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For decades now, local governments have relied on service requests initiated by the public and internal staff to identify urgent deficiencies. There has been an ongoing transition in the public sector from emails and paper-based service requests to digital service desks and asset management systems. With the advent of connected vehicles and artificial intelligence, a whole new world has opened in governmental operations. In this session, Visual Defence and the City of Surrey will present a new and exciting area of automated road-based incident detection using artificial intelligence for local governments. It uses an artificial intelligence app loaded onto powerful smartphone cameras, which are installed in local government vehicles, to inspect roads and report incidents automatically by making those available to local governments on a cloud. The technology does not require modification to municipal vehicles or costly sensors.
Read MoreProactive stormwater management for construction projects focuses on preventing discharges by incorporating stormwater compliance into design considerations. Each year small project builders violate stormwater regulations, inadvertently and sometimes purposefully, because of a lack of knowledge, flawed guidance, and inadequate project design. This case study takes a critical look at the construction of a single-family home in the City of Carlsbad, California. At the time of approval, inspectors noted potential conflicts with stormwater regulations. The developer created a compliance “gridlock” that resulted in state regulatory intervention and a critical re-evaluation of the City’s development planning and construction processes. By exploring engineer design versus stormwater compliance, our goal is to show how intentions hidden in the margins of grading and erosion plans resulted in a change to the City’s engineering review and inspection processes.
Read MoreDuring the 2020 severe windstorm (derecho) in Iowa, Des Moines lost many trees in different areas. The Public Works Department was soon picking up debris from 200,000 residents (over 10,000 truckloads in all), and with extensive damage in parks and recreation areas, it was decided to bid out the storm cleanup. With over 70 park areas in Des Moines, hundreds of trees damaged and wanting to abide by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) guidelines for reimbursement, this was quite an undertaking. Using the city’s tree inventory system, cell phones, and three parks staff, a system was devised to locate and photograph every damaged tree over three days. This information was then used to bid out a contract, where any contractor with a cell phone could easily access the location of the 300-plus trees. If available, the winning contractor may attend 5-10 minutes of the presentation.
Read MoreThe Kenneth Road Bridge has faced political, financial, environmental, technical, and construction challenges which have impeded the reconstruction of a federally-funded bridge that spans a state line and lies within multiple jurisdictions. This presentation will describe how the McClure team worked with Kansas City, Missouri, and three other funding entities to finally construct this bridge in Spring 2021. This project had five attempts at design and construction. This presentation will highlight many of the “opportunities” that the team had to solve to deliver a bridge that finally serves the public. Those challenges include (but were not limited to) SIX approving jurisdictions, F-I-I-I-V-E separate design start-ups, FOUR funding partners, THREE consultant selection processes, TWO state permitting policies, and ONE FEMA flood-plain controversy. Our apologies to the Partridge in the Pear Tree!
Read MoreWith the continued reduction of support staff and management positions in all state and municipal government areas, many public works managers are accountable for numerous areas of responsibility in their agencies. This workshop will focus on identifying for a fleet manager managing multiple areas of responsibility the key activities that they need to focus on to keep their fleet operation from going off the rails. With only a limited amount of time in a day, this workshop will help multi-discipline managers know where to best focus their efforts. Seasoned professional fleet managers, fleet managers that have successfully learned to juggle multiple responsibilities, along with experienced advisors on data analytics and information management systems, will lead this interactive discussion.
Read MoreCalibration is an important tool for winter maintenance best practices. Evaluating different materials, solids, or liquids for calibration is a standard for testing or running a pilot program. Properly calibrated…
Read MoreDon’t lose out on federal funding. Local agency federal-aid project implementation is a high risk for Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and state departments of transportation (DOT), due to complex federal…
Read MoreCeasing to provide critical winter maintenance services during the pandemic was not an option. COVID-19 tests public agencies and the critical, emergency, and routine services that are provided to citizens every day. The public works industry has stepped up to the challenges of a worldwide pandemic. In this session, the presenter will walk through the COVID-19 pandemic timeline and how agencies responded over time to safely, effectively, and efficiently provide services to their citizens while keeping their employees and families safe. This interactive session will allow the speaker and attendees to discuss what was done in their organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal is to share how everyone was able to support their agencies during this pandemic and look to the future to plan for the next pandemic…that hopefully never happens.
Read MoreInstituting large-scale changes cannot happen without employees supporting the process. As employees are charged with implementing the program, it is important that they fully understand why change is occurring and actively participate in the creation of the new process. Recognizing and engaging multiple change champions within your organization is the key to success, because the closer a change champion is to the other stakeholders impacted by the change, the greater your chance of success. This program discusses how to identify change champions, and how Niles tapped the abilities of their change champions to guide, develop and implement new and improved programs, winning the APWA Excellence in Snow and Ice Control and Management Innovation Awards.
Read MoreThe maintenance facility is often overlooked as an asset in snow operations. A proper maintenance facility can have a positive effect on staff morale and help to increase the satisfaction of customers by keeping equipment ready to go. This session will discuss real-life examples from the Town of Lexington, Massachusetts, on how your maintenance facility can be an asset when preparing and implementing snow operations. Discussion will include best practices for setting up your facility considering personnel, equipment, materials, and contractors. Strategies will be discussed as to the importance of including snow operations when considering a new facility or redesigning an existing facility.
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