APWA AZ Newsletter 2021 May
Public works are the services and infrastructure required to sustain quality community life. |
UPCOMING EVENTS May 19, 2021
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I hope you were able to catch last month’s membership meeting, where our members learned about effective leadership tactics. In this informative and thought provoking presentation, Jeff Kramer reminded us of the importance and value of building relationships and dove deeper into top leadership characteristics and techniques. Jeff also challenged us to focus on self-learning. No matter what your position, being the best leader and team member you can be inspires the best from your team and helps develop a shared vision. As Jeff said, “Leadership Development is Self-Development!” APWA has many programs and resources for leadership development opportunities – in fact, Leadership & Management was recently December’s topic during the PWX@home event. The Emerging Leaders Academy is another national program hosted by APWA that encourages and develops professional growth of individuals. If you or (someone you know) have recently entered into the Public Works arena and are interested in this growth opportunity, please check out the information below – the deadline to apply is July 9th, 2021. You can help develop our future leaders through programs such as Emerging Leaders Academy and more personally, through mentorship. I don’t think many important leaders in our industry have gotten to where they are today without a mentor in their lives. Strong mentors are key in the development of the “best of the best” and critical to the future progress of Public Works. Speaking of the best of the best, our Chapter was recently notified that one of our own members, Ginger Spencer, was selected as one of the 2021 Top 10 Public Works Leaders of the Year! Ginger, City of Phoenix Deputy City Manager (previously Public Works Director), is the epitome of an innovative and esteemed Public Works Leader and sets the example for us all. This award is one of APWA’s highest honors and is based on a lifetime of professional contributions. We will honor Ginger at our next monthly member meeting in May. She will also be recognized nationally during National Public Works Week (May 16-22). Please join me in congratulating Ginger on this prestigious award! This year, for National Public Works week, agencies across the valley will be conducting National Public Works Week Proclamations. Out chapter will also be reaching out to education leaders around the valley to share a little more about what National Public Works Week is and provide a link to an educational video that can be shared with their students. In this video, children will learn more about water and wastewater, solid waste, traffic and Transportation, and construction. If you would like to share this video with schools in your area, a link to the video and a letter template for you to share is listed below. Thank you all for being such an important part of Public Works! Sincerely,
Emerging Leaders Academy Application National Public Works Week Educational Video and Letter Template
APWA May Meeting
All it takes is to reach out to Suzanne Ledy at 480-644-3808 or Suzanne.ledy@mesaaz.gov.
Arizona City of Avondale City of Buckeye City of Chandler Town of Gilbert City of Glendale City of Goodyear Maricopa County City of Mesa City of Peoria City of Phoenix Town of Queen Creek City of Scottsdale City of Surprise City of Tempe
Moore Road/La Cañada Drive Roundabout The roundabout was the final alternative selected through a traffic study that featured intensive public involvement. The roundabout was chosen for its ability to handle traffic volumes, simplicity, and safety. The final design includes a single circulating lane at the roundabout and right-turn bypass lanes. Bike ramps, enhanced pedestrian crossings with raised crosswalks and rectangular rapid flashing beacons, and new street lighting enhanced safety and mobility for bike and pedestrian traffic. The Moore Road/La Cañada Drive Roundabout is also notable for having been completed on an expedited schedule—90 days for design and less than half the planned six-month construction schedule. Despite the condensed schedule, the project crew worked more than 9,000 man-hours with no lost-time incidents.
Did You Know…… Stop Signs used to be Yellow?
The earliest road/traffic signs date back to the Romans. During the Middle Ages multidirectional signs at intersections became common giving directions to cities and towns. The first known Traffic Regulation Act was established in 1686 by King Peter II of Portugal where the placement of priority signs in narrow streets directing which traffic had the right of way. The first modern road signs erected on a wide scale were designed for riders of high or "ordinary" bicycles in the late 1870s and early 1880s warning of potential hazards ahead rather than just giving distance to places thereby contributing the sign type that defines “modern” traffic signs. The development of automobiles encouraged more complex signage systems using more than just text-based notices. One of the first modern-day road sign systems was devised by the Italian Touring Club in 1895. In 1903 the British government introduced four "national" signs based on shape, but the basic patterns of most traffic signs were set at the 1908 International Road Congress in Paris. In the U.S., the first road signs were erected by the American Automobile Association (AAA). Starting in 1906, regional AAA clubs began paying for and installing wooden signs to help motorists find their way. In 1914, AAA started a cohesive transcontinental signage project, installing more than 4,000 signs in one stretch between Los Angeles and Kansas City alone. Over the years, change was gradual. Pre-industrial signs were stone or wood, but with the development of Darby's method of smelting iron using coke, painted cast iron became favored in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Cast iron continued to be used until the mid-20th century, but it was gradually displaced by aluminum or other materials and processes. Since 1945 most signs have been made from sheet aluminum with adhesive plastic coatings; these are normally retroreflective for nighttime and low-light visibility. Before the development of reflective plastics, reflectivity was provided by glass reflectors set into the lettering and symbols. Fast forward to today where road managers nationwide use the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) to install and maintain traffic control devices on all public streets, highways, bikeways and private roads open to the public travel. Where new generations of traffic signs based on electronic displays can change their text from remote locations to provide the latest traffic information and Remote Infrared Audible Signage (RIAS) “talking signs that assist the visually impaired and illiterate. Technology is always evolving, and new innovations and products are coming online at warp speed. Hang on to your hard hats and get prepared for change; it’s a great time to be a part of public works. If you have a fun fact on Public Works you’d like to share with the chapter, please give us a write up and we’ll publish it. Send your articles to Sheila Hamilton, sheila@gettingitdone.org. Wikipedia “Traffic Signs”, APWA 2019 Paws Print publication & picture
2021 APWA AZ Annual and Statewide Conference Sponsorships
Annual Sponsorships 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.
Logo Displays:
In lieu of this year’s in-person Arizona APWA Statewide Conference, we will be hosting another Free Virtual Summer Series. The series of events will feature live and interactive presentations on a variety of educational topics. This is an 8-week program that will run twice a week starting July 6th and ending August 26th.
If you would like to sponsor all of the presentation days (16 total) and become a Premium Session Sponsor, the cost would normally be $1,600 but we are offering a special package price of $600 (that’s less than half-price)! | |||||||||||||||||||||
Up until 1954 stop signs used to be yellow with black letters. The signs were changed when a more standardized coloring system was implemented for road signs.
Public works are the services and infrastructure required to sustain quality community life. |
