OACES Newsletter for Sept. 28, 2023 | |
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Upcoming OACES Meetings:
- OACES Fall Conference: Hood River - Oct. 23-24
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OACES Fall Conference to be Held October 23, 24 in Hood River | |
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The Oregon Association of County Engineers and Surveyors (OACES) 2023 Fall Conference will be held Monday, Oct. 23, beginning at 9:30 a.m. through Tuesday, Oct. 24, ending at 1 p.m. This year’s conference is at the Best Western Plus Hood River Inn, located at 1108 East Marina Way in Hood River.
To reserve your hotel room, please call the hotel directly at 1-800-828-7873 and ask for the OACES room block. Room rates range from: $135 – $179. The cutoff date to receive the government rate is Sunday, Oct. 1.
The conference agenda can be viewed here.
Click here to register.
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Registration deadline: Wednesday, Oct. 11
- Registration fee: $275.00
The following meals will be provided during the conference:
- Monday: Continental breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Tuesday: Breakfast and lunch
Please contact Joann Hendrix if you have questions regarding registration or hotel information. To learn more about upcoming meetings and events, please visit the OACES Conference & Meeting page.
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OACES Members Meet in Klamath, Tour Oregon Tech Campus | |
The Oregon Association of County Engineers and Surveyors (OACES) held its regular meeting on Thursday, Sept. 21 in Klamath Falls. OACES members enjoyed a networking lunch followed by the regular meeting.
As part of the meeting, OACES members toured the Oregon Institute of Technology's (OIT) Campus with Professors Jack Walker, PLS, Chair of the Department of Geomatics, and, Roger Lindgren, Ph.D., P.E., P.Eng. Chair of the Civil Engineering Department, to learn more about the school’s engineering and surveying programs and curriculum. OACES thanks Professors Walker and Lindgren and all the OIT staff who made for an engaging and insightful meeting in Klamath Falls.
As part of the OACES Board's goal of improving county workforce development, OACES looks forward to holding semi-regular meetings at Oregon Tech and Oregon's other engineering schools like Oregon State University and Portland State University in the future.
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2023 OACES Skills Demo and Safety Conference Held in Roseburg, Sept. 18-21 | |
Nearly 100 participants representing 19 city, county, and state agencies gathered in Roseburg this month for the annual OACES Skills Demo and Safety Conference. Attendees of the multi-day conference, which was held at the Douglas County Fairgrounds Sept. 18 through 21, had the opportunity to take part in several safety classes while collaborating with peers from across the state.
The highlight of the conference was the two-day skills demonstration, which pitted individual competitors against one another in six events, including backhoe, chain on/off, pre-trip check, as well as grader, loader, and truck plow driving courses. The skills demo overall winner, dubbed Top Gun, was Cody Whetzel of Douglas County.
To view event results and photos from the skills demo, please visit the 2023 OACES Skills Demo and Safety Conference page.
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AOC, LOC Convene Local Governments on Transportation Funding | |
The Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) and League of Oregon Cities (LOC) have kicked off a planned series of virtual forums bringing city and county officials and staff together to coordinate, collaborate, and cultivate a shared understanding of local government interests in the future of Oregon’s transportation funding system.
The first meeting, held Aug. 23, provided a detailed overview of federal, state, and local funding mechanisms, and how these revenue tools work together to fund the current system. You can watch a recording of the Aug. 23 meeting here. Presentations from ODOT, AOC's County Road Program, and LOC reviewed the current system, with an emphasis on structural deficits and declining fuel tax revenues.
The second installment of the local transportation funding forum meeting will be held Monday, Oct. 2 at 11 a.m. and will feature presentations from two city and two county road departments. These presentations will demonstrate the range of local jurisdiction transportation budgets and varied regional project priorities. Time will be held for group discussion and brainstorming.
AOC/LOC Transportation Funding Forum, October Meeting
Monday, Oct. 2, 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (PDT)
Zoom Meeting Link
Meeting ID: 842 3393 3204
Passcode: 289330
The AOC/LOC Transportation Funding Forum will continue to meet throughout the next year with an eye toward developing guiding principles and identifying priorities to inform AOC and LOC engagement in an expected transportation funding package during the 2025 legislative session...[READ MORE]
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New ODOT Resources Provide 'One-Stop Shop' for EV Charger Project Planning | |
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The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has a new suite of online resources to help Oregon planners and decision makers deploy electric vehicle charging projects that are equitable, cost-effective, and will meet local needs while supporting statewide goals for electrifying transportation.
Online Resources
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Guide for Oregon EV Charging Deployment: An overview of EV charging basics, best practices in station design and equitable site selection, general cost information, funding opportunities, and other information for planners of EV charging projects for cars, trucks, and SUVs.
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EV Infrastructure Planning Map: Users of the online map can explore potential sites for EV charging infrastructure throughout Oregon. The map incorporates data on travel habits, demographic information, and equity criteria.
For more information on these new resources, please visit ODOT's Go EV Charge webpage. To learn more about how and why Oregon is on track to reduce emissions from transportation by 60 percent by 2050, please visit the Oregon Transportation Emissions website.
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2023 NWPMA Conference to be Held in Portland, Oct. 24-27 | |
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The Northwest Pavement Management Association (NWPMA) will hold its annual fall conference from Oct. 24 to 27 at the Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel.
Registration is currently open. Tickets for the full conference are $400 for government employees and $450 for non-government employees. Single-day tickets are also available for purchase. Full conference registration includes:
- Pre-conference classes on Tuesday
- Breakfast, lunch, and networking social on Wednesday
- Breakfast and awards banquet luncheon on Thursday
- Breakfast on Friday
You can view the conference agenda here.
To book your room, click here or call the Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel at 503-281-2500. If you book your hotel room by phone, make sure to reference the NWPMA conference.
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USDOT Funding Opportunities | |
Six Oregon Counties Receive First-Ever Grants to Fix Fish Culverts through FHWA's New Culvert Aquatic Organism Passage Program | |
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The USDOT's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recently announced a total of $196 million going to 59 local, state, and Tribal governments that will fix or remove 169 culvert barriers to improve fish passage. Outdated culverts and other infrastructure can cause roads to flood and severely restrict or block fish passage, which is key to the health of fish runs and important to commercial and recreational fishing, as well as the health of Tribal communities.
The announcement includes more than $19 million in funding for 26 Oregon projects.
FHWA’s Culvert Aquatic Organism Passage (AOP) Program invests in healthy fisheries by helping communities remove, repair and redesign culverts and weirs – both engineered structures that impact the flow of water in rivers and streams. Barriers to freshwater migration are a major cause of declining populations of anadromous fish – such as native salmon, steelhead, river herring and lamprey – which are born in freshwater waterways, live primarily in the ocean, but return to freshwater streams to spawn.
More information on AOP Projects
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$12.5 Million Awarded to Projects Across Oregon That Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions | |
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Electric cars and buses, e-bike lending libraries, and solar streetlights are among the 15 projects across Oregon to receive funding from the federal Carbon Reduction Program.
The program’s first round of competitive grant funding, which ran this past spring, had $13 million available for “small urban and rural” projects in Oregon that reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation.
The 15 projects are split among 11 counties and two Tribes. Over 65% of the funds will go to projects in disadvantaged communities, as defined under the federal government’s Justice40 initiative.
The Carbon Reduction Program, which is one of the ways Oregon is working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, will distribute $82 million of federal funding over five years for projects in Oregon.
For more information, please visit ODOT's Carbon Reduction program website or contact ODOT's Climate Program Coordinator Rye Baerg at 503-798-0589.
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Clackamas Community College, DSL Partner to Deliver Trainings to Support Wetland, Waterway Stewardship | |
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Clackamas Community College’s Environmental Learning Center (ELC) is partnering with Oregon's Department of State Lands (DSL) to offer training for the Oregon Rapid Wetland Assessment Protocol (ORWAP).
Learn to assess the functions and values of wetland sites using the ORWAP Version 3.2. ORWAP provides a standardized, rapid, function-based assessment method that can be used for the majority of wetlands found across Oregon. This method furthers federal and state regulatory objectives by informing compensatory mitigation planning. ORWAP is required for removal-fill individual permits.
October training schedule:
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Tuesday, Oct. 10: 9 a.m. - noon (half-day, virtual classroom)
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Thursday, Oct. 12: 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (full field-day in Salem)
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Wednesday, Oct. 16: 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.* (half-day, virtual classroom with Q&A).
*Could change to 9 a.m. - noon
See full course description (PDF)
For more information on registration or be added to a course waitlist, please contact ELC Program Director Renee Harber at [email protected].
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County Engineering, Road Department, and Surveyor Jobs
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The AOC job posting page provides counties and other government organizations with a platform to advertise job opportunities while also providing a resource for job seekers looking for a new challenge.
Current engineering, road department, and surveyor postings include:
Find out more specifics for each position and how to apply on the AOC jobs postings page. If you have an open job listing to post for your county, please contact [email protected].
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Jackson County is Hiring Engineers! | |
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Jackson County Roads, Engineering Division is recruiting for several engineering positions, including:
Please visit the Jackson County website for minimum requirements and additional information.
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County Road Program Director
Legislative Director
Transportation Policy Analyst
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Senior Administrative Manager
IT Trainer and Communications Specialist
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