This presentation focuses on the differences and similarities of asset management vs. maintenance management systems. The two terms are often used interchangeably but describe different processes that are related. Maintenance management focuses on the strategic approach to maximizing the benefits from resources used to preserve, operate, and expand the public infrastructure while asset management integrates planning development, maintenance, and financial functions to conduct investment analysis and tradeoff decisions, considering maintenance costs, mobility, and safety on an agencies infrastructure.

In January of 2016, Mayor Sylvester Turner challenged the Houston Public Works (HPW) Transportation and Drainage Operations (TDO) to assess and repair all potholes reported by the next business day. The number of reported potholes increased by more than 30% shortly after Mayor Turner’s inauguration. HPW employees rose to the challenge and have been successful filling 98% of potholes by the next business day. Presenters will explain HPW’s potholes problems, demonstrating what improvements were made to procedures, technology, scheduling & personnel. HPW field operation staff will share with you what was done differently to resolve this headline-making news items: repairs over 25 SF are “Not-a-Pothole” and referred as asphalt skin-patches; in-house crews perform partial and full depth skin-patch repairs on asphalt streets; in-House crews perform asphalt patches on concrete streets; the pothole and patch repairs are intended to be as durable as possible; HPW centralized all forces from four quadrants to one primary location; offered crews additional pick-up locations for more efficient travel time to problem locations; utilized latest iPad to report and manage most of the work order; the city boosted employee morale by engaging employees and front-line supervisors in weekly meetings in regard to process improvement efforts; implemented QA/QC group to ensure the accuracy of all data recorded; created Pothole Action Plan; implemented new SOP’s in addition to new techniques and cost-effective tactics without costing taxpayers any additional money; the pothole program includes “Next Business Day Potholes” and “Pro-Active Potholes” that are not reported by citizens but filled by operations & maintenance crews while on-site typically covering intersection-to-intersection potholes; and the creation of a dedicated website covering all aspects of the program to educate the public.

“Every organization rises or falls based on leadership or the lack thereof”, said the legendary co-inventor of frozen concentrated orange juice, C.D. Atkins. According to the Federal Highway Administration, owners are facing mounting pressure to deliver programs better, faster, smarter, and cheaper. Compounding this, W. Edwards Deming, author and renowned scholar who revolutionized Japan’s manufacturing industry, insisted that leaders are responsible for 85 percent of all an organizations’ problems. Comparatively, imagine as a leader, the possibility of significantly reducing and/or eliminating 85% of all program delivery problems while creating significant and measurable innovations, imaginatively reducing and/or eliminating major project risks, and decreasing delivery times by as much as 50%? It may surprise some that owners are already accomplishing these “industry-changing” results. In this session, the presenters offer a unique, yet “tried and true,” system for delivering programs better, faster, smarter, and cheaper. For the most part, this “tried and true,” system is the innovation of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the University of Florida’s (UF) Rinker School of Construction (under the direction of Dr. Edward W. Minchin). FHWA and UF refer to this system as the “2-Day Kick-Off” meeting. In large part, it’s a combination of UF’s leadership and program management research, as well as a FHWA’s eight-year nation-wide pilot. Additionally, it utilizes components of the U.S. Army’s “Command and General Staff College” (CGSC/ILE). As mentioned, based on remarkable industry successes, resulting in arguably some of the highest performing teams in the nation, the presenters highly encourage owners to critically consider conducting the 2-Day Kick-Off meeting.

The 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 2020 is a significant reminder to public works professionals of the importance of ensuring compliance with this important law. Embracing accessibility will prevent public entities from losing federal funding and protect them from potential access related complaints or litigation. Most importantly, it will provide an opportunity to better serve the community. In order to continue eligibility for federal funding, all public entities subject to ADA Title II must complete a Self-Evaluation. Public entities with 50+ employees are required to have a Transition Plan in place that addresses structural changes necessary for achieving program accessibility. In this presentation, attendees will gain an in-depth knowledge of both state and federal access requirements and how these overlapping laws work together. After attending this instructive session, participants will be well equipped to create an ADA compliant Transition Plan that will ensure that individuals with disabilities are not excluded from their community’s programs, services and activities.

Compacted concrete pavement is an improved version of roller compacted pavement, allowing for drastically expedited project completion time. Hear about advantages and lessons learned from the first project completed in Missouri with this pavement type.

The City of Joliet, the third largest city in Illinois, serves a population of approximately 150,000. Joliet’s existing water source, the deep groundwater aquifer, will not be able to meet the city’s maximum day water demands (estimated at 30 MGD) by the year 2030. Therefore, Joliet went in search of a cost‐effective, sustainable alternative water source for the City of Joliet and, possibly, the region. Joliet began Alternate Water Supply Source Study in July 2018, beginning with fourteen water source alternatives covering the full range of possible water sources from groundwater, rivers, and Lake Michigan. The first phase was completed in January 2019 and recommended four alternatives for further evaluation in 2019 as feasible alternative water sources. In January 2020, the City Council selected Lake Michigan Water as the City’s new water source. The City Council elected to move forward with further evaluation of two Lake Michigan alternatives in 2020: Lake Michigan - Chicago Department of Water Management: Purchasing treated Lake Michigan Water from the Chicago and building the necessary infrastructure to pump and transmit treated drinking water approximately 30 miles from Chicago to Joliet ($550 million construction cost for Joliet alone); Lake Michigan - New Indiana Intake: Constructing a new raw water intake in Lake Michigan along the Indiana shoreline as well as pumping facilities and transmission mains to bring raw water approximately 47 miles to the Joliet for surface water treatment and distribution ($900 million construction cost for Joliet alone). The 2020 Evaluation is focused on refining the two alternatives and providing updated costs to the City Council to allow for a final decision on the alternative water source by the end of 2020, after which the program will proceed into Preliminary Design in 2021. Final Design is anticipated between 2022 and 2024, with a 5-year construction timeframe anticipated between 2025 and 2030.

People love clarity. If you confuse, you lose. It’s all about surviving and thriving… and conserving calories. If you’re like most agencies and firms, you’re fed up with spending time and money on communications that don’t work. If you knew what to do differently, you would—but you don’t, and so you feel stuck. Meanwhile, your sales are lagging. Colleagues are confused. Your bottom line isn’t budging. And worst of all, you feel discouraged. Here’s the good news: It doesn’t have to be that way. In this talk, Everest Marketing Services President, Barbara Shuck—a StoryBrand Certified Guide—will share seven simple marketing principles proven to engage clients and prospects. Participants will walk away knowing how to capture their audience’s attention and compel them to respond. The presenter has spent her career developing communications that help clients stand out. Imagine submitting a proposal with a clear client-focused story about how your firm is the right fit for a project. Imagine a conversation where the other person leans into what you’re saying. Imagine a presentation that reflects your professionalism and expertise, where the audience or decision-makers are intrigued by your story... and your evaluation score reflects their interest! Imagine having something clever to say when someone asks you about your agency or business. With 25+ years working for design and construction firms, the presenter understands the frustration of not clearly communicating your differentiators and creating “why us” and “why not them” themes from the consultant’s side of the table. She regularly speaks with clients and understands how they, too, struggle with memos and meetings. And, because of almost four decades of experience in business, you can count on her to help you communicate clearly, both in writing and verbally. Attend this must-see session so you can learn 7 Steps to Communicate Clearly. Stop worrying about your communications, and get back to winning when you communicate.

American technology and know-how are well-respected in many industries throughout the world. However, in the area of electric vehicles, Europe has the reputation for being a front runner in the implementation of these advanced technologies that can improve overall fleet performance and save money while meeting tighter environmental standards than those in the US. It is common in many cities across Europe to see a switch to electric municipal work trucks. In the near future, such technologies will make an impact in North America as well, presenting an opportunity to ease our implementation by learning from the mistakes and the wins that our counterparts made when adopting this technology. Electric vehicles are not simply about lower emissions and reducing environmental impact. Rather, the change can provide many benefits to a city from reducing costs and noise pollution to extending the workable hours for their fleet. The presentation relies heavily on the practical experience of the Swiss city of Thun, outlining their switch to an electric sweeper. Toward the end of the session, presenters will also discuss new technologies on the horizon for fleet managers.