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In responding to emergencies, rapid organized actions from public works are critical. The Utah APWA Chapter Emergency Management Committee recognized the need to develop an alliance among state-wide public works agencies to provide assistance across jurisdictional boundaries. Participating agencies that have experienced a natural or man-made disaster can obtain emergency assistance in the form of personnel, materials, equipment or other associated services from other nearby agencies. Learn about the components of the Utah mutual aid agreement and how agencies in your area can set up something similar.Learning Objectives: Initiate an inter-local agreement to address emergencies across jurisdictional boundaries.Incorporate outside public works agencies into their emergency planning and preparation.Acquire additional resources to assist their public works agencies in times of need.
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Keeping your snow-fighting equipment in top shape is a continuous process that begins when the last snow of the season has fallen. This fleet-focused session provides tips on how to…
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In 2010, issues facing Crawfordsville included failing pavements, unsafe roads, high maintenance costs, limited funding, and a lack of sound leadership principles. The practice of "we have done it this…
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Do you aspire to be a leader in your organization or professional association? Then this interactive learning opportunity is for you! You will meet dedicated professionals who have held leadership positions in their agencies or companies and who have also served as leaders at both the chapter and national levels of APWA. They'll involve you in discussions about setting your own personal leadership goals and offer insight into the challenges and rewards the lie ahead for you.Learning Objectives: *You must attend the full two-hour session to obtain 0.2 CEU credit.Discover the successes and challenges that lie ahead on your path to leadership.Gain insight into what you really want by asking, ""Why do I want to be a leader?""Discover how to avoid the pitfalls of leadership and benefit from ""pearls of wisdom"" offered by those who have been there.
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Breathing New Life into a Capital City – The Role of Public Works in Successful Downtown Development
From the 1970s through the 1990s, downtown Topeka, Kansas, went through a period where urban sprawl sent all commercial and retail development to a corridor on the west side of town. Downtown residential living became non-existent. Find out the lessons learned during Topeka's journey from a napkin sketch to a public/private partnership that invested $9 million dollars into a downtown enhancement project. Topics to be discussed include the role of public works in downtown redevelopment; how to organize interaction to gain public support; the use of charrettes with experts to determine a vision; design issues encountered in replacing 120-year old gas and water mains around trolley rails, vaults, and cisterns; and the coordination of sidewalks, power, and lighting between public infrastructure and private enhancements.Learning Objectives: Conceptualize how to guide their communities through a successful downtown redevelopment.Convince public officials to invest money in downtown infrastructure.Create public/private partnerships for downtown redevelopment.
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Which is the better solution for your agency – funding solid waste services through an enterprise fund account or through a general fund account? An expert panel of solid waste professionals from the United States and Canada will discuss the pros and cons of each practice and provide examples of how challenges are met and efficiencies achieved.Learning Objectives: Discuss differences in the level of sanitation service expectations for local governments.Examine the financial challenges in providing sanitation services.Identify the difficulties in delivering effective and efficient solid waste services.
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Team Rubicon USA is a 501(c)3 non-profit with a primary mission of providing disaster relief to those affected by natural disasters, be they domestic or international. By pairing the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders, medical professionals, and technology solutions, Team Rubicon aims to provide the greatest service and impact possible. In this session we’ll talk about how volunteers fit into domestic disaster response and how you can interact with them if you see them in the field!Key Points:TR background, history and demographics (70% veteran)Dual Impact: Engaging in communities as an asset helps veterans toTR capabilities (incident management, spontaneous volunteer management, debris removal, etc)NIMS/ICS training and how we fit with local govt.Other voluntary organizations you’ll see (VOAD partner organizations) How might TR and Public Works interact in the fieldLearning Objectives:Discover what Team Rubicon is and how it is having impact in communities facing disaster response.Evaluate how volunteers, such as Team Rubicon, may fit into your community’s disaster response.Discuss how Team Rubicon and public works can interact in the field.
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The City of South Bend, Indiana, was one of the recipients of the 2016 USDOT's Mayor's Challenge Award for Overall Success for its Smart Streets Initiative. The goal was to create a sense of place and support a vibrant downtown, which included the creation of streetscapes that required conversion of one-way to two-way streets, wide sidewalks, bicycle facilities, on-street parking, street trees, and public arts. This project also simultaneously addressed utility coordination and green solutions related to the city's long-term combined sewer overflow (CSO) plan. Construction of this project required adaptive strategies to address underground conflicts and delays.Learning Objectives:Examine South Bend's Smart Streets Initiative.Review the challenges and solutions that occurred during the planning and implementation of the two-way conversion.Evaluate the economic and social impacts of complete streets.
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Lakeland, Florida, has adopted a leading pedestrian interval (LPI) phase at 25 of its signalized intersections in the Central Business District. This consists of providing the pedestrian with a five-second ""head start"" compared to motorists. The pedestrian should be in a better position to finish crossing the intersection more safely. To assess LPI's effectiveness, a before and after study is being conducted. Preliminary results support that LPI-treated intersections do result in a reduction of crashes without adversely affecting intersection levels of service. They appear to work best in pre-timed signal locations. Two pedestrian-activated push button locations showed no significant reductions in crashes.Learning Objectives: Evaluate the benefits of installing LPI at intersections.Examine the process the City of Lakeland used to install LPIs at its intersections.Review Lakeland's data regarding the number of crash reductions occurring at LPI intersections.
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The mission of the National Weather Service is, "the protection of life and property and the enhancement of the national economy". In order to meet this mission, the NWS focuses…
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