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The Niles case study will present the Niles Stormwater Master Planning and Capital Improvements. The Village of Niles is a suburb located on the Northwest side of the Chicago that was developed during the baby boom (1950’s-60’s). Historically development did not allow for overland flood routes and did not conceive of the amount of impervious cover that would be built. As a result, Niles suffers from urban flooding. Urban flooding is frequent flooding associated with undersized sewers and poor drainage located outside the FEMA flood plain. After massive flooding in 2008, the Village formed a stormwater commission to address flooding in town. This program included recommendations in four areas: capital improvements, regulatory program, maintenance and monitoring and flood control assistance. In 2017 after the successful completion of Tier I improvements, the Village initiated a stormwater master plan update that was completed in 2018. The update was needed to include the results of past projects, add analyses of potential projects, and revisit the project prioritization for the future. The presentation will provide an overview of the process used to prepare the 2018 Master Plan update. An overview of the successful aspects and lessons learned from programs and projects implemented during the first five years of program implementation will be shared. The presentation will also discuss how funding was secured for the projects using grants, sales tax, and low interest loans. Finally Village staff will also discuss how green infrastructure has been incorporated in various locations throughout the town. Director Braun will relate how the stormwater plan incorporated operation and maintenance considerations. A brief discussion will be included on how maintenance management software was used to calibrate and verify the results of the modeling. Finally the results of a trend analysis related to stormwater complaints in the database will be presented
Read MoreUptown Westerville was built in the late 1800s, but it took more than 150 years before the historic district was a bustling commercial district of eateries, specialty shops, and host to special events. Having survived the Great Recession of the mid 2000s, Uptown emerged revitalized and prepared to embody its tradition as the heart of suburban Westerville, Ohio. As the Recession cleared, city leadership turned again to maintenance, design, and infrastructure improvements required to keep the district vibrant and aesthetically warm and welcoming. In the early 2010s, the Uptown Improvement Project (UIP) was launched to evaluate streetscape enhancements, sidewalk expansion for ADA compliance, bump-outs, and parklets, as well as resurfacing for this well-traveled State Route corridor. Challenges were anticipated early based on aged infrastructure and closures required for construction. Residents, merchants, and visitors were not eager to welcome the inconvenience of construction. A series of plans were diluted in favor of time, putting some of the plan’s most exciting features on the editing-room floor. Indeed, challenges were met. A major utility relocation and upgrade issue, Democratic Party Presidential Debate, and global pandemic impacted UIP, requiring several scalable actions in design, construction, and communication management. The Project adopted a strong communication campaign, with branded assets for merchants and other stakeholders to manage expectations and offer frequent updates on progression. UIP is the rare project that is highly visible amid a variety of unknown factors, including underground infrastructure that is outdated and potentially mismarked. This project was also performed where the seat of local government is located, with Westerville City Hall in the middle of a lengthy construction zone. This presentation will detail how design, partnerships, and strategy worked together in a challenging environment to achieve success.
Read MoreAsset management has never been more important for public works departments. Available tools to assist an asset management plan are numerous, but not equal.  This panel discusses must haves when beginning asset…
Read MoreLiquids 101 told us why we might use liquids, Liquids 201 showed us how we could use them. In Liquids 301 we will help you to develop a detailed case expounding the benefits of using liquids in your winter maintenance operations. There are three main areas of benefits that agencies have found when they have made the use of liquids a central approach in their winter operations. First, they have found that their total use of materials, and in particular their use of salt, has been significantly reduced. This can be particularly beneficial when environmental concerns are high in a community. Second, using liquids provides significant cost savings, and we will detail those savings and show how they are achieved. In most cases the payback time (how long it takes for the savings to total more than the costs of implementing the new liquid usage) is less than two winter seasons. Third, experience has shown that use of liquids provides better safety and improved levels of service than more traditional approaches, of significant benefit to the communities that we serve.
Read MoreGPS/AVL is no longer considered “nice to have.” Whether government agencies are looking to mitigate liability, reduce costs, or increase accountability and transparency; GPS/AVL systems are slowly becoming a staple in Public Works This presentation will take real world lessons from agencies who have successfully implemented a telematics solution, describe challenges and obstacles they faced, and how they reached their goals. The presentation will focus around three key business practices: aligning your solution with your agency’s key service level indicators, ensuring you obtain buy-in from all affected groups, and preparing your agency and resources to manage the changes that come with implementing new technology. Ensure the solution your stakeholders select is adopted and provides a good return on investment.
Read MoreIn 2020 the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services launched a project to measure and reduce the carbon emissions and air pollution emissions of a large and diverse fleet of more than 1200 vehicles, representing an annual fuel burn of 1.25M gallons of fossil fuels. The presentation will take you on an innovation journey that begins with using industry-standard modeling tools, continues with piloting operational changes, and concludes with a long term fleet producurement strategy.
Read MoreMany business owners started their businesses because they love engineering, architecture, or construction. Technical staff juggle proposal writing with billable work, and marketers spin plates keeping multiple deadliness on track. Everyone tends to hit the panic button when a Solicitation or Request for Proposal lands in their inbox. Some principals and technical staff have never liked writing, and a proposal is complicated. Marketers just want great content before the last minute. There’s a lot at stake to develop a winning proposal. The deadline is fast approaching, and what are you supposed to explain in the Understanding and Approach? Proposal writing makes business owners and staff feel overwhelmed and the task seems unbelievably daunting. Yet, all agree that winning work and working with agency and department clients is a dream come true. Barbara Shuck gets it, having spent a career developing proposals that stand out from the competition. Imagine submitting a proposal with a clear client-focused story about how your firm is the right fit for a project. Think about the ideal resume paragraph that goes beyond “has 25 years of experience in multiple project types.” And dream of an Approach that shows off “why us” and “why not them” with powerful “so what?” content and images. Effective proposals are easy to read, well-organized, and more than anything, very persuasive. In this program, attendees can gain practical and relevant skills needed to produce strong content that is well-written and stands out from the crowd. Presenters will evaluate six persuasive writing strategies that will undoubtedly help small business marketing and technical professionals. They will inspect examples, uncover writing formulas, and see how a one-liner statement captures the reader’s attention and sparks memorability. With new-found insights, your next proposal is bound to bring home the bacon.
Read MoreIn the spring of 2019, like many midwestern communities along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, Jefferson City, Missouri, prepared to face flooding. What they didn’t expect was to also be faced with the aftermath of an EF-3 Tornado. A few minutes before midnight on May 22, 2019, Cole County and Jefferson City, Missouri, began a joint recovery operation dealing with power failures, debris removal, and sheltering of citizens displaced by the storm. This effort was hampered by also dealing with the river flooding which left limited access to the State Capitol Building and other essential statewide offices. This session focuses on the engineer’s role in response and working jointly with other public and private agencies handling security, emergency response, recovery, volunteers, and donation management.
Read MoreCompacted concrete pavement is an improved version of roller compacted pavement, allowing for drastically expedited project completion time. Hear about advantages and lessons learned from the first project completed in Missouri with this pavement type.
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