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Symposium Participation and Agenda
The Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials (ASTSWMO) is pleased to sponsor the Long-Term Stewardship Symposium on Tuesday, August 25 – Wednesday, August 26, 2009 in Boise, Idaho.
The one-and-a-half day Symposium has been designed as a forum for interaction among State and Territorial CERCLA Program Managers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters and Regional staff, and other invited guests. The format of this Symposium is designed to emphasize discussion and information-sharing opportunities among speakers and attendees. Due to limitations on hotel meeting space capacity and accommodations availability, priority attendance will be accorded to our members, federal officials and invited guests.
Click here to view a PDF of the current draft outline agenda. Please continue to check this link for future updates to the agenda.
Symposium Registration
There is no registration fee for the ASTSWMO Long-Term Stewardship Symposium. However, all attendees and speakers must register with ASTSWMO by August 7, 2009. As you complete the registration form, we ask that you please:
- do not use all uppercase letters in typing your contact information
- use dash marks in entering your phone and fax numbers (i.e., 202-624-5828)
Registration is now open; click here is register. A confirmation e-mail will be forwarded to you upon receipt of the completed registration form. If you have any additional questions, please contact Sam Puffenbarger in the ASTSWMO office at 202-624-5423 or samp@astswmo.org.
If you need assistance with the on-line registration process, please contact Nicole Malloy in the ASTSWMO office at 202-624-5823 or nmalloy@astswmo.org.
Special Note: Luncheon Reservation
Please be sure to indicate on the Registration Form whether or not you plan to attend the ASTSWMO luncheon on Tuesday August 25. If you do not inform us of your plans, you will not receive a luncheon ticket or be included in the luncheon count. If you plan to attend the luncheon and must cancel, please contact Nicole Malloy at 202-624-5823 or nmalloy@astswmo.org to cancel your luncheon reservation by Friday, August 14, 2009.
Reimbursement Opportunities
ASTSWMO has grant funding to reimburse one (1) CERCLA program staff per State/Territory. Reimbursement includes air and ground transportation costs, hotel room expenses up to two nights (August 24-25, 2009) at the government rate, and meals and incidentals at actual costs up to the federal per diem of $49 for Boise, ID.
ASTSWMO’s current travel procedures and reimbursement policies are available on our web site at http://astswmo.org, in the Travel and Reimbursement area. Please review these policies, as they have changed recently and may also be different from others you are used to using. For example, ASTSWMO does not pay for rental cars or phone/internet charges.
If you are requesting travel reimbursement to the Symposium, it is essential that you indicate this request on the Registration Form, since your reimbursement request must be approved by ASTSWMO prior to travel. If we subsequently receive a reimbursement claim from an individual whose reimbursement has not received prior Association approval, we will be forced to return it without action, as all available funds will have been allocated for this meeting. If your State/Territorial travel approval process requires any special documentation stating that ASTSWMO will be able to provide you with travel reimbursement, please advise Sam Puffenbarger at 202-624-5423 or samp@astswmo.org.
The official dates of travel for the Symposium are arrival on Monday, August 24, 2009 and departure on Wednesday, August 26, 2009. If you plan to travel earlier than August 24 or return home later than August 26, you must submit your completed Special Travel Forms to Dania Rodriguez in the ASTSWMO office by fax at 202-624-7875 or by e-mail at daniar@astswmo.org prior to finalizing your travel plans. The Special Travel Policy and Forms are located on the ASTSWMO website at http://astswmo.org, in the Travel and Reimbursement area.
Note that additional night stay-overs at the hotel must be pre-approved by ASTSWMO prior to travel.
ASTSWMO does not reimburse travelers for hotel or meal expenses associated with additional stay-over days before or after the meeting.
If you are seeking funding from the Association, the reimbursement claim form specifically coded for the meeting will be sent to you within two weeks of the Symposium. If you are being reimbursed, please submit your reimbursement claim as soon as you return from the Symposium. It is ASTSWMO’s policy that any reimbursement claims must be submitted within 30-days of travel. Therefore, reimbursement claims for the Symposium must be received by September 26, 2009, or ASTSWMO will be unable to reimburse your costs.
ASTSWMO cannot reimburse non-State/Territorial attendees.
If you have any questions about ASTSWMO reimbursement, please contact Sam Puffenbarger at 202-624-5423 or samp@astswmo.org.
Hotel Accommodations and Rates
The 2009 ASTSWMO Long-Term Stewardship Symposium will be held at the Grove Hotel in Boise, ID. A block of sleeping rooms has been reserved for the nights of Monday, August 24 – Tuesday, August 25, 2009 at the government rate of $86.00 single or double occupancy/night plus State and local taxes (currently 13%). Room reservations will be accepted through August 3, 2009; reservations made after that date will be subject to a determination by the hotel of space and rate availability.
Please use the following option to make your hotel reservations:
- By Phone: Call 1-888-961-5000 and refer to the group code, 67755.
All reservations must be accompanied by a first night room deposit or guaranteed with a major credit card; the hotel will not hold any reservations unless secured by one of these methods. Guests have 24 hours prior to their scheduled arrival date to cancel their reservations without penalty. Check-in time is 3:00 PM and check-out time is 11:00 AM. Any early arrivals or late departures are based on a first come, first serve basis. Guests can request, when they make their reservations, to have an early check-in or late departure and then the front desk can approve them when the time comes.
We strongly encourage State and Territorial participants to make your reservations by August 3, even if your State/Territorial travel approval is not in place at that time, so you will have a room at the government rate within the ASTSWMO room block. You can cancel your reservations later if need be. We cannot guarantee the government rate will be available once the room block has expired.
The hotel is at the center of downtown Boise. It has a no-smoking policy.
Following is the hotel contact information:
The Grove Hotel
245 S. Capitol Blvd
Boise Idaho 83702
Phone: (208) 333-8000 Fax: (208) 333-8800
Reservations: 1-888-961-5000
http://www.grovehotelboise.com/
Air and Ground Transportation
The closest airport is the Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field Airport, which is 4-miles from the Grove Hotel.
http://www.cityofboise.org/departments/airport/
The hotel does have its own free airport shuttle. Shuttle service to and from the airport is available via phones located to the right of baggage claim, or by calling (208) 333-8000.
The estimated taxi fare between the airport and the hotel is $15.00 (one way).
Travel By Car
Members seeking reimbursement who wish to drive to the Symposium may do so provided that the total cost of driving does not exceed the cost of regular round-trip airfare. If the round-trip driving mileage will exceed 500 miles, members must obtain approval from ASTSWMO prior to travel by completing and submitting a Special Travel Form, Work Sheet “B” and the required additional information. The current forms that should be used to request prior approval are available on the ASTSWMO web site, http://astswmo.org, or by contacting Sam Puffenbarger in the ASTSWMO office at 202-624-5423 or samp@astswmo.org. All special travel forms must be approved by Dania Rodriguez (daniar@astswmo.org), prior to the Symposium. Costs are calculated at 55 cents per mile, plus tolls. Please note: ASTSWMO does not reimburse for on-road hotel and meal costs.
ASTSWMO cannot pay for rental cars. The hotel offers free covered parking onsite. Valet parking is available; however ASTSWMO does not reimburse valet parking. Driving directions to the hotel are available through the Grove Hotel web site at:
http://www.grovehotelboise.com/map-and-directions/index.cfm
Green Meeting
ASTSWMO is committed to minimizing the environmental impact of this meeting through decreasing the amount of solid waste produced by the event, and disposing of solid and liquid wastes generated at the event in an environmentally responsible manner. As such, ASTSWMO has evaluated how best to distribute information on the meeting previous to and following the event.
Please note that paper copies of presentations will not be provided at the meeting. Instead, we encourage all speakers to provide their presentations in electronic format for posting on the ASTSWMO website by August 11, 2009, so that attendees can download and/or print their own copies in advance. We suggest that all attendees and speakers print any materials on recycled paper stock using both sides of the paper. Should you wish to distribute informational materials at the meeting, please bring only what is needed and take back with you everything that you don’t hand out. The hotel will provide on-site recycling.
Special Requests
If you will require any special accommodations for disabilities, special assistance or other services, please request them when making your hotel reservations. Also contact Sam Puffenbarger in the ASTSWMO office at 202-624-5423 or samp@astswmo.org to inform him of your specific accommodation/service requirements, or if you have any special dietary restrictions/needs.
Questions?
Questions about any aspect of the Symposium can be directed to Sam Puffenbarger in the ASTSWMO office at 202-624-5423 or samp@astswmo.org.
DEADLINES TO REMEMBER
Make Your Hotel Reservations by: August 3, 2009
Register with ASTSWMO by: August 7, 2009
If you must cancel your lunch reservation, please do so by: August 14, 2009
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