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Due to the continuous rise of chlorides being detected in the drinking waters in the Northern Virginia region, salt reduction is needed as soon as possible. The speaker will present details of Fairfax County’s journey to successful salt reduction program development and implementation, along with best management practices.
Read MoreWith everyone’s budgets getting tighter and public expectations at an all-time high, an effective and efficient method of tracking and communicating winter operations is needed. Every agency has performance measures whether they know it or not as agencies typically track staff hours, material usage, road network level-of-service, operational response time, collisions, and much more. In this session, the speaker will discuss how the City of St. Paul has developed formal performance measures to help manage and improve work, safety, budget, performance, and sustainability.
Read MoreBuilding a truck can be a complicated process. Specifying the “right” truck can require hundreds of decisions and choices that can potentially impact each other. This session is designed to help your organization identify what you actually need, successfully manage, and sustain a long-term plow truck program.
Read MoreAll municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s) conduct various activities to inspect and maintain their system, but how many have those activities organized as procedures in written form? Over the years, Charlotte Storm Water Services developed various documents for individual MS4 inspection and maintenance activities, but they weren’t all compiled in one organized manual, and the relationships between activities and various groups conducting them were not formally documented. Recognizing that, Charlotte worked with a consultant to write such a manual. The manual organizes activities in sections based on the nature of the activity. It explores program driver policies, methods and practices, inspection and maintenance schedules/frequency, documentation methods, data metrics, and staff responsibilities. This presentation will explore the resulting manual and the process, experiences, and lessons learned in developing it.
Read MoreSeveral municipalities have developed their Municipal Infrastructure Resilience Plan, but a few have moved beyond planning towards implementation. The Region of Durham has been one of those leaders to take that next step in the Greater Toronto Area and Ontario.The August 2021 IPCC’s “Code red” warning makes it all-important now for us to plan, design and build our infrastructure with future climate change impacts in mind. Hear from Durham’s Chair of Transportation Task Force on Climate Change and the Climate Consultant, who led Durham’s riverine flood risk assessment to identify the bridges and road segments that need to be improved for present and future flood risks. This presentation will help municipal staff and transportation agencies to understand how to approach a flood vulnerability assessment considering several factors, including a socioeconomic lens, to identify and improve the resilience of the transportation system in a changing climate.
Read MoreThe City of Raleigh, North Carolina, is currently developing its own Flood Early Warning System (FEWS), where capabilities include advanced prediction of potential stream flooding and at localized hotspots, with an increased lead time for road closures, evacuation, and emergency response. Operational flood modeling coupled with current precipitation estimates from gauge adjusted radar rainfall (GARR) forms the basis for predictive flood modeling in near-real-time (NRT). In the first two phases, the FEWS system was set up along Crabtree Creek, with model calibration and inundation mapping, followed by expansion to Walnut Creek to the Neuse River. Model output is configured to produce predictive inundation maps, stream stage and discharge, and notifications when critical thresholds are reached. Results from this program offer increased lead time to notify first responders and to help manage flood emergencies within the City before, during, and after the event.
Read MoreSmall cities and rural communities have a unique perspective with regard to leadership and management. Small communities have fewer resources available to them to adequately serve their residents compared to their larger counterparts, yet the expectations are higher in small communities to provide excellent customer service. Learn how senior leaders in small communities have developed strategies and leadership philosophies to motivate staff when faced with adversity.
Read MoreSmall cities and rural communities have a unique perspective with regard to expanding their limited resources. Small communities have access to limited expertise and capacity on staff to handle various tasks. Regardless of the frequency, third-party experts may need to be necessary, whether it is a contractor or engineering consultant. Learn how small communities have developed contractual relationships with on-call contractors and engineering consultants to expand their services to their communities.
Read MoreWhat’s the difference between leadership and management? Just like the debate over whether leadership is an art or a science, this question lingers in the minds of many who can’t draw a distinction. Having addressed leadership behaviors in last year’s PWX presentation on Learning Leadership, the APWA Leadership and Management Committee now aims to define what management is and how one does it. Just like leadership, management skills can be learned and practiced to improve. APWA’s management framework defines those behaviors into five functions. This session will dive into what those are and how to implement them into your own experience. The five functions are planning, organizing, scheduling/delegating, controlling/improvising, and staffing.
Read MoreDuring this interactive session, you will learn how to be ready for the future and more resilient by exploring emerging trends and technologies, innovative concepts and approaches, and solutions that provide improvements to the provision of public works services. Futurist Sheila Shockey guides participants in a structured jam about: Internet of Things (IoT); smart cities, smart assets; artificial intelligence (AI) based asset management; cybersecurity; 5G; autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles and gas taxes; 3D printing/construction; sharing economy; impacts of climate change, extreme weather, long-term droughts; preparing the workplace for Gen Z and Alpha; circular economy; drone technologies; changing demographics; income inequality; public health; disruptive technologies; aging infrastructure, and more. Learn hands-on techniques to take home and facilitate tough conversations. Share ideas with colleagues—the future’s so bright, you have to wear shades. Jam!
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