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It had been 50 years since a major hurricane hit Northeast Florida, but in October 2016, Hurricane Matthew brought damaging winds and flooding to St. Augustine and nearby cities. This session will provide an overview of the storm, its impact on the city, and a candid assessment and lessons learned throughout the event and restoration efforts. Focus will be given to the issues faced by smaller cities with limited resources and broader span of control. Learn from their experiences and take away valuable lessons about how to better prepare for when disaster occurs in your community.Learning Objectives:Assess and compare the preparation, response, and restoration efforts of small cities in Northeast Florida.Identify and evaluate how these experiences can be related to situations and conditions in your own community.Discuss practices and recommend procedures that are successful in hurricane response, including coordinaton with federal, state, and local relief and response agencies.
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Utility companies are using directional drilling as the preferred method for installing cables, pipelines, conduit, and sewers in urban and suburban communities. Directional drilling can significantly reduce impacts on existing infrastructure, reducing the need for roadway restoration and relocation of other utilities. But there can be significant environmental issues if proper monitoring and contingency plans are not in place. This method uses bentonite and polymer in the drilling mud to lubricate the pipe and stabilize the drilling path. Bentonite can be extremely damaging to wetland, river and creek ecosystems. This session will discuss approaches for identification, containment, and clean-up.Learning Objectives:Create contingency plans for directional drilling projects.Identify, contain, and clean-up inadvertent releases from directional drilling.Design, install, and inspect best management practices used in directional drilling.
Read MoreEffective Utility Management (EUM) is a widely recognized water utility management program, developed by sector leaders, based around Ten Key Management Areas of an Effectively Managed Utility and Five Keys to Management Success. EUM is simple, actionable, and affordable – it helps you protect your infrastructure investments and ensure that your workforce is able to address the challenges that they face every day.
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A leading attorney in MN recently reviewed a sample of maintenance policies and discussed their strengths and weaknesses at our road salt symposium. This caused quite a stir and set…
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The City of Pickerington, Ohio, used a multi-faceted approach for public outreach for its $8 million upgrade to the State Route 6 project. This roadway carries well over 50,000 vehicles per day and serves as the primary freeway access for the majority of the city's 45,000 residents. Regular lane closures, new medians, drainage improvements and roadway surfacing were all expected to cause major headaches for motorists and businesses. Learn how the City was able to develop supporters for the project within the community who, in turn, used social media to share the information the City was providing and expressed excitement for the coming changes. The City was able to maintain continued public support for the duration of the project despite several major unforeseen challenges.Learning Objectives: Plan a multi-faceted public relations program for public works projects.Achieve public buy-in and support for a project before it even begins.Maintain public buy-in and support for a project during chaotic construction activities.
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Each garage across the United States hosts its own unique struggle when it comes to snow removal. Variables like road composite, plow speed, and road conditions vary from lane to…
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Sometimes relationships sour, and you know it is time to move on. But often the best course of action in a dysfunctional work family is unclear. Talented public works leaders have options, but figuring out what is right for you and your family, especially while still navigating an unhealthy workplace dynamic, can be very challenging. This presentation will offer advice and tips for surviving and thriving in a difficult work environment. We'll also discuss the best options for ""breaking up"" with your workplace, including anticipating, preparing for, and reacting to being laid off or fired.Learning Objectives:Know when their workplace relationships are ""on the ropes""Discover ways to improve a dysfunctional workplace.Handle a layoff or termination with grace and dignity.
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The Center for Sustainability (C4S) hosts a roundtable discussion on the challenges, solutions and resources that can help communities develop a comprehensive sustainability plan for winter road maintenance including materials…
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This session is designed to provide tools and insights to people responsible for managing pavement networks – roads, parking lots, and airfields. In this session, you will learn about the capabilities of the PAVERA""A Sustainment Management System and future development direction. You will hear from a city that is using PAVERA""A to direct its pavement management efforts and learn from their experiences. There will also be a presentation on a full implementation of PAVERA""A at the FBI Academy that will include the use of GIS mapping and mobile technologies to facilitate data collection in a secure area – as well as work planning data that is assisting the Academy in advocating for funding. Time will be provided during and after the session to interact with the speakers and get answers to your questions.Learning Objectives: Receive an introduction and development updates to the USACE PAVERa Sustainment Management SystemExplore how GIS mapping and mobile technologies can be used for data integration.Prioritize pavement maintenance based on measurable data.
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Two maintenance workers for the City of Olympia wanted to build an automated valve-turner that would save money, increase efficiency, and reduce repetitive motion injuries. The lead worker took a risk on the idea and, with management support, he managed the team's workloads and schedules and gave the workers the resources to build and test their idea. Learn how the lead w5orker was able to manage concerns from other employees, keep the whole team motivated, and encourage creativity and innovation. In the end, these workers won the APWA Washington Chapter's 2016 award for ""Achieving Dreams through Empowered Public Works Teams.""Learning Objectives: Create an environment where maintenance workers are empowered to innovate.Manage workload and schedules so that corrective and preventive maintenance goals are met.Communicate successes and failures with management to gain support.
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