- Leaders to Watch: Bill Watkins, Town of Coventry
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Congratulations Joe Ouellette, 2022 APWA Professional Manager of the Year – Transportation
- Innovation Station: Congratulations to the 2022 Connecticut Creative Solutions Award Winners!
- 37th Annual CASHO-CIRMA Snow Plow Safety Roadeo
- Safety Matters: Pedestrian Safety is Everyone's Responsibility
- Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Resource Page at the T2 Center
- Coffee and Conversation: Local Funding Opportunities Through Bipartisan Law - Who In CT Can Help & How (Video)
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Bill Watkins, Town of Coventry |
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Bill Watkins, Director of Public Works for the Town of Coventry, has been part of Connecticut’s Public Works Community for over 20 years. Bill has held positions in solid waste and highway and is a graduate of the first cohort from the CT Transportation Leadership Program. He has used the knowledge he gained there to benefit the departments he worked for and the crews he has led. This is best demonstrated by the words of his crew. “Bill has a calm, cool but deliberate management style that fits our DPW like a glove. He is a great communicator. He always hears everyone out and makes sure everyone is on the same page. He puts value in educating his staff. The way I see it you can’t be a good leader if no one is following you. Bill has everybody behind him.” |
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Congratulations Joe Ouellette, 2022 APWA Professional Manager of the Year – Transportation |
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2022 APWA Professional Manager of the Year Award – Transportation
Joseph Ouellette – Executive Director, Office of the State Traffic Administration, Connecticut Department of Transportation
The Professional Manager of the Year Award in Transportation recognizes the outstanding achievements in the area of transportation within the public works field and to inspire excellence, leadership, and dedication to the public.
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Joseph Ouellette has dedicated his entire professional career to the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT), spanning more than 34 years. He is currently the Executive Director of the Office of the State Traffic Administration (OSTA). He previously managed CTDOT’s Highway Safety Improvement Program and was responsible for developing and delivering systemic safety improvements on all public roads and spot safety improvement projects on municipally owned roads.
Joe championed the state’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) and was instrumental in the development of the Connecticut Safety Circuit Rider Program at the University of Connecticut. Joe has also served on many critical state, regional and national roadway safety committees.
Congratulations Joe, well deserved!
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Congratulations to the 2022 Connecticut Creative Solutions Award Winners! |
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This year, we are happy to recognize three towns for their initiative and innovative thinking to increase safety, reduce costs, improve efficiencies, and improve the quality of transportation in their communities.
We would like to commend the following Public Works Departments:
- Town of Ellington – Electronic Work Order Display
- Town of Simsbury – Pandemic Protocols for Continuation of Essential Services
- City of Waterbury – Salt/Sand Loading Ramp
These three departments will be recognized on November 17th at our Annual Graduation and Awards Ceremony where they will share details on their winning creative solutions and the benefit to their departments. We commend them for their commitment to creatively seeking ways to make their work safer and more efficient, while providing the best service to their residents.
Stay tuned for more details on each of this year’s winning creative solutions in future newsletters.
The 2023 Creative Solutions Award Program is just around the corner! If you have a tool, resource, gadget, or process that has made a positive impact on safety and/or efficiency in your department, please be sure to send us a submission for the 2023 award program.
You can find the submission form and more details about past winners, here.
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37th Annual CASHO-CIRMA Snow Plow Safety Roadeo |
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On October 6th, the T2 Center had the honor of volunteering at the Connecticut Association of Street & Highway Officials, Inc. (CASHO) and the Connecticut Interlocal Risk Management Agency's (CIRMA) 37th Annual Snow Plow Safety Roadeo, in Wallingford, CT. Many municipalities from across the state participated to find out who is the best and SAFEST snow plow driver in Connecticut! All of the participants did a great job navigating through the safety course. It was a great day to come together and promote safety with our public works colleagues. |
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The overall winner for the day was the Town of Vernon.
Here are the first place winners in each category:
- 100 - Bloomfield - Tom Wilson
- 200 - Hebron - Paul Sylvester
- 300 - Vernon - Colton Garison
- 400 - Vernon - Tim Moriarty
- 500 - Vernon - Chris Stanley
Congratulations to all of the winners! You can view the complete list of the 2022 CASHO-CIRMA Snow Plow Safety Roadeo's winners on CASHO's website, here.
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Pedestrian Safety is Everyone's Responsibility |
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October is National Pedestrian Safety Month so what better time to remind ourselves that ensuring pedestrian safety on our roadways is everyone’s responsibility. At some point throughout your day, you will be a pedestrian, even if it’s just during the short walk to your car from home or work. One of the principles of the Safe System Approach is “Responsibility is Shared” and everyone should be concerned with the number of pedestrians who are injured or killed on our roadways. |
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According to data from the Connecticut Crash Data Repository, in 2021 in Connecticut there were 1,163 pedestrian crashes resulting in 54 fatalities and 183 serious injuries. This number is slightly lower than in 2020, making CT one of only ten states to show a reduction in pedestrian fatalities from 2020 to 2021, as stated in the Governor’s Highway Safety Association “Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities by State: 2021 Preliminary Data.” Although that is a good trend, CT is still losing too many lives to pedestrian crashes.
So, what can we do to reduce pedestrian crashes and improve safety? It’s important to be aware and alert both as a driver and as a pedestrian. It is also important to remember that children and older adults are more at risk of dying when involved in a crash. Additionally, the majority of pedestrian crashes occur in dark conditions. Connecticut has enacted stronger pedestrian laws, but that is only part of the solution. Below are some tips on how you can help save lives and improve pedestrian safety.
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Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Resource Page at the T2 Center |
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We know that navigating the 380 funding program opportunities in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is not easy.
The T2 Center developed a resource page that we hope will be helpful. As we find resources that might assist you, we will keep it updated.
The hope you get to benefit from so many of the great funding programs that are available. Your COGs will also be a great resource to assist you.
Don’t hesitate to let us know if you have a resource you think should be added that might be helpful to your fellow Public Works & Engineering agencies. Contact Donna Shea if you have suggestions for ways we can help.
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Coffee and Conversation: Local Funding Opportunities Through Bipartisan Law - Who In CT Can Help & How (Video) |
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Along with our Facebook page, the T2 Center now has an Instagram page! Click on the icons below to like the T2 Center on Facebook and follow the T2 Center on Instagram! |
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If you have any ideas or suggestions for future Connecticut Crossroads topics, please feel free to email the designer Regina Hackett at [email protected]
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