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Using tools within existing municipal systems, like Esri’s ArcGIS applications, coupled with advanced surveying and mapping technology, can produce valuable project management, asset mapping, and public engagement exhibits. These cutting edge tools can help a municipal team better utilize tools they are already subscribing to, and provide internal and public stakeholders with easy to understand visualizations that aid in the operations, maintenance, and expansion of assets. Presenters will examine the latest technologies in laser scanning and mobile mapping, maximize your ArcGIS subscription, and encourage creative thought in how to use these tools to better manage your assets.
Read MoreAnswering the fundamental question of how an organization compares to others is often not easily answered. Currently, there are no published industry sources available to public works leaders focused on this information for all public works disciplines. An APWA Public Works Leadership Fellows (PWLF) and member of the Leadership and Management Committee (LMC), as well as an APWA Public Works Executive (PWE) will discuss and identify the Committee’s efforts in bridging this gap. The discussion will center on the LMC’s collection and development of a benchmark databased to be used by APWA members of available benchmarks and standards for public works related activities and services.
Read MoreThe Skunk Creek Landfill served portions of the City of Phoenix disposal needs from the 1970’s until 2005. This landfill is located on almost 640 acres and is divided into 4 quadrants that are separated by the ephemeral Skunk Creek Wash and Happy Valley Road. Portions of the landfill (Cells 1, 2 and 3) predate Subtitle D and were constructed without flexible membrane liners. Cells 4, 5 and 6 were constructed with HDPE/GCL liners and a leachate collection system. Since opening in the 1970’s, residential, small businesses, Department of Corrections, a city park, and a local high school have moved into the neighborhood. The Gas Collection and Control System includes 269 LFG wells, 100 sumps and four flares located in two separate flare stations. The two flare stations are located almost one mile apart. The Flare Station 2 services the oldest portion of the landfill and the methane content and flow are decreasing as the waste ages. City of Phoenix staff working with our gas consultant began investigating various options to accommodate the declining gas flow and methane content. The solutions included: intermittent Flare operation; supplemental propane; granular, activated carbon absorption to control odors; and jumper header. This solution will save the City of Phoenix over $4 million dollars in expense and operations and maintenance over a 10-year period.
Read MoreOne of the highest risks to the Federal Highway Administration and state departments of transportation is expenditure of federal transportation funds by local governments, due to the complex requirements for such expenditures and the lack of experience of local government with these requirements. Failure to properly follow all federal requirements for implementation of federally funded transportation projects can result in withdrawal of all federal funds for the project and make the state department of transportation, and consequently the local government, liable for refunding expended federal dollars and funding the entire project with state or local dollars. The Federal Funds Exchange process allows local governments to follow project delivery processes with which they are familiar and alleviate most of the risks involved with expenditure of federal transportation funds for all levels of government involved. Thirteen states currently practice Federal Funds Exchange. Many more states and local governments could benefit from this practice. This session seeks to familiarize more local governments with the practice (some local governments may not even know their state allows Federal Funds Exchange) and provide them with knowledge to be able to discuss the practice with their state departments of transportation to determine if it would be beneficial to their state and local transportation funding programs.
Read MoreThe world of data science is expanding at an exponential rate. The Port of San Diego has begun to utilize Power BI for data visualization tools to communicate progress on capital projects. Integration of Power Bi with enterprise software systems provides a customizable web-based view of project data analytics tool that offers a more user-friendly status review and reporting experience. Data is mined directly from two key software systems rather than digested through exports and reformatting. Find out how important easy visual reporting is to leadership, how sharing more improves confidence, and how you can start creating your own. Power BI makes it possible to quickly create visual measures to share with key stakeholders. During this session, a hands-on demonstration will take mundane data to visually pleasing dashboard in no time.
Read MoreThe City of Loveland (COL) and City of Fort Collins’ (COFC) jointly pursued the creation the Northern Colorado Law Enforcement Training Center (NCLETC), forming an inter-governmental agreement (IGA) to manage the design, construction, and operation of the facility and contributing 50% of the funds to the project. The core project team included one project manager from COL and COFC, and one representative of the COL and COFC Police Departments (Project Team). The Project Team selected an architect responsible for developing a program, site masterplan, and designing the first phase of the facility. This process began in 2017 and was completed in late 2019. In early 2019, the project team selected a general contractor under a Construction Manager at Risk delivery model. In mid-2019, the project team brought in Ditesco to act as a third-party Owner’s Representative. The final design consisted of an 8,000sf LEED-certified administration building, 50-yard firing range, 1.4-mile driving track, and 5-acre skills pad. Following multiple meetings and reviews with the Building and Planning Department, the project was approved for construction in early April 2020. Construction began with the site Civil package – construction of the driving track and skills pad. Significant earth-moving activities and soil treatment was required prior to concrete placement due to the existing soil conditions on the site. Prior to concrete placement, the project hosted the police department driving instructors at the site to verify the driving track grades. The driving instructors raised significant safety concerns with the driving track as they felt the design grades were too steep. This is an example of a recurring gap that occurred between the specialty architect and the end user – ultimate understanding of what was desired versus what was designed. The track was quickly redesigned to meet the police department needs. This approach continued throughout construction.
Read MorePost-pandemic, cities are struggling to operate virtually and the benefits of Smart City technology are even more apparent, and the need to fully virtualize critical functions is upon us. Some are investing into critical infrastructure–towers, servers, fiber–enabling communications and communities to stay connected. The need to bridge the digital divide, expand 5G, and develop applications to enable the economy, enhance virtual, mobile networks and create new approaches to resiliency is increasing. Adding new layers of redundancy, and most importantly, re-configuring public works systems to operate “virtually everything – virtually.”
Read More85% of water utilities are owned or controlled by municipalities and fall under the public works departments. PVC pipe is a major asset they manage. PVC pipe was introduced in North America in 1951, using a tin stabilizer and as a corrosion-proof piping solution and was commercially introduced into the U.S. public works market in the early 1960’s. Corrosion resistant, easy to install, low break rates, and cost competitive to existing water, sewer, and irrigation piping products, PVC pipe was quickly adopted by many communities. Today, over 40,000 North American water utilities use PVC pipe, and more than one million miles are in service – or about 78% of all new drinking water distribution pipes installed on the continent and these utilities are developing asset management plans and updating accounting’s pipe service life and asking “How long are these pipes going to last?” The initial design standards for PVC were based on the results of long term, steady state pressure regression tests and if the pipe did not experience significant cyclic pressure amplitudes, this design approach worked and is the basis for PVC pipe pressure ratings today (AWWA C900 and C905). Researchers discovered that PVC pipe had two distinct lives, one based on steady state conditions and the other based on cyclic (fatigue) conditions where frequent opening and closing of valves created transient conditions. Laboratory tests confirm that the fatigue mode of failure remains a possibility and the procedures for computing the number of cycles to failure for a given stress history has been well documented in literature. However, these studies were mostly developed based on lab test results, mostly driven by a single transient source. Fatigue analysis by using field monitoring data from pressure sensors under actual operating conditions are more accurate, yet complex. This presentation reviews a new methodology with real in-field examples of determining the RUL of PVC water pipes in service.
Read MoreCity and County engineers often receive requests, complaints, and suggestions from citizens about traffic safety (new pedestrian crossing warning technology, intelligent transportation systems, bikeable/walkable communities). The 2018 APWA Exceptional Performance in Journalism-awarded guidebook provides local agency staff with a best-practice approach to positively addressing citizens’ common requests for traffic safety concerns without just saying “no.” The guidebook offers practical, easy to use tips on listening to citizens and having an open dialogue to identify the core problem while engaging citizens in the process and apprising them of the plan of action. Although the document was developed using guidance and firsthand experience from Minnesota local agencies, the methods and message is applicable to agencies, regardless of size, across the nation.
Read MorePublic works operations and maintenance staff excel when routines and standard procedures are in place, but public works rarely has the luxury of working without unexpected disruptions. The panel discusses operations…
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