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From 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 is a growing need for municipalities to improve the ability to assess and address the risks of extreme weather events that impact infrastructure. This presentation will showcase a new innovative framework and network for managing infrastructure risk and climate change adaptation. Using machine-learning and advanced analytics can drive knowledge from available data that can be used to maximize the financial value derived from taxpayer dollars for more resilient infrastructure.
Read MoreDesigning and constructing ADA compliant curb ramps should be a straight-forward proposition. Right? This session will feature presentations from the City of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, and the City and County of Denver, Colorado, highlighting aspects of their ADA compliance programs. • The City and County of Denver has completed a comprehensive inventory of approximately 57,000 pedestrian curb ramps at city intersections. The inventory includes the geometric data of each ramp and the data is being used to prioritize future programs to rehabilitate and upgrade deficient ramps to meet accessibility standards. • A construction manager from the City of Lee’s Summit will provide a down-to-earth perspective regarding the draft Public Rights-of-Way Access Advisory Committee (PROWAAC) Guidelines and how to ensure your agency can provide accessible curb ramps within geometric constraints.
Read MoreIn February 2017, the City of Independence, Missouri, adopted a strategic plan featuring a unified vision for infrastructure, economic development, and public safety. The first step was passage of a sales tax in August 2017, which was supported by 80% of the vote. This was a result of city leadership and the private sector coming together to present an innovative pathway that uses integrated project delivery. The two key pivotal projects provide connectivity to the historic downtown square from regional transportation hubs, the removal of blight, enhanced aesthetics, and multi-modal upgrades. Public works is leading the effort as the government department in-charge of deploying these improvements.
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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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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.
Read MoreLearn about the APWA Utilities and Rights-of-Way (UPROW) Committee and how to form a Chapter UPROW Committee.
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Over the past two decades, the operational aspects of managing winter events have dramatically changed. Much of this change has been driven by new technologies, public expectations, and environmental concerns. Enjoy this fascinating examination of what we’ve learned, what’s changed, and the new winter maintenance technologies and approaches that are on the near horizon.
Read MoreColumbia Water serves 375,000 customers in the greater Columbia, South Carolina, area. They were experiencing an increase in negative community and media attention due to unexpectedly high-water bills or bills that fluctuated month-to-month. Their solution was to create a program that proactively engages customers providing information on billing, meters, and water quality. The goal is to give customers the tools they need to understand the water system, the billing process, and the impact that leaks can have on their bills. They are engaging the community through videos, booklets and other materials, and public meetings.
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