BY DAVID NILLES
I
T HAS BEEN, PERHAPS, THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE
acted quickly, as did Safety Officers Ross Maestas, Travis
THAT ArDOT HAS EVER FACED. Ironically, it has not
Nelson and Jayson Thompson who volunteered to deliver
involved a funding hurdle, a highway design or project
the buckets around the State. That is teamwork! • A volunteer mask-making project was initiated early on.
construction. The COVID-19 virus has forced everyone around the globe to adapt to a new way of doing things. The contagious nature of the virus has forced most ArDOT employees to work from home. Essential employees, and those on job sites, have taken extra precautions to ensure their safety. One thing is for sure, though many of us are working farther apart, these new circumstances have brought us closer together.
Dozens of employees (plus a couple of family members) have been busy making hundreds of masks. Due to a shortage of elastic, our E & P Division purchased a large number of ponytail holders. Thanks go to Nativ for donating several boxes of fabric. Employees from Human Resources delivered materials to those volunteers who needed them, and delivered finished masks where they were needed the most around the State. • A “Heroes of ArDOT” Facebook page was created as a
In addition to performing regular job duties, the COVID-19
means of staying in touch with fellow Department
virus has required many ArDOT staffers to go beyond the
employees and to recognize, encourage and connect with
normal call of duty as we adapt to the many changes.
one another during this difficult time. ArDOT staff have
• The Equipment & Procurement Division (E & P) secured five-gallon buckets of hand sanitizer from a local distillery and
been sharing stories of extraordinary acts of kindness and recognizing those who have gone beyond the call of duty. • The Maintenance Division has been coordinating closely
arranged to have the buckets delivered to
with the State Emergency Operations Center led by the
each ArDOT District. District Engineers
Arkansas Division of Emergency Management (ADEM).
then contacted local suppliers of small
Several ArDOT Districts have been designated as regional
bottles. The bottles were filled and
sites by ADEM to ensure medical supplies, pharmaceuticals
placed in every Department vehicle
and personal protective equipment (PPE) are transported
possible. It was great to see our District
to all corners of the State. ArDOT employees have been
Offices working together to ensure each
driving trucks, operating forklifts and hauling pallets of PPE
District had plenty of sanitizer. E & P
into our facilities. These regional sites are where County
Division Head Danny Keene and his staff
and local officials have been coming to pick up their PPE
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