APWA 2025 North American Snow Conference
$179
Standard Price
The North American Snow Conference has it all, from expert-led snow and ice education sessions to an exhibit floor full of vendors excited to show you the latest winter maintenance solutions for your community. Make plans now to join your peers and take advantage of everything the Snow Conference has to offer.
DateApril 6, 2025Hennepin County has been working on a formal plow route optimization for the past two years. Hennepin County consists of five separate truck shops and 2,200 lane miles to plow every time it snows. Last year, the county did a small sample of optimization out of its largest shop and reduced routes from 64 to 61. This year, they are implementing all shops and going from 61 routes to 51. With budgets consistently tightening this is a great example of how to maximize resources. This session outlines specifics about Hennepin County’s fleet, personnel, winter shifts, and coverage.Objectives
- Understand Hennepin County’s approach to formal plow route optimization.
- Realize the benefits of maximizing winter resources to cover your 24/7 operations, fleet reduction, adding to different shifts, and making each route similar in miles and hours to complete.
- Communicate and implement significant change with people who don't like change.
Speaker
Road Operations Manager, Hennepin County Transportation-Operations
DateApril 6, 2025Service to the community often comes with a sacrifice. That is often time away from home and family. Snowfighters develop tight bonds with the crews they work with and may take for granted the support they get from their loved ones at home. Families are challenged with understanding and supporting their snowfighter while trying to fill the void created by their absence. The missed holidays, ball games or concerts, children’s milestones, and other daily functions continue, and that time can't be replaced. As they serve the community, snowfighters also need to remember their family members, who support them during emergencies, and the importance of self-care. This presentation will discuss all of these impacts through shared experiences.Objectives
- Recognize the impacts of a snowfighting career on families.
- Develop strategies to make work-life balance changes to help sustain and improve personal heath and relationships.
- Communicate with their family and even engage them in the service they are providing to the community.
Speakers
Daughter of Public Works Employee, City of KirtlandWife of Public Works Professional, City of Cedar RapidsWife of Public Works Director, City of Kirtland
DateApril 6, 2025Gravel roads present their own unique challenges for maintenance activities during the winter months. This session will focus on pre-winter care as well as the many challenges faced while providing winter maintenance. What traction aids should we use? How can we plow without damaging the road or equipment, especially when roads are not frozen? Should we use salts or other chemicals? Attend this informative session, share your own ideas, and learn some new ones.Objectives
- Identify better blade technology for gravel roads.
- Select proper traction aids under varying conditions.
- Discuss factors to reduce impact to the environment during winter maintenance on gravel roads.
Speaker
Technical Training Specialist, University of Massachusetts
DateApril 6, 2025This session will illuminate the history, operation, and maintenance of the largest publicly owned and operated snowmelt system in the public right of way.Objectives
- Manage snow and ice in the public right-of-way.
- Understand how the city has handled the challenges of maintaining the snowmelt system over the last 30 years.
- Idenitify how the benefits to the businesses and the infrastructure have outweighed the costs to operate the system as well as the shared costs of operating the system.
Speakers
Project Manager, Prein&NewhofWater/Wastewater Services Superintendent, Holland Board of Public Works
DateApril 6, 2025Storm and sewer repairs can be a struggle and a major challenge, especially during the winter season. The art of rebuilding structures is very labor intensive and in jeopardy with the changing workforce. Havener Tech and the Washtenaw County Road Commission have worked together to identify areas where they can improve on storm and sewer infrastructure maintenance. This has lead to better employee buy-in and a better product.Objectives
- Evaluate the costs of various repair options.
- Discover new tools to add to the toolbox.
- Identify work force struggles and staff capabilities.
Speakers
Director of Operations, Washtenaw County Road CommissionSuperintendent of Maintenance, Washtenaw County Road CommissionOwner, Havener Tech LLC
DateApril 6, 2025Winter maintenance policy reviews are typically conducted to introduce enhancements in the level of service with the goal to satisfy the winter maintenance related demands and changing priorities of the community. The rate of disability in most North American communities has been consistently increasing. Snow clearing is an issue of community safety and well-being. An increasing section of our population is unable to clear their own sidewalks due to physical limitations and unable to hire the service privately due to financial limitations. Accessibility concerns during winter force many residents to stay indoors or risk injury if they do venture out. Social isolation, immobility, injury, and even death can be the results of unsafe sidewalks. Thorough planning, proper review, and timely modifications in winter maintenance programs are essential to keep them valid for the changing needs of the community. Mutual sharing of lessons, successes, and challenges associated with the creation of winter maintenance policy and programs associated with the accessibility needs can benefit municipalities who may be facing such challenges and planning similar initiatives.Objectives
- Identify accessibility related barriers to effective participation of residents in civic life during the winter season and discuss ideas to remove/ prevent such barriers.
- Review a centralized strategic plan approach to deal with accessibility related concerns.
- Discuss examples of steps that can be taken to strengthen our commitment to becoming age-friendly and accessible communities.
Speaker
Neeraj Saroj, P.Eng., MBASenior Operations Engineer and Project Manager, City of Regina
DateApril 6, 2025This presentation introduces the use of cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) techniques for facilitating snow and ice removal. The basics and use of key techniques like convolutional neural network, transformer, and reinforcement learning will be introduced in an easy-to-understand way. In particular, we will show the application of such techniques for various aspects of typical winter maintenance operations including prediction of road surface condition, autonomous decision-making based on data, and evaluation of winter operation efficiency. All of these will be delivered as a tour to an open-source web-based app, which has been developed via a research project sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The audience will be offered interactive hands-on experience during the session. Professionals from FHWA are also expected to join the session.Objectives
- Summarize the possible use of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques in winter maintenance.
- Demonstrate the use of AI for facilitating their daily snow and ice removal jobs.
- Communicate with domain experts and government officials about the needs, developments, use, and promotion of winter maintenance tools boosted with AI and data.
Speaker
Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Virginia
DateApril 6, 2025When looking to purchase new equipment or implement new ideas or programs, all public works departments and departments of transportation, regardless of size, face challenges. Join us in this session to learn some techniques to help you gain support for your ideas. Win others over with brilliance and truthful information and grow your department into a world class snowfighting operation. From frontline employees of rural departments to directors of major metropolitan cities, this session offers insights for everyone.Objectives
- Defend a product or program that will improve public works department operations.
- Explain needs vs. wants and the benefits of changes.
- Change the culture of "We have always done it this way."
Speaker
Technical Training Specialist, University of Massachusetts
DateApril 6, 2025This presentation delves into the intricacies of Edmonton's Winter Priority Bike Network, with a specific focus on the Priority 1 bike lane redesign to enhance connectivity and overall usage. Learn about the prioritization process, maintenance strategies, and the challenges inherent in sustaining a winter-ready bike network. Providing insight into maintenance practices, the presenter outlines innovative strategies employed to uphold the WinterBike Network. This redesign integrates forward-thinking snow removal techniques, synchronization with road maintenance schedules, and community engagement initiatives as integral components. Harsh winter conditions present a significant obstacle, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive approach to ensure functionality and safety. Balancing priorities across the entire cycling infrastructure while addressing these challenges remains an ongoing hurdle, particularly with a focus on optimizing connectivity and overall usage. The session will review the meticulous process of identifying and prioritizing routes within Edmonton's cycling network, focusing on factors such as high cyclist traffic, connectivity to key areas, safety concerns, operational efficiencies, and community input. This approach guarantees the efficient allocation of resources to maintain essential routes crucial for cyclists during winter.Objectives
- Visualize the prioritization scheme highlighting mobility, operations, usage, and connectivity.
- Understand how the unique equipment and materials used can create an age and skill level inclusive surface for all.
- Evaluate their own multi-mode transportation network, and ensure alignment with the desired outcome and operational capacity of the maintenance group.
Speaker
General Supervisor Infrastructure Field Operations, City of Edmonton
DateApril 7, 2025Extreme events are becoming more frequent and common during the winter season. Ranging from extreme cold and heavy snow to high winds and even freezing rain in warmer southern climates, extreme events are impacting a larger segment of our population on a regular basis. This presentation will be a panel discussion of winter maintenance professionals who have dealt with some form of extreme winter events in recent times. The discussion will focus on preparing, planning, and response execution during non-routine events. Panelists will share lessons learned as well as suggest improvements to current operations to be better prepared for the next "big one."Objectives
- Identify non-routine events that will overwhelm the capability of an organization.
- Prepare for extreme events of differing magnitudes that could be faced in your local area.
- Communicate needs to leadership regarding resources needed to be prepared for extreme events.
Speaker
Northern Region M&O Manager, Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities
DateApril 7, 2025The City of Bloomington, Minnesota, is implementing a “Winter Intendance and Salt Elimination” (WISE) plan that connects operations with planning, design, regulation, and community behavior/expectations. The city has developed the plan in partnership with experts from the engineering firm Bolton and Menk. Presenters will explain how strategic long-term planning for winter intendance can position an agency to utilize coalitions across departments, outside organizations, and staff to systematically provide a winter cityscape that is functional, maintainable, efficient, cost-effective, and more environmentally responsible. WISE recognizes that deicers are a catalyst that maximizes the efficacy of snow and ice management. In many cases, salt is a necessary aspect of operations. However, due to its tendency to corrode infrastructure and degrade the environment, the WISE plan contends that chemical deicer use is not itself a winter best management practice (BMP). Viewed through this lens, winter BMPs extend beyond operations into planning, design, and outreach—anything that reduces the amount of salt used while maintaining community and economic needs. The presentation includes a case study of the city’s WISE plan, implementation of the Winter Intendance strategy, and examples of how apparently opposed/disconnected initiatives create co-benefits within winter intendance. The presentation will end with a framework/road map for replicating the WISE plan.Objectives
- Initiate “winter intendance,” the fully integrated view on snow and ice management, within their own agency and closely related organizations.
- Recognize opportunities for improving operational efficiency, like improving policy or infrastructure design.
- Adjust their perspective on the role of salt in winter maintenance activities.
Speakers
Winter Maintenance Research Specialist, Bolton & Menk, Inc.Water Resources Specialist, City of Bloomington, MN
DateApril 7, 2025Managing snow and ice operations in today’s challenging environment demands a balance of efficiency, sustainability, and cost control. As public works managers grapple with limited budgets and rising expectations, the need for smarter purchasing strategies becomes more critical. This session will showcase how cooperative purchasing offers a strategic solution to optimize procurement processes, streamline snow and ice management operations, and enhance resource allocation. Attendees will learn how to leverage cooperative contracts to access high-quality, cost-effective equipment and services, fostering collaboration between procurement teams and end-users while staying ahead of the challenges unique to snow management.Objectives
- Understand how cooperative purchasing streamlines procurement for snow and ice management, reducing costs and improving efficiency.
- Identify strategies to foster collaboration between procurement teams and snow management departments to enhance operational outcomes.
- Explore real-world examples of how cooperative purchasing supports sustainability, rapid response, and resource optimization in snow and ice operations.
Speakers
Vice President, Government Sales, International Motors, LLCEquipment Management Specialist, South Dakota Department of TransportationPrincipal Supplier Development Executive, SourcewellPublic Works Director, City of Grand RapidsDistributor Sales Manager, Monroe Truck Equipment
DateApril 7, 2025This session will spark conversation and interaction among peers in supervisory and management roles. It will focus on ways to assess training needs through identifying deficiencies in daily and long term operations, track and record work processes for future generations, and to evaluate yourself and your goals. This session is geared for seasoned staff who are nearing the end of their careers and looking to "pass the torch" and keep their respective organization moving forward.Objectives
- Identify the need for specific training through more effective communication.
- Set the goals of your department through a clear, defined, and realistic mission statement.
- Develop a realistic succession program for the crew leaders you supervise.
Speaker
Assistant Director of Public Works, Westminster
DateApril 7, 2025With 135 employees across six divisions, how does Cobb County DOT’s Road Maintenance Division cultivate its workforce and strategize for growth? Discover how their career ladder and universal concept have positioned them to launch two new satellite locations.Objectives
- Understand how developing and implementing a career ladder can promote growth among field supervisors and operators.
- Understand how creating and applying a universal concept can enhance cross-training among leadership.
- Visualize how a career ladder and a universal concept can support growth into additional locations.
Speakers
Dallas Cain, CPWMRoad Maintenance Division Manager, Cobb County Department of TransportationAdministrative Specialist III, Cobb County Department of Transportation
DateApril 7, 2025This session will discuss all aspects of the Michigan Department of Transportation’s new ELDT program from conception and design to implementation as well as some of the struggles with workforce shortages.Objectives
- Form an opinion on whether an in-house ELDT/CDL program would benefit their operation.
- Summarize all aspects of ELDT training from theory to in-the-field training.
- Understand the process of creating a ELDT program.
Speaker
TMC12, MDOT
