Stormwater Smarts: Residential Drainage for Real Estate Professionals

Reserve your seat for TMACOG’s free continuing education workshop to learn how residential drainage works and why it’s important.

This program will equip you with knowledge you can share with homebuyers about how to identify and maintain infrastructure features.

You’ll hear from speakers who will share their expertise on plumbing, drainage, ditches, and easements, as well as maintenance tips and planning and zoning considerations.

A tour of stormwater features at the nearby Glass City Metropark will show examples of wet and dry retention ponds, bioretention areas, and other stormwater management practices.

Without this knowledge, even seasoned homeowners could cause damage to their property or public infrastructure in their neighborhood.

Click the button below to register for free!

Click here to view the full agenda.

Your registration includes free lunch from The Original Sub Shop & Deli. Options for sandwiches, salad, and a vegetarian meal are available. Each lunch includes chips, chocolate chip cookie, and choice of beverage. Coffee, tea, water, and fresh fruit will be provided in the morning.

This event is approved for 2.5 hours of continuing education credit by the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Real Estate & Professional Licensing.

The workshop will be held at Glass City Enrichment Center, 815 Front St., Toledo, OH 43605. Free parking is available on site.

Click below to register by October 3, but seating is limited. If registration becomes full, we will create a waitlist to fill any seats that may become available.

This event is presented by TMACOG’s Stormwater Coalition and financed through a grant from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Food and beverage is paid for separately and not supported by grant funding.

Speakers

Our speakers have deep and diverse knowledge of drainage issues and stormwater infrastructure:

Jacob Barnes, Planning Director, Springfield Township

Jacob is the planning director for Springfield Township in Lucas County and has been with Springfield Township for over 22 years. Jacob has experience writing zoning codes, updating land use plans, and creating new and innovative overlay districts, as well as permit writing and reviewing large-scale commercial and industrial projects. Jacob has also been a zoning commission member, has worked as a zoning consultant for several communities, and serves as the secretary for the Northwest Section of the Ohio Chapter of the American Planning Association. Jacob is familiar with the issues business owners face, as he has started and owns several successful businesses. Jacob received a B.A. and B.S. from Adrian College.

Michael Butcher, R.S., Toledo Lucas County Health Department

Michael Butcher holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toledo. A registered sanitarian since 2003, he has dedicated his career to public health at the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department. As a member of the Water Quality Division since its inception, he has helped design and implement the current format of the health department’s stormwater management program. Currently, he is working to address sources of nutrient loading into the Maumee River and Lake Erie from private properties and the storm sewer systems along Lucas County’s southern border.

Kari Gerwin, Director of Water Quality, Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments (TMACOG)

Kari has been with TMACOG since 2012, working with local governments and diverse private and public partners on stormwater management and green infrastructure initiatives, wastewater treatment and planning, drinking water issues, agriculture, and watershed planning. Kari has managed projects to support water and wastewater workforce development, the implementation of agricultural best management practices, and community-based green infrastructure planning. Kari also coordinates the development and update of TMACOG’s water quality policy recommendations, The Agenda for Lake Erie, a consensus document that details regional policy priorities for the restoration of Lake Erie. She is a two-time graduate of the University of Toledo with a bachelor's degree in environmental studies and a master's in geography and planning.

Jason Sisco, PE, PS, Chief Deputy Engineer, Wood County Engineer’s Office

Jason is a graduate of Ohio Northern University and a registered professional engineer and professional surveyor in the State of Ohio. With over 27 years of experience in civil engineering, he has designed and administered a wide range of projects including roadway, traffic, safety, pedestrian, water distribution, wastewater collection, storm drainage, and surveying. As chief deputy engineer, Jason is responsible for the oversight of the operation of all aspects of the Wood County Engineer’s Office, which includes highway maintenance, tax map, bridge, roadway, and drainage. The office employs a staff of more than 40 people and has an annual budget of over $11 million. In his prior experience, Jason held positions of tax map draftsman, staff engineer, civil engineer, city engineer, and roadway engineer.

Andy Stepnick, PE, Professional Engineer, City of Toledo

Andy graduated from the University of Toledo with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and is a Professional Engineer in the State of Ohio. With almost 20 years of experience at the City of Toledo, he spends much of his time communicating with residents, engineers, architects, business owners, and staff across various city departments regarding construction permitting, historic plans, field investigations, and permitted municipal stormwater system discharge compliance. In this role, Andy has evaluated and prescribed solutions for sanitary system performance issues, re-wrote the grant policies and procedures to expand aid to property owners, and worked on various infrastructure projects for the city. Additionally, Andy has collaborated with the Toledo Waterways Initiative by writing grants for stream and watershed restoration projects and evaluating system performance.