Chapter Works
An electronic publication of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the American Public Works Association
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President's Corner
By Harold Caples, PE., Senior Cost Estimator, Virginia Department of Transportation, City of Richmond, VA
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Hello and Welcome ALL!
First and foremost I wanted to thank everyone who participated in our WRX Conference last month. I cannot stress enough how great it was to return to some sense of normalcy and gather as a Chapter to interact both personally and professionally. The City of Virginia rolled out the welcome mat as only they could. As we look forward to the rest of 2022 and into 2023, the Board of Directors, including myself, are looking forward to continuing our return to normalcy and seeing everyone at upcoming chapter events. On a side note, I know that we had several folks who missed out on registration in Virginia Beach, and I would be remiss not to remind everyone of next year’s conference to be held the first week of May in the City of Hampton, VA.
As some of you may have noticed during last month’s Business meeting the Chapter has several new Board members who will be instrumental in advancing our Chapter’s mission and will play a significant role in ensuring the long-term success of the Chapter. As I reflect on several comments that Mr. Keith Pugh, PE, PWLF, President-Elect (National) made while administering the Oath of Office, he iterated the importance of volunteerism, and I would like to further echo that call and more specifically the need for volunteers to advance the mission of the APWA Organization and in this case the Mid-Atlantic Chapter. With that, I implore anyone who has either a professional or personal interest, in any capacity, to reach out to me directly or any other board member and become engaged at any level, whether as a committee member or chair or even as a volunteer at a chapter event. We have many opportunities ranging from technical committees (Asset Management, Engineering Technology and Fleet Management), chapter engagement (newsletter, social media, and membership) to name only a few. Individuals who have an existing interest in an area or even who want to learn about some new aspects of public works are encouraged to participate. As we move into the future these volunteers, yes, I’m talking about you, will be in the lead. Let’s educate and instill more confidence in our membership and bring new blood to the forefront so this great organization can lead far into the future.
It is a privilege and honor to serve as President of the Mid Atlantic Chapter of the American Public Works Association and I want to say thank you for this opportunity. As I look back at the many Presidents before myself, I am humbled, and rest assured that I and all your Chapter Leaders are engaged and working diligently to make the next year as successful as possible.
Thank you!
Harold Caples, PE, President
APWA Mid-Atlantic Chapter
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Fairfax County DPWES Plants Tree Nursery at Pollution Control Plant
By Wattana Savanh and Sharon North, Fairfax County
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Water from the Fairfax County Noman M. Cole Jr. Pollution Control Plant is repurposed to provide water to locations such as a local golf course and some little league fields. Now it is being used to water trees for the plant’s new Tree Nursery Pilot Program.
Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) staff recently planted the first 400 seedlings from a mix of river birch, red oak, and black locust.
The nursery is 1/10 of an acre within an enclosed space and is deer-protected with geotextile, stone, and a mulch base. Tree watering is done using reclaimed water from the Noman M. Cole plant. Additionally, mulch and leaf compost are used in the nursery, courtesy of the Solid Waste Management Division of DPWES.
A number of DPWES groups were involved:
- WTD Buildings and Ground Crew - Created the nursery and led the tree planting
- WP&M's Warehouse - Tree ordering
- Urban Forest Management and Stormwater Management - Technical expertise and hands on work
- Operation Stream Shield - 10 residents from the Eleanor Kennedy Shelter participated
- DPWES LEO Cohort - Inspiration and concept
The pilot program planning began last spring from an idea stemming from a capstone project from the LEO cohort. The DPWES LEO Program. LEO, or Leadership Excellence Opportunity, is an eight-month program designed to develop leadership skills in supervisory and non-supervisory employees through a blended learning approach involving several learning opportunities, including pre-work, classroom, per evaluations, panel discussions and others.
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Welcome to the Facilities & Fleet Management Sharepoint!
By Johnny Switzer, Facilities & Fleet Manager, Town of Warrenton, VA
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I am excited to share with you our new SharePoint page!
Over the past two years, I have attended the Mid-Atlantic Public Works Institute sponsored by the American Public Works Association & Virginia Tech. This program has been one of the key resources in my professional development journey. I am eager to share the journey that this program covers with you. I will attach a link to the program page in this post. The most important topic that consistently is taught in each of the four modules is Communication, Teamwork, Collaboration, & most importantly Empowerment of Employees. Each student of the program is tasked with spreading the knowledge learned after graduation from the program. This will begin my journey with the each of you.
Our FFM division of Public Works & Utilities has undergone a merger over the past 8 months. This merger has allowed our team members to put forth their hands-on skills in many different areas of maintenance & repair. Through this merger, we discovered that our internal communications & teamwork needed an update. After the discovery of the shortfall, we began empowering each team member to communicate with their "customers" directly. The team learned that they were great managers of their own daily workload. Scheduling of work with each of our departments began at the hands of the technician. Once scheduled the technician performed the task and communicated an update to the customer.
Now that we covered the good news, let's get to the not-so-great bad news. But wait... There isn't such a thing as bad news! The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Alliance (FMCSA) has changed its standards and as of this past February 7, 2022, if you did not hold a valid commercial driver's license or learner's permit, you would be required to attend a certified entry-level drivers program. This program consists of 40 classroom hours and 80+ hours of range and road instruction, not to mention the $3,000 that each student is expected to pay for this training.
Challenge Accepted! In collaboration with the Human Capital & Risk/Emergency Management Departments, we have achieved a successful registration of two learning sites operated by the Town of Warrenton. These locations are the Public Works Facility & WARF gravel lot for range/road. This achievement will allow the Public Works & Utilities department to continue hiring employees who are not in possession of a CDL when they begin employment with us. We are currently registering our first group of employee students to participate in the program.
I have received many thanks from each of you for our staff and their own internal journeys. Each of them is excited to continue serving you and your department the best that they can. I am confident that this page will advance our division to the next level.
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Opening the Flood Gate at Lake Braddock
By Jeremy Beale and Sharon North, Fairfax County
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The Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services Maintenance and Stormwater Management Division (MSMD) recently performed a sluice gate operation and underwater inspection of a 50-year-old riser and principal spillway pipe in Lake Braddock. Due to the aging infrastructure, MSMD has made it a priority to conduct routine inspections of the gate’s function to protect those downstream in the event of an emergency.
The sluice gate, which goes down about 25 feet to the bottom of Lake Braddock, is used in the event of an emergency to control the flow of water out of the dam in case there is a sign of erosion or other sign of dam failure.
New contractor, Bander Smith, a dam repair, inspection and construction company, is a welcome addition to the MSMD team, as their technical expertise was much needed due to the risk that comes with performing these inspections. They looked around the impact basin for signs of cracking or spawling of the concrete, as well as inspecting the spillway pipe, crawling up it and measuring out each joint, and checking for spaces in the pipe to see if there were signs of seepage and failure within the pipe."
The diver explained once he entered the murky water, he had to rely on a combination of sight and feel to inspect the structure. Despite low visibility, he was able to determine the valve looked pretty good for its age and, apart from a worn filter that is meant to keep trash and debris from entering the gate, everything appeared operational.
All of the dam facilities were built with the intent to help aid in flood protection. When they were installed it resulted in a reduction of flood insurance, but most importantly, it helps keep residents safe and out of danger.
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2022 West Virginia Construction and Design Expo
By Ken Eyre, P.E., Principal, Blue Heron Leadership Group, LLC
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The West Virginia Design and Construction Expo was held in Charleston, WV March 23-24, 2022. Jeff Wilkerson, Martinsburg, WV Public Works Director and Chapter Board Member, along with then-Chapter President Scott Smith, and Ken Eyre, Chapter Past-President, attended representing the Chapter. Ken and Jeff presented “Safety First” to about 42 attendees. The Chapter was one of the major event sponsors and was recognized throughout the Expo Center as such. The Chapter also had a booth at the Expo. Refer to the photos for the related Chapter participation.
Should APWA members have an interest in participating with the Chapter’s participation with next year’s WV Design and Construction Expo at the Charleston Civic Center, contact Jeff Wilkerson, JWilkerson@cityofmartinsburg.org no later than July 8, 2022.
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National Public Works Week Proclamation
By Wattana Savanh and Sharon North, Fairfax County
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Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeffrey C. McKay (Left) presented this year's National Public Works Week proclamation to DPWES Director Chris Herrington (Right) at the department’s annual employee picnic. Chairman McKay read the proclamation and offered his appreciation for all the achievements our public works employees accomplished, with Director Herrington also acknowledging the exemplified work throughout the year.
The employee recognition outing underscores the tremendous efforts and diligent work DPWES public works employees demonstrate year-round to ensure the wellbeing of Fairfax County residents by providing the quality and level of service they expect and deserve.
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National Water Policy Fly-In
By Jeff Wilkerson, Public Works Director, City of Martinsburg, WV
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On April 27, 2022, Jared Tomlin and Jeff Wilkerson of the APWA Mid-Atlantic Chapter attended the National Water Policy Fly-In in Washington, DC. This is an annual event where people from across the Country travel to Washington, DC to discuss water infrastructure with congressional leaders, APWA members, elected officials, and each other. This year’s event was headlined by the “Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act”, which will provide $550 billion new federal infrastructure investments over the next five years. Some of the projects available for this funding includes roads, bridges, rail, water systems, broadband and public transit. |
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It was a great time to network with other water industry professionals from across America. We were able to hear speeches from a variety of government officials regarding this Infrastructure Act and how they intend for this Act is to help the underfunded communities. There were speakers from the US EPA, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Interior. We also heard from Senator Tom Carper from Delaware, Senator Shelley Moore Capito from West Virginia and the Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton from Washington, DC. I would also like to thank Andrea Eales, Director of Government and Public Affairs for APWA National for taking the time to meet with us and introduce us to key members of the Water Industry. I also plan to attend next year’s event, so if anyone is interested in attending with us, please reach out to Jeff Wilkerson at jwilkerson@cityofmartinsburg.org
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Two Fairfax County Public Works Employees Sworn in on Mid-Atlantic Chapter
By Jeremy Beale and Sharon North, Fairfax County
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Amy Linderman (Right) and Shwan Fatah (Left) of the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services Wastewater Collection Division recently were sworn into the American Public Works Association (APWA) Mid-Atlantic Chapter Board of Directors. Fatah was selected to fill DPWES Assistant Director Juan Reyes' seat on the board, while Linderman was placed on the ballot after serving the chapter for six years.
"Serving the public has always been a passion for me," Shwan Fatah, Director, Wastewater Collection Division said. "This platform allows me to bring our lessons learned and ideas from Fairfax County DPWES to various public works agencies throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and likewise learn from those same agencies to help Fairfax County DPWES continue to improve as an organization and the services we provide to our community."
According to Fatah, it is his hope to help drive innovation and sustainable practices that help other public works agencies to effectively deliver the vital health and environmental services to their residents.
Linderman, a senior engineer III, is looking forward to helping DPWES and Mid-Atlantic public works professionals thrive, while learning as much from members of the association as possible.
"APWA may not be as focused on one sector of public works like other organizations, but I believe that this diversity is what makes APWA successful," Linderman said. "It is the environment of people from different places, office sizes, and department sectors with their wealth of information and lessons learned that make APWA so great."
While Linderman has met many association members from different walks of life, each helping her learn something new and useful, she has helped cultivate the future of the association by developing the association's young professional program.
"My biggest accomplishments have been through my work for APWA Mid-Atlantic Chapter Young Professionals (YP) and creating the infrastructure for the program," she said. "Since helping kickstart the program we have increased our representation on the board. I think we have brought a difference in perspective about the workplace and work force that has been helpful for the board and APWA educational content."
Fatah and Linderman have worked alongside one another for several years, have a mutual respect for one another.
"Shwan has always been a dedicated and inspiration leader in Fairfax County, and I’ve seen the work he has done to push the organization to improve," Linderman said. "I’m excited to see him bring this energy to the Mid-Atlantic Board and make the Mid-Atlantic Chapter even better."
Fatah returned the sentiments to Linderman.
"Amy has been a dedicated member of APWA for many years and has served in various roles to support the Mid-Atlantic Chapter," Fatah said. "Her dedication to the profession and desire to give back is truly inspiring. Amy will have a larger role to continue to bring positive influence to the public works community in her new role with the APWA."
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2022 Mid-Atlantic regional Roadway Management Conference
Registration is Open!
By Ken Eyre, P.E., Principal, Blue Heron Leadership Group, LLC
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The WV LTAP is hosting this year’s mid-Atlantic regional Roadway Management Conference - RMC, being held October 11-13 in Wheeling, WV at the Oglebay Resort. Registrants attend from West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and Washington DC. The RMC is a regional mid-Atlantic conference drawing practitioners from across the region. Practitioners who manage, design, construct, and maintain state, county, and municipal roads, and streets. The RMC is designed to help these practitioners prepare for and successfully address public works transportation challenges using proven and innovative methods.
Registrants from the Mid-Atlantic LTAP Region states(DE, MD, PA, VA, & WV) will be given preference through July 31.
Attendee & Exhibitor Registration Information
Registration Fee
$150 per person until September 1, 2022; $200 per person after September 1, 2022
Exhibitor Fee
$875 per person; $150 additional person fee
Topics on this year's agenda include pavement preservation, workforce development best practices, traffic calming, stormwater, curb ramp inspection, and much more.
Jeff Wilkerson, Martinsburg, WV Public Works Director, and Ken Eyre, Mid-Atlantic APWA Chapter Past-President, representing the Mid-Atlantic APWA Chapter, were invited as guests to attend the West Virginia Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Board meeting, typically held during the West Virginia Design & Construction Expo. Kim Carr and Andrew Morgan, APWA members and WV LTAP administrators, organized the WV LTAP Board meeting.
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Mid-Atlantic PWI Alumni Injured in Crash
By Ken Eyre, P.E., Principal, Blue Heron Leadership Group, LLC
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One of our Mid-Atlantic Public Works Institute’s alumni, P.J. Tierno from Fairfax County’s Public Works Stormwater Maintenance Division was injured in a distracted driver incident on May 27th in Annandale, VA, as he and others were touring some business revitalization projects. The driver, while reaching for groceries that had fallen over inside the vehicle, ran into the group. One local community leader was killed, another community leader was seriously injured and still in hospital. P.J. was injured and hospitalized and is now recovering at home. Two VDOT employees were slightly injured. A friend of P.J’s - Chris Mueller - started this gofund me page to assist PJ and his family as he most likely will miss a lot of work time and needs time to recover.
Kindly keep PJ and his family in mind as your field workers continue to provide necessary services. It’s always good to host routine safety tailgate meetings and safety minutes for staff and keep them aware of traffic and local site conditions while on the job.
Should you wish to make a personal donation for PJ’s recovery, feel free to use the gofund me page link provided.
Be safe out there!
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Succession Planning and Workforce Management 101 - Zoom webinar
By Ken Eyre, P.E., Principal, Blue Heron Leadership Group, LLC
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The Chapter’s Metro DC-Baltimore-Northern Virginia Area Activities Committee hosted a successful “Succession Planning and Workforce Management 101” virtual webinar on March 8, 2022. Special thanks to the following agencies which had representatives attend the webinar:
Anne Arundel County, MD DPW, Alleghany County, MD, City of Brunswick, MD, City of Cumberland, MD, City of Virginia Beach, VA DPW, Prince William County, VA, City of Annapolis, MD, City of Baltimore, MD DPW, City of College Park, MD DPW, City of Manassas, VA, City of Waynesboro, VA
City of Chesapeake, VA
There was a total of 44 event registrants and one corporate sponsor – Blue Heron Leadership Group LLC, plus Committee members and event presenters. The Maryland Municipal League (MML) helped promote this event through alerts sent to their membership.
The Committee members and presenters did a super job in planning and providing this timely webinar, with special guest speaker Margie Hamner, owner of Starfish Consulting, kicking off the venue. Juan Reyes, member of the Committee and also a member of the Chapter’s Board of Director’s, followed Margie, providing his personal and professional expertise regarding succession planning and workforce management. The Practitioner’s Panel featured Anne Arundel County MD DPW’s Kim Cluney, Business Manager, and Jessica Kibec, Training Program Manager; Chris Kohr, PE, Assistant Director of Operations, Town of Leesburg, VA and Jeffrey Castonguay, Public Works Director, Carroll County, MD.
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The venue wrapped up with virtual breakout groups tackling the University of Washington’s
Succession Planning Toolkit where we received the University’s permission to adapt this resource
for this educational event. Related materials were provided to the registrants in advance so they
could preview and get a sense of the group breakout material and format.
Special thanks to the Committee members, who planned and mapped out the agenda via
several Zoom coordination meetings. Committee and Event Planning members, who also did
double-duty as subject matter experts/presenters, included:
✓ Juan Reyes, Asst. Director of Public Works, Fairfax County, VA DPWES
✓ Kim Cluney, Business Manager, Arundel County MD DPW
✓ Jessica Kibec, Training Program Manager, Arundel County MD DPW
✓ Chris Kohr, PE, Assistant Director of Operations, Town of Leesburg, VA
✓ Jeffrey Castonguay, Public Works Director, Carroll County, MD
✓ Ken Eyre, PE, Principal, Blue Heron Leadership Group LLC
The Committee will meet soon to further discuss offering related succession planning and
workforce management topics for future Chapter educational venues. Should you have ideas
for a future educational topic/venue, send your thoughts to: Ken Eyre, Committee Chair at:
APWA members interested in participating with the Chapter’s Metro DC-Baltimore-Northern
Virginia Area Activities Committee, contact Ken Eyre, Committee Chair at:
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SPECIAL THANKS
To Our Newsletter Sponsors!
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Mid Atlantic
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Chapter Welcomes
New Members!
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2022 - 2023
OFFICERS/DIRECTORS
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Officers
President
Harold Caples, PE
Senior Cost Estimator
Virginia Department of Transportation
City of Richmond, VA
President-Elect
Denise Nelson, PE,CFM, ENV SP, LEED AP
Director of Resilience and Grants
Launch! Consulting Inc
Richmond, VA
Immediate Past-President
Scott A. Smith, PE, LS
Senior Civil Engineer
Public Works Engineering
City of Hampton, VA
Vice-President
Gaynelle L. Hart
Director of Public Works
Lynchburg, VA
Secretary
Catherine Sydnor
Engineer
Kimley-Horn
Richmond, VA
Treasurer
David Bradshaw, PE
Principal
Clark Nexsen
Virginia Beach, VA
Chapter Delegate
James W. Long, III, PE, DBIA
Project Manager
Rummel, Klepper & Kahl, LLP
Virginia Beach, VA
Chapter Delegate (Alternate)
Jason Calbert
Administrator Street Maintenance
Department of Public Works
Newport News, VA
Historian
Dawn V. Odom
Planning and Investment Manager
Virginia Department of Transportation
Suffolk, VA
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Directors
Jennifer Caples
Marketing Manager
Whitman, Requardt & Associates, LLP
Richmond, VA
Troy Eisenberger, PE
City Traffic Engineer
City of Chesapeake, VA
Shwan Fatah, PE
Wastewater Collection Division
Fairfax County, Virginia
Mark D. Jamison, PE
Director of Public Works
Roanoke, VA
Ryn Kennedy
Stormwater Facility Specialist
Henrico County, VA
Amy Linderman, PE
Fairfax County Department of Public Works
Planning and Development Division
Fairfax County, Virginia
Kyle Logue, PE
Managing Director, Greeley and Hansen
Richmond, Virginia
Renee LaFollette, PE
Director of Public Works & Capital Projects
Leesburg, VA
Matt Stolte, PE, ENV SP
Campus Planning, Infrastructure and Facilities
Virginia Tech
Jeff Wilkerson
Director of Public Works
City of Martinsburg, WV
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APWA Mid-Atlantic Chapter | 5007 C Victory Blvd, #280 | Yorktown, VA 23693 |
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