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Using liquids in your winter maintenance operations has several benefits. Agencies have found that their total use of materials, particularly salt, has been significantly reduced. In addition, using liquids provides significant cost savings, and experience has shown that use of liquids provides better safety and improved levels of service than more traditional approaches. The speaker will examine the new ways in which liquids are being used in winter operations today. These methods include blending liquids, where small amounts of enhancing liquids are added to a base salt brine. The speaker will also discuss the use of liquid only routes, where agencies have had great success using liquids not only before the storm but also all through the storm. Finally, the speaker will discuss how liquids can be used with solids to handle difficult accumulations of snow and ice.
Read MoreDo your suppliers or contractors fall short of expectations? Do you feel trapped in relationships with poor-performing suppliers due to low-bid requirements? Are your operations affected by reoccurring supplier/contactor issues? The key to having a Ready and Resilient public works operation is knowing you will have what you need to get the job done when you need it. This can often be a unique challenge in the public sector as low-bid procurement requirements can result in relationships with vendors who oversell and underperform. The Maintenance Support Team at the North Texas Tollway Authority has tried various ways to address these issues and improve supplier relationships to ensure they are always ready to respond. This session will cover the development and use of a basic vendor scorecard that aids in expectation communications, supplier accountability, and documentation to support issue escalation when necessary to improve the supplier relationship.
Read MoreDigital maps have changed the way we drive, locate a store, or even choose a restaurant. Multi-layer GIS (geographic information system) maps are also transforming how government agencies plan and manage their infrastructure assets, report information to stakeholders, and communicate with the public. With real-world examples from city, county, and state transportation agencies, this session demonstrates how to use GIS maps to improve decision-making, performance, and operational efficiency to deliver safer longer-lasting infrastructure.
Read MoreSince 2014 the City of Olathe has built an accurate inventory, complete with condition assessment and tracking of maintenance tasks. They’ve developed methods using Pipeline Assessment and Certification Program (PACP) pipe inspections captured using WinCan VX to develop an Overall Condition Index (OCI). We also developed Consequence of Failure (CoF) criteria and minimum acceptable conditions for gravity pipes as a part of a sewer master plan. Together, OCI and CoF have allowed the city to model the business risk exposure (BRE) associated with the gravity sewer mains. Over the past seven years, the city has benefited through the synergy of diverse workgroups, which has allowed active ownership of the data and products it produces. Engineering staff is tasked with making strategic decisions on infrastructure replacement. For 2022, Engineering justified a 17% increase in capital sewer rehabilitation funding based on the results of their BRE process. Asset management has been an integral part of the city’s wastewater modus operandi.
Read MoreFor 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 MoreInvestment in streetscape and infrastructure has a transformational effect on districts hurt by vacancy. Kannapolis revitalized its downtown in 2019, unveiling a transformed core that prioritizes the public realm, business investment, and proactive ways to incorporate new development. The redesign catalyzed activity and created new private development opportunities and partnerships, including the new baseball stadium that anchors downtown. West Avenue is downtown’s “signature street” and centerpiece of the project. The street had a substantial right-of-way that offered prime space for a linear park to stitch downtown with a generous public realm. As a result of the investment, many new businesses have opened in previously vacant storefronts, and new private developments are under way. Downtown now has regional pull and a vibrant public realm that can support business and quality of life. Kannapolis exemplifies the power of partnerships and infrastructure investment for revitalization.
Read MoreRegulatory compliance regarding Clean Water Act implementation varies on a state-by-state basis, but it doesn’t get much hotter than in the coastal states where much of the local economy depends on clean water resources. In the Sunshine State, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is tasked with implementing the requirements of total maximum daily loads and Basin Management Action Plans with the desired outcome of reducing nutrients to improve and protect surface waters. Jurisdictions are determining the right amount for healthy waters and developing plans and projects to reach those goals—which are costly. Stormwater utilities that can generate sufficient revenues to meet the challenges placed upon them today relative to resilient drainage and water quality are still a comparatively new phenomenon. This presentation will focus on emerging trends in funding stormwater programs that address compliance with nutrient regulations and resiliency to showcase more accurate and advanced fee structures to ensure equity in cost recovery.
Read MoreThe Emergency Management Technical Committee has tackled the subject of dam safety for 2022. The committee has identified public safety risks associated with low head dams as worthy of further…
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