterville Downtown Vision Plan and initial outcomes.

ART & CULTURAL TOUR led by Shannon Haines, Executive Director, Waterville Creates:  This tour will feature downtown arts and culture anchors, including the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville Opera House, Waterville Public Library, and Greene Block + Studios, as key components of the the larger arts ecosystem and the social infrastructure that makes Waterville a vibrant and resilient community.

MILL REDEVELOPMENT AND MAINE LAND BANK: Learn from the North River Company their vision for the Lockwood Mill redevelopment and from the newly launched Maine Redevelopment Land Bank what resources will be available for similar projects in the future.

PARKING INFORMATION

There are several free parking lots within walking distance of the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, including The Concourse, Head of Falls, and the City Hall parking lot, which is available on weekends and after 5pm on weekdays. Two-hour parking is also available on Main Street before 5pm and is unlimited in the evening and on weekends.

We are currently in the planning stages for the 2024 Annual Summit. If you’re interested in becoming a sponsor for our event, please feel free to reach out to Amanda Vermillion.

Your support is welcomed for the success of the 2024 Annual Summit!

Explore our past Summits