APWA Mid-Atlantic Chapter Works ~ January 2023 Newsletter

Chapter Works

An electronic publication of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the American Public Works Association

January 2023 Newsletter

President's Corner

By Harold Caples, PE., Cost Estimating Tools & Technology Program Manager, Virginia Department of Transportation, City of Richmond, VA

I hope that this message finds everyone well after a relaxing holiday season with your friends and families. We find ourselves squarely planted in 2023 and I wanted to take this opportunity to reach out briefly and follow up on my last president's letter. In approximately two weeks, the next Chapter Board meeting will take place and one of the most pressing items for discussion will be finalization of the Annual Sponsorship Drive initiative that I discussed in our last newsletter. While we initially intended to implement the new sponsorship program in December 2022, we were unable to reach a consensus on how to ensure successful implementation. This new sponsorship program is a major goal of my presidency and in order to wrap this effort up prior to the end of my term, this will be a pressing topic at the upcoming board meeting. I am hopeful that we will be able to pull this initiative together and want to personally thank you for your continued patience and support.

Additionally, I wanted to share a couple of notifications that I received over the holidays regarding two of our chapter members, Mr. Hal Adkins and Ms. Judi Hines, who have recently earned Lifetime membership to the American Public Works Association. For those of you who may not be familiar with Lifetime Membership, it is available to members who meet any ONE of the following requirements:

Continuous membership for 30 years.
Continuous membership for 20 years and age 70 or older.
Continuous membership for 20 years, age 65 or older, and fully retired from active service for which compensation is received.

This is no small feat and is a testament to both of these individuals' commitment and tenacity to advancing the Public Works profession. If you have the opportunity to talk with either Hal or Judi, I would ask that you thank them for that commitment. It is evident that they clearly have a passion for Public Works and our Chapter is better for their efforts and dedication.

In closing, I want to remind everyone that our chapter conference, scheduled for May 1st-4th 2023 in Hampton, is now open for registration. I look forward to seeing everyone there!

Harold Caples, PE, President

APWA Mid-Atlantic Chapter

Equity Data for Infrastructure Funding

Denise Nelson, P.E., CFM, ENV SP, LEED AP

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act are current major sources of federal funding for infrastructure projects. These acts prioritize funding for projects that advance social equity and address environmental justice.

The White House recently released a new geospatial database, Climate and Environmental Justice Screening Tool (CEJST), to aid in more equitable decision-making across the federal government. The tool uses socioeconomic, environmental, and climate data to guide and prioritize funding to disadvantaged communities. Specifically, CEJST identifies communities facing climate risks, transportation inequities, historic redlining, legacy pollution, lack of greenspace or indoor plumbing, and potential underground storage tank leaks that impair water quality.

Disadvantaged or partially disadvantaged communities are identified at the Census tract level and classified by a “burden” threshold and an associated socioeconomic threshold. The burden thresholds categories are climate risks, energy, health, housing, legacy pollution, transportation, water and wastewater, and workforce development. Each burden threshold has two or more metrics and one associated socioeconomic threshold. Based on these criteria, the tool identifies over 27,000 communities across the country as disadvantaged or partially disadvantaged. Numerous communities in Maryland, DC, Virginia, and West Virginia are identified as disadvantaged. The image shows the disadvantaged communities in the greater DC area as grey census tracts.

Projects that serve disadvantaged communities are the priority for the unprecedented amount of federal grant and loan funding for infrastructure projects. Identification and engagement of disadvantaged communities are necessary to acquire federal funds successfully.

Denise Nelson is President-Elect of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter and the Director of Resilience and Grants at Launch! Consulting.

Expanding the Public Works Horizon Lunch & Learn

November 17, 2022

By Ken Eyre, Chapter Past-President and Committee Co-Chair Christopher Kohr, PE, Assistant Director of Operations,

Town of Leesburg, Virginia

The Chapter’s Metro DC-Baltimore-Northern Virginia Activities Committee spearheaded this educational event, which was hosted at Anne Arundel County, MD’s Utility Bureau Operations Complex in Millersville, MD. This specialty Lunch-n-Learn was offered in-person and was well attended. Special thanks to the guest speakers and Anne Arundel County staff for opening their facility and providing information on their programs, and “lessons learned.”

One of our APWA Chapter members and Public Works Institute graduates, Larado Robinson, provided attendees with an overview of the “Working Genius” assessment which helps identify a team member’s natural talents and avoids unwarranted judgment. Jessica Kibec, Anne Arundel County Public Works Training Program Manager, and member of the Activities Committee, presented her personal and professional experience using the DISC assessment and its application for public works staff. Christopher Kohr, co-chair of the Activities Committee wrapped up the similarities and differences between the “Working Genius” and the DISC assessments. Joseph Bernatawicz, Anne Arundel County’s Senior Energy Manager and Mike Stroud, Project Manager, provided an overview of a new solar panel infrastructure project recently installed at the host facility, along with a discussion of on-site stormwater design. A tour and discussion of the solar panel infrastructure and stormwater BMPs was provided by Erik Michaelson, Deputy Director of the County’s Department of Public Works.

A total of 25 participants and guest speakers made this Lunch-n-Learn educational event a success. Participants from Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia were in attendance and offered great conversation and excellent questions to presenters.

Committee Co-Chair Christopher Kohr, from Leesburg, VA coordinated the presenters, and thanked event sponsors, including Anne Arundel County and the Maryland Municipal League. Other event sponsors included:

· Blue Heron Leadership Group LLC

· Gannett-Fleming

· MowerMax Power Boom

· Parker-Hannifin Corporation

Continuing education credits (Professional Development Hours) were provided to attendees. The presentation slide decks are posted on the Chapter’s website and are available to the event participants.

Special thanks to the Metro DC-Baltimore-NOVA Activities Committee members Christopher Kohr, Ken Eyre, Matt Adams of Fairfax County DPWES, Kim Cluney, Anne Arundel County DPW Bureau of Operations Business Manager and Jessica Kibec, Anne Arundel County DPW Training Program Manager, for planning the event. Attendees were given a survey exploring interest in venues and topics and the results will be used to plan future events so stay tuned for more opportunities to learn and network with industry professionals in 2023. If you have an idea for a topic, venue or want to assist with the Metro DC-Baltimore-NOVA Activities Committee, please contact Christopher Kohr at: [email protected]

Special thanks to Erica Trout at Association Builders for coordinating the event.

Figure 1 - Presenter (Far end of room standing) Larado Robinson,

City of Salem, VA

Figure 2 – Standing (L) - Presenter Larado Robinson, City of Salem, VA; (R) – Co-Chair Chris Kohr drawing winner of “The 6 Types of Working Genius” book, courtesy of Larado. Alex Baquie of Anne Arundel Cunty was the lucky recipient!

Figure 3 – Jessica Kibec, Anne Arundel County DPW Training Program Manager and Committee member, presenting DISC applications

Figure 4 – Erik Michaelson, Anne Arundel County Deputy Director, Bureau of Watershed, center facing group, discussing the solar system and stormwater features. Mike Trout, Anne Arundel County Solar Panel Project Manager, second to the right of Erik.

Emergency Power Preparedness Best Practices

By Joe Girard and Kris Gable, Launch! Consulting, Inc.

Following Winter Storm Uri in 2021, Texas’s Senate Bill 3 raised the bar for emergency power planning and preparedness by setting regulatory requirements for public utilities related to weather emergencies, power outages, and other disasters. Emergency power preparedness best practices include (1) conducting a power assessment to determine the critical facility backup power requirements, (2) conducting electrical generation load calculations utilizing industry software, (3) developing Emergency Power Incident Action Checklists, and (4) documenting the findings in an Emergency Preparedness Plan.

The power assessment needs to include kilowatts, voltage, and phase(s) of any required generators; a basic order of connection materials needed (e.g., number and length of cables to connect generator and the number and size of lugs to connect cable runs); and identification of the location within each facility’s electrical system where the generator needs to be connected.

The report should identify the requirements for emergency power at critical sites, provide an estimate of potential costs, and be available to local engineers to design and place the needed generators. It should include additional generator requirements in case the utility need to submit a special request for generator support or augmentation from FEMA or other agencies after an emergency occurs.

For existing emergency power generators, it’s also necessary to develop and follow an Electrical Equipment Maintenance Plan that addresses preventive maintenance, predictive maintenance, asset criticality analysis, and electrical one-line diagrams.

Following these best practices, emergency power planning and preparedness will set your organization up for success during weather emergencies, power outages, and other disasters.

Joe Girard and Kris Gable are both Power Resilience and Emergency Planning Specialists at Launch! Consulting, Inc.

Remote Sensing, Emergency Management, and Storm Recovery

By Jose Pillich, PhD, founder of IQSpatial a MBE Company.

Remote sensing and GIS technology can play a vital role in the rapid detection of debris and damage after storms. Remote sensing involves the use of aerial and satellite imagery to gather data about the earth's surface. This technology can be used to quickly assess the extent of damage caused by a storm, such as identifying damaged or destroyed buildings, blocked roads, utility hazards, and other impacts to infrastructure. (Image Left: Impassable roads in Fort. Myers, FL 48 hours after Hurricane Ian's landfall in 2022)

GIS (Geographic Information Systems) technology is an essential tool for emergency management. It can be used to collect, store, analyze, and visualize geographic data, providing a visual representation of the impact of a disaster and helping emergency managers make informed decisions.

One of the key benefits of GIS in emergency management is its ability to integrate multiple layers of data. This allows emergency managers to view the impact of a disaster in relation to other valuable information such as infrastructure, population density, and evacuation routes. This can aid in the creation of evacuation plans and the deployment of resources in the most efficient manner possible.

GIS can also be used to create real-time interactive maps that can be accessed by emergency responders on the ground. This can provide them with valuable information such as the location of hazards, the status of emergency services, and the whereabouts of victims. In addition to the immediate assessment of damage, remote sensing and GIS can also be used for long-term monitoring of an area to ensure that recovery efforts are effective and that new hazards are identified.

Overall, the combination of remote sensing and GIS technology can enhance the speed and accuracy of disaster response and recovery efforts, saving lives and minimizing economic losses.

Noman M. Cole Pollution Control Plant Goes Off the Grid to Help Stop Blackout ‘Cold’

By Sharon North, Section Chief - Communications, Fairfax Counnty DPWES

During the generational Christmas Eve Cold Snap, the PJM electrical grid that serves the District of Columbia and 13

Mid-Atlantic states, which includes Northern Virginia, became severely overloaded. Not to get too technical, but in the grid the number of electrons added (supply) to the grid must exactly balance the electrons removed (demand) from the grid. If not, the grid fails, and a blackout occurs.

An indicator of the balance between supply and demand is real-time electricity wholesale price. Normally when the supply of electricity balances with the demand, the wholesale price of electricity is around 5 cents per kWH. During the cold snap when demand outstripped supply, the price shot up to as high as 440 cents per kWH.

So, when PJM called Noman Cole at 4:20 a.m., staff answered. PJM is a regional transmission organization that coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity. They called for an emergency event and asked certain large electricity users to curtail their usage so there would be enough electricity for residences. Noman Cole staff moved swiftly. Plant staff switched on its five large electricity generators and “islanded” off of the electric power grid. The plant was able to take 5,700 kW of electricity demand off the electric grid for over 14 hours. This amount of power is equivalent to that used by 4,500 households, many of which were decorated with holiday lights. The bulk of residences able to avoid losing power were in Ohio.

This event was an example of how Fairfax County’s Wastewater Management program does more than protect public health and the environment. It responds to emergencies and in this case helped protected communities outside Northern Virginia from more significant blackouts.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

APWA Mid-Atlantic Chapter #WRX2023

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May 1 - 4, 2023

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