Public works are the services and infrastructure required to sustain quality community life.
 
In November, we celebrate Thanksgiving, a time when we give thanks for the many blessings we enjoy as individuals and as a nation. Our country has much to be thankful for. Our freedoms, as imperfect as they sometimes seem, are something we should never take for granted. If we find ourselves being a little complacent, we need only remember the sacrifices our ancestors went through to get to this land and remember the hardships people are still enduring to be able to enjoy the freedoms we have. Something to certainly give thanks for.
Something else we should not take for granted is our health care system—again as imperfect as it may be. Recently I received news of the birth of a grandchild—my first—a baby girl born three months early. There are still places where this might be at best a dire circumstance for both mother and child. However, we were blessed and both my daughter and granddaughter are doing fine thanks to the efforts of the medical professionals there in D.C. Every day as I see pictures of her progress, I am again thankful I live in this country at this time.
At our last board meeting, we adopted the following tag line as a succinct way of describing what it is we do day in and day out: Public works are the services and infrastructure required to sustain quality community life. That quality shows itself in many ways—in the efforts of health care professionals who care for the newest newborn to those at the twilight of life; in the labor of the public safety folks who keep our communities safe; in the efforts of the men and women in uniform who keep our country secure; and, last, but certainly not least, in the daily efforts of the men and women in the public works industry who care for the infrastructure upon which our great nation is built and from which we derive such a rich quality of life.
Yes—I say we have a lot to be thankful for again this year.
Sincerely,
Gregory B. Smith, PE/PS, ENV SP
APWA/AZ President, FY2019
APWA North Branch Prescott Valley Luncheon
November 13, 2018
Topic: Granite Creek Dam Rehabilitation Project
http://arizona.apwa.net/EventDetails/16377
APWA ASCE Joint November Luncheon
November 14, 2018
Topic: Potential Implications of Autonomous Vehicles on Travel Demands
http://arizona.apwa.net/EventDetails/14526
Dirt Roads Workshop - SOLD OUT
November 6, 2018
http://arizona.apwa.net/EventDetails/16013 
City of Mesa's 10th Annual Great Turkey Tuesday
November 20, 2018
United Food Bank needs our help!
Thousands of families are in need of food and, especially during the holiday season, they need our support! Come toss your turkey into the United Food Bank truck! NOVEMBER 20 - 6:30 to 10:30 a.m.
Mesa Convention Center - 263 N Center St.
Help us reach our goal of 1,500 Turkeys Non-perishable items are also accepted on-site.
Cash Donations can be made: On-site on November 20
Online at give.unitedfoodbank.org/ge/turkeytuesday
By texting TURKEYTUESDAY to (480) 800–0468 For more information, contact Suzanne Ledy at suzanne.ledy@mesaaz.gov
APWA ASCE Joint Holiday Mixer
December 13, 2018
APWA Statewide Conference
August 7-9, 2019
New Members | Name | Title | Company | | Paul Balch | Project Manager | Dibble Engineering | | Jason Elgin | Sales | Acuity Brands | | Keith Faucett | Project Manager | Dibble Engineering | | Laura Jane Fuller | Deputy Town Clerk | Town of Cave Creek |
Who's Who in Public Works
Name: Kristin Tytler Agency: City of Surprise Title: Assistant Director of Public Works - Operations
What are you responsible for in your new role? I am responsible for the City of Surprise Streets Maintenance, Solid Waste, Fleet, and Facilities operations. How long have you been in this position? I have been at the City for over 5 years. I began my current position in April of 2018. Where did you work previously? Prior to my current position, I was the Development Engineering Manager for the City of Surprise. My responsibilities included oversight of Engineering Plan Review, Permitting, Inspections, and Utility Locating. I also spent a number of years working for Wood, Patel and Associates, beginning as an EIT and ending as a Project Manager. I also had the opportunity work in the construction industry for Haydon Building Corp. in a marketing role.
What Challenges do you experience in your role? Staffing and resources are a challenge in every division within our city. Our group is always looking for better ways to ensure we are working in the most efficient and fiscally responsible manner possible prior to requesting additional resources from our Council.
How long have you been an APWA member? I have been a member for about 10 years Have you served on the Board or any committees? I am currently the Secretary for the APWA Arizona Chapter. I have served as a Board Director, Events and Community Outreach Chair, and have also been a member of the Membership, Communications, and Diversity committee.
What benefits do you get out of being a member? Hands down, my favorite benefit of being a member is the people you get to meet and work with. APWA has given me the opportunity to get to know people that I would not have otherwise been able to, and from that I have built a huge network of friends and colleagues that I share ideas with, volunteer with, and grow with.
What would you like to share with APWA Members? I think one of the best ways to get the most out of APWA is to volunteer on a committee. The networking opportunities are endless and you get to be a part of something that shapes us as an association. There are so many to choose from, so there is something for everyone, no matter what your style or interest. Are you outgoing and love to plan fun events? The Events and Community Outreach Committee may be for you! Are you a teacher at heart that loves to help others with professional development? The Education Committee may be for you! Are you passionate about your field and know you can use that passion to change the world? Check out the Sustainability Committee! There really are so many to choose from, so I urge you to consider joining one… or four.
Tell us about your family and hobbies: I am married and have a 7 year old son. When I am not balancing work and mom time, I like to spend time with friends and travel with the family. We love to cruise and are looking forward to our next trip to the eastern Caribbean. I am a craft and home decor junkie, so if I wasn’t in Public Works, I could see myself as an interior designer or party/event planner. Chapter Education Toolbox APWA offers a variety of education opportunities; two of which include the Click, Listen & Learns and the Members’ Library. Click, Listen & Learns (CLLs) are a series of interactive internet educational programs that are great for “Lunch and Learns” Each program is led by top experts in the field who convey new ideas, new methods, and new technologies in a fast-paced one- to two-hour time frame. Recordings of past programs are available in the Members’ Library. Members’ Library is the one place where a member can access recordings of CLL programs, content from past conferences, and specific e-books and publications. The Members’ Library can be found on the APWA website and is accessible on-demand 24/7.
To learn more about each of these opportunities, please check out the APWA National website: https://www.apwa.net/MYAPWA/Events/APWA_eLearning_Portal/MyApwa/Apwa_Public/
Education_and_Events/eLearning_Portal.aspx?hkey=3c0f25e3-955c-4c50-b53c-94059ee06cda St. Vincent DePaul It only takes a couple of hours of your time to make a huge difference in our community! Members of the Events and Community Outreach committee, board members and several volunteers made that difference at The Society of St. Vincent de Paul on October 24th. We helped with the family evening meal service, homework, and led an exciting engineering activity for the kids. This year’s activity was making a rocket with magazine pages and tape. We used an air pump to launch the rockets to see who could go the highest. It was a huge hit with the kids and inspiring to see them make adjustments and “engineer” their rockets. In addition to the adjustments to the engineering and design of their rockets, we saw a lot of ingenuity in their launch techniques – from stomping to jumping off chairs onto the pump. Thanks everyone who came out to volunteer with us!  
 
Membership Luncheons
Do you have an intersting topic for our monthly membership luncheons? If so, send your ideas to Kristine Locke at klocke@culci.ccom
Acknowledgements
The Arizona Chapter of APWA received the PACE ( President's Award for Chapter Excellence) Award for our 2018 activities. Board members accepted the award at PWX in Kansas City earlier this year.
2019 Sponsorships
We are looking for our 2019 sponsors! Check out the flyer below for some great opportunities to be recognized as an Arizona APWA sponsor. Please contact Sandy Niebel with any questions. 602.335.8530.
For more information and to Register: http://arizona.apwa.net/EventDetails/16436 
Public Works Job Opportunities
This section is where agencies can advertise their open positions. Please provide your advertisement and/or link to tbaker@lognsimpson.com or sniebel@woodpatel.com. The City of Tempe - Civil/Senior Civil Engineer - Open until filled
- Right-of-Way Coordinator (1)
- Senior Engineering Associates (2)
Via de Ventura Landscape Improvements—How McCormick Ranch Plans to Save Millions of Gallons of Water Each Year Developed in 1973, McCormick Ranch has long been recognized as one of Scottsdale’s premiere master-planned communities, well-known for its fine homes, amenities, open space, and bike and pedestrian paths. The original community was developed as a kind of oasis in the desert, where lakes, palm trees, and turf grass helped provide respite from the desert heat. By 2015, community residents felt it was time to update the community’s landscape master plan. A growing sense of the importance of water conservation, a desire for sustainability, and a desire to reduce overall maintenance resulted in the 2016 McCormick Ranch Landscape Master Plan. The master plan relies on desert-adapted plants to maintain the desert oasis feeling. That plan serves as the basis for the proposed Via de Ventura Landscape Improvements in Scottsdale.  
These landscape improvements will include McCormick Ranch Property Owner’s Association properties and City of Scottsdale medians for 1.25 miles of Via de Ventura from Eastwood to Pima Roads. The improvements will create a lush, cohesive streetscape character that strengthens community identity, provides shade along sidewalks, and conserves an estimated 11.2 million gallons of water a year by replacing turf with sustainable desert-adapted plants—including an estimated 80,000 sf of turf in the medians alone. A new entry monument at the southwest corner of Via de Ventura and Eastwood Road will be surrounded by a small botanical garden. The 35 varieties of plants will be identified with botanical signs so residents can learn about which plants were used to convert what was once turf to a more sustainable, desert-adapted landscape palette.
The vision of McCormick Ranch residents demonstrates how a commitment to sustainability and conservation can result in remarkable savings of that most precious desert resource—water—while maintaining an outstanding quality of life that takes advantage of the Sonoran Desert setting.
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