August 2014 Interchange by WYDOT

Interchange August 2014, Vol. 42, Issue 8

Silver anniversary milestone

Adopt-A-Highway turns 25

Letters

WYDOT helps out with traveler’s fuel shortage While traveling through your state my husband did not figure our fuel levels properly. This was close to Laramie where they were doing some road work. With one grand child and two dogs it could have been a very bad situation. A very big thank you to the Road Department for giving us fuel to get us to the next fuel stop! That is above and beyond the “call of duty” and these guys deserve a big and public thank you!

Beth Cox via email

WYDOT transport driver Al Branscom contacted the stranded travelers and arranged for personnel from the Laramie Maintenance crews 1031, 1032 and 1034 on site to provide fuel to get the travelers to Laramie.

Driver Service saluted To whom it may concern, This letter is reference to my observations and appreciation for those staff members working at the Driver’s License Division. I do not know them by name and that really isn’t important. They are the busiest bunch of workers I’ve seen in quite some time - anywhere. It’s not just a matter of their work ethic. I was absolutely humbled by their approach; professional, kind, courteous and patient. I’m not sure who their boss is, but I certainly hope that you understand what kind of folks you have working in and out of that facility. They were taking care of customers face to face, by phone, and by interruption of customers with quick questions, to include, taking care of the seniors and veterans as they entered (appropriate). It was constant! Remember, many customers don’t exhibit patience and kindness, which I did witness. Furthermore, those tasks were completed with a change and go approach, which was very fluid. This includes going for a walk (fast walking) to another station for a photo or to help another co-worker, exchanging information, grabbing a binder to apparently schedule appointments - we

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call it team work. More important, they performed all of this with tact. I did not see any of them leave the area, with the exception of those leaving the building to evaluate test drivers, and only to return directly to their work station with the customer - no time-outs. You can bet I saw a great deal within the one-hour and 40 minute wait. There were over 20 customers waiting at a constant rate during that time period. I experienced this twice in the same week - this week. My appreciation is genuine and I truly hope that these folks receive the attention, benefits and help they surely deserve. I also hope that you - peers and administration - exhibit the same work ethic, but more importantly, I hope you too, shine with the same type of character and control.

Interchange Interchange is published for employees of the Wyoming Department of Transportation by its Public Affairs Office and a number of field correspondents. Interchange invites submissions from all employees. Please send them to either your district correspondents or to: Carlie Van Winkle, Interchange editor, 5300 Bishop Blvd., Cheyenne, WY, 82009-3340. The Public Affairs Office may also be contacted by phoning (307) 777-4165, faxing (307) 777-4289, or sending email to carlie.vanwinkle@wyo.gov

Sincerely, Darcy J. Fournier, Jr.

WYDOT reaches out to VA Hospital Dear Tom (Carpenter), On behalf of the Cheyenne VAMC patients and staff, we would like to extend our appreciation to you for your donation of the personal care items. Your thoughtfulness reflects the concern that you feel for our veterans and for the service they provided to all of us while in service to our country. Without your support, we could not provide for these special items that make hospitalization more bearable. Your thoughtfulness also reflects the concern and compassion that our community feels for our veterans. Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely, Linda G. Brown Chief, Voluntary Service Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Please see related WTDEA story on page 21.

Staff WYDOT Director: John F. Cox Public Affairs Manager: Doug McGee Editor/Art Director: Carlie Van Winkle Contributors: Bruce Burrows Public Affairs Dave Kingham Public Affairs Carlie Van Winkle Public Affairs Ross Doman District 1 Jeff Goetz District 2 Stephanie Harsha District 3 Ronda Holwell District 4 Cody Beers District 5 Sgt. David Wagener Patrol Photography: Rick Carpenter Public Affairs

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August 2014

DOT publication

Also in this issue:

Contents 8

Letters.....................................2 District briefs.........................4 Training at a Glance............7

Noteworthy..........................14 By the Numbers.................15 District news.......................16 Awards..................................18 Passings............................... 20

Extra Mile Awards............. 20 WTDEA..................................21

8 Fuel Tax Administration

Break Time.......................... 23

Focused on customer service and efficiency

10 Adopt-A-Highway milestone

Program turns 25 this year

12 Vehicle Fraud Investigation Be sure to check out the online version of Interchange at http://issuu.com/wydot.pao, or click on the link found on the employeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s internal website home page.

Investigators see it all

13 WYDOT hosts geology professionals

Wyoming draws 225 for Geological Symposium

On the cover:

Gov. Mike Sullivan, Sunrise Lions Club President Larry Cloud, first lady Jane Sullivan, and members of the Sunrise Lions club at the kickoff event for Wyomingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Adopt-A-Highway program in 1989. Photo: WYDOT Archives

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District Briefs Commission awards $35.5 million in contracts for highway work

Contracts totaling $35.5 million for seven highway projects around the state were awarded by the Wyoming Transportation Commission during its July teleconference meeting. McGarvin-Moberly Construction of Worland won the largest of the contracts with a low bid of $12.2 million for milling off deteriorating pavement and replacing it with new pavement on 12 miles of the westbound lanes of Interstate 80 just east of Wamsutter. The contract completion date is Sept. 30, 2015. McGarvin-Moberly also won a $7.3 million contract to remove deteriorating pavement and lay down new pavement on nearly 7 miles of Interstate 25 at Chugwater. Rehabilitation of 10 bridges on the highway section also will be included. The project is scheduled to be done by Oct. 31, 2015. Lander’s High Country Construction was the low bidder at $11 million for widening and resurfacing nearly 7 miles of WYO 59 between Weston and the Montana border. The existing highway, which carries heavy industrial traffic to and from oilfields in North Dakota, has no shoulders. The project will add 6-foot safety shoulders to the highway and replace two bridges. The contract completion date is Oct. 31, 2015. Sections of nine city streets in Evanston will get microsurfacing or pavement overlays under a $1.7 million contract awarded to Intermountain Slurry Seal of Watsonville, Calif. The project is being paid for with state urban system funds, and will include work on Washington Avenue, Bear River Drive, Sixth Street, Union Road, Main Street, Cheyenne Drive, Overthrust Road, Yellow Creek Road and Constitution Avenue. The work is expected to be done by Oct. 31, 2015. Wilson Brothers Construction of Cowley will stabilize the Tift Slide on US 14 about 13 miles south of Sheridan under a

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$1.1 million contract that carries a Nov. 30 completion date. The work will include removing unstable soil from the slope below the highway and replacing it with rock and concrete. DRM Inc. of Gillette will stabilize the Salt Creek Slide on US 85 about 7 miles north of Newcastle under a $1 million contract. Unstable soil on the slope above the highway will be removed down to bedrock and replaced with crushed rock. A less severe section of the slide will be covered with fabric and a layer of crushed rock. The work is scheduled to be done by Nov. 30. The Hay Creek Bridge on Crook County Road 265 will be replaced under a $660,000 contract won by S&S Builders of Gillette. The existing bridge is 50 years old, narrow and has weight restrictions on the loads it can carry. The new bridge is expected to be done by Oct. 31, 2015. Cheyenne’s Reiman Corp. submitted the low bid of $455,000 to repair the overpass at the I-25 Nimmo Road Interchange, which was damaged in February when it was struck by an oversize load. Three steel girders will be replaced and a fourth straightened, and one-third of the bridge deck will be replaced. Traffic will be routed around the bridge using the exit and entrance ramps at the interchange during the repairs, which are scheduled to be done by Aug. 31, 2015. WYDOT has canceled its August bid letting and contract awards due to uncertainty about the availability of federal funding.

New interstate speed limit strictly enforced Cheyenne – With one month of the new 80 mph speed limit on 488 miles of Wyoming interstate highways in the books, the WHP emphasizes that 80 mph means 80 mph. Troopers across the state working in these 80 mph zones are reporting that motorists are pushing their speeds past the posted limit and are increasing the risk of being stopped. “The safety and welfare of the motoring public is a priority to the Wyoming Highway Patrol,” said Col. John Butler. “The 80 mph speed limit will be strictly enforced.” Increasing speed reduces the amount of time to react to avoid becoming involved

in a crash or avoid a hazard on the road. The speed limit is set to keep motorists operating at a safe speed on the highways. When drivers go over that limit, they risk injuring themselves and others. Obey the limit and avoid becoming a statistic.

VIN inspection leads to drunk driving arrest at headquarters Cheyenne – VIN inspections are conducted at the headquarters of the WHP in Cheyenne on a daily basis. On July 15, a 58-year old Wheatland resident traveled to Cheyenne for a VIN inspection. Upon his arrival and request for an inspection at WHP headquarters, troopers smelled a strong odor of alcohol coming from the man. An impaired driving investigation began and he was placed under arrest for driving while under the influence of alcohol.

Parsley Boulevard bridge deck over I-80 reopened Cheyenne – The Parsley Boulevard bridge deck over I-80 has been reopened. The bridge was closed to all traffic on June 9 when repairs began to replace the structure’s girders. The bridge has been struck three times within in the past year by trucks in the westbound lane hauling oversize loads. The most recent incident was in February. The contractor for the repairs was Reiman Corp. of Cheyenne and the cost was $662,000. Trucking companies and operators can be charged for damage their vehicles cause to WYDOT structures.

Troopers help trucking company in the recovery of commercial truck Arlington –Troopers were notified to be on the lookout for a commercial tractor with trailer being driven by a 38-year old driver from Hesperia, Calif. It was reported that the driver was not

Chip seal operations completed in southeast Wyoming Laramie – Chip seal was fully underway on state roadways this past month. Knife River Corporation was the contractor for the work in southeast Wyoming which continued through the end of July. Chip seal operations in Laramie County occurred on Carpenter Road (WYO 214), milepost 0 to 4.4; Torrington Highway (U.S. 85), milepost 46.0 to 56.6; and College Drive (WYO 212), milepost 0 to 3.3 and milepost 4.14 to 4.48. Albany County roads with projects were: Woods Landing (WYO 230), milepost 16 to 27.2; Snowy Range Road (WYO 130), milepost 0.7 to 2.5; and Third Street in Laramie (U.S. 30/287), milepost 327.4 to 400. Work operations in Laramie were only performed at night. The roadwork in Carbon County was at Shirley Basin (WYO 487), milepost 9.0 to 22. The chip sealing and microsurfacing work WYDOT does each summer repairs damage, provides a skid-resistant surface, and saves money by preventing water from getting into the pavement through cracks and potholes. This extends the life of the pavement by five to seven years.

CY Avenue work continues in Casper

I-90 closed between Buffalo and Gillette due to flash flooding

Casper – Work continues on schedule on the reconstruction of the intersection of CY Avenue and Poplar Street in Casper. While much of the work is focused on the replacement and upgrade of storm and sanitary sewers, and other utilities under the roadbed, crews are pouring concrete. A portion of the southside eastbound lanes has been poured and work on the business approaches is nearing its end. WYDOT, in conjunction with Hedquist Construction, holds weekly meetings with contractors and local business owners to keep them informed of the construction schedule and to answer any questions about the project. When asked during the July 17 meeting about how the project is progressing, Casper Resident Engineer Jack Stone said it may not look like progress is being made, due to all of the underground utility work. “However, once all of that (underground) work is completed, people will see it move along a lot faster,” he said. The reconstruction of CY Avenue and Poplar Street includes a double left-turn lane from eastbound CY onto northbound Poplar; expanded right-turn access at all corners of the intersection and a segregated turn lane from eastbound CY into the Albertson’s grocery store. The contract completion date isn’t until 2015, but residents will be able to drive upon the improved intersection late this fall.

Gillette – I-90 between Buffalo and Gillette was closed due to flash flooding at mile post 91 (Dead Horse Creek) in late June. The interstate was reopened when the water receded and it was once again safe for the traveling public. WYDOT maintenance crews were on hand to assess any damages. U.S. 14-16 from Gillette to Ucross was also closed. The construction project on US 14-16 near Spotted Horse between mile post 60 and 69 had areas of no pavement with soft surfacing and was not equipped to handle the additional traffic. Detours along state highways were utilized to get from Buffalo to Gillette.

Wapiti-area project under way on U.S. 14-16-20 west of Cody Cody – An $8.77 million highway improvement project began July 28 on U.S. 14-16-20 west of Cody between Wapiti and near the east boundary of the Shoshone National Forest, according to WYDOT resident engineer Todd Frost in Cody. The project began at the Wapiti bridge (milepost 31.98) over the North Fork of the Shoshone River and extends west 4.26 miles to just east of the Shoshone National Forest boundary (milepost 27.72). The prime contractor for the U.S. 14-1620 improvements is Riverside Contracting, Inc., of Missoula, Mont. The Wyoming Transportation Commission awarded the contract to Riverside in June. All work, except the chip seal, fencing and reclamation, is required by contract to be complete by June 15, 2015. The final contract completion date is Sept. 30, 2015.

Photo: Jeff Goetz

authorized to drive the truck and he was possibly under the influence of an unknown substance. The search started at Pine Bluffs heading westbound on I-80. With the help of the trucking company’s GPS tracker on the truck, a state trooper spotted the truck approximately 132 miles west, near Arlington, and took the driver into custody without incident. The driver was charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle, driving while under the influence of a controlled substance and log book violations. A representative of trucking company estimated the value of the recovered truck and trailer to be $90,000.

Crews pouring concrete curb and gutter on the CY Avenue project in Casper.

Briefs continued on page 6 August 2014

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The project’s scope of work includes widening and overlaying U.S. 14-16-20 with isolated reconstruction, replacement of all existing pipe culverts and box culverts, new fence and new cattle-guards. “The highway will be widened from the existing 12-foot lanes and six-foot shoulders to 12-foot lanes and eight-foot shoulders, and shoulders will be flattened to improve safety,” Frost said. “Existing pipes and box culverts are in poor condition and are being replaced, and drainage will be improved.” Frost said asphalt paving will consist of a one-inch leveling layer, a four-inch overlay, and a chip seal finish. Project work began July 28 on the Wapiti School parking area. By contract, this work is required to be completed by Aug. 15, prior to the 2014-15 school year. “The parking lot at Wapiti School will be reconstructed to provide parking away from the travel lanes of the highway and to improve safety for the children and school buses,” Frost said. Pipe work and shoulder work will begin in mid-August, and will continue into fall.

Pavement improvement project on WYO 30 under way Basin – A $1.49 million pavement improvement project began mid-July on WYO 30 (Otto Road) between Basin and Burlington. McGarvin-Moberly Construction Co. of Worland is the prime contractor on the 5.72-mile project near the community of Otto (mileposts 101.31 to 107.03) The project includes drainage pipe repairs and cleaning, asphalt milling, oneinch asphalt pavement leveling in some locations, a two-inch asphalt pavement overlay, and chip sealing. “We will start pulling delineators, rolling the topsoil down, and profile milling,” according to Ben Steed, WYDOT resident engineer in Basin. “Paving started around July 22 and took about two weeks. The chip seal is scheduled to be applied in mid- to late August.”

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East Monroe Avenue and South Federal Boulevard reopens to traffic in Riverton Riverton – The east side of the East Monroe Avenue/South Federal Boulevard intersection reopened to traffic mid-July on the $5.04 million highway improvement project in Riverton, and work on the west side of South Federal Boulevard is now under way. “Prime contractor Reiman Corp., of Cheyenne and subcontractor Archer Construction of Riverton have begun sewer and roadway work on the west half of the intersection and roadway between South 7th Street East and South Federal,” according to WYDOT Resident Engineer Robert Scheidemantel of Riverton. “All businesses are open, and access to all businesses is being maintained as much as possible.” The Federal/Monroe project begins about 250 feet south of East Monroe Avenue and extends north, ending 0.4 miles north of the Federal/Monroe intersection near Federal Boulevard’s intersection with East Washington Avenue. Work on Monroe Avenue will extend about 250 feet each direction from Federal Boulevard. The intersection of Monroe Avenue and South Federal Boulevard was reconstructed in 1970 with asphalt and rebuilt with concrete pavement in 1989. The new project is being built with concrete.

Landslide west of Cody closes road to Yellowstone Cody – A landslide on U.S. 14-16-20 caused its closure west of Cody at milepost 7 for approximately eight hours on July 15. Motorists encountered mud, rocks, logs and debris blocking the roadway. WHP and Park County Sheriffs responded to keep motorists safe while WYDOT crews cleared the slide from the road. Lt. Phil Farman stated that no one was injured and no crashes resulted from the landslide. The WYDOT crews did a great job clearing the highway. The roadway was completely reopened just after midnight on July 16.

Photo: WHP

Briefs continued from page 5

A landslide near Cody on U.S. 14-16-20 closed the highway for eight hours July 15.

Weekly meetings held for U.S. 16 highway improvement project near Ten Sleep Ten Sleep – Weekly public meetings began July 22, concerning the $11.14 million highway improvement project through Ten Sleep and west of the Washakie County town. Until weather changes, the weekly work progress meetings will be held in Ten Sleep’s Vista Park on the east end of town. Attendance at the weekly working meetings involves the prime contractor, WYDOT, town of Ten Sleep officials and interested citizens. Prime contractor for the Ten Sleep West project is Oftedal Construction Inc. “The contractor is working on storm sewer along Cottonwood Street and the storm sewer concrete headwall where future storm water will flow into Ten Sleep Creek,” said WYDOT Resident Engineer Dan McAfee of Worland. “Cottonwood Street storm sewer work includes installation of a storm sewer outfall while maintaining existing one-way traffic,” McAfee said. By contract, work on Cottonwood Street (WYO 434) was allowed beginning July 15, and all work is required to be completed by Aug. 31. The contractor is not allowed to work on the urban section of the project through Ten Sleep until after Aug. 10, and this work through Ten Sleep is required to be complete by July 1, 2015. “Bridge rehabilitation work on Washakie County structure FML – the old truss bridge west of Ten Sleep on the old highway – is allowed between July 15 and Aug. 31 to accommodate livestock drives,”

McAfee said. The Ten Sleep West project will affect 3.1 miles of U.S. 16 beginning at milepost 23.74 between Worland and Ten Sleep.

WYDOT’s annual chip sealing operation was scheduled to move south of Wind River Canyon in early August for further work.

Worland streets project concludes with paving near Washakie County Courthouse

Guardrail, cattle guard upgrade project on Chief Joseph Scenic Highway Cody – Short traffic delays are expected on WYO 296 (Chief Joseph Scenic Highway) through the end of September while a guardrail-cattle guard upgrade project is underway. “Delays on this project could be up to 20 minutes, but should be minimal, five to 10 minutes most of the time, with flaggers controlling traffic,” said Todd Frost, WYDOT resident engineer in Cody. The WYO 296 project begins at the intersection of WYO 296 and U.S. 212, and concludes at Russell Creek on WYO 296. “The contractor installed traffic control on July 28,” said Frost. “The contractor will be removing and installing new cattle guards at nine locations across WYO 296 from July 30 to Aug. 31.” The contractor’s work includes a small

Worland – A $354,760 highway repair project came to completion on the east side of Worland’s main street intersection near the Washakie County Courthouse. Prime contractor for the project was McGarvin-Moberly Construction Co., of Worland. McGarvin-Moberly and its subcontractors worked Monday through Friday completing grading, placing crushed gravel base, asphalt pavement, repairing of concrete pavement, crack sealing, sidewalk, curb and gutter and other work on .08 miles of U.S. 16 in Worland. “We appreciate Worland citizens’ support with this project,” said Dan McAfee, WYDOT resident engineer in Worland.

amount of paving and chip sealing on each side of the cattle guards. Cattle guards will be replaced half at a time. By contract, only one cattle guard can be replaced at a time. A 12-foot width restriction will be in effect for WYO 296 during this project. From the end of August to mid-September, the contractor is scheduled to be modifying the bridge railing on the Clark’s Fork bridge and the Crandall Creek bridge, installing new guardrail at these locations and other locations, and seeding. HL Construction Inc., of Billings, Mont., is the prime contractor on the $856,000 project, and the contractor’s work includes grading, milling asphalt pavement, placing crushed gravel base, asphalt pavement surfacing, chip sealing, removal and replacement of guardrail and cattle guards, bridge railing modification, fencing, and other work. Contract completion date is Sept. 30.

Training ata Glance Photo: Cody Beers

Here are upcoming training opportunities from WYDOT University and the Transportation Learning Network (TLN)

A paving project on U.S. 16 near the Washakie County Courthouse finished on schedule.

South Fork Road highway chip sealing near Cody Cody – About three miles of WYO 291 (South Fork Road) was chip sealed near Cody at the end of June. The chip sealing operations then moved to U.S. 14-16-20 the week after the July 4 holiday, including two days of work on WYO 290 (Pitchfork Road) near Meeteetse. U.S. 20-WYO 789 between Worland and Thermopolis and U.S. 20-WYO 789 in Wind River Canyon also saw chip sealing work.

Date Class

Apr. 8-9 Aug. 5 Aug. 6 Aug. 7 Aug. 12-15 Aug. 19 Aug. 20-21 Aug. 28

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Location

Warm Mix Asphalt: Mix Design, Construction, and Performance TLN Legal Aspects of Supervision WYDOT Only TLN Successful Time Management Cheyenne Great Leaders! You’ve Got What it Takes Cheyenne New Supervisors Orientation #3 (NSO) Cheyenne ABCs of Employee Engagement WYDOT Only TLN Have a Nice Conflict Cheyenne MBTI & Teams Cheyenne

Coming up in September:

Sept. 2, 4, 6 Sept. 4

PE Exam Review Bridging the Generation Gap

Webinar WYDOT Only TLN

To register, or to find out more details, call the Training Program and talk to Jim Boyd (777-4791), Rhonda DeLeeuw (777-4790) or Kurt Borgaard (777-4792).

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Photo: Rick Carpenter

Fuel Tax Administration – focused on customer service and efficiency

by Bruce Burrows

The primary function of WYDOT’s Fuel Tax Administration (FTA) program is to enforce the state fuel tax statute. At first glance, the task might seem to be a fairly straight forward one, but as program manager Wayne Hassinger will readily tell anyone who asks, FTA’s slate of responsibilities is anything but simple and in fact, is convoluted and complex. Hassinger cites the fact that, at a minimum, a new hire in Fuel Tax Administration typically needs at least a year of training and experience before he Hassinger or she becomes truly knowledgeable and proficient. “When you read through Wyoming’s fuel tax statute (Title 39, Chapter 17, Articles 1 and 2), it’s soon apparent there’s a large volume of detail to comprehend,” Hassinger adds. Hassinger, along with Fuel Tax program supervisor Kim Peters and their nine-member team of tax examiners and other support personnel, are located in the basement of the Planning Building at headquarters. The process of getting motor fuel from the refinery or production plant to the consumer involves a network of suppliers, distributors and dealers, all licensed to do business in Wyoming by Fuel Tax Administration. In general, suppliers are at the top of chain; they are the ones who obtain bulk quantities of gasoline, diesel and other fuel types from refiners and producers. Suppliers make wholesale deliveries to distributors, who in turn provide

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quantities of fuel to dealers, who then sell fuel to the general motoring public. A company licensed as a distributor may also function as a licensed dealer, often in multiple locations. Fuel Tax Administration works with more than 750 licensed fuel distributors, suppliers and dealers in Wyoming, with average annual sales topping 700 million gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel. Another pertinent statistic: Wyoming ranks first nationally in per capita fuel consumption. “We refer to fuel distributors and sellers as our customers, and we tailor our operations after service industry standards,” Hassinger said. “Our goal is to undertake the collection of taxes, distribution of revenues and administration of fuel tax law as accurately as possible, and in as timely fashion as we can.” Each gallon of gasoline or diesel fuel sold in Wyoming is subject to federal and state fuel taxes. Revenue from the federal

Opposite top: The Cheyenne fuel terminal, or “rack.” Opposite bottom: End users are assessed the fuel tax which has been incorporated into the price per gallon on their fill-up.

tax – 18.4 cents per gallon of gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon of diesel – is funneled, with little state involvement, to the federal Highway Trust Fund. Eventually, the funds are distributed back to the states as in the form of federal aid. The state portion of the fuel tax currently stands at 24 cents per gallon for both gasoline and diesel. This is where the bulk of FTA’s responsibilities begin. Program tasks include licensing, receiving tax submissions, calculating tax refunds, auditing returns and calculating revenue distributions according to formulas set forth in state law. One cent of the fuel tax goes to the Department of Environmental Quality to fund the Leaking Underground Storage Tank clean-up program. Nearly all of the remaining 23 cents goes to fund road improvements in Wyoming. The fuel taxation process (at the state level in Wyoming) starts when a supplier obtains a quantity of fuel at a terminal, also referred to as the “rack.” Most commonly, a terminal is located at a refinery or at an access point to a pipeline. Thereafter, as fuel deliveries continue down the supply chain – from supplier to distributor to the dealer and finally to the end user – the tax is already incorporated into cost, in contrast to traditional sales tax, which is not added on to the price of an item until the time of purchase. On a monthly basis, fuel suppliers report their sales to FTA and remit the tax due calculated from those sales. Dealers also report monthly, but their obligation is generally limited to showing fuel amounts dispensed. This is because the tax they collect from end users is effectively a reimbursement for the tax they paid up front when they obtained fuel from a distributor. A major task for FTA tax examiners is auditing the monthly reports to ensure accuracy and compliance, as well as cross-referencing and reconciling the numbers submitted from different parties in the supply system. In some cases, examiners may need to ask the vendors for additional tax payments; other times, they will need to issue a refund. One of the end results of FTA’s efforts is working with WYDOT Financial Services program to ensure accurate distribution of fuel tax revenue to the State Highway Fund and to local governments. Most of the gasoline portion of tax is divided up four ways -- 57.5 percent going to the state, 15 percent to municipalities, 13.5 percent to counties and 14 percent to the County Road Construction Fund. Roughly 3.5 percent of gasoline taxes are used to support motorized recreation, in the form of snowmobiles, motorboats and off-road recreation vehicles. The actual amount of tax revenues allocated to motorized recreation is based on the estimated amount of gasoline purchased for that purpose. The diesel portion of the state fuel tax is divided up three ways – 75 percent to the state, 20 percent to counties and 5 percent to municipalities. (Prior to distribution, less than 2 percent of the total is diverted to the State Highway Fund to defray administrative costs.) Traditionally, gasoline and diesel have been the predominant types of fuel used to power motor vehicles, and that is still the case; Hassinger and Peters estimate that close to 95 percent of motor vehicle fuel sold falls into that category. However, recent

times have seen growth in the production and use of alternative fuels, such as ethanol and natural gas, and that development has resulted in another layer of complexity for the FTA team. “Lately, we’ve spent considerable time working with legislators to ensure equitable policy will be applied to a possible future alternative fuels statute,” Hassinger said. “A key concept is “energy equivalency;” for example, how do you accurately compare the benefit of gasoline or diesel as compared to that of liquefied or compressed natural gas, even through you are using different measurement units.” Another issue related to alternative fuels that FTA must deal with is the current provision in state law which grants a tax credit to producers of ethanol for blending into motor vehicle fuels. The credit, which has returned an estimated $40 million to producers since its inception nearly 20 years ago, is scheduled to expire next year, but it remains to be seen if the Legislature will renew it. FTA also has the responsibility of processing claims for refunds and exemptions related to fuel taxes paid by a number of qualified “end user” categories, including schools, political subdivisions, agriculture, mining operations and railroads. A big change in the works for FTA operations is a redesign of work processes geared toward improving program efficiency and effectiveness. Until now, each examiner was assigned a certain number of fuel tax customer accounts for which they were solely responsible. The redesign will implement a team model whereby each employee will be assigned to one of two groups; one whose members will focus more on front-end customer service, or a second group whose members will be more concerned with behind-the-scenes technical issues. “This shift has great potential to improve consistency in how customer accounts are handled, since with the current system, there are invariably differences in each examiner’s approach to the job. The team approach is intended to smooth out operations and it provides us the opportunity to position team members where they can make best use of their preferences and strengths we have identified,” Hassinger said. Not only does FTA emphasize customer service, the team also has a long-standing commitment to community service. The program has even set a specific strategic goal, as part of their Balanced Scorecard, to commit to at least one community service project each quarter. Just one of many accomplishments in this regard is raising more than $25,000 for the Friday Food Bag Foundation, a Cheyenne nonprofit dedicated to fighting hunger and promoting good nutrition for local youth. August 2014

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Photo: WYDOT

Wyoming Highway Department Superintendent Leno Menghini, left, Gov. Mike Sullivan, Sunrise Lions Club President Larry Cloud, first lady Jane Sullivan, and members of the Sunrise Lions club attended the kickoff event for Wyoming’s Adopt-AHighway program in 1989.

Adopt-A-Highway program marks 25th anniversary

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by Dave Kingham neighborhood, because we consider our adopted section part of the neighborhood,” Lopez said. “There are a lot of groups out there that do that too, so with the combination of everybody involved, it keeps Laramie County clean.” The Sunrise Lions are one of 11 groups statewide that have participated in the program since the beginning. The others are

Photo: Dave Kingham

Twenty-five years after the Cheyenne Sunrise Lions Club became the first Adopt-A-Highway volunteers in Wyoming, club members still turn out to clean the section of I-25 that passes by the governor’s residence and WYDOT’s headquarters. “It’s important to us to be part of the community and help make Cheyenne look good,” club member John Harper said before a cleanup in June. “As the first club to pick a two-mile stretch, we were able to pick this section that runs right past the Frontier Days grounds and F.E. Warren Air Force Base, and over the years we’ve tried to do our share by picking that up before all the tourists come to town.” Harper, who is currently serving on the board of directors of Lions Clubs International, said Adopt-A-Highway is a good fit for the club’s community service efforts because one of the Lions’ four major areas of emphasis is the environment. “I think a lot of our club’s dedication is just the pride of ownership,” he said. “We still lay claim that we were the first club, and we’re proud of that. When we first started we were so enthusiastic that, instead of filling up the bags and leaving them beside the highway for the maintenance people to pick up the next day, we’d throw them in the back of a pickup and bring them to the dumpster at the Highway Department.” Gus Lopez, director of the Cheyenne-Laramie County Health Department, is another Sunrise Lions Club member who has been involved in the AAH cleanups since the beginning of the program. “I get the gratification of getting out and cleaning up our

Above: Lopez and Harper searching for litter. Right: The men of the Cheyenne Sunrise Lions Club out for an afternoon of highway clean up. From left, John Harper, Jim Reynolds, Rick Fisher and Gus Lopez participated.

Photo: Dave Kingham

the Cheyenne Frontier Lions Club, Casper Mountain Lions Club, Bethel Baptist Church of Casper, Alpine Ladies League, Jackson District Cub Scouts, Ranchester-Dayton Rotary Club, Story Lions Club, Gillette Lions Club, Kiwanis Club of Thermopolis and the Powell Girl Scouts. When Wyoming initiated its Adopt-A-Highway program in 1989, it was the 18th state to implement the program that originated in Texas in 1985. Gov. Mike Sullivan, first lady Jane Sullivan and Highway Department Superintendent Leno Menghini helped unveil the Sunrise Lions Club sign at the public kickoff for the Wyoming program. “Our budget for cleaning up litter, for this year only, is more than $900,000,” Menghini said at the time. “What a waste of taxpayers’ dollars.” People who litter continue to waste taxpayer money, and WYDOT State Maintenance Engineer Kent Ketterling said the department’s litter control budget has grown to more than $2 million a year. Without the help of the Adopt-A-Highway volunteers, many of the state’s roadsides wouldn’t get cleaned every year. “WYDOT continues to value and appreciate the efforts of the Adopt-A-Highway volunteer groups,” Ketterling said “The commitment and dedication shown by these groups to keep the roadsides around their communities clean is a testament to the quality of citizens we have in our great state. I would like to express my sincere appreciation on behalf of WYDOT for the great job these volunteer groups perform to make our state a better place to visit and live.” There are about 1,000 groups statewide currently volunteering their time and effort to help keep the view from Wyoming’s highways clean. Each participating group signs an agreement to pick up litter twice a year on a two-mile section of highway for at least two

years. WYDOT erects road signs recognizing the group at each end of the adopted section, and provides the orange safety vests and trash bags the volunteers use during cleanups. Harper credits Larry Cloud, president of the Sunrise Lions in 1989, with talking the club members into becoming Wyoming’s first AAH volunteers. While visiting in his native Missouri, Cloud saw an Adopt-A-Highway sign and thought cleaning a highway section would be a good community service project for his club. With the support of the members, Cloud got the ball rolling with WYDOT. Cleanups over the quarter century of the club’s participation have turned up a variety of unusual finds, Harper said. “Once in a great while you find something wonderful like a $20 bill,” he said. “Today I found a sender unit for an indoor-outdoor thermometer. I’ve got a two-pound long-handled hammer and a pair of vice grips that I found and added to my tool collection. Once I found a license plate on a magnetic mount used by car dealerships for people to go on a test drive.” On the other end of the spectrum, Harper said the worst litter is Kleenex and other types of loose weave paper that dissolve in the rain and disintegrate or cling when picked up, along with Styrofoam packing peanuts that often are widely scattered by the wind. “We have taken the philosophy that, if you can’t see it at 65 mph, it probably isn’t worthy to be picked up,” Harper said. “There’s lots of bigger stuff that needs the attention and is an eyesore and would become confetti if the mowers go over it.”

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Vehicle fraud investigators see it all

by Dave Kingham

Last year, the widow of a former used car dealer in Cheyenne began getting telephone calls and even people knocking on her door looking for a car lot selling Lamborghinis, Range Rovers and other exotic vehicles. WYDOT Compliance Program Investigator Shane Fox began looking into the problem and discovered an Internet operation that had stolen the identity of a Cheyenne car lot that had not been licensed or operated for years. The website showed a range of exotic vehicles at tantalizing prices. Buyers who wanted the dealer to hold one of the vehicles for them were required to transfer a deposit to a bank routing number represented to be to a bank in Cheyenne. In fact, the routing number sent the money to a bank in New York, and there were no cars to buy. Fox traced the website operators to the Czech Republic, and found they were operating two other identical websites claiming to represent dealers by the same name in Idaho and Alabama. He notified the FBI’s Internet crime division of the fraud. “If you notify the feds, they will check into it, but nine times out of 10, when it gets to the point where somebody’s onto them, the perpetrators pull the plug and move to a different location or start using a different computer,” Compliance Manager Bob Stauffacher said. “It’s really hard to bring somebody to justice for something like that. Buyers need to remember, if a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” Fox said there have been two other similar fraud cases in Wyoming in recent years, and they are examples of how much of his investigative work now is focused on the Internet. “In the old days you’d look at Traders and publications like that, but now I spend a lot of time on Facebook and sites like carsforsale.com,” he said. Another type of scheme Compliance investigates is called “cloning,” and involves stealing the identity of a legally owned vehicle and applying it to a stolen vehicle. It can be done in a variety of ways, but one common method is for the thief to check a dealer’s online inventory, or go to a car lot, take a test drive, and write down the VIN of a vehicle similar to the stolen vehicle they want to disguise. “They have the ability and technology to go back and create the VIN plate and labels for this vehicle,” Stauffacher said. “They’ll replace the number on the car they’ve stolen with the one from the car that’s sitting on the lot. When a law enforcement officer runs that number on the stolen car, it will come back that’s its not stolen because the vehicle the number comes from is still sitting on the lot somewhere.” Only a small percentage of the people selling vehicles are criminals, Stauffacher said, but consumers have to be cautious to avoid being victimized by that small percentage.

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“I will have been at this for four years at the end of July, and every time I think I’ve heard or seen it all I get surprised by something,” Fox said. “It’s a very interesting job.” Another type of vehicle fraud Compliance investigators tackle is “clocking,” the term for rolling back mileage on a vehicle’s odometer. Terry Reagan, Compliance’s investigator for central and northeast Wyoming, recalled a case he investigated involving a Casper dealer that took a 2005 Dodge pickup in on trade. Weeks later the dealer noticed the mileage on the vehicle’s title had been altered. Reagan’s investigation revealed the vehicle was an oilfield truck with actual mileage in excess of 270,000 miles, but the odometer had been rolled back to slightly more than 65,000 miles. The title had been altered to show mileage of just over 27,000 miles, but the odometer disclosure statement on the back showed the vehicle had been driven more than 230,000 miles when it was sold to the woman who traded it to the Casper dealer. Reagan said an inspection of the truck showed the telltale physical signs of wear and tear in excess of what would be expected for the mileage shown on the odometer and title. “Metal parts inside the engine compartment were rusted and the undercarriage was beat up from being driven hard on dirt roads,” he said. The woman who had traded the vehicle in was charged with odometer and title fraud, pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay a hefty fine, serve five years of probation and reimburse the dealer for the trade-in value it had given her for the vehicle. Reagan said oilfield trucks are targeted for odometer fraud because they are so heavily used that the companies sell them when they are only a few years old. “Oilfield trucks are relatively new in years, but not in use,” he said. “A 2013 truck could have 120,000 miles on it, and they are hard miles on dirt roads.” As a general rule of thumb, every 10,000 miles a vehicle is driven reduces its value by about $1,000, so rolling back a vehicle’s odometer by 200,000 could fraudulently inflate its value by as much as $20,000. Odometer fraud is not as common in Wyoming as it is in some other parts of the country, Reagan said, but Wyoming buyers need to be aware of the potential and take precautions to prevent it. “The federal government prosecutes people for odometer fraud all the time in other parts of the country and some of those cases involve hundreds of vehicles,” he said. “Electronic odometers appear to be more easily manipulated than the old manual odometers used to be.”

Photo: Rick Carpenter

by Bruce Burrows the Snowy Range, I-80 Summit and Vedauwoo. Guest speakers who accompanied the tour included two of WYDOT’s own – Tye Fix, Laramie maintenance foreman, who discussed snow and ice control strategies, and Julie Francis, Environmental Services archaeologist, who spoke about the transportation and mining history in southeast Wyoming. Representatives of the Wyoming State Geological Survey and the U.S. Forest Service were also on hand to provided an overview of the regional geology and the damage wrought by the mountain pine beetle kill on area forests. The participants returned to Laramie for a Wednesday evening awards banquet with John Waggener from the University of Wyoming American Heritage Center. Waggener entertained the audience with his presentation about the saga of “Snow Chi Minh Trail,” based on the early history Julie Francis orating to the group at a point of of 77-mile stretch of interest stop. I-80 between Laramie and Walcott Junction. The symposium concluded with another half-day of technical presentations on Thursday. WYDOT employees who gave talks or co-authored during the Tuesday and Thursday technical session, included Coffin, Kirk Hood and Jim Dahill, all with Geology, L.J. Maillet of the Materials Lab, and Michael Menghini of Bridge During the week, nearly three dozen sponsors and exhibitors from the geotechnical industry were on hand to present and discuss their products. Coffin expressed his gratitude to efforts of the Geology Program staff and drill crew, in particular office manager Holly Daniels. He also lauded photographer Rick Carpenter of Public Affairs and Dave Reilly of Information Technology-Laramie.

Photo: Rick Carpenter

Jim Coffin and his staff in WYDOT’s Geology Program literally “went the extra mile” last month in hosting the annual Highway Geology Symposium, and if attendance is the measure, their efforts were a great success. Nearly 225 registrants, drawn mainly from across the United States and beyond (specifically Canada and Switzerland) traveled to Laramie for the July 7-10 conference, which has the stated purpose of fostering understanding and cooperation between geologists and civil engineers in the highway industry. Attendees represented numerous state departments of transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, the Transportation Research Board (TRB), geologic surveys, and geotechnical consultants, contractors and suppliers. The symposium was initiated in 1950, and this summer’s event was the third time Wyoming has hosted the conference. Previous symposiums held in the cowboy state were Sheridan (1973) and Cody (1996). The governing group for the symposium, which includes Coffin, is a group of approximately 25 engineering geologists and geotechnical engineers. The 2014 version kicked off Monday, July 7 with meetings of several national geotechnical committees as well as a midyear meeting of the Transportation Research Board’s Geosynthetics Committee with technical presentations and a discussion panel, followed by an evening icebreaker. Participants reconvened Tuesday morning to hear a welcoming address from WYDOT Director John Cox. For most, a full day of technical presentations followed. Spouses and guests had the option to go on a guided guest field trip to the University of Wyoming and local museums. The day ended with an evening dinner show at a nearby guest ranch. For many, the highlight of the week was Wednesday, which consisted of an Many professionals were on hand to help with teaching moments at the symposium. all-day field trip to

Photos: Rick Carpenter

WYDOT hosts geological symposium

August 2014

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Hoops star has family fan base in Sheridan

Basketball fans in Wyoming may not realize it, but Josh Huestis, a standout player drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA), has a connection to the Cowboy State and to WYDOT. Josh, who grew up in Great Falls, Mont., is related to Kim Huestis, a 16year WYDOT employee. The past eight years, she has worked in the Sheridan port-of-entry, where she was promoted to supervisor in February 2013. Kim and her husband Larry, originally from northern Montana themselves, have resided in Sheridan the past 35 years. (Josh is Larry’s cousin’s son.) Kim has been following Josh’s budding career since he was an all-star at C.M. Russell High School in Great Falls, Mont. Josh went on to Stanford University, where he continued to excel on the hardwood. There, he earned numerous honors, including being named to the Pacific-12 Conference all-defensive team the

past two seasons. Earlier this summer, the Thunder selected Josh in the first round of the annual NBA draft, as the 29th pick overall. “His stock rose after he helped Stanford advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament and set the university’s career blocked shots record at 190,” the Associated Press reported. In 2010, Kim twice had the opportunity to watch her nephew in person; first at the state basketball tournament in Billings, Mont., when he led C.M. Russell to its second consecutive championship, and then again when Josh came to Sheridan to play in the annual WyomingMontana all-star basketball game. After Josh headed to California to play college ball, Kim and Larry subscribed to Pac-12 Network satellite television network and made it a point to catch as many Stanford Cardinal games as possible. “We’re very excited for Josh’s future in professional basketball, wherever that may lead, and we’re also very proud that he is a graduate of Stanford University,” Kim said.

Student attends Stanford forum on law Cheyenne Reed, daughter of John and Carol Reed of Cokeville, took part in the 2014 Summer Forum of Intensive Law and Trial at the Stanford University Law School in Stanford, Calif. The 10-day program provided high-achieving high school students from across the nation a unique opportunity to view various aspects of an exciting career in law. Intensive Law and Trial is conducted in collaboration with Stanford Law Reed School and Envision Leadership Programs. “Students in this intensive program get a chance to step into the roles of prosecutor and defense counsel in a challenging mock trial,” said Andrew Potter, vice president of education for Intensive Law and Trial. “They learn what it takes to be a 21st-

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August 2014

Photo courtesy Stanford Athletics

Noteworthy

Josh Huestis (right) set the Stanford University school record for shot blocks last season on this play in a game against the University of Southern California.

century attorney, deepen their appreciation of the legal fields and explore academic and career options at a top-ranked school.” Scholars will stay on the Stanford University campus and learn the foundation of law from preeminent legal professors. This includes hearing from Stanford Law School professors on the practice of law, legal rhetoric and ethics. Students will also get firsthand practice using essential legal skills such as making impactful opening and closing arguments, preparing cases and readying witnesses for cross-examinations. Reed is very grateful to all her family and friends who have assisted in her being able to participate in this awesome opportunity. A very special thank you goes to Sen. Dan Dockstader for his generous support. In addition to the law program she attended in July, Reed loves to be with her horse, Rowdy. She will participate for the second time in the Cokeville Stock and Saddle Company’s Rodeo Queen Competition. She has won the honor of royalty princess, first attendant. She, along with the other royalty, will represent Cokeville in area rodeos and parades. Reed also enjoys sports and is involved on her high school volleyball and cheerleading squads. She will be entering high school as a sophomore this fall.

Help give school supplies to students in need. For more information:

771-2192 Needs Inc.

632-4132 • Rulers • Pencil Bag • Erasers • Glue Sticks • Index Cards • Crayons • Bottled Glue • Kleenex • Highlighters • Jump Drives • Backpack • Post-It Notes

Bulk Items Needed

• Ballpoint Pens • Colored Pencils • Pocket Folders • Tabbed Dividers Supplies will help elementary, junior high, • 3-Ring Notebooks • Scissors (right & left) high school and college students • Calculator (basic, TI-84) • Pencils (#2 & mechanical) in Laramie County • Loose Leaf Paper (wide/college) • Spiral Notebooks (wide/college) • Composition Notebooks (wide/college) • Markers (regular/washable) (thin/wide)

Distribution will continue at Needs Inc. throughout the year

Sponsored by:

Cheyenne Light, Fuel & Power; Element Church; Embry Riddle Aeronautical University; Laramie County Library; Laramie County Community College; Laramie County School District 1; and Needs Inc.

http://goo.gl/CP9uBi

Total number of employees: as of June 27, 2014

1,998

One month ago

2,007

One year ago

2,029

http://goo.gl/PBiVRp

August 2014

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District News Welcome

Service Awards

Elois Belving, Information Technology-Development; and Brian Stewart, Driver Services-CDL.

Timothy McDowell, Planning-Programming – 35 years; Gareld Daniels, Highway Development-Project Development-Utilities – 20 years; Lonny Pfau, Human Resources – 20 years; Jana Belt, Patrol Dispatch – 15 years; Lisa Ayers, Maintenance Staff – 10 years; and Anthony Flores, Materials-Bituminous – 10 years.

Promotions and Transfers

Lon Pfau, center, accepting his 20-year service award from Chief Engineer Del McOmie and Support Services Administrator Tom Loftin.

Photo: Rick Carpenter

Kayla Heitstuman, Patrol Dispatch; Brian Lahnert, Facilities ManagementCustodial; Margaret Mordahl, PlanningProgramming.

Photo: Rick Carpenter

Headquarters

Lisa Ayers, Maintenance Staff, receiving her 10-year service award from Maintenance Staff Engineer Marc Anderson. Lahnert

Mordahl

McDowell

Belt

Leroy Lipska, Pine Bluffs Maintenance.

Retirements Scott Carlson, Laramie Patrol.

Cradle Call Congratulations to Jeremy Chatfield, Laramie Mechanics. Carlson Jeremy and his wife Amber welcomed their new daughter into the world on July 1. Brooklyn Rosemary weighed 7 pounds, 14.9 ounces and measured 20 inches. Brooklyn joins brothers, Jesse, 12, Cody, 9, Justin 8 and sister Jayden, 7.

Congratulations to Derek Zimmer, Laramie Mechanics. Derek and his wife Elizabeth welcomed their new son, Gunner Thomas on June 27. Gunner weighed in at 7 pounds, 6.5 ounces and measured 19.5 inches long. Gunner has a big brother, Stephen, who is 6 years old. Congratulations to Wayne Shenefelt, Resident Engineer in Cheyenne. Wayne and his wife Becky welcomed new son Kaden Michael on June 27. Kaden weighed in at 6.5 pounds, 9 ounces and measured 19 inches long. He joins older sister, Kobi Michelle, 19 months old.

Financial Services Manager David Stearns’ coworkers helped him celebrate the big 6-0 this year with balloons, streamers and cake.

Photo: Rick Carpenter

Welcome

Photo: Rick Carpenter

District 1

Retiring Senior Assistant Attorney General Doug Moench received a framed Rick Carpenter photo from Executive Staff as a gift. Director John Cox unveils the image for Moench.

K LIC

T IC K

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August 2014

District 2

District 5

Welcome

Jonathan Goodman, Douglas Mechanics; Eddie Hunter, Chugwater Maintenance; Darrell Perkins, Shirley Rim Maintenance; and Leonard Redding III, Chugwater Maintenance.

Caliber Duneman, Cody Mechanics; Maurice King, Thermopolis Construction; and Brett Lajeunesse, Shoshoni Maintenance.

Steven Kant, Lusk Port Of Entry – 30 years; Mark Shinost, Torrington Patrol – 25 years; and Mark Williams, District 2 Traffic Staff – 25 years.

Kant

Shinost

District 3

Promotions and Transfers Mackenzie Spigarelli, Kemmerer Driver Services

Todd Long, South Pass Maintenance; and Stefan Petersen, Lander Maintenance.

Service Awards Philip Farman, Cody Patrol – 25 years; and Larry Jansma, Cody Construction – 20 years.

Farman

Jansma

Spigarelli

The webinar-based course will be held as follows: Tuesday, Sept. 2; 2-3 p.m.; course introduction and initial assignment.

Thursday, Sept. 4; 8 a.m. - noon; problem demonstration, part one.

Retirements

Saturday, Sept. 6; 8 a.m. - noon; problem demonstration, part two.

Ty Huffman, Pinedale Patrol.

Friday, Oct. 24; exam day.

Huffman

District 4

Welcome Kim Ferron, Gillette Driver Services.

Promotions and Transfers Will Raley, Sheridan Maintenance.

Shoshoni crew 5037 repairing a section of guardrail at milepost 126.15 on U.S. 26-WYO 789 west of Shoshoni on the Poison Creek Bridge. Crew members Chase Hood, Joel Sherman, Jake Ingwerson, Brett LaJeunesse and Foreman Joe Meade make the repair job look easy.

Important The next preparation course for the Professional Engineer (PE) Exam for Civil Engineers will begin Sept. 2. The deadline for registration will be Aug. 29.

Service Awards Charles Bowen, Kemmerer Maintenance – 25 years; and Nicholas Shidner, Jackson Construction – 5 years.

Promotions and Transfers

Photo: Carlie Van Winkle

Service Awards

All in a day’s work

The instructor is Dr. Peter Martin, head of civil engineering at New Mexico State University. This PE review is intended for staff who have achieved their FET and are approved to take the professional engineer exam on Oct. 24. The review consists of nine hours interactive webinars covering the most common areas of the PE exam.

More detailed information about the preparation program: • Live Web-based video delivered directly to desktop; • All you need is a computer with highspeed internet connection and speakers or headphones; • No phone-in requirement, audio by VoIP; • See, hear and instant message chat with the instructor; • 10 minute breaks on the hour; • Sessions recorded if you miss or want to review; • Online problems and exercises; • Online access to basic FET practice manual; and • Instructor will interact daily through the course blog until exam day. Register prior to Aug. 29 by contacting Rhonda DeLeeuw at 777-4790 or Kurt Borgaard at 777-4792.

Raley

August 2014

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Awards

Togwotee project honored for best use of innovation

Photo: AASHTO

WYDOT’s US 26-287 reconstruction between Dubois and Moran Junction was honored for the best use of innovation in a medium-sized project at the America’s Transportation Awards western regional competition. The award was announced on July 14 at the Western Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials annual meeting in Albuquerque, N.M. The organization includes 18 member states from Texas to Hawaii and the Dakotas to Alaska. Bob Bonds, WYDOT Environmental Services NEPA manager, accepted the award on behalf of the department and all the personnel who worked on the project. Mike Hancock, president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), said the Togwotee project and the other award winners reflect a commitment to the nation’s future and the need for continued investment in transportation systems. “The America’s Transportation Awards competition showcases the exceptional, innovative and diverse range of transportation projects by state transportation departments that are improving travel and the quality of life in America, even during a time of funding uncertainty,” Hancock said. The 38-mile Togwotee reconstruction began in May 2006 and was completed in July 2013 at a total cost of $146.2 million. New shoulders and eight new passing lanes were added, and substandard horizontal and vertical curves were improved. Deteriorating bridges were replaced, pullouts and recreational parking were enhanced, and under-crossings built for wildlife and snowmobiles. The project also included stabilizing 17 landslides. Other winners for best use of innovation were the South Dakota Department of Transportation’s Cliff Avenue/I-90 Reconstruction in the small-project category, and the California Department of Transportation’s San Francisco-Oakland Bay

Bob Bonds, Environmental Services NEPA manager, accepts an award at the America’s Transportation Awards western regional competition. In the photo from left: Bud Wright, AASHTO executive director; Brad Olson, Oftedal Construction project manager; Bob Bonds; and Mike Hancock, AASHTO president.

Bridge East Span in the large-project category. The America’s Transportation Awards are sponsored by AASHTO, AAA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to recognize the nation’s best transportation projects. The 10 projects with the highest overall scores in the regional competitions will compete for the National Grand Prize and People’s Choice Award to be announced at the AASHTO annual meeting in Charlotte, N.C. in November. The Grand Prize winner is selected by a panel of transportation experts, and the People’s Choice Award is decided by online votes from the public. Earlier this year, Oftedal Construction of Casper won the Associated General Contractors of America’s Alliant Build America Award for best renovation of a highway for its work as contractor on four of the five phases of the Togwotee project. The project also has been honored by the U.S. Forest Service with an award for outstanding partnership to preserve, conserve and enhance the highway corridor’s natural, scenic, visual and wildlife resource values. n

Photo: WYDOT

WTDEA Walleye Derby

The 2014 WTDEA Annual Walleye Derby winners. From left: Vickie Hintze, Terry Uhrich and Lorraine Allbright.

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The annual WTDEA Walleye Derby was held June 14 at Greyrocks Reservoir just northeast of Wheatland. A group of more than 35 turned out for the annual fishing event, including six kids under the age of 13. Contestants were allowed to start fishing as early as 5 a.m. and only needed to meet at a specified location to enter their catches by no later than 2 p.m. to qualify for prizes. Three prizes were awarded. First place winner was Vickie Hintze, of Cheyenne Facilities Management, with a catch of 2 pounds, 3 ounces. Second place went to Terry Uhrich, District 2 equipment supervisor, with an even 2-pound catch. Lorraine Allbright of Wheatland took the third place spot with a walleye weighing 1 pound, 10 ounces. The winning contestants each received a portion of the monies collected for the event. First place was awarded 50 percent, second place 30 percent and third place took home 20 percent. A huge thank you to the WTDEA for door prizes and Tegan Carter in Management Services for making awesome posters! n

WHP honors outstanding troopers and service

Photo: Rugged Grace Photography Photo: Rugged Grace Photography

Photo: Rick Carpenter

Photo: Rugged Grace Photography

Photo: Rugged Grace Photography Photo: Rugged Grace Photography Photo: Rugged Grace Photography Photo: Rugged Grace Photography

Photo: Rugged Grace Photography

Photo: Rugged Grace Photography Photo: Rugged Grace Photography

Photo: Rugged Grace Photography

Annually, the WHP honors top divisions, districts, individual troopers and Port of Entry officers for outstanding work in the field and going above and beyond the call of duty. The Meritorious Conduct Award was given to Trooper Jason Sawdon. The Distinguished Service medal was presented to Trooper Daniel Walker and the Luke Schauland Medal of Life was awarded to Trooper Dan White. Along with the medals, many other awards honored those who were â&#x20AC;&#x153;topsâ&#x20AC;? in the categories of Trooper, Port of Entry Officer, District, Division, Port of Entry, Commercial Vehicle Speed Enforcement, Crash Citations, Child Restraint and Division Child Restraint, Occupant Restraint and Division Occupant Restraint, Criminal Interdiction, Safety Presentations, Inspector, DWUI Enforcement and DWUI Division. n

August 2014

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Passings Howard Heiduck

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Highway Patrol retiree Lt. Howard Heiduck, 90, of Cheyenne, died June 18. Heiduck signed on with the Patrol in 1951 and was initially posted in Sheridan. He subsequently transferred to Torrington, and in 1962, he was Heiduck promoted to sergeant and moved to Cheyenne as supervisor of Division A. Heiduck received a second promotion, to lieutenant, in 1967. One of the highlights of his Highway Patrol career was serving as chauffeur for Gov. Stan Hathaway. Following his retirement from the Patrol at the end of 1978, he worked as a civil deputy with the Laramie County Sheriff ’s Department and then as a security officer for the federal court system in Cheyenne. In total, he served 38 years in law enforcement. Heiduck, a native of Cleveland, joined the Merchant Marines in 1942 and while in the Mediterranean Theatre, his ship was attached to the U.S. 5th Army. During his service, he was awarded the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Pacific Bars, as well as the Merchant Marine Award. His affiliations were numerous, including the Wyoming Highway Patrol Association, Wyoming Peace Officers Association, American Legion, VFW, Masonic Lodge and Shrine Club. He also had been a volunteer with the Torrington Fire Department and the Cheyenne Botanic Garden A memorial service for Heiduck was conducted June 24 in Cheyenne.

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August 2014

Extra Mile

AWARDS

Congratulations to our June recipients!

WYDOT salutes the following Director’s Extra Mile Award recipients. The award is presented to individuals who have traveled the “extra mile” in service to WYDOT. Cori Hastings Elena Mondragon Justin Fehlberg Raymond Neal Dave Hammond Greg McLeod Amy Lambert Suzanne Roseberry Kent Nelson John Goyen Tony Avila Ken Sharp Mike Flaim Vince Birkle Chad Varland Dawn Pratz Steve Cisco Steve Winegeart Simona Beltran Duard Dilday Guy Noel Rudy Maestas Luke Eigenberger For more information about the Extra Mile Award or to nominate someone, contact Janet Farrar at janet.farrar@wyo.gov or Mel Anderson at mel.anderson@wyo.gov.

Les Ketcheson Retiree Les Ketcheson, who headed Management Services at headquarters for 16 years, died June 18. He was 88. Ketcheson started with the old Wyoming Highway Department (WHD), WYDOT’s predecessor agency, in late 1953 as a engineer in the Bridge Department. In 1965, he was selected to become the first supervisor of the “Quality Control” section, which was formed in part as the department’s initial attempt to monitor road improvement projects during their pre-construction phase. Quality Control was reorganized in Management Services at the end of 1969, and Ketcheson retired as program manager in 1986 after having accumulated more than 32 years’ service with the agency. Ketcheson was raised in his native North Dakota and later in Boulder, Colo. He earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Colorado in 1950, and worked for the U.S. Geological Survey in the Sheridan area prior to joining WHD. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

Following his retirement from WHD, Ketcheson moved to southwestern Idaho where he and his wife Frances started a Christmas tree farm and they also tended a large fruit and vegetable garden. He relocated to Fort Collins, Colo., in 2010. A memorial service for Ketcheson was conducted June 21 in Fort Collins.

Joe Molaskey Retiree Gerald “Joe” Molaskey, 84, of Greybull, died July 14. Molaskey retired from the old Wyoming Highway Department, WYDOT’s predecessor agency, in 1987 after chalking up more than 32 years of service. He had been with the Basin engineering crew since 1961 with service in Medicine Bow prior to that. He was a born in Colorado and grew up in Torrington and Cody, graduating from Cody High School in 1947. Molaskey subsequently attended the University of Wyoming and also served with his National Guard unit in Korean during 1951-52. A memorial service for Molaskey was conducted July 18 in Greybull.

Summer fishing? Beach vacation? Go for a hike? Get those photos in!

October WYDOT Outdoors submission deadline:

09/19/14

carlie.vanwinkle@wyo.gov

WTDEA Photography Contest

WTDEA

Employees gather supplies to donate to the VA Medical Center Thanks to the giving nature of WYDOT employees, WTDEA VA Donation chairmen Tom Carpenter and Sgt. Duane Ellis were able to set a record with the number of items gathered for the VA Medical Center in Cheyenne. Started in early January 2013 with an idea from Sgt. Ellis, the Veteran’s Administration soap-shampoo donation drive was set up to provide shower supplies to the veterans at the VA since they often have to buy their own. Since it’s inception, according to co-chairman Tom Carpenter with Highway Safety Program, it has taken on a life of its own. “We initially set this up to gather

soap, shampoo, deodorant and other shower supplies for vets with the idea we would donate them on Veteran’s Day (11-11-2013) of that year,” said Carpenter. “Instead, the donation drive took on a life of its own – to the point where we had a full printing-paper sized box by the middle of the January. It was suggested we go ahead and donate throughout the year. We haven’t looked back since.” The most recent donation of bath and toiletry items was gathered last month and sent over in four of those paper boxes. Items such as shampoo, soap, deodorant, toothpaste, mouthwash and other personal care items are always needed at the medical facility for the veterans who are admitted. “We need to take care of our veterans,” said Carpenter. “With our last donation, it shows that we have gone above and beyond! We can’t thank the employees of WYDOT enough for their continuing donations.” n

WTDEA State Board is holding its second annual WTDEA Photography Contest. The photography contest is open to all active WYDOT and WYHY employees. Complete rules can be found at www.wtdeaclassified.com. The winners will be selected by online voting that is open to all employees. The 12 winners will receive a 2015 WTDEA Cash Calendar featuring the new $100 monthly bonus drawing.

Give us your BEST SHOT! Submit photos to photocontest2014@wtdeaclassified.com

Contact Nick Hines at 777-4156 or Janet Vossler at 777-3855 for additional information or questions. Deadline for submissions is October 3, 2014. August 2014

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Thanks to everyone who submitted their nominations for Community Advocate! While all nominees are Community Advocates in their own right, we had to narrow down to a select few finalists and allow the public to vote on the final two Community Advocates. The winnersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; causes received a total of $3,000!

Empowers Inspires Advances Boosts

WyHy.org 800.442.2392 307.638.4200 Cheyenne 307.234.2373 Casper 22

Interchange

August 2014

Promotes Encourages Volunteers Visit WyHy.org/Advocate to read their stories

Break Time

Let’s play STRIMKO! The object of the puzzle is to fully fill in the given grid with missing numbers observing three simple rules. You place numbers 1-5 into a 5 x 5 grid. Each row, column and connected stream of circles must contain the numbers 1-5. Each row, column and connected stream of circles must not repeat a number 1-5. Sudoku players: this game is very similar to Sudoku.

Check your answers online at: employees.dot.state.wy.us, or if not able to access the employee site: www.dot.state.wy.us/ home/engineering_technical_programs/manuals_publications/interchange.html.

Hard STRIMKO 176

3 6

more STRIMKO at www.strimko.com Permission is granted for personal use only. This puzzle may not be duplicated for any kind of profit.

Retiring from WYDOT?

Name:

Or, just need to submit a new address so you don’t miss a single issue of Interchange? Mailing address: Give us your name and address and we’ll be sure to put you on our mailing list. Please fill in, cut out and return this slip to WYDOT Public Affairs Office, 5300 Bishop Blvd., Cheyenne, WY 82009. Or, e-mail Carlie Van Winkle at carlie.vanwinkle@wyo.gov.

August 2014

Interchange

Wyoming Department of Transportation 5300 Bishop Blvd. Cheyenne, Wyoming 82009-3340 Address Service Requested

DRUNK DRIVING

OVER THE LIMIT. UNDER ARREST.

Pre-sorted Standard U.S. Postage Paid Cheyenne, WY 82009 Permit No. 24