NEWSLETTER

In this issue

President's Message
2014 Annual Conference
Feature Article
Member News
Project Spotlight
New Members

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May 20th, Tuesday
 Operational Design: DDI and Continuous Flow
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
More Info: www.arizona.apwa.net 

May 20th, Tuesday
City Engineers Forum
 Maricopa Association of Governments
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
More Info: www.arizona.apwa.net 

*Note: Event dates/times/locations should be verified with appropriate committee chair –See Committee Directory

View the 2014 APWA Arizona
Board of Directors

View the 2014 APWA Arizona
Committe Chairs

 PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

National Public Works Week May 18 – 24, 2014

Fellow members:

Since 1960, APWA has sponsored National Public Works Week.  This is an opportunity to educate the public on the importance of  public works contributions to their daily lives: planning, building, managing and operating the heart of our local communities and building the quality of life.  The Week seeks to enhance the prestige of the often-unsung heroes of our society - the professionals who serve the public good every day with quiet dedication. (from APWA website).

Public Works professionals are concerned with Public Safety, Public Health, and Emergency Response and yes, they are un-sung heroes.

Public Safety

Everyday Public Works professionals are engaged in the design, construction and maintenance of safe buildings, roadways, bridges and other critical infrastructure.  They employ their education, training, and experience to create a safe environment where people can live, work and play.  Regional flood control systems keep people and property safe from flooding and water damage.  Water distribution systems provide clean drinking water and deliver water for fire fighting.  Roads are built to be safe at the posted speed limits.  Traffic control systems, including striping, signage and signals, help move people safely and efficiently.  Our infrastructure is thoughtfully designed to prevent accidents and to respond to emergencies.

Public Health

It may be a surprise to some, but street sweeping is important to public health.  State-of--the-art (PM – 10) street sweepers are regionally funded as a measure to improve air quality.  In fact, street sweeping is a key component of the regional strategy to improve air quality.  This is part of the air pollution control plan that has been approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  Street sweepers pickup and remove particulate materials which can become airborne and contribute to air pollution in the metropolitan region. 

Water,  wastewater and stormwater systems are vital to public health.  Safe and reliable drinking water is the foundation of public health.  After a catastrophic event, such as a hurricane, disease can spread rapidly through a population if the water and wastewater treatment facilities have been compromised.  As a result, to protect public health,  these are the first systems to be restored after a disaster.   

Emergency Response

Public Works professionals are on the front line during an emergency.  When a traffic signal is hit in the middle of the night, Traffic signal technicians are the first on the scene to restore operations.  Street crews are prepared to react during and after a storm event to clear downed trees and clear roadways. 

On Sunday, May 22, 2011 a catastrophic EF5 tornado struck Joplin, Missouri.  The  tornado killed 158 people and caused damages amounting to $2.8 billion. It reached a width of 1 mile during its path through the southern part of the city.   The Public Works Director, like many others, rode out the storm is his basement and emerged (with his young son) to find his house was gone.  He led his Public Works Team in the Emergency Operations Center.  Before police, fire and other emergency personnel could get access to respond, it was necessary for Public Works crews to clear the substantial debris which covered the roadways.

Un-sung Heroes

Solid Waste equipment operators drive every street, of every neighborhood, every week.  No other municipal service has as much visibility and direct contact with citizens.   These Public Work ambassadors are the eyes and ears of the communities they serve.  In the City of Peoria, these individuals have twice responded to ”Amber Alerts” and identified the subject vehicle each time resulting in the safe recovery of the child.    

 In just the last week, an alert Solid Waste equipment operator stopped for a routine

inspection of his vehicle and discovered not one, but four, kittens mixed in with the trash he had just collected.  All four were safely recovered.

Please consider the importance of all Public Works professionals, and when youencounter construction or a barricade, slow down, be patient and give them a Brake (and a friendly wave).

Sincerely, 
 
William (Bill) Mattingly, P.E., R.L.S
ARIZONA CHAPTER PRESIDENT 

FEATURE ARTICLE

Facts and stats about red-light and speed cameras 
By James Saunders, President/CEO Redflex Traffic Systems, Inc.
 

FACT: The cameras are only triggered to capture data of a vehicle – including a close-up image of the license plate, date of incident and lane number – if a potential violation is detected. Records of violations are only kept for a specified duration established by the respective law enforcement or government agency. 

FACT: Redflex follows a comprehensive three-step review process, and then the local law enforcement agency is provided with secure evidence packages of each incident. A local officer reviews and approves all evidence and ultimately has sole discretion to determine whether a violation occurred. 

FACT: Photo enforcement does not constitute an invasion of privacy, and numerous courts around the country have upheld this view. Photo enforcement operates on public roads and does not invade private space. When drivers’ receive their licenses, they agree to abide by traffic laws on public roadways. Further, any data captured by a photo enforcement camera is only used for law enforcement purposes.

FACT: Photo enforcement systems are extremely secure. All data captured by a safety camera is transmitted and encrypted to a secure central processing center and digitally signed, preventing interception and manipulation of the evidence while ensuring the highest level of protection to the chain of custody. All original images and data are secured in a data vault for safekeeping, until the data is purged according to local statute requirements.

FACT: Photo enforcement programs are voluntary, drivers who do not want to participate in the program need to simply slow down and stop on red. The primary goal of a photo enforcement program is to protect the safety of citizens who utilize the roadways. Since photo enforcement systems are intended to serve as deterrents, successful programs often see a reduction in citations (and therefore a reduction in the amount of money collected). A reduction in photo enforcement revenue is a sign the deterrent is working. 

Photo enforcement is among the most effective tools law enforcement agencies have to monitor traffic violations around the clock. Additionally, the technology serves as a “police force multiplier,” enabling local officers to refocus their energies on other higher-priority tasks while still ensuring the safety and security of problematic intersections.

 About Redflex Traffic Systems

MEMBER NEWS

After I started here last April (2003), I implemented an Equipment Roadeo competition during PW Week as well as the PW Dept. hosting a Town wide BBQ and salsa competition (staff and council only). This year, we are continuing these same practices but are expanding into the community. We are engaging the elementary kids by having a “show and tell” with large equipment (front wheel loader, aerial lift truck, F-650 service truck and backhoe)and including demonstrations of picking up an egg with a backhoe (part of our equipment roadeo)and an aerial photo of the classes from the bucket truck. This is a half day event and will include all of the students from Kindergarten to 5th grade. Additionally, we will be hosting another series called PW 101. We started this item about 6 months ago after we implemented our first asset management system, this allowed us to wow the residents with a great amount of data including a complete GIS of all assets.

Summary:

• Proclamation from Town Council
• Equipment Roadeo
• Town wide BBQ with all staff of all departments (this is where we announce our Equipment Roadeo winner)
• “Show and Tell” with elementary school
• PW 101 classes
• Weekly “fast facts” on Facebook – we will be promoting National PW Week all week on Facebook

While we are small community, we are doing a lot to promote not just our PW but the National PW.

Vincent P. Lorefice
Director of Public Works
Town of Wickenburg
 

Miguel Aceves Joins CEC as New Senior Project Manager (read more)

PROCLAMATIONS

Wickenburg ~ Peoria ~ Queen Creek ~ Prescott Valley ~ Maricopa County

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

2013 Arizona Transportation Partnering Excellence Awards

For more than 20 years, the Arizona Department of Transportation has engaged in a formal partnering program with its contractors. The program facilitates productive relationships, establishes a process for amicable resolution of conflicts and has led to more projects being completed on time and on budget.

Project teams including the Arizona Department of Transportation, contractors and other organizations were recognized at the 63rd Arizona Conference on Roads and Streets in Tucson, hosted by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Arizona from April 16 to 18.

The Partnering Excellence Awards competition, which began in 2005, is designed to recognize partnership teams that demonstrate a high degree of achievement through their practice of partnering principles and their application of the partnering processes related to the transportation industry.

The winners of the 2013 Partnering Excellence Awards demonstrated the ability to come together and develop productive relationships that ensured the success of their respective projects. Teams were also judged on their ability to resolve issues in a professional manner.

State Route 260 Doubtful Canyon Project

Ames Construction, Jacobs Engineering, Tonto National Forest, ADOT and Arizona Game and Fish Department for improving three miles of State Route 260 from a two-lane road to a four-lane divided highway complete with wildlife crossings

Little Hells Canyon Dam Project

Skanska, ADOT, Horrocks Engineers, Dibble Engineering, Arizona Department of Water Resources, Prescott National Forest and Kaibab National Forest for construction at the Little Hells Canyon Dam to prevent erosion along the canyon near State Route 89

ADOT Truck Weigh and Credential Processing Facility

Hensel Phelps, ADOT, U.S. General Services Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Stantec for construction of a new truck weigh and credential processing facility at the Mariposa port of entry in Nogales

Hell Canyon Urgent Bridge Repair

Lawrence Construction and ADOT for working to complete emergency repairs to Hell Canyon Bridge on State Route 89 south of Ash Fork

Avenue 3E Bridge Widening in Yuma

Skanska, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Core Engineering Group, Kinder Morgan, City of Yuma, ADOT and Union Pacific Railroad for widening of the Avenue 3E bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad mainline

Clint's Well Road

Fann Contracting, Federal Highway Administration, Coconino County, Atkins and Coconino National Forest for restoration of the 17-mile southern portion of Lake Mary Road

State Route 89A Spur Fain Road Widening

Fann Contracting, Federal Highway Administration, ADOT, Horrocks Engineers, AECOM, Yavapai County and Town of Prescott Valley for the widening of Fain Road between state routes 69 and 89A into a four-lane divided highway

Interstate 17 Cordes Junction Traffic Interchange

Vastco-Sundt Joint Venture, HDR Engineering and ADOT for construction of the Interstate 17 Cordes Junction Traffic Interchange

Sunset Point Rehabilitation

Federal Highway Administration, ADOT, Fann Contracting, URS, DARcor, Horrocks Engineers, HydroSystems, Yellow Jacket Drilling, Laveen Pump Company, K&H, Total Building Systems and High Performance Water Systems for rehabilitation of Sunset Point rest area along Interstate 17

ADOT ITD Maintenance and Equipment Services Partnership

ADOT Intermodal Transportation Division Maintenance Group and ADOT Equipment Services for improving the working relationship between the two groups to ensure maintenance crews have quality, reliable equipment to complete their work

Navajo Route 20, U.S. Route 89 to State Route 98

FNF Construction, Federal Highway Administration, ADOT, AZTEC, Navajo Division of Transportation and Rummel Construction for completion of U.S. Route 89T (Navajo Route 20) from U.S. Route 89 to State Route 98 as the alternate route for U.S. Route 89

For more information, visit: http://www.azdot.gov/business/programs-and-partnerships/partnering/2013-arizona-transportation-partnering-excellence-awards

We want to hear from you! Would you like your company’s projects featured in our monthly newsletters? Send them to sheila@gettingitdone.org. Maximum 500 words. High resolution photos suggested.

Arizona APWA Members – Countdown to Congress – 472 Days and Counting

 
Send us your “Top 10” in the following categories, they may get used as part of our promotional items for Congress.
 
Hikes in the Valley and Statewide
Restaurants near the Convention Center  (or downtown)
Public Works projects statewide
Museums, Landmarks – places to visit
How to Stay Cool
Interesting Facts about Arizona
 
Email – amcgennis@azagc.org with your information.
 

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APWA New Members

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