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How to Innovate in Public Works

Despite the challenges facing public works operations, limited resources and structured systems often discourage us from expanding our thinking, changing our behavior, and finding innovative solutions. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about key techniques for motivating your team to innovate for best solutions and practices

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Continuous Improvement – How the City of Ottawa Public Works Department Generated $1 Million in Annu

The City of Ottawa uses a structured framework to engage employees in a process of identifying innovative management, operating, and business practices to improve performance and reduce costs. Discover how to get started and turn ideas into reality. 

 

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Snow & Ice Performance Evaluator

The Ohio Department of Transportation developed a snow and ice performance measurement tool using live speed data combined with live Road Weather Information System (RWIS) data. They are tracking how quickly vehicle speeds recover from a snow and ice event. 

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Leveraging Public Works for Outreach & Education

Every community relies on Public Works; however, most citizens do not understand how Public Works affect them personally. By leveraging public outreach and education strategies and developing multi-agency collaborations, you can help community members become more aware of your agency, the indelible connection between Public Works and local history; and how their investments in Public Works, community infrastructure, and related engineering & design projects continue to improve daily life.

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Retroreflectivity, Redundancy and Replacement: Using GIS to Manage Your Signs and Budget

Sponsored by the APWA Small Cities Rural Communities Committee In response to the MUTCD, the Village of Fox Point, Wisconsin, inventoried all signs using GPS-enabled mobile data collectors to expedite processing and to include comprehensive information about every sign. This information was used to develop a sign replacement budget and schedule

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Municipal Partnering Initiative “No Municipality Is an Island”

Motivated by the fiscal crisis, 19 northern Cook County and Lake County municipalities have formed a new business model where they work together to purchase shared services and commodities. In the first year alone, they achieved significant savings for the taxpayers. 

 

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Toolkit for Public Works Advocacy

Sponsored by APWA’s Small Cities Rural Communities Committee Public works departments in small cities and rural communities often face challenges in advocating for federal, state, and community support for issues and funding related to critical services and infrastructure. Attend this session and get practical ideas and tools to engage elected officials and bring positive results for your agency. 

 

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Village Uses Innovative Cost-Savings Approach for Reconstruction of Residential Streets

The Village of Streamwood, Illinois, replaced full depth asphalt and granular base with roller-compacted concrete (RCC). The RCC provides a stronger base, and the village estimates at least an initial 15 per cent savings in design, and a longer service life with less maintenance. 

 

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A Grassroots Approach to Sustainable Projects While Nurturing Future Generations of Systems-Thinking

Sponsored by APWA’s Center for Sustainability Learn about a unique approach, taken by a local government and their consultant, to give senior year engineering students the opportunity to interact with public works professionals and to play a key role in developing innovative approaches to a sustainable stormwater harvesting project.

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Asset Management & Capital Planning for Underground Infrastructure

Examine the steps to creating an effective capital plan for water/wastewater infrastructure, including conducting system inventories and asset management lists, identifying existing deficiencies, determining system life, developing multi-year improvement programs, and identifying acceptable funding mechanisms. 

 

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