NEWSLETTER

In this issue

President's Message
Feature Article
Project Spotlight
2016 Sponsorships
Industry News
Member News
APWA New Members

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October 21, 2015
Financing Tools for Water Infrastructure
Tempe Town Lake
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October 28, 2015
Pavement Preservation Workshop
MCDOT
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October 29, 2015
Fall Happy Hour Mixer
O.H.S.O. Eatery and nanoBrewery
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November 10, 2015
Prescott Valley Group Luncheon
StoneRidge Country Club
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November 12, 2015
City Engineers Forum
Maricopa Association of Governments
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View the 2015 APWA Arizona
Committee Chairs

 PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Here we are in October.  The end of the year is approaching.  What is on the agenda for these last few months of the year?  Here are some things that are on our list.   The Congress is over and we are completing the financial aspects of that huge event here in Arizona.  That is a large and daunting task.  We are ready to elect new Officers for 2016.  The nominating committee has submitted names for the members to consider.  These will be relayed to the attendees at this month’s luncheon.  At that time, any nominations from the floor will be added to the list.  Furthermore, the strategic planning meeting for next year will be held this month on the 23rd.  This meeting is quite extensive in scope and considers goals and objectives for the chapter in the upcoming year.  The committees and their membership will be also considered and possibly reorganized to some extent.  I met with a small group a short time ago and these issues were addressed.  The agenda is being developed and there will be more coming on this issue in the next week or two.

On a lighter note, there are some ceremonies and celebrations to be held in the upcoming months.  There will be a holiday event.  This is likely to be an early happy hour type event with light appetizers and beverages.   At this time, we are thinking something from about 3 PM to 5 PM or so, that those that have to get home to children can attend and still be home at a reasonable hour. This will be held, in December, and during this event the new officers will be installed.  So, there are a lot of things on our plates for the year end.  It has been a very challenging and interesting year.  The chapter is revamping our financial status and getting prepared to go into the New Year.  

For your consideration, the Chapter annual conference is scheduled to be held in Tucson again next year.  It is time to start thinking about how that will be held.  Our President elect, Loretta Flick will have her plate very full for the next year.  In the meantime, I want to let everyone know that I appreciate all the heavy lifting to get the Congress accomplished.  There was a lot of effort expended on this event.  Now, we are back to business as usual which means that fund raising and membership and program presentations rise to the top of our next year’s items.  Be thinking about all of this as we approach the Holidays.  The best to all of you and I look forward to seeing you on the 21st at our luncheon meeting!

Sincerely,
John Hauskins
ARIZONA CHAPTER PRESIDENT 

FEATURE ARTICLE

Transportation 2050

A 35-Year Plan to Advance Phoenix's Transportation Future

This past August, Phoenix voters approved a 35-year citywide transportation plan.  The plan, called Transportation 2050, was developed by a citizen-led committee of transportation experts and community advocates, and dramatically expands investment in Phoenix for bus service, light rail construction and street improvements.

The Citizens Committee on the Future of Phoenix Transportation, drew on feedback from public meetings, comments at presentations to community groups, and extensive online participation at a specially-created forum, talktransportation.org.  Former U. S. Secretary of Transportation and Arizona Department of Transportation Executive Director Mary E. Peters chaired the citizen-led committee.

The original transit plan and T2000 tax primarily funded transit service. Now broader and more comprehensive, the transit plan entails a comprehensive transportation plan with additional emphasis on street needs from street maintenance to new pavement, bike lanes, sidewalks and ADA accessibility.

The following is a summary of the key goals of Transportation 2050 over the 35-year program.

• 680 miles of new asphalt pavement on major arterial streets
• 1,000 miles of new bicycle lanes
• 135 miles of new sidewalks
• 2,000 miles of new street lights
• $240 million for major street improvement projects
• Improved frequency on local bus service
• Service through 12 am on weekdays and 2 am on weekends for local bus and Dial-A-Ride service
• Technology (e.g. Wi-Fi on buses and trains, reloadable transit passes, real-time data for Dial-A-Ride, etc.) and security improvements for bus and light rail
• 75 miles of new bus rapid transit
• 42 miles of new light rail
• Addition of a new light rail stations

Plan Elements

Street Maintenance Activities
Transportation 2050 provides funding for street maintenance and improvements.  Through Transportation 2050, Phoenix’s arterial street maintenance cycle will be cut nearly in half, from 65 years to 33 years. The use of Transportation 2050 funds to implement these roadway improvements will also enable the leveraging of current resources to perform additional pavement maintenance on collector and local streets.  

In addition to maintaining our current street infrastructure to prolong its useful life, the plan also will address old infrastructure that is not ADA accessible and add missing facilities such as crosswalks, sidewalks, wheelchair assessable sidewalk ramps, curb and gutter to streets that have existing bus service (or slated for future bus service) to make them safe and comfortable for pedestrians and people with disabilities to use. There more than 4,000 places citywide where these types of street improvements are needed.

Bicycle Infrastructure Improvements 
The Council-adopted Bicycle Master Plan included a prioritized bicycle project list for phased implementation to ensure the City has a complete and connected bicycle facility network.  Transportation 2050 funding will ensure the Bicycle Master Plan and its projects will be funded.  New bicycle lanes will be installed as part of stand-alone projects in the Bicycle Master Plan, and also as overlay and pavement maintenance activities are executed.  

Transit Improvements
Transit improvements entail tripling the number of light rail miles in Phoenix by adding 42 miles of high capacity corridors across the city. Connections to educational institutions are a key element of Transportation 2050.  Light rail corridors will provide service to Grand Canyon University and ASU West, linking ASU and U of A campuses in downtown Phoenix on the Valley’s current 20-mile light rail line.  

In addition to new light rail corridors, Transportation 2050 will build out the majority of the city’s bus service network, and introduce new bus rapid transit corridors along 24th Street, Baseline Road, Thomas Road, and elsewhere. The plan also will pay for longer hours of operation for the local bus system.  

Another key aspect of the plan is funding for infrastructure that improves the passenger experience, whether related to better technology such as reloadable fare cards, wi-fi wireless technology on vehicles, and real-time trip planning to shade structures at all bus stops citywide.
These improvements cover a wide array of concerns expressed by residents who drive, bike, walk and ride transit service.  

 

Funding
Funding for the plan will come from a change in the city’s sales tax. The current transit tax, which funds almost all of the city’s bus and light rail operations, as well as operation of the city’s Dial-a-Ride services for people with disabilities, is currently 4/10ths of a cent.  Starting January 1, 2016, the transit tax will become a transportation tax and be increased to 7/10ths of a cent, or 70 cents on a $100 purchase.  Altogether the funds are estimated to generate from the tax about $16.7 billion leverage almost half of the plan’s overall cost, which the plan consists of an additional 14.8 billion in federal and county funds, passenger fares and other elements.

 

To ensure accountability to and public input from the residents of Phoenix as part of the planning process for the 35 years of the plan, Transportation 2050 requires the appointment of a citizens oversight committee.  This group will be appointed by the Mayor and City Council to address street and transit needs, provide oversight on the expenditure of funds, and make recommendations on plan elements and other means of generating revenue for the plan going forward.  

More information on Transportation 2050 is available at www.talktransportation.org.

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

Arizona Department of Veterans Services develops Two New Veteran’s Cemetery Facilities in Arizona

Two new Veterans cemeteries are under construction in Arizona, one in Northern Arizona adjacent to the Camp Navajo National Guard facility (just west of Flagstaff), and one in Marana, just west of I-10 near the Pima-Pinal County border. These facilities are being constructed in response to the on-going needs of Arizona veterans and their families.

Arizona Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery at Camp Navajo

The Arizona facility at Camp Navajo is located on 60 acres off of I-40, approximately 12 miles west of Flagstaff. The facility is being built in several phases with Phase 1 (12-acres) scheduled for completion by the end of 2015 (weather permitting). This area will include burial grounds, a columbarium wall, a committal shelter, a visitor and administration building, and a maintenance and support building. The site was designed to provide an unencumbered view of the San Francisco Peaks when standing at the committal shelter and to achieve LEED Silver Certification.    

Project challenges  included  drilling a 2,000 foot deep well to access water for domestic and irrigation use, scheduling delays due to winter weather conditions, mitigating rocky ground conditions, crossing the BNSF railroad tracks to bring power to site, and addressing water scarcity. The project is currently 90% complete. 

Project Team: David Evans and Associates, Inc. (prime-civil engineer), Walker Macy (landscape architect), Orcutt Winslow (design architect)

Arizona Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery at Marana 

This 32-acre site is located just west of I-10 and will serve military veterans from South-Central Arizona.  The cemetery will include full casket pre-placed crypt burials as well as columbarium niches and in-ground cremain burial sites. To celebrate the Veterans, the site includes an entry feature, an Avenue of Flags, utilities, parking, an assembly area, a committal service shelter, a memorial walk, an administration and public information center, a maintenance facility, extensive landscaping, and a carillon. The project is designed to attain LEED Gold Certification.

The Marana site is 80% in the floodplain, so protecting the site was very important. This was accomplished by raising the site and designing a series of channels and berms to route stormwater around the site, making earthwork a major design element. An offsite road was designed and built by others to provide site access. A private owner donated the land for this project, which is currently under construction.

Team: David Evans and Associates, Inc. (prime – civil engineer), The LA Group (landscape architect), Orcutt Winslow (design architect).

 

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2016 ANNUAL SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM

Don't Miss Out!  Sign Up Today!  Choose from one of the options below!

Your Arizona Chapter’s annual operations depend upon donations from our member organizations. Sponsorships pay for the resources required to provide Educational Workshops, the Public Works Leadership Institute, website support, weekly news briefs, monthly newsletters, and much more.

Newsletters are published monthly, posted on the Chapter website and sent electronically to over 1000 recipients in the Public Works field.

Annual Corporate Sponsors’ company logos are prominently displayed at the Chapter Monthly Membership Meeting, Chapter email notices, and on the website.



Or select all 3 at a reduced package rate of $825.00!

Original artwork specifications for Business Card & Logo Displays:

1. Dimensions: 3.5” x 2” (Standard Business Card Size), Logos must fit within these dimensions
2. Coloring: Newsletter, Website and Meeting Displays are Full Color
3. Format: High Resolution (300 DPI) JPG photo format only
 
Email artwork to sheila@gettingitdone.org.
 
Payment Deadline: January 1, 2016.

To pay by Credit Card:
Visit the 2016 Annual Sponsorhip web page

To pay by Check:
Mail completed Sponsorship Form and check made payable to:

Arizona Chapter APWA
P.O. Box 72720
Phoenix, Arizona 85050

For questions or assistance contact:
Sheila Hamilton at 623-581-3597 or sheila@gettingitdone.org.

Name and Title: Charlton Lucas, Director of Business Development, Precision Concrete Cutting

With APWA Since: 2015

Describe your job responsibilities:  My role is to help clients across multiple sectors attain the highest degree of risk management protection.  At Precision Concrete Cutting, we are building a team that will provide services in assessment and abatement of trip hazard needs for all organizations. 

What was your favorite project to work on in the last 10 years?  My favorite project is always the one in which I am currently engaged. Each new situation is an opportunity to work with teams to improve their business model. In each scenario, the measure of success is growing market share, attaining profitability, and cultivating and maintaining global relationships.

Where have your travels taken you? I lived on 4 continents, but the majority of my expatriate work has taken me to South Africa, Portugal, Poland, Canada, and the Philippines.  

Name one thing not many people know about you: I maintain balance in my life by living actively and enjoying the natural wonders under the surface of the world's oceans experienced through scuba diving.