Socioecological and Societal Impacts of the Elwha Dam Removal
Elwha River Restoration Project INSIDE - APWA...
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WINTER 2011 2601 Fourth Avenue, Suite 800 Seattle, WA 98121-1280 INSIDE: Inside: zHome | Fall Conference Review | Fleet News Elwha River Restoration Project
Transcript of Elwha River Restoration Project INSIDE - APWA...
winter 2011
2601 Fourth Avenue, Suite 800Seattle, WA 98121-1280
INSIDE:Inside: zHome | Fall Conference Review | Fleet News
Elwha River Restoration Project
2011 OFFICERSPresident Jill M. Marilley, PEVice President Mike Terrell, PESecretary Peter S. CapellTreasurer Toby D. RickmanPast President Jay Burney
Board of Directors Term 2011-12Tara Olsen, PERuta L. JonesDon Vondran, PENik Stroup
Board of Directors Term 2010-11Peter DeBoldt, PEWilliam L. PughRobert DesgrosellierKirk Holmes
Chapter LiaisonJohn W. Carpita, PE206-625-1300, [email protected]
Chapter DelegateRichard [email protected]
Published by:
2601 Fourth Avenue, Suite 800Seattle, WA 98121-1280www.apwa-wa.orgFederal tax #36-2202880
Tel: (866) 985-9780Fax: (866) 985-9799E-mail: [email protected] www.kelman.ca
Managing Editor: Cheryl Parisien, [email protected]
Design/Layout: Vadim Brodsky
Marketing Manager: Darrell Harris, [email protected]
All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express consent of the publisher.
Departments:President’s Message ................................................................... 5Association News ........................................................................ 6History ...................................................................................... 10Community Profile .................................................................... 26Fleet News ............................................................................... 30Ask MRSC ................................................................................ 36Committee Reports .................................................................. 41Ostrowski’s Outlook ................................................................. 43
Features:Fall Conference Review ...........................................................11 A review of the APWA Fall Conference in Yakima this past October.
Roadeo 2011 ...........................................................................14 Twenty-six maintenance professionals from around the state of Washington put on an incredible show of skill and nerve during the 1st Annual Equipment Roadeo.
The Last Mile ...........................................................................17 Considering financing tools for our local streets, which are in desperate need of repair.
Elwha River Restoration Project ..............................................20 This project has been in the works for years, and has now entered the dam removal phase. Learn all about the details here.
zHome .....................................................................................33 This September, zHome – the first zero-energy, carbon-neutral townhome community in the United States – opened in the City of Issaquah.
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COVER PHOTO:Courtesy of City of Port Angeles
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PreSiDent’S MeSSAGe
Jill Marilley, PE2011 Chapter President
Our Heroes wear dirt
about our fantastic fall conference in Yakima. Special thanks to the City of Yakima Public works for supporting this conference with fantastic attention to detail. while the chapter has been using a conference planner, wendy Leinan of Make-It-Happen Convention Services, the efforts of our volunteers are truly what makes a successful conference.
In particular, I have a huge grin on my face about the absolute success of the 2011 Roadeo (see Glenn Akramoff’s article in this issue). Four years ago, as I took office as Treasurer, I had a vision that our chapter could bring back a competition that focused on the skills and talent of our operations and maintenance teams throughout the state. Regular readers of my column know that I am a passionate supporter of our maintenance crews, and in my previous service as a public works director, it was clear that our cities do not function without the commitment of these teams. They regularly prove that the work they perform is not just a job but a dedication to serve the public.
Thankfully, all I had to do was articulate this vision to Glenn Akramoff, City of Covington Public works director and the Maintenance Committee Chair, and he ran with it. He quickly formed a team of dan wesley, Sean Clark, Patrick Zellner, Brian Smith, and don Bitterman, and they got busy with the planning, development and implementation of this event. They sent individuals to the Chicago Metro chapter’s competition, gathered information from washington’s past competitions, formulated a competition that worked with our region, and then advertised and promoted this event extensively. (Some members may not be aware that prior to 1999 a Roadeo competition existed.) we had a terrific showing of competitors and a full day of competition. For those there, I hope you enjoyed the revised conference format and the ability to watch the work of these folks in the competition.
The other highlight of a new event such as the Roadeo is all the new attendees, competitors and vendors that it brings. They truly added to the quality of the conference, opportunities and ideas. I extend my personal thank-you to these new attendees and look forward to seeing you again.
Membership recognitionAPwA National recently created membership pins acknowledging the length of time individuals have been members. with 10-, 15- and 20-year and beyond designations, these pins are an acknowledgement of APwA’s thanks and admiration for your dedication to
the public works profession and your community. This commitment exemplifies the importance of being associated with APwA and the networking opportunities it provides and is an excellent example to our younger members. Being the first distribution, over 500 pins are being sent out now, and each fall we will send the new pins out to those achieving the next status for that year.
No matter the number of years you have been a member, I personally thank you, the reader, for your continued time and investment with the organization and chapter. Please know that your efforts in advancing the public works profession are truly appreciated and make a profound difference.
2011 into 2012As president, I have been proud to serve our organization. This is my fourth column and it is usually time for me to thank you for an extraordinary year and pass the gavel to the next person. Be assured, because of the efforts of all the volunteers, it truly has been an amazing year. we had a successful joint conference with the Oregon chapter in the spring and our own Yakima conference in this past fall, the wastewater Committee held an incredible Grease Summit that drew an international audience, our scholarship fund balances were increased, and we were recognized with a record number of awards at the past National Congress in denver, as just a few of the many highlights.
However, due to circumstances with our leadership and thanks to your kind votes, you have offered me another year to serve and assist with moving the chapter forward to continue to provide our members with excellent programming and services that improve public works. I am humbled and honored for the opportunity. My theme for 2011 was “A Foundation for Our Future” – I believe we have achieved that, and now we will continue to build that future on our strong foundation.
I wish you all a peaceful holiday season and a successful and joyous 2012.
As I write this column, I am reminiscing “No matter the number of years you
have been a member, I personally thank you, the reader, for your
continued time and investment with the organization and chapter.”
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ASSociAtion newS
washington State Chapter APwA - 2012 Calendar
BOaRD MEETIngS(Contact Jill Marilley at 425-450-6236 or [email protected])December 9, 2011
Bear Creek Country Club, woodinville – 9:00 am January 6, 2012
Issaquah City Hall Northwest – 9:00 AM april 4, 2012
Tulalip Resort, Marysville – 7AMJune 8, 2012
PSE wildhorse Visitors Center – Kittitas/Vantage – 9:00 AM October 10, 2012
davenport Hotel, Spokane – 7:00 AM December 7, 2012
Bear Creek Country Club, woodinville – 9:00 am
aREa MEETIng WEST(Call Courtney McFadden @ 425-739-4211)December 9, 2011
Bear Creek Country Club, woodinville – 11:30 am December 7, 2012
Bear Creek Country Club, woodinville – 11:30 am
aREa MEETIng EaST(Call Kirk Holmes @ 509-962-7523)June 8, 2012
PSE wildhorse Visitors Center – Kittitas/Vantage – 11:30 am
naTIOnaL PuBLIC WORkS WEEk May 20-26, 2012
Public works week Luncheon - Call Courtney McFadden @ 425-739-4211
May 22, 2012 Bellevue Hilton - 11:30 am
annuaL aPWa SkI DayFebruary 10, 2012
Crystal Mountain Resort at 8:30am Call Mike Roberts 425-455-9720 or [email protected]
annuaL aPWa/agC gOLF TOuRnaMEnT august 10, 2012
1 pm Shotgun Start Avalon Golf Links, Burlington, wA Contact: Bill Holladay at (425) 869-9448 or [email protected]
PuBLIC WORkS InSTITuTE Call John Ostrowski @ 360-573 7594 or [email protected] TRaInIng EVEnTShttp://www.apwa-wa.org/training/chapter.htm
MPAC, CM and CASC
aPWa COngRESSThe Best Show in Public works http://www.apwa.netaug 26-29, 2012
Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CAaugust 25-28, 2013
McCormick Place, Chicago, ILaugust 17-20, 2014
Canada Metro Toronto Conventionaugust 30-September 2
Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, AZ
CHaPTER COnFEREnCES:Spring Conference 2012
April 3-6 - Tulalip Resort, Marysville, Snohomish County (Contact Mike Terrell at 206-684-3078 or [email protected])
Fall Conference 2012 *October 9-12 davenport Hotel, Spokane (Contact Peter de Boldt at 425-252-7700, [email protected])
For all chapter conferences, please contact the following for the specialty areas:
BEING A SPONSOR?Contact: Jeffrey [email protected] or
Contact: Roberta Johnson [email protected]
at Tetra Tech.
BEING AN ExHIBITOR? Contact kelly [email protected] at
Berger/Abam
BEING A SPEAKER?Contact: Mike [email protected] or
Contact: Jon [email protected]
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washington Project wins National Award
RICHARd J. ANdERSON, Engineering director, Port of Olympia
PAuL COCHRAN, President, Solid waste Systems Inc.
dON R. ERICKSON, Jr, Financial Analyst, City of Everett
JOHN FENEdICK, Supv Civil Eng/Project Mgr, Parsons Brinckerhoff
dON EdwARd HATHAwAY, Fleet Services Manager, Chelan County Public works
wILLIAM HELBIG, Senior Project Manager, Port of Olympia
wILLIAM H. LINdAuER, Principal, PACLANd-Olympia
ARVIN MANdAdI, Sr Supervising Engineer, Parsons Brinckerhoff
CALVIN MCCAuGHAN, PE, Principal Geotechnical Eng, Insight Geologic
MARK A. PALMER, City Engineer, City of Puyallup
KRISTIN L. PEdERSEN, PE, GHd Inc.
CHIVANNA POT, Supervising Civil Engineer, Parsons Brinckerhoff
JORGE P. RIOS, uSN, Commanding Officer, uS Navy
LINdA SHILLEY, Contract Administrator, Port of Olympia
SR519/I-90 Intermodal Access – Ph II Project received the APwA National Project of the Year Award in the category of Transportation $25 million to $75 million. This project was design-build, and the award was presented to wSdOT (owner), AECOM (designer) and Kiewit (contractor).
New and Returning Members August through October 2011
CARMEN VANIER, Civil Engineer, Parsons Brinckerhoff
AMY M. AMMER, Project Manager, Cowlitz County wA
ANTHONY S. CARROLL, Engineering Tech 4, Kitsap County Public works
JOHN HIMMEL, Emergency Manager, washington dOT
MARK w. LALLY, Nw Regional Manager, Tensar
wILLIAM A. LINTON, Attorney, Inslee Best
dAN J. MATHIAS, utility Services Manager, Perteet Inc.
STEVE MESLER, Salesman, Neenah Foundry Co.
FRANK S. MuLCAHY, PE, Public works director, San Juan County, wA
JESSE L. NEMEC, LEEd AP, Project Manager, CARdNO wRG Inc.
CARLENE SALAZAR, Sign Tech, Pierce County Traffic
TENA S. SEEdS, Project Engineer, JBR Environmental Consultants Inc
LAuRIE S. FILTON, Principal Engineer, Roth Hill, LLC
KASH NIKZAd, Principal, TranTech Engineering, LLC
CHRISTOPHER P. SCHMIdT, Project Manager 1, Roth Hill, LLC
John Ostrowski, author of the “Ostrowski’s Outlook” columns in Washington State Public Works, has a new book available from the APwA online store.
John Carpita, in the book’s preface, describes public works management expert John Ostrowski as the “leading public works philosopher of this day and time” and cautions we shouldn’t let the fact that he’s our only philosopher “detract from his greatness.” Is it any wonder you’ll find this collection of essays – previously published as columns in this magazine – as irreverent and biting as you’ll find it insightful and on target? His thought processes travel from the ridiculous to the sublime (and sometimes back again), but he always gives his readers something to think about. get your copy now!
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ASSociAtion newS
hapter members vote annually for chapter officers (four, for one-year terms) and for new board members (four, for
one-year terms), all of who take office in the next calendar year. Successful candidates for 2012 include:
OFFICERSPresident: Jill Marilley, PE, Project Manager,
HdR Engineering Inc.Vice-President: Pete capell, director of Public works,
Clark CountySecretary: toby rickman, deputy director of Public works,
Pierce CountyTreasurer: Mike clark, PE, Project Manager,
david Evans & Associates
DIRECTORSKeith Martin, Local Program Engineer,
wSdOTLauren Behm, Senior Marketing Coordinator,
HdRDebbie Sullivan, director of Technical Services,
City of OlympiaScott egger, Public works director,
City of Lacey
Other candidates (thanks for participating!) included:
OFFICERSTreasurer: Sam Yaghmaie, PE, LEEd AP,
Principal, CdM
DIRECTORSBobbi wallace, Surface & wastewater division Manager,
City of KirklandBill Holladay, Technical Services Manager,
Roth HillGlenn Akramoff, Public works director,
City of CovingtonSherry Arciniega, Contracts Administrator,
Port of SeattleMichael roy, Operations Manager,
City of Snoqualmie
Rules on board member electionsFour members are to be elected to the board of directors for two-year terms. The Chapter membership will vote for any four of the nominees on the slate. At least one director will be elected to represent that portion of washington State east of the Cascade Mountains, and at least one director will be elected to represent the private sector. The eastern washington and private sector candidates, respectively, with the highest numbers of votes will be elected. Among the remaining candidates, the two nominees with the highest numbers of votes will be elected to the other two board positions.
Pete Capell, Chapter Secretary, certified the results to the executive board on October 12 and noted that the results for Chapter Treasurer were very close, an indication of the strongly qualified candidates attracted to service on the board. Chapter Liaison John Carpita, who monitors the election process on behalf of the board, noted that 316 votes were cast this year, which compares to 314 for last year. He also noted that 212 people used paper ballots, with 114 casting electronic ballots. while the numbers are consistent from year to year, less than 25 percent of eligible chapter members voted.
washington Chapter 2012 Election Results
C
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april 3-6, 2012Tulalip Resort - Marysville, Snohomish County
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he Leschi Ferry was operated by King County and connected Kirkland and
Seattle across Lake washington.The washington State Ferries assumed
operation of the former Puget Sound Navigation Company (Black Ball Line) ferries in 1951.
The Tacoma was the longest double-ended ferry in North America when launched in August 1996.
Public ferries in washington State are operated on Puget Sound, the Columbia River, and on Lake Roosevelt. Vehicle ferries are operated by wSdOT, Pierce, Skagit, wahkiakum, and whatcom Counties, and King County operates passenger-only ferries.
HiStorY
Public Ferries
Excerpted from Building Washington, by Paul Dorpat and Genevieve McCoy.
©1998, Washington State Chapter APWA. Please contact John Carpita at MRSC to purchase a copy from our limited supply.
T
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Sporting sweatshirts emblazoned with OuR HEROES wEAR dIRT, participants (and their many supporters) in the first annual APwA Roadeo were hard to miss at the APwA Fall Conference in Yakima on October 11-14.
A very successful preconference workshop on fleet management issues highlighted the importance of public works fleets. This workshop was co-sponsored by the Public Fleet Managers Association.
Technical sessions ran the gamut: from sustainable practices, to wastewater and stormwater tracks, to a street preservation utility, to fleet management issues, to asset management, to public works management topics, to – well, you get the idea.
The Tuesday Golf Tournament at the Apple Tree Resort was a great success, with one duffer, at least, knocking down a few apples to munch on as he played through. wednesday’s technical tour took participants to two of Yakima’s bigger projects: it’s Lincoln Avenue Grade Separation Project, tunneling under a vital railroad; and it’s cutting-edge Regional Treatment Plant.
First-time conference attendees were honored guests indeed, with Thursday’s beer and cheese pairing social as the
APwA Fall Conference ReviewOur Heroes Wear Dirt … and Grease … and Ties … and Pantsuits By John Carpita, Chapter Liaison
exclamation point of a warm washington Chapter welcome. Billy Riggs used magic and humor to convey his keynote message that we can tap our inner reserves of courage and strength to overcome the discouragement of these trying times. Thursday night’s country music hoedown was a refreshing chance to wear straw hats and cut loose on the dance floor.
All in all, it was a very successful and well-run conference in the great facility owned by the City of Yakima.
But …what’s happened to the APwA Chapter
we knew and loved, with technical sessions on only a few subjects, with conferences so small we could meet almost anywhere in the state, when the wednesday morning committee meetings were two to three tables with only a few folks present at a table, when we had a 16-page two-color newsletter, when it was really hard to find projects and people to give awards to, when ….
well, I present to you the dynamic, rejuvenated APwA Chapter with strong competition and a waiting list to present at conference technical sessions, with conferences so large only a half-dozen venues in the state can accommodate them, with conference committee meetings with two or more tables just for one committee, with a full color 56-page magazine that stands on par with national efforts by other associations, with projects that routinely win both Chapter and National awards, with strong committees in areas that didn’t have committees a few years ago, with a membership that has grown from 1060 members in 2001 to 1360 members in 2011 and now makes us the third-largest chapter in the nation.
OuR HEROES wEAR dIRT is the title of an article by Glenn Akramoff in the Spring 2010 Washington State Public Works magazine. This article affirms the role of public works crews as first responders in emergencies and disasters. This article has the distinction of being reprinted in the November 2011 (National) APwA Reporter.
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Our Chapter leaders over the past 10 years have accomplished a near-miracle: they have held onto the core values and strengths that have sustained us for 56 years, and have fostered an encompassing dynamism of embracing new committees and of reaffirming ties with other associations and groups within the public works arena. In addition, we
have embraced private sector public works professionals and have seen increased participation by women at all levels.
That’s why at all our future conventions we will continue to see heroes who wear dirt, grease, ties, and pantsuits. we are all APwA. we all can be proud of what we do in washington State to serve others.
Thanks to all of the Host Committee members and to wendy Leinan for making the Yakima Conference a huge success, one that everyone enjoyed immensely.
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Twenty-six maintenance professionals from around the state of washington put on an incredible show of skill and nerve during the 1st Annual Equipment Roadeo. The event started at 8:30 with a safety meeting and drawing for competition times. The nervousness and tension could be felt in the room as everyone prepared to compete in their own way. After a course walk-through, things really started to move when the first contestant (Josh Forte from the City of Newcastle) started the truck and pulled onto the course. Cheers could be heard all day as the truck rumbled through its course and the loader carefully churned through its tight course. The camaraderie of the contestants could be easily identified as they watched each other compete against the clock. Nervousness gave way to respect and enthusiasm as the day progressed. while the champions would be crowned at the end of the day, it was the fact that everyone was gathered in Yakima focused on the maintenance profession and those who dedicate their skills and careers to taking care of the washington infrastructure that was truly celebrated today.
The 2011 ChampionsCongratulations to the Loader Event Champion Brain Baltzell of the City of Bothell. Brian will receive an embroidered Championship Carhart jacket as 2011 Champion of the event. Brain had a winning time of 5:18 on the tight loader course.
Congratulations to Aaron Hendrickson of Clark County as the Truck and overall champion. Aaron’s dump truck time was 4:45 and overall he completed both courses in 10:19. Aaron also receives an embroidered Championship Carhart jacket as 2011 Champion of the dump Truck Event and as overall champion. His organization’s name will be engraved on the overall championship trophy. They will bring it to the next event where it will again be up for grabs.
The Roadeo Committee would like to honor Josh Forte, from the City of Newcastle with the sportsmanship award for the event. Josh drew number one and went first in both events. He did a great job of leading off the day. He took being first with great enthusiasm. He also manned the sign-in booth, helped with cleanup after the event and was among the first to congratulate the winners. Thank you Josh for reflecting the best of the maintenance profession.
Congratulations also must go out to the Roadeo Subcommittee: dan wesley, Sean Clark, Patrick Zellner, Brain Smith and don Bitterman. They worked on this event for 18 months along with busy schedules on their jobs. You five have honored the maintenance profession and the Chapter with your presence, enthusiasm and dedication.
Thank you!An event does not happen without some hard work and tremendous support. Thank you to the sponsors of the event: The Fab Shop, SwapLoader, Valley Freightliner, Henderson, Cirus Snow Controls, Roadwise, wilson Fleet, Highway Specialties and NC Machinery. The event would not have happened without your support. A special thanks goes out to The Fab Shop and NC Machinery as they provided the spectacular new equipment for the Roadeo.
Thank you to those who volunteered their time to be judges during the event: John Klump, wilson Fleet; Katherine Claeys, City of Seattle; Tim Loo, City of Bothell; John O’Loughlin, City of Tacoma; Laura Lane, Roadwise; Ruta Jones, City of wenatchee; Steve Shumway, Thurston
What a Show! Roadeo 2011Standing Name From Final Time Reason Disqualified
1 Aaron Hendrickson Clark County 4:452 John May Clark County 5:023 Mark Cunning Chelan County 5:173 John Webster City of Bothell 5:175 April Nantz Clark County 5:555 Lance Bunker Thurston County 5:557 Joe Marchefka City of Covington 6:048 Chris Anderson City of SeaTac 6:179 Aaron Norquist Thurston County 6:2010 Kip Braaten City of Renton 6:2911 JR Metzenberg Lewis County 6:4312 Kevin Korpi Lewis County 7:0813 Matt Mohney Lewis County 7:2014 Stacy Lehew Thurston County 7:3015 Mike Kopick City of SeaTac 7:4316 Desmond Weaver City of Maple Vly 9:38
John Letourneau City of SeaTac DQ Barrel knock downRyan Rosen City of SeaTac DQ Barrel knock downBruce Duncan Chelan County DQ Over lineStan Oberg Lewis County DQ Barrel knock downJohn Dimond City of Renton DQ No seat beltDanny Gravelle City of Maple Vly DQ Past stop barMatt Baltzell City of Bothell DQ Barrel knock downBrian Baltzell City of Bothell DQ Past stop barDave Peck City of Bothell DQ Past stop barJosh Forte City of New Castle DQ Plow move
2011 APwA ROAdEO SCORE SHEET - duMP TRuCK
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Standing Name From Final Time Reason Disqualified1 Brian Baltzell City of Bothell 5:182 Aaron Hendrickson Clark County 5:453 Kip Braaten City of Renton 6:154 Matt Mohney Lewis County 6:495 Desmond Weaver City of Maple Vly 7:116 John Letourneau City of SeaTac 7:177 Ryan Rosen City of SeaTac 8:268 Lance Bunker Thurston County 9:07
John May Clark County DQ Dropped the pipeMike Kopick City of SeaTac DQ Dropped the pipeChris Anderson City of SeaTac DQ Dropped the pipeBruce Duncan Chelan County DQ Dropped the pipeKevin Korpi Lewis County DQ Dropped the pipeJR Metzenberg Lewis County DQ Dropped the pipeStan Oberg Lewis County DQ Dropped the pipeJohn Dimond City of Renton DQ Dropped the pipeAaron Norquist Thurston County DQ Dropped the pipeDanny Gravelle City of Maple Vly DQ Dropped the pipeStacy Lehew Thurston County DQ Dropped the pipeJoe Marchefka City of Covington DQ Dropped the pipeMatt Baltzell City of Bothell DQ Dropped the pipeJohn Webster City of Bothell DQ Dropped the pipeDave Peck City of Bothell DQ Dropped the pipeJosh Forte City of New Castle DQ Dropped the pipe
2011 APwA ROAdEO SCORE SHEET - LOAdER
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County; Alisa Clardy, City of wenatchee; and Mike wyrick, Swaploader. Great job!
The Rodeo committee would like to thank don Hathaway of Chelan County and Ken Price of Clark County for all of their support in the last few months and at the event. Your energy and enthusiasm kept us moving ahead. we welcome each of you to the committee.
Thank you to wendy Leinan for working out so many details and attending most of the committee meetings in preparation for the event. The Maintenace Committee and Roadeo Sub-Committee would also like to thank the APwA Chapter officers and board for their support and enthusiasm for the Roadeo Event as well as Chapter President Jill Marilley for her vision to support maintenance professionals by giving them a place to show off their skills to all of us in public works.
Many have expressed interest in ordering “Our Heroes wear dirt” shirts and sweatshirts. If you are interested, please contact Sean Clark, City of Seatac, ([email protected] or 206-973-4771) by January 14, 2012 to place your order.
work has already begun on the Roadeo 2012 Event. If you are interested in being a contestant, sponsor, or to get more information on how to get involved, please contact dan wesley at [email protected] or 253-638-1431 on the westside or don Bitterman [email protected] of 509-888-3215 on the eastside.
All of the participants shared they can’t wait to come back next year and challenge for the 2012 championships. Bothell and Clark County have served notice they plan to keep the hardware. will you accept the challenge?
2011 JudgesJohn Klump, wilson FleetKatherine Claeys, City Of Seattle Tim Loo, City Of BothellJohn O’Loughlin, City Of TacomaLaura Lane, RoadwiseGlenn Akramoff, City Of CovingtonRuta Jones, City Of wenatcheeAlissa Clarity, City Of wenatcheeSteve Shumway, Thurston CountyMike wyrick, Swamploader
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t the Fall APwA Conference, we met with many of our local city and county
engineers and consultants to consider financing tools for our local streets that in many cases across the state are in desperate need of repair. we have all heard the old saying “for the lack of a nail, the war was lost,” and it reminds us that in spite of the recession, the mission of rebuilding our deteriorated infrastructure is a pre-requisite to economic development and should therefore become a priority to fostering job creation at the local level. Like the state, local governments have seen a rather astonishing decline in our normal revenues for preserving our arterial street system. But unlike the state constitutionally protected gas tax, we do not have the local authority for a robust, dedicated tool that we need to allow our citizens to help finance the work we see ahead of us. while recent state voter-supported initiatives may have been well intended, in many cases they
have decreased the financial capacity for local governments to fulfill the street obligations that voters expect us to accomplish. when funding is not available, it’s always possible to defer work to improve our streets; however, it is not possible to defer the destructive impacts that Mother Nature gives us each winter during freeze-thaw cycles that continue to aggressively destroy pavement structures that we cannot afford to seal up to prevent damage. The square yard of pavement that may have cost 65 cents 15 years ago to protect, will now cost $85 to rebuild, all because we as a society have chosen to wait until someone else solves the funding problem.
There is a cost to waiting when our mission can never be clearer; our streets are telling us very clearly that we need to invest in them if we expect them to be there for our economic development. without adequate funding to prepare our pavements from the onslaught of winter’s
The LasT MiLeHow can we finance it?
This photo illustrates the deteriorated and failing condition of west Valley Highway in Auburn, a popular freight corridor connecting the ports of Tacoma & Seattle that parallels SR 167. Multiple segments of this corridor are in need of rebuilding to meet modern freight loads. The corridor currently carries an average AdT of 11,565 trips of which 4% is freight.
a
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forces, deterioration is guaranteed. So what can we do about it? This is the question that many of our local engineers and consultants met to review and discuss during the Fall APwA conference in Yakima. To assist in this endeavor, several of my colleagues assisted me in preparing presentation materials to help others realize what some other states have done to secure the funding needs of local streets. during the conference session we compared the advantages and disadvantages of the Transportation Benefit district (TBd) to the Proposed Street Maintenance utility (SMu) which has
become very popular in Oregon. The session was well attended, and many good ideas were shared. we all came away more prepared to share what we learned with local elected officials. In Oregon, communities have the power to decide how good or bad they want their roads to be. why should any city be denied that basic right? Perhaps if we do a better job at informing our elected officials about the advantages that the SMu affords over the TBd, they can be in a more informed position to at least authorize a voter-approved pilot program so that cities can begin to explore this option. The fall conference presentation and other informative educational materials on this subject can be found at: http://www.apwa-wa.org/forums/forums.htm. we trust that by providing this information that our elected officials in Olympia can become more informed about local needs and are in a better position to become a part of the solution to the financial challenges we see at the local level.
we would encourage more dialogue among all stakeholders at the local level and with your elected officials to consider what might be gained by giving local governments the right to decide how good their local streets should be. That right was taken away in 1995 with the Seattle vs. Covell case, and since then we have witnessed the results as we drive around our local roads and wish for the revenues to bring us back to a point where our local streets could once again serve economic development. If you are an elected official, please do take the time to go see your public works director responsible for preserving the roads you drive. Review the materials on the website; discuss with your local officials their needs over the next 10 years to bring their streets back up to a sustainable level of service. Ask them to tell you their current revenues available and annual funding they need to bring their streets back up to a PCI of 70-80. Inform yourself and then ask
“tHere is a cost to waiting wHen our mission can never be clearer; our streets are telling us very clearly tHat we need to invest in tHem if we expect tHem to be tHere for our economic development.”
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yourself this question: why shouldn’t local communities have the right to determine how to finance their streets? If you are not willing to support this cause in Olympia, then what do you intend to do to assure your local governments are fully funded to achieve the level of service that we all need for economic development. The streets do not care who provides the funding, but we should.
Consider the following reasons to have a Street Maintenance utility:1. For every dollar invested at the
local level in street preservation, about 50-65 cents comes back into the local economy in the form of labor, materials, and profit to local companies who must hire local people to perform the work.
2. If only half of our 281 cities statewide were to implement the SMu, just think of how many jobs that would support that our economy does not support today.
3. If those reemployed Teamsters were to buy cars and homes, then perhaps even the state could benefit from the revitalized spending.
4. It is a dedicated transportation funding source that can only be used for transportation, businesses and citizens would have certainty and the ability to determine the quality of their transportation system.
5. It costs $5 per square yard to chip seal a local street and protect it from winter’s freeze-thaw cycle if you do it before the pavement fails.
6. If you wait until it fails, it will cost you $95 per square yard to rebuild it.
7. Local communities deserve the right to have options in deciding how best to meet their financial needs for local street systems. while the TBd may be the method of choice for many jurisdictions, there are many others that would want to have the additional advantages offered by the SMu.
8. A city that establishes an SMu would have the additional advantage of selling revenue vs. GO bonds. For example, if revenue bonds commanded a quarter-basis point advantage (.25%) over GO
bonds for every $10M in bonds sold, the annual savings in debt service would be about $15K annually.
9. what is to be lost by allowing local voters to decide if the SMu is right for their needs?
If you would like to learn more than is on our website, please feel free to contact one of the co-authors:
dennis dowdy, CE; PEdirector of Public works City of Auburn253-931- 3023
Ashley ProbartLegislative and Policy AdvocateAssociation of washington Cities360-480-6372
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Elwha River Restoration Project
By Cheryl Parisien
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he Elwha River, in Olympic National Park, was set for renewal in 1992, after the Elwha River Ecosystem
and Fisheries Restoration Act was passed. The act directed the Secretary of the Interior to fully restore the Elwha’s andadromous fisheries and ecosystem. It was decided that two dams on the river, the Elwha dam and Glines Canyon dam, were slated for removal.
The dams were built in 1913 and 1927 to generate power for a pulp and paper mill in Port Angeles, and did not allow for fish passage, therefore blocking anadromous fish from more than 70 miles of the Elwha River and its tributaries. This was in violation of an 1890 washington State law requiring fish passage. The Elwha River was once home to one of the best salmon runs in the Pacific Northwest. The goal of the restoration project is to return the river ecosystem to its natural state.
The planning for the project began in 1994 and construction will continue through 2014. Removing the dams and restoring natural processes will allow river recovery to begin immediately, but full restoration is expected to take decades.
The river holds cultural importance for the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. The Elwha
dam is located near a creation site for the LEKT, which lies just upstream of the dam, and is currently inundated by Lake Aldwell. The restoration project will help the LEKT people return to their roots and honor their ancestors, and to once again rely on the salmon to support their families.
The Elwha dam forms Lake Aldwell, and the Glines Canyon dam forms Lake Mills. The Glines Canyon dam and Lake Mills fall inside the boundary of Olympic National Park. Once the dams are removed, the lakes will disappear, and large amounts of sediment, which has accumulated over the years behind the dams, will be released. The city of Port Angeles draws municipal drinking and industrial water from the river, and the LEKT use the river for fish hatchery operations, so measures to deal with the sediment had to be taken to protect water quality.
The solution was to construct the Elwha water Facilities, the largest of more than 40 mitigation projects related to the restoration. The $79 million facilities include the Elwha Surface water Intake, Elwha water Treatment Plant, and the Port Angeles water Treatment Plant. The EwTP is an industrial plant which treats the city’s industrial water supply, and provides water for the Nippon Paper Industries uSA
plant, wdFw Chinook rearing channel, and the Lower Elwha tribal fish hatchery. The PAwTP is a municipal plant capable of treating up to 10.6 million gallons of potable water daily. The municipal plant was constructed at a cost of $27.6 million and began providing clean water to Port Angeles residents in January 2010.
“This is much more than a dam removal project,” says Glenn Cutler, Public works and utilities director, Port Angeles. “we have been a part of making history.”
“It’s really exciting to be part of this project,” says Karen Gustin, Superintendent, Olympic National Park. “People here are very grateful to be working in Olympic right now because it’s a special time in the history of this park.”
“water quality changes completely from what it currently is with the dams in place,” says Cutler. The park service has been the lead for negotiation with the city, and originally had proposed temporary facilities for use during the dam impact period. The city then engaged the services of CH2M Hill to assist in putting together a proposal with appropriate data to show that the facilities would need to be permanent, because water quality was going to change permanently.
T
Site Supt. Aaron Jenkins of Barnard Construction operating an excavator and beginning demolition at Elwha Dam to close the ceremony September 17.
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“The legislation stipulated that we had to continue to provide a certain amount of water at a certain quality to our downstream users, which include Port Angeles, Nippon Paper Industries, and the LEKT,” says Gustin.
The city contributed land to build the intake plant, by the river, as well as a municipal plant inside city limits. “we worked with the department of Health to make sure we had the proper facilities to ensure water quality for our citizens,” says Cutler.
“we had to negotiate with the park service on what was fair value for the plant, when it was turned over to the city. It was constructed and financed by the park service and then turned over to the city, so it is a city asset now.”
The water table is expected to rise by 2.5 feet at the river delta, where the LEKT is located, so the park service built a new sewage system for the tribe, and the city will be treating the sewage. “This is unique because they are outside city limits, so special approvals were needed from the county and state,” says Cutler.
“we have a long-term relationship with Port Angeles,” says Brian winter, Project Manager. “with this, the difference was we were building pretty expensive mitigation facilities that were later transferred to the city, but all this meant was we had to have more meetings and more higher-level meetings to work through the design details; and we always strive for a win-win.”
One example of a win-win scenario was the stormwater separation in downtown Port Angeles. “The park supplied the funding and the city did the work downtown, way out of the park’s normal sphere of influence. It met our needs and exceeded the expectations of the city, so that was one of those partnerships,” says winter.
Dam removal phaseOn September 17, the dam removal phase of the project began with a ceremony. A full slate of educational activities, entertainment events and more were held September 13-18 to mark the start of the three-year dam removal phase of the Elwha River Restoration project.
The multi-day restoration festival included the Elwha River Science Symposium, a commemorative ceremony at the Elwha dam, a tribal gala
dinner, guest speakers, Elwha-inspired artwork and photography and musical performances.
“Because the LEKT has such a cultural connection to the river, people in the audience really felt the reverence the tribe has for the river. It came out very clearly in the ceremony – the emotional impact was very visible,” says Gustin.
The dams are being removed simultaneously, and will take three years because the sediment release from behind the dams needs to be managed carefully. when fish are spawning, sediment cannot be released, so during those fish windows, contractors will focus on other aspects related to removal of the facilities. “we have a team of people in place who will be monitoring the sediment so that we can manage it,” says Gustin.
“The dam removal part is interesting,” says winter, who has been involved in the project since the early 1990s. “But I am a fisheries biologist by training, and we have a fisheries team that’s been working together for over 17 years. we’re looking at passing the first adult Coho salmon up above the Elwha dam for the first time in 100 years. It’s going to be exciting, especially to see them spawning. That’s what this is all about.”
Gustin agrees. “watching them take the dams out, watching how the river reacts, watching how we’re going to manage sediment, it’s all very interesting from a science standpoint to see all that.”
The targeted end for dam removal is September 2014. The Glines Canyon dam is being notched gradually, allowing water to spill over, and letting the river stabilize before adding another notch. with the Elwha dam, the river was redirected to a diversion channel which will allow workers to work in dry conditions to remove the dam, which looks like a series of concrete steps.
The project has not been without controversy. In the beginning, some people were concerned about losing the hydroelectric power generated by the dams, although the amount generated was small. “It was fairly controversial, but the further you got from Port Angeles, the greater the support was for restoring the ecosystem,” says winter. “But we saw a subtle shift five or six years ago to ‘if you’re going to do it, do it sooner, because we need the jobs.’ Then the chamber of
Tribal chair Frances Charles.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. Photo by Janis Burger
Lower Elwha Klallam members performing to open the ceremony on September 17. Photo by Janis Burger.
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Supt. Gustin, Asst. Secretary for Indian Affairs Larry EchoHawk, and tribal chair Frances Charles arriving September 17. Photo by Janis Burger.
Approx. 400 invited guests (Billy Frank, Jr. of NWIFC is front left, Lower Elwha elder Adeline Smith (front, second from right).
Videographer David Fox (Fox/Wilmar, Wings Over Watersheds subcontractor) at the ceremony. Photo by Janis Burger.
Surface Water Intake Structure. This includes the artificial riffle created to keep water next to the intake structure during low flow and facilitate fish to go upstream.
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commerce and the wider community were completely behind it.”
The project has brought $325 million to the community. In addition to the dam removal, approximately 500 acres of exposed land will be reforested, meaning a huge replanting effort.
“This project means jobs, and is bringing tourism here. The fish being restored will create additional jobs. It’s been a long transition from the early 1990s to now – a big cultural shift over time,” says winter.
As dam removal continues on the Elwha River, a series of six webcams have been installed at various points including the deltas at the southern ends of the Lake Aldwell and Lake Mills reservoirs, along the northern shore of each reservoir, as well as cameras directly facing the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams.
While the primary purpose of the webcams is to monitor the process of sediment movement, viewers will be able to get a direct view of each dam as the removal process progresses.
All six webcams can be viewed here:
video-monitoring.com/construction/olympic/js.htm
The park website www.nps.gov/olym includes a project blog, and links to time-lapse photos and videos detailing the project.
The non-profit organization Wings Over Watersheds is producing a documentary on the project which should air on national television, with a shorter version for sale in park visitor centers.
“The public has accepted that the dams are coming out and the city has done a good job representing citizens’ interest. People seem pleased with the outcomes,” says Cutler.
All eyes are on washington as this project evolves. “This is one of the largest construction projects in the park service. Nothing like this is being done anywhere else,” says Gustin. “But it is also a project we want to share with the American public; it’s not just an Olympic Park or washington project.”
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be where he is professionally and personally at this point in his career. He is the Public works director for Kittitas County and enjoys, along with his wife Liz, life in Ellensburg and raising their two daughters in this part of the state.
Born in Nebraska, Kirk’s father was a materials handler and his mother was in retail appliance sales for Sears & Roebuck. Both were hardworking individuals and instilled in Kirk this sense of commitment to whatever you do. when asked about a single quote about what he gained in terms of professional attitude from each of his parents, Kirk says that the message he got from his father was, “when all else fails….work harder!” His mother gave him the message “You have to work smarter!” while the messages may seem to be contradictory, they both speak to focusing on achieving goals. This is an important theme in public works and Kirk, even before he knew his professional direction, was gaining insights that are critical to success in public works.
Kirk and his family (he had two sisters) moved to washington, where Kirk graduated from Puyallup High School. He went on to Green River Community College, receiving his associate of arts degree in construction management in 1981. This was also an important year for Kirk personally, because this is when he met his future wife, Liz. But they would not see each other for some time after this.
He moved to Oregon and worked on a maintenance crew out of Meachem for the next 18 months. Fully intending to return to school, he did decide that, at that point, he “liked getting a paycheck” and stayed with OdOT, moving on to work on a survey crew and as a right-of-way agent. He values his time spent in these positions because, as he states, “I learned a lot in a short amount of time. I didn’t know it at the time, but this experience helped me define who I wanted to be professionally.”
KIRK HOLMES
APwA coMMUnitY ProFiLe
Kirk Holmes is grateful to
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Kirk was accepted at Oregon State university, but he got an offer to work for a large water utility in Pierce County, and he decided to relocate north. This was challenging water and utility work, supporting a significant amount of growth and development. He worked for the utility for 12 years. In 1985, at a barbecue, he would meet Liz once again. Two days later, they went on their first date and in May 1986, they married.
And then, in 1998, Kirk and Liz took a vacation in Chester, Montana. Here he met the mayor of Chester. The mayor was impressed with Kirk’s background, particularly his experience with water resources. The mayor convinced Kirk to apply for a position working for the city, and with regional partners on a large water system project, the North Central Mountain Regional water System. This position gave Kirk valuable experience working with the federal Bureau of Reclamation, state department of Environmental Quality, and three tribal nations as well as local officials.
while the work was challenging and rewarding, the harsh Montana winters got Kirk and Liz thinking about the Pacific Northwest more and more. during their second winter in Montana, there was a streak of 38 days where the temperature never got above 22 degrees below zero. That was their last winter in Montana.
So Kirk applied for a couple of positions in washington, and in 2000, came to the Northwest and interviewed for the vacant assistant public works director for the City of Snoqualmie. In fact, he had an offer from Snoqualmie before he even left the city. He started three weeks later and Gary Armstrong was the public works director and Kirk’s boss. Gary would soon leave the city and Kirk was appointed interim public works director. About a year later, Kirk was named permanent public works director.
There is one aspect of his professional experience in Montana which he maintains today. In 1999, Kirk became a member of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of APwA and transferred his membership to our washington chapter when he accepted the position with Snoqualmie. In the nine years he was with Snoqualmie, he counts as one of his greatest accomplishments hiring Mike Roy to work for him. The two maintain a close professional and personal relationship today. Mike is now operations manager for the City of Snoqualmie and has this to say about Kirk: “Kirk Holmes was not just another director occupying the corner office in Snoqualmie; for more than eight years he was a true public servant and a community builder, Kirk Holmes was my first public works mentor and has become a genuine friend. He encouraged me to grow professionally which in turn gave me the confidence needed to become the manager that I am today.
“There is one aspect of his professional experience in Montana which he
maintains today. In 1999, Kirk became a member of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of APWA and transferred
his membership to our Washington chapter when he accepted the position
with Snoqualmie.”
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He believed in me which taught me to believe in myself.”
while working at Snoqualmie, and about two and a half years ago, Kirk experienced some personally difficult times. His oldest sister died of cancer. She had two teenaged daughters. Kirk and Liz decided that they would take Kirk’s nieces in and raise them. This all happened only a month after his mother had passed away.
In 2009, Kirk received a call from the Kittitas County officials asking him to come and have some “informal” discussions. These talks ultimately led to Kirk being appointed public works director for Kittitas County.
Kirk has been active in our APwA chapter since he moved to Snoqualmie. “APwA has helped me succeed,” he states. He recently participated in John Ostrowski’s recent How to be a Public Works Director training in Issaquah.
Kirk and Liz live in Ellensburg. Liz, whose background is in early childhood education, now works as a registrar for Morgan Middle School in Ellensburg. Kirk has always been involved in sports and began coaching women’s basketball teams when their girls became interested in playing. Kirk subscribes to the reality that “you have no control over what may happen in the future, but you can control how you respond.” This correlates with a major teaching he works to instill in the young women on his basketball teams: “you must prepare … you may not be sure for what, but you must prepare to be able to respond and succeed.”
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“The lessons he works to teach his ball players on the court are the lessons he learned and continues to apply in his professional capacity. ‘It’s up to you.
How you play is your responsibility.’”
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Their two daughters are now setting their professional direction. The oldest is now teaching and coaching girls’ basketball. She played at Carroll College in Helena, Montana and wants to coach at the college level. Their younger daughter has finished nursing school at washington State. He continues to coach AAu basketball and to instill in his players a strong sense of responsibility and commitment.
The lessons he works to teach his ball players on the court are the lessons he learned and continues to apply in his professional capacity. “It’s up to you. How you play is your responsibility.” These lessons got him to where is today, and he and Liz serve their communities. Kittitas County is fortunate to have Kirk as their public works director, and we are fortunate to have Kirk in our APwA community.
Mike Roy also says that, “Kirk treats his staff and co-workers as family. He knows your spouse’s name and the sports that your kids are playing each season. He is well known for his energetic laughter and passion for life.”
It is obvious that Kirk is proud and grateful for where he is at professionally and what he and Liz have accomplished as members of the larger community. He deserves to be proud of his professional accomplishments and his contributions to the community. But he also has the humble perspective that “there are hundreds untold stories like his. Folks in public works are the most giving and honorable people.” Kirk is one of those people and there are lessons for all of us to learn from his story.
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to take part in the Fall Conference held in Yakima October 11-14, 2011 you probably noticed some (hopefully exciting) new things. The Public Fleet Managers Association (PFMA) was asked to partner in the event this year by hosting and providing fleet management training for the pre-conference day and a couple of morning sessions on Thursday. I’d like to thank chapter president Jill Marilley, PE, Glenn Akramoff, Operations and Maintenance Committee Chair, and John Carpita with MRSC for the opportunity to participate in the conference.
Tuesday morning’s schedule of topics included; Fleet Purchasing with presentations on Purchasing Policies & Procedures and Alternative Purchasing Options by Allen Mitchell, CPFP, Snohomish County Fleet Manager; Fred Chun, CAFM, CPFP, City of Tacoma Fleet Manager; Richard wonner, MBA, City of Yakima Fleet Manager; and Greg Haglin, Joint Powers Alliance (NJPA).
Allen Mitchell, Fred Chun, and Richard wonner discussed their agency’s respective purchasing policies. Information was presented that was valuable to all. Shown below are slides of Snohomish County and the City of Tacoma’s policies respectively. Also shown below is the City of Tacoma’s 2011-2012 purchasing strategy plan. The complete presentations are available at www.apwa-wa.org.
Tuesday afternoon’s focus was on: Know Your Costs presented by Bill deRousse, Fleet Services Consulting (recently retired Fleet Supervisor for the City of Everett). Bill’s presentation was very detailed and comprehensive. It is also available on the website. Tuesday’s sessions ended with attendee participation in roundtable discussions chaired by the presenters. Topics included: Implications of Managing an Aging Fleet; Green Fleet Initiatives; Fleet Utilization; and Other Hot Topics. PowerPoint presentations are available on the website. Thursday morning’s sessions included a repeat of Alternative Purchasing Options with the addition of Jon Klump, Fleet Services director, wilson Fleet Services
APwA-wA and PFMA Team up at Fall Conference
FLeet newS
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and a continuation of the roundtable discussions.
From a somewhat unbiased perspective, all of the sessions were extremely informative with great participation and insights coming from those in attendance. It is our (PFMA’s) hope that this partnership on the Fall Conference will continue next year and beyond. Many fleet divisions are an integral part of the public works department, so it just seems like a natural fit. The PFMA has been in existence for many years and 120 public fleet agencies are members. Our membership is mainly based in the Northwest but we have members scattered across the united States and Canada. we meet every other month beginning in January with a few special meetings taking place throughout the year. Our goal is to provide a fleet manager network that can provide invaluable information to our members so we’re not always reinventing the wheel, and to stress the importance of knowing and being able to articulate our business at a moment’s notice. For additional information about the PFMA, topic suggestions for upcoming meetings, or anything, please contact me at [email protected].
“It is our (PFMA’s) hope that this partnership
on the Fall Conference will continue next year
and beyond. Many fleet divisions are an integral part of the public works department, so it just
seems like a natural fit.”
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This September, zHome – the first zero-energy, carbon-neutral townhome community in the united States – opened in the City of Issaquah.
Several years ago, thanks to the city’s leadership, a small group of community members representing different organizations and perspectives, got together to pursue building an out-of-the-box and truly sustainable housing development.
Thanks to an amazing group of partners – including Ichijo Technological Homes; Seattle builder Matt Howland; King County; Puget Sound Energy; the washington State university Energy Program; Built Green and Port Blakely Communities – our vision is now a reality.
The 10 townhomes, located in the Issaquah Highlands, achieve an impressive amount of ultra-green benchmarks, including:
True zero-net energy.30 percent of the water use of a typical
home.
High indoor air quality through ventilation and low-toxicity materials.
deep green building materials.90 percent of construction waste is
recycled/reused.Site stormwater mimics natural,
forested state.
Zero energyHow is zHome truly zero energy? The buildings use about one-third the energy of a typical townhome. That one-third is then generated onsite.
The following energy savings adds up to our road to zero:
– Ground source heat pump: 25 percent.
– Super insulated walls: 15 percent. – Hydronic heating: 7 percent. – Highly efficient appliances: 7 percent. – Super tight envelope: 5 percent. – Highly efficient lighting: 5 percent. – Good windows: 5 percent. – Solar panels: 33 percent.
Energy efficiency is the primary strategy
zHome uses to achieve zero net energy. Many people focus on solar panel energy production, but reducing energy use is the hardest – and most important part – to achieving net zero energy.
Reducing the loads makes it easier for the solar panels to make enough energy to power the entire home.
The overall load of a typical townhouse is about one-third less than a typical detached home. Thanks to all of the energy-saving technologies installed in zHome, the largest individual load is now “miscellaneous equipment” (often referred to as “phantom loads”) that represent the things that are plugged into the walls by the resident. ultimately, achieving zero energy will be in the hands of the “zdwellers.”
ground source heat pumpHeating is by far the largest part of energy use of a typical house, and that’s where zHome was able to make the biggest reductions.
How is the zHome heating system three times more efficient than the best forced-air furnace? Three efficiencies build into one super strategy.
First, zHome uses the earth as a heat source. water is pumped through about 3,000 feet of underground piping, which raises it up to the ground’s temperature of 51 degrees. Rather than heating against the outside air temperature, it’s as if zHome is located in a moderate climate that never drops below 51 degrees.
Secondly, a heat pump takes the 51 degree water and warms it up to 125 degrees. Heat pumps are highly efficient, as they take advantage of the chemical
The Road To ZeRo
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principle that gas increases in temperature when compressed.
Finally, while most houses are heated via forced air, water holds heat much more effectively. zHome units are heated with water that runs through the floors. And without any ductwork, there is a reduction in air leaks.
stormwaterStormwater is another major focus of the zHome project. while typical developments collect stormwater in large detention ponds or vaults, zHome works with nature to manage stormwater close to its source. Our goal was to create a system that treats stormwater as a resource, instead of a waste.
zHome features green roofs, which can reduce stormwater runoff by 50 to 90 percent. The water is either absorbed by plants, or evaporates back into the atmosphere. The roofs also provide insulation, as vegetation absorbs heat during the day, and retains it at night. They also create lower urban air temperature,
and increase the life span of the roof (the vegetation protects the roof membrane).
The rainwater that does run off of zHome’s roofs flows through downspouts into 10 rain cisterns, which range in size from 1,000-1,800 gallons. The water is then collected and stored for flushing toilets and washing clothes.
Any overflow is then directed to a rain garden, where it is absorbed back into the ground. zHome’s rain garden includes a deep layer of gravel under the soil, which allows the water to filter directly into the ground.
Meanwhile, all pavement onsite is pervious, which is particularly important in Issaquah, where drinking water is pumped from the ground. using this pavement is also an extremely efficient land use, as it removes the need for stormwater ponds and facilities.
using drought-tolerant landscaping is also important to water conservation. The typical household uses at least 30 percent of its water outdoors for irrigation. Instead, zHome’s landscaping uses drought-
tolerant and native plants that won’t require any watering once they’re established.
InspIratIon for future projectsFrom the start, Issaquah and its partners were looking to build something revolutionary that demonstrated not only to builders, but also the average homeowner, that greener homes can be practical, comfortable and cost effective.
After learning a lot from zHome, it was then time to walk the talk. Issaquah’s next project, a new fire station, has a lot in common with zHome, from energy-producing solar panels to toilets that use rainwater. The station will likely be one of the highest-level LEEd platinum buildings in the Northwest.
what was the key to our success? Start with a public policy goal – such as addressing climate change – and then build your project around that objective. Think big. while we faced several hurdles during this project, we didn’t let process obstruct the final result.
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the State Auditor’s Office (SAO) issued a finding against the Town of Eatonville for use of volunteers to construct an addition to its fire station, as reported by Mike Purdy in his blog on August 17. The finding cited several violations of bid laws, but mainly the failure to contract out the work because the project exceeded the town’s bid limits.
The finding was surprising, as MRSC has advised for a very long time that the use of bona fide volunteers and donated materials and equipment is not a cost to an agency per the definition of public works in RCw 39.04.010 and (in this case) RCw 35.23.352. RCw 35.23.352 says that the town must bid or use their small works roster if the cost is over the bid limits in that statute $40K, $65K).
we (MRSC) requested clarification from SAO. Emmaline Hoffmeister, Assistant Audit Manager, noted (which was not reported in the finding) that the volunteers were paid a stipend for their work, which was a cost to the town. Therefore, the volunteers were not true volunteers and thus the project was indeed in violation of the bid laws. Emmaline further confirmed that had there been no stipend paid, there would have been no finding as the actual net cost to the town (for materials and equipment) would have been less than the bid limits.
Contact John Carpita, MRSC Public works Consultant, if you have any questions on these items or any other topics. Email:
[email protected] or phone 206-625-1300
By John w. carpita, Pe, MrSc Public works consultant
In August,
use of Volunteers for Public works Projects
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donations of labor, materials, and equipment to accomplish a public works project are acceptable, provided: 1. develop overall cost estimate without donations.2. Estimate value of all bona fide donations
(bona fide = no cost to agency).3. Subtract donation value from estimated cost.4. If difference is less than the agency bid limits, we (MRSC)
recommend two to three quotes for additional contracts for labor, equipment, or materials.
5. If difference is more than the agency bid limits, you must get quotes for additional contracts for labor, equipment, or materials, using the small public works roster OR seek competitive bids for the same. Additional thoughts on use of volunteers are these:
• Agencies should adopt policies and procedures for accepting and accounting for donations of labor, equipment, materials, and supplies, particularly if these are local match for grants
– MRSC has a web page entitled Creating Volunteer Opportunities
– Overview – Legal References – washington Local Government Volunteer Programs – Environment Programs – Sample Application and Agreement Forms – Manuals, Guides, Policies – Background Checks – Organizations and Associations
• Contractors should not be allowed to volunteer ANd contract at the same time, as this may lead to prevailing wage issues, allegations of coercion issues, confusion over proper application of applicable sales and use taxes, and payments for work that was supposedly volunteered.
• Background checks: Required by RCw 43.43.830 if volunteers will be in direct contact with “at-risk clients,” including children under 16 years of age, developmentally disabled persons, and “vulnerable adults” as that term is defined in RCw 43.43.830(9). Screening procedures may include reference checks, direct background investigation, criminal investigation, etc.
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projects achieved excellence in safety enhancements, construction, innovative design, environmental sustainability and community involvement, earning 2011 Awards of Excellence, presented by the washington State department of Transportation (wSdOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHwA).
“The winning projects highlight the collaborative partnerships needed to deliver the necessary local improvements,” said Kathleen davis, wSdOT Highways and Local Programs director.
wSdOT’s Local Programs division provides educational, technical and financial support to help local agencies achieve their transportation goals.
The 2011 Awards of Excellence projects, part of close to 300 projects completed in 2010, highlight local, community improvements.
Best County Award: Mason County – Tahuya River Bridge #2 on Belfair RoadContact: Neal Campbell, wSdOT Olympic Region Local Programs Engineer, 360-357-2666
The Tahuya River replacement bridge, 40 feet wide and 110 feet long, is the primary access to northwest Mason County. It replaced a structure destroyed during 2007 flooding. As primary access to Nw Mason County, the loss left a 22-mile detour. Partnerships inlcuded Mason County, FHwA, wSdOT, and private contractors. Total project cost $1.9 million, with more than $1.7 million in federal highway funds.
Best City Award: City of Redmond – NE 36th Street Bridge ProjectContact: Ed Conyers, wSdOT Northwest Region Local Programs Engineer, 206-440-4734
An American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) project managed by wSdOT, the NE 36th Street Bridge
2011 FHwA/wSdOT Excellence Award for Best City ProjectCity of Redmond 36th Street Bridge
From left: dan Mathis FHwA washington division Administrator; Bob Fernandes Berger/Abam; dennis Apland Redmond Project Manager; Kathleen davis wSdOT H&LP director; Ed Conyers wSdOT NwR Local Programs Engineer.
Receive Awards of ExcellenceLocal Transportation Projects
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To Learn more about WSDOT’s Awards of Excellence visitwww.wsdot.wa.gov
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Director’s Award: City of Grandview – “Alive Downtown” Revitalization ProjectContact: Roger Arms, wSdOT South Central Region Local Programs Engineer, 509-577-1780
Grandview’s “Alive downtown” Revitalization updated and added new pedestrian amenities including wider sidewalks, street and pedestrian lighting, and landscaping. The area was improved for motorists by repaving and updating the roadway drainage. Total project cost, $2.4 million, with $2.03 million of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), as well as other state and local funding.
City of Grandview L-R: Jeff Louman, City Engineer, HLA; Roger Arms, wSdOT; Cus Arteaga, City Administrator; diana Jennings, City Council member; dan Mathis FHwA washington division Administrator; Norm Childress, Mayor; Kathleen davis, wSdOT; Pam Horner, City Council member; Santos Trevino, Assistant Pwd; Anita Palacios, City Clerk.
connects Redmond’s Overlake neighborhood, spanning SR 520 with two adjoining, landscaped lids designed for use by bicyclists, pedestrians and drivers. Since its opening, the bridge has allowed a great many citizens the opportunity to walk, bike, or drive to work and shopping. The new bridge provides much-needed relief to the adjacent SR 520 interchanges, and creates a safer connection. Total project cost: $26 million, with more than $7.1 million of federal highway funds.
Best Special Award: Lummi Nation – Haxton Way Pedestrian Pathway ProjectContact: Ed Conyers, wSdOT Northwest Region Local Programs Engineer, 206-440-4734
The Haxton way Pedestrian Pathway project is a two-mile, multi-purpose trail system, consisting of a paved pathway, elevated boardwalk, new pedestrian bridges, intersection improvements, and solar lighting for bicyclists and pedestrians. The project included partnerships between the Lummi Tribe, whatcom County, FHwA and wSdOT. Total project cost: $1.71 million, with funding from the State Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Program and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
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2. Public Works Toolkit Survey Results. Based on your comments, we understand that you need the Public works Toolkit about a month earlier than you got it this year – we heard you and will distribute it earlier.
3. Public Works Clip-It Campaign! Our committee is soliciting articles from our membership for the APwA magazine and website so that we have a good library of Clip-it articles that can be published or shared with public works staff, city council, or the press. Visit the Marketing and Public works Outreach Section on the APwA-wA website for easy-to-follow guidelines. Submit your article and photos to John Carpita at [email protected].
We want to hear from you. Please share your ideas on how we can improve public works marketing to meet the board’s objectives and increase awareness of public works in the community. Send your ideas to Marketing Committee Chair Michele Percussi of GHd at [email protected].
Marketing and Public works Outreach Committee
coMMittee rePort
The Marketing and Public works Outreach Committee is working through our long list of ideas and initiatives that Jon davies outlined for our readership in the Fall 2011 issue. And we keep adding more to that list – we just can’t help ourselves. Of course, when dick McKinley, City of Tacoma Public works director and APwA Past President joined the committee, we knew it was bound to happen!
One new item we are taking on is organizing a Pre-Conference workshop at the Spring Conference. This and other key tasks the committee is focused on include:1. Spring Pre-Conference Workshop: Public Works 101
for Elected Officials. This program will be directed towards our elected officials who are responsible for making decisions that impact our communities, but who may not have a good understanding of public works. Public works directors take note; you may want to sit next to your councilmember or commissioner at this one!
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A few items that may be of interest to members:
The 2012 Specifications Book will be available on december 1, 2011. You may pre-order through wSdOT’s new vendor (2012 Spec Book Order at myPRINT). The electronic version of the book should be online by december 1, 2011, or earlier. Check under wSdOT Publications. The 2012 book is required for all FHwA-funded projects advertised after January 2, 2012. Local Agency will have a three-month grace period, until April 2, 2012, to use the new book on their projects.
The majority of the changes between the 2010 and the 2012 book are incorporating previous amendments, but there are a few others. wSdOT has prepared the attached document to let us know what else has changed.
The div 1 Committee works closely with wSdOT on upcoming amendments to div 1 and prepares APwA GSPs to address changes as appropriate. wSdOT’s
specifications engineer, Mike Grigware, and their specifications webmaster Theresa Schreier, have continued to be most helpful in working with us on changes, updates, postings, and format.
Our webpage is continuously updated:we recently added Core Team
Membership Guidelines and minutes from our last meeting.
Look for the log of recent changes/addition to the APwA GSPS on the GSP website, to learn more about a change and why it was made.
div 1 Committee
coMMittee rePort
If you have questions or comments on div 1, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Kristina B. Nelson, PECo-chair div 1 CommitteeAPwA wA [email protected]
Visit www.apwa-wa.org
for association updates
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I have a great idea and you’re going to love it. I think I’ve found a way to make your entire infrastructure problem go away. I think I’ve also found a way to solve some of the crucial problems facing public works officials all across America.
what are these problems I’m talking about?
One is a problem I identified in my last article. That problem is that we have a hard time increasing public trust. I asked for stories telling me how you increased public trust in your community and I got none.
I’ve also bemoaned the lack of true public works leaders in previous articles. It’s not possible to name a single public works leader in America today.
For both of these problems I have a simple solution.
like a good fit or a place to put your rivals so that they’re doomed.
No, my system is way better because I’d start by appointing the existing county public works directors to an introductory four-year term. They get that time to prove they’re worthy of being retained in they’re position. (By the way, I love campaign signs that say, “Retain Irving Schwartz for Council Position 5” because you can tell he was appointed or it would have said re-elect Schwartz.
You may be wondering how this humble proposal solves all of our problems. It’s really fairly obvious that an elected public works director will have to have some leadership credentials to get elected. Eventually, we’ll have a pool of famous public works directors who go on to bigger and better things and can speak forcefully about the value of sound public works management along the way. For those of you who’ve noticed that this is Outlook 51 and think I’ve wandered into area 51, rest assured that elected office is not an alien concept.
If you’re still thinking this is a weird proposal, I need to remind you that Jack Pittis was a public works director and after he retired, he ran for city council and won. I wrote a book about Jack and called him the perfect public servant.
I think I may have focused too much on the servant aspect of what we do. It’s hard to
OSTROwSKI’S OuTLOOK
LIstrowski’sutlookO
Make the public works director an elected position.
I know that sounds wrong but it’s not really all that unusual a concept. we already have elected sheriffs in this country. we could even use that concept to ease into this thing. we could start by making the county public works director position an elected office. If you’re worried that it would be way too political if we let politicians be public works directors, you’re probably right. The Portland, OR system of elected commissioners with bureau responsibilities is painfully close to what I’m proposing for everybody else. The difference is that Portland commissioners don’t run for any specific bureaus. They just get elected to a council seat and then the mayor appoints commissioners to whatever bureaus look
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see our servants as our leaders. Except, of course, when the plumbing gives out in the manor and only the servants know what to do.
In our world we think of ourselves as servants to the point that we don’t get comfortable challenging our elected leaders when they go astray. we have to find clever ways to suck up to them to get them to do our bidding. In other words, we have
to manipulate them. we’ve become pretty good at that, but you won’t find anyone but me saying that because it blows our cover.
In the spirit of things electoral I’m considering calling this my 666 proposal. I know that will strike a chord with some of you because you probably think my idea is the beginning of Armageddon. On the other hand, I’m having some difficulty coming up with three things that have sixes in them to
work into my proposal. Perhaps the ballot title could be Proposition 666.
In any event, the slogans aren’t the main thing. The main thing is that we get started and see what can happen.
Here’s how it would work. we’d start with the current county public works directors keeping their jobs for at least four years. during that time all road planning, construction and maintenance in the county would become the responsibility of the county public works director. I say become because I’d have them in charge of everything from city streets to country roads to state highways. The county director (maybe we should call the elected position the county public works commissioner…or czar, you choose) would manage all of the revenue streams currently going to the state and the cities in that county.
This eliminates the need for some state employees and city employees who may or may not find jobs with the County Public works department.
Some of you may have noticed that I sort of reinvented the original form of county government. All counties in washington originally were governed by three road commissioners. That worked pretty well when things were simpler, but as time moved on, some counties moved on as well. They adopted more “progressive management” principles to apply in the management of their road system but as time wore on the counties responsibilities grew in other areas as well and almost no one thinks of county commissioners as road commissioners any more.
where did I get such a radical idea in the first place? Before I retired in 1998, I was also running CTRAN the county-wide transit agency in Clark County. It occurred to me, then, that solving transportation problems needed a Transportation Czar. It also occurred to me that I was pretty close to that or at least closer than anyone else at the time. I already had the city’s transportation money and the bus company’s money to work with. All I needed was the state money and the county money. what I told people then was that I could solve all of their transportation problems. All they needed to do was give me all their money.
what I would have done then with that kind of absolute power is to hire the best people I could to listen to what our customers wanted and compare that what they needed and develop a program that
“In our world we think of ourselves as servants to the point that we don’t get comfortable challenging our
elected leaders when they go astray.”
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“If you think that concept is too simple and life’s too complicated to make something like that work, you’re only right if you accept the current situation
as the best we can do. Therefore, I’m putting forward my modest proposal to radically change everything about everything we do.”
did what needed to be done with the money I had. That would mean I’d have to have transparent priorities and effective management to get out a clear message of what we were doing and why and how well. I’d give myself four years to show the public that I was doing the right thing with their money and then allow them to determine if they wanted to spend more to get more. In other words, I’d establish trust and then use that trust to do good.
If you think that concept is too simple and life’s too complicated to make something like that work, you’re only right if you accept the current situation as the best we can do. Therefore, I’m putting forward my modest proposal to radically change everything about everything we do.
I predict mixed emotions to my proposal from current county public works directors. Some will view this as a challenge and some will view it as a threat. City public works directors will view it as a threat and so will state dOT people. we usually don’t spend much time worrying about planners and I didn’t spend more than one word on them this time either. But that one word includes them in my proposal and it will scare the pants off them.
All of this is good. Some of the best changes in society have come over the terrified objections of many who liked things the way they were. It’s important
in cases like this, therefore, to choose the battlefield wisely. A constitutional amendment might be needed to get the ball rolling, but that’s not a good sign since my constitutional amendments to reform the legislature got nowhere. Of course, simple legislation could be the easiest way to accomplish this since legislators are always
looking for someone to blame and this proposal fulfils that need.
I’m sure most of you don’t think I’m serious about this but in reality; this is about as serious as I get.
As usual, comments suggestions and anything else can be sent to me at [email protected]
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Murray, Smith & Associates, Inc. 45 425-252-9003 www.msa-ep.com
Northwest Environmental Training Center 4 425-270-3274 www.nwetc.org
Otak Inc. 32 425-822-4446 www.otak.com
Owen Equipment 32 800-422-2059 www.owenequipment.com
PACE Engineers, Inc. 19 425-827-2014 www.paceengrs.com
Parametrix 18 253 863-5128 www.parametrix.com
Quezada Consulting 37 206-371-1594 www.quezadaconsulting.com
RH2 Engineering 4 425-951-5400 www.rh2.com
Solid Waste Systems 34 800-892-7831 www.solidwastesystems.com
Shannon & Wilson, Inc. 39 206-632-8020 www.shannonwilson.com
Tetra Tech 44 206-883-9300 www.tetratech.com
Tinnea & Associates, LLC 31 206-328-7872 www.tinnea.net
URS 24 206-438-2700 www.urscorp.com
Vanir Construction Management, Inc. 37 425-577-0095 www.vanir.com
WHPacific, inc. 35 800-375-4167 www.whpacific.com
wINTER 201146
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Perk Filters can be installed in existing drop inlets, installed as a catch basin system at individual inlets or as a centralized modular treatment system installed on-line or off-line. Can be used in conjunction with both the CUDO™ Modular and POD™ Water Management Systems.
Contact us today to learn more about this exciting and innovative product.KRISTAR ENTERPRISES, INC.
1-800-579-8819Visit our web site at: www.kristar.com
Modular, Scalable Treatment of Pollutants From Runoff in Urban Landscapes
I nnovat i ve Sto rmwater M anagement Products
S i n c e 1 9 9 3
Washington State Department of Ecology General Use Level Designation for Basic & Phosphorous Treatment.
PERKFILTER_WAPUBWRKS_full.indd 1 8/6/10 5:16:26 PM
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Our professional construction managers and inspectors can help keep your project on the mark. Northwest Regional Office • 425.453.0999 • [email protected]
The project was completed on time and on budget 1 The project was completed on time and on budget 2The project was brought in on time and on budget 3The responsiveness and professionalism exhibited by Harris contributed greatly 4
The City entrusted Harris with a great deal when it was selected to administer the project. I am pleased to conclude that our decision was a good one 5
1. Dan Jerome, Community Transit 2. Peter Tenerelli, City of Kent 3. Shelley Coleman, City of Auburn 4. Chris Schumacher, Alderwood Water & Wastewater District 5. Pat Gruenhagen, City of Marysville
Swamp Creek Interceptor - Forest Glen Extension, Alderwood Water & Wastewater District
APWA Winter 2011 Ad.indd 1 11/8/2011 5:21:11 PM
