NewsletterA quarterly newsletter of the Kansas Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) at the Universityof Kansas Transportation Center with funding from Kansas DOT and the Federal Highway Administration

KUTC Fall 2004

An issue on public involvement and education

Inside

● Raising awarenessof the importance ofpublic works

● Public service tipsfrom APWA Congress

● This and that

● Public access TV

● Power to the people!

● PAMs take proactiveapproach to publicinvolvement

● One of those days...

● Web site on rainfalland stream capacities

● Explore KC: MARC’sbike and pedestriancampaign

● Recommendedresources on publicinvolvement/education

● upcoming workshops and meetings

● new resources from Kansas LTAP

Please help us reachmore people in youragency by routing thisnewsletter.

_____administration

_____engineering

_____shop

It’s all open-book. . . by Laura Snyder

Transportationagenciesshould know

that data and recom-mendations fromtheir safety studiesmay be subject to thedisclosure require-ments of the KansasOpen Records Act.Although US CodeTitle 23, Section 409aims to protect agen-cies from the use of such information in liti-gation, some courts have ruled that thisinformation must be released when request-ed outside the context of litigation. Theproblem, of course, arises when the smartplaintiff ’s lawyer makes the open recordsrequest before filing the lawsuit and thenargues that the disclosure under the OpenRecords Act constitutes a waiver of the evi-dentiary privilege under Section 409.

Before Section 4091 was passed in1987, reports on hazardous intersectionsdiscovered in safety studies sometimes led tolawsuits for transportation agencies.Accident victims wanted reparations forintersections that agencies had failed toimprove. According to the text of the law,Section 409 says any “reports, surveys,

schedules, lists, or datacompiled or collected forthe purpose of identifying,evaluating, or planning thesafety enhancement ofpotential accident sites,hazardous roadway condi-tions, or railway-highwaycrossings. . . or for thepurpose of developing anyhighway safety construc-tion improvement projectwhich may be implement-ed utilizing Federal-aidhighway funds shall not be

subject to discovery or admitted into evi-dence in a Federal or State court proceedingor considered for other purposes in anyaction for damages. . .” In other words, doc-uments protected under Section 409 areundiscoverable at trial.

The intent of Congress was that high-way agencies should be able to studyimproving safety without fear of such stud-ies being used as evidence against them inlawsuits.

A fear of releasing safety study data andrecommendations has created reluctance insome agencies about performing studies atall. But that can lead to other problems.Failure to keep records of accidents and toperform safety studies can be used as evi-dence of negligence against transportationagencies. Tom Mulinazzi, Chairman ofCivil, Environmental, and ArchitecturalEngineering at KU, has seen lawsuits lost forthis reason. “If you put your head in the

continued on page 2 ➤

1US Code Title 23, Section 409 is alsoknown as The Discovery and Admission asEvidence of Certain Reports and Surveys.

KUTC Newsletter Fall 2004Page 2

It’s all open book,continued from page 1

sand, and if you’re ignorant to thefacts, that’s the surest way to lose alawsuit,” he said.

Some transportation agencieshave used Section 409 to claim anexemption from releasing informationfrom safety studies to the public ormedia. The Kansas Department ofTransportation, for example, formerlyhad a closed-records policy aboutsafety studies and accident data.However, Telegram Publishing suedKDOT in 1998 under the KansasOpen Records Act for KDOT’srefusal to release information on thehazard rankings for railroad crossingsin Finney County. KDOT lost theircase in District Court and wasordered to release the rankings.

The issue of the applicability ofSection 409 to the documentsrequested under the Kansas OpenRecords Act was not appealed byKDOT. However, an appeal wastaken of the award of attorney’s feesto Telegram Publishing. On thatappeal the Kansas Supreme Courtmade a ruling that there was no goodfaith basis for KDOT’s denial ofaccess to the information requested byTelegram Publishing. There are argu-ments that could have been made tothe Court on other legal theorieswhich support the applicability ofother exceptions to the Kansas OpenRecords Act disclosure provisions todata protected under Section 409.Those arguments were not made tothe Court in the Telegram Publishingcase due to policy decisions of agencyofficials not to take a position inopposition to disclosure, so there hasbeen no definitive ruling on them.

Until such time as a governmen-tal entity chooses to revisit this issuewith the Court on any of the remain-ing theories that could be raised, thestate of the law in Kansas is thatSection 409 protects safety studiesand accident data collected for the

purposes enumerated in 409 from dis-covery and admission into evidence inthe litigation setting. However, theOpen Records Act still may requirethat documents be released uponrequest outside of the litigation set-ting as public records.

Vicky Johnson, attorney forKDOT, said KDOT takes measuresto protect itself from the use of docu-ments disclosed under the OpenRecords Act in subsequent litigation.“Anytime we give out a documentthat we believe is privileged under 23USC Section 409, we print it onwatermarked paper,” said Johnson.The watermarked text states [in a verylarge font, placed on a diagonal tocover the printable area of the page]:“USE RESTRICTED 23 USC §409.” If a plaintiff tried to enter thedocument into evidence at court,KDOT would seek to have it exclud-ed, Johnson said. The watermark isclearly visible on any photocopiesmade of the document.

The special watermarked paper isgenerated by KDOT’s office, usingWord Perfect software. Watermarkscan also be created in Word. Besidesthe watermark, all documents KDOTsends out pertaining to safety studiesare accompanied by a cover letterexplaining the information is privi-

leged under Section 409.Johnson thinks the watermark is

currently the best method to preservethe privilege afforded by Section 409until policy makers decide to testsome of the other legal theories avail-able for asserting 409 under existingexceptions to the Kansas OpenRecords Act or until Section 409 isamended to make it clear that itsupercedes state Open Records Actprovisions. Johnson said that KDOTdoes not have any current plan topursue those other theories in court.“The current public policy position ofKDOT is that everything that we doshould be open to the public and wewill attempt to protect our eviden-tiary privilege by the use of the water-mark and cover letter,” she said.

For more information, contactVicky Johnson at vicky@ksdot.org

SourcesUS Code Title 23, Section 409:

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/casec-ode/uscodes/23/chapters/4/sections/section_409.html;

Kansas Open Records Act(Statutes K.S.A. 45-215 through 45-223) can be found at: http://www.kslegislature.org/cgi-bin/statutes/index.cgi. ■

Transportation agencies can take these steps to protect documents that could be subject to Section 409:

—Remember, Section 409 limits how a document can be used—namely, itsdiscoverability in litigation and admissibility in court—and does not neces-sarily exempt an agency from releasing the document to the public or themedia under the Kansas Open Records Act outside of the litigation setting.

—Vicky Johnson, KDOT attorney, recommends releasing all documentsprotected by Section 409 on watermarked paper with a cover letter notingthe information is privileged under Section 409 and not admissible in court.

—Draft documents for a study the results of which are not yet final, are anexception and do not need to be released, according to Johnson. However,once completed, they are arguably subject to disclosure under the OpenRecords Act outside of the litigation setting.

KUTC Newsletter Fall 2004 Page 3

. . . by Lisa Harris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“Idon’t get no respect!” This linewas made famous by comedi-an Rodney Dangerfield, but it

probably originated in a local roaddepartment. Derogatory commentsabout local road work are infamous,and they apply to public worksemployees of all stripes. Let’s face it: atleast some of the perception is basedon truth, and many local agencies havetaken steps to raise the image of theprofession by requiring appropriateattire and standards of professionalconduct and customer service. But thenegative image has still been difficultto shake, and that is very frustrating todepartment managers who know thevalue of their employees to the com-munity. A positive image will paydividends in greater dignity for (andloyalty from) employees and a moresatisfied and better informed public.

“Part of the dilemma with imageis that people often associate publicworks with problems,” said SuzanneLoomis, public works director for thecity of Newton.

Other public service profession-als, such as fire fighters or police,enjoy better reputations with theirconstituents; those professions areoften seen as more directly tied toindividual safety and welfare.

What to do?

Clean up your act If you haven’t done this already, estab-lish a dress code for your employees.We’re not talkin’ suits and ties here,but realistic guidelines that take intoaccount what a worker needs to workcomfortably and safely, and some-thing that befits a representative ofyour organization. Soldier Townshipin Shawnee County, KS, for example,

Raising awareness of the importanceof public works (and its workers)

requires crew workers to wear jeans,and the township provides coordinat-ing denim shirts embroidered withthe townships’ logo—adding a bit ofmarketing, to boot.

What if your crews look sharp,but their customer service skills needsome polish? Give them some train-ing. Good sources for training materi-als include NACE (www.countyengi-neers.org), APWA (www.apwa.net)and the International City/CountyManagement Association(www.icma.org).

Get the word outTo adults. Steve Pudlowski of theWisconsin LTAP said “I think the realmarketing issue [for public works] iskeeping your community informedabout programs, decisions to be

made, infrastructure condition, howto request improvements, how to pro-vide input, etc. Public works leadersare not ‘selling’ something but‘informing’ the public.”

To that end, many departmentshave pamphlets that describe snowremoval operations, street sweeping,recycling, etc. Many communities alsohave Web sites to communicate withthe public. Web sites in Kansas rangefrom simple informational sites (e.g.Haskell and Sherman Counties) tosites that include photographs of staff(e.g. cities of Ulysses and Newton) tomore comprehensive sites in urbanareas (e.g. Wichita, Manhattan, andJohnson County). Newton’s site alsolists highlights of work performed in

the previous year.To kids. The American Public

Works Association has a Web site forchildren at www.pwpaws.net/. Thepurpose of the site is to help kidsdevelop an appreciation of publicworks services and careers. The sitehas separate pages for elementary,junior high and high school students.The high school page includes a linkto APWA’s video Everyday Heroes,which is also a good resource for edu-cating adults.

Al Prater, Director of theCalcasieu Parish Governement AccessChannel in Louisiana, has worked upsome great informational material forbroadcast in his area. In May 2004the parish produced a video titled A Closer Look: In the Ditches withPublic Works. It explains what thepublic sees during mowing, spraying,and ditch cleaning and the whys andhows of various public works opera-tions—narrated by a road maintenacesuperintendent. The parish’s accesschannel also recently completed a

videotape addressing mosquito con-trol. Prater has a background in pub-lic works and a good understandingof the issues about public educationof public works. The videotape, ACloser Look..., is available for loan onpage 15. Prater can be reached at(337) 721-3571.

Get your people outFor school events. Many communitiesaround the country hold a “construc-tion career day” to give older childrenhands-on experience with heavyequipment (heavily supervised, ofcourse!) and information about thevariety of jobs available in the publicworks field. These events provide an

We asked 30 people “Name two types of public service employeeswho risk their personal safety on a regular basis to provide safetyfor the community.” No one answered “road worker.” But that’sexactly what they do, and a whole lot more.

continued on page 5 ➤

KUTC Newsletter Fall 2004Page 4

At your service

[The AmericanPublic Works{Association

holds roundtable discus-sions at its annual Congress.This year I attended one on publicservice. Here are some tips from par-ticipants around the table. —LisaHarris, Ed.]

Dealing with hostile customers

Greeley, CO—If things escalate on thephone, diffuse the situation by saying,“Let me come out and talk to you.”

Greeley, CO—Don’t immediatelysend a caller to your Web site for theinformation they need. Some citizenswill get angry if you expect them todo anything other than make a phonecall. Plus, some people don’t haveaccess to a web site or they get con-fused using one. That’s especially truefor some of our older citizens or thosewho do not read English well.

Taylor, MI—We had a problem withgetting a lot of angry calls, so wedecided to train our phone answerershow to handle upset customers. Wetell them: “Don’t let the caller rattlethrough a laundry list of complaints.Get the caller back on the issue....andif the customer gets abusive, end thecall.” After we started the training, theincidence of calls that have gottenabusive has dropped significantly.

Handling inquiries or complaintsYuma, AZ—We provide customer ser-vice training for every public worksemployee. We tell them to be polite

and don’t answer specific ques-tions that are not part of theirjobs. They are coached to say

“Let me have you talk with my super-visor about that,” and then to give thesupervisor’s name and phone number.

Des Moines, IA—Echo the caller’sfrustration—empathize. Take time toestablish rapport on the phone; thatbuilds trust.

Highland Park, IL—Every call wereceive gets answered in 24 hours tosay we have received it and we under-stand it. We keep in touch with thecustomer until the inquiry isanswered or addressed.

Des Moines, IA—People need process.If someone calls with a request andyou think you know the answer, stilltake time to listen. It’s OK to tellthem you have thought about thisbefore, explain the issue, and say: “Ifyou have any new ideas about this,give me a call.”

Several cities—Share your pavementmanagement strategy with customerswho complain about road mainte-nance...and ...educate your commis-sioners about the importance of notleapfrogging the city’s PMS strategy.

Greeley—Just listen. If callers aretreated appropriately, even if theydon’t get what they want, most callerswill go away satisfied.

Building a customer service culture

Greeley, CO—Customer service startsinside the agency. Don’t let yourinternal communications go againstyour customer service values—by youor your staff sending or allowing nastymemos, for example.

Several cities—Make sure customerservice is part of your employees’ per-formance evaluations.

Des Moines, IA—Our city uses a callcenter that provides language inter-pretation to help us communicatewith residents who do not speakEnglish. We initiate a three-way callso the interpreter can participate. Thisis a national service; they provideinterpreters for over 100 languages,including many Spanish andSoutheast Asian dialects. The chargeis pretty reasonable—about $2.00 per minute for foreign languagescommonly used in the United States.[For more information on the serviceDes Moines uses, visit www.language-line.com.]

Greeley, CO—Nobody wants to hearabout “warrants.” They want to hearyou went out to look at the problemand here’s why.

Greeley, CO—Every five years thepublic works department does a cus-tomer satisfaction survey through thecity newsletter. A survey is useful; youlearn about problems that way. Butwe learned not to send a survey rightafter the snow season, because peopletend to be especially critical then.

Des Moines, IA—Prior to initiating aconstruction project, the city notifieseveryone on the block that they willbe working there, and leaves a contactnumber.

Highland Park, IL—The mayor andcity manager meet weekly to discusscustomer service issues. They review a

APWA Congress roundtable serves up tips forpublic service excellence.

KUTC Newsletter Fall 2004 Page 5

opportunity to promote the professionand generate interest in young citizens.For information on one such event,visit www.cti.uconn.edu/ti/constructioncareerday2.htm, whereyou can see photographs and informa-tion about a construction career dayrecently held in Connecticut.

Community service. Hays, KS,does a once-a-year alley clean-up thatis well received by citizens. “We pickup items we don’t normally pick up,like couches and other big householditems,” said Brenda Hermann, publicworks director. “We get excellentfeedback, and our staff is seen in apositive light,” she said.

Bring the people to youTours. Consider having an open houseof your facilities, featuring activities of interest to families. Seewww.apwa.net/About/npww/celebra-tions04.asp for an example of a suc-cessful open house in Pittsburg, CA.

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list of issues and calls received fromvarious departments.

Port Angeles, WA—All departmentheads have business cards with thedepartment’s values printed on theback of the cards.

Port Angeles, WA—We try to keepthe public informed about projects.We put up signage at projects describ-ing the scope of the work and the sea-son it is expected to be completed.We also communicate through themedia—PSAs, newspaper, radio—andour Web site.

Des Moines—I end our Mondaymorning staff meeting by saying:“They pay us to solve problems. Let’sgo find some solutions.” ■

This and thatKCHA/APWA Joint Meeting setfor April 27-29, 2005 in Salina.Mark your calendar for the jointSpring meeting of Kansas CountyHighway Association and the KansasChapter of the APWA.

LTAP to add new position.Kansas LTAP is planning to add a newstaff position starting in 2005. Thisperson will spend a good portion ofhis or her time on the road, visitingroad departments and providing on-site training. Interviews will start soon.

Rush rides along. At recent gravelroad maintenance workshops motorgrader operators have reported turningoff their audible back-up warningdevices during their favorite radio talkshows, because of the noise. Thisposes a threat to personal safety andyour agency’s liability. All safetydevices should be fully functionalwhen the motor grader is in use. ■

Is this a new way to say there really, really is a curve ahead? No... These signs weretested and demonstrated at the Mendocino Safety Showcase, sponsored by NationalLTAP. Mike Graf, Ellis County, and J.R. McMahon, Miami County, receivedstipends to attend the showcase. Look for more in our next issue.

Public education about publicworks, continued from page 3

Grand openings. The city ofOlympia, Washington, has given agreat deal of thought to bettering theimage of public works. They created anambitious campaign to promote abridge construction project that hadserious impacts on businesses and resi-dences nearby. The new bridge alsobrought significant benefits to the com-munity. The bridge was celebrated witha festive opening ceremony attended byhundreds of citizens. This idea can beadapted to other major public worksprojects. A videotape about the projectis available for loan on page 15.

One of the barriers to educatingthe public about public works is find-ing the time to do it. “Every year wesay we really need to do somethingmore [about educating the public].And every year we never get to it,”Herrman said.

We hope that you have foundsome ideas and tools in this articleyou can use in your agency. Choosejust one or two, and try them, orbuild a whole education campaign ifyou can carve out the time. Yourefforts will be worth it. ■

KUTC Newsletter Fall 2004Page 6

. . . by Laura Snyder . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

From road construction, recy-cling, solid waste removal, andparks and recre-

ation, more communi-ties are turning to pub-lic access television toget the word out.

Public access televi-sion stations, also calledPEG stations, have beenincreasing in popularitysince their birth in the1970s. PEG stands for the threetypes of access television: Public,Education, and Government. These sta-tions are negotiated through cablefranchise agreements between munici-palities and cable companies, whichusually provide bandwidth for one ormore PEG channels.

Public access stations are typicallyrun by nonprofit community groupsand are open to anyone in the commu-nity who wants to run a television pro-gram, within Federal CommunicationsCommission restrictions. Educationstations typically show school boardmeetings and televised distance learn-ing classes. Government access stationshave great potential to educate viewerson issues from city board meetings topublic works.

PEG stations, especially publicaccess stations, were developed to serveas a community soapbox for groupsthat might otherwise not have access toelectronic media. Generally, publicaccess stations are organized as non-profit organizations that do not sellcommercial advertising spots. Non-profit access stations are also moreresponsive to community needs andshow more accountability to the com-munity. These access stations are tax

exempt 501(c)(3) organizations underU.S. tax law and IRS code. This pro-vides an outlet for agencies like the

United Way tobroadcast videosto a communi-ty. On the flip-side, a non-profit public

access station alsohas to allow groupslike the Ku KluxKlan the same

amount of air time,said Thad Vessar, TV Productions

Specialist for the city of Olathe,Channel 7.

Government access stationsexpand on this level of communityinvolvement and allowcitizens to take a moreactive role in theirlocal governments.Viewers who mightotherwise not attendboard and councilmeetings can watchbroadcasts from theirown homes to stayinformed on issues.

Currently, only 10to 15 percent of com-munities in the nationhave PEG access.Vessar said costs mayprohibit PEG stationsin smaller communities and townshipsin Kansas. But viewer demand is grow-ing. In Johnson County, Board ofCommissioners Clerk Casey Carl saida plan is in the works to find the easi-est way to bring government to televi-sion. “We have had our constituentswrite in and call in and tell us that’swhat they want in order for us to havea more effective, communicative gov-

Public access TV: Start-upand success

ernment,” Carl said. Carl is workingwith Channel 7 in Olathe and willprobably use their studios at first.

Allie Lousch, AdministrativeProgram Coordinator for the city ofManhattan, Kansas, agreed that gov-ernment access television is popularwith viewers. She said she receives ahigh volume of complaints anytimethere is a system error on Channel 3,Manhattan’s government access chan-nel. “When things don’t go right, Irealize how much people rely upon it,”she said.

Two kinds of televised informationBulletin boards. For communities thatdon’t want to broadcast meetings, bul-letin boards are a less expensive option.They can be as simple as a Power Pointslideshow run through a scan convert-er. Olathe’s Channel 7 bulletin boarduses a more advanced Power Point dis-play system called the Scala ChannelInfo. Text and images can be updated

from a remote office and sent viamodem without disruption. Licensingsoftware for Scala runs at about$3,500, and the software for theremote updating station is $1,500.That doesn’t include the cost of thecomputers for each.

Manhattan’s Channel 3 providesviewers with a text form of govern-ment reminders for city board and

Benefits of public access TV to governments:—Allows another outlet to communicate withconstituents, including those who are less mobile;—Informs and educates the public about govern-ment services and programs;—Encourages public interest in local government.

Benefits to citizens:—Serves as soapbox or open forum;—Allows citizens to take a more active role in government;—Makes governments more accountable andresponsive to their communities.

KUTC Newsletter Fall 2004 Page 7

committee meetings, changes in park-ing for K-State football games, cityparks and recreation activities, androad closures. The screen is brokeninto four fields and shows a picture,updates from different city depart-ments, a scrolling ticker with the city’sWeb site, and a government calendar.

The updates are helpful in notify-ing the public of cancelled meetingsdue to bad weather, and even oncealerted the community of a missingchild, said Lousch. The informationcan be updated at any time withoutrestriction from the convenience ofLousch’s desk, but the server must berestarted once a week to keep it run-ning efficiently. However, the serverrefreshes once every 10 minutes, so itcould take anywhere from seconds toalmost 10 minutes for new informa-tion to appear on the television screen.

While most of the information onChannel 3 is also available onManhattan’s Web site, Lousch doesn’tthink the Internet will replace the needfor televised information. “I think theWeb site and the TV work in tandem,”she said.

Broadcasts. For communities with suffi-cient funds to broadcast live meetingsor show videos to their audiences,more equipment is required. The mostbasic start-up equipment for broadcast-ing live meetings includes a few cam-eras and a switcher. The switcher is apanel with buttons that provides spe-cial effects, processes audio, serves as arecording device, and makes the pro-duction come together, Vessar said. Heestimated current costs for start-upmaterials at $50,000 to $100,000.

Because the equipment and man-power for broadcasting live meetings isfar more expensive than bulletinboards, look into trading communityservice hours instead of payment forcamera operators to save on costs.

Another alternative to save oncosts might be to ask your governmentto budget for a permanent television

. . . by Lisa Harris . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The 2004 APWA Congress inAtlanta, Georgia, featured apresentation by Kristina Ray,

a consultant who specializes in publicparticipation issues in public works.Ray discussed research she conductedon elements of a public participationprogram, and which of those elementsreally make a difference (or don’t).

Little quantitative research hasbeen done on public participation.There have been a few scientific stud-ies but mostinformationis in the formof collectedopinions andcommentary. Ray’s study was morescientific and focused on two inde-pendent variables: the timing of get-ting the public involved in a project(early vs. late) and the level of power-sharing by the public (high vs. low).By power-sharing she means the abili-ty to influence or make significantdecisions about a project.

Ray also identified two variablesinfluenced by timing and power-shar-ing; these “dependent” variables aresatisfaction with the public participa-tion process itself and satisfaction withthe outcome of the process (each ratedhigh vs. low).

To conduct the research, Ray sur-veyed 800 San Diego residents abouta hypothetical public works project—a new water treatment plant.

Ray divided the group into foursets of 200 residents, and presentedeach set with a different scenario forpublic involvement with the project.Residents were then asked to ratetheir satisfaction with their given par-

Power to the people!

ticipation scenarios.The four public participation sce-

narios were:—early input and low power-sharing,—late input and low power-sharing,—early input and high power-sharing,and—late input and high power-sharing.

We don’t have space here to show allthe results, but one thing was clear:power-sharing was the most impor-tant factor in satisfaction with thepublic involvement process (and with

the outcome of the project). Timingof input was not nearly as important.In fact, residents who were given theopportunity to provide early input(usually considered desirable), butwere offered low power-sharing, wereless satisfied than those with the samelow level of power-sharing with laterinput. Ray said these residents couldhave been more dissatisfied with theirscenario because they felt the oppor-tunity for early input was “just forshow” and a waste of time.

Based on the study’s results andher personal experiences facilitatingpublic meetings, Ray offered specificadvice for public works departmentsembarking on a project for which theywill seek public involvement:

—It’s better to not involve the publicat all than to involve them withoutsharing power. “Don’t put themthrough a sham process,” she said.—If you are willing to share power,

Getting the public “involved” isn’t enough. You have tobe willing to share decision-making power.

continued on page 10 ➤

What specific decisions in the project couldbe made or influenced by the public?

continued on page 10 ➤

KUTC Newsletter Fall 2004Page 8

Wichita Metro office. Tom Hein, whohad been the District Three PAM, hasaccepted that job.

“Nurturing relationships withcommunities is a cornerstone of P2.PAMs bring this expertise to the tableand are a resource to be tapped. So, itwas decided to move forward quicklyon the sub-team’s recommendation,”said Julie Lorenz, Director of theDivision of Public Affairs.

“We are actively sponsoring rib-bon-cuttings and ground-breakingsacross the state to better highlight thegood work that KDOT does,” Lorenzsaid.

Such activities give Kansans achance to see that KDOT is usingtheir tax dollars wisely, said PriscillaPeterson, the District Four PAM.

“It seems that increasingly, yearafter year, people want their stateagencies to be accountable,” saidPeterson, who recently organized a

major ribbon-cutting ceremony forthe US-400 project at Parsons.

“Taxpayers are saying this is ourmoney you are spending on these pro-jects and they want to see how it isbeing spent.”

Taxpayers also need to knowwhen major events that aren’t positivehappen in the state’s transportationsystem, and the PAMs’ expertise isinvaluable in getting facts to themedia quickly, completely and respon-sibly. When fatality accidents occurredin US-50 work zones in June, thePAMs took the lead in handling the

crush of media inquiries. They deliv-ered in a big way, said Palic, in whosearea the accidents occurred.

“I was on the phone all day long,”said District Two PAM David Greiserof the media inquiries he fielded afterthe accidents.

“We were the point of contactand that’s how it should be. MartinMiller (District Five PAM) and I wereinformed and prepared. This freed theArea and Construction Engineers todo their jobs and gave them a resourcethey could refer the media to,” saidGreiser.

Palic was grateful. “I had otherpriorities regarding the scene itself.There was a conscious effort to utilizethe PAMs and give a consistent mes-sage. I found David and Martin to bea big help,” said Palic.

“Honestly,” he added, “those guysare better at it than we (engineers)are.”

While the PAMs are expected totake the lead in working with themedia, KDOT Area Engineers,Maintenance Superintendents, andothers who have had good relation-ships with reporters are encouraged tocontinue those relationships.

Although the PAMs have becomeexperts in communicating KDOT’smessage to a large audience throughtelevision or newspaper interviews,

KDOT Korner

PAMs take proactive approach. . . by Steve Swartz . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Whether they are facing themedia after a tragedy, pre-senting a plan to city lead-

ers or helping establish safe passage forhorse-drawn buggies, Public AffairsManagers have become key compo-nents of how KDOT does business.

“They look at things differentlythan we (engineers) do,” said Joe Palic,a District Two Area Engineer based inMarion. “Certain things we wouldoverlook they would see and make apriority.”

Palic is a supporter of the PAMposition, a product of KDOT’sPartnership Project (P2). The newposition, recommended by a P2 sub-team headed by District Five EngineerBob Cook, was instituted in May, andreplaces the position of PublicInvolvement Liaison.

Our committee’s objective was to

increase KDOT’s involvement in thecommunity,” said Cook.

“We have had it in mind that wewere going to expand the position tobe proactive—not reactive. Instead ofgoing out to the public to simply takeinput, the sub-team thought we need-ed to be more proactive in informingand educating.”

The P2 Board of Directors agreedand decided to act on the recommen-dation as quickly as possible. ThePAM position was approved for all sixdistricts. And, in late August, a sev-enth PAM position was added for the

“Instead of going out to the public to simply takeinput, the subteam thought we needed to be moreproactive in informing and educating.”

KDOT’s Public Affairs Managers

Wichita Metro—Tom HeinDistrict One—Joe BlubaughDistrict Two—David GreiserDistrict Three—Gina MastinDistrict Four—Priscilla PetersonDistrict Five—Martin MillerDistrict Six—Kirk Hutchinson(has been on active military duty)

KUTC Newsletter Fall 2004 Page 9

ceremonies and public meetings, it isjust as important that they be able towork one-on-one.

It was that latter approach thatput Miller in the cab of a YoderTownship road grader this summertalking about modern highway sys-tems and horse and buggy transporta-tion. A Reno County interchange pro-ject to be let in 2006 temporarily willclose a county road that members ofthe area Amish community use whengoing into Hutchinson by horse andbuggy. So Miller wanted to find out ifa proposed shoulder improvement onthe four-lane K-96 would provide anacceptable, safe detour route for theslow-moving buggies.

When Miller came upon thetownship road grader, he flagged itdown to have a conversation with theoperator, assuming he might knowsomething about buggies and how thecounty road was used. Miller discov-ered the operator was a member ofthe Amish community and did,indeed, know about the needs ofhorse and buggy travelers. The opera-tor was assured by the plan Millerdescribed and his input became a partof the process to find a safe detour forthe buggies.

Miller’s proactive approach in find-ing out how KDOT can best serveKansans was just what the P2 sub-teamhad hoped for when they developed thePAM recommendation, said Cook.

“Martin’s approach shows that wedon’t have to wait for the public to tellus what they want,” said Cook. “Wecan go to them, whether it is at a pub-lic meeting or along a county road, andask how we can best meet their needs.

“PAM is a real success story.”

Reprinted with permission fromKDOT’s Translines, September2004. ■

. . . by Diana Benda, Michigan LTAP

The staff at a coffee shop washaving “One of those days.” Theespresso machine was malfunc-

tioning; the bakery had not deliveredthe bagels and sweet rolls, someone fromthe morning shift calledin sick, and the crewfrom the previousevening had failed torestock the cabinets withsupplies. There were sev-eral people waiting toget their first cup of cof-fee for the day.

A woman at theback of the line beganto complain loudly.“What is taking so long?Are you growing beans back there? Idon’t have all day.”

“Yes, we are running on empty thismorning,” the manager said with apleasant smile. He motioned for thewoman to come forward. “What can Iget for you?”

“I want a large coffee with steamedmilk—to go,” barked the woman.

“No problem,” said the manager.He looked past the woman to the othercustomers, offering them a reassuringwink. In a matter of moments he hadmade the woman’s coffee, taken hermoney, and sent her on her way with“Have a nice day.”

The customers stood silently withconfused looks on their faces. The man-ager said, “Folks, I’m really sorry for the

inconvenience this morning. Becauseyou have all been so patient, your coffeeis on the house,”—Source unknown

We all have experienced “one of thosedays.” Days where everything seems to

go wrong. Here anindividual took advan-tage of a potentially badsituation and turned itaround. The complain-er was removed fromthe room before infect-ing everyone else withher sour behavior. Butshe left with the feelingthat she had receivedspecial treatment andwill likely return to the

coffee shop again.The other customers were

rewarded for their patience by receiv-ing their morning coffee free. I’m sureeach of them left the coffee shop witha small smile on their face instead ofleaving in a bad mood.

Dealing with the public isn’talways easy. It requires patience,diplomacy, and a willingness to putyourself in their position. But if youcan manage to do that, negative situa-tions like this can be turned aroundinto “one of those days” when you area winner.

Reprinted with permission from TheBridge, Michigan LTAP, January/March 2004. ■

Dealing with the public isn’t always easy. It requirespatience, diplomacy, and a willingness to put yourselfin their position. But if you can manage to do that,negative situations like this can be turned around into“one of those days” when you are a winner.

One of those days...

KUTC Newsletter Fall 2004Page 10

Power to the people,continued from page 7

early participation is best. But if that isnot possible, late is better than never.“It’s never too late [to involve the pub-lic] if there is some element of the pro-ject they can influence,” she said.

—Work with your elected officials todefine the level of power-sharing youare willing to commit to—beforestarting a public participation pro-gram. Ray cautioned that commis-sioners will sometimes back-pedal ontheir commitment to public involve-ment if they start receiving a deluge ofphone calls from residents, but thisinitial effort nonetheless can help youset boundaries and reasonable expecta-tions. She gave the example of a street-light project where a resident wantedlights dim enough so stars could easilybe seen at night. Lights as dim as thatwould not do an effective job provid-ing illumination and safety, so theminimum level of light would be oneaspect that would not be negotiable.In this case, perhaps the public couldshare power in choosing the design ofthe fixtures in their neighborhoods.

“There is almost always some partof the process that has some give,” Raysaid. Talk with your elected officialsabout this. What specific decisions inthe project could be made or influ-enced by the public? Even if input hasto come late in the game, it can have asignificant effect on public satisfactionwith your department. Ray gave anexample of a city that located a newwater plant without public input, butallowed residents who live nearby someinfluence in determining the plant’soperating schedule to best mesh withneighborhood needs. The residentswere not happy to have a water plantin their area, but they appreciated hav-ing some control over some of itspotentially disrupting aspects.

—Make sure that the people involvedin the public participation process

represent a cross-section of the peoplewho will be most affected by theproject—not necessarily a cross-sectionof the whole community.

Ray noted that it is difficult some-times to convince average citizens toparticipate in public involvement, andsome will never participate—forexample, a single mother holdingdown two jobs. But you can increaseyour chances of getting residentsinvolved by taking the time to explainhow the project will affect them per-sonally—and how their participationwill make a difference. Then makegood on what you say.

For more information, callKristina Ray at Katz & Associates,San Diego, California, at (858) 452-0031, ext, 300 or send a message toKray@katzandassociates.com. Anaudio version of Ray’s presentation at AWPA’s Congress can be purchasedfor $14.00. Visit: www.netsymposium.com. ■

Public access TVcontinued from page 7

studio in your city hall. Channel 3 inManhattan broadcasts city commis-sion meetings. Cameras from the citycommission meeting room film themeetings and broadcast directly toChannel 3. The cost for this set-up wasincorporated into city hall renovationsin 1998.

How to get startedIf your local area already has a govern-ment access channel, the next step isdeciding what sorts of public worksinformation to broadcast. If you don’t,here are some tips to get a PEG stationstarted:

1. Get a copy of your municipali-ty’s current cable franchise agreementfrom your city hall. Find out if itincludes PEG access. If not, see if thecable company is willing to renegotiate

now or when the franchise agreementis up for renewal. The Cable Acts of1984 and 1992 are federal laws thatrequire cable companies to providebandwidth for community use. Localgovernments can negotiate PEG chan-nels as part of franchise agreementsunder these laws.

2. Although they are not requiredto do so, many cable companies willprovide funding for equipment andfacilities. Ask your cable company for agrant for your start-up, or even a yearlystipend. Cable companies like to beable to advertise to their subscribersthat they offer local channels, unliketheir satellite dish competitors. Satellitecompanies have found that beamingsignals to satellite dishes and back intohomes just isn’t cost-effective, saidVessar. Cities may also pay a portion ofthe cable franchise fees they receive toPEG access stations. Another source offunding is the city tax that is includedon subscribers’ cable bills.

3. Keep it simple. Bulletin boardsare inexpensive and can be easily edit-ed from a remote location. But don’tgo overboard.

“One of the challenges aboutdoing bulletin board programming isthat it can sometimes be very unattrac-tive and very wordy,” cautions LisaPatterson, CommunicationsCoordinator for the city of Lawrence.

For more information, contact ThadVessar, TV Productions Specialist forthe City of Olathe, Channel 7, at tvessar@olatheks.org, or Gary Fees,City Clerk/Communications Managerfor the city of Manhattan, atfees@ci.manhattan.ks.us

SourcesFair Lawn Creative Cable

Community Access Televisionhttp://www.flcctv.org/access.htm

Alliance for Community Mediahttp://www.alliancecm.org/index.php?page_id=14. ■

KUTC Newsletter Fall 2004 Page 11

Cheyenne County offers tip on useful rainfall Web site

. . . by Lisa Harris and Laura Snyder . .

[Cheyenne County’s road supervisor,Dave Flemming, called us with infor-mation about a Web site he uses forrainfall and streamflow information.He thought this would be useful to otherroad departments. Thanks, Dave!]

Amajor storm is headed yourway. There is a possibility offlooding, but you won’t really

know if you need to barricade yourlow water crossings and take othersafety measures until the water rises.

Now there’s a way to better pre-dict what will happen with many ofKansas’s streams and rivers. The U.S.Geological Survey (USGS) providesonline information on rainfall andstreamflow for 177 locations acrossthe state. Updated data is postedhourly on maps easily accessible, forfree, from the Internet. By trackingrainfall and streamflow as the stormmoves closer to you, you’ll have a bet-ter sense of what to expect.

To use the site, go to http://ks.water.usgs.gov/. A streamflow con-ditions map for Kansas appears at the

top of the page. The map showscounty lines, major streams andrivers, and locations of all the stream-flow gages in thestate (see above).The gages are color-coded in a continu-um from very dryto very wet.

You can selectany gage site byname or by clicking a location on themap to see a more detailed page ofdata. The page includes separategraphs to show precipitation and gageheight.

“Because the map is updatedevery hour, you can track the effectsof a storm coming your way and planahead for possible flooding,”Flemming said.

You can view discharge, alsocalled water flow, in a variety of waysbesides the hourly updates. Measuredin cubic feet per second (cfs), dis-charge can be displayed on a graphshowing each day’s median over aweek’s time. Longer-term trends canbe tracked on a chart that comparescurrent discharge with median daily

This map from the web site shows streamflow gages in Kansas indicated by dots. On your computer the dots are color coded to indicate discharge level.

flow over the last 13 years.The page also has a function that

allows you to create tables and cus-tomize reports based on the numberof days you want included.

If you live in wetter EasternKansas, you might be interested inthe Kansas Flood Watch link on thisWeb site, which shows flood and highflow conditions across the state.

Another link, the Cowskin CreekFlood Watch, is an investment by thecity of Wichita to better monitor anarea prone to flooding. A drop-downmenu lets you choose flood heightsfrom 17 to 23 feet and zoom in on amap of the area to see what surround-ing neighborhoods might currently beat risk of flood.

“It’s helpful for city officials.When 13th Street was at 20 feet, theycould get barricades up and preventpeople from driving through there,”

said Seth Studley, hydrologist forUSGS.

In Cheyenne County, Flemmingsaid he uses the precipitation informa-tion on the site most often. Whenworking on roadways or bridges,Flemming says it’s helpful to knowahead of time if weather conditionswill interfere with a project. Thehourly updates on the Web sitedirectly from the gage sites are moreprecise than weather forecasts, he said.

For more information, visit thesite at http://ks.water.usgs.gov or callDave Flemming at Cheyenne Countyat (785) 332-8840, or e-mail SethStudley at U.S. Geological Survey atsstudley@usgs.gov. ■

Do you have a tip from which other localroad departments could benefit? If yes, call Lisa Harris at Kansas LTAP at(785) 864-2590. We’ll get the word out.

KUTC Newsletter Fall 2004Page 12

. . . by Lisa Harris . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Combine traffic congestion,poor air quality, sedentarycitizens who need more exer-

cise, and attractive outdoor destina-tions to be visited andappreciated, and youhave the reasonsbehind an ambitiouscampaign in theKansas City area toencourage walking andbicycling. Explore KCis the Mid-AmericanRegional Council’s(MARC) campaign topromote the explo-ration of the KansasCity region by foot orby bicycle.

The program aimsto increase:—the number of citi-zens who bike or walkto work, school andother destinations, —the number of citi-zens who bike or walkfor exercise, —public awareness of bicycling andpedestrian facilities in the region, and —awareness of health benefits associ-

A Leg Up

ated with safe walking and bicycling. MARC staff sought and created

partnerships to share costs of publicityand to build broad support for thevarious bicycle and pedestrian pro-grams of Explore KC. Many were

developed with the partici-pation of community-mind-ed organizations.

Explore KC ComponentsFavorite Places. Citizens cannominate up to 10 of theirfavorite places to bike andwalk in the Kansas Cityregion. Participants areencouraged to report whythey enjoy the places theynominate. Is there a specificmemory associated with thisplace? Does it possess fea-tures that other places in theregion do not? By nominat-ing favorite places, partici-pants will help others in theregion learn of great newplaces to bike or walk. Theresults will be tallied and areport will be published invarious publications, includ-

ing at www.marc.org/bikeped.Bicycle Commuter Challenge.

Since 2002, the MARC Bicycle and

Pedestrian Program has teamed upwith the Kansas City CorporateChallenge to organize the BicycleCommuter Challenge. More than 230bicyclists and pedestrians left their carsat home for the 2003 event, resultingin 7,765 miles either biked or walkedduring the week of competition.

BikeBuddies. This is a programthrough RideShare that matches exist-ing bike commuters with potentialbike commuters to increase safety byriding together.

Guaranteed Ride Home.Participants in BikeBuddies are eligi-ble for this program that provides afree ride home in the event of anemergency during a work shift. Thisprovides a safety net for people whochoose to commute to work by bicy-cle. Certain restrictions apply.

Student Bicycling Program. Thisprogram promotes the benefits ofbicycling vs. car ownership to collegestudents, such as saving money on carpayments, insurance, and parking,and saving time in getting from classto class. MARC staff developedbrochures that were distributed oncampuses and at www.marc.org/bikeped/collegesafety.pdf. MARC staffare also working with the colleges toincrease bicycle accessibility.

Safer-Routes-to-School Training.Interest in organized biking and walk-ing programs for school children is onthe rise because of concern over obesi-ty and diabetes in children, dwindlingbussing budgets, and concerns abouttraffic safety for kids who already bikeand walk to school.

In April 2003 MARC and theMissouri Department of Health andSenior Services partnered to offertraining in an innovative approach tothese issues called Safe Routes to

MARC develops bike/ped program with partners

The 4 E’s MARC’s bicycling and pedestrian programs arebased on a commonly-accepted planning

model incorporating the 4 E’s: engineering, enforcement, education andencouragement. MARC’s Aaron Bartlett explains: “Engineering has to dowith the design of the facility; enforcement pertains to laws to protect bicy-clists and pedestrians and participation of law enforcement officials inenforcing those laws; education informs citizens about the facilities, rules ofthe road, and benefits of bicycling and walking; and encouragement appealsto a person’s sense of fun, community, and adventure in trying and adopt-ing these nonmotorized forms of transportation.

KUTC Newsletter Fall 2004 Page 13

School. Two nationally-known trainerswere invited to Kansas City to providethe training.

The effort is making a difference.On International Walk to School Day,October 6, 2004, SouthwoodElementary School in Raytown, MO,reported 201 students who walked toschool, markedly higher than theschool’s daily average of 35.

A related effort is a pilot projectwith the same school to create a“walkpool,” where a small group ofstudents walk to and from schoolescorted by one or more adults.

Let Kids Lead. In this program,middle and junior high school stu-

. . . by Courtney Hansen . . . . . . . . . .

Governments are from Saturn;Citizens are From Jupiter: Strategiesfor Reconnecting Citizens andGovernment, Municipal Research &Services Center of Washington, 1998;available online as an 876K PDFdownload at http://www.mrsc.org/Publications/srcgtxt.pdf.

The guide explores evidence andsources of growing distrust of citizensfor government, and also highlightsvaluable benefits that government pro-vides. It focuses primarily on specificexamples of successful strategies thatcommunities have used to reconnectcitizens with government. While notspecific to public works, this publica-tion provides good food for thoughtand ideas to try or adapt.

Public Involvement Techniques forTransportation Decision-Making,FHWA, 1996, available as an onlineguide at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/reports/pittd/cover.htm. This extensivepublication is a catalog of various waysto establish good public involvement.

The foreword includes a useful generaloutline for designing a public involve-ment program along with referenceson where to find information on eachstep. Each of the four chapters,“Informing people through outreachand organization,” “Involving peopleface-to-face through meetings,”Getting feedback from participants,”and “Using special techniques toenhance participation,” ends with asection called “Taking initial actionsteps”—a valuable resource for agenciesjust getting started in a particular areaof public involvement.

NACE Action Guide: PublicAwareness and Support, NationalAssociation of County Engineers,1995, $7 for members, $10 for non-members.This guide is tailored towardhelping county road officials promoteand educate about street and highwaymaintenance and expansion projects. Itincludes explanations of the aspects ofpublic involvement, as well as exam-ples and descriptions of techniqueseffective in fostering an understandingof how public involvement is applied

Recommended resources on publicinvolvement and education

in real-world situations. Also includedis a list of additional references formore information on specific topicsmentioned in the text. To order a copy,fax NACE at (202) 393-2630.

Public Works Outreach Toolkit,American Public Works Association(APWA), 2003, $15 for members, $25for non-members. This toolkit is abundle of resources designed to helpfamiliarize the public with your ser-vices and operations. The kit includes:A six-minute video entitled EverydayHeroes that emphasizes the everydayrole of public works professionals onthe public’s quality of life; a 30-secondPublic Service Announcement forstand-alone use or for short introduc-tions for outreach presentations; ahow-to guide designed to help plancommunity outreach programs; and anAPWA resource flyer and order formfull of APWA giveaways and prizes.

Taking it to the Streets, APWA,2001, $12 for members, $15 for non-members.This booklet offers commonsense, easy to understand answers tocommon transportation-related ques-tions. Not every agency has a trafficengineer on staff, so the answers pro-vided here are meant to provide a levelof comfort for those who respond toquestions posed by citizens and electedofficials.

Public Works Tough Questions,APWA, 1998; $29 for members, $39for non-members. How well publicworks professionals handle complaintsand inquiries from the public caninfluence their own personal careers aswell as the organization’s image andfunding.This book provides strategiesand answers for responding to tough,tricky or hostile questions on specificissues from a variety of audiences.

To order APWA publications, visittheir Web site at www.apwa.net or call(816) 472-6100. ■

dents learn about the impact of trans-portation choices on air quality. Thecornerstone of the program is the“transportation choices survey,” anonline tool students can use to assesspeer travel behavior and also to helpplanners identify factors that preventkids from walking and cycling. Othercities, like Boston and Tampa, alsohave Let Kids Lead programs.

For more information, visitMARC’S Web site at www.marc.org/bikeped. To receive brochures and/ormaps for these programs, call AaronBartlett, bicycle and pedestrian trans-portation planner, Mid-AmericaRegional Council, (816) 474-4240. ■

KUTC Newsletter Fall 2004Page 14

Calendar

. . . by Lisa Harris . . . . . . . . .

Joint Sealing Portland CementConcrete Pavements, FHWA,October 2002, jointly produced bythe Federal Highway Administrationand the Foundation for PavementPreservation. Outlines the steps in aconcrete joint-sealing project, frombidding to clean-up and re-openingthe road to traffic. The checklists helpagencies make sure important steps injoint sealing don’t “fall through thecracks.” It also includes a section oncommon problems and solutions. 17 pages.

Pennsylvania Bridges: Main-taining the Past, Preserving theFuture, Pennsylvania DOT, 2001.Describes the rationale for having abridge inspection and maintenanceprogram to protect public investments

and safety. A good primer for electedofficials, and a good example of a pub-lic education videotape. 8 minutes.

East Topeka Roundabouts,Kansas DOT, 2000.This videotape wasproduced to provide public informa-tion about the safety features of round-abouts as part of a project constructedin Topeka. Includes excellent animatedfootage of traffic entering and exiting asingle-lane roundabout. 8.5 minutes.

Driving Modern Roundabouts,Cities of Olympia and Lacy,Washington, and the WashingtonDOT, 2002. This public educationvideotape shows how to drive througha two-lane roundabout. Includes howto deal with special safety concernssuch as following a truck through aroundabout and yielding to emergencyvehicles in a roundabout. 10 minutes.

See our web site for even more calendar listings. Go to www.kutc.ku.edu and click on “Training Calendar.”

Reviews

. . . 2005 . . . . .

▲ Work Zone TrafficControlJanuary 4—SalinaMarch 22—OlatheCall TASK ProgramPhone: 785-532-5569

▲ Signing andPavement MarkingsJanuary 4—SalinaMarch 22—OlatheCall TASK ProgramPhone: 785-532-5569

January 5Kansas Asphalt TechTransfer MeetingSalina, KSCall 785-826-2633

January 5MUTCD for LawEnforcementin Salina, KSTASK, 785-532-5569

January 11-13Concrete Tech CourseCall 913-681-2219

January 13**Recruitment andSuccession Planning Click, Listen & Learn

February 255th AnnualEnvironmentalEngineering ConferenceLawrence, KSPhone: 785-864-4790

February 3**Self Assessment: A Checklist forImprovementClick, Listen & Learn

▲ Spring 2005*Risk Management forCrews2 locations in KS

▲ Spring 2005Culverts & Drainage5 locations in KS

▲ Spring 2005Gravel RoadMaintenance5 locations in KS

▲ Spring 2005Paved Rd. Maintenance 5 locations in KS

▲ Spring 2005Bridge Maintenance2 locations in KS

March 23Bikes/Pedestrians/Traffic CalmingOlathe, KSCall TASK ProgramPhone: 785-532-5569

March 30-31*NHI Course: Designand Implemention ofErosion and SedimentControlin Manhattan, KS

April 12-14*NHI Course:Construction ofPortland CementConcrete Pavementsin Wichita, KS

April 15-21NACE 2005Bismarck, NDCall 202-393-5041

April 17-20APWA North AmericanSnow ConferenceKansas City, MOCall 816-472-6100

April 27-29APWA/KCHA JointMeetingSalina, KSCall Suzanne Loomis at316-284-6020

May 3-5*NHI Course:Computerized TrafficSignal Systemsin Lawrence

May 24-25Kansas TransportationSafety Conferencein Wichita, KSCall Kristin Tate, KUContinuing Education,785-864-4790

May 24-26*NHI Course: UrbanDrainage Designin Topeka

*For information on calendar items indicated withan * or to suggest a topic for an LTAP workshop,contact: Rose Lichtenberg, LTAP TrainingCoordinator, 785/864-2594, rosemary@ku.edu.

**To arrange for an APWA “Click Listen and Learn”workshop at your own location, call Ashley Gannat 816/472-6100 ext. 3511. Cost is $150 perdownlink.

▲ = meets Kansas County Road Scholar Program requirements

Farewell to the 4th!: Link to thePast, Gateway to the Future, Cityof Olympia, Washington, 2001. Thisvideotape was produced to honor thecity’s historic 4th Avenue Bridge thatwas demolished to build a new bridge.It reviews the history of the area nearthe bridge, and interviews citizens whoshare memories and stories about thebridge. The tape also promotes thenew bridge which was designed withmuch thought given to communityneeds. A high-quality production. 20 minutes.

A Closer Look: In the Ditcheswith Public Works, CalcasieuParish, LA, 2004. This tape explainswhat the public sees during mowing,spraying, and ditch cleaning and thewhys and hows of various public worksoperations—narrated by a road main-tenace superintendent. 30 minutes. ■

Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Available free—for loan to local highway agencies. Call us at(785) 864-5658 to arrange the time period needed for loan. There could be a waiting list for these items.

❑ Turning Movement Counter Board DB-400, Jamar Technologies, Inc. A basic model for recording turning movements at intersec-tions. The board is is lightweight and comes with its own case.

❑ Turning Movement Counter Board TDC-8, Jamar Technologies, Inc. Can be used to do turning movement counts, classification counts, gap studies, stop-delay studies, speed studies, and travel time studies. The board is lightweight and comes with its own case.

KUTC Newsletter Fall 2004 Page 15

Name Phone number

Position E-mail address

Agency

Street Address

City State Zip+4

*For requests outside the United States: After receiving your request, we will notify you of the postage cost and will send materials after receiving payment for postage.

Check off your selections, fill in the bottom portion, and return this form to:

KUTC Materials Request, 1530 W. 15th St., Room 2160, Lawrence, Kansas 66045or fax to 785/864-3199

Free Resources

Order Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Videotapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Two-week loan period. Two video limit per request.

❑ Pennsylvania Bridges: Maintaining the Past, Preserving the Future8 minutes, Pennsylvania DOT, 2001.

❑ East Topeka Roundabouts8.5 minutes, Kansas DOT, 2000.

❑ Driving Modern Roundabouts [Two Lane] 10 minutes, Cities of Olympia and Lacy, Washington, and the Washington DOT, 2002.

❑ Farewell to the 4th!: Link to the Past, Gateway to the Future 20 minutes, City of Olympia, Washington, 2001.

❑ A Closer Look: In the Ditches with Public Works 30 minutes, Calcasieu Parish, LA, 2004.

Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .You are free to keep these unless otherwise noted.

❑ Joint Sealing Portland Cement Concrete Pavements17 page laminated booklet of checklists, produced by FHWA, 2002.

❑ 2004 Kansas LTAP Video and Publication Catalog80 page catalog of videotapes, publications and CDs on road maintenance and traffic-related issues available for loan or free distribution, KU Transportation Center, 2004. Information in this catalog is also available online atwww.lsltap.kutc.ku.edu.

❑ send materials indicated

❑ address correction

❑ add to newsletter mail list

Note: Our video and publicationcatalog is accessible online, in asearchable format. Visit:www.ksltap.kutc.ku.edu

Let us at the KUTC help you find the answers to your transportation-related questions.

KUTC, 1530 W. 15th St. #2160, Lawrence, KS, 66045Call 785/864-5658 (fax 785/864-3199)www.ksltap.kutc.ku.edu

The Kansas Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) is an edu-cational, research and service program of the Kansas UniversityTransportation Center (KUTC), located in the Universityof Kansas School of Engineering. Its purpose is to provideinformation to local and county highway agencies and transporta-tion personnel by translating into understandable terms thelatest technologies in the areas of roads, highways and bridges.

The KUTC Newsletter is one of the KUTC’s educational activ-ities. Published quarterly, the newsletter is free to counties, cities,townships, tribal governments, road districts and others with trans-portation responsibilities. Editorial decisions are made by theKUTC. Engineering practices and procedures set forth in thisnewsletter shall be implemented by or under the supervision of alicensed professional engineer in accordance with Kansas statestatutes dealing with the technical professions.

Fall 2004 issue—Copyright 2004 by the KUTC. All rightsreserved. Reproduction of material in this newsletter requires writ-ten permission.

KUTC Executive Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pat WeaverLTAP Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tom MulinazziEditor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lisa HarrisContributing Writers . . . . . . . . Courtney Hansen, Laura Snyder

KUTC Resource and Education Staff

Traffic and Hwy. Engineering . . . . . . . Joe Lee / Tom MulinazziRoad Surface Mgmt./Soils . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bob ParsonsBridge Structures, GIS and CAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carl KurtMass Transit Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pat WeaverEngineering Computer Applications . . . . . . . . Mehrdad GivechiDrainage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dave ParrEnvironmental Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dennis LaneSpecialized Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pat WeaverPublications Editor (785) 864-2590 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lisa HarrisWorkshops Coordinator (785) 864-2594 . . . . Rose LichtenbergLending Library Coordinator (785) 864-5658 . . . . . Jason Pfister

2004 LTAP Program Advisory CommitteeSusan Barker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Research and Materials, KDOTDean Chesnut . . . . . . . . . . . . .County Engineer, Reno CountyDennis Clennan . . . . Public Works & Engineering, HutchinsonLarry Emig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Local Projects, KDOTMark Huffhines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kansas Division, FHWACecil Kingsley . . . . . . . . . . . . .BG Consultants, Inc., LawrenceSuzanne Loomis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .City Engineer, NewtonRichard Maginot . . . . Business Administrator, Soldier TownshipJ. R. McMahon II . . . . . Roads Superintendent, Miami CountyMike Novak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .City Engineer, LenexaBobb Stokes . . . . . . . Civil Engineering, Kansas State UniversityRichard Teaford . . . . . . . . . .County Engineer, Jefferson CountyWarren Chip Woods . . . . . . . . County Engineer, Lyon County

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