Los Alamos County Council Chair Sara Scott, far right, recognizes Linda Matteson, Assistant to the County Manager and Deputy County Manager Steve Lynne during the Council’s work session in White Rock. Matteson accepted an award in April on behalf of the County from the American Planning Association.Councilors expressed their pride in the award and their appreciation to all who work on tourism for Los Alamos County. Photo by Maire O’Neill/losalamosreporter.com

BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com

Linda Matteson, Assistant to the County Manager,  told the Los Alamos County Council Tuesday evening that capitalizing on Los Alamos’ tourism industry to drive economic growth has earned Los Alamos County and consulting firm, Design Workshop, a Silver National Planning Achievement Award for Economic Development Planning from the American Planning Association (APA).

The Los Alamos Tourism Strategic Plan is one of 20 Achievement Award recipients this year.  This plan was the result of an intensive 10 month planning effort that included several public forums and formation of a Tourism Work Group.  The plan was accepted by Council in February 2018.

Matteson accepted the 2019 National Planning Award on behalf of Los Alamos County  at a special luncheon during APA’s National Planning Conference in San Francisco on April 15.  The recipients will also be featured in the May issue of Planning magazine.

Each year, APA recognizes outstanding efforts in planning and planning leadership through its National Planning Excellence and Achievement Awards.  The two-tier awards are selected through a juried process.  Excellence Award recipients are the highest hone and Achievement Awards recognize accomplishments in areas of specialization within the planning profession.  The awards recognize outstanding community plans, planning programs and initiatives, public education efforts, and individuals for their leadership on planning issues for more than 50 years.