200909_ReporterOnline by American Public Works Association

in Columbus

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The National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP), National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) and National Association of Fleet Administrators (NAFA) endorse the use of Life Cycle Costing as a preferred procurement method.

CAT, CATERPILLAR, their respective logos, “Caterpillar Yellow” and the “Power Edge” trade dress, as well as corporate and product identity used herein, are trademarks of Caterpillar and may not be used without permission.

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APWA Reporter

September 2009

APWA Reporter

September 2009 Vol. 76, No. 9 The APWA Reporter, the official magazine of the American Public Works Association, covers all facets of public works for APWA members including industry news, legislative actions, management issues and emerging technologies.

Congress in Columbus!

Official Magazine of the American Public Works Association

I N S I D E

PUBLISHER American Public Works Association 2345 Grand Blvd., Suite #700 Kansas City, MO 64108-2625 (800) 848-APWA (Member Services Hotline) (816) 472-6100 (Kansas City metro area) FAX (816) 472-1610 e-mail: reporter@apwa.net Website: www.apwa.net EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Peter B. King

President’s Message

New Board member appointed

New APWA staff

Technical Committee News

For infrastructure… we need to commit to a more sustainable approach

EDITOR R. Kevin Clark GRAPHIC DESIGNER Julie Smith ADVERTISING SALES R. Kevin Clark Amanda Daniel Erin Ladd Kansas City Liaison Jennifer Wirz (800) 848-APWA (800) 800-0341 APWA WASHINGTON OFFICE 1401 K. Street NW, 11th floor Washington, D.C. 20005 (202) 408-9541 FAX (202) 408-9542 Disclaimer: The American Public Works Association assumes no responsibility for statements and/or opinions advanced by either editorial or advertising contributors to this issue. APWA reserves the right to refuse to publish and to edit manuscripts to conform to the APWA Reporter standards. Publisher’s Notice: The APWA Reporter, September 2009, Vol. 76, No. 9 (ISSN 0092-4873; Publications Agreement No. 40040340). The APWA Reporter is published monthly by the American Public Works Association, 2345 Grand Boulevard, Suite 700, Kansas City, MO 64108-2625. Subscription rate is $159 for nonmembers and $25 for chaptersponsored students. Periodicals postage paid at Kansas City, MO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the APWA Reporter, 2345 Grand Boulevard, #700, Kansas City, MO 64108-2625. Canada returns to: Station A, P.O. Box 54, Windsor, ON N9A 6J5.

A P W A

2008-2009 APWA Diversity Committee’s accomplishments

Windstorm event in Galesburg, Illinois

Awards 2009

C O N G R E S S

Four options to attend Congress

Don’t miss these at Congress!

One-day passes available for Congress

An innovative green solution for urban street renewal

Pretty good practices of a public works leader

Preparing for the unexpected! And the expected!

Cost, schedule and quality controls for capital projects

Streets that breathe

Alternative labor source for commingled recycling: a win-win situation in Moberly, Missouri

Recent street sweeping pilot studies are flawed

Sports field or stormwater infiltration area

C O L U M N S

Washington Insight

Reprints and Permissions: Information is available at www.apwa.net/Publications/Reporter/guidelines.asp.

Cleaning up the Kitchen

International Idea Exchange

110

Ask Ann

Address Change? To alert us of a change to your membership record, contact an APWA Membership Specialist at (800) 848-APWA or membership@apwa.net. The APWA Reporter is printed by Harmony Printing & Development Co., Liberty, MO.

APWA Reporter

September 2009

Annual UPROW issue: Articles concerning utilities and public right-of-way are on pages 11, 62, 64, 70, 72, 76, 80 and 82.

On the cover: Columbus, Ohio, site of the 2009 APWA Congress (photo courtesy of Randall L. Schieber)

F E A T U R E S

Crossbores: the hidden danger

Utility Damage Prevention: What can your agency do?

Distribution Integrity Management Program

Leveraging new technologies for better highway project coordination

Keyhole coring and replacement: the right solution for right-of-way owners

Pipelines and Informed Planning Alliance: Promoting safety for pipelines and communities

Utility rights-of-way past and present

Unconventional roadway design “seed” planted with MoDOT years earlier bears fruit with innovative CFI in Missouri

Rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure: a golden opportunity for civil engineering

The Pineywoods Mitigation Bank

Reducing costs and consumption by integrating energy and asset management

Parks and sustainable cities from thin air

Wilsonville Public Works Department lives up to its motto

102

Inflatable dam helps Marysville, Ohio, meet project schedule and budget

104

Real gold at the end of the rainbow

106

Monumental Makeover: Milwaukee City Hall’s (exterior) restoration is complete after six years

102

W O R K Z O N E

112

WorkZone: Your Connection to Public Works Careers

M A R K E T P L A C E

116

Products in the News

118

Professional Directory

C A L E N D A R

Education Calendar

120

World of Public Works Calendar

115

Index of Advertisers

108

September 2009

APWA Reporter

The best work in life

Noel Thompson APWA President

t’s September, so this is my last President’s Message. What a ride! As any past APWA President would tell you, being president of this great Association is a fabulous experience, forever memorable because of the wonderful professionals one meets and works with on so many worthy initiatives, and it is brighter than and over quicker than the flash of a strobe light. For me, it’s been an exhilarating, yet humbling experience, as I’ve learned so much from everyone I’ve met, and I’ve been supported by so many. Most importantly, though, the experience has affirmed that we public works professionals distinguish ourselves daily as we perform the best work in life, the work that makes a difference in so many lives and is fundamental to and necessary for civilization to work. Last year in New Orleans, I spoke about our public works community, our promises to keep and work to be done. Over the last year, we’ve done much good work and kept our promises. That is good for APWA and, more importantly, it is good for those we serve. It also demonstrates the tremendous value APWA offers to our communities. Little did we know that only a month after leaving New Orleans, a cascading financial catastrophe would shake the planet more intensively than any crisis since the Great Depression. It is still unfolding as governments, businesses, institutions and families reorder priorities, restructure business practices and rebuild their assets. APWA is part of this global revitalization. It is still the best work in life. Here are some examples of our best work this year: Tapping into APWA’s vast talent reservoir, we formed the APWA Center for Sustainability to help delineate our role in environmental stewardship and sustainability, areas that challenge public works organizations across the United States and Canada. The Center is developing a framework to increase the capacity of public works professionals to integrate current and future social, economic and environmental outcomes into local public works management and all aspects of APWA, advancing our communities and our profession for their betterment and healthy survival. Beginning last November, the Board initiated a strategic planning effort culminating in a revised plan that will be ready for the Board of Directors to adopt at Congress in 6

APWA Reporter

September 2009

Columbus. Through the process, we affirmed that we are a sound organization, well positioned to support and advance the leaders who will address global challenges for the coming years. In this trying year, our chapters continue to excel at building their capabilities to deliver more and better educational programs for their members and constituents. The chapters are our most significant realm of responsibility for delivering public works educational programs, for advocacy and networking. They are working more closely with our National and Technical Committees than ever before, gleaning many ideas to apply in their programs. Many have created Public Works Institutes and are working with or developing affiliations with college student groups to form student chapters. Many chapters have increased their roster numbers by demonstrating their value. As part of our intention to enhance educational programs at all levels, the second Educational Summit was held in March. Chapter participants shared information on assessing educational needs, new programs, new program design, new delivery methods and the tried and true. This lively, innovative and fun exchange helps chapters build member benefits. The positive ways the chapters use their resources reveals their magnificent ingenuity. The 2008 Congress in New Orleans was again sensational, made especially meaningful by the work and contributions of the chapters, members and spouses at the St. Bernard Parish Project. The Mardi Gras Parade to the Audubon Aquarium, where the Get Acquainted Party was held, was an unbelievably festive event. The North American Snow Conference continues to progress, notably with its growing equipment show broadening the dimension and quality of offerings to our winter weather professionals. The Symposium on Sustainability is fast building a reputation as the forum for practitioners to learn proven ways to address public-sector issues. The Symposium will be an even higher-value venue as it adds an exposition in the future. One of the most vibrant and effective programs to materialize recently is our Emerging Leaders Program. This year-long leadership program consisting of a series of exciting developmental activities and assignments exposes and grows talented and motivated public works professionals who are des-

tined to lead us and their agencies in the future (probably the not-so-distant future). APWA staff functions, particularly Professional Development, Credentialing, Information Technology and Sustainability, have new organizational emphases with realigned APWA staff responsibilities. Our remarkable staff has consistently performed well for us, and will be even better focused to provide the highest quality service as we move forward. This realignment not only reflects our emphasis on member and constituent needs, but is also responsive to the Blueprint Task Force for Certification and Education. Complementing the staff’s effectiveness, the Body of Knowledge Task Force and committees that were assigned tasks through the Blueprint Task Force are completing their assignments on a timely basis, and fulfilling the task force’s recommendations. That work will provide greater clarity, coherence, direction and accessibility to our education and certification programs. Building and strengthening alliances with public and private organizations that share our interests has been rewarding this year. We continue exploring the benefits of partnering with

other organizations. We renewed our affiliations with our allied associations, built stronger ties with governmental units, and signed a new partnership with the National Association of Regional Councils (NARC). We will continue building vibrant relationships that benefit our members and our nations. When visiting chapters this year, the APWA Executive Committee reached out to our large agencies to hear their concerns, share information, offer assistance, build relationships, and seek further engagement in APWA. This rewarding experience has opened a number of doors where we will have new and more opportunities to construct long-lasting amity supportive of public works. APWA reaches out in many ways to many people to advance our programs. One of our most effective tools for doing that is the APWA Reporter. This summer, the Reporter received two of the 2009 ECO Awards, a competition recognizing and honoring excellence in the environmental communications field. The Reporter received ECO Awards in two categories: (1) Print Magazine, for our first-ever “Sustainability” issue (the May ’09 issue); and (2) Regular Column for the “President’s Message” in the February, March, April and May issues. Congratulations and a huge personal thank you to

Diversity Awareness Corner

“Each person’s map of the world is as unique as the person’s thumbprint. There are no two people alike, no two people who understand the same sentence the same way. So in dealing with people, you try not to fit them to your concept of what they should be.” – Milton H. Erickson (1901-1980), American psychiatrist and author

AMERICAN PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION

Mission Statement: The American Public Works Association serves its members by promoting professional excellence and public awareness through education, advocacy and the exchange of knowledge. BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT Noel C. Thompson Consultant Thompson Resources Louisville, KY PRESIDENT-ELECT Larry T. Koehle, P.Eng., MPA Director of Public Works and Engineering Town of Caledon, ON PAST PRESIDENT Larry W. Frevert, P.E. Vice President and National Program Director/Public Works HDR Engineering, Inc. Kansas City, MO

ADVISORY COUNCIL DIRECTOR, REGION IV Shelby P. LaSalle, Jr. Chairman and CEO Krebs, LaSalle, LeMieux Consultants, Inc. Metairie, LA DIRECTOR, REGION V David L. Lawry, P.E. General Services Group Director City of Elgin, IL DIRECTOR, REGION VI Larry Stevens, P.E. Director SUDAS Program Iowa State University Ames, IA

DIRECTOR, REGION I Jean-Guy Courtemanche Business Development Lumec, Inc. Boisbriand, QC

DIRECTOR, REGION VII Jimmy B. Foster, P.E. Senior Project Manager HNTB Corporation Plano, TX

DIRECTOR, REGION II Ed Gottko, P.E. Town Administrator (retired) Town of Westfield, NJ

DIRECTOR, REGION VIII Ann Burnett-Troisi Governmental Liaison for Pacific Bell (retired) San Diego, CA

DIRECTOR, REGION III Elizabeth Treadway Vice President AMEC Earth & Environmental Greensboro, NC

DIRECTOR, REGION IX Doug Drever, P.Eng. Project Director City of Saskatoon, SK

DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE, ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY Patty Hilderbrand, P.E. Program Management & Development Manager City of Kansas City, MO DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE, ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT George R. Crombie, MPA Senior Faculty Member, Public Works Administration Norwich University Northfield, Vermont DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE, FLEET & FACILITIES MANAGEMENT Ken A. Nerland Director, General Services Dept. City of Fresno, CA DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE, PUBLIC WORKS MGMT./LEADERSHIP Diane Linderman, P.E. Director, Urban Infrastructure and Development Services VHB, Inc. Richmond, VA DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE, TRANSPORTATION Susan M. Hann, P.E., AICP, ICMA-CM Deputy City Manager City of Palm Bay, FL

(Past APWA Presidents) Larry W. Frevert, Chair Robert Albee

Erwin F. Hensch

John J. Roark

Roger K. Brown

Robert S. Hopson

Harold E. Smith

Myron D. Calkins

Ronald W. Jensen

June Rosentreter Spence

Joseph F. Casazza

Dwayne Kalynchuk

Tom Trice

Nick W. Diakiw

Martin J. Manning

William A. Verkest

Robert C. Esterbrooks

James J. McDonough

Win Westfall

Jerry M. Fay

Robert Miller

Carl D. Wills

Bob Freudenthal

Judith M. Mueller

Herbert A. Goetsch

Ronald L. Norris

J. Geoffrey Greenough

Michael R. Pender

Ken Haag

Richard L. Ridings

Executive Director Peter B. King

Executive Director Emeritus Robert D. Bugher

Editorial Advisory Board Myron D. Calkins

Susan M. Hann

Gordon R. Garner

Stephen J. O’Neill

Neil S. Grigg

Kyle E. Schilling

September 2009

APWA Reporter

all staff and members who have contributed to making our periodical so outstanding. You should be proud of this recognition. This is another aspect of APWA becoming a more prominent organization known for our excellence.

sion during this difficult economic period. Thanks also to this year’s Finance Committee, directors and staff who have guided us through this unparalleled financial circumstance with astute decisions and measured actions.

Over a decade ago, on the heels of a dangerous financial experience for APWA, a sagacious Finance Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that we should have a reserve fund that would be available for strategic initiatives and rainy days. The directors agreed and created the Reserve Fund. That is particularly important in an organization like ours that derives revenues from a limited number of sources to fund many initiatives, and the sources being somewhat vulnerable to the vicissitudes of the weather and the economy. Thanks and salutations to that wise Finance Committee and Board and succeeding Finance Committees and directors who since then have built APWA’s Reserve Fund. Because of their foresight, we have been able to fulfill our mis-

It’s the nature of the universe that there are always new challenges arising that demand our attention. What solved one problem may have side effects or those nasty unintended consequences requiring new solutions. As the new challenges arise, we respond quickly, we work assiduously, we formulate sound positions and expertly develop programs to address them. It is the nature of this great organization to do that willingly and well. Therein lies a difference.

New Board member appointed Daryl Grigsby, a member of the Washington State Chapter, has been appointed to the Board of Directors as the Director-atLarge, Environmental Management. His appointment fills the unexpired term of George Crombie, who will assume the position of President-Elect during the APWA Congress & Exposition in Columbus, Ohio. Grigsby is the Public Works Director for the City of Kirkland, Wash., where he manages 105 staff and a $50 million capital and operating budget. Under Grigsby’s direction, the Public Works Department manages a nationally recognized pedestrian safety program and a solid waste program with the highest single-family recycling rate in King County. Prior to his present position, Grigsby served as Director of King County’s Water and Land Resource Division, Director of Transportation for the City of Seattle, and Director of the Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle Wastewater Treatment Department. Grigsby has been a member of the Washington State Chapter since 1998 and has participated on a number of committees, including the Strategic Planning Committee, Membership Committee, and Government Affairs Committee. At the national level, he was appointed by Past President Bill Verkest to serve on the Chapter Advocacy Task Force, and has been a member of the Urban Forum. In 2008, Grigsby received the Washington Chapter’s Roy Morse Award for Excellence in Public Works. He was recognized as one of APWA’s Top Ten Public Works Leaders earlier this year.

APWA Reporter

September 2009

Members, chapters, committees, delegates, Board of Directors, CPWA, staff, All About Travel, friends, family and Sue made every good thing possible this year. Thank you for your work. Thank you for keeping our promises. Thank you for the wonderful year.

New APWA staff Laura Bynum has joined the APWA staff as the Communications/Media Relations Manager. Laura is responsible for APWA’s communications outreach, media relations and strategic communications planning. Her responsibilities include managing the Congress press room/press conferences and press kits, and overseeing APWA communications including press releases, press information distribution, press information for social media, the Washington Report, and media monitoring/analysis. Laura’s recent background includes four years of experience in nonprofit association senior communications roles for the American Society of Training & Development and the Paperboard Packaging Council, both based in Alexandria, Virginia. Prior to that, she was the Public Relations Manager of the Omaha Symphony in Omaha, Nebraska, during the time when the symphony was relocating its primary venue to the new Holland Performing Arts Center and conducting a search for its new world-class music director. After graduate school, Laura was in public relations for Jim Walter Homebuilding, Inc., a branch of Walter Industries, located in Tampa, Florida, which also has branch companies in building project pipes, coal mining, and mortgage/finance companies. Her master’s degree is from the University of South Florida in Mass Communications/Public Relations, and her bachelor’s degree is from the University of Hawaii in Journalism. Laura lives in Springfield, Virginia, with her husband, a retired Air Force Colonel, her two daughters and two dogs.

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National Infrastructure Bank garners interest in Congress Maggie Oldham Government Affairs Associate American Public Works Association Washington, D.C. n May 20, 2009, Representative Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT 3rd) introduced HR 2521, The National Infrastructure Development Bank Act of 2009. The act would fund and create a bank that would direct public and private dollars toward infrastructure projects of national and regional significance, including highways, transit, drinking and wastewater facilities, and broadband development. Modeled after The European Investment Bank, it would include an independent Board of Directors, an Executive Committee that would handle the day-to-day operations of the bank, and both Audit and Risk Management Committees to carefully monitor the bank’s activities. The bank would be capitalized with $5 billion a year for five years with authorized appropriations and $250 billion in total capital, which would be available from the U.S. Department of Treasury, if needed. This legislation comes on the heels of similar proposals included in President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Blueprint, the congressionally-passed Budget Resolution and, most recently, in the Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009. On June 18, Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, James L. Oberstar (D-MN), introduced his six-year, $450 billion plan. The Chairman’s bill specifically calls for the creation of a National Infrastructure Bank to better leverage limited transportation dollars. In 2007, Senators Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and Chuck Hagel (R-NE) introduced S 1926, The National Infrastructure Bank Act of 2007, which would create an independent national bank, financed with a $60 billion bond issue. The bank would have been tasked with identifying, evaluating and helping to finance infrastructure projects of regional and national importance. The legislation did not make it out of committee, and died late last year at the end of the 110th Congress.

thority to, among other things, issue “public benefit” bonds; make loans and offer loan guarantees; and purchase and sell infrastructure-related loans and securities on the global capital market. Depoliticize Infrastructure Investment: The Bank would consider infrastructure projects in the realm of transportation (i.e., highways, transit, inland waterways, rail and air travel); the environment (i.e., drinking and wastewater facilities and hazardous waste facilities); energy (i.e., renewable energy transmission and building efficiency); and telecommunications (i.e., broadband development). The Bank would objectively consider the economic, environmental, social benefits and costs of infrastructure projects, as well as other specific criteria, and fund projects of significance. Capitalize a Bank: The Bank would be capitalized with $25 billion over the first five years of its existence and have an additional $250 billion from the U.S. Treasury. It would be authorized to make loans 2.5 times its total authorized capital for a total of $625 billion in financing capacity. This legislation has been introduced at a time when policymakers are considering new ways to address the needs for our nation’s deteriorating infrastructure. The congressionally-chartered National Surface Transportation and Policy Revenue Study Commission found that the nation needs to increase investment to at least $225 billion annually for the next 50 years to bring the transportation system into good repair. The nation currently invests less than 40 percent of that amount. The Environmental Protection Agency’s 1999 Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey found that $150 billion would need to be invested over 20 years to keep drinking water safe and clean. According to Rep. DeLauro, “A National Infrastructure Bank would leverage private sector dollars to invest in our most critical transportation, environmental, energy and telecommunications infrastructure needs.”

According to Congresswoman DeLauro’s office, HR 2521 would:

APWA will continue to monitor this issue. For updates and additional information please visit APWA’s advocacy web page at www.apwa.net/Advocacy.

Attract Private Investment Toward Critical Infrastructure Projects: The Bank Board would have the au-

Maggie Oldham can be reached at (202) 218-6712 or moldham@ apwa.net.

APWA Reporter

September 2009

Utilities, out of sight and out of mind… but not out of danger! Carol S. Estes, P.E. Professional Development Program Manager American Public Works Association Kansas City, Missouri ooking at the parkways and streets they travel each day, most citizens would never guess how many utilities lie hidden beneath green lawns and landscaping. In most cases, what seems like unused space is crammed full of water, sewer, electric and a host of other utilities that support everyday life. Even the smallest of public works projects must first locate and map both the above-ground and the hidden underground. Done properly, utilities are protected from damage, construction workers remain safe and projects proceed on schedule. Done improperly, utilities may sustain expensive damages, workers may be injured or killed, and projects may fall behind schedule and go over budget. The best protection is accurate utility location and one of the focus areas of the Utility and Public Right-of-Way Committee, or UPROW.

writing articles for this edition of the APWA Reporter. Articles submitted by the committee include:

•

“Crossbores: the hidden danger” by Monty Zimmerman and Murv Morehead

•

“Utility Damage Prevention: What can your agency do?” by Jay T. Spurgin, Juan Lopez and Khrysanne Kerr

•

“Distribution Integrity Management Program” by Mike Israni, Robert Smith and Shawn O’Keefe

•

Gas Industry GIROW

Right-of-Way

Each subcommittee is chaired by a committee member and is charged with oversight of a specialized technical area of concern. In addition, each subcommittee prepares or oversees the development of an educational session for Congress. Subcommittee membership is open to all who are interested in right-of-way issues. To apply for subcommittee membership, contact Staff Liaison Carol Estes at cestes@apwa.net. The current members of the UPROW Technical Committee are:

“Leveraging new technologies for better highway project coordina- • tion” by Alicia Farag and T. Mark Andraka

Monty Zimmerman (Chair), Right of Way Manager, City of Lenexa, Kansas

“Keyhole coring and replacement: • the right solution for right-of-way owners” by Murv Morehead, Dennis Jarnecke and T. Mark Andraka • “Pipelines and Informed Planning Alliance: Promoting safety for pipelines and communities” by • Monty Zimmerman

T. Mark Andraka, Senior Engineer, PECO Energy Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

•

Don Reid, Paving Program Manager, City of Nashville, Tennessee

•

Jay T. Spurgin, P.E., Deputy Public Works Director/City Engineer, City of Thousand Oaks, California

•

Patricia Hilderbrand, P.E. (Board Liaison), Program Management & Development Manager, City of Kansas City, Missouri

•

Carol Estes, P.E. (Staff Liaison), Professional Development Program Manager, APWA Kansas City Office

One of APWA’s busiest Technical Committees, UPROW has been researching • the possibility of developing a Locate Technician certification program. Although there are many training programs available to locate technicians, there is no national certification pro- If you are interested in matters related gram existing that tests and certifies to utilities or right-of-way, you may locators. The committee has developed want to consider joining the unique a proposal for such a program and will subcommittee structure of UPROW. be submitting it to the Certification There are currently four subcommittees with open membership. You may Commission for review. apply directly to a subcommittee and At the APWA Congress this year, the do not need to fill out an application UPROW Committee will present “Util- or go through an appointment process. ity Damage Prevention – What Can Time commitment is generally limited Your Agency Do?” The session will pro- to six, one-hour conference calls a year. vide practical information for reducing damage to utilities and the resultant The four current UPROW subcommitproject delays. The committee will also tees are: present “Keyhole Technology – Pave• Right-of-Way Management ment Micro-Surgery.” • Construction Practices OCSI/Underground Damage PreIn addition to the education sessions • vention at Congress, the committee has been

Michael T. Joyner, Liaison Director, Utilities Protection Center, Vidalia, Georgia Shawn O’Keefe, P.E., Engineer III, City of St. Paul, Minnesota

Carol Estes can be reached at (816) 5955222 or cestes@apwa.net.

September 2009

APWA Reporter

For infrastructure… we need to commit to a more sustainable approach W. Gary Losier, P.Eng. CPWA President

When I began my term as CPWA President last September, it was already apparent that investment in infrastructure was lining up to play a key role in the economic stimulus packages of our two North American countries. By January 2009, infrastructure was not only a “hot topic,” but was now a cornerstone of the economic stimulus plans of the administrations of both Stephen Harper’s continuing Conservative government in Canada and that of the newly-elected U.S. President Barack Obama. Investment in infrastructure was touted as a means to create new jobs and stimulate deteriorating economies in both Canada and the U.S.

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APWA Reporter

September 2009

Certainly, the rush to get the money out and flowing was palpable on both sides of the border. Terms like “shovelready” became part of the new vernacular of economic stimulus. Studies of the status of infrastructure were touted, and the common knowledge (at least in public works) that our respective countries’ infrastructures were aging and underfunded was once again in the limelight. In Canada, a Federation of Canadian Municipalities report concluded that Canada had used up 79 percent of the service life of its public infrastructure. The report set the price for eliminating Canada’s municipal infrastructure deficit at $123 billion (Canadian). In the U.S., the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) issued their updated “Report Card” for infrastructure grading the U.S. infrastructure at a just-abovefailing grade of D and estimating necessary investment at $2.2 trillion (U.S.). This was the political and economic climate as the Canadian Public Works Association Board of Directors sat down with Infrastructure Canada and other officials at the beginning of 2009. It was the worst of times for infrastructure, knowing the extent of our national infrastructure deficit; but it was also the best of times with circumstances opening a window of opportunity to begin on the road to reducing that deficit. Given that the Government’s new budget had just announced that infrastructure spending would account for nearly a third of all stimulus spending, totaling $12 billion in all, CPWA wanted to be involved in communicating the scope of the projects and the application process. Over the crucial months that followed, CPWA’s response to the Government and the stimulus has been one targeted at assisting in getting the funds flowing. Our letter to key policymakers in February recommended an accessible funding application system that would not be onerous or put obstacles in the path of legitimate projects. We pointed to past examples of application processes that have worked well. Furthermore, we recommended that eligible projects should cover a diverse range of skills to promote equitable sharing of employment opportunities among the trades. At other opportunities this year, CPWA has also reminded the Government that a longer-term approach is needed to move towards a more sustainable infrastructure for Canada. As we move forward with future programs, it was suggested

that perhaps evidence of a viable asset management plan should serve as a prerequisite for municipalities to receive government funding. Infrastructure should not be viewed as assets that get a “quick fix” but should be measured, evaluated, operated and maintained on a continuum. CPWA has historically acted upon our commitment to the reality that the Government and others need to take a longer-term, measureable, and more sustainable approach to infrastructure issues. Our early contribution to projects such as “Infraguide,” which remains a model in the sharing of best practices for infrastructure, has demonstrated our involvement over the long term. Our stakeholder participation in the National Roundtable for Sustainable Infrastructure (NRTSI) has been ongoing; as is our commitment to the NRTSI National Asset Management Working Group. Most recently, CPWA committed to be a member of the Advisory Group for a new Canadian Standards Association (CSA)-led Municipal Infrastructure Program (ISP) to develop training programs for municipal infrastructure professionals and stakeholders, as well as produce best practices and standards for municipal infrastructure development. As to the future, CPWA is encouraging the Government to take a more active role in providing the interest, resources,

funding and departmental support that would ensure the future of these infrastructure stakeholder roundtables and workgroups. Recently, the National Asset Management Working Group delivered a valuable report on an “Asset Management Framework for Canada”—a result of the teamwork among the infrastructure community. CPWA endorses and recommends this Framework and would like to see the future efforts of such collaborations more fully supported by the Government. In summary, it has been an important year for the CPWA Board, public works professionals across Canada, and for infrastructure itself. It has been a year where infrastructure issues have been in the spotlight! In some ways, it’s been the best of times when it comes to exposure for our public works issues. Our CPWA mission is to ensure that the work continues when the spotlight turns somewhere else. CPWA is committed to a more sustainable future for infrastructure and public works. W. Gary Losier, P.Eng., is the Director of Engineering and Works for the Town of Quispamsis, New Brunswick; is the Immediate Past President of the Atlantic Provinces Chapter; and is the current CPWA President. He can be reached at (506) 849-5749 or glosier@quispamsis.ca.

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September 2009

APWA Reporter

2008-2009 APWA Diversity Committee’s accomplishments Jennifer Adams, LCSW Deputy Public Works Manager City of Tempe, Arizona Chair, APWA Diversity Committee he Diversity Committee has had a successful and challenging year. Our diverse and dedicated members worked tirelessly to promote our committee’s agenda. We began this year’s journey by focusing on President Thompson’s 20082009 Top Priorities that provided the Diversity Committee with goals and objectives. He charged the committee with the following: “Work with other organizations and education systems to promote public works as a profession of choice for students and young people entering the workforce; encourage young people to invest in scientific, technical and engineering educations to help North America avoid a loss of economic strength and prominence in a world market driven by technology; and support and promote cooperation among kindred associations to produce

NPWW (National Public Works Week) outreach to students and educators.” Along with the Diversity Committee, the previously established Generational Subcommittee was charged with promoting President Thompson’s priorities. The Generational Subcommittee’s mission is: “To recruit, develop, connect, empower and retain young professionals in APWA through increased opportunities and resources to enhance their professional development and success within the association and the public works industry.” We focused on attracting and retaining college students and young professionals into APWA. In order to promote our goals, we encouraged chapter presidents to send welcome letters to new APWA college students and T:7” young professionals. The subcommittee also developed a

tip sheet to help chapters engage college students and young professionals when joining APWA. We encouraged local chapters to assign a “Buddy” for new members as they transitioned into their new role as APWA members. The subcommittee held a webcast on April 23 on how to engage new APWA students and young professionals. This year, the subcommittee will provide an educational workshop (“Productivity through Generational Diversity”) at Congress. The focus at the workshop will be on the four generations working effectively together. Finally, the subcommittee held the first-ever Young Professionals Networking Reception in New Orleans. The reception was well attended by a diverse and energetic group of young professionals. The Progressive Women in Public Works Subcommittee is another dy-

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APWA Reporter

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namic and active group working to In addition to the previously listed promote the Diversity Committee’s events, the Diversity Committee will mission. The subcommittee hosted host three educational sessions at the third-annual Women’s Breakfast at Congress: Congress. Ms. Doris Voitier, Superintendent of Schools for St. Bernard Par- • “A View from the Top” will feature three panelists who will discuss ish in New Orleans, gave a vivid and their unique experience as women moving account of the aftermath of in public works; the Hurricane Katrina catastrophe.

•

We had quarterly communication with our Diversity Liaisons on ways to create inclusive atmospheres within our chapters.

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We hosted the twelfth-annual First-Timers Meeting in New Orleans with 185 attendees, and we are planning the thirteenth-annual First-Timers Meeting for Columbus, Ohio.

That Works” The subcommittee also conducted a • “Mentoring will focus on the Chicago follow-up survey from a 2006 survey Metro Chapter’s student outreach • to assess the progress made for women efforts; and in public works. We had 936 women participants this year compared to 204 • “Productivity through Generationparticipants in 2006. The results can al Diversity” will focus on the adbe found in the May 2009 issue of the vantages of generational diversity. APWA Reporter. Some of the major findings indicated that women are inter- The Diversity Committee also sent out • ested in educational opportunities for a Chapter Diversity Survey to Diversity managing employees and increasing Liaisons and Chapter Presidents. The their conflict management skills. Un- survey had an impressive 73 percent fortunately, more than 58 percent of response rate. The results can be found • women still believe that the glass ceil- on the APWA web page under “Divering exists, especially when it comes to sity Resources.” promotional opportunities. The Diversity Committee is made up In addition to the survey project, the of an extraordinary group of dedicated Progressive Women in Public Works volunteers and we are proud to highSubcommittee hosted the Annual Net- light several of our accomplishments working Reception at Congress. The this year: subcommittee also posted communi- • cation on the infoNOW Community regarding a variety of successes and challenges related to women and pub• lic works. The Diversity Committee as a whole sponsors two important events at the beginning of Congress: the First-Timers Meeting and the Diversity Brunch. This year, the First-Timers Meeting will discuss how to get the most out of Congress; introduce the educational sessions that APWA offers; and educate attendees on how to use the exhibits to their advantage while making some new contacts from around the world. Another important diversity event at Congress this year will be the Diversity Brunch. Sadicka White, Director, Planning and Development, City of Gahanna, Ohio, will tell her story about overcoming the challenges she experienced as an African-American woman in a male-dominated profession.

We published 12 articles on diversity-related topics for the APWA Reporter. We published five articles in Bridges on chapter inclusiveness.

Diane Linderman, APWA Board Liaison, gave a diversity presentation, “Creating Solutions by Embracing Diversity,” to the North Carolina Chapter Conference on June 17, 2009. We continued the Diversity Awareness Corner in each issue of the APWA Reporter. It has been a privilege and pleasure to serve as the Diversity Committee Chair and to have worked with such a dedicated and enthusiastic group of volunteers. I would like to extend a special thanks to the APWA staff and all the committee members who worked so diligently to promote diversity. Thank you for affording me the opportunity to serve.

Jennifer Adams can be reached at (480) 350-8835 or jennifer_adams@tempe.gov.

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September 2009

APWA Reporter

Windstorm event in Galesburg, Illinois Larry Cox Director of Public Works City of Galesburg, Illinois Chair, Awards Committee APWA Illinois Chapter n Thursday, August 23, 2007, at approximately 1:00 p.m., the City of Galesburg, Illinois, was hit with a strong thunderstorm. It traveled much faster than most summer storms, and it built up strength as it approached the city. Emergency services were given only five minutes warning as the storm hit the city, and the Public Works Department received little or no warning. The storm hit the center of Galesburg with straight-line winds in excess of 60 mph; maximum wind speed was estimated at 100 mph. Damage was widespread across the entire city, with the most severe damage occurring along a line from the southwest side to the east side of the city. Along this path there were several trees uprooted and many buildings with severe roof, siding and window damage; several garages and small structures were completely destroyed. An Engineering Division employee was caught out in the storm in a City van along the most severe path. He witnessed the effects of the storm firsthand seeing siding being blown off homes, windows being blown out, and numerous tree limbs and utility lines falling. The van he was in was lifted up on two wheels twice during the few minutes of the storm passing. Police, Fire and Public Works Department employees responded immediately. The Public Works Department closed and barricaded streets where power lines were down, and began cutting trees and limbs down in the street. Tree debris was moved to the edge of the street to allow traffic flow where possible. Where utility lines were entangled with tree limbs, the street was closed until utility company personnel could remove or cut the power to downed wires. A press conference was held the following day to give notice and warnings to citizens. The Mayor, City Manager, Fire Chief (who is also the County Emergency Services Coordinator), Police Captain, Public Works Director, County Health Dept. Director, and a representative from AmerenIP, the local electric provider, all spoke during the press conference. Warnings about downed electric lines, spoiled food and scam artists were given, along with a street closure update, cleanup plan, city and other services available, and an electrical outage update and plan for restoration. The Mayor proclaimed the storm an official disaster in the city. Through the Fire Chief, an assistance request for trucks to haul debris, equipment to load the debris and equipment to burn the debris was made of the Illinois Emergency Management Association. 16

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September 2009

An example of the damage that was typical throughout Galesburg, Illinois, after the windstorm of August 23, 2007

Public Works Department employees worked through the weekend removing debris from the traveled way as utilities removed power lines. Electricity was restored to almost every resident by Sunday, August 26. Crews worked the following week clearing streets; most material was simply moved off the road for later pickup. Crews also cleared debris from playgrounds in City parks and other critical areas. A temporary tree debris collection site was prepared on six acres of farm ground the City owns just north of town. A local contractor was hired to install a temporary road base through the cornfield and City forces hauled asphalt millings from a City stockpile to place on top of the roadway. The Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oversize brush collection facility, normally opened three days per week, was opened up for residents to bring their tree limbs six days per week. The following week, public works officials met with Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) officials about the needs of the city and the availability of IDOT equipment and manpower. Other nearby communities began calling to offer their assistance with the cleanup efforts. On September 4 the collection of material began, with employees working 10-hour days, five days per week. Three grappling-hook loader trucks were hired to load material along with the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s three end loaders equipped with 4-in-1 buckets. Approximately 40 workers in six crews were used to pick up material. Of the total workers, 23 were City employees. The County Highway Department and ten surrounding communities and townships provided trucks, drivers and

other equipment to help with the cleanup efforts, and IDOT provided 12 dump trucks and drivers. IDOT also provided an air curtain burner, a dozer and a clam shell loader to help burn the material.

Another example of the damage that was typical throughout the city

Press releases were issued as the collection progressed throughout the city. An interactive map was provided on the City’s website showing the areas already picked up and the next areas crews were moving into. The city-wide pickup was completed on September 28; from the 4th through the 28th, 4,308 dump truck loads of material or approximately 38,000 cubic yards of material were picked up. This material was all taken to the City’s farm field site north of town and burned by IDOT workers both in the air curtain burner and on the ground.

On October 1 efforts turned to removing broken, damaged and dangerous tree limbs and trees. The City Forestry Division crew began moving through the city removing all broken and dangerous tree limbs, unless power lines prohibited their work. A private contractor was hired to begin removing extensively damaged trees. City employees, trucks and equipment hauled the material from these removals. The costs incurred as a result of the storm, from August 23 through October 12, included $8,399 in materials, $75,970 for rented equipment, $50,973 in overtime and $178,993 in City equipment expenses. On October 19, then-Governor Blagojevich announced that Knox County was added to the federal disaster declaration for reimbursement to local governments affected by the August 23 storm. The City received 75% reimbursement of the eligible expenses related to the storm response and recovery. Efforts are now focused on a reforestation plan for the City and preparing for the anticipated arrival of the Emerald Ash Borer. Plans to address both of these issues are prepared, but the completion and implementation of these plans will be multi-year projects. Larry Cox can be reached at (309) 345-3624 or larrycox@ ci.galesburg.il.us.

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APWA Reporter

Awards 2009

PWA’s Awards Program recognizes outstanding individuals, groups and chapters representing the best in public works. In the April issue of the APWA Reporter we announced the recipients of the Excellence in Snow and Ice Control Award; in the May issue we paid tribute to the Top Ten Public Works Leaders of the Year; and in the July issue we covered the Public Works Projects of the Year. In this issue we announce the rest of this year’s award winners, recognizing their achievements in excellence demonstrated by their vision, passion and delivery of service to their communities.

Professional Manager of the Year Award – Administrative Management The Professional Manager of the Year Award in Administrative Management seeks to recognize outstanding achievement in the area of administration within the public works department and to inspire excellence and dedication in the public sector by recognizing the outstanding career service achievements of administrative professionals. Becky A. Carlson Public Works Administration Division Manager City of Eugene, Oregon Since assuming her duties as Administration Division Manager for the City of Eugene Department of Public Works in 2004, Becky A. Carlson has made major contributions to the organization that have directly served to improve the overall health, safety and welfare of the community. With a vast array of responsibilities, Carlson oversees a total of 27 management funds while assuring the effective financial, human resources, and public affairs services of a large and complex public works department. During Carlson’s tenure, the utility billing function was redeployed from another work area to Public Works Administration and her staff now manages nearly 60,000 utility accounts while making the transition to a web-based billing system. Carlson has used this opportunity to build stronger partnerships with the other various private utility companies to pursue strategies such as joint billing models as a means of maximizing efficiencies and minimizing overhead costs and inconvenience to the customer base. Her ability to 18

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September 2009

build these strategic alliances is critical to the City’s potential for pursuing other local partnering opportunities.

Professional Manager of the Year Award – Engineering and Technology The Professional Manager of the Year Award in the Engineering and Technology category recognizes the outstanding career service achievements of engineering and technology professionals. Bobby Teague, P.E. Director of Engineering and Infrastructure City of Fayetteville, North Carolina As Director of Engineering and Infrastructure for the City of Fayetteville, Bobby Teague has responsibility over construction management, stormwater, street maintenance and traffic services in addition to engineering and infrastructure. He has 124 employees under his supervision with an annual operation and capital budget in excess of $29 million. During his time in Fayetteville, Teague has more than doubled the expenditures for the City’s roadway resurfacing efforts, greatly enhancing the quality of life in the community. The City of Fayetteville recently implemented a comprehensive stormwater management ordinance that took effect January 1, 2009. Over the past year, Teague led a stakeholders group that basically wrote the ordinance in its entirety. This stakeholders group was compiled of City staff, local design engineers, developers, builders and other professionals. Although very controversial, the City was able to walk away from this process with a comprehensive ordinance that both the City and developers could work with. Teague’s ability to see both sides of the issues was a key reason why this process was successful.

Professional Manager of the Year Award – Public Fleet The Professional Manager of the Year Award in the Public Fleet category recognizes the outstanding career service achievements of public fleet management professionals with the award’s primary focus on exceptional leadership and management of public sector fleets.

Ernie Ivy Fleet Director City and County of Denver, Colorado Ernie Ivy is a 28-year employee of the City and County of Denver. He began his career in the City of Denver in 1981 as a Heavy Equipment Mechanic and, driven by a passion for the fleet industry, advanced to the positions of Supervisor, Manager, and Denver Fleet Director. He has 22 years of supervisory experience and 12 years of experience serving as Fleet Manager and Fleet Director. Ivy’s desire to make the City and County of Denver a worldwide leader in the acquisition of green vehicle technology and alternative fuels has helped set the high green fleet standards used by Denver and referred to by other municipalities today. Ivy has employed new and innovative ideas and technology to advance public fleet management in a number of ways, including obtaining approval in 2009 to purchase a new fleet management computer system to better track work activities and measure agency performance; spearheading a lean process review of Fleet’s parts and materials section to find savings in inventory management and eliminate wasteful and inefficient processes; and calling for the updating of all laptops with the latest diagnostic tools so that mechanics at the satellite repair camps can diagnose and perform repairs more quickly and efficiently.

Professional Manager of the Year Award – Public Right-of-Way The Professional Manager of the Year Award in the Public Rightof-Way category seeks to inspire excellence and dedication in the public sector by recognizing the outstanding career service achievements of public right-of-way management professionals. The primary focus of this award is recognition of public right-ofway management which demonstrates that all stakeholders share the public right-of-way in harmony and preserve them in the best interest and benefit of the public. Eloy A. Rosales Right-of-Way Manager City of San Antonio, Texas Eloy A. Rosales oversees a comprehensive, centralized, high-tech program designed to protect the City of San Antonio’s $7.1 billion infrastructure inventory and to manage use of the right-ofway through permitting. He manages the office as the central repository for the department, utilities, and other municipal-funded construction projects in the city. Through the administration of more than 120,000 right-of-way permits since 2001, Rosales has also overseen the recovery of more than $5 million in the replacement of pavement by right-of-way users who cut

new streets and the collection of more than $1 million for non-compliance issues. The traveling public has acknowledged the increase in safer work zones throughout the city as a result of his efforts. Rosales has been invited by representatives from other Texas cities to present the structure and philosophy of his program to assist them in the development or modification of their own. He continues to advance the discipline of right-of-way management by presenting at several state conferences and by introducing related subjects that have current or future impacts on the use of the right-of-way.

Professional Manager of the Year Award – Public Works Emergency Management The Professional Manager of the Year Award in Public Works Emergency Management seeks to inspire excellence and dedication by recognizing the outstanding career service achievements of public works emergency management professionals. Pilar Rodriguez, P.E. Assistant City Manager Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator City of McAllen, Texas Pilar Rodriguez has been instrumental in the organization of the PWRT, regionally known as the Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) Public Works Task Force 1. Considered Texas’ newest asset in disaster response, the task force supports local jurisdictions in their response to a catastrophic event by providing critical public works services to facilitate recovery. Presently, the LRGV Public Works Task Force 1 is a regional team of public works professionals from 12 public agencies from Hidalgo, Cameron and Willacy Counties. From December 2007 to June 2008, a rash of wildfires thrust South Texas into the national news. Rodriguez led the Hidalgo County Wildfire Task Force that contained a public works component. Rodriguez responded to more than 90 wildfires in the area, often remaining on the scene with the Public Works and Fire Departments for up to 36 hours. The Public Works Task Force responded along with fire crews and, using heavy equipment such as bulldozers, disks and graders, cut fire lines and built roads through thick brush. Area fire chiefs have reiterated time and again that the task of containing fires of this magnitude would be almost impossible without the assistance of these public works teams.

Professional Manager of the Year Award – Solid Waste The Professional Manager of the Year Award in the Solid Waste category recognizes the outstanding career service achievements of solid waste management professionals. The primary focus of this award is recognition of exceptional management, operation and maintenance of public sector solid waste operations. September 2009

APWA Reporter

Ronnie M. Owens Commissioner Division of Waste Collection and Disposal City of Cleveland, Ohio As Commissioner of the City of Cleveland’s Division of Waste Collection and Disposal, Ronnie M. Owens is responsible for a diversified solid waste operation including a waste collection operation, a transfer station facility, and recycling operations. During his tenure with the division, revenues have increased from $200,000 when he started to $3.2 million in 2007. Owens established a Commercial Collections section within his division to enable the City to be recognized as a competitive waste disposal service. Additionally, he established procedures and guidelines for garbage set out that included fine implications if not adhered to. These two programs alone significantly increased revenues for the City of Cleveland. With the inception of an automated and semi-automated waste collection and curbside recycling program, Cleveland is now on the map and is added to the ranks of other urban cities such as Chicago and Milwaukee which also employ this type of service. Owens has received numerous calls ask-

ing “How did you do it?” His innovative ideas and forwardthinking have enabled over 3,500 tons of waste to be diverted from the landfill resulting in significant cost avoidance savings to the City of Cleveland.

Professional Manager of the Year Award – Transportation The Professional Manager of the Year Award in the Transportation category recognizes the outstanding career service achievements of public transportation professionals. The primary focus of this award is recognition of exceptional leadership and management by an individual through a significant transportation related project or program. Tim Mar, P.E. Supervising Engineer Funding and Project Development Section Department of Transportation City of Sacramento, California Tim Mar has dedicated his 20-year career in public works to the City of Sacramento, and currently serves as the Supervising Engineer for the Funding and Project Development (F&PD) section in the Department of Transportation. While in F&PD, he led the team to educate the City Council that transportation revenues would be declining under the New Measure A (one-half cent sales tax) beginning in April 2009, and provided recommendations on project and program reductions to ensure the transportation budget was in balance for the next five years. The City Council accepted the group’s recommendations. Prior to joining F&PD, Mar led the Civil and Electrical Design section, where he approved the City’s first use of rubberized asphalt concrete overlay for streets that had noise complaints. The rubberized asphalt makes use of 1,500 old tires per lane mile, in addition to reducing road noise by up to 70 percent and increasing durability. Since the approval, the City has predominantly used rubberized asphalt concrete on resurfacing projects, which supports the City’s vision for sustainability.

Professional Manager of the Year Award – Water Resources The Professional Manager of the Year Award in the Water Resources category recognizes outstanding career service achievements of water resources professionals. David Joseph “D.J.” Señeres, P.E. Stormwater Program Manager City of Archdale, North Carolina In 2008, David Joseph “D.J.” Señeres implemented the ACE (Archdale’s Community Effort) Integrated Stormwater Management Program, a system to inform citizens, elected officials and others 20

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September 2009

regarding Archdale’s implementation of a stormwater management system. This model for small cities can be considered a significant contribution to the advancement of water resources management. The overall approach was based on reliable information and effective use of personnel through integration of various duplicative efforts observed to exist in cities which had already compartmentalized as a result of their previous growth prior to the evolution of necessary regulations. The ACE Integrated Stormwater Management Program demonstrates effective methods to optimize fiscal management of water resources management in the City of Archdale. Señeres continues to maintain a high degree of satisfaction among customers and other stakeholders. He continues to promote the field of water resources management in the regional community evidenced by adjacent small cities starting to model their programs after the City of Archdale program based on the documentation and statistics provided by Señeres.

Diversity Exemplary Practices Award – Individual The Diversity Exemplary Practices Award recognizes individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to diversity. James A. Parrott Executive Director Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio Many young people do not consider a career in the wastewater industry as their first option, but James A. Parrott has provided an outlet for inner-city teenagers to explore a career in public service. His initiatives include the creation of the Student Intern Academy at the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati. This eight-week summer program provides jobs for inner-city youth in grades 10 and 11. They work alongside professionals in the wastewater industry to learn the importance of water reclamation and experience the richness of knowledge passed on by an older workforce. For the last two years, approximately 200 students have applied for the Student Intern Academy. This community diversity initiative significantly enhances learning for the students of Cincinnati Public Schools and provides them with an opportunity to learn more about the diversity of the workplace. The experience provides realworld experience at a young age for these youth and offers an important stepping stone to citizenship and the work world. Executive Director Parrott has opened up a myriad of opportunities for the students—they now have a glimpse of a career in public service.

Diversity Exemplary Practices Award – Program/ Organization The Diversity Exemplary Practices Award recognizes individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to diversity. City of Columbia, South Carolina Office of Business Opportunities The City of Columbia’s Office of Business Opportunities has earned the reputation as one of the City’s most aggressive programs in regards to diversity because of their quality of work, talented staff, and ability to raise awareness and community support. The Office of Business Opportunities has greatly impacted all segments of the community, providing an array of services and programs, and embracing and setting the standard of diversity in the Midlands of South Carolina. Initiatives such as the Mentor Protégé Program and Subcontract Outreach Program provide contractors, both large and small, with unique opportunities for growth and development in the water and sewer projects and design. As a result, many small-, women- and minority-owned business enterprises have been given equal opportunities to compete and win government contracts. “In my opinion, these programs provide an inclusive environment for all citizens and business owners,” says Columbia Mayor Robert D. Coble.

Donald C. Stone Award for Excellence in Education – Individual The Donald C. Stone Award for Excellence in Education was established in honor of Donald C. Stone, founder of APWA. The award recognizes outstanding and meritorious achievement of individuals assisting in the areas of continuing and graduate professional education for public works professionals, as well as chapters in their work in delivering educational opportunities for all levels of persons engaged in the delivery of public works services. Michael Marti, P.E. Principal SRF Consulting Group, Inc. Plymouth, Minnesota A cornerstone of Michael Marti’s career has been working with the Minnesota Local Road Research Board (LRRB) for two decades. The mission of the LRRB is to serve local transportation practitioners through the development of new initiatives, the acquisition and application of new knowledge, and the exploration and implementation of new technologies. Marti’s work includes leading more than 75 research implementation projects in conjunction with the city and county engineering community and subsequently developing and delivering training and communication materials to enable the successful adoption of new practices. September 2009

APWA Reporter

Contributing at both the state and national levels, Marti has participated in key efforts for the Minnesota Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) and Transportation Research Board (TRB). His service on TRB’s Committee on Technology Transfer (ABG30) and established networks with LTAP centers across the United States ensures that he capitalizes the most current information, knowledge and resources to produce and deliver tools, techniques and workshops that meet the evolving needs of the public works community.

entry-level managers in the field of public works. The result of that process was the creation of the Certificate of Public Works Management (CPWM) Program. This certificate program requires participants to complete 60 instructional contact hours in public works topics and management/leadership skills. Upon earning this certificate, participants can be further recognized by APWA by completing an additional 30 hours of continuing education instruction in selected public works subjects, for a total of 90 hours.

Donald C. Stone Award for Excellence in Education – Chapter

The courses composing the required and elective sessions of the program are taught by both Vinson Institute instructional faculty and public works professionals. The practical approach to training public works managers and supervisors seeks to encourage professionalism, increase knowledge of effective management practices, and develop skills to help managers provide outstanding local government services.

The Donald C. Stone Award for Excellence in Education was established in honor of Donald C. Stone, founder of APWA. The award recognizes outstanding and meritorious achievement of individuals assisting in the areas of continuing and graduate professional education for public works professionals, as well as chapters in their work in delivering educational opportunities for all levels of persons engaged in the delivery of public works services. Georgia Chapter In 2000, the Georgia Chapter, in cooperation with the Carl Vinson Institute of the University of Georgia, began a process to develop a training program for first-line supervisors and

Harry S. Swearingen Award for Outstanding Chapter Achievement and Excellence in Chapter Service – Individual The Harry S. Swearingen Award was established to recognize outstanding service to APWA as an individual member or corporate company member at the chapter level.

APWA Credentialing APWA Credentialing RECOGNIZES excellence, outstanding knowledge, experience and performance, for both agencies and individuals. • Accreditation • Certified Public Fleet Professional • Certified Public Infrastructure Inspector • Certified Stormwater Manager

For additional information on credentialing visit booths 2539 & 2541 or www.apwa.net/accreditation or www.apwa.net/certification

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September 2009

Terry Hardy, P.Eng. Chapter Administrator Ontario Chapter Terry Hardy has been a member of the Ontario Chapter for more than thirty years and has served the Association in many ways. During his tenure as Chapter President in 2006, he elevated the chapter’s Stategic Plan to new levels and has since moved on to serve as the Chapter Administrator. His efforts in this role truly show his dedication to the chapter as time spent on chapter business in 2008 exceeded his contracted time by 50 percent. Hardy has been actively involved on Ontario Chapter committees and on the Board, with branches and organizing events since he first joined the chapter in 1976. He has personally been responsible for the formation of two branches which have increased membership substantially. Although retired, Hardy has not retired from the Ontario Chapter. He works tirelessly towards making all events successful in his role as Chapter Administrator.

Harry S. Swearingen Award for Outstanding Chapter Achievement and Excellence in Chapter Service – Corporate The Harry S. Swearingen Award was established to recognize outstanding service to APWA as an individual member or corporate company member at the chapter level. Little Falls Machine Little Falls, Minnesota Little Falls Machine has been a corporate member of APWA for more than twenty years. During that time, employees of Little Falls Machine have always been willing volunteers and sponsors of Minnesota Chapter activities and events. In addition, the company’s employees have assumed numerous leadership positions that have helped make the chapter the success that it is. Some of the contributions that Little Falls Machine employees have provided to the Minnesota Chapter include serving as a Chapter Director on the Executive Committee for two separate terms; being involved in the planning of numerous chapter activities including golf tournaments and chapter dinners; volunteering at the 1997 and 2005 APWA Congress & Exposition; and serving as the APWA Exhibitors Advisory Committee Chair in 1991 and 2001. In addition, Jim Owens, Sales Manager with Little Falls Machine, is currently serving as co-chair of the Congress Site Selection Committee for the 2015 APWA Congress and as a member of the Minnesota Chapter’s Conference Planning Committee.

Community Involvement Award The Community Involvement Award seeks to recognize public works leaders who are also leaders in their community, and to

inure public trust in public works professionals through recognition of outstanding community leadership. Sharyn L. Fox Municipal Program Manager Whitman, Requardt & Associates, LLP Newport News, Virginia Sharyn L. Fox has been active in her community for more than twenty years in both civic and volunteer capacities. She was appointed to the City of Newport News Planning Commission in 2005 for a four-year term. In 2009, she was reappointed to the Planning Commission for another four-year term and elected Vice-Chairperson. She served as a member and ViceChairperson of the City of Newport News Wetlands Board from 1997 until her appointment in 2005 to the Planning Commission. In 2004, she was appointed to the City of Newport News Department of Public Works Citizens Advisory Committee, and chaired the committee during her four-year term. Fox’s volunteer efforts in her community began in 1991 when she served on the Desert Storm Homecoming Committee in Newport News. In 1992, she served as the Chairperson for the American Heart Association Cardiac Arrest Event in Newport News, which raised more than $16,000 for the Association. She co-chaired the American Heart Walk in 1994 and helped the American Heart Association raise more than $19,000.

Young Leader Award The Young Leader Award recognizes APWA members who have demonstrated an initial commitment to the profession and the Association and display potential for future growth within the Association. The award promotes the concept that length of career does not necessarily indicate leadership abilities or potential for service. Alysen M. Abel, P.E. Civil Engineer II City of Overland Park, Kansas Alysen M. Abel has been a consistent high performer in her career, in her commitment to her profession, and to continued professional development and education. Over the years she has been very involved in the activities of the Kansas City Metro Chapter. She was a Congress Host Committee volunteer in 2002 and 2006; has been involved on the National Public Works Week Committee since 2003, chairing the committee in 2005-07; and was an APWA Emerging Leader in 2006. In addition to her involvement with APWA, Abel is currently the President-Elect of the Kansas City Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and is on ASCE’s September 2009

APWA Reporter

national convention planning and diversity committees. In addition, she is currently or has been on the local Board of Directors for the Joint Engineers Council, the National Association of Women in Construction, the American Society for Engineering Management, and the Missouri Society of Professional Engineers.

Exceptional Performance Award The Exceptional Performance Award recognizes individuals, teams or organizations in the areas of adversity, journalism and safety whose outstanding contributions in the course of performance raise the level of public awareness for the profession.

Exceptional Performance Award–Adversity The Exceptional Performance Award–Adversity recognizes exceptional performance in the face of adversity in service to the public. City of Hugo, Minnesota Response to the May 25, 2008 Tornado On Sunday, May 25, 2008 at 5:01 p.m., an EF-3 tornado with winds of 136-165 miles per hour ravaged through a large section of northwest Hugo, Minnesota. Emergency personnel from Hugo’s Fire Department, Washington County Sheriff’s Department, other surrounding communities and personnel from Hugo’s Public Works Department were first to the scene. Public Works Department staff began the immediate removal of the debris to allow emergency personnel access to the people that were injured. In the days following the disaster, debris management and securing city utilities were among the most important responsibilities of the Public Works Department. The reaction and response to the disaster was a collaborative effort. It was a true example of cooperation and generosity of all these groups: Hugo’s Public Works Department, Hugo’s Fire Department, Washington County, neighboring cities, volunteers, residents and local businesses. While this might be a story about devastation and destruction, it is also a story about extraordinary cooperation among all of the diverse entities that make up a community.

Exceptional Performance Award–Journalism The Exceptional Performance Award–Journalism recognizes exceptional performance in presenting the story of a public works issue or event that projects a positive image of individuals or agencies in the course of their performance in both broadcast and print mediums. “Crush Hour” City of Denver, Colorado Public Works Marketing and Communications Department “Crush Hour: Denver’s plan to beat the traffic depends on getting people to give up their wheels” is a six-page cover story 24

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that appeared in the February 19-25, 2009 edition of Westword, a weekly newspaper in Denver, Colorado. The article focuses on the comprehensive Denver Strategic Transportation Plan (STP), a road map for transportation policy in Denver now and into the future. The article explains how the STP introduces innovative concepts to keep the Mile High City moving; this visionary plan calls for a transportation transformation focusing on moving people, not just vehicles. Traffic congestion is a growing, complex problem facing many cities experiencing rapid growth. Tackling this problem while being sensitive to environmental concerns poses an even more daunting challenge. Written by journalist Alan Prendergast, the feature takes the complicated transportation issues facing Denver and the solutions presented in the STP and breaks them down into an understandable, balanced and comprehensive piece.

Exceptional Performance Award–Safety The Exceptional Performance Award–Safety recognizes exceptional performance in the area of safety. Saint Paul Public Works Department Saint Paul, Minnesota In 2006, Saint Paul was selected as the host site for the 2008 Republican National Convention. For an event that draws 45,000 visitors and 15,000 professional journalists, public safety is paramount. To that end, Saint Paul Public Works served its residents and its agency partners ably not only as a provider of heavy equipment and other material resources, but also provided much-needed expertise in the form of identifying prospective threats to the city’s public infrastructure, knowledge of how to secure those resources, and how to maintain those resources in the wake of any executed threats. Whether it was inspecting and securing manhole covers at and around the convention site, rerouting commuter and mass transit traffic away from the downtown business district, or maintaining two city-wide emergency response teams to provide heavy equipment support, Saint Paul Public Works was simultaneously able to address threats to public safety before and during their occurrence.

International Service Award Established by the APWA International Affairs Committee, the APWA International Service Award recognizes an APWA member who has furthered the cause of international understanding and cooperation by becoming actively involved in exchanges, establishing a relationship with a public works entity from another country or providing outstanding public works service on an international basis.

David Myles, AScT Manager Water and Underground Utility Operations City of Victoria, British Columbia In addition to working for the City of Victoria, British Columbia, David Myles is a member of the Canadian Army Reserve. He has recently completed his second tour of duty in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and has also done two tours of duty in BosniaHerzegovina. While in Afghanistan and Bosnia he was involved in the reconstruction efforts of rebuilding the basic infrastructure systems and providing a safe environment for the local population. In Afghanistan, Myles was the leader of Civil Military Cooperation, or CIMIC. Members of CIMIC are the eyes and ears for the commander and are his interface with the civil population. The CIMIC group conducted a variety of quick-impact projects that would assist the local villages in their area of operations. Some of these projects include drilling new water wells, building new roads, building new schools and medical clinics, and repairing damaged irrigation systems. People like David Myles who put themselves on the front lines to serve and protect those of us that remain here, while helping the people who have been affected there by years and lifetimes of internal strife and bloodshed, are to be highly commended.

Citation for Exemplary Service to Public Works The Citation for Exemplary Service to Public Works recognizes a nonmember of APWA who is an eminent government or other public service leader for their far-reaching, positive impact on local, state or national public works programs, services or policies. James E. Clyburn U.S. Congressman, Sixth Congressional District House Majority Whip Washington, D.C. During his tenure in the House of Representatives, Congressman James E. Clyburn has been a strong advocate for the field of public works. He has worked to identify and sponsor initiatives with investments in the infrastructure of the State of South Carolina and preservation of its natural lands. For example, Congressman Clyburn’s support of the transportation infrastructure and the transportation planners, engineers and designers has increased the funding pool for financing and executing projects to include improvements to Highway 30 in Bamberg, the creation of an intermodal transportation center in Sumer, and replacement of the Cooper River Bridge in Charleston.

In Columbia, the long-awaited revitalization of a former public housing development became a reality only after Congressman Clyburn secured the funding in 1999. The Congressman also has been a huge proponent of a city-owned wellness center in Columbia’s Celia Saxon neighborhood. Further demonstrating his commitment to quality of life issues, Congressman Clyburn directed resources to the Charles R. Drew Wellness Center for a youth obesity program.

Technical Innovation Award and Management Innovation Award The Technical Innovation Award and the Management Innovation Award recognize an individual, team or organization for the development and implementation of a creative idea, device, process or system that enhances the goals of public works in serving the public and protecting the environment.

Technical Innovation Award (two winners) EZBase/EZBasePlus JEA Jacksonville, Florida JEA developed and demonstrated a true beneficial reuse product for civil engineering applications at the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) Mitsui Container Terminal. The unique aspect of the JAXPORT project involved the recycled material that was used for the terminal base course which supports the asphalt. The material is EZBase®, which is processed from the byproduct (ash) produced at the JEA Northside Generating Station. EZBase is a substitute for traditional civil construction materials such as limerock, concrete, recycled concrete and asphalt. The use of the EZBase product supports efficient recycling/ beneficial reuse by reducing impact on landfill utilization/ construction; reducing impact to the environment from transporting materials to the landfill; reducing the need for additional mining operations; extending the natural aggregate resources available for future products; reducing the cost of generating electricity; and reducing the cost of construction of public and private civil projects. Sperry-Piltz Ice Accumulation Index A series of severe ice storms since the year 2000 resulted in catastrophic damage to Oklahoma’s electric utility infrastructure. The need for coordination between Oklahoma’s electric power and weather industries became obvious. Two individuals—the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperative’s Sid Sperry and the National Weather Service’s Steve Piltz—stepped forward and bridged that gap. In doing so, they created the Sperry-Piltz Ice Accumulation (SPIA) Index, which has already garnered local praise and national attention for its performance in two subsequent ice storms. September 2009

APWA Reporter

The SPIA Index blends knowledge of power transmission infrastructure damage due to ice accumulation and expertise in winter weather forecasting to form a management tool which has quickly become vital to the electric utility industry in Oklahoma. The Index allows for the early placement and movement of utility repair crews by pinpointing areas of greatest concern during an ice storm event. The pre-positioning of those crews can dramatically reduce the amount of time the public is without power while providing added safety benefits to those repair crews by reducing their travel time in treacherous driving conditions.

Management Innovation Award Dave Ackley Stormwater Supervisor City of Golden, Colorado In 2008, Dave Ackley implemented a program for the City of Golden which is currently being looked at by other municipalities in Colorado as a model. As the City’s Stormwater Supervisor, Ackley expanded a stormwater inspection and enforcement program he developed in 1999 to privately-owned and -maintained drainage facilities. After compiling and creating extensive system maps and researching numerous facility owners, conducting and tracking inspections, and forwarding follow-up correspondence, Ackley was able to achieve 100% compliance in the program’s first year. Ackley’s countless hours of searching records, sending out notices, meeting property owners onsite to discuss requirements, conducting inspections, and providing follow-up information has paid dividends. Through his efforts, innovation and persistence, the City of Golden has been in the forefront of stormwater management programs nationwide, and is considered a model for other agencies to follow.

Distinguished Service to Public Works Award Established in 1935 as the Honorary Membership Award, this honor is regarded as the highest APWA honor. This award is presented in recognition of acknowledged service and well-established preeminence in the field of public works, and/or contributions of special merit and benefit to APWA. James W. Harrod Public Works Consultant Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania James W. Harrod has made numerous contributions to the field of public works for over fifty years. In that time he has served many organizations including the APWA Western Pennsylvania Chapter as Chapter President and Chapter Delegate; APWA Pennsylvania Interchapter Council as President and Vice President; Borough of Dormont, Pennsylvania, Planning Commission as 26

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Chairman and Vice-Chairman; National Academy of Code Administration as Certified Professional Code Administrator; Pennsylvania One-Call System, Inc. by serving on the Board of Directors; and Route 50 Corridor Commission by serving on the Board of Directors. Harrod has also served the Pennsylvania Development Corporation on the Board of Directors; Mt. Lebanon Employees Federal Credit Union as Director, Treasurer and President; Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church as Trustee and Financial Secretary; Borough of Dormont, Pennsylvania, Volunteer Fire Department on the Board of Directors and as Treasurer; and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 694 as Post Chaplain and Commander.

Presidential Leadership Award (two winners) The Presidential Leadership Award is presented by the APWA President to members who have distinguished themselves and the public works profession with their leadership. Judith M. (Judy) Mueller Public Works Director City of Charlottesville, Virginia Judith M. (Judy) Mueller began her career in public works in 1977 with the Public Utilities Department for the City of Virginia Beach, Va., transferring to the Public Works Department in 1981. She became the Public Works Director for the City of Charlottesville, Va., in 1985 and has held that position since that time. Mueller has been very active in APWA during the course of her professional career. A Past National President (200001), she has chaired the Audit Committee (2007-08), Nominating Committee (2001-02), Membership Committee (1998-99) and Finance Committee (1996-98), and is a former member of the Exposition Advisory Committee (1999-2000) and Government Affairs Committee (19992000). She served as Chapter Treasurer for the Virginia/DC/ Maryland Chapter (2005-08) and is currently serving as a Director for the chapter. In 2002, Mueller was appointed to the National Emergency Services, Law Enforcement, and Public Health and Hospitals Senior Advisory Committee to President Bush’s Homeland Security Advisory Council. She was selected as one of APWA’s Top Ten Public Works Leaders of the Year in 2008. Richard L. Ridings, P.E., RPLS Vice President-Central Division HNTB Corporation Austin, Texas After a 25-year career in the public sector—beginning as a laborer with the Water and Wastewater Department for the City of Maryville, Tenn., and ending as Chief Executive Officer of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority—Richard L. Ridings

retired in December 1992 and went to work for HNTB Corporation shortly thereafter. He has been a Vice President of the corporation since that time. A former APWA National President (2001-02), Ridings chaired the Presidential Award for Chapter Excellence (PACE) Committee in 2001-02 and the Membership Committee in 1999-2000, and is currently chairing the APWA/ AGC Joint Task Force (2006-11). He is a current member of the Top Ten Review Committee (2007-09), and is a former member of the Government Affairs Committee (2000-06) and Exposition Advisory Committee (2000-01). At the chapter level, Ridings served as Texas Chapter President in 1996 and is currently the Chapter Historian. He is also serving as the current President of the Public Works Historical Society Board of Trustees. Ridings received the Top Ten Public Works Leader of the Year Award in 1988.

Presidential Award for Chapter Excellence (PACE) The PACE Award recognizes chapters for contributions made and dedicated efforts in developing programs and services that result in a positive impact for their members, public works profession and community. The following chapters are receiving the 2009 PACE Award: Arizona, British Columbia, Chicago Metro, Florida, Georgia, Kansas City Metro, Manitoba, Minnesota, Missouri, Monterey Bay, Nevada, New York, New York Metro, North Carolina, Northern California, Oklahoma, Oregon, Sacramento, San Diego and Imperial Counties, South Carolina, Southern California, Tennessee, Texas, Ventura County, Washington, Western Pennsylvania, Wisconsin

Certified Public Fleet Professional The purpose of the Public Fleet Professional Certification is to promote excellence in fleet management by advancing the knowledge and practice of public fleet professionals to benefit communities through quality fleet services. The Public Fleet Professional Certification is a voluntary program designed to ensure individual competency and provide the public works industry with recognized hiring and promotion standards. Recent Certified Public Fleet Professionals include: Thomas J. Blanke, CPFP, Division Head Fleet Management, City of Ocala, Florida George Borucki, CPFP, Coordinator, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Great Lakes, Illinois Jim Brohamer, CPFP, Fleet Management Superintendent, City of Flagstaff, Arizona Gus W. Brown, CPFP, Shop Supervisor, City of Loveland, Colorado Larry Campbell, CPFP, Fleet Manager, City of Fort Wayne, Indiana William Thomas Catlow, CPFP, Inventory Control Manager, City of Mobile, Alabama

Clay Chandler, CPFP, State Fleet Manager, State of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Michael Chipman, CPFP, Transportation Director, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Great Lakes, Illinois Paul M. Colell, CPFP, Fleet Support Technician, Town of Castle Rock, Colorado Allen R. Cool, CPFP, Central Maintenance Garage Supervisor, City of Hagerstown, Maryland Craig Croner, CPFP, Fleet Manager, City of Boise, Idaho Jon C. Crull, CPFP, Fleet Manager, City of Daytona Beach, Florida Michael H. DePaulo, CPFP, Fleet Supervisor, Town of Buckeye, Arizona Clayton R. Galloway, Sr., CPFP, Fleet Services Manager, Columbia County Fleet Services, Appling, Georgia James A. Inglese, CPFP, Vehicle Services Manager, City of Naperville, Illinois John M. Maehs, CPFP, Fleet Superintendent, City of Stillwater, Oklahoma Charles W. Malcolm, CPFP, Manager of Fleet Operations, Metropolitan, Nashville, Tennessee Howard A. Mann, CPFP, Fleet & Facilities Manager, City of Leawood, Kansas John McCorkhill, Jr., CFM, CAFM, CEM, CPFP, Director of Fleet Services, City of Lynchburg, Virginia Danny Edward Moxey, CPFP, Deputy Director of Municipal Services, City of Williams Lake, British Columbia Michael Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connor, CPFP, Superintendent of Maintenance Operations, City of Chesterfield, Missouri Edward K. Parham, CPFP, Fleet Maintenance Manager, Buncombe County, Asheville, North Carolina Mathew Rathke, CPFP, Automotive Engineer, City of Seattle, Washington Todd M. Richardson, CPFP, Fleet Superintendent, Town of Castle Rock, Colorado Dennis Simcoe, P.Eng., CPFP, Supervisor, Fleet Procurement, City of Edmonton, Alberta Jeffrey Tews, CPFP, Fleet Operations Manager, City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin Daryl Wostradowski, CPFP, Coordinator of Fleet Services, City of Calgary, Alberta

Certified Public Infrastructure Inspector The purpose of the Public Infrastructure Inspector Certification is to promote quality infrastructure throughout the community by advancing the knowledge and practice of construction inspection to benefit the community and public agencies. The Public Infrastructure Inspector Certification is a voluntary program designed to ensure individual competency and provide the public works industry with recognized hiring and promotion standards. Recent Certified Public Infrastructure Inspectors include: Timothy R. Adams, CPII, Construction Inspector, City of Norman, Oklahoma Jackie L. Andress, CPII, Chief Construction Inspector, City of McKinney, Texas September 2009

APWA Reporter

Daniel C. Bangle, CPII, PW Inspector, Bureau of Environmental Services, Portland, Oregon Kathleen J. Barrett, CPII, PW Inspector, Portland Water Bureau, Portland, Oregon David Baylis, CPII, Public Works Inspector, City of Portland, Oregon Alan C. Bechok, CPII, Construction Services Representative, Wilson Miller, Sarasota, Florida Jeff Bell, CPII, Utility CIP Construction Specialist, City of Round Rock, Texas Ted Bergeson, CPII, Technician Level IV, Trotter and Associates, St. Charles, Illinois Russell Blokker, CPII, Project Specialist, City of Grants Pass, Oregon Randy Bluher, CPII, Engineering Tech III, City of Richland, Washington Stephen J. Bodette, CPII, Engineering Inspection Supervisor, City of Colorado Springs, Colorado James Bonelli, CPII, Construction Inspector, Harris & Associates, Inc., Irvine, California Angie Booher, CPII, Construction Inspection Supervisor, Cecil County DPW, Elkton, Maryland David Browning, CPII, PW Senior Inspector, Portland Water Bureau, Portland, Oregon Reed M. Brunk, CPII, Construction Materials, Terracon, Lenexa, Kansas Dennis Butler, CPII, Inspector, KBA, Bellevue, Washington Mark A. Carlson, CPII, Construction Inspector II, City of Clearwater, Florida Monte D. Clampett, II, CPII, Construction Coordinator, City of Asheville, North Carolina Peter Cruz, CPII, Sr. Construction Inspector, County of Santa Clara, San Jose, California Joseph Lynn Davis, III, CPII, Sr. Construction Inspector, City of Newport News, Virginia Hollis Davis, CPII, Senior Engineer Specialist, Hillsborough County, Tampa, Florida Martin D. Dopke, CPII, Technician Level IV, Trotter and Associates Inc., St. Charles, Illinois Jeff Dortch, CPII, Engineering Technician, City of Highland, Illinois Robert Dotson, CPII, Senior Field Rep, KBA, North Bend, Washington Kris Dugger, CPII, Construction Engineering Technician, City of Lewiston, Idaho Jeffrey W. Everton, CPII, Senior Construction Inspector, City of Newport News, Virginia Veronica Ferguson, CPII, Senior Public Works Inspector, Bureau of Environmental Services, Portland, Oregon Therran L. Gentry, II, CPII, Construction Foreman, City of Gulf Breeze, Florida Dammon Giles, CPII, Civil Engineer, City of Richland, Washington Michael Godinho, CPII, Senior Construction Inspector, Kennedy/Jenks Consultants, Rancho Cordova, California 28

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William D. Gordon, CPII, Senior Construction Inspector, City of Newport News, Virginia Thomas R. Griffin, CPII, Director, City of Garden City, Georgia Mitch W. Hassfeld, CPII, Public Works Inspector, City of Portland, Oregon Harrold G. Hatcher, CPII, Public Services Compliance Officer, City of Gulf Breeze, Florida Bill Heatherton, CPII, Construction Inspector, City of Fairfield, Ohio Michael G. Holland, CPII, Engineer, Trotter and Associates, Inc., Saint Charles, Illinois Shawn M. Hurtig, CPII, Project Manager, Village of Algonquin, Illinois Tom Jones, CPII, Public Works Inspector, City of Bryan, Texas Jon M. Kanzigg, CPII, Construction Coordinator, City of Gulf Breeze, Florida James C. Kelley, CPII, Engineering Services, Village of Wellington, Florida James M. King, CPII, Construction Inspector, City of Springfield, Missouri Mark W. Luedke, CPII, Inspector, City of Bryan, Texas Clay Luper, CPII, Public Works Inspector, Portland Water Bureau, Portland, Oregon Gerald A. Mahnke, CPII, Construction Observation, Engineering Enterprises Inc., Sugar Grove, Illinois William McKee, CPII, Inspector, KBA, Bellevue, Washington Karen McKenzie, CPII, Project Coordinator, KBA, Bellevue, Washington Shawn L. McKnight, CPII, Engineering Construction Inspector II, City of Covina, California David L. McLagan, CPII, Senior Inspector, City of Portland, Oregon Kurt Merkle, CPII, RE CCM, KBA, Bellevue, Washington Elizabeth Miracle, CPII, CMT Technician, Terracon, Leeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Summit, Missouri Paul W. Mochel, CPII, Resident Engineer, Valley CM, San Diego, California Brian Moree, CPII, Engineering Construction Supervisor, City of West Palm Beach, Florida Gerald P. Nagle, CPII, Public Works Inspector, City of Portland, Oregon Julian L. Ribera, CPII, Public Works Inspector, City of Portland, Oregon David Patrick Rich, CPII, Maintenance Supervisor, City of Palm Bay, Florida N. Andrew Rich, CPII, Engineering Inspector, City of Palm Bay, Florida John H. Richter, III, CPII, Construction Inspector II, City of Clearwater, Florida Kevin Rieden, CPII, PW Inspector, City of Cupertino, California Ted Roos, CPII, Senior Public Works Inspector, Portland Water Bureau, Portland, Oregon

Craig Sandt, CPII, Construction Coordinator, City of West Palm Beach, Florida Walter R. Saunders, CPII, Inspection Supervisor, City of Newport News, Virginia David Scott, CPII, Project Rep, KBA, Bellevue, Washington Lance Solomon, CPII, Construction Inspector, RBF Consulting, Irvine, California Dee M. Staten, CPII, Senior Engineering Technician, City of Wilsonville, Oregon Mike Steele, CPII, Engineer Inspector, City of Palm Bay, Florida Matthew D. Steele, CPII, Construction Inspector, MDS, Incorporated, Long Beach, California Mitchell T. Talley, Sr., CPII, Construction Inspector, City of Rowlett, Texas Danny Thomas, CPII, Engineering Technician II, City of Richland, Washington James M. Thompson, CPII, Utility Inspector, City of Ketchikan, Alaska Hung Tran, CPII, Trade Program Supervisor, Arlington County, Arlington, Virginia Todd Wells, CPII, Senior Project Engineer, Engineering Enterprises Inc., Sugar Grove, Illinois Bradley D. Wheeler, CPII, Project Rep, KBA, Bellevue, Washington Lee White, CPII, Construction Inspector, City of Oakland, California David L. Whiteside, CPII, Engineering (CIP) Construction Inspector, City of McKinney, Texas Michael A. Wilhelm, P.E., CPII, Chief–Contract Management, City of Rockville, Maryland Clinton H. Williams, CPII, Inspector, KBA, Bellevue, Washington Andrew J. Williamson, CPII, Capital Projects, Arlington Heights, Illinois Joey Wright, CPII, Project Technician, City of Grants Pass, Oregon

Certified Stormwater Manager The purpose of the Stormwater Manager Certification is to promote excellence and commitment to public service by advancing the knowledge and practice of stormwater management to benefit the community, public agencies and the profession. Recent Certified Stormwater Managers include: Vince Auriemma, CFM, P.E., CSM, Deputy Director of Public Works, City of Golden, Colorado Robert W. Carr, P.E., CSM, President and Senior Engineer, Water Resources Modeling, LLC, Saint Francis, Wisconsin Lamont W. Curtis, P.E., DEE, CSM, Senior Engineering Manager, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Norfolk, Virginia Dwayne E. Kalynchuk, CSM, Project Director, Core Area Wastewater Treatment, Capital Regional District, Victoria, British Columbia

Charles D. Stoffels, CSM, Environmental Manager, City of Grapevine, Texas Alexandra C. Upton, CSM, Environmental Coordinator, City of Southlake, Texas Therese Walch, CSM, Water Resource Manager, City of Eugene, Oregon

Accreditation The purpose of the accreditation program is to provide a means of formally verifying and recognizing public works agencies for compliance with the recommended practices set forth in the Public Works Management Practices Manual. It is a voluntary, selfmotivated approach to objectively evaluate, verify and recognize compliance with the recommended management practices. Accreditation offers a voluntary evaluation rather than government regulated activity, and increases professionalism while instilling pride among agency staff, elected officials and the community. The following cities have attained accreditation or reaccreditation since September 2008: City of Aurora, Colorado Accredited on January 5, 2009 City of Brighton, Michigan Accredited on March 30, 2009 City of Peoria, Arizona Accredited on July 22, 2009 Haltom City, Texas Accredited on August 17, 2009 City of Fairfield, Ohio Reaccredited on October 3, 2008 Clark County, Nevada Reaccredited on November 7, 2008 City of Lenexa, Kansas Reaccredited on December 9, 2008 City of Olathe, Kansas Reaccredited on January 9, 2009 City of Berkeley, California Reaccredited on February 10, 2009 City of Bettendorf, Iowa Reaccredited on May 11, 2009 Village of Libertyville, Illinois Reaccredited on July 1, 2009

Awards Program For more information about APWA’s Awards Program contact the Chapter Relations Department at (800) 848-APWA or awards@apwa.net, or download the complete program from APWA’s website at www.apwa.net/About/awards.asp.

September 2009

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September 2009

2009 2009 APWA International

PublIc Works

congress & Exposition september 13â&#x20AC;&#x201C;16, 2009 Greater columbus convention center columbus, ohio

www.apwa.net/congress

pages 32â&#x20AC;&#x201C;55

Four options to attend Congress

PWA is excited to bring the 2009 International Public Works Congress & Exposition to Columbus, Ohio, September 13-16, 2009 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. With more than 140 educational sessions and nearly 100,000 square feet of exhibits, you have the opportunity to learn, network and see the largest display of public works equipment in North America. By the time this issue of the APWA Reporter hits your mailbox, there will

only be a short time left before Congress begins. Needless to say, time is running out; however, there’s still time to register! Just go to www.apwa.net/ Congress for more information.

To ensure you are able to arrange your schedule to be here and have the op- 2. One-Day Congress Registration tions you need, APWA gives you four – $270 per day members. Choose options to attend the Congress and Ex- the day(s) you can attend and get access to the Exposition, entry to all position: educational sessions including General 1. Full Congress Registration – Session, and lunch (Sunday and Mon$610 members (best value). Inday only). cludes access to the Exposition, entry 3. One-Day Expo Only Pass – $35. Access to more than 400 exhibitors with all the latest in public works equipment, services and technology.

proof

Take our

to all educational sessions including General Sessions, Workshop Wednesday and Stormwater Summit, lunch on Sunday and Monday, Get Acquainted Party, Awards Ceremony, Banquet and much more.

cusTomer’s word for iT. cemenTech delivers qualiTy in every way.

“The unit is well built and has been flawless our first year. Keeping it maintained has made the operation easy and successful with no down time. Mini Batch will be adding to our fleet in 2009 and CemenTech is our choice because of the way we have been treated, assisted and trained. No other supplier of this equipment has that.” Mark Godbout, Mini Batch

4. Pre-Congress Seminar Registration – $250 members. This year’s Pre-Congress Seminar is “Self-Assessment Using the Public Works Management Practices Manual—A Tool for Improving Operations and Management.” This workshop is designed to help you examine and evaluate your agency’s current management policies and procedures. The workshop has a separate fee and you do not have to be registered for Congress to take advantage of this great opportunity to improve the overall effectiveness of your public works operations. Don’t miss this opportunity to take advantage of this full library of resources and to experience the excitement of Columbus. Remember the magic URL: www.apwa.net/Congress. Columbus here we come!

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September 2009

Don’t miss these at Congress!

f you’re looking for a place to meet with your colleagues, gather with old and new acquaintances or just relax awhile, visit the Ohio Host Chapter Hospitality Booth in the Greater Columbus Convention Center lobby outside the exhibit hall. Join us in honoring the best in the business! Come see your peers recognized during APWA’s Annual Awards and Recognition Ceremony on Monday from 5:00-6:00 p.m. in the Ballroom of the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Be sure to stay for the following reception from 6:00-7:00 p.m. Don’t forget about the free lunch in the exhibit hall if you are a fully-registered attendee. Be sure to use the special coupon you received at registration for your free lunch on Sunday and Monday (Noon-2:00 p.m. both days) in the exhibit hall (Exhibit Hall CDE). Coupons are good for Sun-

day and Monday only. Who says there’s no such thing as a free lunch?? Do you have 45 minutes to spare to save the life of another person? Did you know that every three seconds someone needs blood? One single donation can save as many as three lives—and there is no substitute for human blood. Please join us for the Proud to Care Blood Drive in the lobby outside the exhibit hall, where you can roll up your sleeve and save a life. Join your APWA friends at this year’s closing reception and banquet, beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the Ballroom of the convention center. Don’t forget to exchange your coupon for a ticket before 2:00 p.m. Tuesday to confirm a place. If you haven’t bought a ticket yet, do so before the ticket exchange deadline.

One-day passes available for Congress Can’t take off a whole week for APWA’s International Public Works Congress & Exposition? Don’t worry. We have the ticket that is just your ticket—our one-day registration! Geared for those who cannot take the entire time for Congress, the oneday pass entitles the registrant to all educational sessions on that day and, also, entry to the Exposition where the latest in public works equipment and services will be on display. On Sunday, the excitement and energy of this year’s Get Acquainted Party will begin at 5:00 p.m. at the LC (Lifestyle Communities Pavilion), America’s first indoor-outdoor concert and special event venue. Those registering for Monday only may also take advantage of the annual Awards and Recognition Ceremony and Re-

ception from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Attendance at the Banquet is not included on Wednesday. Tickets for that may be purchased separately for $70.00.

The LC, site of this year’s Get Acquainted Party

The one-day registrations may be purchased onsite at $270 for APWA members. A special pass to tour the exhibit hall only is also available for just $35.

Speaking of the $35 special exhibit hall pass—given its location near several major population centers in Ohio and bordering states, Congress in Columbus is the perfect opportunity for supervisors to let staff attend the exposition for one day. Congress is great for those attendees who are able to go for four days, but it is also a wonderful experience for non-supervisors who can walk the exhibit floor for only $35 per day. It’s a chance to have your entire staff take advantage of this once-a-year gathering of the biggest and best in public works. As APWA Past President Judy Mueller once said, “What an incredible way to reward your employees by allowing them to be a part of The Best Show in Public Works!” We’re looking forward to seeing you in Columbus! September 2009

APWA Reporter

An innovative green solution for urban street renewal Stephen J. Farst, P.E., Senior Project Manager, EMH&T, Inc., Columbus, Ohio; Matthew Peoples, Director of Public Works, and Bill Sims, Construction Services Manager, Village of Canal Winchester, Ohio; Presenters, 2009 APWA Congress

The Community The Village of Canal Winchester is a vibrant Central-Ohio community with about 6,000 residents that take pride in their unique cultural resources including local historic residential districts and the remnants of the notable 19th century Ohio-Erie Canal system that once passed through the center of town. Like many older yet progressive communities, Canal Winchester faces the typical challenges of rehabilitation of aged streets, while in the process striving to minimize negative impact to established treelined neighborhoods. With increasing regulatory control over such issues of stormwater quality and interest in the “greening” of communities, it’s hard to know where to start…especially in times of fiscal stress. Any community improvement project can be a funding challenge and the addition of green design to the mix can be met with resistance. How can “green” design balance with budget? How will regulatory control affect the bottom line? All these are common questions that a community must attend to—and Canal Winchester did just that.

Street Tree Advisory Board to develop a concept to preserve the desirable mature street trees. Once trees to be saved had been identified, travel lanes were set to 10½ feet in width providing an excess of 13 feet of tree lawn for the selected trees. In areas where there were no trees, bump-outs were devised to provide safe, well defined on-street parking for the residents and churches located along the street. Village staff advanced this streetscape concept into a preliminary layout for Council review and then partnered with EMH&T, an engineering, surveying, planning and environmental firm based in Columbus, Ohio, as the project civil engineer, to evolve the concept into a final layout and design.

The Project In 2008, the Village undertook the reconstruction of West Columbus Street, one of the community’s oldest streets in a historic residential district that provides a vital link between collector roads that serve area schools, businesses, churches, and a government center. West Columbus Street, prior to its renewal, was 33 feet wide at its west end and nearly 38 feet wide at its eastern end. While displaying many of the virtues of an older charming neighborhood, West Columbus Street was in poor condition. Older elements of this street corridor, while including many aged and desired trees, also included broken sidewalks, deteriorated pavement and curbs, and inadequate storm sewerage. Composed entirely of asphalt, it accommodated on-street curbside parking along its length. The separation between travel lanes was unclear and, when cars were parked along both sides, drivers were forced to slow down or pull over to allow opposing traffic to pass. The Village looked to its residents for input and a survey yielded comments that centered around four issues: safety, saving trees, parking and streetlighting. It was clear that the community desired to rejuvenate the streetscape and rebuild roadway travel lanes and upgrade essential utilities and services, while preserving the historic and cultural nature of the treelined corridor. Staff worked with the Village’s 34

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Before construction: Pavement, gutters and sidewalks were seriously deteriorated. (Photo: Stephen Farst, EMH&T, Inc.)

To help reduce the financial burden on the community, the Village sought and received financial assistance for this project from Ohio’s State Capital Improvement Program Fund through the Ohio Public Works Commission. EMH&T assisted the Village in securing funding and also completed the design, prepared construction plans and documents, and provided construction consultation services for the project.

The Design and Green Solution Typical street rehabilitation projects often include removal of existing trees and result in significant disturbance to the street landscape. This project included an innovative approach and an emerging technology for reconstruction

that limited impact to the street landscape while meeting the goals of the corridor makeover that included new street pavement, retention of streetside parking, new curb and gutter and storm sewerage, sidewalks, streetlighting, improved traffic control infrastructure, upgraded utility lines and creation of streetside green space. “Green” planning resulted in a design that preserved mature trees, provided expanded tree lawn areas, and included new parking areas and welldefined, newly-lighted and safe travel lanes. Technological innovation and strategic planning were employed to achieve a green solution. The design layout of the bump-out parking adjacent to the reconstructed roadway allowed many trees that would have been removed under conventional design to be saved, providing well-defined and safe parking areas, improved flow of traffic, and comfortable and expanded tree lawn areas. New and expanded stormwater collection was a necessary component of the project, and a limited existing downstream storm outlet was a factor. The Village, being mindful of their NPDES stormwater quality program goals, sought to include in the project a modern stormwater treatment method to serve as an example of responsible design and to demonstrate what local government public works can accomplish to meet broad environmental goals of reducing impervious areas. In support of these objectives, the design included use of a pervious concrete pavement system for the streetside parking areas between bump-out tree lawn areas, to reduce the “footprint” of the impervious paved surfaces. The Village selected this system due to the reported benefits outlined by the Ohio Ready Mix Concrete Association: •

Detention: The pervious concrete functions as a dry detention basin and reduces capacity requirements for downstream drainage facilities.

•

Pollution: Pervious pavement provides a measure of water pollution control through a natural biological process that occurs in the porous pavement structure.

•

Groundwater: Pervious pavement allows for recharges of the local groundwater aquifer.

•

Heat Island: Pervious pavement benefits the urban climate by reducing the heat island effects normally associated with darker-colored pavements.

The Ohio Ready Mix Concrete Association provided technical assistance related to the pervious concrete pavement system throughout design and construction. The pervious concrete system involved a seven-inch-thick pavement structure used in conjunction with an 11-inch aggregatebase detention layer that collects, cleans, stores and transfers stormwater runoff from road surface into the subsurface media and into the local adjacent storm collection system. The pervious concrete pavement surfaces were harmoniously integrated into the streetscape, tinted in color to provide an attractive and softened look while maintaining a clear separation between travel and parking lanes.

Pavement core on “test” section: Core reveals the pervious concrete pavement section that rests atop an aggregate-base detention layer that provides a filtering mechanism to clean stormwater runoff and allows it to percolate into subgrade soils. (Photo: Stephen Farst, EMH&T, Inc.)

The West Columbus Street project represents the first significant use of pervious concrete in a public right-of-way with approximately 1,000 square yards being placed. It is estimated that through the savings of the trees and use of pervious concrete, there was about a thirty percent reduction of impervious area in the project segment where pervious pavement was applied. The final result is an attractive streetscape, a fully functional and effective parking and drainage system that is kind to the environment and demonstrative.

Construction in progress (Photo: Stephen Farst, EMH&T, Inc.)

In 2009, Canal Winchester public works staff gained valuable experience regarding maintenance of the pervious pavement. Road salt was applied during winter months, only when necessary onto the main travel lanes but not directly onto the pervious surfaces. Only following the September 2009

APWA Reporter

Finished street: Pervious paved parking bays integrate well into newly-reconstructed travel lanes. (Photo: Stephen Farst, EMH&T, Inc.)

heavier snows did crews find it necessary to plow the pervious pavement, using a narrow-gauge plow mounted on a three-quarter-ton pickup truck. In July, eleven months after the pavement was installed, Streets Division personnel utilized fire hoses and a Tymco 435 Air Sweep street sweeper to brush and vacuum the pervious pavement over a twoday operation. Crews observed that in the dirtiest sections, being those blocks with larger mature evergreens overhead, cleaning efforts significantly improved the rate of permeability by a factor of almost two, over an uncleaned surface. This learning exercise allowed the Village to forecast a cleaning regimen of about once every six months in the heavier treelined areas, and less frequently for other areas.

The Impact Water resource engineers and public works officials can fully appreciate the application of an emerging technology within a typical capital improvement project planning and design process to achieve street system renewal. This project demonstrates in a very real way how the public interest in green solutions can be served within the cost constraints and historical constraints that often accompany capital im36

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September 2009

provement programs. Without compromising public tax dollars, communities can apply this technology to their typical projects, making them anything but typical for the environment. Every project that accommodates innovation is a success for the community and the region. The design elements of this street rehabilitation project can be replicated in communities statewide. The rewards for the community come in many forms, not the least of which is an enhanced reputation for environmental stewardship. The Village of Canal Winchester dedicated themselves to this project and in doing so made an impact on the community that reaches much farther than the limits of Columbus Street. The authors will give a presentation on this topic at the 2009 APWA Congress in Columbus, Ohio. Their session is entitled â&#x20AC;&#x153;An Innovative Green Solution for Urban Street Renewalâ&#x20AC;? and takes place on Monday, September 14, at 2:00 p.m. Stephen J. Farst can be reached at (614) 775-4203 or sfarst@emht.com; Matthew Peoples can be reached at (614) 834-5100 or mpeoples@canalwinchesterohio.gov; and Bill Sims can be reached at (614) 834-5109 or wsims@canalwinchesterohio.gov.

APWA has launched WorkZone with NEW features to make your job of finding or posting a job more powerful. Using the enhanced features on the site, you can save your favorite jobs using your WorkZone account, apply directly to any job on the website by copying and pasting or uploading your résumé and perform any number of administrative duties regarding your ad. WorkZone is the exclusive site for employers to connect with job seekers in a more personal way. Check out the major upgrades and benefit from the more powerful, more personal service.

FOR EMPLOYERS: Now more than ever, WorkZone is the exclusive gateway to the most qualified candidates for public works positions. Posting is quicker and easier than ever, and your job openings will go online immediately—still giving you that competitive edge.

NEW FEATURES: Get the latest jobs & internships delivered to your e-mail. Or find helpful tips and other information to enhance career marketability all with the click of a mouse. Save My Jobs Job Seekers can now sign onto their WorkZone account and retrieve all of their favorite jobs under the My Jobs page. Apply Now Using the Apply Now tool listed on each job advertisement, Job Seekers can send their résumés directly to the employer easier than ever. Simply choose to copy and paste your résumé or upload an existing file to send.

For an additional $250 and a simple click of a button, gain additional exposure for your position when you include your job opening in APWA’s Reporter magazine. APWA’s Reporter reaches more than 30,000 professionals monthly!

FOR JOB SEEKERS: Job searching on WorkZone is still free and you can still conduct targeted searches using keywords, job titles, and locations. You can even get a map of public works positions near you with our new map feature powered by Google . ®

Log on to the website at apwa.net/workzone.

You can search or post jobs directly from the APWA WorkZone homepage.

Pretty good practices of a public works leader Bruce Beese, Director of Public Works, Saint Paul, Minnesota, and Tom Eggum, P.E., Senior Consultant, TKDA, Saint Paul, Minnesota (former Director of Public Works, Saint Paul); Presenters, 2009 APWA Congress

here are proven and cost-effective national programs offered to public works organizations to fully examine their management, guided by peers. The American Public Works Association provides its members with its Accreditation and Self Assessment Programs. The American Society of Civil Engineers provides its Peer Review for Public Agencies Program. The American Water Works Association and the Water Environment Federation together offer their QualServ program for public utility operations. All of these address management comprehensively, although they differ in approach. All share one major similarity: These powerful improvement opportunities seem overwhelming to most public works managers—and are grossly underused. APWA’s Accreditation and Self Assessment Programs are indeed powerful, valuable and affordable. Yet, only a small portion of the nation’s public works agencies take advantage of them. Self Assessment is based on APWA’s Public Works Management Practices Manual, an encyclopedic collection of 546 various practices ranging from strategic planning to digging up graves. Most everything a public works agency could do is here. Using this, Self Assessment offers a complete guide to analysis and improvement—with full documentation along the way, leading to the opportunity for national Accreditation. This will get a participating agency nearly all the way to public works heaven. Which is perhaps why it feels like purgatory—even to those who still embrace the Protestant Work Ethic. Realistically, though, using the Management Practices Manual this intensely may be just too much to tackle in hard times. Day-to-day work challenges can be overwhelming even during good economic times. And the budget-busting effects of the current miserable economy seem like the perfect culmination of 20-plus years of “doing more with less.” Some days, “just getting by” almost seems like an ambitious goal. But using this valuable tool is not an all-or-nothing choice. One can start small, choosing to tackle a useful practice, or just a piece of one, that solves a current problem or maybe scratches a persistent political itch. The Manual offers an eager new public works director—or an ornery long-in-thetooth field guy—an organized way to resolve problems and move good work ahead, one step at a time. And less impor38

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tant, but still nice, you can look competent both now and later by documenting each step. We offer a simple approach for doing this—simple but we think effective. We know it is low cost, just the price of a Manual, $70 (less if you borrow one). The approach is very much incremental, yet over time will help you create some “Pretty Good Management Practices.” It evolved from experiences in Minnesota public works departments including Saint Paul, Eagan and Richfield. Our examples were chosen for their relevance to a typical public works operation, but many others could be just as useful to your particular operation. Here is our approach: Choose an area of interest to you (the Manual most likely has a practice if not a chapter on it). Pick a specific concern. Work on it. Start implementing. Write down your decision. Declare success. Move on to another. Here’s how this can work on a street activity (see “Streets Example” figure at right). After a typical winter in Minnesota, the spring pothole crop generates swarms of pesky citizens. What is an effective response to this thankless chore? Here is one alternative: Set up a dedicated call-in number, promise a response time, and ask your mayor to publicize this. You will likely be and appear to be more responsive. Then move on to other street-related practices where can do you the most immediate good, e.g., documenting daily crew work or establishing and announcing your annual street sweeping schedule. Or, move your attention to a different area, like forestry. Minnesota folks are very concerned about the emerald ash borer bug’s growing threat to city trees. Preparing and documenting a multi-year approach for fighting this expanding infestation is an urgent activity for many of us. Three practices in the Manual offer guidance. And again, there are other related forestry, parks and grounds subjects to tackle, like preparing a boulevard tree inventory, or establishing turf mowing standards. We have done this same process for practices for stormwater management, water, emergency management, traffic signs, customer service, performance measurement, agency direction setting, sustainability and aesthetics. Other functions may be of more pressing concern. The same approach could be used with them. Solid waste, fleet or right-of-way control,

just as examples, might be more relevant to you. The point we are trying to get across here is that there are immediate opportunities to make improvements, both small and large, with help available. Action can be started now with just a small time investment and little cost.

Having the alternatives on paper makes discussion with stakeholders more efficient. And it is always useful to document decisions in order to communicate—and sometimes defend—them. APWA’s Self Assessment program stresses documentation heavily. So do we even with our scaled-back approach. Here’s why. Writing down a practice or procedure requires clearer thinking than just talking about it. Written policies are easier to communicate, and much harder to ignore. Written practices have also proven to reduce liability: It is easier to demonstrate that you have been meticulous and responsive. Sort of like bug spray for legal pests. And in the future, you or your nearly-as-good successor won’t have to reinvent this particular wheel. There are many ways to go about beginning the process of improving and documenting your work. For many, the most difficult part is just finding a way to get started. But you already have much public works knowledge, learned either in school or through experience. You probably earned your position by accomplishing many challenging and useful things. In fact, you and your staff are likely already figuring out “best” practices on a day-to-day basis, but not taking the time to write them down. You are doing your organization a disservice by not taking that one final step to document your work. Again, the issue you are tackling today will surely come up again at some point. So, choose an initiative and start. If you are working through a particularly difficult concern, address it, then document the way you removed that particular thorn from your paw. Or select an area that you feel is already documented and readily “put to bed,” as an easier start. Most practices can be described in less than a page. As a side benefit, use this approach to “grow staff.” Delegate the job of creating practice improvements to others in your organization. You will be leveraging improvement efforts as you give good folks a challenge. Negotiate a practice. Set a reasonable deadline. See what happens. Your operation is not likely to get worse as a result.

It may be helpful to have a consistent approach when tackling an issue. We offer the following: 1. Identify the issue: Write it down. 2. Investigate alternatives: Write them down. 3. Collaborate with experts and stakeholders: Write their input down. 4. Select the preferred alternative as the new policy: Write it down. A one-page, fill-in-the-blanks template will serve you well. Writing will help you think through the issue or problem.

If you make incremental improvements methodically over time, you will develop some “Pretty Good Practices.” That might be enough for your agency. On the other hand, you might work your way gradually into a full Self Assessment. You could even become the first public works leader who doesn’t wear a tie to achieve national Accreditation for your agency. The authors will give a presentation on this topic at the 2009 APWA Congress in Columbus, Ohio. Their session is entitled “Pretty Good Practices for a Public Works Leader” and takes place on Tuesday, September 15, at 10:00 a.m. Bruce Beese can be reached at (651) 266-6099 or bruce.beese@ci.stpaul.mn.us; Thomas Eggum can be reached at (651) 292-4406 or tom.eggum@tkda.com. September 2009

APWA Reporter

Preparing for the unexpected! And the expected! Pamela Mottice Muller Director of Emergency Management City of Beverly Hills, California Presenter, 2009 APWA Congress hrough the years, public works crews have been my heroes. Not fire or police, but public works. In disasters, they are the ones behind the scenes protecting our infrastructure, clearing our streets, restoring our utilities, checking our bridges, sandbagging or providing sandbags in the rain to save a house or even a community. I have been humbled by these crews and individuals that I have met through the years and their dedication before, during and after the disaster. These individuals, willing to work countless hours with dedication to their missions, with selfless work ethics and sometimes even risking their lives, are truly the unrecognized first responders of emergency management. Times have changed. Even with all that we have done in the past, the public demands more. Through lessons learned and the dedication and hard work of many, we have realized that disaster planning is not a luxury—it is a must. To quote the City Manager of Beverly Hills, Calif., Roderick J. Wood, “Once the disaster hits, our communities won’t remember one thing we did for them before the disaster. They will only remember how we responded and how the community they call home recovered.”

and it will make a difference when the disaster occurs. The following provides a few suggestions when planning.

Build a “culture of preparedness” in your organization We must accept that disasters happen in this country. Disasters have always happened! Disasters will continue to happen! If we view this statement as true, then it becomes the norm. Planning should become an everyday occurrence, and not an anomaly. We teach our communities to be prepared to live on their own for three to seven days. Yet we don’t take the same advice. Our organizations need to be prepared to be on their own for an additional three to seven days. We must store water, food and personal hygiene supplies, cots and blankets. We also need to store extra work supplies, such as fuel and parts. Additionally, we need to make agreements with other jurisdictions to assist through mutual aid.

Plan for the expected and unexpected If it can go wrong, it will. That is why they call it a disaster. Make your plans flexible enough to adjust to the everchanging conditions.

Build “a nation of survivors—not victims” Encourage home preparedness. It is amazing how many households that have the means to be prepared are not. Provide preparedness information to employees and their families on how to prepare their homes, and what to do if a disaster occurs (e.g., how to respond, where to meet, who picks up the kids). If our employees’ families are prepared, have plans, and have a clear understanding that their loved one will have to work when the disaster strikes, employees are more likely to report or stay at work. FEMA, the American Red Cross, and many other websites have free materials to provide to employees.

Mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery The City of Beverly Hills Public Works crews providing sandbags during a heavy rainstorm

Mental health professionals will tell you that individuals who are healthy before the disaster are more likely to be healthy after the disaster. The same appears to be true with businesses, agencies, organizations and cities. Create healthy and prepared departments, agencies and organizations today 40

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The four phases of emergency management guides are as follows: Mitigation: Identify ways to mitigate potential damage in offices, buildings and in communities. Develop Employee Emergency Response Teams who will be in charge of life safety, security and response of all owned buildings. Base the training on the national Community Emergency Response Team training.

Preparedness: Prepare your communities and your employees for all threats to your areas. Hold home preparedness pledge drives and campaigns. Response: Write response plans and fulfill federal NIMS requirements. Each employee should know their role and responsibilities during and after a disaster. Where and when they should respond? Where to report? How will they be notified and what should they bring or have stored at work? Recovery: Plan how your department, organizations and communities will recover. Do you know the FEMA reimbursement process? Go to http://www.fema.gov/government/grant/pa/index.shtm for more information. Do you have a written inventory of all your supplies? Do you have succession plans? Do you have plans on how to operate with one-third less workforce? There is an abundance of informational materials available to use for all phases. Find it, adapt it to your needs, and use it.

Read and become involved The APWA Emergency Management Committee is doing an excellent job of moving public works forward in this new and ever-changing climate. Visit their website at www.apwa. net to read valuable materials or call (800) 848-APWA (2792) to receive more information and to become involved.

A postcard designed by the Office of Emergency Management, City of Beverly Hills, California

We live in a country that has great disaster risks; with that comes great responsibility. We owe it to ourselves, our families, our communities and our nation to prepare on all levels so that when the time comes we are ready! Pamela Mottice Muller, along with Robert Lambert, General Manager, Greater New Orleans Expressway Commission, will give a presentation on this topic at the 2009 APWA Congress in Columbus. Their session is entitled “Preparing Your Department/ Agency and Fleet for the Unexpected!” and takes place on Sunday, September 13, at 3:00 p.m. They can be reached at pmottice@ beverlyhills.org or rlambert@gnoec.org.

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Cost, schedule and quality controls for capital projects Thomas Hutka, P.E., President, Hutka Public Management Consultants, Carmel, Indiana, and Kurt J. Wanninger, Director of Public Works, City of Westfield, Indiana; Presenters, 2009 APWA Congress

merican public works agencies could start a record number of capital improvement projects over the next few years, despite the otherwise difficult economy. Many communities face the need to replace aging infrastructure, improve service capacity, comply with state and federal treatment requirements, as well as implement cost- and energy-saving “green” initiatives. To help meet these challenges, the federal government’s economic stimulus package will provide additional capital funding needed at the state and local levels. Unfortunately, delays, cost overruns and quality defects are always common threats to the success of public works projects. These difficulties are often magnified because capital funding ties up so much of our limited budgets, and because construction can be the most visible sign of our teams’ presence in the community. Here are a few simple suggestions to stay ahead of the curve in controlling the cost, schedule and quality of your next construction project: Lock in Baselines. Call them baselines, budgets, targets, goals or whatever you like, but establish key objectives for the project’s final outcome early in the process. Your first opportunity to publish baselines, as well as advertise project needs, is in your annual board/ council-approved capital improvement plan (CIP)—an integral part of a wellplanned capital program. If you don’t want an overly expensive, late or poorly built project, lock in cost, schedule and quality baselines to compare progress against, throughout the duration of your project. Play as a Team. Literally hundreds of organizations and thousands of people work on even a moderately-sized proj42

APWA Reporter

ect: from the designer and their subs to the construction contractor and their subs. But don’t forget the accountants, attorneys, payment processors, purchasing agents, surveyors, insurers, financial advisors, land agents, building code enforcers, suppliers, inspectors and many, many others who must complete their assigned jobs for the project to be successful. Make sure you and your team coordinate closely so everyone works together toward the project’s goals. Of course, people can’t be expected to help attain project goals, if they don’t know the project goals. The very best way to ensure that team members are on the same page is through the use of properly prepared written agreements. By their very nature, legal contracts define expectations for both parties—especially for cost, schedule and quality. If a written contract is not appropriate, say for an employee in your organization, try a more informal approach: “Can we agree that all construction pay requests will be paid within 10 days of receipt?” For larger overall project goals, consider including specific milestones in your staff’s annual performance agreements. Appoint a Team Leader. Every project, large or small, needs a single project manager to lead the team to fulfill each individual assignment. He or she should be the single point of contact for every major aspect of the project to coordinate the great many varied activities. The assigned project manager could be an experienced member of your staff or maybe even you (!), although it’s increasingly common for local governments to rely on qualified consultant program managers to supplement in-house staff.

September 2009

Make sure your project manager has hands-on experience with similar

construction projects. All too often to the detriment of public works projects, the new library project is led by the city’s assistant librarian, the wastewater plant expansion by one of the treatment operators, and so on. These trusted employees are experts in their chosen professions, but not necessarily in managing construction jobs (even if they did recently remodel their home kitchen and have good taste in colors). There is a more suitable role for these team members which we’ll discuss a little later. Track Against Baselines. Tracking and adjusting activities is what capital program management is all about. If you don’t know where you are, you can’t know where you’re going (and you’ll probably end up over budget and past deadline). Communicate with your project manager and project team frequently—preferably in regularly scheduled status meetings. At all times, make sure you and the team know how everyone is doing in reaching individual goals, and whether the overall project is (or is not) on track. Manage your projects “by exception.” This is an old project management technique that puts the emphasis on fixing problems (“exceptions”) in order to meet objectives. Project status meetings should concentrate on just three topics: (1) “We are meeting our baselines,” (2) “We are not meeting our baselines,” and (3) “How do we get back to our baselines?” Of course, celebrations and congratulations are important in team play, but spend most of your energies correcting what goes astray (and it will) so that you’ll have reason to celebrate. Good project management relies on team members helping each other fix problems when necessary to get the project back in shape.

Control Quality. Controlling costs and schedules is always a challenge, but tracking can be fairly easy. Is $24 million greater than $23 million? Is October 13 earlier than October 14? But how do you track and control the less-tangible targets which define levels of project quality? Start early by telling your design architect/engineer what you require from the project, establishing performance and aesthetic goals for the final facility. If known soon enough, include these expectations right in the contract design scope. Do not assume your designers magically share your organization’s vision for what’s needed and what’s wanted. Openly communicate your ideas, but also listen to their suggestions. With your designer at your side, check out similar facilities and equipment which have proven successful for other governments. In attempting to correct what’s not working in your current operation, don’t forget to explore what is working—what you want to keep. There’s a baby and some bathwater in most “fixes.”

ment professionals can help you with The authors will give a presentation on much, much more project-specific ad- this topic at the 2009 APWA Congress in vice. But if you start with these simple Columbus, Ohio. Their session is entitled guidelines, you’ll stand a better chance “How to Start and Finish Your Capital of avoiding the perils most common Projects” and takes place on Monday, to the design and construction indus- September 14, at 10:30 a.m. Thomas try, and be well on your way to making Hutka can be reached at (317) 810-9932 the ribbon cutting a true celebration of or tjhutka@yahoo.com; Kurt Wanninger a job well done. The best of luck with can be reached at (317) 804-3100 or kwanniger@westfield.in.gov. your projects!

Stay engaged throughout the design and construction phases, and constantly assess project details against your expectations. Finally and most importantly, do not compromise your vision of quality in the final project, unless you absolutely have to in order to contain costs. Include Facility Users. Remember the assistant librarian and the treatment operator we talked about earlier? Here’s the proper role for their input: Include key system operation and maintenance staff—facility “users”—in preliminary design sessions. Good engineers and architects encourage this input, because they want to make sure that the people ultimately using their design are happy with the final product. (Try this acid test on recently constructed facilities: Look for perpetually-locked doors, covered windows, crushed curbs, trampled landscaping, scratched walls, jury-rigged machinery and feedback from staff, “I coulda told ‘em that wouldn’t work!”) Well, these are just a few basic pointers on how to build successful capital projects. Of course, program manage

September 2009

APWA Reporter

Streets that breathe Gray to green for horizontal construction Patrick R. Fuscoe, P.E. CEO/President Fuscoe Engineering, Inc. Irvine, California Presenter, 2009 APWA Congress magine streets that breathe. Just like the arteries in our body, our road networks enable movement crucial to our society and without them, we cannot get around to meet our needs. Transforming them to remain efficient while becoming healthier will sustain us into the future. Our streets cover some 20% of the land we occupy and make our commerce and culture “go.” Shouldn’t we give them more attention as a network that binds us together and delivers us to and fro? Shouldn’t we consider the major influence they have on our health, psyche, and sense of belonging to a neighborhood or community? My proposition to you is to take the conventional and single-function designs of the last century and make a small but significant step from “gray to green.” Any serious proposition should begin with a strong belief based on intuitively understandable principles. Many of us believe streets can continue their critical role as our circuit connectors while becoming more environmentally sensitive, aesthetically pleasing and multi-functional. After all, they are expensive to build and operate. Why not get the most value from them? So here is my premise: Consider the holistic possibilities for every new and redeveloped street implementing valuable, practical and attractive green features (yes, beauty matters!). If you think I am on to something, read on. Here is how we might approach making this paradigm change for road building in the 21st century. By the way, transit is part of the answer, but local roads and community-level collectors will always be needed to get us to our doorsteps. They’ll just be busy with smaller electric or renewable-fueled vehicles sharing space with trolleys and bicycles. So where do we start? With policy!

ing the door for solutions to flow. I did it in Irvine, California, and you can do it too. Armed with high-level mandates, private-sector applicants and municipal authorities can collaborate on best practices starting the changes we need.

Irvine, Calif., city leaders forge “Green Streets” Guidelines

So, what changes can we expect? Hundreds of cities throughout the U.S. have experimented and developed proven designs that make streets greener from San José, California or Portland, Oregon to the New York City Department of Transportation. Successful programs have been implemented. Small trial projects that grow into community-wide applications is the best approach. Although we can learn from our shared experiences, we must remember that local climate, watershed, soils, building densities, and even the purpose of a road affect the success of green features. It’s more of a menu than one-size-fits-all. Nonetheless, consider these examples and see what else you can add: Streets matter to public well-being. A pleasant and safe passage lessens road rage and promotes a sense of belonging. Greener roads mean more smiles.

• According to the American Institute of Architects, in 2007 just 14% of U.S. cities with populations over 50,000 had “green” policies. It is imperative local municipalities adopt basic directions for green streets. Otherwise, public works • officials, redevelopment directors and community planners are left to cope with alternative designs using outdated or parochial codes. I have seen too many innovative designs turned away because officials were handcuffed to post-war• era standards focused solely on auto use. Street designs are often controversial and new features must balance engineering, safety and maintenance criteria. Stakeholder workshops can yield consensus on basic concepts and objectives open- • 44

APWA Reporter

September 2009

Divide your road network into three levels as Very Green (local collectors and urban/suburban commercial districts); Mostly Green (community collectors); and Lightly Green (regional arterials). Create safe, inviting streetscapes with a three-zone approach: the Frontage Zone (parking or parkways); the Walk Zone (pedestrian movement); and the Furnishing Zone (storefront uses). Enable pocket parks, planters or furnishings alongside the roadways to encourage pedestrian use. Integrate wayfinding and shaded rest stops. Consider periodic local street closings for events, festi-

Green streets are for people, too

vals, neighborhood or community markets, or use by adjoining retailers. It makes streets a place for people, too. •

•

Double the trees and create shade canopies along with traffic-calming “curb bulges” or chokers coordinated with pedestrian crossings.

•

Bio-infiltration planting strips within parkways, setback zones and inverted median islands capture and clean runoff while recharging groundwater. Engineered sub-drainage can address nearby foundations, curbs or clay soil constraints.

•

Use native landscapes with embedded or telemetrically-controlled irrigation to save water in more arid climates. Artificial turf is gaining acceptance, especially in non-tread areas or narrow median islands.

Make nature visible with inverted surfaces planted for bio-filtration. People will be reacquainted with the importance of hydrology and water.

Streets can contribute to environmental sustainability. Deploy eco-adaptive® designs to reduce energy consumption, conserve water, clean the air, and cut the carbon footprint of the roadway. •

effect for pedestrians and drivers. Allow enough open soil per tree and install with structured soil media to control root growth and promote tree health for less maintenance.

Install permeable pavements in low-traffic or parking zones. Even a narrow strip along a curb or gutter “interrupts” otherwise impervious surfaces and captures polluted runoff into the ground for natural cleaning. Chicago’s Green Alleyways program is a good example of adding both this function and aesthetics in one step.

•

Use low-albedo-colored pavements to cut glare and heat island effect. Specialized pavers or highlighted surfaces fortify crosswalk use and safety.

•

Double the tree plantings for added shade saving 20% in adjacent building A/C loads while creating a canopy

Green streets can be economical and practical to maintain. Special Maintenance Districts can be formed enlisting neighborhood participation, and road departments can be trained to deal with newer features. •

Traffic-calming features may add 10% to roadway costs but pay it back with fewer accidents and fatalities. One traffic death per year (that costs $1M) can be saved with a 10 mph reduction. Through-put vehicle flow can be maintained with steady-state slower speeds (single-lane roundabouts and narrower lanes) versus conventional stop-start roads. September 2009

APWA Reporter

•

Bio-filtration zones are no more effort than conventional ornamental landscapes. Surface media is only changed every 5-7 years and careful plant selection neutralizes cost increases.

•

Well-placed permeable pavements can perform as small strips, yet do a lot of heavy lifting for water quality. A 10% coverage goal is enough and a wire-brushed sweeper will maintain porosity.

Patrick R. Fuscoe, P.E., will give a presentation on this topic at the 2009 APWA Congress in Columbus, Ohio. His session is entitled “Gray to Green for Horizontal Construction” and takes place on Monday, September 14, at 10:30 a.m. He can be reached at (949) 474-1960 or pfuscoe@fuscoe.com.

I hope you can welcome this notion of “green streets” as engineers, because we “make things work.” I have taken my career onto a path of “making green work” and it is engineers and committed professionals like you who can elevate the environmental, social and economical caliber of our roads. Won’t you help? Step outside the security of doing-itas-before to apply our newest technologies and make better places for people to travel, work and play. As Frederick Olmstead, the famous Central Park builder, said, “…let us not do work for present use alone. Let us instead do such work that our descendents will thank us for. Let’s hope one day, they will say, look what our fathers did for us!” Inverted infiltration parkway

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Alternative labor source for commingled recycling: a win-win situation in Moberly, Missouri Thomas E. Sanders, Director of Community Development/Public Works, City of Moberly, Missouri, and Cynthia M. Mitchell, Director, Social Ventures, Midwest Assistance Program, Inc., Columbia, Missouri; Presenters, 2009 APWA Congress n 1997, the City of Moberly, Missouri (pop. 14,100) changed its trash service overnight from a twice-perweek collection with essentially unlimited placement to a once-per-week, volume-based fee structure that incorporated curbside recycling. At this time, the City owned and operated its own landfill and trash collection service. The City spent well over a year researching other communities and taking bits and pieces of each program to come up with the final plan they felt would work best for them. In regard to the recycling, the most efficient and cost-effective processing facilities being utilized for this sized community were run through partnerships with sheltered workshops, organizations that offer employment opportunities for people with disabilities and/or disadvantaged backgrounds. As Moberly had a sheltered workshop locally, this became the focus of implementing the recycling portion of the program. The City began meeting with the sheltered workshop board and management to develop a program layout.Â The primary issues were: (1) types of recyclables they would accept, (2) quality of the recyclables (percent of trash and cleanliness), (3) obtaining processing equipment, and (4) the fees. At the time, the processed materials were not of much value, similar to the previous several months. After much negotiation between all parties and discussions with the State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the local Solid Waste Management District about potential grants for startup costs, an agreement was reached with the sheltered workshop. The City applied for and received $100,000 in startup costs from DNR, a grant program that was funded by a State of Missouri tonnage fee collected at landfills throughout the state. This grant purchased conveyors, a skid loader, numerous steel bins, carts, a glass crusher and a baler, and paid for all of the electrical service upgrades and installation into the sheltered workshop. The system was set up and tested. Then came D-day, the first day of the new solid waste program. Citizens were required to use blue bags for trash and clear bags for recyclables. They had to remember that only type 1 & 2 plastics were accepted, along with cardboard, mixed paper, glass, aluminum and tin cans. Needless to say, the first day, even the first month, was an extreme learning experience for the public, the City and the sheltered work48

APWA Reporter

September 2009

shop. As the City gave out the first roll of recycling bags for free on every doorstep and people had to purchase blue bags for trash on their own, collectors saw numerous clear bags filled with trash and several where the resident tried to recycle everything from microwaves to the garden hose.

Incoming commingled recyclables

As the recycling program was in conjunction with a volume-based pricing system for trash, the commingled recycling was promoted as a way to reduce trash cost, as they would have to purchase fewer of the blue bags for trash. It worked; Moberly had a larger percentage of recycling participation than had been experienced in any other community in Missouri. Around 90% of homes were participating at some level and around 70% put out recyclables in a given week. The sheltered workshop was somewhat overwhelmed with the volume and wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t accustomed to dealing with commingled recyclables. Whenever a bag came in with as little as one incorrect item, the entire bag was discarded. The City had to set more dumpsters to contain the rejects. The sheltered workshop would typically fill six 6-yard dumpsters with rejected items each week, and was still having trouble keeping up. The City was paying them a fee of $2,750 per month for their services in addition to the grant-acquired equipment and startup costs. The sheltered workshop began increasing the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fees without showing reduction of discarded materials, so the City began looking into other alternatives.

Moberly is home to an 1800-inmate medium-custody correctional facility. The City in the past had utilized prison labor to mow grass at the cemetery, and the State uses prison labor for mowing. After several meetings with the local Warden and other prison staff, they came to an agreement that the prison would identify five inmates that would qualify for offsite work to process the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recyclables. The City agreed to pay $7.50/day per prison employee. As the City was the actual grantee for the recycling equipment being used at the sheltered workshop, they met with the sheltered workshop and mutually agreed to sever the agreement. The City leased a building for $750/month that was conveniently located in a manufacturing district and installed the conveyors, balers and bins previously used at the sheltered workshop. They also received a grant from the Solid Waste Management District (also funded through the state landfill tipping fee) to purchase some additional equipment for the new facility. This transition was made in 1999 and since then Moberly has received additional grants from the Solid Waste Management District for building improvements (doors, lighting, electrical) and two electric forklifts.

to work offsite from the prison and do good work to retain that privilege. That being said, the fact that they are prisoners cannot be overlooked and the City must work hard to maintain the mindset that they are prisoners, not coworkers. They recently began training more staff to watch the prisoners and rotating out the supervisor on a regular basis to minimize these types of concerns. Following is a brief cost comparison of the two programs utilizing alternative labor sources for recycling in Moberly: Sheltered Workshop

Inmate Labor

Building Charge

$750

Electricity

$150

$100

Contract Labor

$3,575

$651

Transportation

$975

Supervision

$2,333

MONTHLY Total

$5,450

$3,834

ANNUAL Total

$65,400

$46,012

Offsetting Revenue from Marketed Materials (avg/month)

$1,000-$2,000

Moberly contracted with a private waste firm to close its landfill, provide collection services and operate a transfer station in 2005. The landfill tipping fee avoided by recycling is approximately $40 per ton. Over 455 tons of material were sold.

Inmates unloading cardboard at Moberly recycling facility

As the volume of material is not significant enough to frequently fill an entire transport trailer with one product such as cardboard, plastics, etc., there is no opportunity to market each load. Therefore, the City annually requests proposals from area recycling buyers to take the material based on a percentage of the current market. The successful buyer supplies the City trailers and arranges transportation of the material. In peak market conditions, the City has received up to $1,891.45 per month, but the average for the 2008-2009 fiscal year was $1,026.25. Nearly 911,000 pounds of recyclables were sold during this period. Overall the current format is very effective, and the City can control how the process is conducted. The prisoners, in general, are excellent workers who greatly value the opportunity

Whereas sheltered workshops are successfully operating recycling programs in many communities, Moberly found the opportunity to utilize the prison laborers more beneficial to them. Many communities do not have that option available and should evaluate their best option including partnerships with sheltered workshops. Each sheltered workshop in Missouri is operated as a private nonprofit corporation whose purpose is to provide meaningful and dignified employment opportunities for persons with disabilities that have been determined not to be competitively employable at the time of evaluation. The authors will give a presentation on this topic at the 2009 APWA Congress in Columbus. Their session is entitled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nontraditional Solid Waste Management Labor Sourcesâ&#x20AC;? and takes place on Monday, September 14, at 3:00 p.m. Thomas Sanders can be reached at (660) 269-8705 or tsanders@cityofmoberly.com; Cynthia Mitchell can be reached at (573) 886-0080 or cmitchellmap@mchsi.com. September 2009

APWA Reporter

Recent street sweeping pilot studies are flawed Roger C. Sutherland, P.E. President Pacific Water Resources, Inc. Beaverton, Oregon Presenter, 2009 APWA Congress great deal of controversy surrounds the question of how much of the pollution found in urban stormwater runoff can be removed by street sweeping practices. Several calibrated modeling studies using observed road dirt accumulation data and stormwater quality data have concluded that street sweeping can be a very effective best management practice (BMP) with annual total suspended solids (TSS) reductions well over 60% (Sutherland, et al., 2006; Sutherland, et al., 2001; Sutherland and Jelen, 1997). Others believe that this isn’t the case and cite the recent pilot study in Madison, Wisconsin (Selbig and Bannerman, 2007) and Baltimore, Maryland (CWP, 2008) where analyses of collected data and some modeling efforts seem to support the conclusion that street cleaning shows limited effectiveness in reducing the concentrations of pollutants found in urban runoff (Geosyntec, 2008). The TSS data collected in both of these pilot studies were flawed. First, these studies did not measure all of the particulate material being transported by the runoff. And second, the modeling tools used in each study cannot accurately simulate the sediment accumulation, washoff and street sweeping removal behaviors that are occurring (Sutherland and Minton, 2009). Both of the pilot studies used automatic samplers. In general, the particles that are most effectively removed by street sweepers are less effectively captured (or sampled) by automated samplers. For example, research has reported the potential bias of automated samplers that may not accurately characterize the presence of particles as small as 75 μm in stormwater (ASCE 2007) and can “miss” an increasing proportion of sediment in stormwater with increasing particle size (Selbig 2008). Burton and Pitt (2002) summarize the percentage of total sediment load that may be lost based on the size of the particle and sampler intake velocity. Using this information, it can be conservatively estimated that the sampler may have missed 25% of the particles in stormwater up to 3 mm (or 3,000 μm) in size. As a consequence, the usefulness of standard monitoring protocols to determine the effectiveness of street sweeping by comparing pretreatment and treatment stormwater pollutant loads is questionable. How do we know that standard sampling techniques are a problem? A 1998 study of runoff from an Interstate highway in Cincinnati, Ohio, used gravimetric-based sampling techniques to collect whole volume discrete samples including 50

APWA Reporter

September 2009

all of the sediment being transported at that time. The entire volume of these discrete samples obtained throughout each sampled runoff event were filtered and analyzed. The study concluded that 20% by mass of the particulate material transported in the runoff ranged from 600 to 1,000 microns and 30% from 1,000 to 10,000 microns (Sansalone, et al., 1998). Recent discrete runoff sampling of eight storms captured from an elevated section of the I-10 Interstate highway in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, used both gravimetric sampling techniques and whole effluent analyses. This study found particles in transport that ranged from 1 to 24,500 microns in size (Kim and Sansalone, 2008). Given the results of Sansalone’s research, one must conclude that the concentrations of sediments found in runoff from highway pavements have been routinely under-sampled and thus understated. Many might argue that these courser fractions are not that important since conventional wisdom says that the bulk of the metals, phosphorus, petroleum and related hydrocarbons and pesticides are associated with the finer particulate fractions that are being captured. Unfortunately that belief is not the case. Metals, phosphorus, petroleum and related hydrocarbons, and pesticides, are all hydrophobic and, therefore, sorb to larger particles. Since these larger particles are not being collected these pollutants are also being understated. Sansalone and Cristina (2004) found that more than 60% of the particulate-bound metal mass observed in highway pavement runoff (i.e., Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn) was associated with particles greater than 250 microns. Those that have been critical of street sweeping as an effective BMP often lack a good understanding of the complicated processes that relate to both the accumulation and transport by runoff of particulate material from urban streets. They often don’t grasp how the effective removal of this accumulated material by cleaning practices can essentially deplete its available supply. The pilot studies that recently concluded street cleaning is not an effective BMP used very simple models or models whose washoff components were not based on sediment transport principles (Selbig and Bannerman, 2007; Center for Watershed Protection, 2008). Pacific Water Resources (PWR) has developed a sediment transport-based model called SIMPTM that accurately reproduces these behaviors (Sutherland and Jelen, 1996). One important interaction included in the model is called wet weather washon. Wet weather washon is the transport of

both particulate and associated pollutant loadings from adjacent paved and unpaved areas to the street and parking lot surfaces where they can be transported in subsequent runoff events downstream to storm system inlets or the waterways themselves. Some mistakenly believed that PWR’s modeling studies do not account for any “off-street” loadings sources. For example, an appendix on highway sweeping published by WSDOT in a March 2008 White Paper on BMP Effectiveness incorrectly stated that PWR’s models rely solely on street buildup and washoff equations for the introduction of pollutants into runoff and that all other processes for how pollutants are entrained into runoff are assumed to be negligible (Geosyntec, 2008). In fact, the SIMPTM authors proved over 12 years ago that sediment and pollutant washoff can only be accurately modeled storm by storm, one season to another, year after year when the process of wet weather washon is accounted for (Sutherland and Jelen, 1996). In addition, PWR seems to be the only researchers in the country that emphasize the importance of a street sweeper’s ability to pick up and contain the entire range of accumulated particulate material. PWR studies using SIMPTM (Sutherland and Jelen, 1998) estimated, for example, that regenerative air sweeping on single-family residential areas in Livonia, Michigan, once every two weeks would remove from stormwater an estimated 63% of the TSS annual mass loadings (Sutherland, et. al., 2001).

TSS washoff to only half of the actual sediment mass being transported (Personal Communication with Dr. Sansalone, 2007). So if we assume that was the case in the Baltimore study, then the 22% TSS washoff reduction due to monthly regenerative air sweeping only really applies to the 50% of the sediments that were actually measured. If monthly regenerative air street sweeping were to remove from the washoff 75% of the other 50% of the courser sediments that weren’t measured, then a 48% overall washoff reduction for TSS would be an accurate estimate. So the question is whether monthly regenerative air street sweeping could reduce the transported TSS sediments that aren’t being observed by traditional sampling practices by 75%. Since the runoff sediments that aren’t being measured are most certainly greater than 200 microns, then a 75% reduction in the washoff of this courser fraction appears to be very reasonable. July 2008 testing of an Elgin Crosswind regenerative air machine operating at 5 miles per hour under real-world sweeping conditions found that the machine picked up 96.4% of the initial accumulated material (Sutherland, 2009). The pickup performance of the particulates greater than 250 microns was measured at 97.5%.

Pickup performance testing of an Elgin Crosswind regenerative air sweeper

Street dirt accumulation monitoring, Livonia, Michigan

Some have stated that PWR’s street sweeping pollutant removal estimates “are highly questionable” (Geosyntec, 2008). Let’s examine some numbers to see whether that statement is valid or not. The recent street sweeping pilot study of an urban residential watershed in Baltimore, Maryland, estimated that monthly regenerative air sweeping would reduce TSS by only 22% (CWP, 2008). The Livonia, Michigan, modeling study using SIMPTM calibrated to accurately simulate measured street dirt accumulations on a residential site concluded that monthly residential sweeping with regenerative air would reduce the entire range of TSS stormwater washoff by 48% (Sutherland, et. al. 2001). Errors in both sampling and analytical methods used in the Baltimore study are estimated to have limited the observed

Granted, street sweeper pickup is not the same thing as sediment washoff reduction, but they are closely related, especially for these courser sediments where washoff only occurs during more intense and generally higher-depth storms. Plus these higher-depth storms have longer return intervals that can generally equal or exceed the frequency of the monthly cleaning operations in our example. So the likelihood of keeping the available supply of these courser sediments low is quite good, especially when the pickup efficiency for this particle size group is so high. Therefore, a 75% reduction in the washoff of these courser sediments which weren’t measured in Baltimore is very realistic. So what may appear to be “highly questionable estimates” to some are in fact very reasonable estimates when the complex processes are fully understood and all the sediments in transport are accounted for. September 2009

APWA Reporter

The question that should now be answered is whether these Roger C. Sutherland will give a presentation on this topic at the larger particulates that are estimated to make up half of the 2009 APWA Congress in Columbus, Ohio. His session is entitled sediments in highway runoff are also that dominate in run- “Urban Myths Associated with Street Cleaning” and takes place off from other urban areas like single-family residential and on Monday, September 14, at 10:30 a.m. He can be reached at commercial land uses. We must also ask what impact has (503) 671-9709 or Roger.Sutherland@PacificWR.com. this fine sediment sampling bias had on the interpretation References of the data collected to date. American Society of Civil Engineers, 2007. ASCE Guideline Given the serious problems with the bias in data collec- for Monitoring Stormwater Gross Pollutants. B. Rushton, G. England and D. Smith (eds). Available online at: http://www. tion that have been used by recent street cleaning pilot stormwaterauthority.org/library/library.aspx?id=200 studies, PWR strongly believes that these data sets should be reevaluated using physically-based explicit models like Burton, A., and R. Pitt., 2002. Stormwater Effects Handbook: SIMPTM. Data analyses using these types of tools will re- a Toolbox for Watershed Managers, Scientists, and Engineers. Lewis Publishers. New York, NY. sult in a much better understanding of how effective urban cleaning practices truly are. Until this occurs, we at PWR Center for Watershed Protection (CWP), 2008. Deriving Relibelieve it would be prudent for stormwater managers and able Pollutant Removal Rates for Municipal Street Sweeping and public works personnel to recognize that the conclusions Storm Drain Cleanout Programs in the Chesapeake Bay Basin, of these recent studies are flawed. If we truly did care about funded by a U.S. EPA Chesapeake Bay Program grant CB973222-01. the maximum extent practicable (MEP) and cost-effective removal of pollutants from urban runoff, then the resources Geosyntec Consultants, 2008. BMP Effectiveness Assessment would be found to undertake a reexamination of these and for Highway Runoff in Western Washington – Appendix 3 Highother data sets. Until this occurs, the controversy surround- way Sweeping, prepared for Washington State Department of Transportation. ing the true effectiveness of urban street cleaning practices will continue and the water quality of our urban waterways Kim, J.Y., and J.J. Sansalone, 2008. “Event-Based Size Distributions of Particulate Matter Transported During Urban will continue to suffer as a result. Rainfall-Runoff Events.” (Manuscript In Press).

APWA Reporter

September 2009

Sansalone, J.J., and C.M. Cristina, 2004. “Prediction of Gradation-Based Heavy Metal Mass Using Granulometric Indices of Snowmelt Particles.” In: Journal of Environmental Engineering. ASCE. 130(12): 1488-1497. Sansalone, J.J., J.M. Koran, J.A. Smithson, and S.G. Buchberger, 1998. “Physical Characteristics of Urban Roadway Solids Transported During Rain Events.” In: Journal of Environmental Engineering. ASCE. 124(5): 348-365.

Sutherland, R.C., and S.L. Jelen, 1997. “Contrary to Conventional Wisdom: Street Sweeping Can be an Effective BMP.” In: Advances in Modeling the Management of Stormwater Impacts, Volume 5, (Edited by William James) CHI. Guelph, Ontario, Canada: 179-190. Sutherland, R.C., and S.L. Jelen, 1998. Simplified Particulate Transport Model User’s Manual, Version 3.2. Pacific Water Resources, Inc., Beaverton, Oregon.

Selbig, W. R., 2008. Improving the accuracy of sediment and sediment-associated constituent concentrations in urban runoff. Presentation at the 2008 National Water Quality Monitoring Conference, May 18-22, 2008, Atlantic City, New Jersey. Selbig, W.R. and R.T. Bannerman, 2007. “Evaluation of Street Sweeping as a Stormwater-Quality-Management Tool in Three Residential Basins in Madison, Wisconsin,” U.S. Geological Survey, Middleton, Wisconsin, Water Resource Investigations Report 2007-5156. Sutherland, R.C., 2009. “Real World Street Cleaner Pickup Performance Testing,” presented at STORMCON 2009, August 2009, Anaheim, California. Sutherland, R.C., and G.R. Minton, 2009. “A Proposal for a New Research Direction,” In: Conceptual Modeling of Urban Water Systems, Monograph 17, (Edited by W. James, K.N. Irvine, E.A. McBean, R.E. Pitt and S.J. Wright). CHI. Guelph, Ontario, Canada: Chapter 3. Sutherland, R.C., G.R. Minton, and U. Marinov 2006. “Stormwater Quality Modeling of Cross Israel Highway Runoff.” In: Intelligent Modeling of Urban Water Systems, Monograph 14, (Edited by W. James, K.N. Irvine, E.A. McBean and R.E. Pitt). CHI. Guelph, Ontario, Canada: Chapter 8.

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Sutherland, R.C., R.J. Myllyoja, and S.L. Jelen, 2001. “Quantifying the Stormwater Pollutant Reduction Benefits of Traditional Public Works Maintenance Practices.” In: Best Modeling Practices for Urban Water Systems, Monograph 10, (Edited by W. James). CHI. Guelph, Ontario, Canada: 127-150. Sutherland, R.C., and S.L. Jelen, 1996. “Sophisticated Stormwater Quality Modeling is Worth the Effort.” In: Advances in Modeling the Management of Stormwater Impacts, Volume 4, (Edited by William James). CHI. Guelph, Ontario, Canada: 1-14.

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September 2009

APWA Reporter

Sports field or stormwater infiltration area Why canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t we have both? Mike Kelly Director, New Product Development Tiller Corporation Maple Grove, Minnesota Presenter, 2009 APWA Congress igh-sand-content sport fieldsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; root zone profiles are built to effectively drain stormwater at 6 to 10 inches/hour. The infiltration slows down a little after grass, thatch and roots get involved. However, these fields are very effective in catching water and absorbing it into the profile. Subsequently, excess water release can be slow or fast depending on design and oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preference. Some subsoils can absorb a portion of the excess water, but that takes some time. Stormwater infiltration basins are built to capture large surges of water and then release it in a slow, controlled form. Stormwater erosion problems occur when we have uncontrolled flow, too much volume, or water travels long distances over the surface.

I have built many sports fields that have a mixture of sand and organic matter (usually peat) or sand/soil mixture. They have to be done with selected or engineered sand designs root zones. ASTM International has an athletic field specification, and the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America has construction specifications. These are examples of organizations that have good specifications for their purposes. The technology is available to have an infiltration area, not a pond, that will be a high-performance sports field or a play area. When these systems are built they have to use the proper types of sands. The sands will develop a root zone that has the right air-to-water pore ratio, provide good drainage properties, and maintain good water holding capacity. I have been involved with water infiltration areas that provide the same functions. The Spirit Hills shopping area, Lino Lakes, Minn., has a depressed green area that has been functional for years.

The Spirit Hills depressed infiltration basin/rain garden

Another drainage system is available that not only drains the excess water but also allows for substantial passive storage of water in the root zone for future vegetative growth. This is extremely important in the water-restricted states. New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, N.M., performed a three-year study of this system which showed that the water usage was reduced by greater than 50% and that the turf performed better than overhead irrigation systems. It is the EPIC drainage system. 54

APWA Reporter

September 2009

The EPIC system uses pure sand or slightly dirtied sand to build the root zone. The half-circle-shaped drain tube is placed directly on an impermeable membrane that stops water from leaching into the subsoil area. If you want infiltration on a project, a pan system can be designed that can provide irrigation storage and filtered ground infiltration simultaneously. The drainage chamber has a double wall built into it. This design allows the heavy drainage gravel entrance to the first section. But only the water can flow into the inner chamber, making it virtually non-clogging. The drain holes are one inch by one inch in size. It receives water five to eight times faster than a regular slotted 4” drain tile. The ability of the system to maintain water in the bottom of the profile makes it very unique. It increases the water holding capacity of the sand by trapping water in the bottom of the system. This water, through capillary rise, then moves vertically upward to the plants as needed. In many areas of the country natural rainfall capture and subsequent storage would dramatically reduce the pumped irrigation water needs.

handle the stormwater from 300,000 square feet of hard surface, almost seven acres.

A photo of a University of Minnesota infiltration area during construction. This photo shows EPIC chambers being held in place with sand bags and placing an EPDM liner. Gravel is installed on the left side of the photo and sand is being installed on top of the gravel.

A massive example of this is the 12-acre Cambria, California, site. This site stores two million gallons of water from winter rain which is used for summer plant growth. A few years ago, one of my civil engineer associates, the late William McCully, discussed the need to have effective stormwater control systems versus stormwater ponds. The objective should be to control water surge volume and energy. This cannot be done in a standing water storm pond. See “Ready for a Paradigm Shift?” by Jonas Sipaila and William McCully at http://www.estormwater.com/Ready-for-a-Paradigm-Shift--article8061. The article explains some of the issues associated with immediate movement of rainfall events. In Minnesota our 100-year storm event is 6.25” in 24 hours. This event would produce 387,500 gallons over a 100,000-square-foot area. If we have 100,000 square feet of hard surface to drain, how much of a depression is needed on an EPIC infiltration system or a porous area of 25,000 square feet to contain the water? McCully calculated that a mere 10” depression over the flat grass area would handle and detain the 100-year event. 62,500 gallons would be detained below the surface and 325,000 gallons temporarily held above the grass surface. If only six EPIC drain line systems with 2” outflow pipe exits are used, the 100-year event would drain to the grass surface in 24 hours and it would reach standing equilibrium in 1.6 days—not long enough to damage grass but slow enough to filter and gradually drain a storm event such that it is not erosive. This is what I call “spreading the wealth” that we can all approve. How does this compare to a sports field? A normal soccer field is 210 x 360 feet or 75,600 square feet. If this soccer field had a gradual pitch leading to this flat surface, it could

A photo of the University of Minnesota infiltration area after grass installation. This photo shows the drainage area and a Frisbee play area.

How many 100-year storm events do we really have? How many parking lots and buildings need stormwater control? How much do we hate storm ponds? How much do we dislike the problems with geese, mosquitoes and liability issues? How much wasted and unmanageable space is in storm ponds? How much do we need and desire additional and functional athletic fields and play areas in our communities? We can have both if we think of the total objective and purpose—controlling and absorbing water volume and energy. Mike Kelly will give a presentation on this topic at the 2009 APWA Congress in Columbus. His session is entitled “Athletic Field or Dry Storm Pond?” and takes place on Sunday, September 13, at 2:00 p.m. He can be reached at (763) 315-6085 or mikek@ tillercorp.com. September 2009

APWA Reporter

The power of attitude George Haines Program Director Northern Wyoming Community College District Gillette, Wyoming Member, APWA Leadership and Management Committee We continue with the APWA Leadership and Management Committee’s series of articles entitled “Cleaning up the Kitchen” which focus on a wide variety of leadership and management issues. This is the fifth series of articles contributed by the committee over the past few years. The purpose of the articles is to provide thought-provoking topics and situations which are likely to be currently occurring in the public works arena with the intention of offering some insight or reference for members who may be facing similar situations. The members of the committee welcome your input for other topics or issues you may be facing. A current roster of the members is available on the Leadership and Management web page at www.apwa.net/About/TechSvcs/Leadership/. “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” – Thomas Jefferson When I posted an infoNOW article about attitude in April, I was pleasantly surprised by all the feedback I received and the questions it raised. So, to kick things off, here is my original posting: I just returned from the Rocky Mountain Chapter Spring Conference. I led one of the sessions that dealt with Recruiting, Developing, and Mentoring Tomorrow’s Leaders. I called it Successful Succession. When we were discussing the recruiting process, I used the phrase “Hire for Attitude, Train for Skills.” The point I was trying to make was that all things being equal, you always want to hire someone with a great attitude as it is easier to train someone in the technical skills than it is to get them to change their attitude. Someone asked the question, “How can you tell if someone has a good attitude?” When I conduct job interviews, I always ask the question, “What did you do to prepare for today’s interview?” When someone tells me the research they did, the people they talked to, the Council meetings they attend, as an example, you can tell if they really want to be part of your organization. I’ve interviewed others who have a dozen résumés on the street and are interviewing with anyone who will give them a chance. Another way I can tell is by asking behavioral-based interview questions. When you get them to explain how they have handled difficult situations with employees, customers, or elected officials, you can tell if they are a “glass half-full” person or not. 56

APWA Reporter

September 2009

As John Maxwell calls it in the title of his book, attitude is the “difference maker.” Victor Frankl, who wrote Man’s Search for Meaning, was in a concentration camp during World War II and lost most of his family to the death camps. In his book he says “...everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” If you are having a particularly bad day at work and the stress gets to be too much, remember this: How you cope with stress is 10% actions and 90% attitude. If your attitude is right, you will likely make good choices to help you deal with life’s difficulties. I learned this having dealt with cancer for the last three years. When my oncologist gave me news that was not positive, I had two choices—believe him and start making my final plans, or say “Okay, Doc, what are we going to do about this? My plate is too full so we have to beat this!” It has made a difference in my life. So what does this have to do with a job in public works? Well, every day we have to deal with difficult customers/citizens, demanding elected officials, maybe a boss who doesn’t care about the staff, difficult coworkers, and maybe a seemingly insurmountable work-related problem. It would be easy to get jaded or cynical about it all. The problem is, if you are a supervisor, a manager, or a department head, people are watching you. If your poor attitude is seen by others, it becomes contagious. I highly recommend reading John Maxwell’s book, The Difference Maker: Making Your Attitude Your Greatest Asset. Maybe then you will recognize that your attitude can be a difference maker in your life as is has been for me. Maybe the best way to further this discussion is to integrate the follow-up comments posted on infoNOW, as they all add valuable insights into the subject of attitude. One of the first questions that came up was, “Can attitude be taught or un-taught?” The consensus seems to be that attitude can be taught, but not in the conventional ways we think of teaching. I’m not going to be able to give a PowerPoint™ presentation on how to have a good attitude and have people walk out of the class with smiles on their faces. As Ken Lange, Fleet Services Superintendent from the Village of Lisle, Ill., commented:

I believe that attitude can be taught. Not in the way most of us think (attending a training class, seminars, watching DVDs, etc.) but by strong leadership and by the example we set. If we get an attitude about how we handle difficult situations and allow others to witness it, we set the example of what others see as acceptable behavior or how to overcome the situation. On the other hand, if we display a professional and positive attitude towards how we will adapt and overcome the situation and to view it as a success afterwards, we will have allowed others to witness a valuable lesson that they may very well be willing to try the next time they are faced with a difficult challenge. Employees want to be able to solve problems and want to be able to put in a work day in which they maintain a positive attitude and can feel good about what they accomplished at the end of the day. I feel that many of them never get the tools they need or the leadership they need to show them how to best keep that positive attitude going and how to keep it in check when challenged with difficult situations. Many of you may be struggling out there as middle managers or department heads working for someone who is not walking the talk. I had the misfortune to work for a couple of bosses who showed little care or concern for the employees in the organization. When I arrived, I had my usual positive upbeat attitude that I hoped would rub off on my staff. I quickly found out that working for someone who is more concerned about maintaining their standing with the elected officials than with taking care of the employees was not a pleasant experience. You spend much of your time trying to insulate your people from this, but it begins to wear on you. Eventually, the whole organization feels the effects of a poor leader and, when they see people getting thrown under the bus, they begin to withdraw into a protective shell and the organization stagnates. This was reinforced in comments by this anonymous author on infoNOW: I believe attitude can be un-taught, and it’s one of the biggest problems I’ve seen in municipal government. …I’ve been in a few places (not all, and not my current employer) where discipline actions get overturned for political/ personal relationship reasons. I’ve seen atrocious work histories, documentation files nine inches thick, only to have discipline watered down or passed over. It’s easy to say it’s your job, just keep doing it. But when division managers are one-person non-union employee shops, one can understand “what’s the point”—you all know how time consuming the process is. Then once employees see they can “go political,” they undercut one’s authority. Attitudes deteriorate in both mid-level managers and the great majority of employees who want to just do their jobs. One keeps on, of course. It’s

very rewarding to finally have your discipline actions upheld, and restore some confidence to the workplace. This author was addressing the issue of employee discipline and how inconsistent it was because of people playing politics and how it affected his attitude and that of others. When poor performers aren’t held accountable the strong performers can get discouraged, and so can their leaders when they are trying to do the right thing and it doesn’t work out that way. Murray Steer, Maintenance Superintendent with the City of Vancouver, BC, commented on infoNOW: Having been an employee with a less than desirable attitude, and having learned what it takes to succeed and be part of the solution rather than assisting in perpetuating the problem... Attitude can be taught through positive examples. Once I realized for myself to analyze when a situation wasn’t going the way I had hoped, to identify what was going on for myself, instead of blaming others... I learned to take responsibility for my actions... And ever since, “mysteriously” successes have been more common than failures... Michael Kennedy, Public Works Director in Vinton, Va., stated in his infoNOW comments: Several years ago, I heard a theory that behavior we see is a direct result of attitude. Made sense, because a topnotch performer typically has a positive attitude. The other important link in the chain is experience. If people are exposed to a positive experience, then most will display a positive attitude, which results in good behavior, therefore good performance. Maybe it has a lot to do with leadership. In a positive leadership environment, promoting teamwork, high standards, communication and excellence, people will probably perform well. I don’t think you can teach attitude, but you can certainly focus on what motivates people to do their best. Leadership skills can be taught as well. What motivates a student to do particularly well in some college courses and not in others? Subject matter? Professor? Classroom? Whatever? These same factors are in play in a work environment as well: engineering, trades, administrative, etc. Maybe it’s all about leadership. These are all great comments and the recurring theme is that attitude is a reflection of the example set by the leader. In the movie Remember the Titans, there is a scene between the two leaders on the football team, defensive leader Julius September 2009

APWA Reporter

Campbell, and team captain Gerry Bertier. After Gerry admonishes Julius for his poor team play and Julius criticized Gerry for not holding the players accountable for their poor blocking, the following exchange takes place: Julius: “I’m supposed to wear myself out for the team? What team? No, what I’m going to do is look out for myself and I’m going to get mine.”

Gerry: “That’s the worst attitude I’ve ever heard.” Julius: “Attitude reflects leadership, Captain.” Your attitude and the attitude of the organization is a reflection of leadership. It is easy to have a good attitude when everything is going well, but the real test will be how you deal with Maxwell’s “Big Five Attitude Obstacles: discouragement, change, problems, fear, and failure.” In dealing with difficult workplace issues over the years and my recent health issues, I’ve faced all five of the attitude obstacles. You’ve heard the term “attitude adjustment.” Well, I have certainly experienced a few and I had to make choices. As Maxwell says, sometimes your attitude is the only difference between pressing on or quitting. When you learn to maintain a positive attitude through good times and bad, it will make a difference in your life and you just might find out, as I have, that your attitude is “your greatest asset.” “Your attitude reflects your past, describes your present, and predicts your future.” – Lee J. Colan “Your attitude determines your altitude.” – John Maxwell “Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” – Lou Holtz “There is little difference in people, but the little difference makes a big difference. The difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.” – W. Clement Stone George Haines is the Program Director for the Northern Wyoming Community College District in Gillette, Wyoming. He is a member of APWA’s Leadership and Management Technical Committee and has been a member of the committee since 2004. George is also an officer in the Rocky Mountain Chapter, and is currently chairing the chapter’s Education/Training Committee. He can be reached at (307) 686-0254, ext. 1620 or at ghaines@sheridan.edu.

APWA Reporter

September 2009

or more information about these programs or to register online, visit www.apwa.net/Education. Program information will be updated as it becomes available. Questions? Call the Education Department at 1-800-848-APWA.

2009 September 13-16

International Public Works Congress & Exposition â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Columbus, OH

September 17

Indoor Air Quality with a Focus on New Technologies in HVAC

September 23-24

Public Fleet Management Workshop - Arlington Heights, IL (Chicago Metro Area)

September 25

Public Fleet Professional Study Guide - Arlington Heights, IL (Chicago Metro Area)

October 1

Performance Measures for Winter Maintenance

October 15

Retro-reflectivity Part 1 - What Is It and Why Am I Doing It?

October 28-30

Construction Inspection Workshop

November 5

Retro-reflectivity Part 2 - Best Management Practices for How to Implement

November 19

Best Management Practices for NPDES Permit Compliance

December 3

Pavement Preservation

December 17

Understanding Your Agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Carbon Footprint

= Click, Listen, & Learn program

= Web-Based Training

= Live Workshop

If you have expertise in any of these upcoming topics, please use the online Call for Presentation form to describe your expertise and perspective on the topic. http://www.apwa.net/callforpresentations/

Watch

for these upcoming

Transportation CLLs:

Performance Measures for Winter Maintenance October 1, 2009

Sign Retro-reflectivity - What Is It and Why Am I Doing It? October 15, 2009 Retro-reflectivity Part 2 - Best Management Practices for How To Implement November 5, 2009

September 2009

APWA Reporter

International Affairs Committee 2008 to 2009 Dwayne Kalynchuk, CSM Project Director, Core Area Wastewater Treatment Capital Regional District, Victoria, British Columbia Chair, APWA International Affairs Committee he International Affairs Committee once again had a busy year. With committee members spread around the globe—Australia, New Zealand, Canada and United States—monthly conference calls at a suitable time has become the norm for business. The committee has focused on several key core areas such as the Jennings Randolph Fellowship Program, information dissemination through the APWA Reporter, and focusing on our international partnerships with the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico.

is to promote international understanding, exchange public works information and forge the bonds of international friendship. Past President Larry Frevert just returned from leading a public works group to China this past June. It is anticipated the next People to People trip will be either late 2010 or 2011 so stay tuned!

Information dissemination Members of the IAC prepared 19 international articles for the APWA Reporter from August 2008 through September 2009. At the 2009 APWA Congress in Columbus, Ohio, international educational sessions will include: • • •

Climate Change, Flood Prediction and Emergency Management: An International Perspective International Solutions to Common Global Issues Sustainable Development in Mexico

Jennings Randolph Fellowship A Jennings Randolph Fellowship brochure was prepared by staff and distributed at the 2008 Congress in New Orleans and will again be distributed at the 2009 Congress in Columbus. The intent is to provide information on the fellowship programs and start the call for proposals from interested members. The Jennings Randolph program sponsored two APWA members for study in our international partners’ countries in 2009: • •

Catherine Chertudi: Study of water conservation in Australia Mark Whitfield: Study of organic waste and compost production in the Czech and Slovak Republics

Look for articles on their trips in future issues of the APWA Reporter.

International partnerships The IAC established a partnership with People to People International for an APWA Past President or other Association leader to host a delegation tour and establish public works issues to be studied in another country. The main purpose 60

APWA Reporter

September 2009

The 2009 People to People International delegation, with APWA Past President Larry Frevert second from right

President Thompson, along with APWA member Bob Kass, attended the ICLEI-Mexico conference in November 2008 and made a half-day presentation on public works management with a sustainability emphasis. I was fortunate to be asked to be a keynote speaker at the IPWEA Conference in Australia this month. President Thompson and I attended the conference and the International Federation of Municipal Engineers Board meeting and conference which was held in conjunction with the IPWEA conference. Our committee, along with staff, worked with the Polish Association of Directors of Public Works Companies, planning tours in cities while they were in the U.S. to attend the Waste Expo Conference in June. Discussions were held with the Rhode Island LTAP director on the possibility of working cooperatively with Poland and the Czech and Slovak Republics on a conference in Eastern Europe. Lastly, we are currently holding discussions with an APWA member working in Kurdistan on the possibility of forming

a relationship between APWA and the Kurdistan Union of Engineering.

•

Julio C. Fuentes, Senior Traffic Engineer, Transportation Department, City of San Diego, California

We look forward to the continued good work into the next committee term of 2009–2010. Members of the committee are as follows:

•

David Griscom, Director of Georgia Government Relations, DRMP, Inc., Norcross, Georgia

•

Brian W. Pettet, Director of Public Works, Pitkin County, Colorado

•

Subhash C. Raval, Division Manager, Development Review and Technical Support, Pima County, Arizona

•

Dwayne E. Kalynchuk (Chair), Project Director, Core Area Wastewater Treatment, Capital Regional District, Victoria, British Columbia

•

Helena K. Allison, Design Manager, Willdan, Sacramento, California

•

Ross Vincent, Chief Executive, INGENIUM, Thames, New Zealand

•

Jeffery A. Hogan, Project Engineer, Bucher Willis and Ratliff, Anna, Texas

•

Chris Champion, Chief Executive Officer, Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia, Sydney, New South Wales

Diane Linderman (Board Liaison), Director, Urban Infrastructure & Development, VHB, Inc., Richmond, Virginia

•

Thomas Frisbie, Operations Manager, City of Gainesville, Florida

Kaye Sullivan (Staff Liaison), Deputy Executive Director/COO, American Public Works Association, Kansas City, Missouri

Dwayne Kalynchuk can be reached at (250) 360-3092 or dkalynchuk@crd.bc.ca.

Call for Applicants for 2010 Jennings Randolph International Fellowship Program The APWA International Affairs Committee (IAC) is of funding available each year through interest earned in pleased to announce the call for applicants for the 2010 the fund. Some years may be more lucrative than others Jennings Randolph International Fellowship Program. and the committee hopes to be able to award more than This fund was originally established by the APWA Interna- one fellowship per year. tional Public Works Federation (IPWF) at the Eisenhower World Affairs Institute in 1987. In 2009, two APWA mem- The call for proposals for the Jennings Randolph Fellowbers were funded for study tours: one in Australia and one ship is: in the Slovak/Czech Republics. • INGENIUM (New Zealand) Conference and study tour, June 10-12, 2010 (Fellowship for 2010) It is the intent of the IAC to award two to three fellowships per year for APWA members to travel to countries with which APWA has formal international partnerships with other public works associations.

•

The criteria for the program are as follows:

The proposed study topic should be mutually relevant to the specific country and to APWA members. The fellowship will generally cover the airfare expenses. The registration fee for the host conference will be complimentary.

Asociacion de Municipios de Mexico, A.C. (AMMAC) or ICLEI-Mexico Conference and study tour – generally in November (Fellowship for 2010)

APWA members will present public works/infrastructure-related papers at APWA’s international partnership countries’ public works-related conferences; coupled with a one-week or more extended study tour of public works facilities in that country; For additional information and an application form, and a paper regarding that tour presented at the next available please access APWA’s website at www.apwa.net and locate APWA Congress or the Fellow’s respective chapter conference guidelines and an application for the Jennings Randolph and other professional organizations; and preparation of an Fellowship program on the “About APWA” page under article in the APWA Reporter. “International Activities.” Or you may contact Kaye SulAt this time, it is the intention that fellowships be made livan, APWA Deputy Executive Director, at (800) 848available for attendance at the IPWEA (Australia), INGE- APWA (2792), extension 5233 or ksullivan@apwa.net. To NIUM (New Zealand) and SPWA/CZPWA (Slovak/Czech be eligible for 2010 fellowships, applications must be Republics) conferences every other year and the AMMAC received at APWA headquarters by 7:00 a.m. Cen(Mexico) or ICLEI-Mexico conference annually. The Jen- tral on November 15, 2009. The successful applicant(s) nings Randolph Fellowship will be awarded on the basis will be notified by February 1, 2010.

September 2009

APWA Reporter

Crossbores: the hidden danger Monty Zimmerman, Right of Way Manager, City of Lenexa, Kansas, and chair, APWA Utility and Public Right-of-Way (UPROW) Committee; Murv Morehead, Right of Way Coordinator, City of Overland Park, Kansas, and member, APWA UPROW Committee s ROW managers, a major focus of our job is damage prevention. One of the most difficult types of damage to prevent is the crossbore. According to the Crossbore Safety Association (CBSA), a crossbore is defined as the “intersection of an existing underground utility or underground structure by a second utility resulting in direct contact between the transactions of the utilities that compromises the integrity of either utility or underground structure.” The potential for a crossbore is significantly higher when using popular trenchless technology methods such as horizontal directional drilling, auger boring, pipe ramming/jacking, microtunneling, etc. All of these methods are essentially “working blind” which by their very nature increases the potential for damage to existing buried utilities. This condition makes it critical that all known utilities are located and exposed—and therein lies the problem.

Other types of crossbores can be equally dangerous, e.g., an electrical line that intersects with a sewer lateral. The same backed-up sewer line condition is created which will elicit the same homeowner response— call the plumber to clean out the line. If the plumber cuts This is a type of tool used to clean out through the power sewer laterals when blockage occurs. line, a deadly shock may result. Another scenario that is less deadly directly but can have serious indirect consequences is a communication line that has been bored through, once again, a sewer lateral. The communication line may be cut and while posing no immediate danger to the plumber or homeowner, access to 911 or other communication needs, such as in-home health monitoring equipment, may be jeopardized, possibly for an entire neighborhood. Additionally, blocked sewer laterals can cause health issues from contact with raw sewage as well as property damage that will be costly to all parties. The one common thread in all of these scenarios is the sewer lateral line. While other crossbore “combinations” exist, such as gas, phone or power lines intersecting a storm sewer line or sanitary sewer main line, none is as potentially dangerous.

Gas line bored through a sanitary sewer lateral

One of the most dangerous types of crossbore scenarios is when a plastic gas line is installed, unknowingly, through a sanitary sewer lateral. This will consequently over time cause the sewer to stop working and back up. The normal homeowner response is to call a plumber who will then attempt to open the line with a “root cutter” or some other device that is designed to cut through any obstruction in the line. If that “obstruction” is a plastic gas line, when the line is cut natural gas is introduced back into the house via the sewer lateral. This can result in an explosion and possible serious injury or death. 62

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September 2009

First, the sewer lateral provides a direct path for natural gas into a confined structure. Inside this structure are numerous ignition sources such as pilot lights, candles, telephones, doorbells, etc. Secondly, sewer lateral lines are virtually never located prior to any construction. This is due in part to the fact that in most jurisdictions, laterals are privately owned, and therefore not subject to state one-call laws. Additionally, there is rarely any record of the location of the lateral and it is often overlooked or forgotten. This is one of the last areas to fall under one-call regulation, although 40 states have some type of regulation, and all have different regulations and enforcement standards. If we are to truly enforce damage

prevention, it is imperative that sewer line and laterals are located and the public protected. Many questions need to be answered before we can solve this complex problem that include: •

Who in fact owns the lateral pipes?

•

Ownership aside, who is responsible for locating these lateral lines?

•

Currently, technology exists and more technology is under development that will allow laterals to be located. With this technology available, the next questions to ask are: Should locating sewer laterals be mandatory? If so, who will pay the cost?

Organizations such as the Common Ground Alliance, Distribution Contractors Association, National Utility Contractors Association and the North American Society of Trenchless Technology are currently looking at this issue and all of its complexities; however, we need to have all stakeholders involved in order to reach a mutually agreeable and workable solution. This is an issue that APWA’s Utility and Public Right-of-Way (UPROW) Committee will be addressing in the coming year,

When you need more than a snowplow to protect against winter weather

to add the APWA voice to this critical problem that affects public safety. We understand the contentious nature of this problem and all of its ramifications, and feel that APWA is in a uniquely qualified position to address this issue. Because lives are at stake, cooperation with other stakeholder groups is critical to reach a solution to the problem. The elimination of utilities intersecting (crossbores) continues to be a top priority of the utility industry. CBSA was formed in 2007 to address an issue that has been gaining recognition among industry leaders, academics and governmental jurisdictions. The goal of CBSA is to provide a dedicated and focused forum for safer practices for prevention of new crossbores. A recognized standard of safe practices is needed to ensure that the public is protected from this hidden danger. For more information visit the CBSA website at www. crossboresafety.org. Monty Zimmerman chairs APWA’s Utility and Public Right-ofWay (UPROW) Committee; he can be reached at (913) 477-7659 or mzimmerman@ci.lenexa.ks.us. Murv Morehead is a member of the UPROW Committee and the Construction Practices Subcommittee; he can be reached at (913) 895-6189 or Murvyn. Morehead@opkansas.org.

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September 2009

APWA Reporter

Utility Damage Prevention: What can your agency do? Jay T. Spurgin, P.E., MPA, Deputy Public Works Director/City Engineer, City of Thousand Oaks, California; Chair, APWA Right-of-Way Management Subcommittee; member, APWA Utility and Public Right-of-Way (UPROW) Committee; Juan Lopez, Manager, Rightof-Way Management Office, Public Works Department, Hillsborough County, Tampa, Florida, and member, APWA Right-of-Way Management Subcommittee; and Khrysanne Kerr, Executive Director, Common Ground Alliance, and member, APWA Right-of-Way Management Subcommittee

The Problem It happens every 60 seconds—an underground utility is hit or damaged. The result can range from a minor headache to the loss of emergency 911 communications or other vital services, and, in extreme cases, serious injuries and loss of life. When these scenarios do occur, damage claims and lawsuits can develop. Damage to underground utilities costs billions of dollars each year. As utility easements become more crowded, preventing damage to underground utilities has become increasingly challenging. Below ground, our public rightsof-way have become a spider web of utility lines, including electric, gas, telephone, fiber optic, cable TV, water mains, sewers and storm drains. In addition, at some locations

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APWA Reporter

September 2009

there may be national defense communication lines, mass transit tunnels, railroad tunnels, and major oil and highpressure gas pipelines. Buried utility lines are all susceptible to being damaged by excavations and drilling. Records are often poor with inaccurate utility locations and some live services not shown on the official “as built” plans. Sometimes services are presumed to be “dead” but are actually “live.” This means that the ability to determine the physical location, nature and depth of existing underground utility lines is critical to reduce the risk and consequences of inadvertent damage during construction. A worst-case scenario occurred in St. Cloud, Minnesota, in December 1998. A cable construction company installing a utility pole support struck and ruptured a one-inch diameter, high-pressure, plastic gas service pipeline. About 39 minutes after the rupture, an explosion occurred, killing the gas technician and utility locator specialist who had arrived on the scene, a person in a building above the line, and a pedestrian. Six buildings were destroyed. Those who are affected by underground utility damage want to know: What happened and why? What can be done to prevent this type of accident in the future? What can my agency or company do?

Who is Hitting What Approximately a quarter million damages to underground utility lines occurred in the United States in 2007. How many additional “near misses” is impossible to estimate, but it would be safe to say the number is many times actual damage events. About 90 percent of the damages to underground utility lines are to telecommunication and natural gas facilities, which tend to be the shallowest buried infrastructure and therefore are encountered first as excavation progresses. Backhoes, trackhoes and trenchers are the equipment most often involved, accounting for almost three quarters of utility hits in 2007. Hand tool hits were only 16 percent. As might be expected, the primary root causes in underground utility damages are inaccurate marking or no marking of the utility line. The American Society of Value Engineering has estimated that failure to properly locate underground facilities prior to excavation adds 10 to 15 per-

cent to the cost of an average project. The obvious first step in having underground facilities properly located is to “Call Before You Dig.” Notifications to one-call centers are improving, however, perhaps in part to the kickoff for 811, the new easy-to-remember national call-before-you-dig number, which took place in May 2008. Regardless of notification or locating practices, sufficient care during excavation is essential in prevention of utility line damage. Contractors and developers are involved in over 80 percent of damages, while utility company and government workers caused only about 11 percent of damages. More damages occurred during construction work related to water or sewer improvements, typically installed deeper in the ground, than other shallower utilities such as telecommunications, electrical and gas lines.

Where is Data Coming From In order to develop strategies for reducing the damages occurring to underground utility lines, accurate data on the who-what-when-where-why-and-how is essential. The Common Ground Alliance (CGA), the nation’s leading organization focused on protecting underground utility lines and the safety of people who dig near them, began to develop a method for national data collection following the 1996 disastrous propane gas explosion in San Juan, Puerto

Rico, in which 33 people were killed. One key recommendation from the NTSB report on that accident was the need for collecting excavation damage exposure data. In November 2003, CGA launched the Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT), a free secure web application for the collection and reporting of underground damage information. DIRT allows users to submit damage and near-miss reports. The primary purpose in collecting underground facility damage data is to learn why events occur, and how actions by industry can prevent them in the future thereby ensuring the safety and protection of people and the infrastructure. CGA publishes an annual report from data collected through DIRT, which identifies root causes, performs trend analyses, and helps educate all stakeholders so that damages can be reduced through effective practices and procedures. The data is not used for enforcement purposes or to determine damage liability. The individual identities of parties involved with records submitted are kept confidential. Other sources for utility damage data are the 67 one-call centers throughout the United States and Canada.

Trends in Underground Utility Damage The 2007 CGA DIRT report provides information on whether damage prevention efforts are succeeding. The number of utility hits attributable to an excavator not notifying the

September 2009

APWA Reporter

one-call center has decreased from prior years. Several factors likely led to this including public outreach by stakeholders, promotion of 811, regional CGA efforts and implementation of best management practices by stakeholders, as well as the use of new and proven technologies. The data indicate a significant reduction in overall damages over the three-year period. This reduction is supported by several different sources with similar downward trends, including the recognition of a slowing economy.

One Call and Damage Reporting Laws It’s the law—everywhere—you must call before you dig. The One Call Systems International (OCSI), a nonprofit organization promoting infrastructure protection, created the 811 universal call-in number for excavators nationwide to eliminate the confusion of multiple “Call Before You Dig” numbers. Failure to call before excavating can result in civil penalties in all but nine states. Hand-digging is required near existing utilities in 37 states. Utility locate markings must be within 18 to 24 inches. About half the states allow exemptions for DOTs, homeowners, railroads and agriculture. Homeowner exemptions are of particular concern as numerous utility damages occur from no notifications being made by residents and their contractors engaged in home improvement projects. Although “call before you dig” is mandatory in all states, reporting damages that occur to existing underground utility lines is only required in half. Should reporting of utility damages be mandatory? The authors believe yes.

What Can Your Agency Do? Right-of-way management office. Establishing a position or office within a local agency with primary duties being right-of-way management is a crucial step in the overall effort to prevent damage to underground utilities. The Hillsborough County, Florida, Public Works Department (HCPWD) Right of Way Management Office was formed with the intent of providing a means to prevent damages to existing utilities and infrastructure. Another local agency, the City of Thousand Oaks, Calif., has a Construction and Right of Way Management division within the Public Works Department. These offices have staff that work daily to coordinate the efforts of new construction with those facilities that are already in place in the right-of-way. Inspectors oversee countless projects with the intent to prevent damages, increase safety, and ensure a working, cooperative infrastructure for all users of those systems placed there. The goal is to practice good stewardship of the infrastructure every day. Public outreach. Education and public awareness campaigns focused on utility damage prevention are conducted by national organizations and many local agencies and utility operators. In fact, federal law requires operators of oil, gas and hazardous liquids transmission and distribution pipelines to provide public awareness damage prevention 66

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information to the public, customers, excavators, developers and residents adjacent to these facilities. CGA, OCSI, 811 Know What’s Below, APWA and other industry organizations all have websites and have sponsored advertisements promoting one-calls and best management practices for preventing damage to underground utility lines. See www. commongroundalliance.com, www.cga-onecall.com, www. call811.com, and www.apwa.net. HCPWD has taken the lead in educating the public on utility damage prevention. HCPWD conducted a publicity campaign to educate homeowners and other agencies through mass mailings and inserts in other county business correspondence. In conjunction with the County’s Communications Department, HCPWD coordinated with the County Water Resources Department to include an informational flyer in every water bill mailed to the public. These flyers contain all the necessary contact information for performing work in the right-of-way, in addition to providing guidelines on what to look for if work is going on in a homeowner’s neighborhood. By increasing overall awareness, HCPWD hopes to greatly improve responsiveness and the level of supervision over work performed in the right-of-way. See www.hillsboroughcounty.org/publicworks for public outreach materials used by HCPWD. Coordination with other agencies. Getting the word out regarding utility damage prevention means targeting problem groups and other major utility companies. In Hillsborough County, Florida, HCPWD’s primary focus for regulating work in the right-of-way has been through constant communication and cooperation with area utility groups. A consortium of utility companies and service providers have come together locally as the Greater Tampa Utilities Group (GTUG), and together helped motivate the formation of the Right of Way Management Office within the HCPWD. Affiliation with GTUG and developing close working relationships with utility company officers and permitting agents have allowed HCPWD staff to develop crucial avenues to resolving conflicts and increasing greater compliance than was previously known. In Georgia, facility owners, excavating companies, engineering firms, and contract locators formed the Georgia Utilities Coordinating Council (GUCC). GUCC as a body meets twice per year. Local committees around the state meet monthly or bimonthly. The meetings generally are held at lunch and involve an opportunity to raise any issues of general concern and advise on the status of ongoing or upcoming projects. The experience in Georgia over the years has demonstrated that routine communication opportunities provided by a utility group create a sense of camaraderie among those participating. This sense of all working together for the common cause of damage prevention has made Georgia a recognized leader in the field for years. The existence of the GUCC has been recognized by the U.S. Department

of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration as meeting its requirement for the involvement of all stakeholders in damage prevention efforts at the state level. Permit applicants for use of public right-of-way should identify and coordinate with all existing and proposed facilities in the vicinity of the proposed projects. The local agency should also verify its own existing utilities and proposed capital improvement program projects, and evidence that coordination with other utilities should be provided. At the time of permit application, cross sections of existing and proposed infrastructure facilities should be shown. If no conflict exists with existing utilities, the applicant is required to provide “letters of non-conflict” from each of the utility companies. Utility research and potholing prior to construction. The permitting process should involve a detailed plan review to ensure existing utilities are identified and potential conflicts with the proposed construction noted and safety measures specified. Preconstruction inspection to verify lack of conflict for the proposed work with any existing infrastructure is essential. Potholing and locates are required for verification prior to excavation operations beginning. During a period when a contractor or agency has had incidents or a higher percentage of hits, more stringent enforcement of potholing should be conducted, with inspector signoff required prior to any work beginning. These methods have proven effective in correcting errant performance issues in Hillsborough County. Timely and accurate locates—enforce call-in for your projects. As part of the permitting process, the permittee or contractor must contact the local one-call center (it’s the law!). All agencies with identified facilities in a given area must locate their facilities prior to any new project or construction happening in the vicinity. Local agencies should enforce this through constant oversight via rigorous inspection and harsh penalties for failure to comply. During the preconstruction meeting at the site, the agency inspector should verify that locate markings are evident, and if not, should not allow the work to proceed. Construction plans should have the 811 Know What’s Below logo prominently shown on the title sheet. Local agency permit application forms should also include the logo.

Way Management Office within the HCPWD established a goal of at least five inspections per permit. Through constant vigilance in onsite inspections, much higher rates of compliance with permitting procedures and field practices will be achieved. Report underground utility damages. Damages that do occur must be reported to the local agency that issued the right-of-way encroachment permit, to the affected utility company, and to a central clearing house for utility damage information such as the local one-call center or CGA’s DIRT reporting program. As an intermediary, the local agency can report damages to infrastructure to the responsible agencies as a convenience, or when the culpable parties are not willing to do so themselves. The local agency is in the best position to coordinate with all utility companies and other users of the right-of-way to ensure damages are reported in a timely fashion, so that service can be restored as quickly as possible. Adopt an encroachment ordinance. There is no substitute for a robust ordinance regulating work with an agency’s right-of-way. Such an ordinance allows a local agency to set procedures that help ensure minimal damage to existNFC-4942 APWA DWP Ad lines. 4/8/09 4:14 PM of Page ing underground utility The elements such1 an ordi-

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Accurate locating and marking of existing underground utilities is ultimately the responsibility of the utility owner. Technologies to increase locate accuracy have been developed over many years. Locator training is another area of focus; in fact, APWA’s Utility and Public Right-of-Way (UPROW) Technical Committee is exploring the creation of a Locator Certification program. Onsite inspectors. The goal of any Right of Way Management Office is to actively inspect every permitted construction activity within the agency’s jurisdiction. The Right of

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September 2009

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nance should include requirements for permits, notification is a free and secure tool available to help utility companies of one-call centers, inspections, traffic control, insurance, track their damages. bonds, liability, emergency work, right-of-way obstructions, Your agency can help prevent damage to underground utilipenalties and restoration of the right-of-way. A good exties by: ample ordinance is the City of Thousand Oaks, California, Chapter 2 of Title 7 of its municipal code, available at www. • Establishing a Right of Way Management Office apwa.net/documents/?display=UPROW_1. • Public awareness campaigns

Conclusion

In this era of right-of-way crowding, properly locating underground facilities is essential to maintaining service to customers and containing costs. Each year the industry absorbs billions of dollars in unnecessary costs repairing preventable damage. Natural gas and telecommunication facilities account for approximately 90 percent of underground utility damage. Economic downturns such as this one exacerbate unnecessary costs for utility companies. The most common cause of underground utility damage is inaccurate and/or no locates. Developers and contractors account for 80 percent of these underground hits. Due to a fatal accident caused by a damaged natural gas line in 1996, the NTSB recommended collecting damage exposure data. In 2003, the CGA started the DIRT web collection tool. This

•

Coordination with other agencies

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Utility locating before construction

•

Enforce call-in for projects

•

Onsite inspectors

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Reporting underground utility damages

•

Adopting an encroachment ordinance

Remember 811 Know What’s Below! Jay T. Spurgin can be reached at (805) 449-2444 or jspurgin@ toaks.org; Juan Lopez can be reached at (813) 274-6504 or lopezj@hillsboroughcounty.org; and Khrysanne Kerr can be reached at (330) 792-9942 or kerr@commongroundalliance.com.

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Distribution Integrity Management Program Mike Israni, Senior Technical Advisor and Manager: National Standards, and Robert Smith, Pipeline R&D Manager, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.; Shawn O’Keefe, P.E., Sewer Maintenance Manager, City of Saint Paul, Minnesota, and member, APWA Utility and Public Right-of-Way Committee

he Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued new regulatory requirements targeting hazardous liquid pipeline Integrity Management (IM) in 2000 and natural gas transmission pipeline IM in 2003. Under these new programs, operators of hazardous liquid and gas transmission pipelines were required to identify the threats to their pipelines, analyze the risk posed by these threats, assess the physical condition of their pipelines, and take actions to address applicable threats and integrity concerns in High Consequence Areas (HCAs) to further decrease the likelihood of pipeline accidents.

PHMSA determined that to address safety threats to distribution pipelines and develop a sensible strategy to reduce risk, the Agency needed to involve a number of key stakeholder groups, including state and federal regulators, representatives from the spectrum of distribution operators, interested members of the public, and representatives from emergency response organizations. The stakeholders concluded the current pipeline safety regulations (49 CFR Part 192) do not include a risk-based integrity management process for gas distribution pipelines and that it would be appropriate to modify the regulations to incorporate such a requirement.3

Early positive results from these programs initiated discussion about a similar program for gas distribution operators. Then in 2004, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Inspector General recommended to Congress1 that DOT define an approach for requiring operators of distribution pipeline systems to implement some form of IM program with elements similar to those required in hazardous liquid and gas transmission pipeline Integrity Management Programs (IMP). The Appropriations Committee then asked PHMSA “to report to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations by May 1, 2005, detailing the extent to which integrity management program elements may be applied to the natural gas distribution pipeline industry in order to enhance distribution system safety.”2 PHMSA submitted the report, “Assuring the Integrity of Gas Distribution Pipeline Systems” to Congress in June 2005, which describes the approach used to identify opportunities for improving the safety of distribution pipeline systems.

The study group gathered and analyzed data to help focus the effort and ultimately identify options for attaining improved safety and recommended seven elements for consideration which were eventually incorporated in the proposal.

PHMSA proceeded to develop the IMP for gas distribution pipelines in the following two phases: •

Phase 1 identified the nature of requirements that might be imposed and any additional guidance or consensus standards that might be needed to assist operators in implementing any integrity management requirements.

•

Phase 2 included development of appropriate requirements by PHMSA and preparation of guidance/standards.

“Progress and Challenges in Improving Pipeline Safety,” Statement of the Honorable Kenneth M. Mead, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Transportation, before the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality, U.S. House of Representatives, July 20, 2004.

U.S. House of Representatives, Report 108-792, November 20, 2004.

APWA Reporter

September 2009

The Pipeline Inspection, Protection, Enforcement, and Safety (PIPES) Act of 2006 prescribed minimum standards for IMPs for distribution pipelines to include criteria for requiring operators of natural gas distribution systems to install excess flow valves (EFVs) on new single-family residential service lines. The PIPES Act also strengthened the focus on damage to all pipelines from excavation activities. Excavation damage is the leading cause of incidents to gas distribution systems. The PIPES Act granted PHMSA new civil enforcement authority for excavators and pipeline operators responsible for excavation damage incidents, and authorizes funds to strengthen state programs. The federal fund-matching program for states, which currently matches 50% of state funding, is to be increased to 80% over several years. On June 25, 2008, PHMSA issued the Notice for Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for the Gas Distribution Integrity Management Program (DIMP). This rulemaking requires operators of gas distribution pipelines to develop and implement IMPs to manage and reduce risks in association with gas distribution pipeline systems. Following the end of the comment period, PHMSA’s Technical Advisory Committee voted

3 “Integrity Management for Gas Distribution, Report of Phase 1 Investigations,” prepared by Joint Work/Study Groups, December 2005, U.S. DOT/PHMSA – Report: DIMP Phase 1, Doc. No.: RSPA-2004-1985470, available at http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/ main?main=DocketDetail&d=PHMSA-RSPA-2004-19854 and click document ID – 0070)

to approve proceeding to a final rule based on the NPRM on December 12, 2008.

survey, corrosion inspection, etc.) based upon engineering analysis and DIMP risk assessments.

The rule would apply to operators of local gas distribution companies, utilities, and master meter and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) systems. PHMSA expects 1,291 local gas distribution utilities and 8,000 master meter and LPG systems to be subject to the rule. Operators would be required to develop and implement an IMP, mitigate risks, report on performance measures in the annual reports, keep prescribed records, and evaluate the program effectiveness. Key provisions of the proposed rule would:

4. Allow operators of master meter or LPG systems to implement simplified DIMP based upon the simplicity of these types of systems.

1. Require operator implementation of DIMP elements: a) Assemble knowledge of gas distribution system – utilize historical design and operational data as available and implement processes for capturing this data going forward. b) Identify threats – corrosion, natural forces, excavation damage, other outside force damage, material/ weld failure, equipment malfunction, operations, and other as appropriate. c) Evaluate and prioritize risk – evaluate threats for regions within the distribution system having similar characteristics and similar risks.

PHMSA is presently working with state regulators, who would have primary responsibility to: inspect operator compliance with the DIMP regulation; develop inspection forms and guidance; develop and provide inspector training; and provide any clarification on requirements through answers to frequently asked questions. PHMSA is also working with Standards-Developing Organizations and partnering on research with gas distribution pipeline operators to create and strengthen industry best practices and standards and to develop innovative, cost-effective technology to address the challenges of DIMP implementation and oversight. More information on DIMP is available at http://primis. phmsa.dot.gov/dimp/ and it will be updated as the rulemaking progresses. Mike Israni can be reached at (202) 366-4571 or mike.israni@ dot.gov; Robert Smith can be reached at (202) 366-3814 or robert.w.smith@dot.gov; and Shawn O’Keefe can be reached at (651) 558-2121 or shawn.okeefe@ci.stpaul.mn.us.

d) Identify and implement measures to address risks – implement leak management and enhanced damage prevention programs as well as evaluate human error factors related to inappropriate operations. e) Measure performance, monitor results, and evaluate effectiveness – establish a baseline and measure performance improvements in leak mitigation, excavation damage reduction, installation of EFV as required under the PIPES Act of 2006, and other measures as appropriate. f)

Periodically evaluate and improve – establishes a maximum five-year interval in which gas distribution operators must reevaluate their DIMP. The NPRM also requires operators to continually reevaluate threats and risks and periodically evaluate human contributions to risk.

g) Report results – lists four measurements to be included on the operator’s annual report (number of hazardous leaks eliminated/repaired and their cause, number of excavation damages, number of one-call tickets, and number of EFVs installed). 2. Provide circumstances when EFVs are required for new or replaced service lines. 3. Allow gas distribution operators to submit requests to the appropriate state agency or PHMSA (where state jurisdiction does not apply) for extending the frequency of inspections and tests required by Part 192 (e.g., leak

September 2009

APWA Reporter

Leveraging new technologies for better highway project coordination Alicia Farag, Program Manager, Gas Technology Institute, Des Plaines, Illinois; T. Mark Andraka, Senior Engineer, PECO Energy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and member, APWA Utility and Public Right-of-Way Committee and Gas Industry Right-of-Way Subcommittee

Problem Large highway and public improvement projects almost always involve identifying underground facilities and sometimes require those facilities to be relocated due to a conflict with new roads or other structures. Every state has different laws regarding how and when underground facilities in the public right-of-way (ROW) need to be identified and how and when this information should be shared with other stakeholders for large construction projects. Some states require the use of subsurface utility engineering (SUE) during the design phase of a project while other states may only require utility companies to provide information as part of routine one-call tickets just prior to excavation work. Most stakeholders recognize that properly locating and recording positional information of underground utilities during the design phase of construction projects not only reduces the likelihood of excavation damage but also reduces project delays related to unexpectedly finding buried utilities during excavation work. And while this information is not difficult to obtain with modern technology, the ability to share this information with others is limited by the lack of a central repository and the associated protocols to support its use. Concerns over data integrity and data security are also barriers to sharing this type of information. Utility corridors are becoming increasingly congested and excavation work and utility relocation are becoming increasingly difficult in the limited un72

APWA Reporter

September 2009

Keyhole Technology

derground real estate. The increased excavation activity expected from the recent stimulus package will only further amplify the need for a robust data repository for collecting and sharing underground facility information. A central repository would not only assist in the design phase of a project, but would also facilitate the sharing of new utility location data as it becomes available.

High-Level Solution A combination of tools and protocols is required to allow stakeholders to collect, store, access and maintain positional information of underground utilities in the public ROW. Recent advances in locating and data collection tools, as well as the explosive growth in web-based and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping capabili-

ties, can facilitate an improved process for managing utility data. The other required componentâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;protocolsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;is not as straightforward and will require development, demonstration, implementation and industry acceptance.

Specific Technology Solutions Collecting Positional Information. Utility positional information can come from a variety of sources including paper or electronic maps, traditional locating tools, advanced locating tools, Global Positioning System (GPS), and smart tags. Whether information is collected using sophisticated SUE techniques or through standard one-call ticket locates, the data can be useful for a variety of purposes. Capturing metadata and other information that indicates the quality level of

the data also needs to be collected to ensure that it is used properly in the future. Storing Positional Information. Once the utility data is collected it needs to be stored in a central repository. Collaborative, web-based mapping and GIS systems can provide this functionality to all stakeholders, even those without a GIS. Accessing Positional Information. A central data repository must also have the ability to control the information that is shared and displayed. Utility companies will inevitably want to limit the access to their data and ensure that strict privacy, liability and security controls are put in place. Maintaining Positional Information. Once the positional information of utilities in the public ROW has been entered into a central repository, there will remain a need for continuous data maintenance. When new lines are installed or relocated, this information can also be captured and stored in the central repository to ensure that the repository is current and can be relied upon to provide up-to-date information. The permitting process and onecall tickets can provide the required motivation and mechanism to keep information current. Utility companies installing new lines or relocating existing lines could be required to collect and submit positional information to the central repository as part of the permitting process. Additionally, onecall tickets could be used as a mechanism to share information regarding the central repository so that all stakeholders are made aware of the availability of data.

VUPS Pilots. The one-call center in Virginia, Virginia Utility Protection Services (VUPS), is conducting a series of pilot programs to use GPS technology to collect information from excavators, locators and utility companies to improve the damage prevention process. A recently completed Phase 1 pilot demonstrated the benefit of using GPS-enabled cell phones to call in onecall tickets to tighten the area of onecall tickets. An ongoing Phase 2 pilot is investigating the potential of using GPS-enabled locators to collect positional information of underground facilities that can be shared with other stakeholders including excavators and utility companiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; mapping departments. A Phase 3 pilot is going to be demonstrating a system to use GPS to monitor excavation activity to ensure it is occurring within the area of a valid one-call ticket and does not encroach upon any underground facilities. Storing positional utility data in a central

repository is beyond the scope of the current VUPS pilots; however, the processes being developed will naturally lead to a more comprehensive data collection and storage mechanism that can be used in better managing utilities in the public ROW. For more information on the VUPS pilots please contact Rick Pevarski at rpevarski@vups.org. VDOT Pilot. Virginia DOT is conducting a pilot project to investigate the benefit, cost and feasibility of burying smart tags over any utility line that is exposed during a highway project and then storing that information for future use. Utility exposures could occur during the design phase as part of the SUE process or could be part of a utility relocate. The purpose of installing smart tags over the exposed utility lines is to be able to quickly and accurately locate them in the future with simple smart tag readers. This system is particularly beneficial for newly-installed facilities that may not immediately get

Pilot and Implementation Projects There are several new and ongoing industry initiatives that are developing and demonstrating technologies and procedures to facilitate the sharing of utility data. The information below includes a brief overview of some of these initiatives.

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APWA Reporter

entered into a utility company’s mapping system and may therefore get “lost” during the one-call locate process. VDOT is working with several utility companies in Virginia to test the concept of a DOT-led process to bury smart tags and record the location in a central repository for utilities in the public

ROW. Currently, VDOT is storing the information in a spreadsheet, but they are also investigating the potential of using a more sophisticated open, webbased consortium mapping system to store the smart tag information. For more information on the VDOT pilot please contact Matt Reynolds at matt. reynolds@VDOT.Virginia.gov.

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APWA Reporter

September 2009

GECCo Initiative. The Geospatial Information Technology Association (GITA) is leading an initiative called Geospatially Enabling Community Collaboration (GECCo). The GECCo initiative is exploring the potential for developing consortium geospatial maps that contain positional information of utility lines and other assets in the public space. The geospatial maps facilitate the sharing of critical information during natural disasters and other community emergencies. The technologies and protocols being developed as part of GECCo could also be used in developing a system to collect similar information for a public ROW data repository. For more information on the GECCo project please contact Bob Samborski at bsamborski@gita.org. New Project Planning Initiative in Baltimore. Baltimore Gas & Electric and other infrastructure stakeholders in the City of Baltimore, Md., are implementing a new-hosted, web-based solution from Envista that enables utilities, municipalities and government agencies to exchange maintenance and construction project information on a map. Infrastructure stakeholders in a given geography enter construction and maintenance data for planned surface and subsurface work, and the system identifies areas of conflict and opportunities to coordinate their respective activities. The system provides a central repository of information accessible to every entity via standard web browser products. In addition, the system provides a common interface for workflow, mapping conventions, communications (e-mail notifications), and data exchange with users’ disparate technologies and data formats. Baltimore Gas & Electric, one of the core Baltimore users, is piloting this system to provide a centralized way to share project information and easily identify coordination opportunities with the City and other infrastructure stakeholders. Progress will be monitored through APWA’s Utility and Public Right-of-Way (UPROW) Com-

mittee; you may contact Mark Andraka at mark.andraka@peco-energy.com. GTI Project. The Gas Technology Institute (GTI), a research and development organization for the energy industry, is conducting a series of projects related to capturing and storing positional information of utility lines using GPS and other related technologies. GTI is looking to leverage these technologies, as well as those being developed by other organizations such as those mentioned above, to create a system that allows utility companies and DOTs to collect, share, access and maintain a central repository of utility location data in the public ROW. A new GTI research project is looking at web-based mapping solutions to provide the data repository capabilities. For more information on the GTI project please contact Alicia Farag at alicia.farag@ gastechnology.org.

Coauthor Alicia Farag conducting GPS-locator testing at the GTI’s Des Plaines, Illinois, test site.

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11:37:19 AM75 APWA8/8/2008 Reporter

Keyhole coring and replacement: the right solution for right-of-way owners Murvyn Morehead, Right of Way Manager, City of Overland Park, Kansas, and member, APWA Utility and Public Right-of-Way (UPROW) Committee; Dennis Jarnecke, Principal Project Manager, Gas Technology Institute, Des Plaines, Illinois; and T. Mark Andraka, Senior Engineer, PECO Energy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and member, APWA UPROW Committee and Gas Industry Right-of-Way Subcommittee; Presenters, 2009 APWA Congress It’s a fact of life for every right-of-way (ROW) owner: At some time or another, there will be a need for repairs to the utility infrastructure under your roadways. More and more ROW owners—as well as utilities and their contractors—are finding that keyhole coring and replacement is the best solution for everything from the simplest daylighting to exposing the utility to major line replacements. They all agree: Coring is a better, smarter, and environmentally sensitive way to make and repair utility cuts through pavement. Yet, even with all this awareness of the benefits of keyhole coring, many natural gas and other utilities are still working with their various jurisdictions to gain the approvals needed to use this pavement excavation and restoration procedure.

What is keyhole coring? Keyholing is the process of making a small, precisely controlled hole in the roadway for “daylighting,” or uncovering and exposing underground utilities and pipelines, in order to locate or inspect them or to perform repairs, maintenance or installations. Keyholing is not new. In fact, specialty contractors have been using the keyholing process for more than 40 years. In the early 1990s, pavement coring and replacement—an even more efficient method of cutting and restoring pavement cuts—was implemented for use in conjunction with vacuum excavation. Keyhole coring involves cutting a cored hole (with core diameters averaging from 6 to 24 inches) in the roadway pavement to open the street surface and perform repairs with spe76

APWA Reporter

September 2009

Coring the pavement and using round road plates (foreground) to temporarily cover the excavation

cialized long-handled tools. Following the utility locates or repair activities, the reinstatement process begins. Workers use a specifically formulated bonding material to replace the previously removed road surface.

Keyhole technology gaining traction with ROW owners Since the use of keyhole coring began, more than 50,000 cores have been cut and reinstated throughout North America, with most of them performed by natural gas utilities. Gas Technology Institute (GTI), a nonprofit research and development organization serving the natural gas industry, is working with many natural gas utilities to gain approval for the coring process from mu-

nicipalities and other highway authorities and departments of transportation. Recently, GTI supported the efforts of Nicor Gas, a natural gas utility serving the northern third of Illinois, to gain formal approval for keyhole coring on Illinois state rights-of-way from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). Because more and more city and state ROW owners are realizing the benefits that keyhole coring offers their roadways and their constituencies—less damage, greater convenience, time and cost savings, to name a few— they have been approving the use of the keyhole coring process in greater numbers and in many forms, from

pilot programs to formal city and state procedures. (See sidebar on p. 78 for a list of many ROW owners who have provided some form of acceptance.)

Park, Kansas. A suburb of Kansas City and the second largest city in Kansas, Overland Park is the home of Sprint’s worldwide campus and a population of approximately 170,000 people. The city encompasses 1,680 lane miles with a public works budget of more than $20 million. The City owns the storm sewer system, streetlight and signal systems, and fiber optic network.

Specifications are being developed by many ROW owners. In 2007, the City of Toronto established the first keyhole coring standard in North America, the result of 20 years of keyhole activities by local utility Enbridge Gas Distribution and several efforts by GTI. The “In Overland Park, utility companies standard (Construction Specification have not yet employed the keyhole for Keyhole Excavation and Perma- process for repairs to their own facilinent Reinstatement of Keyhole Cores) ties,” says Murvyn Morehead, Overapplies to all keyhole excavations in land Park’s Right of Way Manager. “Yet, which a circular hole is cored through because of the reduced excavation roadway pavement or sidewalks using impacts [from the use of keyhole corcoring equipment. ing], we now mandate that any utility exploration efforts on any city street Today, many municipalities actually must employ the coring process.” encourage—even mandate—use of the keyhole coring process. One of the mu- Benefits for utilities nicipalities that mandates the use of The results of keyhole projects have AQM 60_APWA Reporter_0909.qxp 8/7/2009 3:53 PM Page 1 the keyhole coring process is Overland been so promising that utilities and

their contractors are jumping on the keyhole coring bandwagon in greater numbers. And with good reason—after all, the benefits of keyholing for utility operations are considerable. Not only does it save money and time, it enhances worker safety. Because workers operate at the street rather than down in excavated pits, there’s no risk of injury from sidewall cave-ins. In addition, utilities realize significant savings on street restoration and call-backs due to poor street restoration. PECO, the former Philadelphia Electric Company, has played a long and successful role in the evolution of the keyhole process, having helped develop the “small-hole” work as long ago as the 1960s. More recently, PECO made a significant investment in vacuum equipment and other technology needed to launch a dedicated keyhole implementation effort. Working with

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technology providers and GTI during a recent pilot program, PECO was instrumental in testing modular equipment for coring and vacuum excavation and developing new solutions to improve the productivity of utility crews performing this important work.

Minimal impact method of locating buried utilities

Keyhole technology continues to advance With its proven 10-year track record of developing engineering reports and test data to support the use of the keyhole coring process, GTI has been helping utilities develop and test all aspects of the keyhole technology set for overall viability and cost savings. As a result of the efforts of GTI and its technology and natural gas utility partners, more infrastructure repairs and installation processes are being developed every year. Street coring and vacuum excavation equipment are improving to provide better operator ergonomics and improved operation throughout seasonal changes.

lateral support that allows trench walls to sag into a new opening—that typically occurs with an open trench cut is significantly reduced or eliminated,” Morehead says. The circular geometry of the process eliminates corner stress cracks. And there is no need for temporary patching, because the replaced core matches the composition of the original road.

Overland Park is already experiencing many of the benefits that have been realized by other ROW owners in urban environments. First, of course, it’s good for the road, because smaller cuts mean less damage. Precision core cutting prevents collateral damage, with no damage from backhoes, jackhammers or overcuts from concrete saws. “The loss of confining stresses—or loss of APWA Reporter

Keyhole coring: the time is now Infrastructure management through the use of small-hole technology like keyhole coring is a process whose time has come. With the advantages it offers to utilities and ROW managers, it should be seriously considered and implemented as a critical solution for the 21st century.

It’s good for the motoring public, too. With reductions in repair time resulting in fewer lane closures and other impediments to traffic flow, drivers The authors will give a presentation on are happier. And, should the core hole this topic at the 2009 APWA Congress in “need to be left open for an extended Columbus, Ohio. Their session is entitled period of time,” Morehead continues, “Keyhole Technology – Pavement Micro“it can be covered with a small steel Surgery” and takes place on Sunday, plate that can be easily placed by one September 13, at 2:00 p.m. Murvyn worker and, once in place, is virtually Morehead can be reached at (913) 895impossible to move accidentally. So, if 6189 or Murvyn.Morehead@opkansas. the core can be drilled out of the nor- org; Dennis Jarnecke can be reached at mal wheel path of vehicles, there is no (847) 768-0943 or dennis.jarnecke@ contact between the cover plate and gastechnology.org; and T. Mark Andraka the vehicle and no ‘banging’ noise nor- can be reached at (215) 841-6485 or mally associated with a vehicle driving mark.andraka@peco-energy.com. over a full-sized street plate.”

Urban benefits

less noise pollution than traditional repair sites.

September 2009

The “green” benefits of keyhole technology The benefits of the keyhole process can also translate into significant benefits for the environment. Use of the keyhole process conserves energy and resources. Because it reuses the original core of the pavement to restore the pavement opening when the process is complete and no temporary patching is needed, it uses no virgin paving materials and leaves a small carbon/energy footprint. It reduces pollution. With few and quicker road repairs, there are shorter and fewer road closings, resulting in less wasted fuel and lower exhaust levels. The coring process creates no dust, air quality is improved and the impact on neighbors is reduced. And, because there is no need for large backhoes, dump trucks, or jackhammers, the keyhole work zone experiences much

Keyhole Coring: Gaining Approvals across North America Following are just a few of the municipalities, departments of transportation, and other highway ROW authorities that currently approve or encourage use of the KCR process for roadway excavation. • City of Dallas Public Works and Transportation Department • City of Detroit • City of New York Department of Transportation (DOT) – pilot • City of Portland • City of Toronto • Illinois DOT • Maryland DOT • Montgomery County • Pennsylvania DOT • Prince Georges County • And many more!

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Pipelines and Informed Planning Alliance: Promoting safety for pipelines and communities Monty Zimmerman Right of Way Manager City of Lenexa, Kansas Chair, APWA Utility and Public Right-of-Way Committee The APWA Utility and Public Right-of-Way (UPROW) Committee was asked in January 2008 to participate with the Pipelines and Informed Planning Alliance (PIPA) initiative. Monty Zimmerman, UPROW Committee Chair, and Larry Schall, Client Liaison for Shafer, Kline & Warren, Inc., represented APWA. Over the past 70 years, a nationwide pipeline system has been constructed to transport natural gas and petroleum products. This system provides natural gas and petroleum products to virtually every home and business in the United States. When this system was constructed and expanded over the years, much of it was located in sparsely populated areas, and concerns about proximity to these pipelines was not an issue. Subsequent growth of communities has placed housing developments, shopping centers and business parks near these pipelines which previously were located in farm fields. The potential danger of the pipelines’ close proximity, which was once not an issue, is now a concern. There is a good chance that your city has a natural gas or petroleum pipeline running through your jurisdiction and it is likely that not many people in your organization know that these lines are there. This is a huge problem when developers begin looking at properties to develop and do not know of the pipeline easements on the development site. Pipeline operators need to be involved in the planning process so adequate protection to both the pipeline and the public is maintained. So who in your organization is responsible to get these parties together to develop a plan that offers this protection to the pipeline operators and the public? In many cities there is no answer to this question. The development is approved

APWA Reporter

September 2009

and the developer starts the design of the project, or may be several months into construction before the pipeline operator is aware of the project and stops the work to resolve the easement issue with the developer. This could cost several thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars, to remedy the problem for the developer. In January 2008, the Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) invited stakeholders representing key organizations* in land use planning to join traditional pipeline safety stakeholders and work together to define land use planning practices that could provide safety benefits to both communities and transmission pipelines.** During this meeting, three PIPA task teams and the stakeholders developed specific goals to frame answers to the following questions: 1. Protecting Communities – What should pipeline safety stakeholders do, or avoid doing, adjacent to the pipeline right-of-way to reduce risk to communities? 2. Protecting Transmission Pipelines – What should pipeline safety stakeholders do, or avoid doing, on the rightof-way to reduce the risk to transmission pipelines while preserving environmental resources? 3. Communications – How should the risk to transmission pipelines and communities be communicated among pipeline safety stakeholders? What are the best practices for “fostering early communication”? The goal of PIPA is to improve the safety of transmission pipelines and communities by implementing recommend-

ed practices related to land use near transmission pipelines. These practices describe actions that can be taken by local governments, property developers/owners, pipeline operators and real estate commissions to enhance the safety of communities when new pipelines are being planned or when there are proposed changes to existing land near pipeline easements.

They may also identify and address issues affecting real estate consumers and practitioners. Objectives could include detection and monitoring special problems that affect real estate consumers and licensees, adopting positions, promulgating rules and proposed legislation to address problems and concerns, and disseminating information of special interest and concerns to licensees and consumers.

Each of the key stakeholders—local governments, property developers/owners, pipeline operators and real estate commissions—have core functions that were used as guidelines by the task teams to develop the best practices. They are as follows:

With this information the three task teams started working to develop the best practices which are very close to completion. These practices will not be mandated by any public or private entity, and in some cases the implementation of recommended practices will not be feasible. During the creation of these practices it was recognized that a wide variety of technology is used by local governments both for mapping and development proposal processing. Local governments with limited technology may not be able to fully implement the recommended best practices.

Local Governments Local government officials are responsible for establishing development regulations and zoning for land within the limits of their jurisdiction. In more populated areas, detailed recommendations regarding land use are created by professional planning staff or use planning commissions as a part of their planning process. There are many variations in the way local governments are structured; land development is important to every community. Most decisions regarding land use, zoning and development are made by elected officials.

Property Developers/Owners The property developer/owner is responsible for project planning. This involves gathering all available and necessary information and making decisions that will affect the planned project, such as proposed excavation, construction and development activity, as well as producing project plans and getting the necessary approvals and permits to comply with all zoning and construction requirements.

Pipeline Operators

Property developers/owners with small parcels and having a large portion of the parcel encumbered by a pipeline easement might limit the developer/owner’s ability to implement these new recommendations. Similarly, the pipeline operators may have limits placed on them for new or existing pipeline relocation from the source of supply to the market. These limitations may be caused by existing underground infrastructure, environmentally sensitive areas, or other factors. Once this document is published (which should be by the end of the year) it is hoped that better understanding and cooperation between stakeholders will allow for safer pipeline operation and development opportunities near pipelines.

The pipeline operator is responsible for the safe operation Monty Zimmerman can be reached at (913) 477-7659 or and maintenance of natural gas or hazardous liquid transmis- mzimmerman@ci.lenexa.ks.us. sion pipelines. These pipelines are subject to federal pipeline safety regulations administered by PHMSA or state agencies. * List of key organizations: PHMSA – Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration; FERC – Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; NACO – National Association of Counties; NAHB – National Association of Home Builders; NARUC – National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners; WUTC – Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission; NASFM – National Association of State Fire Marshals; NLC – National League of Cities; PST – Pipeline Safety Trust

Pipeline operators are responsible for ensuring the safety of their existing and new pipelines. This includes taking action to avoid pipeline damage or failure. Such actions include proper design and construction of facilities, periodic testing and continued maintenance of pipeline and easement, development of emergency plans, performance of leak surveys, ** List of participating pipeline safety stakeholders: AGA – American surveillance and right-of-way patrolling, and implementa- Gas Association; ALTA – American Land Title Association; APWA tion of damage prevention programs and public awareness – American Public Works Association; AOPL – Association of Oil Pipelines; CGA – Common Ground Alliance; HUD – Department of programs. All of these activities are required by federal pipe- Housing and Urban Development; FERC – Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; GPA – Gas Processors Association; IRWA – Interline safety regulations.

Real Estate Commissions The real estate commission is generally established to protect the public interest in real estate brokerage transactions. They may have many goals and objectives; one goal may be to assure that all brokers and agents comply with state regulations. Another goal might be to ensure that licensees comply with real estate practice standards imposed by state and federal law. This could include a process that would monitor, inquire into or investigate, and prosecute complaints against licensees.

national Right-of-Way Association; INGAA – Interstate Natural Gas Association of America; NACo – National Association of Counties; NACP – National Association of County Planners; NAHB – National Association of Home Builders; NAIOP – National Association of Industrial & Office Properties; NALGEP – National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals; NAPSR – National Association of Pipeline Safety Representatives; NAR – National Association of Realtors; NARUC – National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners; NASFM – National Association of State Fire Marshals; NFPA – National Fire Protection Association; NLC – National League of Cities; PHMSA – Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration; PST – Pipeline Safety Trust; VUPS – Virginia Utility Protection Services September 2009

APWA Reporter

Utility rights-of-way past and present Charles D. Jacobson, Ph.D. Senior Research Associate Morgan Angel & Associates Washington, D.C. Past President, Public Works Historical Society ocal and higher levels of government in the United States have faced questions concerning the granting and administration of utility rights-of-way since the early nineteenth century. Such questions have arisen in such varied settings as the building of water works in major American cities during the first decades of the nineteenth century; the development of electric utility, urban telegraph, and telephone systems in communities large and small during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; and the laying out of fiber optic communication systems in urban centers during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. For all of the differences in technology and historical context between a system of wooden water mains constructed

in Manhattan during the early 1800s and a fiber optic communication system laid out in Dallas or Seattle almost 200 years later, however, certain common themes in questions and issues presented can be discerned. One set of questions concerns the physical disruption to streets and thoroughfares and potential hazards to people presented by system construction and maintenance. Issues here include terms on which utility enterprises are to be permitted to dig up the streets and whether or not wires are permitted overhead or are required to be placed underground. Decisions have also had to be made concerning payment by utility enterprises for use of public rights-of-way. A fundamental issue here concerns whether the public is best served by having utility enterprises enjoy free or low-cost access to rights-of-way or by having access to rights-of-way sold or auctioned off so as to maximize governmental revenue. A related set of questions concerns whether competing firms are to be permitted to utilize rights-of-way or whether rightsof-way grants for a particular service are to be restricted to one enterprise. Issues to be considered include the sustainability of competition between firms over time and whether benefits to the public from competition between service providers are outweighed by the added disruptions and burdens of duplicative system development. Finally, questions have arisen in many different settings concerning the availability, price and quality of the services furnished by utility enterprises utilizing rights-of-way. Issues to be addressed include whether such utility enterprises are best privately or publicly owned and whether local or other levels of government should be involved in regulating availability, price and quality of service furnished by utility enterprises. These and similar questions continue to arise in association with utility rights-of-way in American communities. Much can be learned concerning the best ways to address the questions by examining the rich and varied history of how such questions have been addressed in the recent and more distant past. Charles David Jacobson, Ph.D., is the author of Ties That Bind: Economic and Political Dilemmas of Urban Utility Networks 1800-1900 (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2001). He can be reached at charles@morganangel.com.

APWA Reporter

September 2009

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Unconventional roadway design “seed” planted with MoDOT years earlier bears fruit with innovative CFI in Missouri John A. Hock, P.E., PTOE Transportation Manager & Sr. Roadway Engineer Engineering Design Source, Inc. St. Louis, Missouri never envisioned that a seminar I led with one firm back in 2004, introducing an innovative new traffic design concept, would years later result in the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) selecting this concept for a project with another civil engineering firm for completing the Midwest’s first continuous flow intersection. I was a transportation project manager working for the St. Louis office of a national engineering firm back in 2003. We were approached by ABMB Engineers in Louisiana, to help them nationally promote a new design concept called the continuous flow intersection, or CFI. My preliminary research into the concept suggested that this approach was an innovative way to dramatically increase traffic capacity,

significantly reduce traffic delay, and most importantly, improve intersection safety to both drivers and pedestrians. I was eager to bring this innovative idea to my clients.

How a CFI works Part of the delay at a typical high-volume intersection comes from the left-turn cycle of the traffic signals; the through traffic must wait for the traffic turning left. The basic idea behind the CFI is to locate the left-turning lane to the left of facing traffic, eliminating the left-turn signal phase. A CFI moves the left turn down the road several hundred feet earlier on the roadway. The CFI design accomplishes this by introducing a left-turn bay placed to the left of oncoming traffic. This bay is ac-

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September 2009

cessed by the creation of a mid-block signalized intersection. Traffic is permitted to load the left-turn bay, crossing the oncoming traffic lanes during the signal phase servicing cross-street traffic, thus eliminating any traffic conflicts. The signal phase servicing through traffic also services protected left-turn movements. To reduce any potential confusion regarding the location of the left-turn lane, the left-turn lane and the straight-through lane are separated by some type of barrier or traffic island.

was invited to our St. Louis office in early 2004 and, to an audience including MoDOT and the St. Louis Department of Highways and Traffic, introduced our clients to the innovative CFI design. As with many innovative ideas, the initial interest in the concept was tempered with many questions and concerns regarding the concept. I realized it would take time for many to become comfortable with the idea.

Initial concerns to overcome Two major concerns typically surface when considering a CFI: (1) increased cost versus a conventional intersection; and (2) driver confusion and comfort with using the design. Construction costs are higher than for a conventional intersection because of increased right-of-way requirements and the need for additional coordinated signal controllers. But, at locations where high traffic volumes may usually require a grade separation, the cost savings can be considerable.

Delays are reduced by moving the left-turn bay to the left of oncoming traffic.

Since the left-turning traffic no longer has to cross the oncoming traffic, accidents are reduced. The elimination of the left-turn signal increases the amount of “green” time on the mainline route, increasing traffic capacity and reducing traffic delay. Pedestrian safety is improved with the CFI design, according to research. Pedestrians cross at times when there are no conflicts with turning vehicles. Pedestrians do require, however, two sequential signal phases to complete a street crossing.

First in Midwest, fifth in the U.S. Although the CFI is a relatively new concept in the U.S., the approach has been in use in Mexico for decades, on more than 40 roadways. Two Mexican-born businessmen, Francisco Mier and Belisario Romo, were co-inventors of the CFI, obtaining a U.S. patent for the design in 1987. The concept is primarily based on an old idea of a fellow countryman, engineer Arturo Cedeno. The first CFI intersection in the U.S. was a prototype completed in New Jersey in 1994. This was followed by full-scale projects in New York and Maryland. ABMB Engineers was able to convince Mr. Mier to allow his U.S. patent to expire in 2003. I jumped at the opportunity to bring this innovative thinking to my firm and my clients. ABMB Engineers

Proper traffic signal timing allows left turns to proceed without stopping oncoming traffic.

Regarding the driver confusion issue, research from Mexico, and subsequent surveys undertaken on the initial New York project, found that 80% of first-time users easily adjusted to the design. Following one week of use, virtually 100% of daily drivers expressed positive comments about the design. Any lingering negatives expressed by users were successfully addressed with adequate advance signing to clear confusion.

Fast-forward to 2006 By late 2005, I had begun work as the Transportation Group Leader for another civil engineering design firm, Engineering Design Source, Inc. (EDSI). In early 2006, EDSI partnered with another local engineering firm, Pickett Ray & Silver (PRS), to submit a proposal for a conventional intersection layout detailed in a traffic study provided by Crawford Bunte Brammeier (CBB). PRS’s client was local land developer G. J. September 2009

APWA Reporter

Grewe, who was expanding a large development just south of the intersection. Several months went by with no apparent progress on the project. I eventually learned that MoDOT had requested additional analysis to the traffic study, including the consideration of constructing a CFI. CBB learned in their analysis that a CFI would improve service levels for the intersection over the conventional intersection under consideration, and that the levels of service would further improve as the area’s development progressed. When my contact at PRS contacted me to state the project was back on track, he said MoDOT now wanted the developer to build some “crazy continuous flow intersection.” I was shocked and excited, informing PRS I was very familiar with CFIs—I introduced the concept to MoDOT a couple years back! MoDOT later confirmed that they had found my presentation interesting, and since then they were looking for the right opportunity to try it out. As fate would have it, they chose this project. By May, we had submitted a revised proposal and were contracted to begin work on roadway and traffic signal design.

Collaborative integration key to success While the additional traffic studies turned the idea into a reality, the extra analysis required us to undertake an ambitious design schedule to meet the developer’s needs: seven weeks to complete the design, four to six weeks for MoDOT to review the plans, with two more weeks for any further revisions. We instituted a “divide and conquer” approach with weekly design team meetings to facilitate collaborative teamwork on the project. Included in these weekly discussions were G. J. Grewe, PRS, EDSI, CBB, and general contractor R. G. Ross Construction Company. The City of Fenton was actively incorporated into discussions during the early phase of our work; MoDOT was frequently consulted as our work unfolded. We learned early the value of such an important collaborative effort—we were able to address and resolve issues quickly and cost effectively. Although I originally had wanted EDSI to work on the traffic signal design, I valued CBB’s insight and contribution to the project to this point, and felt they had earned the continued role on our team. Once CBB took over the signal design, I fully appreciated their contributions to the complicated

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APWA Reporter

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design and numerous MoDOT reviews. We submitted our plans on schedule; MoDOTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s review was slightly less than four weeks, so we had no problem delivering our final plans on the delivery date.

Sufficient advance signing helps reduce driver confusion.

Raised medians to separate oncoming traffic, combined with clear and concise signing, help ensure driver safety.

CFI lessons learned There were a number of lessons we learned that are important for others considering the design of a CFI. First, we realized early in the design that signing would be a critical component of the traffic control. The left-turn lanes on Route 30 would need to be signed well in advance of the crossovers. A field review of the existing signage was conducted to ensure proper relocation of signs to be moved, and to avoid the possibility of existing signs conflicting with new signage. Second, frequently scheduled meetings linking all parties involved were critical in seamless project integration. Since this was the first time all parties were involved in this type of endeavor, there was tremendous collaborative value from team insight into issues that arose during the design and construction.

Third, complementing industry guidelines with seasoned team judgment leads to smarter design solutions. Whenever considering innovative design ideas, it is helpful to use industry standards as your foundation, while remaining flexible in consideration of adaptations to these principles. In some cases we erred more conservatively in our approach; in others we realized our scenario allowed greater flexibility in interpretation.

A sustainable roadway asset The intersection was substantially complete by November 19, 2007, the date of the ribbon-cutting ceremony. MoDOT said that the intersection is â&#x20AC;&#x153;working great,â&#x20AC;? and they have experienced very little driver confusion. According to MoDOT projections, the CFI design should currently reduce delays at this intersection from an average of 25 seconds per vehicle to a little more than 17 seconds per vehicle. In 20 years, assuming a 25 percent increase in the number of vehicles, this type of intersection should reduce delays from almost two minutes to just about 30 seconds. John Hock, P.E., PTOE, can be reached at (636) 537-5585 or jh@ engdesignsource.com.

September 2009

APWA Reporter

Rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure: a golden opportunity for civil engineering Jacob Lipa, P.E. President Psomas Los Angeles, California will result in more work for us. But it also presents a great opportunity to come up with new solutions to issues that have concerned our profession for decades. This is the perfect time to foster an increase in public-private partnerships, improve the flow of public-sector work to private firms, develop a regional approach to meet our infrastructure needs, and design sustainable solutions to meet those needs.

s difficult as these times are, they have created an excellent opportunity to solve a number of our nation’s infrastructure problems—and a golden opportunity for the civil engineering profession. The dismal state of the economy is forcing our leaders to get proactive and jump-start infrastructure improvements. These projects will create jobs, and they are getting strong public support.

Increasing the use of publicprivate partnerships

What does this mean for those of us in the engineering profession? This new stance by our political leaders to jumpstart infrastructure projects certainly

There is not nearly enough stimulus money to meet all the states’ infra-

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structure needs. As a consequence, the idea of leveraging public money with private financing is finally taking off. Public officials realize there is room for the public and private sectors to join together to get these projects off the ground. Now we have the opportunity to develop the mutual trust that these partnerships can work. In other parts of the world these systems are commonplace. In the U.S., public-private partnerships have taken a foothold in states like Texas, Virginia, Florida, Illinois and Nevada. Now, the terrible state of the economy has created the opportunity to expand the use of public-private partnerships across the nation. For the first time, at least in California, agencies are taking alternative delivery systems like design/build and public-private partnerships seriously. Public agencies are actively seeking to learn more about how these partnerships would work and are looking to the private sector for advice. New state laws in California finally have opened the door to the financing that these partnerships would provide.

Balancing work between the public and private sectors We have argued forever about how much infrastructure work should be done by the public sector and how much can be done by the private sector. The new push for projects presents a good chance to leverage the best qualities of both. City budgets are desperately constrained, yet infrastructure work needs to be done. It’s time to look at what would be the most efficient approach— beyond the desire simply to protect public-sector jobs. Since not even public-sector jobs are protected anymore, we might as well figure out the

most efficient way to get projects off the ground. It will require leadership and an opening of minds, but I think the time is right. We at Psomas are committed to joining with other firms and engineering organizations in approaching our political leaders to explore how we can work together to get important projects accomplished.

Taking a regional approach For many years we have seen a reduction in the public’s willingness to spend money on infrastructure, not understanding how important it is. Now that everyone sees infrastructure as part of the solution to get us out of this recession, it’s the perfect opportunity to look at infrastructure solutions on a regional basis. Traffic, flood control, water quality—these issues do not have political boundaries. This is the time to revisit our traditionally fragmented approach to infrastructure solutions and do it the right way.

I can point to one example of how this regional approach is playing out. In November 2008, an amazing twothirds majority in Los Angeles County approved Measure R. Measure R focuses on regional transportation projects, committing a projected $40 billion to traffic relief and transportation upgrades throughout the county over the next 30 years. Measure R will help fund dozens of critical transit and highway projects, while creating more than 210,000 new construction jobs and infusing an estimated $32 billion into the local economy.

Designing sustainable solutions Because the economy has crashed, work has slowed down. This gives us time to take a breather, sit back and evaluate everything we have done to date and say: “Is there a better way to do this?” Is there a way to use less gas, incorporate more recyclable materials in our projects, reduce our carbon footprint, and

make sure future generations have the opportunities that we have? Now that infrastructure is part of the national agenda, the engineering community has a wonderful opportunity. This is the perfect time to solve our infrastructure problems in a sustainable way. The knowledge base is there, and the public support for projects is there. Green projects can be part of the solution to increase employment. What is the impact of doing all this? Growth. As difficult as these times are, they are creating a great opportunity to solve a number of our nation’s infrastructure problems and create jobs. And we in the engineering/surveying industry can play a key role in driving the economy forward. We will see it happening soon. Jacob Lipa can be reached at (213) 2231400 or jlipa@psomas.com.

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The Pineywoods Mitigation Bank Business and conservation join to create a legacy for Texas J. Grant Barber Senior Environmental Scientist PBS&J Tyler, Texas hat has public works done for black bears lately? In Texas, the answer may be “plenty,” as the new Pineywoods Mitigation Bank fulfills its conservation promise. In August 2008, more than 19,000 acres of land along the Neches River in East Texas officially became the Pineywoods Mitigation Bank (PMB), the largest mitigation bank in the state and the second largest in the U.S. Located roughly midway between Dallas and Houston, the PMB encompasses bottomland hardwood forests, wetlands and open water—and comprises a rich source of diverse wildlife, bird and plant species. Mitigation banking enables public works agencies, and state and local governments, as well as private and industrial developers, to purchase credits that satisfy all or a portion of statutory wetland mitigation requirements to comply with Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. The purpose of Section 404 is to protect wetlands by requiring developers who adversely impact them through construction activities to replace those wetlands with a comparable protected area. When developers buy credits from a mitigation bank, they are offsetting impacts to wetlands that may be caused by the development of projects such as water-storage facilities, roadways, transmission lines (power, oil or gas) or other activities.

Bank Beginnings For decades, state and federal agencies 90

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September 2009

The new Pineywoods Mitigation Bank—the second largest in the U.S.—covers more than 19,000 acres along the Neches River in East Texas and is part of the endangered Pineywoods eco-region that stretches from Texas into Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. (Photo Credit: PBS&J)

have worked together to establish a comprehensive watershed-protection strategy to conserve the Neches River area and its wetlands. “We’ve had our eye on the Pineywoods property for the last 20 to 30 years,” says Andy Jones, Director of The Conservation Fund’s Texas office. Jones was elated when International Paper Corporation decided to sell the property in 2003. A timberland investment company in partnership with The Conservation Fund—one of the largest U.S. land trusts—co-sponsored the purchase of roughly 33,000 acres, a portion of which was designated as the PMB. The PMB includes land in Ange-

lina, Jasper and Polk Counties nearly linking the Davy Crockett and Angelina National Forests along a 45-mile section of the 416-mile-long Neches River. The Pineywoods Mitigation Bank was established in June 2008 after it met federal criteria for mitigation banking and received approval from an Interagency Review Team that included the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas General Land Office, and the Railroad Commission of Texas. Con-

sulting firm PBS&J spearheaded the approval process and is overseeing enhancement and restoration activities being conducted on the property.

One-Stop Mitigation Banks A mitigation bank is one or more large parcels of land that fulfill mitigation requirements for multiple projects undertaken by public and private developers in wetland areas, and offers a cost-effective alternative to developers who would otherwise purchase small, scattered wetland parcels to satisfy mitigation needs.

its property through such tasks as tree planting and the removal of nonnative or invasive vegetation. The mitigation bank then restores, maintains and monitors the land it owns. It also provides an annual report on the condition of its property to the USACE.

Some banks, like the PMB, allow “layaway” plans. For example, if a public works agency is planning a large project that will impact wetlands, it can purchase credits from a mitigation bank and pay for them over several years before it begins construction. This enables the agency to rely on a fixed dollar amount for budget planning.

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Mitigation banks provide a one-stop shop where developers can buy credits—before they begin construction— to offset environmental damages their projects may cause. The cost of the credits is generally based on the amount of funding the mitigation bank needs to maintain and enhance

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With origins dating back to the Jurassic era, the Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum), is found in abundance along the Neches River watershed that the PMB protects. The tree is prized for its water-resistant wood, and has been heavily harvested in Texas for boats, bridges, docks, warehouses and other construction. Individual trees can live for more than 1,000 years. Tree roots help to clean water by trapping pollutants and sediment. (Photo Credit: PBS&J)

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September 2009

APWA Reporter

Without a mitigation bank, the compensatory mitigation approval process can be arduous.

Cost and Risk Say a public works agency wants to build a new road or lay a water utility line through a forested wetland, or a flood control district wants to run a new stormwater channel through a marsh. To mitigate the damage to the existing wetlands that the construction would cause (after avoidance and minimization measures have been exhausted), the agency would first need to find a comparable piece of wetlands property, purchase it, and then develop a comprehensive mitigation plan to manage, enhance and monitor that new piece of property. The agency must then submit that plan to the USACE for review and approval before it obtains permit authorization to develop the project. “The plan must incorporate steps to measure progress for successful mitigation before the USACE will sign off on it,” says Brent J. Jasper, Project Manager with the regulatory branch of the Fort Worth District USACE. For example, the plan may need to specify that a certain number of trees are planted every year or that native plants must replace invasive vegetation in certain areas. Notes Jasper, “Plans often require several go-rounds with the Corps before being approved.” The whole process can literally take years; meanwhile, the cost of goods and services continues to rise, the cost of obtaining that permit may also rise, and an array of unforeseen problems could sidetrack or delay final approval of the permit. In addition, the public works agency would still need to manage the mitigating property it acquired, fulfill measurable tasks to restore the property, and provide an annual monitoring report to the USACE for 5 to 10 years, depending on the USACE-approved plan. Prob92

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September 2009

The Louisiana Black Bear, once common in parts of East Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, is now listed as “threatened” by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The PMB will provide a protected habitat in which black bears and other wildlife can thrive. (Photo courtesy of the Cameron Park Zoo, Waco, Texas, Sheri Hemrick, photographer)

lems can arise when permittees submit their annual monitoring reports to the USACE as their mitigation sites may not comply with the USACE-approved mitigation plan. Then more time is required by the USACE and the permittee to monitor and correct the issues. These properties must be maintained in perpetuity as well: once a mitigation site, always a mitigation site.

and the subsequent reintroduction of desirable native vegetation. Once the PMB sells all its credits, it plans to turn the property over to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department as a wildlife management area between the Davy Crockett and the Angelina National Forests. “Ultimately, the PMB land will become a key component in a program to reintroduce black bears— and other threatened, endangered and rare species—into a protected habitat where they can thrive,” says Jones.

A mitigation bank, on the other hand, presents a comprehensive solution that is time-efficient and minimizes risk for the permittee. The public As a significant environmentally proworks agency or developer is no lontected area, Pineywoods is a legacy for ger saddled with the risk and responsithe state and for the public, who will bility of ensuring a successful mitigahave future access to the land. tion plan. And the USACE can review fewer mitigation monitoring reports “Mitigation banking is a win-win situand inspect fewer sites. ation,” concludes Jones. “It’s a smart business solution that essentially creCreating an Environmental ates an endowment fund to preserve Legacy the environment. The larger the mitiThe PMB uses funds generated from gation bank, the greater the impact the sale of its mitigation credits to on preserving complex ecosystems in restore and enhance wetlands and a world where open space is becoming other water bodies and natural habiincreasingly scarce.” tats within its boundaries. This will be completed primarily through the Grant Barber can be reached at (903) 509removal of undesirable plant species, 1552 or JGBarber@pbsj.com.

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Reducing costs and consumption by integrating energy and asset management Bob Benstead Vice President, Strategic Planning Infor Public Sector Rancho Cordova, California ater and wastewater agencies are no strangers to dealing with water pressure. But today, agencies around the nation are experiencing a different type of pressure—they’re under extreme pressure from the government and citizens to “go green” by reducing energy consumption, as well as internal pressure to reduce costs. Identifying ways to reduce carbon footprint and expenditures is a daunting task to many water and wastewater agencies. Running such critical and complex operations requires an infrastructure with many moving parts that consume a tremendous amount of energy. Studies have shown that properly maintaining assets can reduce overall energy consumption by 15 percent. When you take into account the high cost of energy, reducing energy by 15 percent not only is “green” but it saves the agency a lot of “green” too. Since you can only control what you can measure, reducing energy consumption at the asset level requires a system that integrates energy management into asset management. This means carefully monitoring the energy usage of assets, implementing a comprehensive preventive maintenance system, like Infor EAM Asset Sustainability Edition, that takes into consideration energy usage, and factoring energy consumption into any plans that include asset acquisition, allocation, or replacement. In other words, a solution monitors each of a facility’s major assets, like water pumps, filtering systems, etc., and tracks performance against the optimal levels. When assets fall below the predetermined acceptable point, a work order is generated to fix the problem

APWA Reporter

September 2009

so the equipment runs efficiently again, reducing energy waste and expenditure. For example, a single 100 HP motor running continuously at 95 percent efficiency over a five-year period will cost close to $350,000 in energy (assuming 10¢/ kwh). If the same motor consumes just five percent more energy due A screenshot of Infor EAM Asset Sustainability Edition to sub-optimal operation, it will cost almost $17,500 more to operate. If in this instance the inefficient motor were connected to an integrated asset management system, alerts would trigger that energy consumption was unacceptable and issue a work order for inspection. Traditionally, the asset would have kept performing while its energy usage gradually increased, costing the agency many more thousands of dollars in undue expense, and consuming energy that could have been saved. To solve this problem, water and wastewater agencies need to find a solution that helps them reduce both costs and carbon footprint by helping maintain agency assets at desirable energy consumption levels. The most effective solutions are

those that integrate energy management with asset management. Many agencies use tools to manage assets, and some use systems to track energy usage, but few organizations would benefit greater from integrating the two than water and wastewater agencies. Traditionally, in the private and most of the public sector, asset management enables manufacturers, distributors and services organizations to save time and money by optimizing maintenance resources, improving equipment and staff productivity, increasing inventory efficiency, and strengthening their ability to collect on warranty-related claims. Additionally, some of the more complex asset management technologies include reporting tools that enable better decision-making to help improve future asset performance management and profitability. This functionality is more than sufficient for most organizations in the world. However, asset management for water and wastewater agencies requires even greater complexity, as the nature of the service requires pressurized assets that deliver potable water to homes. Water and wastewater-specific asset management should develop a database, establish critical shutoffs, crossreference service connections, meters and backflows, and monitor periodic test results over the life of the asset. Energy management systems have helped organizations track their energy consumption for decades, providing feedPatents

back on how much energy individual assets are consuming. By putting monitoring devices on individual equipment, these systems can track the energy usage and provide a report to agency personnel. With that data, staff can assign repair work to be done so that the equipment is brought back to a healthier consumption level. Once those steps have been taken, the agency reduces the wasted energy and decreases power cost. By integrating asset and energy management, staff no longer need to comb through reports to discover an underperforming asset. When a monitoring device detects that a piece of equipment is performing below a predetermined level of acceptability, it sends an alert into the asset management system. That system then triggers a work order to be generated to repair or replace the equipment, ensuring that all assets operate at or close to optimal levels. A complete system that takes energy management and integrates it with a comprehensive asset management helps water and wastewater agencies reduce energy consumption and related emissions by as much as 15 percent, meet regulatory mandates well in advance, improve overall operational efficiency through better performing property, plants and equipment, drastically reduce costs, and strengthen reputation and citizen service through environmentally-beneficial operating practices. Bob Benstead can be reached at bob.benstead@infor.com.

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Parks and sustainable cities from thin air Gerdo Aquino Managing Principal SWA Group Los Angeles, California he recession is putting near-term stress on cities, states and other jurisdictions to do more with less, even as they have to ponder long-term demands of inevitable population growth. One area of public works—parks and greenspace—often suffers most when budget priorities have to focus on critical services such as water and power. It’s the ongoing dilemma for the industry: providing amenities the public wants, but is unwilling or unable to pay for. Yet, contrary to conventional wisdom, this period of tough choices amid long-term planning is an opportunity to facilitate green, more-sustainable communities in a new way. Even now, new and reenergized projects are getting

underway from federal spending such as the 2009 Stimulus Package or from “can’t wait” infrastructure projects and private investment. By stepping back to look at resource and infrastructure planning from a strategic level, public works and planning officials can partner with other public- and private-sector groups to create parks and greenspace, literally, from nowhere. Examples of this approach can be found from Houston and Los Angeles, to Mexico and China, but the crux of the concept can be applied anywhere by taking a different approach to many infrastructure projects—a landscape-infrastructure approach—particularly to projects of large scale.

Landscape infrastructure Landscape infrastructure, as termed by SWA and others in the field, calls for evaluating projects to find tiny edges, if not square-miles of opportunities. Innovative thinking can create linear parks, riparian corridors, local and regional hiking/biking trails, multi-purpose recreation fields and open space if transformed from sewer-like creeks, dual-use stormways, reimagined freeways and other infrastructure projects.

Because the world is not always flat!

In a world of misappropriated urban spaces, the strategic thinking behind landscape infrastructure envisions railways, roadways, waterways and utility corridors as great opportunities for the regeneration of urban living. Landscape infrastructure is a strategy that seeks to maximize the function of underutilized lands and match their specific typology with the environmental and societal needs of any given city or region.

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How and where are such gray zones turning green? In Monterrey, Mexico, a just-completed comprehensive open space plan for this sprawling city of six million people builds upon existing rivers, boulevards, antiquated train yards and industrial sites, and integrates new parks within existing communities. For example, one stretch of urban river and arroyo-like streambed is being repurposed into a tree- and vegetation-lined natural waterway with soccer fields, parks and play areas in adjacent space. In Houston, Texas, over the course of several years, SWA has worked closely with city officials to transform antiquated concrete stormwater channels into vibrant greenways of native landscape and to restore degraded bayou waterways into celebrated urban park and recreation space. The Buffalo Bayou Promenade, a 20-acre downtown park, was previously viewed as derelict, problem property but is now a popular, oft-photographed urban asset. The improvements were made in an integrated fashion with the bayouâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s primary function as a waterway, and passed its most significant test when Hurricane Ikeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s downpour inflicted mere scrapes and scratches. Private-sector groups have joined the bandwagon and created complementary spaces, including a $2.7 million skate park that gives skateboarders an alternative to the more dangerous streets and sidewalks they previously turned to.

The Buffalo Bayou Promenade in Houston, Texas (photo by Tom Fox)

In Southwest Houston, Project Brays and the 280-acre completed portion called Willow Waterhole Stormwater Detention Basin provides important flood-control purposes, with a silver lining of recreational and aesthetic amenities. Most days of the year, the Willow Waterhole Stormwater Detention Basin is a special place for neighbors and families to gather and enjoy. As a complement to the federally-funded storm functions, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department were able to fund construction of recreational and aesthetic amenities during the initial development to include walking paths and bridges, bike trails, playgrounds and picnic areas.

In Dallas, Texas, another design-transformation turned an abandoned railroad line into a popular inter-city bike and hike trail system called Katy Trail, linking 20 neighborhood areas to the central business district. Now, neighborhoods and commercial districts that once turned their backs to the right-of-way are embracing it as a new amenity for public health and enjoyment.

The Katy Trail in Dallas, Texas (photo by Tom Fox)

In China, the Anning River provides the City of Panzhihua (elevation 1,200m) with over half of its electrical needs through the creation of three hydroelectric dams within a 12 kilometer reach. Harnessing this renewable energy has resulted in a growing population and need for increased residential densities. SWA with Arup Engineers is currently working with the Panzhihua/Miyi Government in the planning of a new three-square-kilometer district that can allow the city to grow while maintaining its rich agricultural heritage and infrastructural identity. The proposal includes an interconnected network of linear parks aligned with existing gravity-fed irrigation canals and mountain streams meant to strengthen ecological corridors and link pedestrians to contiguous boardwalks along the riverfront. Dense development provides the framework that can allow for the preservation and enhancement of native habitat and natural systems within the region. In Los Angeles, the University of Southern Californiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Center for Sustainable Cities, in conjunction with the Keck School of Medicine and other agencies and communitybased organizations, has launched the Back Alley LA Project. Like many cities, Los Angeles has a network of alleyways that extends over 900 miles. The Back Alley LA Project provides a planning framework and tools for turning alleys into walkable streets and a green ribbon where none existed. The project has mapped alleyways, conducted an audit of sample alleys, studied activity patterns, assessed soil pollution problems, and investigated perceptions of residents living adjacent to alleys. The project has also outlined potential barriers to alley greening so that community groups can work to transform their alleys into green infrastructure for urban runoff management, walking and cycling trails, and neighborhood open space. September 2009

APWA Reporter

Concept by USC students for Hollywood Freeway Central Park (photo by Tom Fox)

In a separate but no less grand endeavor, Los Angeles area utilities and local city governments are exploring joint efforts to create greenspace and public access adjacent to utility rights-of-way. These untapped opportunities present the potential for miles and miles of new amenities, as public-private partnerships that find mutually-beneficial results. A perfect example is the Hollywood Freeway Cap Park in Los Angeles, California. This community-supported project proposes capping over a one-mile-long stretch of freeway to create 44 acres of new park space in one of the park-poorest areas of Los Angeles. In this example, the new park is overlaid onto an existing freeway and has the potential to create a stronger neighborhood fabric, introduce recreational programming and offer fresh insight into the definition of parks as infrastructure.

Contemporary cities are exploring their built environments in search of ways to address rapid population growth, environmental pollution, housing, mass transit and access to open space. In Los Angeles, for example, an estimated 100,000 people are projected to move into the metro area every year for the next 30 years. The stress of this growth on existing infrastructural systems such as open space, parks, roads and waterways is tremendous. Determining how the urban fabric of the city will respond to this pressure is currently on the minds of mayors, governors, government officials, planners and public works staff around the world. Creative responses such as landscape infrastructure planning offer new solutions to these age-old issues. Gerdo Aquino can be reached at (213) 236-9090 or gaquino@ swagroup.com.

Resources and follow-up information: Houston’s bayou transformations: www.buffalobayou.org; www.projectbrays.org Dallas’ Katy Trail: www.katytraildallas.org Hollywood Freeway Cap Park: www.hollywoodfreewaycen tralpark.org USC’s Sustainable Cities and Back-Alley Project: http:// csc.usc.edu; http://college.usc.edu/geography/ESPE/docu ments/FocusGroupTechnicalReport.pdf

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September 2009

Wilsonville Public Works Department lives up to its motto Dan Knoll Public Affairs Coordinator City of Wilsonville, Oregon

he Wilsonville Public Works Department’s motto is “Serving the Community with Pride.” The department’s 30 employees live up to that saying by searching for better ways to perform their jobs.

leaves and trees, another can be used for picking up bark dust and another box can be used for loading fertilizer. When the boxes are full, an employee uses the hydraulic system to pick up the box and discard the contents.

Swaploader

“We can perform three or four tasks at the same time with One innovative method implemented by staff is a multi-use one truck where before we needed three trucks. That is the vehicle. A large truck, called the Swaploader, has the ability beauty of this piece of equipment,” said Public Works Opto interchange the accessories in back from bins for material erations Manager Floyd Peoples. “It also provides a savings to dispersing sand during the winter to a small bucket truck for the community and is one of the big reasons why we can keep our parks and recreational areas looking good without to access areas to high for a ladder. adding staff.” “We are always trying to find ways to be more efficient and effective,” said Public Works Director Delora Kerber. “This SCADA master vehicle has many accessories and great functionality.” A more efficient and economical system is being installed at eight wastewater lift stations in Wilsonville. The project will The Swaploader saves money, is easy to use, and performs a replace existing flow monitoring equipment with a wirevariety of jobs. less and phone-operated system that will help monitor and manage the city’s wastewater system. The system being installed is called SCADA which stands for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition. It is comprised of a computer system that monitors and controls treatment of the city’s wastewater. The new Telemetry and Control System will use wireless radio transmission for communicating between the remote sites and either the wastewater building or the water treatment building. “The upgrade is part of our commitment to operate the water treatment and wastewater treatment facilities in the safest and most effective way possible,” said Kerber.

The Swaploader is used to perform a variety of jobs more efficiently and economically.

The system will allow for flow of information from the lift stations to employees at the wastewater treatment plant. This new system will allow any employee to check the status via radio and laptop from anywhere in the city. Water treatment plant employees will use the system to monitor flows, chlorine levels, and reservoir levels.

The hydraulic system picks up and releases a dump box with “With this upgrade we should not have any more wastewater the push of a button. A hook behind the truck’s cab hydrau- overflows into streams, rivers and storm systems,” said Kerlically moves down a track and grabs a metal connector on ber. “This system will safeguard against pumps that don’t the box. The hydraulic system then pulls the box onto the turn on or pumps not turning off, burning out and needing truck. Two wheels on the back of the box help guide the box to be replaced.” onto the chassis. The system allows multiple tasks to occur at the same time. For example, one box can be dropped off for picking up

Automatic Meter Reading

Public works employees are using automatic meter reading technology to automatically collect data from water meSeptember 2009

APWA Reporter

tering devices and transfer that data to a central database for billing and/or analyzing. The money-saving method saves on employee trips and means that billings are based on actual usage rather than on an estimate based on previous consumption. The automatic meter reading technology includes handheld, mobile, and network equipment using radio frequency or powerline transmission. “We are placing more efficient meters throughout the city by being able to read them remotely, which is a more effective and economical way to utilize taxpayers’ dollars,” said Kerber.

The Department’s Focus The Wilsonville Public Works Department provides services for the operation and maintenance of the city’s infrastructure that includes water, wastewater, roads, parks and buildings. The department oversees operation of the Willamette The water features are used by kids of all ages from Memorial Day River Water Treatment Plant, provides operation and main- to Labor Day. tenance of the water distribution system that includes res“The water features receive a lot of use from our citizens, and ervoirs and wells, and provides services related to the colpeople from all over the area really enjoy these facilities,” lection and treatment of wastewater. The department also said Kerber. operates and maintains two water features for 10 hours a day at Town Center Park and Murase Plaza from Memorial The department recently reorganized the operations section Day to Labor Day. These interactive water features are a big and created supervisors to oversee smaller groups of employhit throughout the summer months. ees for roads and parks, buildings and water distribution.

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September 2009

“This gives us more flexibility within the department for giving direction to staff,” said Kerber. “Supervisors now oversee a smaller staff which allows us to be more effective in the services we provide.”

National Public Works Week Every year department employees use National Public Works Week as an outlet to educate the public about the importance of the work they perform.

I am very fortunate to work with an outstanding group of employees. They are hard-working, dedicated and give their best effort every day. I am very proud to be the head of this department.” Dan Knoll can be reached at (503) 570-1502 or knoll@ ci.wilsonville.or.us.

“If we are doing our job correctly you never think about public works because everything is running smoothly, the litter is removed, there are no potholes, and clean, fresh water is delivered to your home,” said Kerber. To celebrate this year’s National Public Works Week from May 16-23, the department had equipment on display and a community barbecue, presented the National Public Works Week proclamation, showed a video presentation on the department during the City Council meeting, displayed photos at City Hall, ran a slide show at the Public Works Department, and activated the water features. “The Public Works Department is the engine that keeps the city running,” said Kerber. “We are there doing what needs to be done to make sure everything is operating smoothly.

The Public Works Department uses the High Lift to work on those hard-to-reach areas.

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Inflatable dam helps Marysville, Ohio, meet project schedule and budget Kristen Braden, Esq. Construction Project Manager H.R. Gray Columbus, Ohio s a city grows in population, upgrades to public services become necessary—new schools, more police and fire protection, additional community programs—but the most vital upgrade is to water services. To meet the needs of its expanding population and as a response to existing and future development, the City of Marysville, Ohio, embarked on a project to upgrade its water storage and delivery system. With a total budget of $24 million, the Marysville Upground Reservoir Project consisted of four contracts to construct a complete system to capture water from Mill Creek, pump it to the new reservoir and ultimately deliver the water to the Marysville Water Plant. Although the existing system included a well and a diversion from Mill Creek, there was no real storage capacity for water, so the new reservoir was especially important for the city. One of the four contracts encompassed the construction of a dam, intake structure and a pump station building, in addition to the installation of an inflatable dam that was to be purchased under a separate contract. The inflatable dam system monitors water flow and levels in Mill Creek, and adjusts the amount of water diverted to the new reservoir to maintain environmentally friendly flow conditions. In addition to monitoring stream flows and water levels at the dam, the pump station’s control center also monitors reservoir water levels via remote solarpowered transmitters, maintains historical data, and sends reports back to the main water plant. Depending on the flow rates and water levels in Mill Creek, the pump station can provide up to 26 million gallons of water daily to the reservoir. 102

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The inflatable dam has individual bladders that are used to raise and lower the structure. The contract encompassed the construction of a dam, intake structure, an inflatable dam, and a pump station building.

Finding an alternate dam The project faced almost immediate challenges: Product delivery delays meant that the inflatable dam originally selected wouldn’t be ready in time to comply with the construction timeline, so the City was forced to find an alternate product. The resulting solution— a system from Obermeyer Hydro that features an inflatable bladder covered by steel gates to protect the bladder from the elements and from floating debris and ice—was not only more efficient, but also less expensive than the original system and could be delivered to complete the project on time. While original designs called for a dam that could be either completely inflated or completely deflated, such a system would limit the City’s control over water diversion and potentially impede

September 2009

their compliance with environmental requirements. The Obermeyer system’s four independently-operating bladders allow for much more precise control over the pool elevation behind the dam. In addition, the Obermeyer Hydro system allows the city to compile reports and track historical data. The system is also more aesthetically pleasing since, when the dam is completely deflated, the rubber dam is covered by the curved steel gates, which are flush with the creek bed. Additionally, while the dam is inflated, a minimum flow over the dam will be maintained and residents downstream from the dam will still see water flow in the creek.

Fixing the spec changes Although the replacement dam ultimately improved the project’s design,

making the late switch did bring up other challenges. Because the size and configuration of the new dam was physically different from what was originally specified, many portions of the original inflatable dam system’s specifications could not be used, as the new system had different components that would not fit the original design. To accommodate the new dam, the building layout was revised to reflect a new design for the concrete structure that the bladders and steel gates would attach to, and modifications were made within the control systems. Careful coordination with the general trades’ contractor ensured that all design changes were completed in advance of the inflatable dam’s installation, thereby avoiding any costly rework.

trol over the water level and flows on both sides of the dam, thanks to the multi-part inflatable-bladder system, but the area around the dam has been improved as well. The creek that runs through the park behind the nearby houses has been made even more appealing, and a walking path was added along the top of the embank-

Kristen Braden can be reached at (614) 542-7146 or KBraden@hrgray.com.

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Keeping the public happy Due to the project’s proximity to a park and a residential subdivision, it was also crucial that the surrounding area not be disrupted during construction. To keep the public informed of construction progress and activities, a project website and e-mail address were set up, and flyers were passed out regularly. All construction work was done during regular hours, and care was taken to ensure that no personal property was damaged. To alleviate dust conditions, the surrounding area was continually watered, and roads were cleaned often to remove mud tracked in by construction vehicles. Because the reservoir was also close to a school, large deliveries were closely monitored to avoid traffic congestion and maintain pedestrian safety.

ment around the reservoir. Even with multiple design setbacks, inclement weather and the addition of a fire suppression system in the pump station, the project was completed on schedule in April 2009.

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Inflatable dam bladder and gate slightly down

The new dam and reservoir Not only does the new dam allow the City of Marysville to have greater con

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Real gold at the end of the rainbow Reducing your workers’ compensation costs Bruce E. Beese Public Works Director City of Saint Paul, Minnesota

orkers’ compensation costs are a part of your budget that can become unmanageable very quickly if you are not watching them closely. Fortunately for your employees, management is not the only skill set needed to keep your comp costs down. The other and more important skill set is leadership. As a public works leader you need to be the one who sets direction for your team and who elicits ideas from the team to keep them safe and engaged in staying healthy.

we specifically ran all of our drivers through defensive driver training at a local vocational/technical school to sharpen driver skills. Training sessions of all kinds, from an AWAIR (A Workplace Accident and Injury Reduction) program to hearing loss prevention, send the message that leadership is serious about safety.

In my mind there are eight keys to good workers’ compensation management: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Know the law Invest in safety Take a personal interest Meet with your managers and your claims management staff Offer transitional work Use statistics as a guide Do not be afraid to play hardball Follow up repeatedly

You may find it helpful to remember these eight keys by using this mnemonic: PHILFOMS – Personal, Hardball, Invest, Law, Follow-up, Offer, Meet and Statistics.

Know the law You need to get to know the law in your state. Workers’ compensation law varies quite a bit from state to state. I am not saying that you need to be an expert like a workers’ compensation attorney or a claims manager, but you need to know the basics—such as how many days do you have before a claim must be filed with the state to avoid penalties? Or how many weeks will an employee be eligible for lost-time benefits? Your claims management staff can assist you with this. In addition, your payroll staff likely has a good understanding of many time-sensitive rules. Lastly, visit your state’s department of labor website for more specific information.

Invest in safety I cannot stress this enough: You are not spending money on safety equipment and safety training, you are investing. Say it with me: “Invest, invest, invest.” Plan a regular part of your capital equipment budget for safety-related equipment modifications or new, better pieces. Tailor a training program based on your employee injury history. For example, 104

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Investing in safety equipment returns dividends.

Take a personal interest While I realize that all departments are different, and many agencies have staff compliments much larger than the 395 FTEs in Saint Paul, you should get to know your staff and be able to greet them by their first name. If you have not reached that level of familiarity with your staff, when they get hurt or file that first report of injury it is time to get started. I have arranged with my managers to be provided information about every first report of injury filed. When I receive that information I try to write a short handwritten note the same day. The message can be simple: I heard that you hurt your arm a couple of days ago when you were loading concrete chunks into the back of the truck. I hope that you’re starting to feel better and getting the care that you need. If there is any way at all I can help, don’t hesitate to call on me. I enclose a business card, sign it and send it. Often the injury has no lost time and no medical cost, but when there is more to a claim I follow up again. Sometimes it is an opportunity to drive home a message. Injuries that result from

hitting bumps or catch basins in a sweeper are favorites of mine. My note is a great way to ask, “Gee, John, were you wearing your seat belt?”

Have a monthly claim review with your claims management staff Do not avoid it; you will be glad you got started and stuck with it. They have information on the claim and the employee that you don’t have. Conversely, you have information on the employee and his or her habits that is very helpful to claims managers and helps them assemble the best plan for moving forward with the claim. Bring your division managers to these meetings. I use a rotation system whereby each manager joins me for a claim review meeting approximately every six months that focuses on their division. Think about this from a succession planning point of view as well. The managers or superintendents you bring with you will have exposure to these issues and familiarity with these staff resources if they should follow in your footsteps.

Offer transitional work The best way to minimize your claim costs, keep your employees in a work routine and get some production from them during their recovery period is to offer transitional work. Transitional work is more commonly known as “light duty.” Do you have jobs around your office that never seem to get done? These tasks might be filing, checking as-built plan sets, or assisting on telephones during peak periods. Transitional work may be just the answer you are looking for to meet these staffing needs. Your injured worker already knows your business and will be a better employee in the long run for being exposed to another aspect of your department. Transitional work keeps the employee engaged, reduces the likelihood of needing “work hardening” later, and allows you to continue to build that personal relationship we talked about earlier.

A heavy equipment operator works on light duty projects.

Use statistics as a guide Ask your claims management staff to prepare injury reports on whatever you think may be relevant. Create a hypothesis and see if they can prove you wrong. Ask for reports sorted by the type of injury, the body part injured, the time of day, the day of the week, the month of the year, the equipment

in use at the time of injury and so on. Our statistical review revealed that some simple back injury prevention training might help us reduce our back injuries. We worked with our claims staff to assemble and use a very low-key and humorous series of back injury prevention sessions that were very effective. Be an active participant in the management of your claims. Far from being viewed as a meddling micromanager, your claims management staff will welcome your interest and your partnership.

Do not be afraid to play hardball You will almost always have someone that does not respond to your personal interest, your willingness to offer transitional work or your desire to learn more about their injury so that you can make the necessary safety improvements. There is in fact some truth to the adage that “attitude is everything.” For those individuals, tools like independent medical exams, disability case managers (qualified rehabilitation consultants in Minnesota) or surveillance may be the key. I have found those good employees who have not fully recovered as quickly as others still want to be productive and a part of the team. Do not discount your feelings as a manager and a leader. If something does not smell right, you are probably right. Talk with your claims managers about options you might have to keep your employee on the road to recovery. Remember—recovery is the goal. You just want your workforce back at full strength.

Follow up repeatedly This is good advice whether you are a first-line supervisor, City Engineer or Public Works Director. People like and respond to caring communication and genuine concern for their situation. That is the soft side of the follow-up. The other side of the coin is that if you are to accomplish your work program, it is critically important to know when you are getting this resource back. Make it a point to call at some periodic interval of your choosing. You might want to make contact every week depending on your level in the organization. The closer you are to the employee in the hierarchy the more frequent your call should be. You can move workers’ compensation cost management from your list of dreaded and intractable problems by using these simple steps. Try one or try several, but create a plan and style that match your organization and your personality. This is not something you can afford to put off. With available resources shrinking at all levels of government, every dollar saved on things that do not provide services on the street are like revenue increases. We have been following this plan since early 2007, so do not expect dramatic change over time, but it will come. Saint Paul Public Works reduced workers’ compensation costs 37% from 2007 to 2008 through these techniques. We are on track to make a similar reduction in 2009. Bruce E. Beese can be reached at (651) 266-6099 or bruce.beese@ ci.stpaul.mn.us. September 2009

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Monumental Makeover: Milwaukee City Hall’s (exterior) restoration is complete after six years Charles M. Engberg, AIA, NCARB Architect and Partner Engberg Anderson, Inc. Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Restoration Mandate

Milwaukee’s City Hall, its symbol of enduring stature and civic pride, looked as good as new from the street until fragments of its ornate façade began to find the pavement from heights of over 300 feet. This is the story of how Milwaukee’s DPW and its design team met the challenges of a complete exterior restoration of this national historic structure.

The ravages of weather, air pollution and untested technical developments had an enormous effect on the details and the structure of the original design. The most insidious agent of change was water. Active water from rain, sleet, hail and snow, and passive water from condensation and absorption, had all but destroyed the integrity of the building’s envelope and its innovative structure through slow corrosion of the South Tower’s steel frame within perpetually damp masonry walls.

The Challenges Milwaukee’s City Hall Exterior Restoration presented a physical challenge of dismantling and reassembling a National Historic Landmark. The building’s “materiality”—its brick, terra cotta, stone, copper and slate—make up the highly sculptured façade that had all been severely compromised by over a century of Milwaukee’s harsh climate and the lack of regular and appropriate maintenance. Our partnering challenge, as a design, construction and City of Milwaukee DPW team, was to determine what measures were needed to effectively restore the integrity of the exterior envelope and its structure, and to recreate the precise look and feel of the original building.

History When the competition-winning entry for Milwaukee’s City Hall was completed in 1896, it was the third-tallest structure in the United States; only the Washington Monument and the Philadelphia City Hall were taller. Like a medieval cathedral, it towered 394 feet above the cobblestone pavement in this almost-European Midwestern city on Lake Michigan, as an architectural statement of civic pride and a monument to Milwaukee’s Germanic heritage. It took only four years to build it, and seven years to complete this historic restoration project. 106

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Historic photo showing City Hall’s Flemish Gothic style – ca. 1900

In 1892, this national competition with its Flemish Gothic façades was won by Milwaukee architect Henry C. Koch, and has since been recognized as an important “transitional” structure, where the use of the light-weight steel frame supports the iconic South Tower above a traditional thick-walled, loadbearing masonry structure below. The South Clock Tower design motif Deterioration of the façade and structure – is echoed in 20 smaller gables on the ca. 2002 east and west façades and larger cross gables at the center and north end of In 1976, a major “Band-Aid” approach the building. The focus of each gable was undertaken. Epoxy, the new “glue in the South Tower is a white-faced, il- for all occasions,” was used extensively luminated clock whose synchronized along with caulked stainless steel wraphands were driven by a revolutionary ping and even surgical demolition at pneumatic mechanism. As originally problem points. But over time, these constructed, the steeply sloping tower temporary fixes proved to be unsightly roofs were clad in dark slate, capped and destructive. It became clear to Milwith an ornamental copper cupola, waukee’s DPW staff that stronger, more itself topped by a fifty-foot flag pole. holistic restoration was required to preCoal-fired boilers provided steam heat serve City Hall and public safety, and for the building and drive for the tur- that further “stabilization” attempts would be fruitless. bines of the four DC generators.

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Redemption In 2001, the Milwaukee Common Council wisely approved DPW’s funding request for a comprehensive forensic investigation of the building’s envelope. DPW hired “forensic engineering firms” to rappel the building from top down to document the nature and scope of the deterioration. First, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH) and, a year later, Wiss Janney Elstner (WJE) teams explored all faces of the building, each providing a Condition Assessment Report. Both teams brought the same “bad news” to the Common Council that their landmark City Hall was in serious trouble and in need of immediate and, in some areas, extensive repairs and complete restoration. The DPW hosted a Peer Review of these studies, organized and chaired by Engberg Anderson (EA), a Milwaukee architecture firm long associated with preservation. Experts from across the country were brought in to discuss restoration protocols for historic buildings and the specific techniques for restoring the primary building materials of City Hall façades: brick, terra cotta, stone, copper and slate. In a threeday conference, the experts debated and discussed the WJE Condition Assessment Report reaching consensus on most issues, with all agreeing that DPW must “Do it right and do it now!”

sentatives of the City, the design team, and the General Contractor with all the subconsultants and subcontractors, including DBE, EBE and WBE participants (which accounted for 18% of design work and 25% of construction work). The collective purpose was to put forward a set of project goals reflecting the interest of all those assembled. Partnering goals were to: •

Do no harm

•

Ensure the restoration goals established in the Peer Review

•

Develop and maintain project safety protocols

•

Maintain the project budget and schedule

•

Commit to a successful resolution of all major issues

During the course of this first partnering meeting, while all the parties of the design, engineering and construction team were busy formulating this compact, a large piece of terra cotta slipped

down under and through the South Tower’s copper roof, and crashed on the street 200 feet below. Several key team members were called out of the meeting to assess the damage and the danger to public safety. The project had been jump-started in a most dramatic way. From that day forward, we reacted as a team to all major issues of coordination and unforeseen conditions. Regular meetings at the beginning of the Construction Phase of the project eventually gave way to less formal, but more effective, decision making. We implemented “team lunches” to discuss informally any issues that we wished to resolve outside the formal monthly meetings. Many additional meetings were “ad hoc,” taking place not in the job trailers, but up on the building where we worked out issues that were too complex to be easily explained through drawings. These meetings with followup photos and memoranda have provided us with an accurate record of is-

Following this Peer Review, the City held another national competition and selected multi-disciplinary team led by EA (architects of record for overall restoration design, detailing and project management), SGH (structural studies, forensic investigations and designs), and Quinn/Evans Architects (Historic Structures Report) to complete the project.

Partnering DPW engineers were deeply interested in this building and diligent in questioning and critiquing each detail of each material system. After the General Contractor, J.P. Cullen and Sons, Inc., was selected, the first partnering meeting was scheduled, which included more than one hundred repre

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sues and recommended solutions that helped to keep the job on track and on schedule. We continued to hold formal partnering meetings throughout the three-year Construction Phase to the betterment of the project.

Primary Building Materials Although price was a concern, DPW convinced the Common Council that replacement with in-kind materials to the original would be the only acceptable protocol, even though some Aldermen were advocating the use of modern substitute materials such as fiberglass, molded fiber-reinforced gypsum, precast concrete or other substitutes. The building was restored in compliance with the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for the treatment of historic properties: More than 19,000 pieces of slate, 115,000 pounds of copper and 1,900 windows were restored; 13,404 pieces of terra cotta were replaced; and 200,000 pressed bricks which were manufactured using similar techniques to the original brick were used. Tons of additional structural steel were used to repair and stabilize the clock tower structure.

Brick There are 14 different brick shapes involved in the restoration work on the building. Brick joints on the existing building are only 1/8” wide (not the typical correct 3/8”), and all masons had to pass tests on precision mock-ups before they could work on the building. Additional mock-ups included the installation of flashings and the proper fit with adjacent terra cotta elements to help ensure all of the masons could meet the high standards of care, even at 300 feet above the ground, working in tight quarters.

Terra Cotta Most of the terra cotta on the building occurs near the top where the effects of the physical environment are the most destabilizing. The terra cotta was fragmented or missing entirely. Much was disfigured by earlier attempts at repair with epoxy resins and steel pinning, and much of the original glazing had atrophied long ago, allowing water absorption. Early in the Design Phase, nets 108

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Construction team up on the building resolving detail issues

had to be placed to catch the fragments that could become lethal if allowed to fall to the pedestrian areas below.

by water and airborne contaminants was the worst, we replaced sections of stone, blending the new with the old.

We employed “wet and dry” mock-ups Public Relations to help ensure that we had the right A first issue for some Preservationsize and shape and number of pieces to ists and Aldermen was a fear that the this earthen puzzle. These mock-ups of anchorage for the scaffolding would large friezes, ornaments and decorative permanently disfigure City Hall with gable faces were seen in the “dry” stage “10,000 holes.” The design and conin the lofts of Gladding McBean, the struction team had to publicly reassure terra cotta supplier, and later at the job these well-intentioned observers that site prior to installation. all would be well in the end—that this process of erecting and dismantling Copper The sheet copper of the South Tower the scaffolding was normal when rehawas paper thin, ripped, punctured or bilitating tall historic structures. dented. Only some decorative copper was reusable. We again used these mock-ups to define the standard of care and as a training methodology for craftsmen. With the over-arching requirement that all soldered and/or riveted joints remain waterproof, technicians earned the right to work on the building only after they had passed qualifying tests on the ground.

Slate DPW made the case to the Common Council to spend the money on enough new slate to clad the entire roof with the same material to avoid calling out the joints between old and new areas of slate.

Sandstone We determined that we would retain as much of the original in-place material as possible. In areas where degradation

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To avoid having technical issues debated in the press, key representatives from Milwaukee’s DPW and the design team participated in several “public meetings” designed to educate and counter unsubstantiated rumors. In the end, we were commended publically for the standard of care. DPW also placed newspaper articles and television interviews about the construction to inform the public about important milestones in the project. A dedicated City Hall Restoration website was created and the local media ran numerous features about the process. DPW and the Mayor’s Office produced a video that documented the need to preserve the building and the methodology developed through the Peer Review process. Partners in the design and construction all pitched in to speak with politicians, service and

PROJECT CREDITS City of Milwaukee Jeff Mantes, P.E., Commissioner of Public Works; Gary Kulwicki, P.E., Project Manager Engberg Anderson, Inc., Milwaukee, WI: Team Leader, Architect-of-Record Charles Engberg, AIA, Partner-inCharge; James Otto, AIA, Team Leader; Kevin Donahue, AIA; Daniel Kabara, AIA Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, Waltham, MA: Building Enclosure and Structural Engineering, Engineer-ofRecord Thomas Schwartz, P.E., Principalin-Charge; Brent Gabby, P.E., Senior Principal; Donald Dusenberry, P.E., Senior Principal Quinn/Evans – Architects, Ann Arbor, MI: Historic Structures Report Ilene Tyler, AIA; Dana Gould Bloom Consultants, Milwaukee, WI: Structural Engineers Harold Farchmin, P.E.; Rachel Domann, P.E. J.P. Cullen & Sons, Milwaukee, WI: General Contractor Larry Rocole, Project Executive; Don Berendsen, Project Superintendent; Doug Ihlenfeldt Milwaukee City Hall, now fully restored, towers 394 feet above the streets. (Photo by Eric Oxendorf)

preservationist groups, to get the word out that the restoration process and ethic was alive and well in Milwaukee. The entire team was to report on a quarterly basis to the Public Works Committee of the Common Council. That job was primarily the responsibility of the Commissioner of Public Works. He oversaw cost/budget, schedule, workforce development and EBE/MBE/DBE

participation goals. These sessions lar reporting to the Common Counwere broadcast on the City’s 24-hour cil and the press. Contingency funds public access channel to supplement proved absolutely necessary in dealthe other major public relations initia- ing with these unforeseen issues as a tives by the City to give the taxpayers “planned expense.” A large and available of Milwaukee an ongoing account of contingency when working on major how the project was progressing and restoration projects is mandatory. when the job would be completed. Charles M. Engberg can be reached at There were many surprises along the (414) 944-9000 or chucke@eadp.com. way that were dealt with through regu

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Jim Proce, Public Works Director, Palm Bay, FL, writes, “In recent years many communities have made the investment to upgrade traffic signals and school flashing lights to LEDs in an effort to save on power consumption and maintenance costs. In our community we have done so and realized these goals, as well. My question is, what standard exists that would require placement of LED fixtures when the diodes begin to fail? We have a few lights that are beginning to show signs of failure. What percentage of the light has to be non-functioning before you replace the unit?” In doing some research with suppliers, it appears that there are no standards or formal guidelines in place to meet your inquiry. The details I received actually indicate output from the lights, either white or colored, deviates all the way from 5.7 years with 60 to 70% light output with usage at 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to 10.3 years with 50 to 60% light output for the same 24 hours a day, seven days a week. One could only assume the producers

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expect the lights to be used as long as they continue to be illuminating at a minimum of 50% of the expected output. If anyone has better statistics, please share them with Jim at procej@ palmbayflorida.org or with me at adaniels@apwa.net and I’ll pass it along to everyone. “What do you do to control algae in stormwater ponds? We have several in our community, some with fountains. We have tried dyes and chemicals with some results. Has anyone found something that works or any good resources that could help?” – Wade Jacobi, Village of Boling Brook, IL Many agencies report using copper sulfate and, as needed, a herbicide to help control the algae. Adding products with hydrothol during periods of high growth rate that could not be controlled by copper sulfate has helped to gain back control for others. Adding black dye to the ponds seems to be a popular method when growth gets out of hand. Two popular reasons for using this method are: 1) The treatment with the black dye reduces sunlight

September 2009

penetration to help slow the growth or re-growth of nuisance weeds and algae; and 2) Residents see the black dye in the area and are aware that the City is making an effort to correct the problem. There are several good products available and checking for various websites in your region may provide additional insight into this “growing” problem. “I recently read about a $4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy that was awarded to the Village of Naperville, IL, to pay for a ‘green fuels depot.’ I can’t imagine what this is all about or what would make it eligible for such a large grant. Any information?” Actually, the “Green Fuels Depot” would use biomass to make electricity, hydrogen and ethanol which could be used to produce energy which could be converted to power plug-in hybrid vehicles and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles or be fermented into ethanol and blended with gasoline. The partnership is between the Village of Naperville, Packer Engineering, Argonne National Laboratory, and the

College of DuPage. The Village would provide residents yard clippings from their composting facility, three percent of which would be used to produce energy. Packer Engineering would provide a gasifier the company has developed that converts yard waste into syngas which would then be used as stated above. College of DuPage students would receive course credit for working at the depot, and Argonne would provide plug-in hybrid vehicles to test the depot. Initially, the depot would be used mostly to generate electricity to fuel plug-in hybrids or supplement the Village’s municipal electric system. If successful, Packer Engineering would hope to sell the gasifier to municipalities and farmers who could generate heat and electricity on their farms from non-food crop waste like corn cobs and stalks. Should be an interesting experiment to watch. For more information, you might contact David Van Vooren, Public Works Director in Naperville, at vanvoorend@naperville.il.us. Kirby Bodnard, City of Regina, Saskatchewan, asks, “How do other jurisdictions handle their operator training initiatives? Are they headed up by a division set up specifically for operator training? Do you rely on outside agencies to provide this service? If you provide operator training internally, is this provided by a dedicated, stand-alone area? Is it a function of the Human Resource Department? Is it part of the Fleet Management Department?” You’re likely to hear “Yes” to all the above scenarios. In many instances, agencies rely on equipment manufacturers to provide specialized training on new equipment. Some places utilize trainers from vocational or technical schools who are qualified to be instructors. In some cases, insurance carriers provide skilled training for their insureds. If your agency has designated a specific department to provide training, please let me know. In most agencies, there may be a training officer but usually not an entire department dedicated to this effort. Would be nice!

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Please go to www.apwa.net/WorkZone for information on how to submit a position advertisement on the website and in the APWA Reporter. Public Works Director Richton Park, IL The Village of Richton Park, IL (population 13,500) is accepting applications for the position of Public Works Director. The current Director is retiring after 27 years with the Village. The position is appointed by and reports directly to the Village Manager. The salary range is mid $70s to mid $80s depending on qualifications. The Village also offers a comprehensive benefit package. A job description and an outline of the qualifications, experiences, and leadership attributes that the ideal candidate should have are available at the Village website, www.richtonpark.org. The Village of Richton Park is an equal opportunity employer. Interested

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candidates should apply at once. Please submit a résumé with cover letter by September 1, 2009 to: Michael Conley, Director of Public Works, 4455 Sauk Trail, Richton Park, IL 60471, or mconley@richtonpark.org, www.richtonpark.org. City Engineer Council Bluffs, IA Responsible for planning, directing and supervising the Engineering Division of the City’s Public Works Dept. Requires a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from an accredited college/university. Must possess professional engineer’s license from the State of Iowa. Apply or send résumé to HR Dept, City Hall, 209 Pearl, Council Bluffs, IA 51503 by close date of August 21, 2009. More info at: www.councilbluffs-ia.gov. Public Works Director Green Bay, WI This position provides an excellent career opportunity for individuals interested in assuming a key management role in the state’s third largest city (pop. 102,000). This position directs the activities of all divisions including Operations, Engineering, Traffic, Administration and Parking Services. Department is comprised of 260 employees and a budget of $50,000,000. Minimum requirements: BS in Civil Engineering; 8 years of progressively responsible experience in municipal engineering and management and registration with the State of WI as a PE (or ability to obtain). Salary: $84,966-$106,116 annually with excellent benefit package. Residency within the Green Bay corporate city limits is required within one year of hire. Deadline to apply is 4:30 p.m. on Monday, September 14, 2009. For application materials contact: HUMAN RESOURCES DEPT., 100 N. Jefferson St., Room 500, Green Bay, WI 54301, (920) 448-3149; www. ci.green-bay.wi.us. EOE Assistant City Manager of Operations Edmond, OK This position is one of two Assistant City Managers that assist in planning and managing city programs, departments and services, and for implementing policies established by the City Council and City Manager. A full position profile and application instructions can be found at: http://www.edmondok.com/docs/human_resources/.apps/acmo_profile.pdf.

Simply The Best! (800) 368-3075 112

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www.pulltarps.com

September 2009

Municipal Engineer Sitka, Alaska (pop. 8,900) Salary range to $100k plus per year DOQ/E. Excellent benefits package. Located in the Alaska Panhandle, Sitka is re-

nowned for its natural beauty, fishing and wilderness. Dynamic and busy, Sitka is a great place to live and work. As Alaska’s first city and as a cultural heritage site, the community is diverse and rich in tradition and activities: two hospitals, three high schools, University of Alaska Southeast, summer music festival, fine-arts camp, WhaleFest, Alaska Day, Raptor Center, a Russian church, and the National Historical Park are just a few of the sights and opportunities. Sitka offers miles of trails and spectacular and breathtaking settings for outdoor activities. Less than a two-hour direct flight from Seattle; with all regular public utilities and facilities; cable and high-speed Internet access. We seek a manager with superior skills and extensive experience in public works and public utility operation, and in execution of municipal capital projects. Public works services in Sitka include Streets, Water/Wastewater, Engineering, Building Dept., Building Maintenance, Solid Waste, Parks and Recreation, Central Garage. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent is required. P.E. required. Reports to Public Works Director. The Public Works Department is supported by 42 FTE. Engineering Department expanding, many projects funded and ready to go. A complete job description and application forms are available at www.cityofsitka.com. Please send or fax résumés and applications to: Human Resources, City and Borough of Sitka, 100 Lincoln Street, Sitka, Alaska 99835. Contact Human Resources: (907) 747-1846 fax; (907) 747-1816 voice; markd@cityofsitka.com for any questions. Application review begins September 7, 2009. Open until filled – EOE/RC.

At APWA Congress & Expo:

Visit us at Booth 201. SafetyRail™ ADA-Compliant Pedestrian Barricade

Visit us at Booth 201

Public Works Director Okaloosa County, FL Job Description: Directs public works activities and projects related to roads and bridges, engineering, land development review, surveying, parks, solid waste collection, disposal and long-term care and remediation of closed landfills, mosquito control and artificial reefs. Minimum Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, public administration or related field; supplemented by a minimum of eight (8) years of progressively responsible experience in an engineering, technical or administrative capacity with a large-scale public works or comparable organization, five (5) years of which shall be acquired in a supervisory/management capacity; or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities. Must be computer literate and possess a valid driver’s license. Residency Requirement: Required to maintain permanent resident status in Okaloosa County within three (3) months from the date of employment. Apply for this position at www.co.okaloosa.fl.us or call (850) 689-5870 for more information. This position was first posted on August 6, 2009 and is open until filled. DFW/AA/EOE

RoadQuake™ Temporary Portable Rumble Strip

Plastic Safety Systems, Inc. 2444 Baldwin Rd. ◆ Cleveland, OH 44104 800-662-6338 ◆ www.plasticsafety.com

Imagine being a click away from the solutions you need.

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The infoNOW Communities are e-mail groups that address public works’ hottest topics. Exchange advice and ideas with your peers across the country—without leaving your computer. Sign up for APWA’s free infoNOW Communities today. Get real-life answers... in real time. It’s now, it’s free, it’s easy. You’re there.

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When you contact an advertiser regarding a product, please tell them you saw their ad in the APWA Reporter. Thanks! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Editor Legend: IFC = Inside Front Cover; IBC = Inside Back Cover; BC = Back Cover AEBI & Co., p. 96 www.aebi.com

Designovations, Inc., p. 119 www.designovations.com

AlertMat, p. 118 www.AlertMat.com

Donaldson Company, p. 75 www.donaldson.com/emissions

Altus Capital Planning, p. 120 www.altusgroup.com

East Jordan Iron Works, p. 12 www.ejiw.com

American Road & Transportation Builders Association, p. 100 www.workzonesafety.org

Enterprise Information Solutions, p. 30 www.enterinfo.com

AssetWorks, Inc., p. 17 www.assetworks.com Aurora Water Public Relations, p. 83 www.aurorawater.org Burns & McDonnell, p. 119 www.burnsmcd.com Camosy Construction, p. 119 www.camosy.com Cargill Deicing Technology, p. 13 www.cargilldeicing.com Caterpillar, p. IFC www.govbidspec.com CemenTech, p. 32 www.cementech.com CH2M Hill, p. 78 www.omi.ch2mhill.com CIPPlanner Corporation, p. 87 www.cipplanner.com/Prioritization.htm Cover-All Building Systems, p. 98 www.coverall.net Creative Displays Inc., p. 47 www.creativedisplays.com Cretex Specialty Products, p. 41 www.cretexseals.com Dannenbaum Engineering Company, p. 118 www.dannenbaum.com

McAsphalt Industries Limited, p. BC www.mcasphalt.com

Screen Machine Industries, Inc., 65 www.screenmachine.com

Metal Forms Corporation, p. 119 www.metalforms.com

SealMaster, p. 20 www.sealmaster.net

MJ Harden Associates, Inc., p. 118 www.mjharden.com

EsGil Corporation, p. 119 www.esgil.com ESI Consultants, p. 54 www.esiconsultantsltd.com

MSI Guaranteed Weather LLC, p. 63 www.VortexInsuranceAgency. com Neenah Foundry Company, p. 67 www.neenahfoundry.com

ESRI, p. 9 www.esri.com/fleet

Nilfisk-Advance Technologies, p. 46 www.advance-us.com

Evolution Paving Resources, p. 119 www.evolutionpaving.com

NTech Industries, Inc., pp. 71, 118 www.weedseeker.com

Flink Co., p. 52 www.flinkco.com Gee Asphalt Systems, Inc., pp. 64, 118 www.geeasphalt.net/apwa Generac Power Systems, Inc., p. 1 www.generac.com Henke Manufacturing Corp., p. 118 www.henkemfg.com Holt Technologies, p. 119 www.holttechnologies.com Landfill Service Corporation, p. 88 www.posishell.com Leisure Grants Service, Inc., p. 80 www.govgrantstraining.com Manhole Adjustible Riser Co., p. 118 www.manholeriser.com

MB Companies, Inc., p. 58 www.m-bco.com

Southeastern Surveying, p. 118 www.southeasternsurveying. com Stop Experts, Inc., pp. 2-3 www.stopexperts.com SWA Group, p. 119 www.swagroup.com TAPCO, p. 95 www.tapconet.com Tensar International Corporation, Inc., p. 14 www.endurablend.com

PBS&J, p. 91 www.pbsj.com

thomas engineering group, llc., p. 118 www.thomas-engineering.com

Plastic Safety Systems, Inc., p. 113 www.plasticsafety.com

Tippman Industrial Products, p. 107 www.propanehammer.com

Portland Cement Association, p. 79 www.cement.org

TMA Systems, p. 43 www.tmasystems.com

Precision Concrete Cutting, p. 73 www.SafeSidewalks.com Precision Manufacturing, Inc., p. 110 www.precisionmfg.com Pulltarps Manufacturing, pp. 112, 118 www.pulltarps.com Quixote Transportation Technologies, p. 77 www.qttinc.com/AQM Rubber-Cal, p. 94 www.rubbercal.com

MaxWest Environmental Systems, Inc., p. 89 www.MaxWestEnergy.com

SNI Solutions, p. 101 www.snisolutions.com

Tracker Software Corp./ PubWorks, p. 118 www.PubWorks.com TYMCO, Inc., p. 53 www.tymco.com USABlueBook, p. 68 www.usabluebook.com WEST Consultants, Inc., p. 119 www.westconsultants.com The Willdan Group of Companies, p. 119 www.willdan.com Winkler Canvas Ltd., p. 74 www.winklercanvas.com

Schwarze Industries, Inc., p. 69 www.schwarze.com

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Products in the News

Bypass the refinery? Because economic pressures have diverted so many desirable qualities away from asphalt cement, pavement owners need to increase pavement strength and performance, in effect to pump it back up again like the good old days. GSB is an acronym for Gilsonite Sealer Binder. Gilsonite is mineral asphalt and, chemically speaking, as such is a high-quality asphalt binder. Gilsonite becomes a performance-grade emulsion to preserve roads, streets and highways. In effect, GSB bypassed the refinery and works like binders of the good old days. Log on to www.geeasphalt. com for more information.

Posi-Shell® Environmental Coatings Posi-Shell® – like duct tape, the best tool in your closet. Posi-Shell is a spray-applied cement mortar product similar to stucco, used for landfill daily cover, dust control, and sedimentation control projects. Its versatility makes it a great tool for the public works closet— useful for parks, highways and landfills. Visit www.posishell. com to find out where you could be using Posi-Shell, or call (877) 437-6231.

Florida city saving $9 million turning poop into power MaxWest Environmental Systems, Inc. celebrated the grand opening of a gasification system that turns human waste into power. Billed as a “poop-to-power” disposal system, the MaxWest proprietary modular gasification system converts Sanford’s wastewater sludge into thermal energy through 116

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high-temperature gasification. The city uses that energy to power its dryer instead of buying natural gas. The new system will save Sanford an estimated $9 million over the 20year contract. To learn more about gasification systems, visit www.MaxWestEnergy.com.

MB MSV The MB MSV or the Multi Service Vehicle is the alternative in sidewalk, articulating tractors designed to meet the many needs of customers that are serious about grounds maintenance. This machine can complete many jobs including snow removal, mowing, chipping, sweeping and spreading. The patent pending design allows up to 45 degrees of articulation in either direction to produce superior maneuverability and a tight turning radius. The MSV’s articulated chassis allows up to plus or minus 13 degrees of oscillation between the front and rear halves of the vehicle, resulting in a comfortable ride for the operator and increased traction and better control of front- and rear-mounted attachments. For more information, visit www.m-bco.com.

Enviro-Prem Enviro-Prem is an environmentally friendly emulsion that has been designed for paving and industrial uses, the primary use being granular sealing and asphalt priming applications. The combination of asphalt and special penetrating agents gives Enviro-Prem the ability to penetrate deep into the granular surface while binding the aggregate particles to prevent erosion and achieve stabilization of granular base and shoulders. Enviro-Prem contains no oils or harmful solvents making it a non-regulated emulsion that is easy to handle. For more information contact McAsphalt Industries Limited at (800) 268-4238 or visit www.mcasphalt.com.

Traffic control devices from Plastic Safety Systems, Inc. Plastic Safety Systems, Inc., with headquarters in Cleveland, OH, manufactures and markets traffic control devices for temporary and permanent applications. Our current product line includes drums, channelizers, sand barrels, barricades, delineators and reflective fence. In addition, PSS recently brought two new products to market: RoadQuake™ Temporary, Portable Rumble Strip; and SafetyRail™ ADA-Compliant Barricade. We will exhibit both products in Booth 201 at the APWA Congress & Expo. For more information, please call (800) 662-6338, or visit www. plasticsafety.com.

TAPCO makes roads and parking structures safer For over 50 years TAPCO (Traffic & Parking Co., Inc.) has been making roads and parking structures safer. From simple stop signs to sophisticated Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), TAPCO leads the field in technology and integrated safety solutions. Our patented solar-powered BlinkerSigns can be seen around the world and are perfect solutions to high-incident intersections. Moving forward with green initiatives, systems integration and safety solutions, TAPCO has the answers. Call (800) 236-0112 or visit us on the web at www.tapconet.co to receive your free copy of our comprehensive catalog.

Uneven sidewalk repair from Precision Concrete Cutting

Manhole cover prevents on-thejob accidents

Using patented technology, Precision Concrete Cutting (PCC) removes tripping hazards from sidewalks rendering them not only ADA-compliant but also virtually hazard-free. PCC delivers the highest quality in the industry and has become the premier provider of uneven sidewalk repair across the United States. Clients benefit from the cost savings of rehabilitating the sidewalk rather than removing and replacing the entire sidewalk panel. In addition, clients reduce their trip and fall liability reducing insurance costs. Using the PCC technique reduces the disruption to pedestrians and is a “Green” solution for sidewalk repair by reducing waste and limiting fossil fuels. The company offers free work as part of a demonstration to new client cities. Visit www.SafeSidewalks.com for more information and to find a branch near you, or call (877) 224-0025.

A manhole cover that prevents on-the-jobaccidents? That’s right. The LiftMate is a Ball & Socket Hinge System that eases operation and access while virtually eliminating many traditional hazards of working with covers for manholes, grates and trenches. The LiftMate provides a controlled motion pivot that helps to protect workers from excess strain or offbalance maneuvering. Hold-open safety arm prevents accidental closure. Custom logo lids available. Security bolting options available. For more information contact Neenah Foundry Company at (800) 558-5075 or visit www.neen ahfoundry.com.

Schwarze M6000 Broom Sweeper – flexible, powerful and SIMPLIFIED The Schwarze M6000 Mechanical Street Sweeper has recently undergone a redesign of the hydraulic, electrical and dust control systems providing a more end-user friendly product. With the utilization of Canbus electronics the M6000 has taken the step towards being the leader of street sweeper technology and end-user dependability. For maximum flexibility, the M6000 is available in both single (SE) and dual engine (TE) configurations as well as on conventional or cab-over designed chassis designed for both diesel or alternative fuels such as CNG or LPG. This sweeper is Rule 1186 certified and is very easy to operate. The Schwarze M6000 sweeper is innovatively designed to improve productivity and reduce downtime. For more information, call (800) 8797933 or visit our website at www.schwarze.com.

Winkler salt/ sand storage buildings The Winkler commercial buildings combined with Allied Steel’s Gatorshield® Galvanized Tubing and ZRC weld protection give a superior protection against rust. Further, with applying the epoxy coat option it will extend the life of the building in the harsh conditions of storing your sand, salt or fertilizer bags. Winches are typically bolted on the outside of the building to keep them away from corrosive materials. For more information please contact Winkler Canvas at (800) 852-2638, send e-mail to buildingsales@winklercanvas.com to find a dealer nearest you, or visit our website at www.winklercanvas.com.

September 2009

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DANNENBAUM Water Supply Systems

Manhole adjustment problems? Need Help? We Have Solutions!

Wastewater Treatment Facilities

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Hydrologic & Hydraulic Studies Houston 713.520.9570 Austin 512.345.8505 Dallas

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Engineers Planners

Surveyors

www.dannenbaum.com

Fleet Manager Study Guide September 25, 2009 Sign up for this program now to help you successfully prepare to complete the process of sitting for the Certified Public Fleet Professional. Visit: www.apwa.net/education Call: 800-848-APWA

Your Resource For: Asphalt Preservation l l Ice Prevention l l Environmentally Sound Practices l l

Call: (800) 747-8567

PAH

www.geeasphalt.net

Public Fleet Management Workshop Truncated Domes for wheelchair ramps and ADA compliance Retrofit Mats, Tiles and Cast in Place systems for new construction Industry Leader

www.AlertMat.com • (877) 232-6287

September 23-24, 2009

Chicago Area - L.A. Hanson Center APWA’s Public Fleet Management Workshop offers a complete overview of what it takes to manage today’s complex public fleet operations. Visit: www.apwa.net/education Call: 800-848-APWA

Safe & Dependable

Automatic & Semi Automatic Tarp Systems

Simply The Best! (800) 368-3075

www.pulltarps.com 118

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Tough Times? Tight Budget? Get the most for your money - get PubWorks! Effective, affordable & powerful. Software unmatched for value. www.PubWorks.com 888.920.0380

BUILDING SAFETY PLAN REVIEW SERVICES In PartnErshIP wIth GovErnMEnt For BuILDInG saFEty Full-service plan reviews since 1979 Licensed, professional engineers; G CALIFOR VIN all ICC certified ● Building, Plumbing, Mechanical, 30 Years Electrical & Fire Codes IL IA DIN G O F FIC ● Disabled access, energy conservation and green regulations ● City halls, jails, police, fire, schools, performing arts ● Fast, efficient service – tailored to your community’s needs ●

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(858) 560-1468 • (800) 983-7445 • www.esgil.com

Click, Listen & Learn

Performance Measures for Winter Maintenance October 1, 2009

0274_APWA_Reporter.indd 1

6/2/09 10:58:32 AM

John Bosman, AIA, ALA, LEED AP (847) 395-6800 Public Works Construction Management Specialists

Visit: www.apwa.net/education

Call: 1/800/848/APWA and ask for the Professional Development Department

Building and Safety n Civil Engineering n Construction Management n Landscape Architecture n Municipal Services n Planning 800.424.9144 www.willdan.com

Engineering and Construction Services for Municipalities

IN HALF THE TIME Cut concrete forming time in half with Poly Meta Forms®. This revolutionary system out performs wood hands down. Ask about our “Sidewalk Construction Kit” designed for Public Works Crews.

Metal Forms Corporation • www.metalforms.com Phone: 414-964-4550 • Fax: 414-964-4503

(816) 333-9400 • busdev@burnsmcd.com

A World Leader in Landscape Architecture Landscape Architecture • Planning Urban Design www.swagroup.com

September 2009

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UPCOMING APWA EVENTS

International Public Works Congress & Exposition

North American Snow Conference

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

2010 2011

Sept. 13-16 Aug. 15-18 Sept. 18-21 Aug. 26-29 Aug. 25-28

Columbus, OH Boston, MA Denver, CO Indianapolis, IN Chicago, IL

Apr. 18-21 Apr. 10-13

Omaha, NE Spokane, WA

For more information, contact Brenda Shaver at (800) 848-APWA or send e-mail to bshaver@apwa.net.

For more information, contact Dana Priddy at (800) 848-APWA or send e-mail to dpriddy@apwa.net.

National Public Works Week: May 16-22, 2010

SEPTEMBER 2009

OCTOBER 2009

13-16

APWA International Public Works Congress & Exposition, Columbus, OH, (800) 848-APWA, www.apwa.net

APWA: Click, Listen & Learn, “Performance Measures for Winter Maintenance Balanced with User Applications,” (800) 848-APWA, www.apwa.net

18-22

American Society of Landscape Architects, Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, www.asla.org

4-8

National States Geographic Information Council Annual Conference, Cleveland, Ohio, www.nsgic.org

22-24

WASTECON 2009, Long Beach, CA, www.swana.org

22-24

APWA Western Snow & Ice Conference and National Snow Roadeo, Estes Park, CO, www.westernsnowandice.com

10-14

Water Environment Federation, WEFTEC 2009, Orlando, Fla., www.weftec.org

29-10/2

Urban & Regional Information Systems Association, 47th Annual Conference & Exposition, Anaheim, CA, www.urisa.org

12-15

National Parking Association Convention and Exposition, National Harbor, Md., (202) 296-4336, www.npapark.org

30-10/4

Society of American Foresters, National Convention, Orlando, FL, www.safnet.org

APWA: Click, Listen & Learn, “Retro-reflectivity Part 1 – What Is It and Why Am I Doing It?” (800) 848-APWA, www.apwa.net

28-30

APWA: Construction Inspection Workshop, (800) 848APWA, www.apwa.net

Always the third full week in May. For more information, contact Jon Dilley at (800) 848-APWA or send e-mail to jdilley@apwa.net.

E LIN D! AD DE DE TEN EX

First-Time-Member Special Offer:

Join APWA $69US The American Public Works Association is offering a $69 US/$73 CN one-year Individual Membership to officials or employees of a governmental agency, manufacturer, supplier, contractor, or consulting firm who is actively engaged in the field of public works and has never been an APWA national association member. Apply by December 31, 2009 in order to take advantage of this special offer.* *This offer is limited to first-time members only. Offer expires December 31, 2009. Chapter dues, where applicable, will be in addition to the $69 US/$73 CN fee. For those in Canada, you will have membership in both the American Public Works Association and the Canadian Public Works Association. Local chapter membership is included.

Go to www.apwa.net/membership to join today! 120

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New 2009 Resources from APWA!

To view and order the most comprehensive public works resources, visit us online at: www.apwa.net/bookstore

Your Comprehensive Public Works Resource!

www.mcasphalt.com

Asphalt Cements Asphalt Emulsions Asphalt Sealants and Membranes Specialty and Custom Blended Asphalts

Toll Free North American 1.800.268.4238 info@mcasphalt.com