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Is leadership an art or a science? This is a debate that’s raged across the centuries. Turns out it’s neither. Leadership is a process that occurs when shared values foster collaborative relationships that lead to collective action intended to elevate (or, create positive change) in an organization, cause, or community. How, then, do you do leadership? It is a collection of behaviors, not innate abilities. It is what you do, not who you are, and can be learned and practiced. APWA’s leadership framework defines those behaviors into five practices and this session will dive into what those are and how to implement them into your own experience. The five practices are: Model the way, Inspire a Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart.
Read MoreOur industry has become too familiar with numerous reports from a variety of reputable agencies that collectively conclude with an important message: our assets are aging and the funding gap between what is needed and what is available is growing. In the State of Michigan alone, for example, the 21st Century Infrastructure Report concludes that many of the state’s more than 1,300 community systems were built nearly a half or a full century ago. Compounding the problem is the fact that a large percentage of our municipalities are not the big, metropolitan cities that we hear in the news. Another example, North Carolina, being the 9th most populated state in the country, is home to nearly 550 water systems and nearly half of those have less than 2,000 service connections. This presentation aims to find an answer to the following question: can advanced technology help small and medium sized communities address their infrastructure challenges in a cost effective and timely manner? Several key findings from advanced statistical data mining analyses of sanitary sewer condition data will be discussed, which lends itself to a unique and simple condition evaluation procedure. The concept of artificial intelligence will be introduced, and the “face recognition” functionality be adopted to asset condition evaluation. The presentation concludes with how this approach, coupled with intelligent dashboard tools, enabled the effective condition assessment of a community’s collection system.
Read MoreRobyn Benincasa has made an art form of extreme performance by competing and winning at the highest levels of sport and business. Robyn is an award-winning keynote speaker, a 20+…
Read MoreThe PPT will offer an introduction to the City of Dublin, Ohio as well as the cities snow and ice response plan known as SnowGo. We will discuss how to create a positive interaction with all municipal divisions for a 360 degree response to snow and ice events. Planning, preparations and execution of the SnowGo plan from preseason training events to end of season celebration. The PPT will also include equipment and material information used by the community. We will also share a remedy to preventing aggregate and debris being transferred from brine makers to holding tanks and then to trucks rendering the on-board wetting systems inoperative. We have found a tool to aid in preventing this!
Read MoreThe City of London uses social media to share information about winter maintenance service levels, per-snow fall, while snowing and post snowfall. Twitter, facebook, selfie videos and a webpage will help residents understand your winter maintenance plan and what to expect. Leverage local media – invite them to your works yard for Q & A and show off equipment while explaining what to expect. Snow Removal Updates on Twitter alone resulted in 275,084 impressions. Corporate Communications has reported a noticeable improvement in tone and complimentary visitor replies / comments on winter maintenance-related content
Read MoreTransportation is one of the industries hardest hit by the COVID-19 crisis. Yet, as an essential business, transportation asset management has continued evolving during the pandemic in innovative ways. The speaker will explore how public works agencies can seize opportunities to improve emergency management, workforce agility, strategic planning, and maintenance operations in the pandemic’s aftermath.
Read MoreWhen the COVID-19 outbreak nearly shut down the American workforce in March 2020, businesses, institutions, and classrooms closed immediately. California’s typically jammed Bay Area freeways and city streets were so peaceful that chirping bird could be heard in lieu of car horns. Never had residents imagined, let alone witnessed, completely empty Bay Area freeways at rush hour. Everything routine and familiar stopped. One sector, however, had no choice but to continue: essential public infrastructure and maintenance. Infrastructure improvements rely on momentum and maintenance relies on schedule, with both now challenged from staffing to safety, public works directors were forced to pivot their workforce, and quickly. All city services became even more critical with everyone sheltering in place. The COVID-19 pandemic was a once-in-a-career challenge that taught even the most seasoned leaders new rules for success. Hear from public works directors from neighboring California cities, and the San Mateo County Public Works Director, who lead their departments through the battle that was the first few months of the 2020 pandemic. What did they discover about remote working? How did they adapt their processes? What safety protocols had to be implemented? How did they manage staff who couldn’t work remotely? How did they select what and who was essential? How did the re-introduce staff to the office? Most importantly, though we might not see another extraordinary global event like this for another 100 years, what did these public works career professionals learn about their staff and themselves when they faced the Public Works Pandemic Pivot of 2020.
Read MoreThe Howard County, MD Compost Facility is a premier example of how municipalities can provide cost-effective composting of food waste, yard trim, and manure. This case study illustrates available composting technology and key facility design considerations for a successful project. The project economics show how waste diversion offsets the capital and operational costs, making the business case for waste diversion and organics management.
Read MoreHPW’s Emergency Management Program is built on the Emergency Management cycle: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. During responses, HPW provides life safety, incident stability, and property protection operational and tactical support to the Houston Fire Department (HFD), Houston Police Department (HPD), Mayor’s Office of Special Events (MOSE), Health Department, Department of Neighborhoods, Solid Waste, and other various city, county, state, and federal agencies. The “other first responder” community is also maintained by relationships. It takes time to develop and commitment to maintain these relationships. To establish trust within the first responder community, we must actively reach out to our partners in emergency management. HPW will demonstrate their response capabilities including heavy and specialized equipment (along w/video clips), traffic control devices, and response trained personnel; and discuss the importance and benefits of identifying, coordinating, training, and exercising with key response stakeholders. Currently, HPW hired a full-time HPW-Emergency Management Coordinator. Currently, HPW is in the process of issuing a UAS (unmanned aerial system) contract which includes emergency response support services. This UAS contract will allow insight into hard to reach areas that could be flooded and enhance information and safety without putting boots on the ground. In last few years, HPW has supported and responded to natural disasters including tropical cyclones and floods; planned special events like the World Series, Houston Marathon, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, VIP and Presidential visits; and supported other life safety and incident stability operations during structural fires and technical rescues. HPW will demonstrate how and why Public Works Departments are the Other First Responder.
Read MoreCOVID-19 has impacted our entire country and the world. Many businesses, organizations, and governmental agencies have shifted to working in a virtual environment or have been required to shut down to minimize the spread. However, public works operations have continued to provide their essential functions to maintain our infrastructure, whether streets, storm water maintenance, water utilities, sewer operations, traffic control devices, or maintaining government buildings, including those used by the public. This session discusses the various strategies (PPE, use of technology, minimizing contact) to ensure employee’s safety adopted by public works agencies throughout the country to respond to the pandemic. Presenters will also discuss some positive benefits this situation has created such as expedited technology usage in public works that has allowed more efficiency and impact to services provided. Pandemics and natural disasters, like hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, or earthquakes, demonstrate that public works professionals are first responders and are vital to our society. These dedicated employees have had to adjust and update how they do work, what resources they use, and how they communicate in a short period of time. Public works staff have kept working in operations while managing COVID-19 concerns and risks, which has allowed our supplies, emergency response, and commerce to keep flowing. They have also permitted residents and businesses to have clean water and disposal of liquid and solid waste, safe streets to drive on, and facilities to use. They have accepted new responsibilities and are able to adapt quickly. Public works has again shown as always, to be first to respond and last to leave. This COVID-19 crisis shows just how public works have adapted and provided necessary support to keep infrastructure functioning for citizens, users, and business in this most challenging time. Based on article published in APWA Reporter.
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