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In a post-pandemic world, public works officials will need to enhance their resiliency, add layers of redundancy, and most importantly–re-configure their systems to operate “virtually everything–virtually.” Beyond simply operating some…
Read MoreSeth Mattison is an internationally recognized thought leader, author, advisor, and top-rated keynote speaker on change and innovation, sales and influence, leadership, and the future of work. His research, case…
Read MorePublic works agencies across the U.S. have been impacted by the steps taken to control the spread of the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) virus. This session shares how agencies have been impacted and the steps taken to address those impacts. Results of interviews before and after the 2020-21 winter will be presented, which determined the impact of budget changes, furlough programs, hiring freezes, social distancing, and quarantine guidelines. One of the major themes in the initial interviews was uncertainty as to what exactly the impacts would be. It was unknown, for example, whether plow operators would be among the first to receive vaccines when available. Many had taken steps to reduce the size of working teams, to limit impacts in case of infections, but all were considering how to handle operations if they lost a sizeable portion of their operations staff during winter due to the virus.
Read MoreAccurate equipment calibration is a cornerstone best management practice for winter maintenance operations. Yet, many agencies do not recognize or understand its value. Building on the first session in this two-part series for a first-hand account to understanding the “What” and the “Why” of calibration, this session discusses the “How” to accurately calibrate offering both understanding and resources required to ensure success.
Read MoreOver 70% of U.S. roads and 70% of the population are in regions with five inches or more of annual snow. Most of those roads are the responsibility of local jurisdictions. Though lane-miles and vehicle-miles traveled continue to increase each year, agencies do not gain a proportionate increase in budgets to offset operations costs. Faced with high public expectations, environmental regulations, and insufficient funding, agencies must find ways to improve efficiency and maintain effectiveness. Advances in weather forecasting, pavement condition reporting, route optimization, materials, application methods, equipment, training, and tracking provide many ways to improve operations. Due to changes in travel patterns, road classifications, population, etc., levels of service for certain routes may no longer be justified. This presentation examines how agencies can improve winter operations using new technologies, materials, vehicles, innovative strategies and tactics, and other techniques.
Read MoreHave you ever consciously thought about how relationships affect your projects? A relationship-based culture can bring about the best collective action of a team to meet project goals. The Mile High Flood District in Denver, Colorado, developed the Project Partners Delivery Model as an alternative project delivery option to the traditional design-bid-build process. It engages owners, consultants, and contractors at the onset of a project to work collaboratively, fully using everyone’s expertise to deliver goal-based projects. The audience will hear from an owner, a consultant, and a contractor about their ten years of experience with this process. They’ll share how they bring the best value to the community through this Project Partner process. The audience will learn what they can do to incorporate some of these practices into their existing delivery options.
Read MoreSustainable, resilient, green design is not new to the public works community. But incorporating green design into the public and private sectors simultaneously has been rare. In the Research Triangle of North Carolina, the Town of Pittsboro and Chatham Park saw an opportunity to develop a 7,500-acre community in a new manner—setting the bar for sustainable, marketable, and responsible planning and construction encompassing both the private and public sector. This presentation will go into the Chatham Park green design process. It will include case studies showcasing how green design strategies are woven into the roadway, utilities, offices, commercial spaces, and even the residential garages within Chatham Park. Although the community is still in the early stages of development, the strategies have been attractive to prospective companies and homebuyers, as well as being sound investments by the Town and developer alike.
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While the benefits of green infrastructure are becoming more widely accepted, communities often encounter challenges—like public support funding and concerns about maintenance and community impacts—that limit widespread implementation. However, Milton has been implementing green infrastructure for years and now considers this part of their public works program. Their efforts not only set out to restore water quality in the Unquity watershed, which currently receives high levels of bacteria, nutrients, and total suspended soils (TSS) inputs from stormwater runoff, but also provides co-benefits such as restoration of urban tree canopy, public recreation and education, climate resilience, and enhancement of their community’s character.
Read MoreJoin the Utilities and Public Rights-of-Way (UPROW) Committee to discuss the latest industry practices, benefits, and challenges for managing public rights-of-way and utilities. The UPROW committee serves APWA members by identifying new resources, state-of-the-art technology, and innovative approaches in the ongoing formulation of public policy and local and state ordinances to manage public rights-of-way and utilities. At this session, attendees will be sharing and discussing the latest industry practices, benefits, and challenges related to utilities and public rights-of-way, including managing right-of-way and land rights; locating and mapping abandoned utilities; shared spaces/undergrounding utilities; 5G/small cell practices; new technologies in locating and installing utilities; and resiliency and sustainability planning for utilities.
Read MoreReliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) is a maintenance strategy that is a key component of a world-class asset management program. Organizations implement RCM to increase equipment reliability and safety while reducing maintenance costs by performing planned and scheduled maintenance tasks based on equipment criteria. While implementing RCM may sound simple in theory, in reality, an RCM program is only as good as data used to drive the program. Furthermore, the quality of your data is highly dependent on the computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) and underlying work order management processes. This session will describe the necessary foundational elements of an RCM program and strategies for getting a program started. Participants will hear from the presenters on how a project to replace an outdated CMMS led to the revamping of an organizations’ work order management processes to pave the way for RCM implementation.
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