ISSUE
2
IN THE
SPRING 2020 EDITION AUSTIN, TX
WORKS AUSTIN PUBLIC WORKS SLOGAN:
WELL-BUILT
WELL-MAINTAINED
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT AUSTIN PUBLIC WORKS
WELL-BEING FOR ALL
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RED BUS L ANE PROJECT Public Works teamed up with Austin Transportation (ATD) and Capital Metro to improve bus lanes in the downtown area. The new red bus lanes are par t of Capital Metro’s Transit Priorit y Lane program, which designates special striped lanes in high-traffic areas to help transit vehicles maintain an ef ficient and reliable schedule, even during congested times. As par t of the project, Public Works crews repaired por tions of damaged asphalt in the existing bus lanes. These repairs needed to be done prior to ATD’s continued effor ts to mark cer tain bus lanes downtown with distinguishing red paint. In Februar y, multiple Street and Bridge crews came together to complete the work quickly, which allowed ATD’s Signs and Markings Division to begin painting the repaired roads. The red color helps all road users more easily identif y these sections as Capital Metro’s transit priorit y lanes, improving overall safety and traffic flow.
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OUR CONDOLENCES TO FAMILIES OF STAFF THAT PASSED AWAY THIS SEASON: F ALFREDO COBOS, Project Manager, Architectural Project Management F MIKE CURTIS, Division Manager, Sidewalks and Special Projects F GERALD NATION, Performance Consultant, Street and Bridge Operations
STREET AND BRIDGE OPER ATIONS TOYS FOR KIDS
AUS AIRP ORT CONSOLIDATED MAINTENANCE FACILIT Y
South District Maintenance continued the Christmas tradition of organizing a toy donation for less fortunate kids in 2019. However, this time they went above and beyond for a family in need. Employees from various divisions donated vital resources like space heaters from home, collected monetar y donations, shopped for groceries and essential items, and then delivered the goodies in time for the family to have a comfortable holiday.
The AUS airport is getting a new consolidated maintenance facilit y and Public Works is managing the construction of this huge project. The complex will ser ve as the headquar ters for airline, building and field maintenance. It will include a warehouse, trades (carpeting, mechanical, plumbing, welding and wildlife), recycling, a truck wash bay, an airport police unit and more. Public Works expects the facilit y to be completed in early 2021.
DOWNTOWN PUBLIC RESTROOMS
HR VIDEO, “BUILDING A WINNING TEAM”
Public restroom units for Trinit y Street and Brazos Street were delivered and set-up in Januar y. The Engineering Ser vices Division contributed to the project design and Public Works Forestr y was onhand to trim overhanging trees the day the restrooms were installed. Project Manager Paulinda Lanham and Engineering Construction Coordinators Kimberly Morales and Simon Or ta worked together with the manufacturer to facilitate the installation of these units.
Human Resources released a video in December featuring leaders Fred Freeman and Jorge “Luis” Lara. The t wo spoke about necessar y qualities to build a winning team—trust, accountabilit y and respect.
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In terms of how his team shows trust and respect, Luis says, “ We help each other out. We of ten see each other more than we see our own families, so we treat each other the same way.”
SMES WIN GOLD AT EQUIPMENT “ROAD-EO ” In December, the top students from each 2019 heavy equipment class competed in a local safety rodeo conducted by our Safety Office and subject matter experts (SMEs). Carlos Garcia, Lionel Ceballos, Andres Mendez, Kevin Tucker, Juan Cruz and the SMEs advanced to the 2020 Texas Public Works Association (TP WA) Equipment Road-eo in Februar y. This hardworking team took the gold at the annual competition, and Andres Mendez won first place overall for the state. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT Team at Feb. 2020 TPWA Equipment Road-eo luncheon; Kevin Tucker competing at TPWA; contestants and SME judges at the Public Works Heavy Equipment Safety Rodeo in Dec.; Assistant Director Pirouz Moin with Public Works Safety Rodeo first place winner Carlos Garcia; TPWA Road-eo first place winner Andres Mendez with TPWA representative
NEIGHBORHOOD PARTNERING PROGR AM
Highlights
LONNELL SHACKLES NOMINATED FOR AMERICA’S FAVORITE CROSSING GUARD Lonnell Shackles, a Public Works crossing guard at Harris Elementar y School in Austin, was nominated by his peers last fall to be “America’s Favorite Crossing Guard.”
“He’s ver y kind and considerate,” says Crossing Guard Manager Leticia Richardson. “He’s always quick to help anyone. He makes sure his kids and families are okay.”
Those who know him say he is always keeping an eye out for problems both big and small.
The winner of the competition will be announced this year.
TOP Director Richard Mendoza (far right) at the Loewy Family Playground Ribbon Cutting MIDDLE Program Manager Preston Stewart (back, in purple) glazing tiles at the Buffalo Pass Mural Project BOTTOM Project Coordinator Tracy Ho (left) at the Steck Bridge Mosaic Ribbon Cutting
COACCC FALL FUNDR AISER SEASON Last October, Public Works aimed to raise $35,000 through the Cit y of Austin Combined Charities Campaign (COACCC). The proceeds were given back to the communit y through charitable organizations.
Season Memories
To meet this goal, Public Works divisions hosted various fundraising events. Street and Bridge held a carnival at St. Elmo, which included lunch from Chef Tyler Steinbarger, a dunk tank, and games. Finance held a “ Warrant Roundup” where coworkers were “jailed” for crimes such as “excessive use of a conference room” and had to be bailed out by their colleagues with a charitable donation. Construction Management held their annual cook-of f, while Engineering Ser vices sold egg rolls, fried rice, samosas and cookies for lunch. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT Fundraisers from Engineering Services; Community Services; Street and Bridge Operations; Finance
SP OTLIGHT ON ALEX GARCIA’S UTILITIES AND STRUCTURES CREW The Utilities and Structures crews make concrete and asphalt repairs throughout the cit y af ter utilit y work has been completed by par tner depar tments. This includes repairs to sidewalks, curbs and streets. Alex Garcia, Crew Lead, says these crews mostly go behind water and wastewater repairs. Some projects are big and some are small – the only thing that really changes is the dimensions. This crew works together a lot, so they know each others’ roles well enough to quickly divide up their daily Maximo work order assignments. That teamwork contributes to providing qualit y customer service and allows the crew to be proud of the projects they deliver.
SP OTLIGHT ON LUPE GOMEZ’S CONCRETE CREW Concrete crews know that there is no “one -size -fits-all” approach to building sidewalks and driveways. An example of this is from Februar y, when Lupe Gomez’s crew was reconstructing sidewalks along Northwestern Avenue. “ You never know what you’re going to encounter,” said Gomez. Ever y sidewalk and driveway they work on is custom-built because the designs have to meet ADA (Americans with Disabilit y Act) standards. Expecting the unexpected is just part of the job for this team.
HR ’S MELON MANIA CAMPAIGN From August to October, Human Resources visited a range of Public Works worksites through their “Melon Mania ” campaign. They held events with Forestr y and all of the Street and Bridge Operations teams. The goal was to bring the employees healthy snacks and also to visit with employees in the field.
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PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID AUSTIN TX PERMIT NO. 2015 CIT Y OF AUSTIN PUBLIC WORKS P.O. Box 1088, Austin, TX 78767-1088
IN THE NEWS For more photos and stories of colleagues and events, check out these other Public Works communications: FACEBOOK (facebook .com/ atxpublicworks), FLICKR (flickr.com/photos/atxpublicworks) and our IN THE WORKS E-NEWSLET TER delivered straight to your inbox!