Infrastructure such as trails, parks, and public buildings can contribute positively to the ambience, quality of life, and positive vision of residents and visitors toward a community. Often, there can be objections to some design elements because some feel that the plain-gray version means less costs. Grandview, Missouri, has adopted the view that art incorporated into public facilities creates an identity for residents, visitors, developers, and local businesses. Representatives from the city will discuss the return-on-investment and improved property values that have been achieved.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, you will be better able to: 

• Find out how to work with artists, architects, and landscape architects to develop themes that can enhance the vision and appearance of a community.
• Review the theme ideas presented to Grandview’s residents and decision-makers.
• Review your own community’s infrastructure projects to see what kind of statement the community could make about itself.

The Norwegian Association of Municipal Engineers, in cooperation with the Norwegian Water Association, recognize that public workers have a great influence on the livability and health of their communities. To recognize the contribution of water operators and engineers, they present an award each year called “Norway’s Best Drinking Water” to those responsible for ensuring safe and environmentally-sound water supply.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, you will be better able to: 

• Create public recognition for the dedicated professionals in the public works and water industries.
• Encourage public workers in their efforts to provide safe water resources by establishing a formal recognition program.
• Promote engineering as an attractive career choice.

What is a smart city? Explore how cities are using a multi-department strategy to use data to provide better city services and improve the day-to-day experience of residents. This session will feature the lessons learned during the installation of Kansas City’s smart city infrastructure and the strategies being deployed in other cities' smart city initiatives.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, you will be better able to: 

• Recognize the applications and characteristics of a smart city.
• Apply the infrastructure and policy lessons learned from existing smart cities.
• Examine the applicable data and privacy laws that apply to smart city initiatives.

Columbia, Missouri’s Urban Forestry Master Plan is a roadmap that provides detailed information, recommendations, and resources to effectively and proactively manage and grow the City’s urban tree canopy. The plan includes a detailed analysis of the urban tree canopy and public street trees, leaf litter issues, an emerald ash borer strategy, ordinance development, maintenance budgeting, and an ESRI StoryMap to communicate results and recommendations to the general public.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, you will be better able to: 

• Develop a comprehensive approach to efficiently manage green infrastructure.
• Engage the community with an effective outreach program to promote sustainability initiatives.
• Establish public-private partnerships and leverage resources to create and manage the community forest.

Cities across the United States face an economic crisis related to aging infrastructure and increasing regulatory burdens. Practical environmentalism requires removing unnecessary regulatory burdens so that limited local, state, and federal resources can be used most effectively and efficiently to clean and protect water sources. This presentation will identify how existing regulatory procedures and flexibility may be used to eliminate or reduce regulatory mandates that will not provide local ecological and public health benefits. You will learn about communities that were able to save millions by using updated scientific data, scheduling authority, judicial review and existing waiver/variance provisions so that more pressing public works projects can be implemented.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, you will be better able to: 

• Identify regulatory tools that are available to control and prioritize regulatory mandated expenditures.
• Demonstrate that active participation in the permit development process can save valuable municipal and county resources.
• Identify opportunities currently available to ensure cost effective expenditure of local resources on environmental mandates.

In February 2017, the City of Independence, Missouri, adopted a strategic plan featuring a unified vision for infrastructure, economic development, and public safety. The first step was passage of a sales tax in August 2017, which was supported by 80% of the vote. This was a result of city leadership and the private sector coming together to present an innovative pathway that uses integrated project delivery. The two key pivotal projects provide connectivity to the historic downtown square from regional transportation hubs, the removal of blight, enhanced aesthetics, and multi-modal upgrades. Public works is leading the effort as the government department in-charge of deploying these improvements.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, you will be better able to: 

• Identify when integrated project delivery is the best option for project management.
• Describe the Construction Manager At-Risk and Design-Build models.
• Promote team strategy, minimize risk, and optimize project performance.

Agencies throughout North America are under pressure to maintain or increase winter maintenance performance with reduced or stagnant funding. Design requirements such as the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA) and complete streets and green infrastructure initiatives have the potential to produce features that can make winter maintenance efforts inefficient. This presentation will offer tools for building trust and credibility with planners and engineers to increase the likelihood that road maintenance and snow and ice control needs are part of the overall considerations for capital improvement projects.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, you will be better able to: 

• Identify opportunities for winter maintenance professionals to have influence on capital project planning.
• Recognize the common elements of capital improvement projects that present challenges for winter maintenance efforts and possible ways to mitigate them.
• Advocate for winter maintenance considerations in capital improvement projects.

The focus of the National Weather Service (NWS) has changed significantly over the last 5 years. The NWS is now focused on using cutting-edge weather data and forecasts to help core partners make decisions to plan for and mitigate the impacts of natural disasters. The goal of NWS is to build a weather-ready nation using its Impact Decision Support Services (IDSS). Explore how your public works operation can work with NWS.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, you will be better able to: 

• Identify your local NWS contact person.
• Integrate weather information into decision processes.
• Develop a plan to mitigate weather impacts on your community.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are having positive effect on the design and maintenance of public facilities and infrastructure. UAVs (drones) combined with 3-D technology are being used to upgrade surveying and construction drawing development. The City of Peculiar, Missouri, used drone and 3-D photography to enhance the surveying for the new 28,000-foot sewer interceptor design and installation. Costs were lowered approximately 30% from traditional surveying techniques.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, you will be better able to: 

• Benefit from the lessons-learned by Peculiar’s sewer interceptor upgrade project.
• Identify when to use UAVs and 3-D photography to provide topographic survey data and pre-construction imagery.
• Plan for the use of UAVs and 3-D photography to orthorectify outdoor assets for collection systems and treatment plants.