More than 100 planners and planner educators from across the state are expected to attend the institute, which is being organized and co-sponsored by WCU’s Local Government Training Program and the western regional office of the Division of Community Assistance of the N.C. Department of Commerce.

Rick Wooten, engineering geologist at the North Carolina Geological Survey’s Asheville office, will kick off the institute with a keynote address on mountain planning and development issues. Wooten will speak at 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 8, in the theater of A.K. Hinds University Center.

Concurrent sessions for planning professionals on the topics of steep slopes and open space/farm preservation will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 8. The agenda for Thursday, Aug. 9, includes a 9 a.m. address on coastal planning and development issues by Rob Young, associate professor of geosciences at WCU and director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines, which is housed at the university.

Other topics on the institute agenda include funding for projects, geographic information systems, and cluster subdivision design. A workshop for planning board members is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 8.

Other key issues for planners will be addressed at the Leadership Conference, which will be held during the afternoon of Aug. 9 and morning of Aug. 10.

The deadline to register is Friday, Aug. 3. Program details and a registration form are posted online at http://lgtp.wcu.edu.

For more information, contact Vickey Wade, director of the Local Government Training Program, at (828) 227-3442 or vwade@email.wcu.edu, or Kristy Carter, community development planner at the N.C. Division of Community Assistance, at (828) 251-6914 or Kcarter@nccommerce.com.