The Municipal January 2022

The Premier Magazine For America’s Municipalities

January 2022

Maintenance & Operations

INSIDE: New tech enlisted for perennial pothole battle Bolingbrook, IL Permit No. 1939

PAID PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE

www.themunicipal.com

Cities address winter staffing

JANUARY 2022 | THE MUNICIPAL 3

Contents

January 2022 | VOL. 12 No. 10 | www.themunicipal.com

22 19 Focus on Maintenance & Operations Focus on Maintenance 40 Public Safety: Better 26 20 & Operations: West Hollywood informed neighbors: Citizen adopted layered pandemic approach

22 Focus on Maintenance

& Operations: Worcester partners on LIDAR pilot program

26 Focus on Maintenance & Operations: Winter is here: Cities strive to solve seasonal shortages

40 30 Focus on Maintenance

& Operations: Xeriscape Demonstration Garden designed to open minds to desert landscaping

34 Focus on Maintenance

& Operations: How one Colorado municipality is leading the charge in sustainability, one building at a time

police academies energize and engage

42 Technology: Fairfax

County discovers many benefits to ultraviolet for wastewater treatment

44 Crisis Management:

The village with no government meets stage 4 drought

48 Building & Construction:

Sioux City leverages longstanding airport to spur new economic growth

50 Public Safety: Harrison

County’s underwater drones provide undeniable asset to fire department and neighboring agencies

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January 2022

ON THE COVER Greystone has built thousands of fabric buildings across the U.S. and is an industry expert having built more than 1.5 million square feet of salt storage. Learn how Greystone can save you time and money with its fabric buildings on page 10.

Maintenance & Operations

INSIDE: New tech enlisted for perennial pothole battle

www.themunicipal.com

4 THE MUNICIPAL | JANUARY 2022

Cities address winter staffing

JANUARY 2022 | THE MUNICIPAL 5

Departments

Meet our Staff publisher RON BAUMGARTNER rbaumgartner@the-papers.com

8 Editor’s Note: The perennial pothole headache

editor-in-chief DEB PATTERSON dpatterson@the-papers.com

10 From the Cover: Insights into a successful salt storage project

editor SARAH WRIGHT swright@the-papers.com

12 On The Road Again: Holbrook, Ariz.

Dino-mite: A nostalgic trip into the Triassic period

publication manager CHRIS SMITH chris@themunicipal.com

senior account executive REES WOODCOCK rees@themunicipal.com

New London, N.H.

38 City Profile: History, quality of life come together in Great Bend

52 Conference Calendar 53 Product Spotlights

graphic designer MARY LESTER mlester@the-papers.com

business manager CARRIE GORALCZYK cgoralczyk@the-papers.com

14 What’s In A Name: New Boston and

58 News & Notes director of marketing STEVE MEADOWS smeadows@the-papers.com

60 Top 10: Best cities for coffee lovers 61 Advertiser Index

mail manager KHOEUN KHOEUTH kkhoeuth@the-papers.com

WWW.THEMUNICIPAL.COM PO Box 188 • 206 S. Main St., Milford, IN 46542 866-580-1138/Fax 800–886–3796 Editorial Ext. 2307; Advertising Ext. 2505, 2408 or 2489

6 THE MUNICIPAL | JANUARY 2022

The Municipal does not knowingly accept false or misleading advertising or editorial content, nor does The Municipal or its staff assume responsibility should such advertising or editorial content appear in any publication. The Municipal reserves the right to determine the suitability of all materials submitted for publication and to edit all submitted materials for clarity and space. The Municipal has not independently tested any services or products advertised herein and has verified no claims made by its advertisers regarding those services or products. The Municipal makes no warranties or representations and assumes no liability for any claims regarding those services or products or claims made by advertisers regarding such products or services. Readers are advised to consult with the advertiser regarding any such claims and regarding the suitability of an advertiser’s products. No reproduction of The Municipal is allowed without express written permission. Copyright © 2022.

JANUARY 2022 | THE MUNICIPAL 7

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Editor’s Note

The perennial pothole headache Sarah Wright | Editor

‘T

is the season for potholes in the northern hemisphere, the bane of travelers and street departments. While other infrastructure maintenance needs are often concealed underground, potholes are front and center, and in the era of social media, they are vocally decried. TheClunkerJunker. com scanned Twitter to see which of the 50 states had the most pothole complaints on the platform. Rhode Island came in first, with a rating of 23.4 tweets per 1,000 kilometers of road. The city with the most was Atlanta, Ga., at 529.1 per 1,000 kilometers.

Do these figures equate worst streets? Not necessarily. They only mean these locations have particularly vocal residents on Twitter.

Vocal residents, however, are engaged residents, and some cities are seeking to channel that energy toward a common goal: pothole eradication.

In March 2021, Louisville, Ky., undertook its annual Pothole Blitz, where its road division repairs an average of 40,000 potholes each year. As a part of that blitz, the city encouraged residents to proactively report

8 THE MUNICIPAL | JANUARY 2022

potholes needing to be filled. Three options were given, including even Twitter.

In an interview with WDRB.com, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said, “If you are on Twitter, you can use the hashtag #502pothole. Makes you feel like a real citizen, #502pothole. Just make sure you add the address or intersection that the pothole is located.”

The other options presented to Louisville residents included calling 311 or reporting through the Louisville Metro website. Louisville is not alone in this matter, with other cities utilizing similar avenues. In Washington, Seattle has developed the Find it, Fix it app.

Crowdsourcing is a great way to stay on top of potholes, but technology is adding another tool to the toolbox. The Municipal writer Denise Fedorow spoke with the city of Worcester, Mass., which has embarked on a pilot program using LIDAR technology to

improve its street maintenance program. This program started small in the city’s cemetery but shows excellent promise for attaching equipment to city vehicles to monitor for potholes.

Of course, streets also need to be cleared of snow, but many street departments are struggling to find staffing to tackle this seasonal task. Writer Julie Young spoke with two cities — Moline, Ill., and Pittsburgh, Pa. — about their tactics to meet winter snow removal needs while also enticing the right candidates to apply for new or vacant positions.

Other topics include West Hollywood, Calif.’s, approach to spreading COVID-19 precaution awareness; a shift on Surprise, Ariz.’s, part to more desert-friendly landscaping; and Arvada, Colo.’s, aim to make its operations more energy conscious.

Happy New Year, everyone!

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From The Cover

The new fabric building in Lake County, Ohio is 73 feet by 120 feet with a 4,000-ton salt storage capacity.

(Photo provided)

Insights into a successful salt storage project

James Gills P.E., P.S., Lake County Engineer and Traci Salkiewicz, P.E., Chief Deputy Engineer (Photo provided)

Article submitted by Greystone Construction

Lake County, Ohio, engineer James Gills needed to replace an old, deteriorating salt dome.

“We had a teepee-shaped structure built in the mid-70s, and it only had a 900-ton road salt storage capacity. Lake County is in the strongest part of Ohio’s snowbelt, and we experience significant snowfalls leading to a high demand for salt, so much so that we were having trouble obtaining salt throughout the winter season. We needed to build something new with a much higher salt storage capacity.”

Gills had another challenge — poor soil conditions.

“We had soils borings done and it was determined that our soils were so bad it was recommended we dig out 8 to 10 feet of material and backfill with stone to accommodate a heavy structure similar to the teepee we were replacing. A fix like that is very, very expensive.”

Gills researched all the options and noticed construction of fabric buildings in the region consisting of steel trusses covered in a tensioned membrane cover. Gills was attracted to fabric structures for several reasons.

“With the teepee structure, Lake County paid extra to have salt blown into the teepee. A large fabric structure not only costs less per square foot allowing for a much larger storage capacity on a budget, but would allow us to safely back in a truck, dump, and stack the salt.”

Gills analyzed fabric building designs and layout to determine which would work best given his poor soil conditions.

“Greystone Construction had a solution for our poor soils. Greystone’s method of installing the structure on independent concrete pads and piers provided an engineered solution which minimized the amount of expensive soil corrections required.”

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Gills purchased the Britespan fabric building materials from Greystone Construction and Britespan Building Systems through Sourcewell, a cooperative service purchasing program used by government entities across the country.

“Time is money and we saved a lot of both using the Sourcewell process and avoided the lengthy public bidding process that could have added six weeks to our timeline.”

The Greystone Construction crew completed the concrete piers in three days. After a concrete cure period, the Greystone crew returned and installed a 73-foot-by-120-foot facility on top of the piers in just five days.

Eight-foot high panels were placed continuously along three sides of the building interior to contain the salt.

“Our new fabric building facility holds 4,000 tons of salt. Combine that with the storage available at other facilities in Lake County and we have enough salt stored to last an entire winter.”

“The Greystone team was great and so quick that I would absolutely work with Greystone again and have recommended them to others.”

Best practices for designing and building safe, efficient and long lasting salt and sand storage buildings Greystone has built thousands of fabric buildings across the U.S. and is an industry expert having built more than 1.5 million square feet of salt storage. Greystone Vice President Colin O’Brien shares best practices to ensure a successful project.

Building design to meet local load requirements Any building needs to be designed to meet local wind, snow, seismic and unbalanced snow loads. Fabric buildings are no different. A structurally sound building must follow current International Building Codes (IBC) for safety and insurability.

“Greystone engineers its buildings to meet current local IBC load requirements. However, whatever manufacturer or general contractor you work with, make sure they are engineering your building properly for your site specific location.”

Capacity Requirements Greystone knows the density and angle of repose of deicing salt — factoring this in with a customer’s storage capacity requirements and available footprint, their estimating team calculates the most economical building width and length.

“Fabric buildings can easily be expanded so in the future, when a customer requires greater storage capacity, Greystone can easily add additional building length.”

Independent Foundations and Panels “The Lake County building uses this design combining independent foundations engineered to carry building loads and pre-cast walls designed to carry commodity loads. This is often times more economical than cast-in-place poured walls designed to carry both building and commodity loads.”

“This building design is also excellent to reduce corrosion because it keeps salt away from the steel trusses and base plates. It also creates the greatest possible air movement throughout the building.”

Reducing Risk of Corrosive Damage Salt is a highly corrosive material and storing it properly is critical to maintain the integrity of a fabric building’s steel frames and components.

“We recommend any time building steel is cut or welded it be hot-dip galvanized after production. This treatment achieves a much thicker and harder protective surface than in-line galvanizing. It also ensures that the steel trusses are coated both inside and outside after welding is completed.

We also recommend a corrosion inhibitor in any concrete containment panels.”

Ventilation Proper ventilation is key in reducing corrosion. “In the absence of moisture, corrosive materials would have little to no corrosive effect. You want air movement in your salt storage building to greatly reduce any condensation — this helps to prevent corrosion on everything in and around the building.”

Sufficient Clearance Adequate clear height is a critical factor to ensure maximum storage capacity. More importantly, sufficient clearance is necessary for safe maneuverability of trucks and dumping equipment.

“Proper building clearance is important to reduce the possibility of costly damages to the building from equipment use.”

Greystone Construction’s experts are ready to assist with your salt, sand and equipment storage needs. Call 1 (888) 742-6837 for a free consultation and quote. Visit www.GreystoneConstruction.com to learn more.

JANUARY 2022 | THE MUNICIPAL 11

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On The Road Again

Holbrook, Ariz.

Dino-mite: A nostalgic trip into the Triassic period

Holbrook’s collection of roadside dinosaurs brings in visitors to benefit local businesses. (Road Travel America via Flickr.com; public domain)

By JULIE YOUNG | The Municipal

It’s not exactly “Jurassic Park,” but for folks looking to connect to the giant creatures of the past, Holbrook, Ariz., is the next best thing. Located 190 miles northeast of Phoenix and situated within the Painted Desert, Holbrook is known for its remarkable landscape, Route 66 kitsch, Wild West figures and … dinosaurs.

Past meets present According to scientists, over 245 million years ago, the land upon which the city of Holbrook is built was a vast floodplain that was inhabited by dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes. Eventually, the land sank into the sea, and after the plants and animals died off, their remains were covered in freshwater sediment and were ultimately fossilized. These fossils have been excavated in the Petrified Forest National Park, displayed at the Rainbow Forest Museum and capitalized on by any number of roadside attractions in the area.

Although several of the businesses that traffic in petrified wood, geodes and local artwork over the years have closed or have varied operating hours, one of the oldest and largest is Jim Gray’s Petrified 12 THE MUNICIPAL | JANUARY 2022

Wood Company at 147 U.S. Highway 180. Originally known as the Holbrook Rock Shop and owned by Jim and Cathy Gray, Jim Gray’s Petrified Wood Company began more than 48 years ago with nothing more than a pickup truck and a pile of petrified wood. Today, the business owns the mineral rights to several tracts near the Petrified Forest National Park, and it does its own digging, cutting and polishing to create the products it carries in the shop.

To attract travelers to stop in and look at its wares, Jim Gray’s boasts several giant dinosaur statues on display in the parking lot for photo ops. The statues came from the now defunct International Dinosaur Park and Museum of the Americas, which was built in 1999 and featured a 6-mile drive through a 6,500-acre park. That

Dinosaurs draw in visitors to the Rainbow Rock Shop in Holbrook, Ariz. (Road Travel America via Flickr; public domain)

A little dinosaur pokes out of an egg at the Petrified Wood Shop in Holbrook, Ariz. (Mark 412a via Flickr.com; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)

park featured 14 dinosaur statues, and when the park folded, the statues were purchased by other area attractions, including Jim Gray’s, the Hopi Travel Plaza, the Holbrook Visitors Center and the Painted Desert Indian Center.

Attracting customers Established in 1979 and owned by Fred Slatton, the Painted Desert Indian Center offers quality handmade Native American merchandise, including jewelry, sculptures, clothing, home decor and more.

Slatton said with prices ranging from 25 cents to $25,000, he literally has something for every budget.

“I bought my statues when the guy (at the International Dinosaur Park) went broke 10 years ago, so I got them for 10 cents on the dollar. I have a T. Rex attacking a Triceratops in my parking lot, and they do a great job of getting people to stop in,” he said. “I wish I had a nickel for every photo that people take of them.”

One business that does charge for photos is the Rainbow Rock Shop in downtown Holbrook at Navajo and Hopi Drives. Owner Adam Luna, a welder, spent over 20 years to create the seven statues on the property using concrete and reinforcement rods. The “magnificent seven,” as they are known, range in size and species, with the largest being a 25-foot-tall green and yellow friendly brontosaurus. He charges 75 cents to 98 cents to take photos with the statues.

“I knew Adam years ago when I had a store down on the Mexico State line,” Slatton said. “He used to sell me petrified wood, but I haven’t seen him for so long, I don’t think I’d recognize him if he walked in here.”

Slatton said discoveries at the national forest have helped promote Holbrook as an epicenter of the Triassic Age. One of the more

Holbrook has been viewed as an epicenter of the Triassic Age thanks to its location near the Petrified Forest National Park.

(Richie Diesterheft via Flickr.com; https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/2.0/) remarkable finds was the 1984 excavation of “Gertie,” one of the oldest dinosaur skeletons found in the Americas. While Gertie’s place in the history of dinosaurs is still a bit of a mystery, her display at the Rainbow Forest Museum at the southern end of the park ensures that the curious roadside reptile relics will continue to draw visitors to Holbrook.

“A lot of the businesses that have dinosaur statues have gone by the wayside, but the statues remain,” Slatton said. “None are as good as mine, though. My triceratops has a bite out of him because those T. Rexes … they sure were mean!”

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What’s In A Name

New Boston and New London, N.H.

By BETH ANNE BRINK-COX | The Municipal Have you wondered where towns get their names? What was the inspiration, and was it always called by the name you know now?

People gather on a frozen pond to ice skate and play hockey in New London, N.H. (James Kirkikis/Shutterstock.com)

The New Boston, N.H.’s, old fire house can be viewed by visitors today. (Photo by Doug Kerr via Flickr; https://creativecommons. org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/)

New Boston New Boston, N.H. was founded in 1741 and named for Boston, Mass.

But at one time, New Boston had been part of Massachusetts, granted by an unused charter that lapsed. When new borders were drawn up, New Boston became part of New Hampshire. The new town had several name changes: Lanestown, Simpsontown, Piscataqua and even Cambridge, Canada, before it was incorporated as New Boston on Feb. 18, 1763. The earliest settlers were not Bostonians, but Scots-Irish.

In its early years, New Boston had more mills than almost any other place in New Hampshire, manufacturing everything from axes to picture frames. By 1830, however, big changes occurred, with residents off to fight the Civil War. Since many trees had been cut by then, farming became the new big business. But New Hampshire isn’t called the Granite State for nothing, and many left in search of better farmland.

With the advent of WWII, Joe English Pond was used as a kind of backstop for bombing target practice. The first test bombs fell in 1941 and continued until 1956. Even today, signs are posted warning of explosives in the pond.

Roger Babson was well-known in New Boston: he predicted the stock market crash and counted Thomas Edison and Clarence Birdseye among his friends. But it was a family tragedy — the drowning of his sister and grandson — that made him believe if gravity could be harnessed, they might have been saved. So in 1948, he founded the Gravity Research Foundation.

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Best known, though, is Molly Stark. Molly is an 800-pound cannon that is one of the world’s pieces of artillery still in use. For more than 100 years, Molly went missing periodically, because Manchester, Goffstown and Dunbarton all wanted it. Molly was hidden so she couldn’t be seized and melted down until 1938 when New Boston was made her official custodian. Every Fourth of July since then, she is paraded through town and fired three times.

New London New London, incorporated in 1779, also has a history of former names: Heidelberg, Alexandria Addition, among them. The northern half eventually merged with Kearsarge Gore to become Wilmot, N.H. It boasts a small liberal arts college, Colby-Sawyer, as well as Lake Sunapee with both cold and warm water fisheries.

The New London Historical society is committed to preserving and presenting the city’s history, beginning in 1954. You can enjoy a taste of the past by touring a sleigh and carriage museum, and there is also an entire village to see things as they were in the 19th century. There is a farmhouse with an attached English-style barn, herb gardens and carriage sheds, blacksmith shop, schoolhouse and privy. There are businesses of the day to see, as well: a country store, viol making and carriage-paint shops. Because every city needs them, you can tour the fire house, hearse house, meeting house and transportation building. There are year-round activities that can be enjoyed no matter the time of year.

It would be impossible to walk through either of these historic towns and not think of Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town,” of simpler times and very close families and neighbors who all knew each other. The Pulitzer Prize-winning play has been performed many times at the New London Playhouse, in Boston, and has graced the stage of the New London Barn Playhouse, as well. It’s enough to make this writer want to pull up stakes and live there, or at least have a long, long stay at the New London Inn, established in 1792.

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Focus on: Maintenance & Operations

80% The vaccination rate in West Hollywood, Calif., for individual 12 years old and older is this percentage.

1,000 The number of lane miles Worcester, Mass., cares for. The city has undertaken a pilot program using LIDAR technology to aid with road maintenance.

Read more about West Hollywood’s COVID-19 strategy on page 20.

Learn more about Worcester’s LIDAR technology pilot program on page 22.

100

The number of applicants the city of Pittsburgh, Pa., had for 26 openings after modernizing hiring practices.

Find out how Pittsburgh and Moline, Ill., are handling winter staffing on page 26.

10% Surprise, Ariz., has seen a 10% annual water usage growth for the last 10 years. To encourage more desert-friendly landscaping, the city is developing the Xeriscape Demonstration Garden so residents can see visually pleasing options in action.

Learn more about Surprise’s Xeriscape efforts on page 30.

6% The city of Arvada, Colo., expects to experience a 6% reduction in annual energy consumption, an 11% reduction in electrical demand and a 21% reduction in total utility costs after implementing an energy conversation and renewable energy project.

Read more on page 34.

100 miles Oakland, Calif.’s, OakDOT is nearing the completion of a record-setting, national-first three-year paving plan that delivered 100 miles of newly paved streets and major investments into underserved communities.

Source: https://www.oaklandca.gov/news/2021/ oakdot-reports-improved-street-quality-delivered-with-measure-kk-funding-proposesmore-progress-with-ambitious-new-5-year-paving-plan

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Brightly colored, West Hollywood’s signs are designed to catch eyes.

A digital sign is used to get messaging out that reminds everyone to wear masks and maintain social distance while supporting local businesses.

West Hollywood adopted layered pandemic approach

By BETH ANNE BRINK-COX | The Municipal

All photos by Jon Viscott/Courtesy of the city of West Hollywood

By now, it seems as if COVID-19 has been with us forever, and still no end in sight. Cities across the nation have dealt with it in a myriad of ways, sometimes changing policies and practices almost continually, with more changes as the Delta Variant emerged. The city of Charlotte, N.C., issued a mask mandate in August, telling businesses they had to enforce it to all who didn’t have exemptions.

When questioned about noncompliance and people refusing to leave, they advised calling 911 and reporting trespassers.

Meanwhile, Cambridge, Mass., saw its city council members asking the city manager to impose a vaccine mandate for city employees. The discussion continued further when they saw what the federal government was doing in Boston, Somerville, as well as Cambridge School departments, Cambridge Housing Authority and Cambridge Health Alliance. This led to many opinions and some frustration, as reaching a reasonable plan was the ultimate goal.

It was and is a complicated topic, deciding exactly what serves the needs of as many citizens as possible, and has sometimes been settled by no vaccine mandate, but mandatory testing. The Delta Variant is much more transmissible than the original virus, and most outbreaks have occurred among those who remain unvaccinated.

David Wilson is the city manager of West Hollywood, Calif., and he has seen many layers of solution to the pandemic. Since March 2020, West Hollywood officials have coordinated with the agencies at local, county, state and federal levels in taking precautions to prioritize 20 THE MUNICIPAL | JANUARY 2022

community health and reduce the spread of COVID-19. Twenty months later, he said officials continue these efforts.

“On March 18, 2020, we pivoted from basically completely in-person city government to virtual government. Most of our employees learned to work remotely, while others continued to provide essential services.

We implemented many digital services that were previously only in person, like touchless signals to keep the community safe.”

In keeping with the situation, the city provided emergency services to those most vulnerable, including but not limited to rental assistance, housing counseling and support, food and grocery delivery programs, senior wellness checks, heat mitigation programs, metro fare credits and on-call transportation programs.

Wilson said, “As the pandemic has progressed, health orders have changed, allowing our community to be out again. We have adjusted these efforts. However, our goal and mission to keep our community

members safe, providing them with muchneeded assistance during these challenging times remains the same.”

He added, “The city recognizes the desire and responsibility to provide the greatest possible access to city council meetings. We approve hybrid (in-person and Zoom) meetings when the seven day positivity rate is at 1.5% or less. And staff has created safety protocols ensuring safe attendance — masks to be worn by everyone at all times, reducing capacity to 25%, requiring the public to sign up to speak ahead of the meeting. They also must agree to temperature screening and masking requirements” In June 2021, the city of West Hollywood started to reopen like most cities in the state, but quickly altered those plans in July. “The city is not immune to COVID-19 or to the variant, but we have been able to endure. Our West Hollywood, Calif., commissioned street pole banners and median signage to encourcase rate has been relatively low compared age citizens and visitors to maintain best practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. to other communities, and, more importantly, our vaccination rate has been high,” said Wilson.

In the early weeks of the pandemic, the city quickly took action to inform the public of state and local public health orders, developing an illustrated campaign called “Cover That Face, Maintain Your Space.”

Wilson noted, “Street pole banners and median signage were designed with boldly illustrated images of people using face coverings on bright green, blue and violet backgrounds. The community members asked if they could post matching campaign signs and flyers on personal property, and an online ‘Engagement Kit’ was launched with downloadable posters, flyers and lawn signs in various sizes. The community was eager to spread the word and protect one another any Pictured are the median signs West Hollywood has used to promote COVID best practices. way they could, including donations of face masks and other PPE (personal protective While the COVID-19 pandemic has been a equipment). Almost two years later, the com- to respond to the effects on our business munity continues with these efforts, ensuring community. divisive issue nationally, and West Hollywood the health and safety of all those calling West “Among other things, we implemented a has seen its share of protests against vaccines Hollywood home.” temporary outdoor expansion program called and masking, Wilson said the vast majority Wilson said, “The COVID-19 pandemic ‘Out Zones,’ which were curbside pickup zones, of the community is committed to the health had a significant impact on the city’s busi- a commercial tenant rent moratorium, com- and safety of everyone. ness community, especially problematic mercial tenant-landlord mediation services, “Throughout the pandemic, our community for travel and tourism, food and beverage a toolkit for WeHo businesses and workforce members have been great advocates of maskevents to thrive and maintain operations. newsletters and webinars. For these efforts, ing and vaccination, apparent by the high State and county health orders forced many we were awarded the Los Angeles County vaccination rate of over 80% of our residents businesses to limit or even halt operations on Economic Development Corporation’s 2021 12 and older,” Wilson said. “We have commultiple occasions. City staff met weekly to Most Business-Friendly City Award, for cities plied with the established guidance and best practices.” gauge the needs of each business sector and with a population of under 60,000.” quickly developed an economic framework JANUARY 2022 | THE MUNICIPAL 21

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Worcester partners on LIDAR pilot program

By DENISE FEDOROW | The Municipal

The city of Worcester (pronounced Wooster), Mass., officials took a chance on some recent college graduates and their new technology to pilot a program to improve infrastructure using LIDAR technology.

Former Worcester Polytechnic Institute students approached the city with the idea to use LIDAR to identify potholes, according to department of public works Commissioner Jay Fink.

The former students, Daniel Pelaez, Noah Budris and Noah Parker, had graduated WPI in 2020 and formed their company, Roadgnar, that summer. They’d started working on the concept two years prior during their junior year and worked on it part time until they graduated and then “went for it.” The result was their Infrascan sensor.

“It all started with problems we saw going to school in New England. The deterioration of the infrastructure — roads, sidewalks, etc. — and we wondered what towns and cities were doing to manage their 22 THE MUNICIPAL | JANUARY 2022

infrastructure,” Pelaez said. “We were learning about this technology at the same time, and we thought we could use it and make everyone’s lives easier.”

Fink said the group approached the city with a pilot program to read road surfaces, and officials agreed to have them use the technology on the streets in Hope Cemetery.

“The reason we chose the cemetery is because it looks like a street, acts like a street as far as computer simulation but with less traffic and more latitude and the ability to scrutinize the information,” he said. “They surveyed the streets, and it shows where the flat plane of the street would be and then any deviations — any imperfections representing potholes or sections of asphalt missing or sunken casting, for example.”

ABOVE: This 3D rendering is a mapping image of a city street using Roadngar’s Infrascan LIDAR technology. Roadgnar CEO Daniel Pelaez explained the red lines on the image are the paint markings on the road. (Photo provided by Roadgnar)

“The overall goal is that this technology is very mobile so with the futuristic thought that we could affix the equipment on our vehicles like a street sweeper or trash truck so as it’s going up and down every street it could be gathering data for us simultaneously,” Fink said.

If that kind of information were available, it could update what the city has, show where the defects are and improve its records on road conditions, which would help the city make resurfacing project decisions.

The city officials said they weren’t aware of any other circumstance where LIDAR technology had been used in Worcester prior to this point.

Fink explained historically what the city had done was hire a firm to survey the streets and give a pavement condition index,

ranking the streets to prioritize for pavement treatment or reconstruction “as part of an overall program for upgrading and maintaining streets for drivability.”

“Just like every municipality in Massachusetts, our needs far outweigh the available funding,” Fink said. “We’re forever computing how much money we can put out; therefore, we want to prioritize certain streets, especially if they’re in serious need of reconstruction. A tool like this can allow you to narrow down which streets you really should be considering.”

The pilot started in September 2021, and workers went through frequently and created a roadway map of the cemetery with the LIDAR technology. They created a colorcoded map showing which roads were in good conditions, which were in poor condition and which ones really needed a lot of work.

When asked how the technology can tell the location of a pothole, Deputy Commissioner of Department of Public Works Bill Coyle said the three-dimensional image shows depressions in certain areas. Since the technology only shows the surface, Fink said determining where a pothole may later develop might prove more difficult. While the image shows depressions, it may miss a stress fracture that might create a pothole.

LIDAR technology LIDAR or light detection and ranging mapping has become an established method for collecting very dense and accurate elevations data for landscapes, shallow water areas and project sites. LIDAR is similar to radar but uses laser light pulses instead of radio waves.

Eric Batista, assistant city manager and office of urban innovation, said Worcester City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. was “very

From left, Worcester, Mass., Department of Public Works Commissioner Jay Fink listens to Roadgnar Founder and CEO Daniel Pelaez and lead scientist Bryan Licciardi explain how LIDAR works as the city began a pilot program with the company in early September. (Photo courtesy of Worcester Telegram & Gazette)

excited about this opportunity for us to be able to analyze our streets in this very technologically advanced way.”

Batista said the city didn’t pay for the pilot program but said the department of public works will assess the outcome of the data review and determine whether this is something it wants to expand. He said if the city goes farther, it would order a certain amount of sensors to place on city vehicles, and the Roadgnar techs would analyze and assess the data.

JANUARY 2022 | THE MUNICIPAL 23

continued from page 23

Batista said he imagined the city would enter a three- or five-year agreement with Roadgnar, and it would lease the equipment versus purchasing it. As the trucks drive around the city, they would also capture data, reducing costs for the city in time and labor.

Coyle said the city has 1,000 lane miles “so it’s a tremendous amount of roadway to check — if the data (collected by Roadgnar) proves to be accurate, it could be beneficial.”

At the time they spoke to The Municipal, the field work had been completed, and the city was waiting to receive the data.

“So we can compare with the other information we have to see how well it compares to our grading system so we’re comfortable that the data we’re getting is accurate,” Coyle said.

Walter Bird, media relations specialist for the office of city manager, said the LIDAR information can be integrated in the city’s GIS system. “This could lead to a (GIS framework) where all this information helps to inform most of our day-to-day data in that framework.”

Coyle said the biggest benefit “that jumped out right away was the ability to map potholes.”

He said they show up as blue-shaded areas. Currently, Worcester has a system where residents call in to report potholes; however, not all potholes get reported, so there may be some local streets that are overlooked.

“Having an inventory of potholes and knowing where they are so we can target them would be helpful,” Coyle said, adding what makes Roadgnar different is the fact that its equipment can be attached to the city’s vehicles.

Future uses While the pilot had a narrow focus on potholes, city officials reported they can see the potential to use the LIDAR technology for sidewalks, transportation location of hydrants and street signs.

“It could lead to a real conversation about transportation — walkability, trees. (It’s) something exciting that could help inform design and planning,” Batista said.

Fink said Worcester is taking it “one step at a time” and it’s determining how the technology can work “for helping in doing what we have to do — maintain roadways.”

24 THE MUNICIPAL | JANUARY 2022

Roadgnar’s lead scientist Bryan Licciardi explains how the company’s LIDAR technology will work to map out potholes in the city of Worcester, Mass., this past September. The city entered a pilot program with the company founded by area college graduates. (Photo courtesy of Worcester Telegram & Gazette)

Pelaez noted, “LIDAR can manage anything in the physical world—pavements, sidewalks, trees and traffic signs are most important in government.”

It can benefit operations. For example, inventorying signs can be very labor intensive, with most municipalities conducting such surveys in the spring and fall. Pelaez said the LIDAR technology can map the location of signs and scan for any graffiti or missing signs, etc.

Other uses, according to Pelaez, could be storm drains, manhole covers and handicap ramps. Additionally, utility companies are showing interest in using the technology to manage power lines.

“If branches are growing into power lines, they can take care of it before a storm and stop potential power outages,” Pelaez said.

Similarly, cities could use the technology to create tree inventories to track how they’re growing over time — if they’re growing too quickly over a walkway, for example.

Worcester is working on becoming a Smart City, and Batista said participating in this pilot program goes along with that goal.

“It allows us to be known as a city open to new technologies, by utilizing those solutions to improve our day-to-day service,”

Batista said. “We have great institutions here with WPI and Clark University, and we are open to those who are coming up with new, innovative ways to provide quality service to our residents.”

He added, “We’re always open to allow folks to come in and test and share — it encourages students and small businesses to grow and develop in the city.”

Coyle said he’d “certainly encourage others to look at innovative ways” of operating, and while Worcester doesn’t have all the data yet, he would encourage other municipalities to look into it as well.

Batista summed it up by saying, “I think, as a municipality, we should be looking at ways to improve service to residents. It’s our responsibility to be more innovative at all levels. The more we adapt, the better it is for residents — especially with technology, which changes so frequently and quickly.

“It’s important that we, as municipal employees, constantly have open doors and evaluate our performances, our work and utilize resources,” he said. “For example, our WPI students live and work in our city. Why not utilize our human capital to provide solutions to our community’s dayto-day challenges?”

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M Focus on: Maintenance & Operations

Winter is here: Cities strive to solve seasonal shortages

By JULIE YOUNG | The Municipal

Each year, municipalities across the nation spend months planning to clear the snow from their streets. Not only do they need to have their equipment and supplies ready to go the moment the flurries begin to fly, but they also need the personnel necessary to get the job done efficiently. Unfortunately, both are in short supply this year. Parts and other equipment components are caught in supply chain gridlock while seasonal staffing remains a constant struggle for communities.

26 THE MUNICIPAL | JANUARY 2022

Moline, Ill., City Council authorized six additional employees above the previous staffing level to prepare for the current snow season. Moline will also augment its fleet with contractors from Miller Trucking & Excavating. (Photo provided by Moline, Ill.)

The people who clean city streets and distribute salt during the winter months are not merely a group of folks who are handy with a shovel and snowplow. They are a dedicated fleet of individuals who understand the local terrain and are skilled at keeping everyone on the road. When experienced team members leave or retire, finding knowledgeable crew members to replace them isn’t easy. These staffing shortages

result in roads taking longer to clear, which is a source of concern for residents who need to get to work and take their children to school.

Contract players Some communities are getting creative when it comes to resolving these seasonal setbacks. With the uncertainties of decreased revenues due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the city of Moline, Ill., implemented a hiring moratorium, which resulted in several vacant positions going into the winter season. After residents complained about the time it took to clear some of the residential areas, the city contracted with Miller Trucking & Excavating to fill a few of the voids.

“We are currently working with them to assist us as needed this winter as we continue to recruit and hire new city employees,” Rodd Schick, Moline’s municipal services general manager, said. “The city council was trying to be fiscally responsible by implementing the hiring moratorium and found themselves in the position where it was necessary (due to the COVID pandemic).”

Naturally, the union representing city employees took issue with how the plan was developed and implemented, but given the unprecedented circumstances surrounding the problem, it kept those concerns within the administrative “world.”

“Union employees showed up every day and worked diligently alongside the contractor’s employees (with no issues between them),” Schick said.

Moline’s city council authorized six additional employees above the previous staffing level to prepare for the current season. Schick

Moline adjusted its employment requirements, allowing new hires to obtain a Class B CDL license within 45 days versus needing it before being offered a position. (Photo provided by Moline, Ill.)

worked alongside the city’s human resources department to evaluate the necessary employment requirements and adjust them for those who may need additional assistance. For example, instead of requiring a Class B CDL license before being offered a position, the city is allowing new hires 45 days to obtain the credential. He expects that the six additional employees plus the contractors — when needed — will improve the city’s response time as well as its ability to complete snow removal with increased efficiency — provided they can find the right people to get the job done.

“We’re doing everything we can to get the vacancies and the new positions filled, but also having a contractor in place for backup is critical for ensuring the public’s confidence in us to provide such a crucial service,” Schick said.

A united front Chris Hornstein, RLA, acting director of public works for Pittsburgh, Pa., said historically, the city has struggled to staff a winter response when an event happens on the weekends or the holidays, but he is hopeful that a new agreement with the Pittsburgh Joint Collective Bargaining Committee will result in a better response.

“We have always tried to have a good relationship with the union, which has led to improved technology and communication to meet the needs of our employees and our residents,” he said. “This agreement is no different; it just requires a direct conversation.”

JANUARY 2022 | THE MUNICIPAL 27

continued from page 27

By speaking with union representatives, the city learned it had an inconsistent response during inclement weather, prompting it to send out a quick text or robocall if a weekend/holiday event was likely. City officials also reviewed their monetary incentives and increased them to encourage a better employee response.

“We used to offer double time, but now we offer triple time,” he said. “If you are looking to make more money and are interested in overtime, it is a really good incentive.”

Hornstein said winter weather in Pittsburgh is highly variable, and those who traverse the city streets to clear the snow are wellversed in their specific neighborhoods. This makes them all but impossible to replace when they retire or move on to other opportunities, which is why Hornstein and his department have sought to modernize their hiring practices and find the right candidates for open positions. He said he is cautiously optimistic as he looks ahead to the winter season and his crew’s ability to get the job done.

“We had over 100 applicants for 26 openings, which is a good problem to have,” he said. “After being cooped up for so long, the public wants to get out and drive, so there is a bigger demand for our services. That’s why it is important to have a good relationship with the union as we address the staffing shortage, offer the incentives they need, provide them with reliable equipment and listen when they have concerns, even if you can’t do anything right away.

You still have to be proactive.”

Pittsburgh, Pa., has worked closely with Pittsburgh Joint Collective Bargaining Committee to ensure better response times to weather events, particularly on weekends and holidays. (Edwin Verin/ Shutterstock.com)

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M Focus on: Maintenance & Operations

Xeriscape Demonstration Garden designed to open minds to desert landscaping

By DANI MESSICK | The Municipal

A central Arizona city is fitting its focus onto the acceptance of the natural landscape it was gifted. As part of that focus, it is teaching its residents to appreciate it, too.

Surprise, Ariz., broke ground on a community Xeriscape Demonstration Garden at the end of October. The word prefix of the concept of a Xeriscape comes from the Greek “xero,” meaning dry.

“The intention behind a Xeriscape Demonstration Garden is really to showcase what an appropriate desert-adapted landscape looks like,” explained water resource analyst for the city of Surprise Amy Peterson.

Peterson said the city has a large transplant population, many from the Midwest, who may not know or understand the natural climate of the desert region.

30 THE MUNICIPAL | JANUARY 2022

“The soil conditions have large implications on the types of plants you can grow here in your landscape,” she said.

Water is a precious commodity in the city with a population of nearly 150,000 residents. The city has seen a 10% annual water usage growth for the last 10 years, with landscape irrigation composing a large portion of the demand.

“We’ve planned our infrastructure and resources accordingly, but our options are to build infrastructure or use our system more wisely,” said the city’s water resource management Assistant Director Michael Boule. “We’re seeing a continual rise in use.

ABOVE: The Xeriscape in Surprise, Ariz., is expected to be finished in February 2022.

(Photo provided)

The time to do this is now based on where we are in this drought.”

There are already 11 water providers within the city, and the city government of Surprise is only the second largest provider for their residents. Most of the companies actually predate the city’s own system.

“I think what triggered the city to finally go ahead and go forth with serious plans to develop a garden was just the understanding that we’re in a long-term drought in Arizona,” Peterson said. “We’re actively growing our conservation program, and we need something very visible for the community so that we can use it as a tool for our

A map of the Xeriscape in Surprise spotlights features like future event space and plantings. (Photo provided)

The Maricopa County Master Gardeners designed with the intention of garnering have a long-standing positive relationship support from homeowner associations’ with the city of Surprise Water Conserva- board members, offering school tours and tion Program. The city hopes that the new providing for general personal recommenXeriscape Demonstration Garden will team dations to reduce water and encourage up with the Master Gardeners in order to water conservation as a city. help spread awareness by leading tours of Water conservation efforts have been underway in Surprise for many years. A the demonstration garden.

“There aren’t a lot of examples of this close rebate program geared at water conservato where our residents live,” Peterson said. tion also helps homeowners statewide.

The city of Surprise hopes that the new “We’re excited to see them share with us “Pretty much all of the landscapes in AriXeriscape will help bring awareness to the educational aspect of our conservation zona need supplemental short controllers water conservation efforts in their dry program.” for irrigation systems,” Rothermal explained. climate. (Photo provided) In Surprise, the largest amount of water “In Arizona, you have a sprinkler system if usage comes from landscaping, and, since you have grass or you have a drip line if you the desert isn’t designed for plantings that have anything other than grass, and those need a lot of water, the plants actually need are hooked up to a controller. The smart conprogram. Really, the timing of the climate way more water to function in the arid trollers pretty much automate the thinking in terms of how much water to put on each that we’re in today is what’s triggered us to climate. do this.”

“Here in the desert, it’s not as simple as of the plants …. What (water companies) As part of the Xeriscape, the water depart- pouring water on it,” said water conser- do is they connect your irritation controller ment accepted two totem sculptures from vation specialist for the city of Surprise to weather station information, and they’ll local high school students to incorpo- Amanda Rothermal, explaining there are automatically adjust our water based on the rate into the scenery. The students were many plants that are acclimated to the season and the weather.” given college credit for their work, which desert climate.

The Xeriscape, which was grant funded by “(Being in the desert) does not mean you the Arizona Department of Water Resources, was designed with the seven principles of Xeriscapes in mind. Those include sound can only have cactuses,” she said. “There the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire landscape planning and design, limitation are quite a few plants that you can use. This Management, the U.S. Forest Service and of turf to functional and active recreation allows us to showcase those plants that can city water utility funds, is just over 2 acres in areas, use of water-efficient plants, efficient thrive here.” area, located the Surprise City Hall campus, irrigation, soil amendments, use of mulches Besides the showcase for residents, just west of West Valley Arts HQ. The project the Xeriscape Demonstration Garden is is expected to be finished by February. and appropriate landscape maintenance.

JANUARY 2022 | THE MUNICIPAL 31

M Focus on: Maintenance & Operations

How one Colorado municipality is leading the charge in sustainability, one building at a time

By LAUREN CAGGIANO | The Municipal

A global pandemic couldn’t keep the city of Arvada, Colo., from reaching its sustainability goals. In partnership with Ameresco, the municipality recently announced the energy conservation and renewable energy project. Ameresco is an independent provider of comprehensive services, energy efficiency, infrastructure upgrades, asset sustainability and renewable energy solutions for businesses and organizations throughout North America and Europe.

This relationship will help Arvada in its quest to implement more renewable energy solutions. Financed by a $4.5 million Energy Savings Performance Contract, enhancements to infrastructure will guarantee energy cost savings and an overall reduction in energy usage.

34 THE MUNICIPAL | JANUARY 2022

Kim Vagher, facilities division manager, said the project represents the culmination of years of efforts on this front.

“My No. 1 role is to maintain the 18 different facilities that we have, including incorporating energy management,” he said. “We started a renewable program,

ABOVE: Arvada, Colo., worked with Ameresco to refurbish 15 facilities starting in January 2020 to reduce energy consumption. Arvada has also embraced solar energy. (Shutterstock.com)

about four years ago now, to put in solar.

That program is pretty much complete because we’ve got about 70% solar in our facilities.”

Working closely with city staff, Ameresco refurbished 15 facilities starting in January 2020 and made significant upgrades to those facilities’ building envelopes, lighting and plumbing systems. The HVAC systems at Arvada City Hall and the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities were updated, as well. Additionally, photovoltaic systems were installed at five facilities.

According to Vagher, the city chose the 15 facilities specifically because they had the most energy-saving potential. Officials’ goal was 11 years for a return on investment.

Some buildings were estimated to take 14 years to produce results. So they had to pare down from an original total of 18 to 15 to meet their target, he said. Additionally, it helped that the city was able to retrofit some of its larger buildings. City Hall, the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities and the water treatment plant were among the three energy users and the top three square-footage-wise.

This work was not done in a vacuum.

Vagher said the city joined the Better Building Challenge through the Department of Energy in 2013, an Energy Star program.

Under this program, leading businesses, manufacturers, cities, states, universities and school districts commit to improving These updated boilers provide greater efficiency, lower emissions and a smaller footprint the energy efficiency of their portfolio of than Arvada’s previous boiler units. (Photo provided) buildings by at least 20% over 10 years and share their strategies and results.

To that end, they had set a goal of 20% energy efficiency savings in the 18 facilities by the year 2020. That’s where the ESPC entered the equation. The contracted work was completed in spring 2021, and according to Vagher, they’ve already experienced positive results at the time of press.

“It’s only been a few months, but we do have an initial report,” he said. “We’re on track to be guaranteed about $240,000 in savings a year. And at the time of the report, we’re tracking at $249,000. So we have some positive measurements coming back from the program.”

According to Vagher, although the city has a small population of less than 120,000, it can hold its own in energy conservation.

He said they’ve looked to larger metro areas like Fort Collins and Boulder as examples of how Colorado cities can take action in The city of Arvada replaced aging chiller units with two 170-ton Daikin Air Cooled Chillers. this way.

(Photo provided) “I think we exceeded both of them in solar renewables,” he said. “I know they’ve got a big effort going on.” during COVID the buildings sat largely people for the LED installation on all 15 Speaking of efforts, Vagher said the vacant, which made it easier to complete facilities.” residents have been engaged, too, in these the work. Arvada worked with quality Looking forward, the city has high hopes initiatives. For example, the city has an contractors, which made for a better expe- for leading the way in energy conservation Arvada sustainability committee that acts rience, too. in the state of Colorado and beyond. The “I had a great HVAC technician,” he said. city of Arvada expects to experience a 6% as ambassadors in communicating about these issues. The timing of the project was “He did a tremendous job taking care of our reduction in annual energy consumption, also fortuitous and no doubt helped the data center, which was the majority of that an 11% reduction in electrical demand and cause, according to Vagher. That’s because type of work. And then we employed other a 21% reduction in total utility costs.

JANUARY 2022 | THE MUNICIPAL 35

36 THE MUNICIPAL | JANUARY 2022

M

City Profile

Cheyenne Bottoms Wetland Bird Refuge in Great Bend, Kan., is a 41,000-acre lowland, wetland that includes grasslands for migratory waterfowl. (Janis Schwartz/ Shutterstock.com)

History, quality of life come together in Great Bend

By DEB GERBERS | The Municipal

Great Bend, Kan., is a city of the second class and is the county seat of Barton County. The city received its named from its location, which is at the point where the course of the Arkansas River bends east, then southeast.

Great Bend is the county seat of Barton County. Pictured is the courthouse at night. (Stephen Muehleisen via Flickr; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/) 38 THE MUNICIPAL | JANUARY 2022

Great Bend is a great place to live, according to locals, because of its low cost of living and high quality of life. City Administrator Kendal Francis said, “Great Bend has an outstanding quality of life, focusing strongly on youth activities and recreation.”

The Great Bend Recreation Commission, also known as Great Bend Rec, provides quality leisure, cultural, sports, fitness and educational programs to improve the quality of the community and the individual lives of its residents. Great Bend Rec offers hundreds of quality, affordable youth and adult programs, after-school

Whitetail deer stand alert in Quivira National Wildlife Refuge near Great Bend, Kan. (Shutterstock.com)

This metal sculpture, located at Great Bend Sports Complex, was created by Bruce Bitter and unveiled in 2013. It “reveals a story of baseball, with the steel figures showing the talents of actual Great Bend ballplayers with each different pose having a story of its own.” (Photo provided)

programs, outdoor activities, special events, sports leagues and tournaments at its facilities city-wide.

Great Bend is historically known for drag racing; hunting, fishing and birding; and its rich oil industry. The Sunflower Rod & Custom Association operates the city-owned historic track and hosts national event drag racing every year. In addition, there are several other main attractions and draws to the city, including nature and wildlife-focused areas like the Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo & Raptor Center, the Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Refuge, the Kansas Wetland Education Center and the Wetlands & Wildlife Scenic Byway.

Art enthusiasts enjoy seeing the featured mural artwork and bronze sculptures. Great Bend’s downtown is decorated with beautiful pieces of bronze artwork, and large murals decorate many buildings’ walls. Painted by high school students, community members, senior citizens, professional artists and children, the murals are tied together by themes relating to Great Bend’s past and present. Found embedded in the sidewalks surrounding the Great Bend courthouse is the Kansas Quilt Walk. Quilt makers have “Breaking the Prairie Sod” is dedicated to the memory of those historically used their craft to express themselves with beautiful who first settled Great Bend. (Photo provided) fabrics and fine needlework. Visitors and residents can also enjoy the Shafer Art Gallery, the Kansas Oil Museum, the Rosewood Winery and the Great Bend Farm, Ranch & Hemp Expo.

Great Bend is the hometown of several inventors and famous Great Bend has a mayor-council form of government, with eight citizens like Jack Kilby, 2000 Nobel Prize laureate in physics for city council members, two from each of the four wards, and a mayor co-inventing the integrated circuit (microchip); he also invented elected at-large. Agriculture and oil are the predominant industries, the handheld calculator and the thermal printer.

Great Bend was the birthplace of the National Hot Rod Associaand Great Bend is also home of Barton Community College.

According to Francis, “Our population has declined 6.4% since tion drag racing in 1955. The Sunflower Rod & Custom Association its peak population in 2010 (15,995 to the current 14,974). However, continues to operate the city-owned historic track and hosts we are projecting half percent growth per year for the next 20 years.” national event drag racing every year. The city is also the birthGreat Bend is also home to the Great Bend Army Airfield, an place of U.S. Senator Jerry Moran and the home of U.S. Senator initial training base for the B-29 Superfortress during WWII. The Roger Marshall. airfield is the site of a memorial dedicated to the men and women Great Bend has a rich history, with several attractions to offer to who manufactured, flew and provided support for the Boeing B-29 its residents and visitors.

Super Fortress.

JANUARY 2022 | THE MUNICIPAL 39

M

Public Safety

Better informed neighbors:

Citizen police academies energize and engage

By JULIE YOUNG | The Municipal

Although it may sound like a program to create quasi-cops, a citizen police academy gives residents a first-hand look at department operations so they can be better informed neighbors who are engaged in the community.

A gateway program According to Chief Derick Miller with the Carrollton, Texas, Police Department, citizen police academy participants gain a much greater understanding of how the department operates, what its challenges are and where their taxpayer dollars are going. He said the program also allows the community to get to know their police officers on a personal level.

“In the case of the Carrollton Police Department’s Citizen Police Academy, it’s the gateway to our volunteer program,” he said. “Academy graduates often begin volunteering with us in many different capacities after their graduation.”

Carrollton’s citizen police academy began in 1988 and has served as a flagship program pin in its community engagement portfolio for more than 30 years.

Recently, the department graduated its 57th class and conducted its first Spanishspeaking class this past fall.

Miller said the average class size ranges from 20 to 30 people and includes both men and women from all walks of life. He predicts that over 1,000 have completed the program in the past 33 years.

“Carrollton is a very diverse community and many people who live here speak only Spanish, or are more comfortable communicating in Spanish,” Miller said. “It was important to us to serve our 40 THE MUNICIPAL | JANUARY 2022

Graduates of Carrollton’s Citizen Police Academy pose for a group shot during one of their sessions. (Photo provided by Carrollton Police Department)

Pictured are East Hartford, Conn.’s, Citizen Police Academy 12th session graduates. The academy promotes understanding, communication and cooperation between members of the department and the people they serve. (Photo provided East Hartford Police Department)

Spanish-speaking community with this program. We want everyone in Carrollton to know us, trust us and call us when they need us.”

Mutual understanding Officer David Flores with the East Hartford, Conn., Police Department said his citizen police academy is an important program because it promotes understanding, communication and cooperation between members of the department and the people they serve. The first session of the East Hartford citizen police academy took place in 2006, and the department recently completed its 12th session. Flores said the secret to creating and sustaining a successful citizen police academy is the citizens’ eagerness to learn about their police department.

“Each session basically operates under the same format with a few changes from year to year,” he said.

An eight-week academy takes place once a week for three hours in the evening and includes orientation and department overview; police/legal standards; community policing; animal control; K9 (with demo); CERT recruitment/hiring/training; traffic division/scenarios where citizens have to make split-second decisions on the calls in which they participate; Criminal Investigation Bureau; and graduation — where participants receive their completion certificates. One of the favorite activities is the ride-along, where participants shadow an on-duty officer and see what he or she does in the line of duty.

“The academy changes throughout the years the same way policing is changing,” Flores said. “We try to stay within what is happening now. For example, we will discuss or have a class about vehicle thefts and how to protect your property better or introduce internet crime since most people are dealing with those types of things now. Stations Day was introduced this session as well so that citizens were able to see first-hand how difficult it was to have to make split decisions under stressful conditions.”

Both men said citizen police academies are essential parts of the community that leave participants with a new sense of understanding about what it takes to be a police officer while building a partnership with residents and neighbors. Experts in

Citizen Police Academy Spanish-speaking participants in Carrollton, Texas, learn from an officer in the field during one of their evening sessions. (Photo provided by Carrollton Police Department)

Police Chief Derick Miller is all smiles as he walks through the city of Carrollton, Texas.

(Photo provided by Carrollton Police Department)

a particular field lead each class to offer folks a powerful learning experience on any given night.

“This not only helps us form relationships with the people in the classes, but when they leave, they share their experiences with friends, family and other neighbors.

The citizen police academy really serves as a community engagement force multiplier for us,” Miller said. “We are fortunate that our town council supports the program 100%.”

In order to qualify for a citizen’s police academy, participants must be residents of

the city, 18 years of age or older and have no felony convictions on their record.

East Hartford police Chief Scott Sansom said although the last class was delayed due to the pandemic, they were able to graduate 19 participants and are eager to welcome the next batch soon.

“The interest and enthusiasm of the class during this program inspires us to continue with it. We’re already looking forward to announcing plans for the next session,” he said in an interview to the East Hartford Gazette last fall.

JANUARY 2022 | THE MUNICIPAL 41

M

Technology

Fairfax County discovers many benefits to ultraviolet for wastewater treatment

By DANI MESSICK | The Municipal

Fairfax County’s new ultraviolet water treatment facility earned an Envision Gold award for sustainability. The awardwinning Noman M. Cole Jr. Pollution Control Plant is a 67-million-gallon-per-day wastewater treatment plant in Fairfax County, Va., that replaces the old sodium hypochlorite disinfection system.

The wastewater treatment plant takes the sewage from the southern half of Fairfax County and reclaims it by removing 99.9% of pathogens.

“Disinfection is a dedicated process to remove pathogens and germs, and ultraviolet is EPA approved,” Michael McGarth, plant manager of the Noman M. Cole Jr. Pollution Control Plant, explained. “It uses light to remove microbes, including those that can cause disease.”

The change in treatment, from bleach to ultraviolet, is not only more sustainable for the county, but safer for customers and for employees.

“Chemicals, added in liquid form, killed the germs,” McGrath said. “Unfortunately, the active ingredient remained and would continue to kill things so we had to add another ingredient, sodium bifluoride.”

These chemicals had to be brought in on tankers to the tune of 200 loads per year, or roughly $750,000.

“The (old) system required what felt like almost continual adjustment of the chemicals to get the right dose,” McGrath 42 THE MUNICIPAL | JANUARY 2022

Fairfax County, Va., has replaced its old sodium hypochlorite disinfection system for ultraviolet in its Noman M. Cole Jr. Pollution Control Plant. (Photo provided by Fairfax County)

continued. “They’ve got to test every two hours to demonstrate to the Department of Environmental Quality that they’re not distributing too much, so it takes a lot of labor to monitor.”

The new system uses an entirely different process.

“It does not completely kill the pathogens, but it changes the DNA so they cannot reproduce,” said Capital Improvement Program engineer Sajana Chitrakar.

The technology has been used in various communities for drinking water since 1910

but has only been implemented in wastewater since the 1980s.

“UV also has the resiliency factor,” Chitrakar continued. “With the chemicals, we had to rely on drivers and availability, and so we have eliminated a portion of that because we don’t need (sodium bifluoride) to reduce the bleach.”

It took nearly 10 years from start to finish, McGrath admitted.

“Our water flow had to be changed,” he said. “(The project) required us to construct some new concrete tanks and channels in

Rather than use chemicals, UV treatment uses light to remove microbes, including those that can cause disease. (Photos provided by Fairfax County)

order to install the UV equipment. It wasn’t an overnight thing.”

In addition to the actual process, the project took longer because Fairfax County funded it itself. Funding came primarily from the construction improvement fund.

The new system had to be run parallel to the old one until the latter was no longer in use. Then the old system was easily hauled off.

“The old system consisted of relative small pumps about the size of a basketball, so it was fairly easy to dispose of,” McGrath said.

In addition to that, the new design also allowed the facility to need fewer pumps.

After redesigning the flow of water throughout the plant, and removing a large pump, administrators discovered that there were significant savings in electrical usage.

“We were spending the equivalent of 100 kilowatts every second,” said McGrath. “It’s equivalent to a year’s use for 100 households. They ended up balancing each other out — the energy-saving from the pump saving and the (UV) lights.”

It was also the county’s first CMAR, or construction manager at risk, project — instead of a low bid contract.

“There was also a challenge because there was nothing we could reference,” said Laurel

Xiao, engineer IV of Capital Facilities. It was designed by Hazen and Sawyer and constructed by Ulliman Shicutte Construction.

The design also included retractable covers for the UV system, one of the first of its kind in the United States. The ultraviolet disinfection equipment can be pulled out to be cleaned, while a cover keeps worker safety a top priority.

“The design was pretty innovative,” Xiao said. “We have been running the UV system for about a month with the full flow. It has been running pretty good creating the results that we desire.”

The Envision award evaluates projects based on criteria that include improvement to the quality of life, water consumption and environmental impact, among others.

“We are talking about not only meeting the needs of the project but also contributing to the prosperity of our community from an environmental and developmental perspective,” said Xiao.

McGrath said the green programming award has created positive competition among builders and designers who seek to make their engineering projects more sustainable.

UV systems increase worker safety since the ultraviolet disinfection equipment can be pulled out for cleaning. Fairfax County’s facility also uses covers to promote worker safety. (Photo provided by Fairfax County)

Administrators discovered significant savings in electrical usage after the switch to ultraviolet. (Photo provided by Fairfax County)

“It’s a way to attract and incentivize more sustainable infrastructure,” McGrath noted.

JANUARY 2022 | THE MUNICIPAL 43

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Crisis Management

The village with no government meets stage 4 drought

By JUDE STRIEBY | The Municipal

In many areas of the United States, water shortage isn’t often thought about. Extreme drought is a thing that’s rare and usually only lasts at most a few seasons, and the norm is an abundance of water. But in the West, drought is not occasional; it sometimes seems to be the normal state of things. California has been no stranger to droughts, as its weather patterns cycle from years of abundant precipitation to years of extremely dry weather. Mendocino, Calif., is a village on the coast that has been particularly affected.

Mendocino began as a logging town in 1852, home to the Mendocino Lumber Company, which logged the redwood forests for 50 years. It was the primary source of wood used to build the entire city of San Francisco and rebuild it after the great earthquake and fires of 1906. Because of its isolated location, the population of the village declined and the economy shrank until the 1950s when Bill Zacha founded the Mendocino Art Center, making the village a popular artist colony.

Surprisingly, Mendocino is one U.S. village without a government.

“We have to call the county to get potholes filled,” Sandy Schmidt of the Mendocino 44 THE MUNICIPAL | JANUARY 2022

Volunteer Fire Department explained. “A lot of people moved into this area in the ’60s and ’70s with the back to the earth movement. They wanted to get off the grid, away from civilization, and there’s still sort of that attitude in this area. We’re kind of the end of the road.”

It is this very isolation — coupled with the popular art community — that eventually made Mendocino a sought-after tourist location and provided for the revitalization of the village, particularly after it was placed on the National Register of Historical Places. But the very means for its revitalization — the tourist industry — has recently become a source of strain on its citizens,

ABOVE: Vacation rentals overlook the cliffs of Mendocino, Calif. The village’s tourism industry presented a challenge during the drought, with establishments seeking to conserve water while still being accommodating to tourists. (Shutterstock.com)

and indeed, the very livelihood of the village itself.

Since 2020, Mendocino and the surrounding area have experienced prolific drought conditions.

“We’re in stage 4 drought. That’s as bad as it gets here,” said Katie Bates, who works at the Mendocino City Community Services District. “The village does not have a municipal water system, and the district does not supply any water. Citizens have to rely on individual private wells, some of which are the original wells from the 1850s that were hand-dug. The issue is that Mendocino is in an area which, because of its geology, it’s hard to get deeper into the underlying rock area. We got some rain in October, quite a bit. The beginning of our rain year begins Oct. 1, and as of (that date), we have 11.2 inches of rain. It has helped, but we’re still not out of the woods.”

The community on the coastal cliffs relies on an aquifer underneath the village, which gets refilled mainly by groundwater from rainfall.

But they share the rainfall with surrounding natural habitats, such as ones generated by rainwater flowing over the cliffs into the ocean.

The freshwater creates habitats in the rocks of the cliffs that the ocean brine water wouldn’t normally be able to sustain. Though the deficit of water from the last year of drought is being filled, residents still need to pull water from the aquifer, which makes it a slower process.

“It’s a real challenge when we don’t get the rainfall that we’re accustomed to,” stated Schmidt. “We do have mutual water companies that draw water from wells and then distribute it to people within their community. But probably the majority of people actually have their own individual wells, so when the aquifer starts to drop, that’s when people’s wells go dry. They have to start trucking water in to store onsite, which is very expensive.”

Inland from the coast, other towns that Mendocino was buying its water from are experiencing the same water shortage, but for a different reason: the reservoirs that supply the rivers have been diminished because of the lack of snowmelt.

“Fort Bragg draws their water from the local river, and when the river goes down because of lack of snowmelt, it can get brackish at high tide,” Schmidt explained. “They did make a desalination system, which meant they could keep processing water when the river goes brackish as the tide comes in. The problems according to each individual area are pretty unique, with a different thing to tackle.”

Still, in the severity of a stage 4 drought, even that was not enough.

On July 9, Fort Bragg cut off outside water sales. The lack of water was hitting it at a level that meant it could not promise its citizens enough water while also continuing to sell water to outside customers. This was hard on the citizens of Mendocino.

“It got very difficult for a lot of people,” Bates said. “Fort Bragg cut off water, and we still had two other outside sources, but eventually they cut off water sales as well. At that point, the county stepped in, and our board of supervisors voted to purchase water from Ukiah, which is a town over the hill an hour away, bring it over here, have it treated through the Fort Bragg water system and have the water haulers deliver it to our customers in Mendocino.

“That lengthier route of travel the water took constituted an almost triple increase in the price per gallon. What normally would have been a $400 delivery of water from the Fort Bragg reservoir was all of the sudden almost $1 per gallon. If they’re delivering 1,500 gallons, and the price is almost $1 per gallon, what used to cost $400 is now more than triple.”

The board of supervisors tried to mitigate the costs. Bates explained the board could bring the cost for residential customers back to normal, but the commercial customers remained at the higher rate.

The commercial customers had the possibility of passing the extra cost on to their customers, whereas the residents would not have had a way to deal with skyrocketing water costs.

“When you take away water, it gets pretty hairy,” remarked Bates.

“We had people who didn’t have any drinking water. Or even water to bathe in. You need it to stay alive; you need it for hygiene, let alone cooking. It is the basic need. Niagara Bottling gave us a ton of bottled water, which we were able to hand out to people who needed it. But it was tough for a while.”

The village’s tourist industry provided another challenge.

During the drought, Mendocino, purchased supplementary water from Ukiah, Calif., after Fort Bragg ceased selling water to outside customers. Pictured are colorful historic houses in Mendocino. (oliverdelahaye/Shutterstock.com)

People walk along a wood sidewalk while visiting stores in Mendocino. (oliverdelahaye/Shutterstock.com)

“People come from out of town to our area because it’s beautiful, it’s picturesque, it’s historical,’ said Bates. “They’re on vacation; they don’t want to think about a drought. They want to take a long bath, and sit in the hot tub, and wash the car, and wash off their wetsuits, and it’s like wait, wait, wait, wait! All of that requires water! The owners of establishments all over the village put up signs asking people to adhere to water conservancy tactics, alerting tourists that the area was under extreme drought. But the problem is you can’t cut a customer off from water, or they’ll go stay somewhere else. We have establishments that are forced to go over their allotment, through no fault of their own.”

The MCCSD has been monitoring water usage of groundwater since the ’70s when it was tasked with determining how much water each parcel of land could viably take out of the ground. That documentation has continued today. Well owners send in water readings every month, and it is compiled into data that allows the district to keep track of how much water each well is using and how much water is available to the community.

JANUARY 2022 | THE MUNICIPAL 45

continued from page 45

“The groundwater management program is working in that people are super aware of it and keeping track of their water usage,” reported Bates. “For the most part, everybody in this town is fantastic at conservation. We think about the aquifer under the town as a big glass and each well is like a straw into the glass. So if you take too much water, your neighbor is not going to have enough. We’re definitely all in this together. When you take a drink of water, you’re concerned whether your neighbor is also going to be able to take a drink of water.”

In the absence of government and under the extreme experience of not having the basic substance needed for life, the way this community has held together is unique. It has centered on changing the way everyone thinks about water and accepting how actions will affect the village. When water is always plentiful, it ceases to be thought of as a necessity and, instead, can be thought of as a commodity. A commodity can seem as if it’s just a useful convenience, and conveniences are often wasted, because of the human idea that a surplus of a thing changes its value.

“It’s just a totally different way of thinking about it,” Bates said. “I remember learning about drought even as a little kid. And sure, droughts seem to be centered only in a particular area, but we should be conscious of it no matter where we are. We’re here together: What I do affects my neighbor. Sure, we’re just the microcosm, but the macrocosm is absolutely how we should be looking at things globally. We do affect each other, and what we do does matter in the big picture.”

Headlands State Park is one place that draws tourists to Mendocino.

Signage was used to educate out-of-town visitors on conserving water. (Srishti Sethi via Wikimedia Commons; shorturl.at/airR3)

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Building & Construction

Sioux City leverages longstanding airport to spur new economic growth

By MARY JANE BOGLE | The Municipal

Sioux City, Iowa, has a long history of aviation excellence. With a well-maintained airport and runway — dating all the way back to World War II — along with a Federal Aviation Administration flight tower and the presence of the 185th Air Refueling Wing of the Iowa Air National Guard, this community knows a thing or two about the aviation industry.

Recently, the Sioux City community came together to leverage that experience and infrastructure to make a bid for federal grant money, an investment that would help them build a $7 million to $9 million hangar facility on city-owned land at Sioux Gateway Airport.

The $1 million grant it has received from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration will help fund the new 39,400-square-foot aviation center, complete with a fully accredited flight school, two hangar bays and two stories of office/training space.

In addition, the project is slated to create 42 new skilled jobs in the short-term and grow the entire aviation culture in the area well into the future.

“This project is a great example of a public-private partnership,” said Assistant City Manager Mike Collett.

48 THE MUNICIPAL | JANUARY 2022

Over two years in the making, the project brings together city government, the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce, Oracle Aviation, Morningside University and other educational institutions in the area.

“We were so pleased to receive this grant,” said Economic and Community Development Director Marty Dougherty, citing the diversification of the local economy, the creation of higher skilled jobs and investment in an industry important to the region as key components that made Sioux City’s grant application so competitive.

“Sioux City has had an airport since World War II,” said Dougherty.

What began as a B-17 airbase, the Sioux Gateway Airport is currently home to the 185th Air Refueling Wing of the Iowa Air National Guard, one of two air national

ABOVE: The history of the Sioux Gateway Airport dates back to World War II when it served as a B-17 airbase. (Photo provided

by Sioux City Public Museum) guard bases — and the only flying unit — in the state.

“The 185th is very active,” said Dougherty.

“It’s highly respected in the community, not to mention one of the largest employers in the area. It’s a big part of Sioux City, and we want to keep them here a long time.”

On the commercial side, the airport also supports a significant number of commercial and corporate hangars. “This new development will increase the overall activity at the airfield in multiple ways,” said Dougherty.

One way the project will increase activity at the airport is through the fully accredited flight school as part of a new degree program offered through Morningside University. “You can learn to fly at a lot of places,” said Dougherty. “To get a college degree while you’re doing it is a different matter altogether.”

Brian Miller, retired colonel and former commander of the 185th Air Refueling Wing of the Iowa Air National Guard, agrees.

“There is a huge demand for pilots forecasted

The 185th Air Refueling Wing is the only flying unit of the Air National Guard in the state of Iowa. (Photo provided by 185th ARW)

for the next 25 years,” he said. “Morningside University wants to continue to be relevant in today’s economy. It was just a natural fit The Sioux Gateway Airport/Brigadier General Bud Day Field is home to a Federal Aviation to have them start a flight program as part of Administration flight tower and supports a significant number of commercial and corporate hangars as well. (Photo provided by city of Sioux City) this new structure.”

Partnering with Morningside University is Oracle Aviation, which has entered into a lease agreement with the city. Besides providing flight instructors for the Morningside University degree program, Oracle has agreed to lease the new facility for flight training purposes and invest up to an additional $1 million to finish the interior spaces.

“There aren’t a lot of university-associated flight schools in the country,” said Dougherty, noting that the project brings the potential to partner with a local community college as well. Western Iowa Tech Community College could offer different kinds of training for aviation mechanics and aviation managers. “In many ways, the project will bring in diversified jobs, increase our educational partnerships and create great career The new 39,400-square-foot aviation center will include two hangar bays and two stories paths into high-paying career fields,” said of office/training space. (Photo provided by city of Sioux City) Dougherty.

Miller agrees, stating that “adding a flight school to the project made all the sense in the exposed to everything available in the avia“We can support almost any aircraft,” he said. “We have this great facility, including world.” Tasked with helping to develop the tion industry.” new degree program at Morningside, Miller Another potential payoff from the project is utilities and infrastructure, with lots of land hopes to attract students nationwide into this the opportunity to create new development. around it. It’s located right along Interstate 29, program.

“There’s a fair amount of undeveloped ground so we hope to grow the business sites around “Most flight schools aren’t located at air- around our runways,” said Collett. “We know the new facility as well.” ports with an FAA tower,” he said. “This flight that new development usually encourages One thing is certain. With a new facility, school will allow students to get real-world more development in the area, so we’re dedicated flight school and potential for the growth of additional, high-paying jobs in the training all the time. Students will learn to excited about what the future might bring.” fly in four-season weather and gain expoAccording to Dougherty, the airport is aviation industry, Sioux City is well situated sure to military flight ops, commercial air located on the southern edge of the city with to grow the entire aviation culture in the area service, corporate headquarters and an air a lot of air space around it, which is good for a well into the future. ambulance,” he said. “Basically, they will get flight school and other aviation activity.

JANUARY 2022 | THE MUNICIPAL 49

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Public Safety

Harrison County’s underwater drones provide undeniable asset to fire department and neighboring agencies

By NICHOLETTE CARLSON | The Municipal

Harrison County Fire Department in Mississippi is a community surrounded by water, and as Fire Chief Pat Sullivan stated, “We’ve been in the business of search and rescue forever.” Dedicated to the safety of both the community and its first responders, Sullivan added, “We always looked for technology to give us an advantage.”

When involved in a drowning, vehicle in the water or a weapon search in the water, dive teams are necessary for the search. However, in scenarios with limited visibility or swift waters, search can be challenging for the dive teams. This led the department to look into Deep Trekker remotely operated vehicles to assist dive teams.

These first underwater drones were smaller and included a camera system, lights and a gripper to search an area remotely. With these ROVs, the fire department could search with the camera and use the gripper to attach to whatever they found down there, including a weapon or even a body.

“We started using that and had success with that,” Sullivan noted.

However, this smaller model had difficulty staying in one place during swift currents. Therefore, the department switched to a larger model, the Revolution; it is better for deeper and swifter waters.

These underwater drones are an incredibly important asset to the community during tragedies. For instance, if there is a drowning and the department knows it will be a recovery mission, not a rescue, they want to recover the body as quickly as possible for the family and not be searching for hours or even days.

“It’s safer for personnel and reduces the suffering a family has waiting,” he emphasized.

With the ROV, the department can get down into the water when a diver might have a challenge getting in. When the water gets cold, it reduces the time a diver can stay in the water. The last thing the department wants is for a tragedy to turn worse by putting a diver in danger. While a diver is limited in the time they can spend underwater due to temperature, time and oxygen tanks, an ROV can easily go down and search an area regardless of these factors for four to five hours.

Regardless of the situation, a ROV can provide reconnaissance of the sea bed floor and subsurface before a diver goes down so they can better manage expectations of the situation. The department can review the situation and see what the conditions and hazards are.

Plans can then be altered depending on the riskiness of the situation.

If water is contaminated, the department cannot send a diver into it; however, the ROV can go down and assess the situation. The ROV also assists the department in monitoring the diver when they are underwater and provides voice communication with them.

50 THE MUNICIPAL | JANUARY 2022

Underwater ROVs come equipped with a camera system, lights and a gripper. Due to the swifter currents, the department upgraded to a larger ROV, the Revolution. They can work underwater in conditions that would be unsafe for a dive team. (Photo provided by the Harrison County Fire Department)

In specific situations, the ROV can assist in a plane crash. With pieces of the plane breaking off underwater, it can be dangerous for a diver to enter the water. While this is not a common situation, Sullivan admits it has proven helpful in a few instances. When there is a drowning, the ROV can bring up a body, depending on the size.

However, in most instances, the ROV will locate the body, and the diver will follow the drone underwater, making it safer for the diver and making the diver’s time underwater significantly shorter.

In the Harrison County Fire Department, there are currently three ROV operators. They team up with law enforcement, other area dive teams and the Department of Natural Resources to work missions and accidents. Currently, Sullivan stated Harrison County is the only one with their specific ROVs in the three coastal counties. As such, they receive many calls from neighboring agencies for assistance.

While these underwater drones are not something the department uses every day, they are a boon when the need arises. The goal is to adapt the latest technology to the department’s needs to keep everyone, both the first responders and the community, safer.

(Photo provided by the Harrison County Fire Department)

The greatest benefit of these ROVs is increased safety. They are able to assess the dangers and hazards of a situation, locate an item or person during cold temperatures and survey possible wreckage, minimizing the amount of time a dive team must be underwater.

(Photo provided by the Harrison County Fire Department) They work with these other agencies to use sonar and underwater mapping equipment to, as Sullivan explained, “paint a picture underwater where we can’t see to make a better plan.” Once the ROV is deployed, he mentioned it is “almost like driving a car underwater.”

The training for the ROV is “old school,” Sullivan commented, with much of it being hands-on training. No certification school is necessary. Operators simply take part in hands-on training in which they put the underwater drone into different scenarios and run it through various simulations.

“Every time we put it in the water, we learn something from it, and we get better at it,” he stressed.

The reason the underwater drone is so successful is that it promotes dive team safety and can cover a larger area. The purpose is “trying to adapt the latest technology to our department and to bring the best technology we can to whatever the situation is,” Sullivan emphasized.

Since drones have a significant cost at $30,000, it is important that departments are willing to share their equipment and technology.

Sullivan admitted mutual aid and contacts between departments are important so each department does not have to spend the money on

each device. Harrison County is willing to take their drone wherever they can to help.

Sullivan knew there was a need for the underwater drone, and he wanted to address that need so he made it a budget item. While he knew budgeting for it would be difficult, his goal was for the department to do what they needed to do in order to get the drone. They have now had the drones for two to three years.

While it is not something the department uses every day, Sullivan would rather live by the Boy Scout motto and “be prepared.” On top of search and rescue missions, the underwater drone can also assist in inspections of bridges and beams to show engineers if it is safe and give them a better view. Even when they are not using it, it gives the department and community peace of mind, knowing it is available in their toolbox when they do. The goal for Sullivan is to expand the availability and use of the drone. “The reality is we will have to use it,” Sullivan stated.

“People need to understand it’s not something you’re going to use every day, but it’s still useful,” Sullivan emphasized.

He recommends when a community considers getting an underwater drone or similar technology, multiple communities work together to acquire it and train together for it because it may not be fitted for each community. Before spending the money, Sullivan recommended speaking with other departments and doing research to see if it is necessary for that department. However, if it is, teaming up can expand the benefits to multiple communities. He stressed the exceptional relationship Harrison County has with its board of supervisors in allowing the fire department to purchase items that are beneficial to the community as a whole.

While it does not replace dive teams, these underwater drones make their jobs safer and more successful. When it comes to using the drones, Sullivan stated, “Anything I can do to reduce risk to personnel, I have an obligation to do that. Obligation to get tools to make first responders safer.”

JANUARY 2022 | THE MUNICIPAL 51

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Conference Calendar To list your upcoming conference or seminar in The Municipal at no charge, call (800) 733-4111, ext. 2307, or email the information to swright@the-papers.com.

J A N UA R Y Jan. 6-9 ACA Winter Conference Phoenix, Ariz. https://www.aca.org/ Jan. 8-11 FPCA Mid-Winter Training Conference & Expo Rosen Plaza Hotel, Orlando, Fla. https://fpca.com/mid-winterconference Jan. 10-13 FDSOA 2022 Fire Apparatus, Safety and Maintenance Conference Scottsdale, Ariz. https://www.fdsoa.org/ Jan. 11-13 SDARWS Annual Technical Conference Ramkota Hotel & Conference Center, Pierre, S.D. http://www.sdarws.com/ annual-conference.html Jan. 11-13 Northern Green 2022 Minneapolis Convention Center, Minneapolis, Minn. https://northerngreen.org/ Jan. 18-20 World of Concrete Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nev. www.worldofconcrete.com Jan. 11-13 Landscape Ontario Congress Trade Show Toronto Congress Centre, Toronto, Canada congressredefined.com Jan. 18-20 Landscape Ontario Congress Virtural https://locongress.com/ Jan. 18-21 Fire-Rescue East Ocean Center, Daytona Beach, Fla. (Some Virtual Sessions) Ffca.org

Jan. 19-21 Arkansas Municipal League Winter Conference Statehouse Convention Center, Little Rock, Ark. (Virtual https:// web.cvent.com/) https://www.arml.org/

Jan. 26-28 PowerGen International Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, Dallas, Texas www.powergen.com

Jan. 19-21 Alabama City County Management Assn Winter Conference The Westin, Birmingham, Ala. https://www.accma-online.org/

Jan. 26-28 ACMA Winter Conference Sedona, Ariz. https://azmanagement.org/ events/

Jan. 19-21 U.S. Conference of Mayors 90th Winter Meeting Washington, D.C. https://www.usmayors.org/ meetings/

Jan. 26-28 Indiana Assn. of Chiefs of Police Mid-Winter Conference Crowne Plaza Hotel, Indianapolis, Ind. https://www.iacop.org/midwinter-conference-tradeshow

Jan. 21-22 Massachusetts Municipal Association Annual Meeting & Trade Show Boston, Mass. https://www.mma.org/ annual-meeting/schedule-andspeakers/ Jan. 23-25 NAPO’s 33rd Annual PFM Pension & Benefits Seminar Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, Nev. https://www.napo.org/events/ upcoming-events/ Jan. 23-25 Alabama Recreation & Parks Association State Conference The Westin, Huntsville, Ala. https://www.arpaonline.org/ event/arpa-state-conference Jan. 24-27 Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week ‘22 Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, Grapevine, Texas https://www.hdaw.org/2022/ Public/Enter.aspx

52 THE MUNICIPAL | JANUARY 2022

Jan. 27 City Action days Virtual https://wacities.org/eventseducation/conferences Jan. 27 Rhode Island League of Cities & Towns Convention Crowne Plaza Athe the Crossings, Warwick, R. I. https://www.rileague.org/100/ Annual-Convention Jan. 27-28 Wastewater Administrators Conference Bavarian Inn Lodge, Frankenmuth, Mich. https://www.viethconsulting. com/Calendar Jan. 27-29 IAPD/IPRA Soaring to New Heights Conference Hyatt Regency, Chicago, Ill. https://www.ilparksconference. com/#about

Jan. 31- Feb. 3 ARFF Training Alliance Leadership Symposium Omni Hotel, Frisco, Texas https://arffwg.org/ conferences/2022-arffleadership-conference/ Jan. 31- Feb. 3 NWRA Annual Conference Tuscany Suites, Las Vegas, Nev. http://www.nvwra.org/2022annual-conference-week Jan. 31-Feb. 3 CADCA 32nd Annual National Leadership Forum Gaylord National, National Harbor, Md. www.cadca.org/events

F E B R UA R Y Feb. 1 North Dakota Rural Water Systems Annual Meeting Fargo, S.D. https://www.ndrw.org/events Feb. 1-3 Tenn. Fire Chiefs Association Winter Conference Double Tree Hotel, Jackson, Tenn. https://www.tnfirechiefs.com/ conferences Feb. 1-3 MWUA 96th Annual Conference & Tradeshow Augusta, Maine https://mwua.org/mwua-96thannual-conference/ Feb. 2-4 League of California Cities City Managers Conference Montery, Calif. https://www.calcities.org/ detail-

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We sell directly, FD to FD, for Fair Market Value!

1998 Pierce Pumper

SOLD FROM A NEW YORK FD TO AN ARKANSAS FD ~ OUR BUYERS ARE LOOKING ~ TEXT FIRETEC: 802-431-6033 It’s easy to get started!

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800-347-3832 or text us to 802-431-6033 FIRETEC USED APPARATUS SALES WWW.FIRETEC.COM • EMAIL: FIRETEC@FIRETEC.COM

2004 Johnston Madvac LS-175 Sweeper Detroit diesel, Water tank and hose, Cab air/ heat, Books and receipts/service records $22,500

End Terminals We offer a full line of tangent, flared and median guardrail end terminals tested to and eligible for reimbursement under established federal crash test standards. The SoftStop® System tangent terminal is tested to MASH 2016 criteria.

Mike Rinker Farm Equipment | Albany, Indiana 765-748-1200 | www.MikeRinkerFarmEquipment.com

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JANUARY 2022 | THE MUNICIPAL 53

GIVE US FIVE MINUTES, WE’LL TRANSFORM YOUR TRUCK Safely maximize your workforce with Switch-N-Go® interchangeable truck bodies.

• Non-CDL Trucks • Ground Level Loading • One Truck with Multiple Interchangeable Bodies • 3 Minute Changeover • Multi-Seasonal Use

www.switchngo.com/municipalities 54 THE MUNICIPAL | JANUARY 2022

Maintenance-Free Solutions

STEEL AFTER 12 YEARS

STRONGWELL FRP AFTER 12 YEARS

STOP THE NEVER-ENDING MAINTENANCE CYCLE! No need for constant painting or upkeep with Strongwell FRP railings, gratings, and structures.

Long-term, cost effective solutions with lower life cycle costs.

Above: This coal preparation plant is highly corrosive due to coal with high sulphur content that, in an effort to reduce dust, is sprayed with water that is sourced from local wells, which is always high in salt and chlorides. This chemical combination can destroy carbon steel in 1-2 years and stainless steel in 5-6 years. As seen in the right image, however, Strongwell’s SAFRAIL™ industrial railing system and DURAGRID® pultruded grating continues to stay corrosion resistant years after steel would have required replacement.

Learn More at strongwell.com/municipal

Proudly Made in the U.S.A. The World Leader in Pultrusion and Pultruded Fiberglass Structures & Shapes

276-645-8000 • info@strongwell.com www.strongwell.com

News & Notes New QuickJack TL Portable Car Lifts raise virtually any car, SUV or light truck higher in just 30 seconds SANTA PAULA, CALIF. — QuickJack, the brand that revolutionized vehicle lifting at home, at the track and at the shop when it hit the scene in 2015, has improved almost its entire lineup of portable car lifts to offer customers greater lifting height and versatility.

QuickJack lifts are compact, frame-engaging models with an open-center design for complete access to the vehicle’s undercarriage. The new QuickJack TL Series lifts provide an additional 3 inches of lifting height over the outgoing SLX models — for a full 2 feet or more of ground clearance. The increased lifting height allows for improved access and working room under the vehicle for maintenance and repair tasks, plus it offers even better ergonomics for wheel work and detailing.

“We invented QuickJack to give customers a faster, safer lifting alternative to floor jacks, stands or ramps without the expense or massive space requirements of a permanently installed lift. The original QuickJack design was an immediate hit with consumers and professionals alike,” explained Jeff Kritzer, BendPak executive vice president. “Now, our product design and engineering team has made this professional-grade lift line even better, adding rise height while maintaining the compact, portable package our customers love.”

The new QuickJack TL line includes four models to handle everything from cars to light trucks: 5000TL: 5,000-pounds capacity, 24-in. lifting height, 70-in. frame, 3-in. lowered height 5000TLX: 5,000-pounds capacity, 24-in. lifting height, 76-in. frame, 3-in. lowered height 7000TL: 7,000-pounds capacity, 24.25-in. lifting height, 70.75in. frame, 3.5-in. lowered height 7000TLX: 7,000-pounds capacity, 24.5-in. lifting height, 76-in. frame, 3.5-in. lowered height All QuickJack TL models feature pendant controls for onehanded operation, dual-position automatic safety locks and durable urethane wheels to make it easy to roll the lift wherever it’s needed. Each lift reaches its full height in just 30 seconds.

When the job is done, the lifts collapse to 3 to 3.5 inches high and can hang on a wall, slide under a toolbox, or go into the trunk until next time. All are backed by a standard one-year warranty and priced under $2,000 with free shipping in the continental United States.

Customers who currently have QuickJack SL models can upgrade their lifts to get the additional rise by purchasing new TL frame assemblies.

To order or learn more about the QuickJack TL lifts, visit quickjack.com or call (888) 262-3880 Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.

Buyers Products announces 10 1/2-foot V-plow for Class 4-6 trucks CLEVELAND, OHIO — Buyers Products, a leading manufacturer of work truck equipment, announced the release of a 10 1/-foot V-plow designed for very heavy-duty use. The new SnowDogg VXXII plow mounts to Class 4-6 trucks, with wings that ascend 56 THE MUNICIPAL | JANUARY 2022

from 35 inches in the middle to 45 inches on either end. The plow is the result of increasing market demand for such a large V-plow.

The SnowDogg VXXII went through over two years of rigorous testing and design before being released. The SnowDogg team, including a host of engineers, product managers and manufacturing staff, worked directly with some of the country’s largest snow and ice contractors to refine every detail.

“It took us several tries to really nail the design,” said Scott Moorman, director of snow and ice equipment at Buyers Products. “Each iteration got closer and closer, but we weren’t going to settle for anything less than perfection. The feedback from the field testers was an integral, invaluable piece of this process.

After all, who knows what a plow needs better than the people out there using it every day?”

With its wide wingspan and heavy-duty build, the VXXII specializes in clearing large amounts of heavy, wet snow. The plow features a genuine 304 stainless steel blade with aggressive, flared wings and a robust frame built to absorb heavy impacts. The VXXII also includes popular SnowDogg features like the RapidLink Attachment System and Floating A-frame.

The SnowDogg VXXII is being manufactured at Buyers’ stateof-the-art facility in Northeast Ohio. It will be available for the 2021 winter season.

Visit BuyersProducts.com for more information.

Park and recreation out-of-school time programs are vital for youth ASHBURN, VA. — Out-of-school time programs led by park and recreation professionals have a tremendous impact on children of all ages in communities across the U.S., according to a released report from the National Recreation and Park Association. The report shows that more than four in five park and recreation agencies offer OST programs — including before-school, after-school and summer programs — which provide millions of youth with mentoring, physical activity opportunities, educational support and social connections with peers.

The “2021 NRPA Out-of-School Time Report,” based on survey responses from 331 park and recreation agency directors and recreation leaders, also reveals the coronavirus pandemic led to innovations in OST programming that will continue into the future. These innovations include more outdoor programming, virtual programming and partnerships with school districts to provide learning support.

The report finds that key benefits of OST programs include: • Childcare for working parents and/or caregivers.

• A safe space for children.

• Physical activity through play, exercise and sports.

• S ocialization with peers.

“Out-of-school time programs offered by park and recreation professionals are essential to the well-being of our youth, and to creating healthy, equitable communities,” said Kevin Roth, NRPA vice president of research, evaluation and technology. “This report shows that these professionals are committed to providing high-quality care, and to continuing to expand on current offerings to ensure their programming remains relevant and accessible — especially given the COVID-19 pandemic.”

News & Notes Besides, the “2021 NRPA Out-of-School Time Report,” NRPA offers other OST-related resources for park and recreation professionals who provide these programs, such as the “Best Practice Guide for Out-of-School Time Meal Program Models and Sustainability” and NRPA’s “Youth Mentoring Framework.”

To read the 2021 NRPA Out-of-School Time Report, visit https://www.nrpa.org/publications-research/researchpapers/out-of-school-time-survey-results/.Text

• Wireless Speakers. No digging up sidewalks or streets.

• Festivals, parades, special events.

• Ambient music for shopping district.

• Fully outdoorͲrated system.

• Stream music from internet services.

• Acts as a Public Address audio system.

• Play announcements or sponsor ads.

• Easily mounts on street light pole.

News releases regarding personnel changes, other nonproduct-related company changes, association news and awards are printed as space allows. Priority will be given to advertisers and affiliates. Releases not printed in the magazine can be found online at www.themunicipal.com. Call (800) 733–4111, ext. 2307, or email swright@the-papers.com.

• Remote volume control of each unit.

• Remote alarm monitoring.

• Scheduler for timeͲofͲday operation.

• Very highͲquality audio. ©2020 AirNetix, LLC Ͳwww.streetsoundswireless.com Ͳ

www.streetsoundswireless.com

678Ͳ677Ͳ4961

JANUARY 2022 | THE MUNICIPAL 57

North America’s largest work truck event March 8–11, 2022 | Indiana Convention Center | Indianapolis, IN Green Tr uck Summit March 8 | Education sessions begin March 8 Wor k Tr uck Show exhibits March 9–11

Register at worktruckweek.com Advance pricing ends Feb. 8, 2022

Live behind the windshield?

Heated Wiper Blades help you see in the snow. Clearly.

Our premium heated wipers feature a heated frame and silicone blade that melt ice and snow on contact, instantly increasing your visibility and efficiency.

46104 State Highway M26, Atlantic Mine, MI 49905 800-746-0428 | www.everblades.com

TOP 10 Best cities for coffee lovers Some people live for their cup of joe. In fact, the National Coffee Association found that 62% of Americans drink coffee every day, with the average coffee drinker consuming three cups daily.

WalletHub.com notes, “Coffee consumption has also risen 8% since January 2020, in part due to the stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

As winter sinks its teeth in, coffee will continue to fill many mugs and thermoses; however, some cities have a more robust java culture than others. WalletHub compared the U.S.’s 100 largest cities across 12 key indicators of coffee lover-friendliness to determine the best coffee scene.

It notes, “Our data set ranges from coffee shops, coffee houses and cafés per capita to the average price per pack of coffee.”

1. Portland, Ore.

64.29

2. San Francisco, Calif. 63.40 3. Seattle, Wash.

62.07

4. Orlando, Fla.

60.17

5. Pittsburgh, Pa.

58.82

6. Honolulu, Hawaii

58.61

7. Tampa, Fla.

56.87

8. Miami, Fla.

55.89

9. San Diego, Calif.

55.80

10. Boston, Mass.

55.36 Source: https://wallethub.com/edu/best-cities-for-coffee-lovers/23739

60 THE MUNICIPAL | JANUARY 2022

M

Advertiser Index A

K

Air Netix LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

KM International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

All Access Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Alumitank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

L Land Pride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

American Shoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

M B

Mean Green Mowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

BendPak Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Midwest Sandbags LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Blackburn Manufacturing Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Monroe Truck Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Bonnell Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BACK Buyers Products Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

C Chapin International Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 CleanFix North America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

N National Construction Rentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 NTEA Work Truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

O Omega Industrial Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Clearspan Fabric Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

P E

Prism Lighting Services, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Everblades Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

S F

SL Environmental Law Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

FCAR Tech USA, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Stan Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Fluid Control Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Strongwell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

G

Switch-N-Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

GI Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

T

Greystone Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover, 10-11

Trinity Highway Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

GVM Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

W

H

Winter Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Henderson Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

WWETT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

This index is provided courtesy of the publisher, who assumes no liability for errors or omissions.

JANUARY 2022 | THE MUNICIPAL 61

www.alumitank.com REPLACE IT! AT-IN-3002

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