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Seeking to continuously improve operational efficiency, transparency, and oversight, the City of Omaha, Nebraska, implemented status applications tracking real-time plow movement, route completion, and material usage. Expanded GPS options allow for public-facing websites showing operational status. We?ll share lessons-learned and best practices implemented.
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Discover how the winter road technologies being implemented by public works departments tie in with the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Every Day Counts and Weather Savvy Roads initiatives. It is essential that local governments and FHWA work together to plan for the impacts of new transportation and vehicle technologies on winter road safety.
Read MoreIn today's world a community cannot plan enough for a potential disaster, especially those 1000-year occurrences. This presentation provides effective strategies and lessons learned that will assist in the planning, response and recovery from a disaster as it pertains to Debris Management. We will look at debris management challenges from an administrative, operational, and financial perspective providing examples of the challenges, mistakes and learning experiences from previous disaster events. This program is two hours in duration and is elibible for .2 CEUs.
Read MoreFrom flooding to wildfires, mass shootings to hate crimes, extreme events seem to be a constant topic on the nightly news. Is your community connected enough to help each other through such events? What if there was a way to bring harmony to our communities both in the way we engage with each other as well as how we engage with our environment? Could that be the key to our resilience? As public works professionals, we have a large role in shaping the look and feel of our communities. We also have the opportunity to help our communities be more resilient. In this Dare to Ask session, we will hear from two local leaders that have been through an extreme event. They’ll lay it on the line about what worked and what they would have done differently. Then we’ll have a discussion about regenerative thinking as applied to how we interact with our community members and how we design and deliver projects. Join us for this interesting conversation. Let’s challenge our current thinking about what it means to be resilient and how we approach our communities about infrastructure projects.
Read MoreVolusia County, Florida will share how it calculates both overhead and equipment rates into the overall budgeting for maintenance and capital improvement projects. They will also discuss how to apply theses rates into decision-making for internal costing, outsourcing decisions, and billing. This presentation will be geared to non-financial professionals and will and offer easy-to-follow examples and case studies.
Read MoreThere are lots of different understanding of the term asset management. This session provides the perspective from Australia and New Zealand. Strategic asset management, as practiced down under, goes beyond good maintenance management. It provides real input, and a valuded seat at the table in budget decision-making and long-term planningby elected officials. It is about balancing priorities, risks, levels of service, and available funding. This session will also use case studies as examples.
Read MoreAs the world readies itself for smart and connected cities, lighting for streets, public green spaces, parks, and playgrounds is an essential component. This session will feature presentations from Australia and Sweden. • In Scandinavia, the general approach to lighting has been shaped by extreme fluctuations between light and dark, proximity to natural surroundings, and environmental and social sustainability. Discover how informed lighting design choices help increase the safety and security of an area, while reducing energy consumption and costs. • The Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA) has taken the lead in helping shape the direction, policy, and implementation for accelerated deployment of LED Street Lighting and Smart Controls (SLSC) in Australia and to a lesser extent in New Zealand. The SLSC Model Specification for LED Lighting and the SLSC Model Specification for Control systems have helped catapult Australia from a late-starter to a world respected contributor in the LED and smart controls sector.
Read MorePrairie Village, Kansas, is converting a golf and country club into a mixed-use development. The master plan calls for gardens, walking trails, large destination playgrounds, and tennis and pickle ball courts. It also includes 53 single-family homes, 70 duplex homes, 289 apartments, 120 person assisted living and senior care units and a 50-room hotel. The project brings with it the opportunity to improve drainage, provide more detention basins, and incorporate sustainable features. Explore how public works is involved in this complex project.
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The City of West Des Moines has combined parks and public works operations to create a Public Services Department. This has caused them to look at the city’s snow operations as a whole. Some services have been contracted while others have been retained. They will share what they’ve learned and the impact on snow operations.
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Warmer climate regions may have one or two small snow and ice events annually and then every few years, one snow event measuring 4 inches or more. But public works professionals in those areas still need to be prepared to provide safe roadways. The City of Greenville, South Carolina, combines some practical and some unorthodox approaches to achieve effective response to snow and ice events, including using their work management program. Check out their processes to see if some would work for your agency.
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