Video
There is a lot of interest in applying ice control materials directly to the pavement in liquid form. This session will explore in detail why liquids are being used in winter maintenance operations as well as brine making; storage of liquid materials; the systems needed to transfer liquids from storage to trucks; and the equipment needed on the trucks to store and deliver liquids from the trucks to the road. What allows them to be so effective? What are the benefits of using liquids and what are their limitations? Under what circumstances should you consider using liquids in your agency? How do we actually get, store, transfer, and apply liquids directly to the pavement? In this session, the speaker will discuss typical application rates, how those rates vary depending on type of storm and pursued strategies, and what you should expect in terms of outcomes when using liquids in these ways.
Read MoreWinter is notorious for being harsh and unpredictable. Solutions that can combine everyday devices like smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers with technology such as artificial intelligence and mapping are easy to implement for safely and effectively monitoring assets. Using visual asset data to create maps of geo-referenced and time-stamped images allows for strategic planning in snowfighting. With up-to-date digital references, activities like documenting sidewalk conditions, tracking snow removal resources, and preparing for post-season maintenance become much easier. This session will provide an introduction to using artificial intelligence to create visual asset data maps for maintenance, management, and planning.
Read MoreThe Excellence in Snow and Ice Control Award was established to promote excellence in the management and administration of public works snow and ice operations, and to promote best practices in snow and ice control removal while minimizing environmental impacts. This year, five public works agencies are being recognized for their innovative processes and operations. Join us to hear about their efforts in materials handling, equipment maintenance, use of winter maintenance technologies, community outreach and commitment to environmental stewardship.
Read MoreWe all deal with conflict in our lives and work, and most of us struggle with dysfunctional conflict. Would it surprise you to learn that many successful negotiators find conflict functional and a tool for creating collaboration? Having a better understanding of conflict management styles and tips to managing conflict can have a profound effect on your interpersonal relationships. Public land acquisition agents deal with landowners regularly who only wish to be left alone and begin almost every negotiation in a state of conflict. Learn from their experience during this session, adapted from the International Right of Way Association’s (IRWA) highly popular Conflict Management course, to help you deal with conflict in a productive manner and improve interactions with others.
Read MoreOur urban areas are growing, and our tree assets are competing for enough space and attention to thrive. This presentation will share information related to the intersection of trees, people, and technology. The speaker will share cutting-edge applications for technologies on machine learning, light detection and ranging (LiDAR), ground-penetrating radar, drones, and more related to the inventorying, maintenance, and planning for trees. He’ll also share ways to communicate and engage your community about your plans. As our cities deal with urban heat islands, flash floods, flash droughts, increased modernization, and other innovations, the urban forest becomes even more critical to the health and livelihood of residents. By embracing, understanding, and using technology, tree assets can be more efficiently managed and appreciated to provide increased benefits and services to the community.
Read MoreThe construction industry plays a major role in the nation’s efforts to protect streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, and oceans. Municipal agencies must use their resources and authority to implement compliance programs to reduce non-stormwater discharges associated with construction projects. Stormwater pollution from construction sites is often underestimated yet can generate severe environmental impacts. According to the EPA, sediment pollution causes approximately $16 billion in environmental damage annually. The purpose of this educational session will be to guide attendees through the major steps municipal agencies need to take when responding to discharges from large-scale construction sites. When best management practices fail, stormwater theory and certification acronyms don’t impede the flow of hundreds of gallons of sediment-laden water into the storm drain system. A major construction site “blowout” is a stress test moment and can be a reality check for municipal agencies.
Read MoreThroughout the last two years, many of us have faced new experiences shaping how we view our future work lives. We’re contemplating career paths, reflecting on what motivates us, experiencing epiphanies, and making changes as a result. We’ve faced a new set of obstacles that’s created an opportunity to reexamine our lives. This panel of APWA leaders will provide an engaging open discussion about their careers—how they overcame barriers, faced adaption and personal resiliency, and pivoted during uncontrollable circumstances, similar to what some of us may be experiencing today. They’ll also focus on opportunities they never thought possible through public works and how their career paths shifted and changed throughout the years, offering a fresh, broad perspective of optimism and new ideas.
Read MoreFor the City of Houston, maintaining and updating school times for over 1,400 individual flashing school zone beacons is a major task. The City must physically touch each beacon at least twice a year to do preventative maintenance, and the process can take weeks. Installing new technology allows changing beacon times during the school year to become a remote process using cellular communications. This Texas-size flasher project with built-in artificial intelligence will be the largest installation that provides connectivity between the smart device and the traveling public via a smartphone app. With no downtime or negative impact to any school zone flasher schedule during the project, the City will become more efficient and proactive in maintaining the beacons. For additional information, please go to: http://houstontx.gov/visionzero/
Read MoreIn 2019, the Austin Public Works Department launched PWstat, a monthly executive reporting meeting that provides an overview of organizational health and an opportunity for the executive team to provide organizational clarity to participants. PWstat combines dashboards, presentations, and storytelling to help leaders and staff make more informed decisions about resources, operations, and more. By infusing data into all levels of the organization, PWstat has sparked a cultural shift and helped improve performance in Austin Public Works, introducing a new level of accountability in meeting annual commitments and expected service delivery to the community. Staff at all levels, from field crews to executives, are now more enthusiastic about performance measurement and better informed. This session will provide information about how Austin implemented PWstat and how to develop a similar program in your organization.
Read MoreThe Town Creek Culvert Project addresses a variety of water quantity and quality issues associated with a failing stormwater conveyance system draining 308.6 acres. This conveyance system, composed of brick and concrete installed before the 1930s, only passed the two-year storm event without flooding significant businesses within Uptown Greenville, N.C. To bring this system up to a 25-year level of service (LOS), the City of Greenville invested over $32 million to construct approximately 306 linear feet (LF) of 84-inch reinforced concrete pipe (RCP) and 1,943 LF of 10’X8’ reinforced concrete box culvert (RCBC) in a highly urbanized core. In addition to upsizing the existing storm drainage system, this project also offers significant water quality benefits by installing several stormwater control measures (SCMs), including a wetland, the largest regenerative stormwater conveyance system in the state, permeable pavement, and a bioretention area. Cumulatively, these SCMs are expected to remove up to 250 pounds Nitrogen /year in a highly impervious watershed.
Read More