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To meet the demand for 5G telecommunications, companies will be erecting hundreds of thousands of small cell towers–often TWO towers per streetlight in most communities. Most public Works agencies will do nothing, others have learned how to make MILLIONS from the opportunity and transform their agencies using smart technologies. Now, post-COVID-19, teleworking and the demand for 5G/broadband is skyrocketing. Installing hundreds of new towers in each city will create both incredible opportunities and unprecedented problems for public works officials. Many agencies are adopting innovative strategies to not only manage this “tsunami”, but are even partnering with the telecommunications companies, municipalizing, and re-purposing their street lights and traffic signal systems and charging for each of the hundreds, or thousands, of new towers, creating millions in new sources of revenue. Other cities have been even more visionary. They are “flipping” their annual streetlight systems from “must pays” (liabilities) to “cash cows”, or revenue streams. This session addresses these competing priorities: accelerating 5G: post-pandemic; creating resilient, critical “intelligent infrastructure”; ensuring healthy RF radiation levels; generating millions in new revenue; installing/leasing excess city fiber optics for cash; leasing streetlights as transmitter sites; improving traffic signal coordination; setting aesthetic standards; and futureproofing and Smart City strategic planning
Read MoreThis session details the experience of a large, full-service municipal public works department, the City of Olathe, Kansas, going through the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (DHS CISA) Protective Services and Cybersecurity Assessment processes. It features a roundtable including both public works and emergency management professionals as well as members of DHS CISA Protective Services and Cybersecurity groups. The discussion will have two areas of focus. First, participants will discuss specific critical areas of risk assessment, cyber security, employee safety, and continuity of operations. Specific attention will be paid to basic risk assessment principles, SCADA vulnerabilities, physical security and active shooter training, and second and third order threats to service delivery. Second, participants will have an open discussion on the DHS CISA assessment process as it pertains to the unique needs of public works, both areas of strength and opportunities for improvement. Finally, the presentation will provide attendees the opportunity to hear from all three stakeholder groups involved in this process and gain an awareness of how this free program may be of benefit to their agency.
Read MoreRapid digital adoption driven by the pandemic has altered the traditional methods for engaging landowners and completing projects. This presentation addresses the challenges and benefits affecting real estate and land departments that formerly relied on in-person transactions. It includes suggestions for working with virtual open houses, electronic notary, online title work and virtual negotiation.
Read MoreThis tech box provides information on using conversations to build trust and show transparency.
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APWA’s Utilities and Public Rights-of-Way Committee developed this document to provide guidance on locating & marking of abandoned and inactive utility facilities.
Read MoreWhen staff are limited and turnover is high succession planning is a must for a small city/rural community public works department. This panel discusses what succession planning looks like in…
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The Water Resources Management Committee has developed this resource for members on Green Infrastructure. This toolbox is intended for individuals new to this area of public works. It can also…
Read MoreWinter weather forecasts can be exhausting, confusing and frustrating. There is always weather that you have to deal with or pay attention to in the extended forecast. Forecasts range from heavy snow, light snow, frost, freezing rain, ice, rain. Chances for weather are 20%, 50%, 75%. Forecasters are not always right but our industry still has to rely on weather forecasts to effectively do our jobs. In this session, we will discuss what to look for in a winter weather forecast, tools to easily get quality forecasts, methods to increase your winter weather forecast confidence, and ways to organize and easily communicate forecasts to your staff and leaders.
Read MoreWhen approaching the delivery of local services, collaborating with an outside partner can be extremely helpful for local governments. Collaboration occurs when two or more organizations work together, sharing the costs and benefits of a project to address a need in a way that achieves efficiency and effectiveness that would not be realized by one organization operating alone. It can be difficult to determine when a project is ripe for collaboration. This session highlights a decision tool that is designed to fill this need. Working through this decision matrix will assist local leaders in determining whether the conditions are right for collaboration on a project and if so, what form of collaboration will help local governments best achieve their goals. The tool is in two parts. The first part helps communities determine whether or not a collaborative arrangement is a good idea for the delivery of a specific service. The second part helps those that want to pursue a collaborative arrangement (as determined by part one) choose among the types of collaborative arrangements.
Read MoreDelivering improvements to our communities through projects and maintaining the assets of our communities are at the core of what public works agencies do. Both represent the most significant long-term financial investment for any community. In this session experts will examine the relationships between projects and assets. The evolution of public works demands that both be forecasted and managed well. But what are the best, and most affordable, practices to explaining, managing, and modeling these? Does one drive the other? Is one more important? Are the necessary tools and skills the same? In small ways and big ways, public works agencies throughout the nation are answering these questions and more. This session dives into responses from five different high-performing agencies. Participants will hear from each and then discuss the best ways to learn, expand, and adapt from their approaches.
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