APWA News
Winter 2009 / Vol. 45 No.4
In This Issue
- 2010 Oregon Chapter Board Members
- Plan for Winter Flooding
- Calendar
- Scholastic Foundation News
- New Members
- Technical Report on Microsurfacing
- APWA Luncheon Committee Wraps Up Successful Year
- Awards
- Fall Conference Recap
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From the President
With Thanksgiving behind us and the rest of the holiday season yet to come, we look forward to the time we will spend with family and friends and the promise of a new year. The Oregon Chapter has had a great year with two excellent conferences and many continuing education opportunities provided by short schools and classes. The Chapter Board will be meeting this month to review the year and with the help of the various committee chairs we will develop a plan for 2010.
This year has flown by and yet has provided me with many opportunities to interact with the APWA community and I look forward to continuing to serve on the Board next year as the immediate past-president and as a member of the Scholastic Foundation. Peggy Keppler has provided incredible support to me this year. As she takes the role as President, she will lead the Chapter into the new year with an excellent team of officers and directors to support her. I want to thank and recognize the Board members and their individual efforts to help make this year a success. Peggy Keppler, Mark Schoening, Mary Meloy, Hugh Kalani, and Rick Olson served as officers with the support of the directors Ken Fuller, Bob Patterson, Elizabeth Papadopoulos, Marty Anderson, Terry Song, and Todd Watkins. I am proud to have served with this group this year and look forward to being part of their continuing leadership.
The Fall Conference at Spirit Mountain was another incredible opportunity for our members to network, participate in various education tracks, and to share in the recognition of projects and individuals during the awards banquet. I want to thank co-chairs Russ Thomas, City of Newberg, and Mike Bisset, City of McMinnville, and the conference committee for all the hard work and time put in to make the conference a huge success. The volunteers who worked so many hours to make the conference so enjoyable cannot be thanked enough. Without them the conference would not have happened. Without any paid staff, the Oregon Chapter continues to show the strength of those committed to the APWA community and the support of the member organizations. At the Chapter meeting this fall, the membership elected a new set of officers drawing from those individuals mentioned above and added new directors Delora Kerber, City of Wilsonville, and Russ Thomas, City of Newberg, to the Board.
As I reflect on my year as President, I considered the list of past presidents and recognize many individuals I regard as friends, mentors, and in all cases excellent examples of their commitment to public works and the communities we serve. I want to thank the Board and the entire membership for the opportunity to serve you this year, and I am honored to have my name added to the list of past presidents. Have a great holiday season!
Gregg Weston
Oregon Chapter of American Public Works Association Elects 2010 Board
The Oregon Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA) has elected its 2010 board of directors.
Serving as president will be Peggy Keppler, development review manager with the City of Eugene.
Other board officers are president-elect Mary Meloy, consultant, of Bend; secretary Bob Patterson, public works director for the City of Pendleton; and treasurer Mark Schoening, city engineer at the City of Eugene.
Newly elected to the board are Delora Kerber, public works director for the City of Wilsonville; and Russ Thomas, public works superintendent for the City of Newberg.
Continuing to serve as board members are Marty Andersen, Local Agency Program liaison with the Oregon Department of Transportation; Todd Watkins, engineering associate at Washington County; Elizabeth Papadopoulos, principal engineer with the City of Lake Oswego; and Terry Song, consultant, of Tigard.
Gregg Weston, of David Evans and Associates in Portland, will serve as immediate past president, and Hugh Kalani, retired, is the chapter’s national delegate.
Now is the Time to Plan for Winter Flooding
Les Miller, P.E., Chair, Emergency Management Committee
Flooding is on our radar again, and with it comes the time when we need to review our policies and plans for protecting public and/or private commercial districts and residential developments.
Do you? Do you have the lead or major role in constructing expedient temporary flood protection barriers or evacuating areas when forecast to be flooded? Emergency management presentations at the 2009 spring and fall conferences were designed to stimulate such questions and provide ideas for building flood protection barriers and relationships.
This El Nino winter is statistically supposed to be warmer and drier than average, but record-setting floods in single or adjoining drainages have occurred in similar years. I encourage you to identify historically flooded facilities or areas with development now in them and pull a team together to develop a "back of a napkin" flood protection design and plan to share with your emergency management office. Then before you're numbed by all the football games on TV, write down and send a couple of your emergency preparedness, response, recovery or hazard mitigation concerns and/or ideas you would like the Emergency Management Committee to address in 2010 to me at D.Les.Miller@usace.army.mil.
Have a safe and memorable holiday season.
Awards Recognize People, Projects
Numerous awards of excellence were presented at the 2009 Oregon APWA Fall Conference at Spirit Mountain in October.
Olson Earns Bowes Award
Rick Olson, the chapter’s 2008 president and long-time member of the Oregon Chapter APWA, received the Bowes Award at the fall 2009 chapter conference at Grand Ronde on Oct. 8.
The Bowes Award has been given annually since 1978 to honor a chapter member for distinguished service to the chapter which results in improvement, growth and public recognition of Oregon APWA and its members. It is the chapter’s highest individual honor.
“In selecting the Bowes Award winner, I was looking for someone in the Chapter
who has given long, continuous, and outstanding service to the Chapter,” said Terry Chamberlin, the 2008 Bowes award winner. “Rick is someone who has been involved a long time in heading up the conference exhibitor shows, which are a very important key to the success of each conference.”
“Rick is always willing to help and a person that you want to have around.”
Congratulations to Rick Olson!
Chapter Issues Project Awards
ALSEA BAY BRIDGE – WILLIAM KEADY WAYSIDE
Transportation Project of the Year (Category Below $5 Million)
Agency – Oregon Department of Transportation
Consultant – Murray, Smith & Associates, Inc. and OBEC
Contractor – Pok Wan Contracting, Inc.
This project located in Waldport successfully combined three projects from three funding sources into one, which enhanced project coordination, reduced cost and reduced the impact to the community. The work included downtown refinement, pavement rehabilitation of Highway 101, and traffic signal reconstruction. The project team understood that this work could have significant impacts on Waldport as it is dependent upon Highway 101 for tourism; therefore, many steps were taken to reduce construction impacts and maintain access to businesses.
SW OLESON ROAD IMPROVEMENTS
Transportation Project of the Year (Category $5 - $25 million)
Agency – Washington County
Consultant – CH2M Hill, and Otak, Inc.
Contractor – Emery & Sons Construction, Inc.
This project included improvements to 2.6 miles of a major arterial to change it from a county road to urban design standards. This included wider lanes, turning lanes, bike lanes, storm drainage, safety features and landscaping. Understanding that this would significantly affect a developed neighborhood the project team used many community outreach techniques including 18 meetings over a four-year period with a community based project advisory committee. Based upon these meetings major design modifications were adopted such as reducing the design speed from 45 to 35 mph.
CEDAR CREEK CULVERT REPLACEMENT
Environmental Project of the Year (Category Below $5 million)
Agency – City of Sherwood
Consultant – Otak, Inc.
Contractor – Kerr Contractors, Inc.
This project started as an enhancement for fish passage and storm water conveyance. However, the project team took the opportunity to expand the project to address multiple issues. This included wetland restoration, stream restoration, roadway safety improvements, extension of a park trail system and provision for a wildlife corridor. In addition the project team successfully dealt with extreme weather conditions during construction including a 25-year flood, snow and record low temperatures.
550’ SERVICE ZONE RESERVOIR #2
Environmental Project of the Year (Category $5 - $25 million)
Agency – City of Tigard
Consultant – Murray, Smith & Associates, Inc.
Contractor – Emery & Sons Construction, Inc.
This 3-million-gallon buried reservoir project faced large design challenges including shallow rock and nowhere to take the drainage. Through a value engineering study a solution was found. The operating level of the pressure zone was raised by 10 feet and the geometry of the reservoir was modified to make it low and wide. This reduced the amount of rock excavation required and raised the reservoir high enough that the drainage could be connected to an existing storm system. The team also took the opportunity to create a pocket park out of the reservoir site.
Agencies Recognized for Sustainability
The Oregon Chapter of the American Public Works Association recognized four Oregon agencies for excellence in sustainability at its fall conference in Grand Ronde on October 8.
The Chapter established the Julian Prize for Sustainability in 2004 to promote the role of public works in furthering the principles of sustainability. The award is intended to recognize systems thinking, long term design practices, and infrastructure systems that sustain society. Awards are presented for policies, practices, projects or individual contributions that provide long-term benefits to the environment, to the community, or to the economy. The 2009 Julian Prizes were awarded to the cities of Eugene and Newberg, as well as Clean Water Services and Oregon State University.
The City of Eugene’s Public Works Department was recognized for adopting sustainable practices in its use of Warm Mix Asphalt Concrete (WMAC). Paul Klope and Matt Rodriquez accepted the award on behalf of City of Eugene. WMAC is a relatively new product that produces asphalt at temperatures 50 to 100 degrees lower than traditional asphalt. The benefits of the WMAC are reduced energy, fewer harmful emissions, increased pavement life and increase recycled materials. The City of Eugene developed the WMAC product specification with assistance from the Asphalt Pavement Association and Texas Department of Transportation. The City worked with local companies Eugene Sand Construction and Egge Sand and Gravel to place the WMAC on a large pilot project on Roosevelt Boulevard in Eugene. Lane County assisted with design review and field testing. Based on the success of the pilot project, the City chose to use the WMAC on future pavement preservation projects.
The City of Newberg’s Public Works Department received the Julian Prize for a sustainable project by converting a parking lot adjoining 99E into a “Water Wise” garden. Through innovative design, Newberg employees converted the asphalt parking lot into a rainwater garden that captures and filters runoff and then uses it for irrigation. The garden includes an educational kiosk with a vegetative roof, diverse cultivation and features for habitat conservation. Bryan Stewart accepted the award on behalf of City of Newberg.
Clean Water Services was recognized for completion of an innovative project to advance sustainability in wastewater treatment. The Durham Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant, located in Washington County, is recognized as one of the “greenest” wastewater treatment plants in the United States. Awarded the LEED Silver designation, the Durham Plant is heralded for site selection, stormwater management, use of recycled materials and energy and water conservation. The Plant operations save enough energy to power 109 homes and reduce carbon consumption equal to 1.4 million miles driven in a vehicle. The Durham Plant is the first in the United States to recover phosphorous and other nutrients from wastewater; converting them to environmentally safe fertilizer which is sold to pay back the investment in this innovative technology. Bob Cruz accepted the award on behalf of Clean Water Services.
Oregon State University received the Julian Prize for sustainable practices for the renovation of Kearney Hall. Scott Ashford accepted the Prize on behalf of OSU. The building, formerly known as Apperson Hall, located on 14th and Monroe streets in Corvallis, houses the Civil and Construction Engineering programs. The University used this project as a teaching opportunity, involving students first hand in learning environmentally responsible approaches to building renovation. The project focused on conservation of energy, water and virgin materials. During construction, 75% of all construction debris was recycled or reused. The newly renovated building is expected to use 30% less energy, 42% less drinking water and 50% less irrigation water than a comparable building constructed to standard building codes.
Merseth Lauded for Continued Efforts
Gordon Merseth was recognized by the Chapter Board for his continued support and hard work within the Oregon Chapter of APWA. Gordon has served for years as the Chairman of the Education Committee and has worked with ASI and Cameo to provide consistent and beneficial continuing education opportunities to our members and others involved in Public Works. This past spring Gordon handed the reins of the Education Committee over to Sam Irving of Clackamas County. Gordon not only secured Sam's agreement to serve as the committee chair, he has agreed to support Sam in this transition. Gordon's service to the Chapter includes tenure as a director, a member of the Executive Committee, and as the chapter president. He is a great example to our membership of continuing service to the organization.
Membership pins were distributed to Oregon APWA members who were in attendance at the fall 2009 conference and who were either lifetime members or as of 2009 had anniversaries for being members for 10 years and 15, years.
Lifetime Pins
Paul Roeger
Jim Gilmer
Hugh Kalani
Mike McKillip
Pat Napalitano
15 year Pin
Bob Patterson
10 year Pins
Terry Song
Ken Stoneman
Gregg Weston
Leslie Finnigan
Stephanie Reid
Doug Tindall
CALENDAR
www.oregonapwa.org/training/index.htm
Scholastic Foundation News
The Oregon APWA Scholastic Foundation is pleased to report that the members of Oregon APWA provided almost $4,300 for student scholarships at the fall 2009 conference at Spirit Mountain.
The biggest chunk of change – more than $3,500 – came from the Gizmo competition, in which Mike Bisset from the City of McMinnville outpaced Wendy Marshall from the City of Gresham. Way to go, Mike!
The conference planning staff also is to be commended for a couple of lucrative ideas, including a $600 donation made in lieu of speaker gifts (we hear that the speakers thought that was a good idea, too), plus $170 from the golf tournament. Thank you, especially all you duffers who couldn’t drive the first green!
In other Scholastic Foundation news, a donation by Ned Dempsey and Century West Engineering has resulted in a new $2,000 scholarship at the University of Oregon, the APWA-Century West Sustainable Cities Scholarship. With the new UO scholarship, the Foundation will be seeking applicants for 11 scholarships totaling $16,000 in the 2010 school year.
Foundation board members in 2010 are: Kurt Corey, president; Jim Gilmer, vice president; Dan Boss, treasurer; Jeanne Nyquist, secretary; and directors Ted Kyle, Gordon Merseth, Ed Wegner, Peggy Keppler, Gregg Weston, and Eric Jones. Victoria Saager is chair of the Scholarship Committee.
For more information on the scholarships or other foundation information, visit the foundation’s web site at www.oregonapwa.org/foundation.
New Members
Brian Bierwagen, Transportation Division Manager, Parametrix, Inc., (253) 501-5227, bbierwagen@parametrix.com
Keith A. Bondaug, Jr, Student, Willamette University, (503) 400-1115, kbondaug@willamette.edu
Amica Bose, Project Manager, City of Hillsboro, (503) 681-6147, amicab@ci.hillsboro.or.us
Rachel A. Burr, Environment Regulation Coordinator, City of Eugene, (541) 682-4944, rachel.a.burr@ci.eugene.or.us
Rob Charles, Public Works Director, City of Silverton, (503) 874-2210, rcharles@silverton.or.us
Zen Dutson, Engineering Supervisor, City of Tigard, (503) 718-2472, zen@tigard-or.gov
Lannie W. Eells, Supervisor, City of Portland, (503) 823-1748, lannie.eells@pdxtrans.org
Heath Frederick, Director, City of Medford, (541) 774-2600
Kyle Greene, Engineer in Training, City of Springfield, (541) 726-5750, kgreene@ci.springfield.or.us
Martha L. Hardy, Special Projects Admin, Automation Group Inc, (541) 359-3755, mhardy@tag-inc.us
Michael Johns, Fleet Services Manager, Lane County OR, (541) 682-8583, michael.johns@co.lane.or.us
Frances Kessler, WW Treatment Division Mgr, City of Salem, (503) 588-6380, fkessler@cityofsalem.nc
Robert Knorr, Urban Svc & Transit Manager, City of Woodburn, (503) 982-5245, robert.knorr@ci.woodburn.or.us
Elaine Jinx Kuehn, PE, Systems Planning Manager, Clean Water Services, (503) 816-6407, kuehnj@cleanwaterservices.org
Greg A. Landau, Vice President, Pacific Geotechnical, LLC, (503) 565-0156, glandau@pacificgeotechnicalllc.com
Terry Learfield, Road Maint. Supervisor, Clackamas County OR, (503) 650-3253, terryllea@co.clackamas.or.us
Andrew S. Lindsey, Project Engineer, Anderson-Perry & Associates Inc., (541) 963-8309
John F. Maloney, HNTB Corporation, (503) 205-4144, jmaloney@hntb.com
Andre’ D. Mare, Geotechnical Engineer, Pacific Geotechnical, LLC, (503) 565-0156, amare@pacificgeotechnicalllc.com
Richard G. McCoy, PW Inspector Supervisor, City of Portland, (503) 823-6738, rickm@bes.ci.portland.or.us
Mike McNeill, Agent, Epic Land Solutions, Inc., (503) 213-3977, MikeMcNeill@epicland.com
Mary Meloy, Retired, (541) 480-6947, mmeloy@bendcable.com
Rob Murchison, Sr. Project Engineer, City of Tigard, (503) 718-2699, robm@tigard-or.gov
Scott Newbeker, Water Wastewater Div Manager, Parametrix, Inc., (253) 501-5227,
Jeff Peck, Senior Engineering Tech, City of Tigard, (503) 718-2466, jeffp@tigard-or.gov
Jennifer K. Purcell, Solid Waste Coordinator, Tillamook County, (503) 815-3975, jpurcell@oregoncoast.com
Erica L. Rooney, PE, Asst City Engineer, City of Lake Oswego, (503) 635-0264, erooney@ci.oswego.or.us
Cody Smith, PE, Bridge & Construction Engineer, Douglas County Public Works Dept, (541) 440-4481, ccsmith@co.douglas.or.us
Mike Spangler, PW Maintenance Supervisor, City of Eugene, (541) 682-4834, mike.a.spangler@ci.eugene.or.us
Larry L. Stevens, Division Manager, City of Portland Office of Trans Maint Ops, (503) 823-7052, larry.stevens@trans.ci.portland.or.us
Robert Thayne, Principal, NW Engineers, LLC, (503) 601-4401, bobt@nw-eng.com
John Thorpe, PW Maintenance II, City of Shady Cove, (541) 878-3322
Bill Vincent, Project Manager, CMTS Inc., (503) 242-1388, bvincent@cmtsinc.com
Jamie Waltz, Transportation Asset Manager, Portland Bureau of Transportation, (503) 823-7107, jamie.waltz@pdxtrans.org
Ray Woolf, Senior Engineering Tech, City of Tigard, (503) 718-2458, ray@tigard-or.gov
Lindsay C. Yamane, Program Manager Transportation, Parametrix, Inc., (503) 233-2400, lyamane@parametrix.com
Technical Report
Micro surface provides yet another tool for the pavement manager’s virtual pavement maintenance toolbox.
Read the whole story about Microsurfacing.
APWA Luncheon Committees Wraps Up Successful Year
Oregon APWA luncheon events attract a wide range of both public and private professionals throughout the Portland metropolitan area and in the southern Willamette Valley.
Portland Luncheon Committee
The Portland APWA Luncheon Committee has wrapped up another successful year. Jim Kuroski from Advantage Precast and Nanci Snyder from the City of Portland Water Bureau now comprise the current committee, although we have heard from another interested person who seems willing to join our merry band!
The 2009 program included seven sessions:
In January, Joe Squire, ODOT Project Manager, made an excellent presentation of the “Highway 20: Pioneer Mountain to Eddyville” where ancient landslides stopped the project cold until a cost-effective solution could be determined.
In March, “Hillsboro Transportation Utility Fee (TUF); A Case Study” was presented by Tom Arnold, Hillsboro Public Works, Tina Bailey, Street Maintenance Program Manager, and DJ Heffernan, Angelo Planning Group.
In May, Stuart Albright, Ash Creek Assoc., presented the “Subsurface History of Portland,” an overview of how the historical cuts and fills over time have permanently changed the Portland landscape.
In June, APWA/ASCE toured the Bigelow Wind Farm in central Oregon, hosted by our November 2008 luncheon speaker, Steve Higgins, PGE Project Manager.
In July, “Assessing Climate Change Impacts on Public Works” was presented by Philip Pasteris, CH2MHill, who highlighted planning for the impacts of global warming on public works projects.
In September, Mark Vandehey, Principal with Kittleson & Assoc., presented the 2010 Highway Capacity Manual Overview, highlighting the significant improvements made to the manual.
In November, “Using Geodatabases” in Clark County was presented by Jennifer Schmidt, GIS Manager and Matt Klara, River Restoration Specialist, both with Herrera Inc.
If you’d like to get e-mail notices about upcoming Portland luncheons, contact Nanci Snyder at nancis@water.ci.portland.or.us
Willamette Valley Luncheon Committee
The Willamette Valley group held six luncheons with an average attendance of 42. Willamette Valley Committee members include Sam Fox, Lane County Public Works; Steve Rodolf, KPFF; Doug Singer, City of Eugene; and Matt Stouder, City of Springfield.
In February, Joe Squire with ODOT presented “ODOT’s Pioneer Mountain to Eddyville project.”
In April, Mike Faha and Jason King with GreenWorks Landscape Architects presented
“Green Street, Green Infrastructure: Redefining transportation for sustainable communities.”
In June, Barbara Priest with Oregon DEQ presented “Municipal Overview of the Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program.”
In August, Stephen Wittington with KPFF presented “Innovative Designs for Aesthetics – Vancouver Pedestrian Land Bridge.”
In October, Keith Kaufman and Dusty Andrews with the Knife River Prestressed Concrete Plant presented “Precast Concrete Solutions.”
In December, Tina Guard with Balzhiser & Hubbard Engineers presented “University of Oregon Arena Project.”
Upcoming Willamette Valley luncheons in 2010 include: a GIS presentation by Brian Mladenich, Lane County Public Works (February 16); “I-5 Willamette River Bridge Project” by Larry Fox, OBEC Consulting Engineers (April 20); and “Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation in Springfield” by Troy Bowers, MSA (June 15 or 22); with programs in August, October and December to be announced. For more information about Willamette Valley luncheons, contact Doug Singer at Doug.K.Singer@ci.eugene.or.us
Fall Conference 2009 Is in the Books
By Russ Thomas, Conference Co-Chair
The Fall conference held October 6-9 at Spirit Mountain casino started off with a golf tournament in Newberg at the Chehalem Glen Golf Course. The teams enjoyed the tough course on a great day,
and more than $200 dollars was raised for the Education Foundation's scholarship program. Craig Pack, wastewater treatment plant operator at the City of Newberg, was the "celebrity driver." Teams paid him to drive off for them on the 329-yard first hole. And, yes, he did drive the green!
Wednesday morning the pre-conference technical tour left Sprit
Mountain Lodge for a site visit of the City of Sheridan's Stoney
Mountain reservoir located in the coast range. The conference kicked off at noon with keynote speaker, OSU's two-time national championship baseball head coach Pat Casey bringing his perspective to "Rebuilding, Revitalizing, Reinvesting, and Renewing."
Over the next two days, attendees had the opportunity to
interact with over 50 exhibitors and sit in on some outstanding sessions covering management, transportation, and utilities, covering the gamut from bridges to bikeways, SUE projects to sandbags, and engineers to city managers.
The exhibitors hosted a social on Wednesday night that saw the special guest appearance of P.W. Paws. Many in attendance received a special APWA T-shirt and got their picture taken with the national celebrity along with his autograph. Friendships were rekindled and new ones sprang to life while everyone enjoyed the fantastic food and drinks.
Thursday saw more great sessions and that evening the annual Chapter awards were presented. Afterward everyone enjoyed dancing to the music of the Conroy-Debrie group. The dance floor was packed to the end and the group agreed to play longer than anyone anticipated. Rumors were that following the banquet many of those in attendance where seen enjoying themselves elsewhere at Sprit Mountain, including the sports pub, and Raindrops Night Club.
Friday concluded the conference with a hotly contested election for the Golden Knuckle. Voting ebbed back and forth during the conference for several well-qualified candidates; however, with a sudden surge at the polls at the awards luncheon, Mike Bisset from the City of McMinnville easily outpaced the once-again dejected and second-place Wendy Marshall from the City of Gresham. Review of the evaluations provided overwhelming commendations for the volunteer staff of the conference from the host cities of McMinnville and Newberg. Nikki Messenger, Spring Conference Chair from the City of Roseburg, brought her motor home, which was filled on Friday afternoon with the conference supplies and memorabilia as she headed back to begin planning for the 2010 spring conference to be held a Seven Feathers Resort and Casino in Canyonville.
To view online presentations or review the online conference photo album, go to online conference photo album.