Interchange September 2018
Extreme natural disasters WYDOT crews respond
Letters Thanks to our wonderful WYDOT family On June 27 Motor Vehicle Services put on a chili cook-off and silent auction fundraiser for me. They also had a 50/50 raffle going on at the same time. I want to thank everyone that participated in their own way. From setting up the car garage, making some pretty darn tasty chili and other snacks, coming up with some cool silent auction items and selling 50/50 raffle tickets and the extra helpers that took the time out of their busy day to collect money and serve the food. A special thanks to the vendors out there that offered up some free drinks and supplies: JoEd’s Produce, Swire CokeCoca-Cola and Wyoming Beverage, Inc.
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Most of all, I want to thank all of you who purchased 50/50 tickets and participated in the fundraiser! I wish I could thank each of you personally! Regards,
Julia Ray (Julz) Motor Vehicle Services
Thank you to everyone who sent well wishes and who donated sick leave during my recent surgery and the unexpected complications that followed. Your kindness is greatly appreciated and won’t soon be forgotten!
Jim Swingle District 1 Maintenance
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, Wyoming, 82009-3340. The Public Affairs Office may also be contacted by sending an email to carlie.vanwinkle@wyo.gov
Staff WYDOT Director: William T. Panos
Public Affairs Manager: Doug McGee
Editor:
Carlie Van Winkle
Contributors: Aimee Inama J.L. O’Brien Carlie Van Winkle Matt Murphy Jeff Goetz Stephanie Harsha Laura Dalles Cody Beers Sgt. Kyle McKay
Photography: Rick Carpenter
Public Affairs Public Affairs Public Affairs District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 District 5 Patrol Public Affairs
Be sure to check out the online version of Interchange at http://issuu.com/wydot.pao or click on the link found on the employee’s internal website home page.
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A WYDOT PUBLICATION
Contents
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Features 8 Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame 2010 inductee honored, at last
9 Wyoming temporary tags upgraded New tags more secure
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10 Colonel’s Commendation Award Utah man honored for helping trooper in need
12 Natural disasters across the state Crews respond to extreme events
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Also in this issue Letters.........................................................................................2 District briefs.............................................................................4 By the Numbers.......................................................................6 Aeronautics................................................................................7 Noteworthy..............................................................................11 TechNotes................................................................................14 Civil Rights...............................................................................14 Training.....................................................................................15 District news...........................................................................16 Passings................................................................................... 20 Extra Mile Awards................................................................. 20 WTDEA..................................................................................... 20 Rides..........................................................................................21 Break Time.............................................................................. 23 On the cover:
A tornado a little too close to home for one WYDOT employee. Photo: J.L. O’Brien
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District Briefs
Paving in Sinclair area
Commission awards $16 million in highway contracts in August
• $1.3 million to Intermountain Slurry Seal Inc., of Watsonville, California, for a pavement project on 11 miles of I-25 between Chugwater and Wheatland in Platte County by July 31, 2019;
CHEYENNE – Crews will rehabilitate three interchanges near the interstate 90 and 25 junction to improve pavement conditions. The Wyoming Transportation Commission awarded S&S Builders, of Gillette, a $3.9 million contract for slab and bridge work on a 3-mile section of road near Buffalo in Johnson County. The commission awarded that and nine other contracts totaling $16 million at its meeting recently. For the I-25 and I-90 work, crews will repair cracked pavement and make bridge repairs to improve road conditions. The contract completion date is Oct. 31, 2019. Other contracts the commission awarded included paving, sign installation and rockfall mitigation. Northern Improvement Co., of Fargo, North Dakota, won a $2.1 million pavement project. Workers will remove the old pavement, put an overlay on top and then add chip seal to 7.5 miles of US 85 between Newcastle and Four Corners in Weston County. The contract completion date is Oct. 31, 2019. The commission awarded Kilgore Co., of Rock Springs, a $1.8 million contract for a pavement project and bridge work on 2 miles of US 189 near Kemmerer in Lincoln County. The contract completion date is Oct. 31, 2019. Mountain Construction Co., of Lovell, was the low bidder on a $1.5 million pavement project on 5 miles of WYO 30 between Basin and Burlington in Big Horn County. Crews will remove the old pavement, add an overlay and then chip seal the pavement to prevent moisture from getting inside. The contract completion date is Oct. 31, 2019. The commission also awarded contracts for:
• $1.3 million to Reiman Corp., of Cheyenne, for a traffic signal upgrade and sidewalk and curbing project on Poplar and West Collins streets and Wyoming Boulevard and 13th Street in Casper in Natrona County by Aug. 1, 2019;
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• $1.3 million to DeBernardi Construction Co., of Rock Springs, for a bridge approach slab replacement at two bridges on Interstate 80 near Rock Springs and one on US 30 near Granger in Sweetwater County by Oct. 31, 2019; • $1.2 million to Century Companies Inc., of Lewistown, Montana, for pavement work between Riverton and Shoshoni on WYO 789 and US 20-26 in Shoshoni in Fremont County by Oct. 31, 2019; • $913,923 to Rock Solid Solutions, of Parachute, Colorado, for fence installation work as part of a rockfall mitigation project on US 14-16-10 between Yellowstone Park and Cody in Park County by May 31, 2019; and • $884,884 to Casper Electric, of Casper, for variable speed limit sign installation at several locations on I-25 in Casper by June 30, 2019.
I-25 bridge work scheduled next week CHEYENNE – WYDOT crews repaired a bridge deck on southbound Interstate 25. Work took place Aug. 21 through Aug. 23. The bridge deck is at milepost 10.78 and crosses the BNSF Railroad just before the Missile Drive interchange (Exit 10). Work began in the southbound driving lane and changed to the southbound passing lane.
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RAWLINS – Paving was performed by WYDOT crews on roads in the Sinclair/ Fort Steele area. The road going to the Fort Fred Steele State Historic Site was paved on Aug. 20. On Aug. 21 CIG Road in Sinclair was paved.
I-25 road work continued through August CHEYENNE – WYDOT crews continued road work on Interstate 25 in Cheyenne the first full week of August. Exit 8D was closed during that time. Exit 8D is I-25 northbound to I-80 eastbound. Traffic was detoured onto Exit 8B. Work occurred during the daytime work hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Aug. 9.
New web camera installed on US 30/287 near Bosler LARAMIE – A new web camera was installed on US 30/287 near Bosler in late July and is currently available for public viewing. The camera allows drivers and others to see real-time road conditions on US 30/287. It is at milepost 311.2, which is just south of the intersection with WYO 34. In addition to the camera, a digital message sign is also at the site. WYDOT continues to install more web cameras along Wyoming’s roadways, and cameras are being added as funding becomes available. The public can view the camera online under the camera list at http://wyoroad. info or on a layer on the Wyoming Travel Information Map at http://map.wyoroad. info. Web cameras are also available on the Wyoming 511 app for iOS and Android.
A new webcam has been installed on US 30/287 near Bosler and can be viewed at wyoroad.info.
I-25 Missile Drive bridge repaired CHEYENNE – WYDOT crews performed daytime bridge deck repairs to the Interstate 25 bridge over Missile Drive/ Happy Jack Road the week of July 30-Aug. 3, and Exit 10D (Missile Drive from I-25 southbound) during working hours. Construction and the closure of Exit 10D occurred July 31 and continued through Aug. 2. Work was from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the exit was open outside of those hours. In addition to the exit closure, the southbound driving (right) lane of I-25 was closed during working hours.
WYDOT paves sections of WYO 130, WYO 230 in Carbon County SARATOGA – WYDOT crews paved segments of WYO 130 and WYO 230 in the Saratoga and Encampment areas at the end of July and the beginning of August. Paving on WYO 130 occurred July 26, and on July 30 between the Snowy Range and the WYO 130/230 junction on the Saratoga side. Paving happened on WYO 230 in the town of Encampment on July 30. Additional paving on WYO 230 took place south of Encampment on July 31-Aug. 2, as well as Aug. 6-7.
Pavement improvements between Meeteetse and Thermopolis
RIVERTON – Final paving tie-ins to existing side streets and businesses occurred Aug. 20 near Sunset Drive in Riverton. All northbound and southbound traffic was moved to the east side of North Federal Boulevard. “We appreciate every citizen’s patience with the North Federal Boulevard project, and the new driving surface will provide some relief for drivers who have been driving on the old rough, deteriorating roadway for years,” said Wyoming Department of Transportation resident engineer Robert Scheidemantel of Riverton. The scheduled 40-working day closure of the Main Street/North Federal Boulevard intersection reached its halfway mark on Aug. 20 and prime contractor S&S Builders LLC, of Gillette, planned an aggressive paving schedule between Washington and Fremont avenues prior to the Labor Day holiday. The contractor applied concrete paving between Washington and Fremont avenues on Aug. 28, and between Fremont and Park avenues on Aug. 31. During the Main/Federal closure, a signed detour was in place from South Federal Boulevard on Monroe to Broadway, north to Pershing, and east to North Federal Boulevard, Scheidemantel said.
THERMOPOLIS – A $2.5 million pavement improvement project began Aug. 8, on WYO 120 between Meeteetse and Thermopolis. Mountain Construction Co., of Lovell, is the prime contractor. The pavement work is between mileposts 32 and 38.26 (between WYO 431 and the Gooseberry Rest Area) on WYO 120. “Each end of the project will be milled, including approach slabs of bridges and major highway accesses,” said Wyoming Department of Transportation Resident Engineer Kaia Tharp of Thermopolis. “This work includes the access to Gooseberry Rest Area and Gooseberry Road, WYO 431.” The contractor’s scope of work includes an inch of pavement leveling, a two-inch pavement overlay and a chip seal. The project also includes patching of a section of WYO 120 (milepost 26.2) damaged in a fatal crash early this year. Mountain Construction Co. was awarded the bid Jan. 19, 2017. Contract completion date is Aug. 31.
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Chip sealing on WYO 32 between Lovell and Emblem
Photo: WYDOT
Photo: WYDOT
Traffic on new North Federal Boulevard
Contracting crews work on the storm sewer in Riverton.
LOVELL – Paving operations on the $1.96 million WYO 32 highway improvement project between Lovell and Emblem began on Aug. 3. “Twenty-minute delays are expected during chip sealing operations,” according to Michael Miller, Wyoming Department of Transportation Resident Engineer in Basin. The WYO 32 project is between mileposts 100 (Foster Gulch) and 112.72 (WYO 32’s intersection with WYO 295). The chip sealing occurs between mileposts 100 and 105. “When complete, this rural highway will have new fence, bridge rehabilitation on the Foster Gulch, Sand Creek and Coon Creek bridges and an asphalt
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pavement mill, overlay and chip seal,” Miller said. Prime contractor is Mountain Construction Company of Lovell. Contract completion date for this project is Oct. 31.
Chief Joseph Slide repairs scheduled to begin next week northwest of Cody CODY – A $5.54 million project to repair the Chief Joseph Slide is scheduled to begin next week on WYO 296 near Cody. Oftedal Construction Inc., of Casper, is the prime contractor. The Wyoming Transportation Commission awarded the contract on July 19. The Chief Joseph Slide is about 20 miles east of WYO 120, northwest of Cody. The roadway began sliding on April 19, and single-lane traffic control over the slide area has been in place since the slide. The slide area is in the same location as a similar slope failure last spring. “Work consists of placement of approximately 18,650 cubic yards of slide stabilization rock and 273,500 cubic yards of dirt to stabilize the slide,” according to Wyoming Department of Transportation resident engineer Todd Frost of Cody. “The material will be placed below the existing roadway to construct a toe berm to stabilize the slide area.” Frost said the contractor’s preliminary schedule calls for mobilizing equipment to the project area next week, placing traffic control, and clearing and grubbing the construction work zone. The contractor plans to be working 10 to 12 hours per day, six days a week. “A night shift will start approximately Aug. 27 and continue until October,” Frost said. Frost said motorists should expect short delays with continuation of singlelane traffic controlled by traffic signals at the slide area 24 hours a day. “During working hours, traffic control will also be in place for haul trucks crossing Wyoming 296 at the borrow area near Dead Indian Campground,” he said. “This area will be controlled by flaggers.” All work is tentatively scheduled to be
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Blue Sky Highway improvement project underway near Ethete
completed by Oct. 31 except for asphalt paving, chip sealing and final reclamation. Paving, chip sealing, reclamation and seeding will be completed next spring prior to the completion date of June 30, 2019. The roadway driving surface will be two lanes of crushed gravel base for the winter. A 12-foot width restriction remains in effect through the Chief Joseph Slide.
Photo: WYDOT
Briefs continued from page 5
This photo is from mid-April when the Chief Joseph Slide became active in 2018. A $5.54 million repair project is now underway.
RIVERTON – A $14.63 million highway improvement project is underway on WYO 132 between Ethete and US 287. Prime contractor High Country Construction Inc., of Lander, plans to begin installing temporary fencing and stripping topsoil on the 7-mile Blue Sky Highway project. “The contractor doesn’t plan to remove any asphalt pavement from the driving surface this summer,” according to Wyoming Department of Transportation Resident Engineer Erik Smith of Lander. “Instead, the contractor will be working off the existing roadway moving dirt for new alignments of WYO 132, and irrigation improvements this fall.” Improvements on the Ethete South project, prior to the completion date of Oct. 31, 2019, include grading, draining, milling asphalt pavement, placing gravel pit run and crushed gravel, asphalt
WHP Total number of employees: As of Aug. 3, 2018
1,923
One month ago
1,914
One year ago
1,929
Total number of highway fatalities: As of Aug. 21, 2018
66
One year ago
96
Aeronautics
WYO 132, the Blue Sky Highway, south of Ethete.
Forage removal permits required for harvesting hay within state rights-of-way RIVERTON – The Wyoming Department of Transportation is issuing a reminder that citizens wishing to harvest hay from the state rights-of-way must first obtain a forage permit from WYDOT. The forage permit allows permit holders to mow and collect the forage free of charge through to Oct. 1. “This is an opportunity for farmers and ranchers to obtain free livestock forage in this era of high hay prices,” said WYDOT District Maintenance Engineer Lyle Lamb of Basin. “It creates a beneficial relationship that reduces costs to maintain the public roads and provides free forage for agricultural operations.” Removal of tall grasses and other plants from the rights-of-way is a safety issue as well as an appearance issue. Deer, antelope and other animals often move to highways when other food sources become scarce. This results in animals being struck by vehicles. Predators and scavengers, including raptors, then inhabit these areas and are involved in other vehicle/ wildlife crashes. Tall vegetation along highways also presents fire danger. Fires can be started by motorists discarding burning cigarettes or vehicles with faulty exhaust systems or brakes. Fires in proximity to highways can also jump across roadways and impact adjacent property. n
SkyWest Airlines launching American Eagle flights from Cheyenne to DallasFort Worth in November
SkyWest Airlines is pleased to bring American Eagle flights from Cheyenne to Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW). The new American Eagle flights, operated by SkyWest, will take off beginning Nov. 4. Tickets are available today at AA.com. “These new flights make it easier than ever for Cheyenne travelers to access one of American Airlines’ largest hubs,” said Greg Atkin, SkyWest Airlines managing director – Market Development. “SkyWest is pleased to continue our strong partnership with the communities of the state Wyoming and to offer quality air service in Cheyenne.” The daily flights from Cheyenne to Dallas-Fort Worth are timed to provide maximum connection opportunities for both business and leisure travelers. Customers will also have the opportunity to accrue frequent flier miles in American’s AAdvantage loyalty program.
“As one of the largest, most reliable regional air carriers in the United States, SkyWest has a proven track record of success in the communities they serve,” said Cheyenne Mayor Marian Orr. “The airport and air service are an important component to the economic development of Wyoming, and the addition of this service presents a tremendous opportunity for the community and for the Front Range.” Cheyenne passengers will enjoy service aboard the quiet, comfortable CRJ200. SkyWest is a leading CRJ200 operator and has been named the manufacturer’s most reliable operator in North America five times. “This American Eagle service is already being embraced across the region by employers,” said Wendy Volk, president of the Cheyenne Regional Air Focus Team (CRAFT). “Travelers spent $346 million in Laramie County last year and supported 2,970 local jobs. The new terminal and service from SkyWest positions our community to increase those numbers. Our thanks to community leaders who realize the importance of commercial air service and pledged their support.” n
Photo: WYDOT
Photo: WYDOT
paving, chip sealing, electrical work and other work on seven miles of WYO 132 north of Lander.
Passengers flying from the Cheyenne Airport will fly on this CRJ200 which seats 50 passengers, has a cruising speed of 594 mph and has a range of 1,200 miles.
THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE
WHO THINK
THEY HAVE THEIR CHILD IN THE RIGHT SEAT.
THE ONES
WHO ACTUALLY DO.
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Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame inductee
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aeronautical engineering degree he earned from UW in 1947, along with a master’s in jet propulsion engineering from California Institute of Technology in 1955, served him well in the aeronautical and aerospace industries. His professional career included research and development in aviation fuels and rocket propellants for Phillips Petroleum, where he also studied antiicing problems at high-altitudes. While at Phillips, Gose oversaw the development and manufacture of JATO rockets for the B-47 Stratojet bomber and booster rockets for the F-100 Super Sabre fighter. In 1958 he joined Thompson Ramo Wooldridge Inc. (TRW), and for 10 years led the company’s direction of the design, development, demonstration and deploy-
Photo: WYDOT
Robert Gose, the 2010 inductee into the Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame, was dealing with health issues which prevented him from attending his induction ceremony. He finally was able to have it on July 17, 2018, at the Cheyenne Airport. General Stoss, Commander of the 90th Missile Wing, was in attendance. Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame President John Waggener, in 2011, called Gose’s nomination one of the most compelling considered for induction since the hall of fame was created in 1995 under the auspices of the Wyoming Aeronautics Commission. After studying for one year at the University of Wyoming, Gose joined the United States Army Air Force in the summer of 1942. He became a flight instructor at Randolph Field near San Antonio. Later he was assigned to a B-24 group as a bomber pilot, and flew combat missions over Germany. After the war, he served in the reserves as an instructor pilot in Cheyenne and at Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma. During the Korean War, he was stationed at the Wright Air Development Center in Ohio as an instructor and test pilot, and was responsible for managing Air Force advanced developments in rocketry. He had returned to UW after World War II, and helped the College of Engineering establish a flight training program at the Laramie Airport. The
Robert Gose was presented his Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame award on July 17. Gen. Fred Stoss (center with Gose), UW American Heritage Center Archivist John Waggener (left) and board member Kent Nelson (right) were present at the ceremony. Below: Gose with Gen. Stoss and members of the FE Warren AFB 90th Missile Wing.
ment of the Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile systems for the Air Force. He also directed the flight test programs at Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg Air Force Base. Many of those missiles were deployed at Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne. He also directed development of the liquid rocket engines for the Atlas missiles that were deployed at Warren from 1959 to 1964. In 1968, NASA asked Gose to join a team to review the Kennedy Space Center’s readiness for manned launchings and flights under the Apollo program, and he was part of a team that reviewed the safety of the Apollo lunar module descent engine used for landings on the moon. The team devised an “alternative mission” condition, which was used during the failed Apollo 13 mission in 1970. The TRW-developed descent engine successfully propelled the astronauts back to Earth. Born on a ranch near Upton in 1921, Gose graduated from Upton High School. He continues to operate his family ranch near Sundance with his wife, Elaine. They have one daughter, Carolyn. Gose’s endeavors outside aviation included serving as joint chair and CEO of the Wyoming Business Council and as a member of the University of Wyoming Foundation board. He is a member of the UW College of Engineering Hall Fame. n
WYDOT upgrades to new, more secure temporary tags
dealer. With this new system, a dealer or the county will be filling out that information online, which will help make the process smoother.” The temporary tag information is also stored in a centralized database, making it easier for law enforcement to verify ownership. “The new system will ensure law enforcement has access to that information 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Lopez said. “Right now, law enforcement has to call us to verify information when they stop someone who has a temporary Wyoming tag. That means if they stop someone outside of regular business hours, they won’t be able to check with us.” WYDOT’s Motor Vehicle Services and WYDOT Compliance employees will hold training for auto dealers, county and law enforcement personal starting next week. If a person can’t attend training, WYDOT will post video tutorials and other training materials on its website in the future. n
Photos: Aimee Inama
Wyoming’s temporary vehicle tags are getting a makeover to make them more secure and to prevent fraud. The Wyoming Department of Transportation is moving from the green temporary tags to a non-destructible white tag, featuring a hologram sticker. Two auto dealers in Cheyenne will start issuing the new white temporary tags starting this week. WYDOT’s Motor Vehicle Services program will cease issuing the green temporary tags on Aug. 31. Dealers will have up until Dec. 31 to use their surplus of green tags. The green temporary tags are good for 60 days after they’re issued, which means the last of the green tags could be on vehicles until February 2019. “The new temporary tags will provide better protection for the people of Wyoming when buying a vehicle,” said Debbie Lopez, Motor Vehicle Services program manager. “The new tags have several security features designed to prevent fraud from occurring.” The new temporary tags are printed on white, non-destructible paper. When a dealer or the county issues the new temporary tags, they will add a special Wyoming hologram sticker. The new temporary tag also includes the year, make and color of the vehicle, while the current ones don’t. The new tags are designed to be mounted to the rear bumper, in the same manner as a regular license plate. A number is assigned to the temporary tag, which must match the number on the hologram. The new temporary tags also have an expiration date, similar to the current green temporary tags, and a temporary placard that is removed and kept in the vehicle with the owner’s information. Besides improved security, dealers and counties will now get their tags electronically. Instead of buying temporary tags from WYDOT, dealers and counties will log into a website and print out the placard. They will order the special paper and holographic stickers from OpSec Security Inc., the vendor that WYDOT has partnered with to implement the new temporary tag system. “The new system means everything will now be electronic,” said Kristi Pomeroy, Motor Vehicle Services deputy program manager. “If a temporary tag is currently issued and information is not filled out properly, we have to send it back to the
By Aimee Inama
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Utah man receives Colonel’s Commendation Award for helping trooper
By Aimee Inama
The incident occurred on May 31 near Green River, Wyoming after Carris stopped a vehicle on I-80 for a moving violation. After talking to the driver of the vehicle, Carris informed him that he suspected that the vehicle was used for criminal activity. Carris then deployed his drug detection K-9, Zoey, who alerted to the odor of illegal substances in the vehicle. The driver tried to flee and ran into traffic on I-80 after Carris attempted to detain him. Carris risked him own safety and pulled the driver back out of the lane of travel. That’s when the driver fought with Carris and tried wrestle the trooper’s gun away. But Phillips was able to use a choke hold he learned from the military to subdue the driver. Phillips served in the U.S. Marines for 14 years and then in the Army National Guard for 12 additional years as a Black Hawk helicopter crew chief. He also served two tours in Iraq with the helicopter crew. “I got behind the suspect, put my arm around his neck, stood up and fell back and got the guy in a choke hold,” Phillips said. “I made sure I didn’t let go.” Carris and Trooper Chancy Duncan, who arrived on scene to assist, then apprehended the suspect. “He saved my life,” Carris said of Phillips. “The suspect and I were fighting for my gun. Mr. Phillips stopped and assisted me and I’m grateful for his assistance.” Phillips said that he decided to stop because he saw a trooper in trouble. “No one else was stopping and I thought I got to stop and help,” Phillips said. “The men and women of law enforcement are the real heroes out there. I’ve dedicated my life to serving my country and this was the least I could do.” n
Photo: Rick Carpenter
Darren Phillips knew he needed to help the trooper. As he was driving his semi tractor-trailer on Interstate 80, he saw in the distance a man fighting with a trooper. Without hesitation, he pulled his vehicle off to the side of the road and put the suspect in a choke hold to prevent him from getting Trooper Josh Carris’ gun. “As I was approaching, Trooper Carris looked at me and said, ‘He’s going for my gun,’” Phillips said. “They both had their hands on the trooper’s pistol. I just immediately thought, ‘I need to get this guy off this trooper.’” For his heroic act, Phillips, of Taylorsville, Utah, received the Colonel’s Commendation Award during a ceremony in Cheyenne on Aug. 13. Gov. Matt Mead, Wyoming Department of Transportation Director Bill Panos, WHP Col. Kebin Haller, Trooper Josh Carris and other dignitaries attended the event to honor Phillips for his heroism. “You saved one person from sustaining severe injuries and you saved not only one life but possible two lives,” Haller said. “The suspect is a habitual convicted felon and we are forever in your debt.” Panos and Mead also thanked Phillips for his heroic efforts. “Thank you for the example you’ve set for the people of Wyoming,” said Mead. “Your decision to stop and lend assistance means you have saved lives.” Panos agreed. “For you to stop, not knowing what the situation was, and help is a remarkable reflection on you as a person,” Panos said. “We are honored that you offered your assistance and helped someone in need.”
Darren Phillips receiving the Colonel’s Commendation Award from WHP Col. Kebin Haller. Guests joining Phillips at the ceremony included (from left) Trooper Josh Carris; WYDOT Director Bill Panos; son Ethan Phillips; daughter Karsen Phillips; Phillips; Haller and Gov. Matt Mead.
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Noteworthy The Wyoming and South Dakota Highway patrols, the Wyoming Department of Transportation and the Highway Traffic Safety Administration met at the Northeast Wyoming Welcome Center near Sundance prior to the Wyoming Wednesday rally in the Hulett and Sundance communities in support of the National Highway Traffic Administration “NHTSA” Safe2Sturgis campaign. This three-week campaign includes Wyoming’s neighboring states of North and South Dakota, Montana, Colorado, Utah and Nevada and started as a grassroots effort to bring awareness to motorists of all kinds about sharing the road with motorcyclists during rally season. More than 20,000 motorcyclists pass through the region during the weeks of July 29 through Aug. 15. Since its inception, NHTSA and regional law enforcement have seen tremendous results from this campaign over the past three years. In 2015, the first year of this campaign there were 46 motorcycle fatalities in the region during this time period – seven in Wyoming and 15 in South Dakota. In 2017, 23 fatalities were reported – four in Wyoming and six in South Dakota. In 2017, a little more than half of those fatalities involved another car or truck. The other half resulted from running off the road, driver fatigue, risky behavior, rollovers/overturns, striking a
Photo: WYDOT
Safe2Sturgis event a success
The Wyoming Highway Patrol and South Dakota Highway Patrol teamed up once again this year for the Safe2Sturgis campaign event at the Northeast Wyoming Welcome Center near Sundance.
curb, ditch or embankment. NHTSA applauds the efforts of highway patrol and transportation departments in working collaboratively on messaging. Multiple safety reminders are used throughout the region. Motorists will see the same safety reminders on interstate and state highway variable messaging signs, banners and social media outlets. Wyoming Highway Patrol Major Keith Groeneweg spoke to a crowd of 40 patrol and highway department personnel. He said, if “we can all save one life today,” the efforts of the Safe2Sturgis campaign have been successful. n
Photos: Rick Carpenter
Students tour WYDOT to learn more about the department
The students visited the TMC, peered into a WHP vehicle and climbed up into a maintenance vehicle.
By Aimee Inama A group of high school students know more about the Wyoming Department of Transportation and what career possibilities the department has. Students with Laramie County Community College’s GEAR UP high school program recently toured WYDOT to learn more about the department and what employees do. “We held a career day at WYDOT in Cheyenne to give students the chance to understand what WYDOT is all about,” said Raquel Christensen, of WYDOT’s Human Resources program. “This is the first time we’ve partnered with LCCC and we’d love to do it again.” The tour started at 8 a.m. at WYDOT headquarters in Cheyenne. Students learned about the Wyoming Highway Patrol, Aeronautics, Civil Rights, Internal Review/Budget, Highway Development,
Purchasing, Right of Way, Geology, Support Services, Materials, Sign Shop, Rigging Shop, Mechanic Shop and Maintenance through a series of presentations. They also got to tour the TMC/Patrol Dispatch and the Materials buildings to see firsthand what employees do. In addition, the students got to see a snow plow, the state plane, the Photogrammetry and Survey’s plane, a Patrol vehicle and other WYDOT equipment. “We want to expose these students to a variety of career opportunities that are out there,” said Anne Siebert, GEAR UP coordinator. “By visiting WYDOT and other local businesses, we’re giving these students the chance to see careers they may not have even considered.” Siebert, who works for the GEAR UP program, and Jasmine Varos, high school transitions success counselor, both work at LCCC with high school students. They’ve been taking the students on tours of different businesses like WYDOT throughout the summer. n
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Photo: WYDOT
Photo: Matt Murphy
WYDOT crews respond to extreme natural disasters
By Aimee Inama
Wyoming Department of Transportation crews have been addressing issues related to mudflows, hailstorms, tornadoes and other extreme weather events over the past few months. Since spring, WYDOT crews have been making repairs and coordinating with local public entities to keep the state’s transportation system functioning and operating at its best. WYDOT crews dealt with hailstorms, tornadoes and wildfires this summer. In the spring, WYDOT worked on issues caused by landslides and flooding from an above-average snowpack. Between July and August, hailstorms developed in several locations in Wyoming. In mid-July, a hailstorm moved through southeast Wyoming, requiring WYDOT to use plows to clear Interstate 25. Crews worked quickly to clear the roads to keep them safe for motorists. Hailstorms also developed in Lovell, Sundance and Elk Mountain, causing widespread damage throughout the communities. A hailstorm that moved through Sundance on June 29 caused damage to several WYDOT buildings and vehicles. WYDOT will need to replace the roofs on the Sundance shop, the rest area, the salt and sand building and other structures. During that storm,
golf ball and tennis ball sized hail fell. WYDOT plows also were out on US 14 in Sundance to clear hail and debris that fell on the road. Another storm in the Beulah/Hulett area at the end of July brought 4 ½ inches of rain to the area. The local sheriff ’s office heard that there were campers in the area near Beulah and contacted WYDOT for assistance in accessing the area. WYDOT crews and the sheriff ’s office were able to get into the campground, but all campers had already previously evacuated and were safe. WYDOT crews remained on hand with equipment in case they were needed to provide assistance. “WYDOT works in every part of the state and is a part of every community,” said Gregg Fredrick, WYDOT chief engineer. “We are here to provide assistance and partner with emergency responders whenever we can to help people in need and assist the community in their recovery efforts.” Near Lovell at the end of July, a hailstorm moved through the community, causing minor damages to WYDOT property. Crews were cleaning up broken trees and clearing clogged storm drains and culverts. WYDOT, local government and private companies helped with
“Every year we experience unforeseen damages, which could be roadway damage, bridge damage, landslides, rockfalls or flooding,” said Fredrick. “On average, we experience $10 million in damages each year.”
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Photo: Matt Murphy
Photo: J.L. O’Brien
area for continued movement. West of Cody on US 14/16/20, crews cleared large boulders, trees and mud from the culvert. Crews have removed enough debris to get water flowing again, and as conditions dry out, the remainder of the debris will be removed. Traffic was not impacted by this slide. WYDOT also accelerated work on the new Cattleman’s Bridge north of Jackson because high water from the Gros Ventre River caused damages to the temporary bridge. The contractor brought in additional workers and resources to complete the new bridge, and open it ahead of schedule. “Every year we experience unforeseen damages, which could be roadway damage, bridge damage, landslides, rockfalls or flooding,” said Fredrick. “On average, we experience $10 million in damages each year.” n Clockwise from top left: Hailstones the size of baseballs – note the quarter for reference; Badger Creek Fire destroyed forests along with highway fencing; WYDOT crews from Laramie repairing fencing after a tornado broke posts and snapped wire cabling; and The Chief Joseph Slide on US 14/16/20.
Photo: Mat Murphy
Opposite page: (left) The Badger Creek Fire as seen from afar; (right) Hailstones from the storm that broke windows and destroyed vehicles near Sundance.
Photo: WYDOT
the labor and equipment for the cleanup. Then on Aug. 4, a hailstorm moved through Elk Mountain, causing damages to 14 windows at the WYDOT shop. Besides the hailstorms, some storms have spawned tornadoes. One of those tornadoes touched down in Albany County north of Laramie on June 6. The EF3 tornado crossed US 30-287, causing damages to WYDOT’s right-of-way fence. A wildfire earlier this summer temporarily closed portions of WYO 230 and WYO 10 in Albany County. WYO 230 between Woods Landing and the Colorado state line closed on June 11 and WYO 10 from Woods Landing to the Colorado state line closed June 12 due to unsafe conditions. WYDOT officials worked with the U.S. Forest Service to help alert the public about the fire by posting information on the department’s website and WYDOT’s 511 Travel Information website. Wyoming Highway Patrol and other local law enforcement agencies also helped man road closures during the wildfire to ensure safety and limit access to the area to authorized personnel only. The fire impacted about 20,000 acres of land in southeast Wyoming. The roads reopened toward the end of June. Crews have been working in different parts of the state on slides that developed in the spring. Crews have stabilized two slides on the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, WYO 296, near mileposts 26 and 27. Crews recently worked on the slide at milepost 26 by stabilizing the single-lane detour from damages caused by a slide last year. During this spring, more of the area began to slide. Crews also stabilized a minor slide on the switchback above. WYDOT also stabilized a slide on US 14 near Shell. WYDOT contracted with Geological Stabilization Inc. (GSI), of Grand Junction, Colorado, for the work at both locations. In Hoback Canyon, crews worked on a mudflow that stretched across both lanes of travel on US 189-191. WYDOT crews cleared the debris from the ditches and the road, and are monitoring the
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Unapproved cloud storage use By Chief Information Security Officer Arlen Fletcher, ETS Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) recognizes the utility of cloud-based data/file storage solutions and, in keeping with the stated direction for the Enterprise, has made Google Drive available to state employees. Google Drive offers many advantages over the smaller cloud storage providers such as Dropbox, Box, MediaFire and other similar services. A significant concern with using smaller commodity cloud storage solutions is the lack of formal contractual agreements between the state and the storage service providers. Without specific legal protections in place, the state incurs significant risk when state data stored on a storage service provider’s system is exposed, compromised or lost. When a state employee utilizes smaller cloud storage providers to house sensitive state data and then separates from employment with the state, the recovery of that data is at best problematic, and often impossible. In addition to the legal concerns, there are serious privacy implications when data that is subject to privacy laws and/or regulations is stored on cloud-based systems. As an example, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation may impose significant fines in cases where EU citizen data is exposed as a result of being handled improperly – and storing EU citizen data on servers that are outside the geographic boundaries of the EU is particularly risky. Most cloud storage providers cannot (and in many cases will not) tell their customers where their data is physically stored.
Civil Rights Contractor compliance
By Mitzi Krois, Civil Rights Program The contractor compliance program must ensure equal employment opportunity (EEO) and non-discrimination on all federal-aid highway projects. The Civil Rights Office has the overall responsibly for monitoring and assuring contractor compliance with the requirements set forth on highway construction projects, to included EEO, On-the-Job Training (OJT), Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), and Labor Compliance responsibilities. A major part of the program includes a contractor compliance review process, to ensure that contractors and subcontractors do not discriminate in their employment and contracting practices. The Civil Rights staff performs at least five contractor compliance reviews yearly, during peak project employment. The review includes collecting documents/information on payrolls, jobsite interviews (E-118), bulletin board posters and company employee data. If you have any questions, comments or would like more information about contractor compliance or any of the other Civil Rights programs, please do not hesitate to contact us. n
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New Gmail experience coming in September By ETS staff Over the last few months Google has been testing a new Gmail experience and will soon begin a soft rollout. On Aug. 21, you will see the option to try the new Gmail. On Sept. 18, Google will automatically start the process of migrating the remaining accounts to the new experience. This migration may take a few days. You will continue to have the option to opt out of the new experience until Oct. 16. After that date, your wyo.gov Google account will be automatically transitioned to the new Gmail experience. Highlights of new Gmail include: • Snooze an email until you’re ready to reply. • Get reminded to follow up or respond to old emails. • Reply with a response automatically suggested based on the email you received. n
Fresquez nominated for Wyoming Women of Influence award
Photo: WYDOT
TechNotes
To reduce potential privacy and legal risks to the state, ETS blocked all access to DropBox from state-owned systems and networks as of Aug. 15. Thank you for your continued efforts to safeguard the data entrusted to us by the citizens of Wyoming. Questions about how to use Google Drive should be directed to ETS Tech Support at 307-777-5000 – or via email: helpdesk@ wyo.gov n
Fresquez
WYDOT’s Civil Rights Program Manager Lisa Fresquez was recently nominated for a Wyoming Women of Influence award. Women from across the state are honored for their skills, successes, contributions, and the impact they have on their community and peers. They are celebrated for their passion and dedication. And while Lisa was not the final winner in her category, it was an honor to be nominated with such a diverse group of talented professionals, elected officials, business owners, mentors and extraordinary women. n
Training
By Amy Bale, Training Services WYDOT University’s new fiscal year 2019 schedule will be coming out soon. We’re planning lots of changes for this upcoming year, and we hope you’ll be as excited about the changes as we are. First, Training Services is working on something that hasn’t been done in many years – an agency-wide training needs assessment. Training Services is finalizing a survey that will focus on identifying skill and knowledge gaps within the organization. With the results from the survey, Training Services’ staff will be able to develop or acquire specific training to address the needs identified in the survey. We plan to issue this survey every other year, in order to be able to both measure the effect of WYDOT University workshops, as well as customize our training schedules based on the needs of the organization and its employees as we move into the future. Second, we will officially be launching a new program called the Pathways Program. Some of you have already attended WY Supervise, which replaced New Supervisor Orientation earlier this year. Like its predecessor, WY Supervise is geared toward new and emerging supervisors within the agency, and offers both classroom and eLearning opportunities. The next component of the Pathways Program is Know WY, which we will introduce in 2019. This will replace the current New Employee Orientation. While still designed for new
Photo: Rick Carpenter
New training scheduled for FY 2019
WYDOT employees, Know WY will involve new methods of providing crucial information in a timely manner and will also incorporate eLearning, classroom learning and job-specific training for certain classifications. Watch for emails from dot-training@wyo.gov for more information as we finalize the first quarter of the FY19 schedule. You can also find a list of upcoming classes in the WELL on our Training-at-a-Glance page, found under the WYDOT University logo at the bottom of the home page. And, as always, you can reach out to any of our staff members with questions or comments. n
Bad idea! Pay attention in school zones.
Checking that last text while driving.
School is in session.
Bad idea! Look both ways.
Check out that hot new song.
Avoid distractions. September 2018 n
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District News Headquarters
Welcome
Service Awards
Nicolas Candiracci, Patrol-Support Services; Kayla Deniken, Patrol-Support Services; Danielle Feldmann, Patrol-Support Services; Melissa Gribble, Budget; Brittany Lozano, Office Services-Mailroom; Andres Martinez, Patrol-Safety and Training; Christopher McGuire, Patrol-Safety and Training; and Jonas Ostmeyer, Telecom-Administration.
Albert Oechsle, Planning-Truck Weight – 35 years; Karen Goehring, IT-Financial Systems – 30 years; Keith Groeneweg, Patrol-Field Operations – 30 years; Andrew Long, Construction StaffAdministration – 30 years; Susan Frahm, Planning-Programming – 20 years; Rodney Freier, Budget – 20 years; Andy Gallegos, Highway Development-Project Development-Utilities – 15 years; Diane Nyffler, Facilities ManagementAdministration – 15 years;
Promotions and Transfers Benoit Cordoba, Bridge-Operations Design; Susan Frahm, Planning-Programming; Kenneth Keel, Highway Development-Project Development; Amy Lambert, Right of Way-Engineering; Matthew Manzanares, Traffic-Sign Shop; Steve Narvais, Materials-Bituminous; Travis Saner, Highway DevelopmentEngineering Services; Derek Weekly, Budget; Katherine Wisdom, BridgeEngineering Design.
Katherine Bradfield, Materials-Pavement Management Systems – 10 years; Gabriel Gutierrez, GIS/ITS – 10 years; David Koskelowski, Planning-Local Government Coordination – 10 years; Christine Lummis, Traffic-Administration – 10 years; and Cory O’Connor, Patrol-Special Permits – 10 years. Gutierrez
Lummis
O’Connor
Congratulations
Oechsle
Groeneweg
Lambert
Long
Frahm
Narvais
Saner
Freier
Gallegos
Weekly
Wisdom
Nyffler
Bradfield
Keel
Photo: WYDOT
Cordoba
Ken Keel was selected as the new Project Development Engineer in Project Development replacing Sandra Pecenka who retired in June. Keel began his new duties Aug. 1. n
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District Equipment Supervisor Dick Demoney presented Joey Allen his FOS certificates in General Shop and Electrical.
District 1
Welcome Rudy Batista, Cheyenne Construction; Anthony Covolo, Rawlins Construction; James Elliott, Maintenance-Laramie; Desmend Martinez, Saratoga Maintenance.
Promotions and Transfers Michael Freytag, Medicine Bow Maintenance; Robert Roland, Cheyenne Mechanics; and Gerald Thuente, Laramie Maintenance.
Johnny Woolner, Rawlins Maintenance – 20 years; Jeremy Beck, Cheyenne Patrol – 15 years;
Simmons
Donna Olivares-Braisted, GIS/ITS – 10 years; Michael Simmons, Laramie Patrol – 10 years; and James Willert, Construction Laramie – 5 years. Freytag
Retirements Photos: Merna Carver
Service Awards
Beck
Dennis Santora retired July 20 from Cheyenne Mechanics with 17 years of service to the state. n
Woolner
Santora
Baggs Maintenance Crew Leader Merna Carver shared these photos of “parades” in the Little Snake River Valley. The Ride the Divide Antique Tractor Ride began at the Savery Museum and drove to Encampment on July 21. The motorcycles and riders participated in a poker run and rode to Rawlins.
District 1 Employee Appreciation Barbecue
Photos: Matt Murphy
There was a great turn out at the Employee Appreciation Barbecue in Laramie on Aug. 15. A beautiful summer day, to boot!
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District 2
Welcome Jeremy Andresen, Shirley Rim Maintenance; Ricky Irish, Midwest Maintenance; and Timothy Sluss, Wheatland Maintenance.
Schilling
Service Awards Michael Schilling, Casper Construction – 20 years; and Travis Jorgensen, Chugwater Maintenance – 5 years.
District Maintenance Engineer Calvin Goddard presented Jeff Erdahl his retirement plaque upon his retirement in July.
Casper mechanics Robert Wiginton, left, and Brian Rushing with their FOS completion certificates. Wiginton recently completed his Rigging certificate and Rushing completed his Hydraulics certificate program.
Congratulations
Jorgensen
Retirements Jeff Erdahl retired July 6 from Casper Maintenance with 32 years of service to the state. Erdahl began his career with the department in Midwest before moving to Basin and then later to Casper. Patrick Nelson retired June 29 from Douglas Maintenance with 25 years of service to the state.
Van Frazier was selected as the Area Maintenance supervisor for the Casper, Kaycee and Midwest locations in District 2 assuming his duties Aug. 3. Frazier has worked for the Wyoming Department of Transportation since 2013, and most recently as a skilled trades manager with District 2 Maintenance Frazier staff. n
Frank Harmer, mechanic with Crew 2063 at the Torrington shop who recently passed Administrative Procedures and Rigging.
District 3
Promotions and Transfers D.B. Leavitt, Afton Maintenance.
Service Awards
Leavitt
Lewis Fall, Rock Springs Maintenance – 20 years; Lawrence Duran, Farson Maintenance – 10 years; Rachelle Miller, Fall Kemmerer Construction – 10 years; Joshua Ferguson, Pinedale Maintenance – 5 years; and
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Photo: WYDOT
Michael Crichton, Port of EntryEvanston.
Jay Nelson, Kemmerer Maintenance – 5 years.
Public Affairs Videographer Matt Groth and Jackson Maintenance Foreman Bruce Daigle working with Sam Cook of Contour Aerials for some aerial footage of projects in Teton County.
Retirements Mark Gray retired on Aug. 18 from Afton Maintenance with more than 16 years of service to the state. He began his career with WYDOT in the Granger shop in 2006. Prior to WYDOT, Gray attended the University of Wyoming and served in the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard from May 1975-Dec. 2000.
Ferguson
Photo: WYDOT
Welcome
Gray
Cherie Hauser retired Aug. 2 from Rock Springs Construction with 10 years of service to WYDOT.
Kim Jorgensen and Tory Thomas at Kim’s retirement.
Kim Jorgensen retired Aug. 3 from Pinedale Maintenance with 38 years of service to the state. He began his career with WYDOT in Thermopolis and has also worked in the Worland and Granger shops.
District 4
Welcome Michael Christopherson, Port of Entry-Sheridan; and Gary Klier, Port of EntrySheridan.
Service Awards Joshua Lengerich, Sheridan Patrol – 15 years; and Matthew Thyfault, Sheridan Traffic-Striping – 5 years.
Retirements
with 40 years of service to the state. Larsen began her career as a Port of Entry clerk/driver license examiner in August 1978. She was promoted to supervisor in 1985 and remained with the Port of Entry system when Driver Services became their own entity in 1994. Larsen left the Port of Entry and returned to Driver Services when the Port of Entry at Newcastle closed in August 1995. n
Jenelle Larsen retired Aug. 2 from the Newcastle/Sundance Driver Services office
Roger Kindsfater Fundraising Raffle Our dear friend Roger Kindsfater, who is the Highway Maintenance Foreman in Reno Junction, was severely injured earlier this spring and is need of our support. Roger’s Supervisor, Max Morbeto, has established a fundraising raffle to raise money to help offset some of Roger’s expenses while he recovers. Please help support our friend and WYDOT family member. 1st Prize Radical firearms AR15 5.56 NATO
$20 Per Ticket
2nd Prize Henry .22 Lever Action LR
Prizes donated by Sundance Kid Guns
3rd Prize 1000 Rounds of .22 Ammunition
Drawing will be held SEPTEMBER 28th
** Winners must pass a NICS Background Check to claim prize
Lengerich
Thyfault
Tickets Available From Andrea Staley, D4 District Clerk (307) 674-2300, andrea.staley@wyo.gov Max Morbeto Gillette District Shop (307) 682-3550 Brad Marchant, Sundance District Shop (307) 283-1135 Laura Schei WYDOT HQ—Maintenance (307) 777– 4482
Larsen
District 5
Promotions and Transfers
Service Awards
Robert Craft, Basin Mechanics; Tyd Erickson, Meeteetse Maintenance; and Carla Hirschfield, Driver Services-Regional 1.
Norman Mullis, Ten Sleep Maintenance – 35 years; and Wayne Riley, Basin Construction – 10 years. n
Franklin Pogue has passed all of his FOS testing and received his master technician certificate and hat. Pogue is standing with Lander Shop Foreman Bob Perkins.
Craft
Mullis
Riley
Congratulations Erickson
Hirschfield
Franklin Pogue of Lander and Tim Arthur of Thermopolis have passed their FOS tests.
Put a stop to distracted driving.
Tim Arthur, Thermopolis Mechanic, passed General Shop, Electrical, Engines, Rigging, Hydraulics and Power Trains FOS tests. Arthur is presented his awards by Thermopolis Shop Foreman Brandon Blakesley.
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Passings Willis M. Music
Willis Music, 88, of Cheyenne, passed away Aug. 1. He was born in Newcastle on March 26, 1930. Music worked numerous ranch and construction jobs before enlisting in the military and serving during the Korean War. Once stateside, he opened a Motorola service center in Gillette and worked several electronic shops before joining WYDOT’s predecessor agency, the Wyoming Highway Department, in Rock Springs as a radio technician. Music later relocated to Cheyenne to become Telecommunications Program manager in 1963. Music retired July 1, 1988 from the state with 24 years of service. He was also a member of the VFW, American Legion, and the National Rifle Association. n
Congratulations to our July and August 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.
July Waylyn Day August J.L. O’Brien For more information about the Extra Mile Award or to nominate someone, contact Katherine Castaneda at Katherine.Castaneda@wyo.gov.
WTDEA
2019 State Board Cash Calendar
$20 for 365 chances to win! The calendar makes a great birthday or Christmas gift!
Wyoming Wildlife Enjoy 12 months of photographs taken in Wyoming by WYDOT employees. Calendars are $20 each and may be purchased from: District 1 Lance Adams, Medicine Bow; and Chris Fisher, Cheyenne.
District 5 David Bilderback, Basin; John Farr, Lander; Jason Price, Lovell; and Tina Simpson, Basin. WyHy Matt Walusis
District 2 Darren Allbright, Wheatland; Debbie Herbold, Casper; Ryan Sorenson, Casper; Jay Stuck, Torrington; and Myron Witt, Chugwater.
Headquarters Holly Daniels, Robyn Eifert, Jason Fernandez, Audrey Hobbs, Heidi Martin, Heather O'Connor, Tina Phillips, Tracy Romero and Antonia Torres.
District 3 Carl “Kurt” Bennett, Jackson; and Dorothy Kizzire, Rock Springs.
The calendars are also available by emailing Audrey Hobbs, audrey.hobbs@wyo.gov.
District 4 Vicky Gearhart, Buffalo; Rex Markley, Gillette; Heath Oetken, Buffalo; and Misty Wood, Sheridan.
Don't delay! Buy your calendar today. All proceeds benefit the WYDOT Employee Relief Fund The Relief Fund is a benefit available to ALL WYDOT employees.
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Photo courtesy of Doug McLean
Doug McLean, a District 4 maintenance technician, proudly represented Wyoming by participating in the Gambler 500 Mini Bike Race in Sturgis, snagging third place.
Photo: Rick Carpenter
Farson Maintenance employee Brett Renick and his Pontiac Solstice along with friend Megan Owen and her Saturn Sky Turbo at the Rods & Rails car show in Rock Springs.
Civil Rights office employee Mitzi Krois and her 2003 Audi A4 convertible. Krois enjoys the convertible option, “making a short summer a little more valuable.�
Photo: Rick Carpenter
Retiree Mike Schulte owns this India Ivory/Harvest Gold two-tone 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air 327. Turbo 350 transmission under the hood. All scratches and dings on the vehicle are courtesy of the 1979 Cheyenne tornado.
Photo: Rick Carpenter
Photo courtesy of Brett Renick
Rides
Former WYDOT employee Dave McHenry and daughter, current Driver Services Program Manager Debbie Trojovsky, have a yin yang set of 2015 Ford Mustang V6 automatic transmission convertibles. The father-daughter duo bought the cars within a few weeks of each other.
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Break Time See if you can find the following 25 words hidden in the grid to the right: Alpine
Leaves
Auburn
Moorcroft
Autumn
Orange
Basin
Piedmont
Bear River
Pumpkins
Cokeville
Rake
Emblem
Rocky Point
Ervay
School
Fall
September
Football
Sweater
Harvest
Urie
Hayride
Weston
Jacket Answers to the August 2018 Break Time Sudoku puzzles: Solutions : 4
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n° 117330 - Level Easy
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http://1sudoku.com
P S W E E T P O T A T O E S S C A R E C R O W P Q C H C G H O S T L Y X C
I B A S I N R O W D Y K A U G U S T B L U E U E C U A O R W S F C O F E H
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H A U N T E D M A N S I O N B O B B I N G F O R A P P L E S H A Y B A L E
n° 219591 - Level Medium
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Interchange
Wyoming Department of Transportation 5300 Bishop Blvd. Cheyenne, Wyoming 82009-3340 Address Service Requested
Pre-sorted Standard U.S. Postage Paid Cheyenne, WY 82009 Permit No. 24