Chapter Works
An electronic publication of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the American Public Works Association
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Newport News Litter Awareness Program
By Karen Self, MPA, Management Analyst, City of Newport News DPW
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The Litter Awareness Program through the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC) received a grant to make these industrial sized cigarette butts. In the 30 plus years of Clean the Bay Day in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, cigarette butts are the number one item collected.
Over the years, these large cigarette butts have been staged within the City of Newport News to bring awareness. The goal is to display some of the big butts at prominent locations to foster awareness of cigarette litter on streets, waterways, and parks. The Department of Public Works has pocket ashtrays and cigarette receptacles available upon request.
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Attending PWX is an exciting and worthwhile educational opportunity, but we understand that it can be costly. With PWX@Home, you can provide your staff access to 252 educational sessions (that’s 36 sessions for 7 different employees!) for the cost of one trip to PWX.
The PWX@Home Spotlight on Series works around your busy schedule. Choose one afternoon per month to set aside and embrace an all-new virtual learning experience. The second Tuesday of each month, APWA will host education in 12 key public works focus areas. The series features three education sessions each month on relevant topics—most of which were selected for PWX 2020 in varying formats to maximize learning and engagement. With the group discount, that’s 7 staff experiencing 3 sessions for 12 months—a great deal!
Annual registration has been extended to April 1, 2021. For the programs in the annual series that have already been delivered, annual registrants will have immediate access to the recordings.
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Fairfax County Snow Crews Undaunted by Winter Weather Despite
COVID-19 Vaccination Appointments
By Sharon North, Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services
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Snow Removal Team, Fairfax County, VA--LEFT
Fairfax County Government Center, Fairfax, VA--RIGHT
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It was the perfect, or perhaps imperfect, storm: a pandemic, a forecast predicting snow and ice during a time when thousands of people had appointments to be inoculated or tested for COVID-19.
That was the course of events facing the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services for several days in late January. At least six county buildings, including the Fairfax County Government Center, were vaccination centers and COVID-19 testing sites. At one location, health care workers were due to receive their second shots, at a rate of 90 people every 15 minutes. On another day, about 800 county residents 75 and older were signed up to be vaccinated. All the plans were in place when the storm hit. For days it blanketed the county with snow and sheets of ice. All parking lots, walkways and building entrances had to be cleared of snow and ice to make them safe for those who would brave the elements to make it to their potentially live-saving appointments each day. The timing was too crucial to do anything except work; so, divisions within the Stormwater Management and Wastewater Management business areas were ready to roll.
“Our Wastewater Collection Division employees responded to the snow event and were directly responsible for two COVID-19 testing facilities,” said Matt Adams, Chief, Gravity Sewers Branch. “The sites were plowed, treated, and the parking lots and entrances were shoveled during the 12-hour rotational shifts,” Adams said. “These facilities are some of the highest priority to the community and were treated as such. We continually monitored each site to ensure they would be open and available to the public.”
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Author: Sharon North is the Section Chief, Communications/PIO III for the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services. She also is an author, songwriter and award winning journalist. |
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Steve Walsh, Director of the Baltimore Co Department of Public Works, Retires After 30 Years of Public Service
By Taylor Deville, Baltimore Sun Media, MAY 05, 2020
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Steve Walsh, Director of the Baltimore County Department of Public Works, and long-time supporter of public works in the mid-Atlantic region, retired in May after heading up the department for four years and spending more than 30 years in the county government. Thomas Kiefer, chief of the department’s Bureau of Engineering and Construction, has been appointed to serve as acting director, effective May 22, until a permanent replacement is hired.
PHOTO: Steve Walsh, Baltimore County Department of Public Works director, shown at Public Works' Roadeo Charity event October 2019, announced that he plans to retire later this month. (Courtesy of Baltimore County and Baltimore Sun)
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Mr. Walsh joined Baltimore County government as a water resources engineer in 1990 and worked his way through department ranks, appointed as director in 2016. As Public Works’ engineering and construction bureau chief and then director, Walsh oversaw an ongoing $80.1 million project to build three reservoirs in Fullerton to replace the open-air reservoir at Baltimore’s Druid Hill Park, a plan that had been on the books for 60 years before the county broke ground on the reservoirs in 2017. Construction will be finished by the end of the year, said county spokesman Sean Naron, and will provide 62 million gallons of treated drinking water for the City of Baltimore and Baltimore County.
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Jim and Janet Irvin Retire After 75 years of
Collective Public Service
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Howard County’s Department of Public Works (DPW) Director Jim Irvin and his wife, Finance Director Janet Irvin, this week announced their retirement effective June 30, 2020, after 75 years of collective public service. Jim Director is a long-time supporter of public works in Maryland and across the mid-Atlantic region.
Jim Irvin has worked for Howard County since 1975 and has served as the director of DPW since 1989. Janet Irvin has served as the director of Finance since January 2018. Her 30+ years of public service include 20 years with Howard County Government and the Howard County Public School System.
PHOTO: Jim and Janet Irvin with
former Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman in 2015.
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October 8th Virtual Lunch-n-Learn
Building Core Competency - Understanding and Implementing the Basics of Asset Management
By Ken Eyre, Chapter Past-President and Committee Chair
The Chapter’s Metro DC-Baltimore Activities Committee spearheaded this educational event, which was postponed from April 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This specialty Lunch-n-Learn was offered virtually. Special thanks to the participating agencies for sharing their programs and asset management practices, and “lessons learned”.
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Screen Capture Featuring Four Public Agencies Discussing Their Asset Management Programs |
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Upcoming Chapter Events & Webinars:
Due to the current status with COVID-19, the Mid-Atlantic APWA Chapter
has cancelled the 2021 Mid-Atlantic WRX Conference.
The Conference Committee is working on plans for an alternative to the 2021 Conference.
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SPECIAL THANKS
To Our Newsletter Sponsors!
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Do you want your company's name out front for all to see?
Consider becoming a Chapter Newsletter Sponsor.
The newsletter and website reach more than 1,000 readers!
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Mid Atlantic
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Be Counted!!
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Chapter Welcomes
New Members!
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2020-2021
OFFICERS/DIRECTORS
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Officers
President
Phillip J. Koetter, P.E.
Operations Management Administrator
Department of Public Works
City of Virginia Beach, Virginia
President-Elect
Scott A. Smith, P.E., L.S.
Senior Civil Engineer
City of Hampton, Virginia
Immediate Past-President
Don Cole, ENV SP
Vice President
Brown and Caldwell
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Vice-President
Harold Caples, P.E.
Asst. State Construction Engineer
Virginia Department of Transportation
Richmond, Virginia
Secretary
Amy Linderman, P.E.
Fairfax County Park Authority
Fairfax County, Virginia
Treasurer
David Bradshaw, P.E.
Principal
Clark Nexsen
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Chapter Delegate
Judith L. Hines
Assistant Director of Public Works
City of Newport News, Virginia
Historian
Dawn V. Odom
Retired
Suffolk, Virginia
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Directors
David Bradshaw
Principal
Clark Nexsen
Jennifer Caples
Marketing & Business Development
Whitman, Requardt & Associates, LLP
Richmond, Virginia
Sherry B. Earley, P.E.
Senior Project Manager - Transportation
Clark Nexsen
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Gaynelle L. Hart
Director of Public Works
City of Lynchburg, Virginia
Mark Jamison, PE
Transportation Division Manager
City of Roanoke, Virginia
Ryn Kennedy
Stormwater Facility Specialist
Henrico County, Virginia
Joe Kroboth, III, P.E., L.S., PWLF
Director, Transp. and Cap. Infrastructure
Loudoun County, Virginia
James W. Long, III, P.E., DBIA
Project Manager, Transportation
Rummel, Klepper & Kahl, LLP
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Kelly Mattingly, LEED-AP, CRM
Director of Public Works
Town of Blacksburg, Virginia
Denise Nelson, PE CFM, ENV SP, LEED AP
Environmental Engineer
The Berkley Group
Juan Reyes
Assistant Director of Public Works
Fairfax County, VA
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APWA Mid-Atlantic Chapter | 5007 C Victory Blvd, #280 | Yorktown, VA 23693 |
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