Fall Conference

Check out the conference photos (click on "Events" under "All Photographs") Newspaper article from East Oregonian

Conference  Highlights
Pendleton Public Works staff welcomes you to the 2010 Oregon APWA Fall Conference. Our four-year rotation for hosting the fall conference has brought us to one of the busiest years for public works projects under way in our community. Normally, we perform between $2 million to $3 million in capital projects on an annual basis. Between 2010 and 2011, we are expected to complete over $35 million in public works projects in Pendleton. This is why our motto for this year’s conference is simply “Get’er Done” on the heels of the 100th anniversary celebration for the Pendleton Round-Up and all the projects that are under way. So come join us, let us show off all our hard work and dedication through our many projects, and share our hospitality with you. We also encourage you to consider staying for the weekend and soaking in more of Pendleton. The following information highlights our conference activities for October 2010 and other considerations for your planning purposes.

Northwest Public Works Leadership Institute (NWPWLI) is having a concurrent workshop Monday through Friday with our conference in the Happy Canyon Room at the Pendleton Convention Center. We will be sharing meals and activities with the NWPWLI attendees, so please introduce yourself to them - they may well be future members of the Oregon Chapter of APWA.

The golf tournament will be held Tuesday afternoon at the Pendleton Country Club. Lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m. with a shotgun tee time at 1:30 p.m. to allow for everyone to escape the course before it gets dark and get to the no-host social with the attendees from the NWPWLI. Cost of the golf outing is $70 per person for green fees, cart, lunch, and various prizes.

The public works projects tour will kickoff Tuesday afternoon after lunch at the Pendleton Convention Center with the NWPWLI attendees. The tour will include places rarely seen by the general public: water treatment plant (WTP) with the 100 kW DC solar installation, immersed membrane filtration, and unique siphon design; wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) with a 200 kW DC tracking solar installation, construction of a new headworks, aeration basin, dechlorination facility, dewatering facility, and methane gas cogen facility, along with relocation of the outfall and alteration to chlorine contact chamber; Aquifer Storage & Recovery (ASR) Well #14 with regenerative drive pilot project for hydro-energy production; and, if time allows, tour the new Round-Up West Grandstand Stadium, some “Solarize Pendleton” residential solar installations, and/or some of our surface preservation projects. Cost: $50 per person which includes transportation, lunch, and snacks.

Prodigal Son Brew Pub will be the site of our Tuesday evening no-host social with NWPWLI attendees. This establishment recently opened at the corner of SE Court Avenue & SE 3rd Street in early 2010. They handcraft three microbrews on site and carry a fourth seasonal microbrew. Everyone in town by Tuesday evening is welcome to attend. We will be providing one drink ticket if you let us know you are there on behalf of NWPWLI or APWA.

A streetscape design workshop will be held Wednesday morning at the Pendleton Convention Center (PCC) with Greenworks and city staff. Greenworks completed design work for the city in 2009 and several projects have been constructed in 2010 reflecting their designs: new gateway entrance landscaping in coordination with ODOT at the intersection in front of the PCC, new frontage improvements for Round-Up Grounds, new Centennial Plaza for Round-Up Grounds and Roy Raley Park, and the new Riverfront Park along SW Court Avenue. City staff also adopted new form-based code to enhance development between SW Court Avenue and the Riverwalk (top of levee). Workshop will include a walking tour, discussion of these improvements, and highlight of the new form based code. Cost: $25 per person.

The exhibitor-hosted social will be held Wednesday evening at the Pendleton Convention Center. This is a fantastic opportunity for networking with fellow attendees and all the exhibitors. Attendees will receive two drink tickets with registration and, unlike the 2006 Fall Conference, we will have plenty of hors d'oeuvres (i.e. – food) for all attendees. Exhibitors will also have additional drink tickets to hand-out, but you must visit them to get one (or two or more)!

The chapter awards banquet will be held at the Pendleton Elks’ Lodge located at SE Byers Avenue & SE 3rd Street. Doors will open at 6 p.m.. Be sure to check the Oregon Chapter APWA website: oregonapwa.org for award considerations and applications. Entertainment is planned to include Young Voices of Eastern Oregon, a youth chorale from the Oregon East Symphony, and Blue Pass, a local blue grass band with some incredibly talented players. The dance floor at the Elks’ will be available, so bring your dancin’ shoes.

On-your-own activity ideas for those who may want to escape the conference for a while or stay through the weekend:
Pendleton Underground & Cozy Rooms, Pendleton Woolen Mills, Heritage Museum, Center for the Arts, Tamastslikt Cultural Institute, Wildhorse Casino, Hamley’s Store and Saddlery, Downtown Shopping, Historical Walking Tour, River Walkway,Golf at Country Club/Wildhorse/Milton-Freewater/Echo/Walla Walla/Arlington, Walla Walla Valley Wineries, and Saturday evening’s Oregon East Symphony 25-year anniversary concert with JD Kindle and the Eastern Oregon Playboys accompanied by the Symphony Chamber. Visit with our staff or our Chamber of Commerce at the corner of S Main Street & Frazer Avenue for more information.

Contact the Conference Committee: (541) 966-0202; fax (541) 966-0251

Bob Patterson, Chair
Tim Simons, Golf Tournament
Jutta Haliewicz, Registration
Karen King, Guest Program
Jeff Brown, Social Arrangements
Megan Cook, Registration Info

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