5 minute read
Small Community Asset Management Research Study
Caroline Dickey, E.I.T.
Pursuing a master’s degree had passed in and out of my mind several times before I finally came to a decision. The research options available to me were mostly focused on concreterelated topics, which is where I spend much of my time in a lab. While important work, I couldn’t find any passion for concrete-based research.
When Stan Brown of APWA, Walt
McBride of the Carl Vinson Institute of
Government, and Professor Stephan
Durham of the University of Georgia
College of Engineering approached me with a new type of project, I was immediately interested. They had a rough outline of the purpose of the project: to determine the effectiveness of the APWA’s Guide to Successful Asset Management System Development, pictured in Fig.1, in different local governments. We had to work to determine how to whittle this down to a project that could be completed by one person in a year.
Fig. 1: Cover of APWA’s Guide to Successful Asset Management System Development (Developed by the APWA Asset Management Task Force)
• Identify challenges encountered by different local government of all sizes in the State of Georgia, in relation to asset management using interviews, surveys, site visits, and a case study. • Determine effective approaches to the development of asset management programs for smallscale local governments. • If it is determined to be necessary, create supplemental resources for local governments with limited resources. Asset management has become a hot topic, especially in government work. The infrastructure in America is deteriorating and sustainable management practices are desperately needed to decrease the negative impacts. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) requires state Departments of Transportation to create and implement transportation asset management plans (TAMPs). However, these plans do not generally include local government-maintained infrastructure. The results of this research project are meant to help provide resources for small local governments when implementing asset management systems.
First in the methodology, local government sizes were broken down based on city and county populations in Georgia: rural as less than 2,500, greater than 2,500 as small, greater than 20,000 as mid-sized, and greater than 75,000 as large. Interviews were conducted with representatives from small, mid-sized, and large local governments. Rural cities are likely underrepresented in this study. The information gained from the interviews was used in writing questions asked in the survey, which then provided information to use in the site visits. The site visits were analyzed to determine which local government would provide a good representation of local governments in Georgia.
A large portion of the information gained in the interviews, survey, and site visits supported initial hypotheses: 1. Infrastructure is managed significantly differently in small local governments than mid-sized and large 2. Small local governments typically have fewer resources (funding, employees, technology, etc.) 3. Small local governments are less likely to have an asset management system in place The City of Sandersville was chosen for the case study based on population, proximity to large cities, enthusiasm for a road-specific asset management plan (AMP), and other factors. The purpose of the case study was to implement an asset management system following the APWA Guide to Successful Asset Management System Development. Because of time restrictions, only the strategic asset management plan document (SAMP) for the public works department (Fig. 2) and the AMP for the street department (Fig. 3) were created. However, the completed work provides information for future AMPs for other departments under public works to be developed.
Fig. 2: Cover of Strategic Asset Management Plan for the City of Sandersville Public Works Department
in their budget documentation. The asset values, asset management policies, and asset management objectives are outlined in this document and tied directly to the policy goals previously mentioned. The street department AMP was created using the APWA guide and thus built off the SAMP. A simple, repeatable road rating system was developed for Sandersville and used to provide baseline road rankings for the road system. The AMP includes definitions of assets in the department and their applicable value, roles and responsibilities, information to be contained in each asset inventory, a rating system for each asset, and an inspection schedule.
Based on the information gained within this study, it was determined that local governments with limited resources would benefit from a more direct outline of how to implement an asset management system. The APWA Guide to Successful Asset Management System Development was useful to me as a researcher when implementing an asset management system in the City of Sandersville. However, I acted as a consultant, which is not feasible for most small local governments in Georgia. Therefore, I created a document called Step-By-Step Asset Management (Fig. 4) which outlines a logical 13-step process for implementation and asset management system. Additionally, I created a decision tree called Making Asset Management Software Decisions that helps guide a local government through topics they should discuss prior to looking for asset management software options. These documents are meant to be used alongside the APWA guide and will be available through the APWA website soon.
Through this experience, I have become extremely passionate about asset management and now have a career in the field. I plan to stay involved with APWA and pursue more developments in the asset management area.
Resources: APWA – www.apwa.net/MyApwa/
Apwa_Public/Resources/Guide_to_
Successful_Asset_Management.aspx FHWA – www.fhwa.dot.gov/ asset/plans.cfm ASCE – www.infrastructurereportcard.org
QUICK DEFINITIONS:
Asset: anything that has defined value by an organization Asset Management: the collaborative effort of an organization to maximize the value received from their assets
Asset Management Plan (AMP):
document that outlines specific actions and roles included in dayto-day operations regarding asset management (often separate plans for separate assets)
Asset management system:
all policy, goals, objectives, and plans used in asset management within an organization
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