APWA AZ Newsletter 2018 Dec
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December 11, 2018 December 13, 2018 December 14, 2018 August 7-9, 2019 2018 NEWSLETTER SPONSORS
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Voice … Value … Competition Sincerely,
APWA Young Professionals Luncheon APWA & ASCE PB Holiday Party Statewide Conference
Special thanks to those firms that have already registered as sponsors and exhibitors:
Exhibitors
New Member Spotlight
With APWA Since: 2018 Describe your job responsibilities: Lighting and Control Sales Where have your travels taken you?: About half the states in the US
The City of Mesa Engineering Exceeded the Turkey Goal!
Many of you assisted us in reaching our goal, we want to thank you for your generosity and for giving back to our community.
It’s time to start thinking about submitting your projects and/or professional individuals for consideration of the 2019 Annual APWA Awards. Projects should be complete as of December 31, 2018 and the deadline for submissions is Thursday, January 31, 2019. Some awards offered previously have been discontinued by National and have been replaced with new awards. The applications and forms to complete with instructions are now available on the APWA-Arizona Chapter website, http://arizona.apwa.net/PageDetails/16734. The awards that are available this year are: 1. Public Works Project of the Year (Chapter and National) 2. Public Works Project of the Year for Small Cities/Rural Communities (Chapter and National) 3. Management Innovation Award (Chapter and National) 4. Technical Innovation Award (Chapter and National) 5. Professional Manager of the Year Award (Chapter and National) (in multiple categories) 6. Award of Merit (Chapter only) Chapter Awards include:
This is a new award offered this year. Initiated at the National level and replaces the former “Outstanding Public Works Employee of the Year” Award.
APWA Dirt Roads Workshop
Public Works Job Opportunities
Benson-Steins Pass Highway (Texas Canyon Pass Rest Area) Near Benson, AZ Information from Award Submittal Agency: Arizona Department of Transportation Primary Contractor: KE&G Construction, Inc. Primary Consultant: Dibble Engineering The Benson–Steins Pass Highway Project known as the Texas Canyon Rest Area is located in Cochise County along Interstate 10 at milepost 320. The project sits approximately 15 miles east of the City of Benson. On October 27th, 2015 the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) contracted KE&G to complete renovations to the sewer system, rest rooms, pump house, ramadas, and well site.  Construction began on November 28th, 2015 with an estimated completion date of May 17th, 2016. The work consisted of replacing 13,000 linear feet of off-site waterline, and 3,500 linear feet of on-site distribution waterline. The project also included replacing existing booster pumps and pressure tanks with new booster pumps, and a 2,000 gallon pressure tank with a chlorine injector system. KE&G also installed 6 new evaporation pond liners that service the restrooms and two new 10,000 gallon septic tanks. Renovations to the existing restroom structure included installing new plumbing, flooring, lighting and other electrical components. The restroom also received new bathroom stalls, counter tops and sinks. The repairs in the parking lot and common areas involved AC pavement micro surfacing, installing new signage, applying 3,100 linear feet of pavement markings, placing 90 tons of mineral aggregate and 3 acres of hydroseeding.The original construction costs were based on the initial project bid documents. There was a difference between the original cost and the completion cost of approximately $133,000.00 due to quantity changes and other unknown factors at bid time. The largest change in scope was due to the increased amount of thick sludge that was removed from the evaporation ponds. The project plans specified a maximum of 6 inches and the actual thickness was closer to 1½ feet in each of the 6 ponds. Due to the additional sludge removal, the project completion date was extended to July 22, 2016. Even with all of the additional work and modifications, KE&G still completed the project 1 month ahead of schedule. Construction Management Techniques  Due to the large number of differential construction elements included in this project, the project team consisted of several other architectural firms and design firms; in addition to the lead designer Dibble Engineering. This project involved an electrical firm, plumbing/HVAC firm, as well as landscape architect. The project team held weekly meetings to provide updates on the project as well as discuss important issues requiring resolutions before they could impede progress in the field. The willingness of everyone to communicate and adapt, ensured that all members of the project team were able to achieve success.With effective teamwork and constructive brainstorming, construction was completed ahead of schedule. The team was able to keep the overall project on budget and worked with ADOT to minimize the additional costs associated with the project scope changes. Everyone involved understood that it would take strong construction management and communication skills to complete this project on time, in a safe and efficient manner. Safety Performance KE&G strongly believes that every employee is entitled to a safe and healthful place in which to work. Safe working practices were adhered to and evolved to meet the dynamic nature of the project’s needs. As a General Contractor, KE&G has a moral obligation to the employees, the clients and the public to perform all construction projects in the safest manner possible. This is done by providing in-depth safety training for all supervisors and workforce, and by planning each project so that safety is a top priority. KE&G’s Safety Officer, Vince Rosales, participates in all of the detailed planning sessions and conducts regular jobsite safety inspections and serves as both a consultant and instructor to all personnel. His commitment to safety is reflected in KE&G’s EMR of 0.70. In fact, over the last three years, KE&G has been able to successfully maintain notable EMR of 0.69 in 2016, 0.62 in 2015, and 0.71 in 2014. In addition, KE&G can proudly declare that there were No lost time injuries during the construction phase of the Texas Canyon Rest Area Project. Environmental Considerations  This project takes place near an Avoidable Boundary, which is an ancient Native American site area that does not allow any motor vehicles, equipment, or ground disturbing activities. As a result, KE&G was required to horizontal bore approximately 700 lineal feet of new waterline in order to avoid tampering with any protected site areas.Community Relations KE&G worked with local ranchers in the area to secure a staging area where construction crews could stage material and park equipment. At the completion of the project, KE&G graded the property owners’ private roads as a gratitude for their generosity. It was necessary for the entire rest area to be closed for the duration of the project in order to complete the renovation. The groundskeeper that manages the property temporarily relocated to a residence at another nearby rest area until construction was complete and it was safe for her to return to the property. By completing the project ahead of schedule, the rest area groundskeeper was able to move back into her residence a month early which reduced the impact on her. Unusual Accomplishments  KE&G was able to discuss new designs with ADOT to reduce the cost of the metal stall walls and still deliver a great end product. There were issues which involved removing the liquid material from the existing ponds through evaporation. This process proved to be too slow so field crews began pumping the liquid through the system and bypassed the overflow pipes. This allowed the liquid to be absorbed into the evaporation beds. KE&G also proposed modifications to install at-grade manholes to protect the valves rather than above-grade corrugated metal pipe chambers. This change was proposed due to safety concerns related to above ground chambers directly adjacent to Interstate 10 and the potential hazard to travelling motorist. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Name: Donna J. Sullivan-Hancock
The APWA Arizona Chapter Education Committee held a Dirt Roads Workshop on November 6, 2018 in the City of Kingman. There were 45 attendees from Yavapai, Coconino and Mohave Counties, as well as the City of Kingman and AZDEMA. The five presenters included Jack Plaunty from the City of Kingman, Jeff Rodgers from Ninyo and Moore, and Tim Wolfe, John Holman and Paul Balch from Dibble Engineering. The topics covered maintaining dirt roads, local dirt road experience, geotech 101, drainage 101, soil stabilization strategies, as well as gravel, chip seal and paving methodology. Participants also shared their experiences with dirt roads within their jurisdiction, including maintenance, equipment and soil stabilization products.
