The Municipal September 2021

The Premier Magazine For America’s Municipalities

September 2021

CRISIS MANAGEMENT

INSIDE: CTECH Manufacturing Communicating in crisis

Bolingbrook, IL Permit No. 1939

PAID PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE

www.themunicipal.com

Revising emergency plans

SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE MUNICIPAL 3

Contents

September 2021 | VOL. 12 No. 6 | www.themunicipal.com

18

17 focus on

CRISIS MANAGEMENT Focus on Crisis 44 Municipal Management: 32 18 Management: Communicating Teamwork propels Nampa in Crisis

22 Focus on Crisis

Management: Two communities revise emergency plans

26 Focus on Crisis

Management: Grandview uses 3D models to map flooding

48

28 Focus on Crisis

Management: Up from the ashes: Greensburg, Pa., Public Works rebuilds after fire

32 Focus on Crisis

Management: River city renovates shoreline for safety, commerce

forward

48 Parks & Environmental

Services: Residents shape Shawnee’s new Wilder Bluff Park

50 Streets, Highways

& Bridges: CDOT’s Bustang displays commitment to reliable transportation

52 Water & Energy: How

multiple energy improvements brought comfort and savings to Jasper County Jail

Waste & Recycling: 42 Public Safety: Minnesota 54 New Massachusetts’ initiative task force aims to alleviate opioid crisis

recycles marine shrink wrap

54 ON THE COVER CTech Manufacturing prides itself on building premium aluminum storage solutions that meet or exceed customers’ expectations. As an organization, CTech strives to employ and develop self-driven, creative problem solvers.

Learn more about the company on page 10.

MANAGEMENT

INSIDE: CTECH Manufacturing Communicating in crisis www.themunicipal.com

4 THE MUNICIPAL | SEPTEMBER 2021

Revising emergency plans

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Departments

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

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

8 Editor’s Note: A wobbly time ahead 10 From the Cover: Wausau Sign Shop project displays customizable cabinets available at CTech

editor SARAH WRIGHT swright@the-papers.com

publication manager CHRIS SMITH chris@themunicipal.com

12 On The Road Again: Alligator Farm & Petting zoo, Hot Springs, Ark.

14 What’s In A Name: Cal-Nev-Ari and Paradise, Nev.

38 City Profile: ‘A capital opportunity’ in Augusta, Maine

senior account executive REES WOODCOCK rees@themunicipal.com

58 Conference Calendar 59 Product Spotlights

graphic designer MARY LESTER mlester@the-papers.com

64 News & Notes 66 Top 10: Best States for Children’s

business manager CARRIE GORALCZYK cgoralczyk@the-papers.com

director of marketing STEVE MEADOWS smeadows@the-papers.com

Health Care

69 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

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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 © 2021.

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Editor’s Note

A wobbly time ahead Sarah Wright | Editor

A

fter several notable years in a row filled with natural disasters and a pandemic, headlines about a wobbly moon simply draw an “oh, of course” reaction. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong, right? So, of course, the moon would start to wobble. Though this is not a sign of the apocalypse, especially when knowing the science behind the event.

According to NASA, this wobble is a natural part of the moon’s 18.6-year cycle. In a July post, the agency noted, “There’s nothing new or dangerous about the wobble; it was first reported in 1728. What’s new is how one of the wobble’s effects on the moon’s gravitational pull — the main cause of Earth’s tides — will combine with rising sea levels resulting from the planet’s warming.”

Paired with rising sea levels, the NASA Sea Level Change Science Team from the University of Hawaii projects every U.S. coast will experience rapidly increasing high tide floods in the mid-2030s.

Increased flooding has already been experienced by cities along the coasts. In 2019 alone, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported more than 600 floods. But to be forewarned about the additional impact of this natural occurrence is to be forearmed, and many coastal cities are examining the best paths forward for their communities.

In this issue, The Municipal features Troy, N.Y., which has revitalized its seawall following Hurricane Irene’s devastating impact on the Hudson River’s coastline in 2011. Writer Dani Messick shares this project aimed to not only improve safety and reduce flooding but increase river tourism and drive business. At the time, it was the largest infrastructure project Troy had embarked on.

Climate change is truly reshaping cities. With increases in flooding, wildfires, and other disasters, municipalities of all sizes are reexamining their emergency plans to better address future needs.

Writer Janet Patterson spoke with two communities along Highway 101 — Cloverdale, Calif., and Lincoln City, Ore., — that have revised

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their emergency action plans while striving to ensure residents are well informed and educated. That latter part has its challenges for both communities, with one needing to ensure it reaches a sizable Spanish-speaking population and the other weighing how best to reach its large tourist population.

Communication is critical during a crisis, whether it is a minor inconvenience like a boil order or a massive event like a hurricane.

Writer Denise Fedorow spoke with Lakeland, Fla.’s, two utilities, which have both implemented new notification systems. Texts and emails are particularly proving to be the best way to inform as many residents as possible since not everyone is on social media, and even if they are, they aren’t necessarily checking their feeds regularly.

In other examples of crisis management, The Municipal features Greensburg, Pa.’s, recovery following the destruction of its public works building in a fire and Grandview, Mo.’s, use of 3D printing to better understand its flood zones.

As always, stay well.

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From The Cover

CTech set the city’s sign shop up with customized storage space, perfect for its needs as well as solid, uninterrupted work areas. (Photo provided

by CTech Manufacturing)

Wausau sign shop project displays customizable cabinets available at CTech

By NICHOLETTE CARLSON | The Municipal

One of the most important aspects of a business is its versatility in providing its customers exactly what they need. CTech Manufacturing showcased its ability to specially customize a job when it built and installed the custom cabinets in the city of Wausau, Wis.’s, new sign shop.

The city of Wausau saw the quality of product offered from CTech Manufacturing through its work with different schools, including North Central Technical College, DC Everest, Wittenberg High School and Stevens Point Area Senior High. After seeing this work, the city reached out to CTech to meet the needs of its sign shop.

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The city’s sign shop serves a variety of functions — from office to sign making shop to storage to break room — and it needed the ability to properly utilize the space it had for each of these. In order to properly serve all these necessary functions, each area needed its own specific, custom storage solutions.

LEFT: The Wausau sign shop has multiple uses — office, work space, storage area and break room. This was the area prior to the city’s collaboration with CTech. (Photo provided by CTech Manufacturing)

ABOVE: After the cabinet remodel, the sign shop had significantly more open space and storage and much less clutter. (Photo provided by CTech Manufacturing)

Nate Birkenmeier, CTech Manufacturing product line manager, emphasized, “CTech parametric design allows us to build cabinets to the specification of the customer’s storage needs. We make it easy for our dealers because the answer is, ‘Yes, we can do that.’ Each and every order is built to suit our customer’s storage needs.”

For the city’s sign shop project, CTech worked with FSS Business Solutions, one of the company’s dealers, to collaborate with the sign shop on what its storage needs were and then install the cabinetry after it was designed. CTech, FSS and the city all worked together to collaborate on the best storage solutions for the sign shop. In under a week, they designed the best layout for the most efficient and productive work environment. When it came to completing the project, CTech had the cabinetry manufactured within 30 business days and FSS completed the install process in just a few days.

Some of the customized options CTech provided were multiple desk base cabinets, island worktop cabinets and a stand-up cabinet package with overhead storage. The island cabinet, however, stood out specifically among the rest. The island provides an uninterrupted, solid workspace surface while also providing plenty of drawer storage for necessary supplies and materials below. Birkenmeier mentioned, “The sign shop works with vinyl and adhesives on a daily basis, so the storage of the rolls of vinyl and adhesives was a key component of storage. Putting the vinyl rolls in CTech drawers limited the amount of exposure to dust.”

Sit-down office spaces were outfitted with MotionLatch® drawers in order to house office materials and production assets. In order to ensure employees had appropriate working space, open areas and compartments were designed into the system.

The reduction and, in some cases, total elimination of clutter in this space is a sure sign that the project was a major success.

CTech Manufacturing provides easily customizable cabinets to fit any space for any application. “All aluminum construction, extrusion framing, tough powder coat finish, MotionLatch® drawers and doors, parametric design, items built to suit, customer service second to none and a great certified dealer network sets CTech apart,” Birkenmeier stated.

Cabinets are not the only thing CTech can customize for customers. It can also provide carts, drawers, tactical boxes, mobile medical labs and personal protective equipment, and accessories.

Some exclusive features offered by CTech include the aforementioned MotionLatch® drawers, which allow for one hand, one motion opening and closing; GasketLoc™ countertop, which hides all fasteners and keeps unwanted liquid from entering a cabinet; Adjust-A-Loc™ shelving, which helps the cart change over time as different needs arise; custom openings for specialized equipment, including venting; and a choice of 10 standard powder coat colors to protect against the elements.

Besides manufacturing each of these customizable products, CTech also provides a service industry with industrial carts, service and mechanic truck body tool drawers, specialty vehicles, CopBox Cabinets® and more.

CTech has a new online cabinet configurator to help customers design the right cabinets to meet their needs. Customers can choose from a base, overhead, wall or closet cabinet and customize from there.

Visit their website at www.ctechmanufacturing.com/shop for more details.

SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE MUNICIPAL 11

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On The Road Again

Hot Springs, Ark.

By RAY BALOGH | The Municipal

The ostensibly oxymoronic name of the Arkansas Alligator Farm and Petting Zoo might cause one some apprehension.

ABOVE: The attraction puts on alligator feeding shows three times a week. “Alligators are not really that mean or aggressive,” said Jamie Bridges, who co-owns and managers the attraction. “You can poke them and they will move out of the way.”

TOP: The Arkansas Alligator Farm and Petting Zoo receives about 300 visitors a month during its busiest months during spring and summer breaks.

Photos provided by Designs Group Consulting

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But the family-oriented attraction in Hot Springs has been entertaining and educating children and adults for more than a century.

Yes, it is possible to hold and pet a baby alligator. In fact, that is one of the most popular features of the tourist attraction, which also maintains a petting area with emus, pygmy goats, miniature donkeys and sheep.

Also housed at the zoo: a cougar, lemurs, flat-nosed guenon monkey, wolves, ducks, wild turkeys, rabbits, raccoons, turtles, black belly sheep, peacocks, silkies (described as a cross between a chicken and a rabbit) and other domestic and exotic animals.

Visitors can feed the animals in the petting zoo, with all feed provided by the management; for $5 a venture, they can also feed baby alligators meat on a stick or some of the aviary’s 80 parakeets seeds on a stick. Alligator feeding shows are held at noon every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday May through mid-October. Typically 100 to 200 spectators line the fence to watch the show.

“Some people come back every year,” said Jamie Bridges, who manages the enterprise, “and we get 99% positive reviews.” He shows up at

The baby alligators can be fed and held. “We put rubber bands around their mouths,” said Jamie Bridges, manager. “Alligators can close their jaws with tremendous force, but have very few muscles to open them.”

the farm and zoo two hours before the doors open to clean the place to remove any offensive smells. “We are a family attraction,” he said.

“We’ve seen people bring their kids and grandkids.”

The alligator farm was founded in 1902 by H.L. Campbell and once contained a marine museum, complete with a merman. The attraction was a popular choice for tourists visiting the nearby hot thermal baths.

Also patronizing the farm were the many Major League Baseball teams who conducted spring training in Hot Springs. A baseball field was situated across the street, and Babe Ruth is purported to have hit a home run into the alligator pen.

In 1965 Jack Bridges Jr. and his wife, Sue, purchased the business, added several new species to the zoo and opened a gift shop, complete with some original display cases from 1945. The attraction is currently managed by their son Jamie and his wife, Suzy, who are also 75% owners. Jamie’s brother owns the remaining 25% interest.

“The busiest months are March, June, July and August,” said Jamie, noting the contiguous states to the south — Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi — all observe their statewide spring breaks during different weeks in March. During those four months, the attraction receives about 1,200 visitors each month.

Jamie figured the alligator farm and petting zoo has seen patrons from all 50 states, as well as Canada, Japan, Australia and several European countries.

The gift shop sells a variety of apparel, souvenirs and local artisan craftwork, with the most popular items being T-shirts, shot glasses, mugs, alligator heads, back scratchers, key chains and magnets.

The farm and zoo also maintains a Facebook page and frequently posts educational snippets for the viewers. Among the tidbits of information: • The temperature of an alligator nest determines the gender of the babies. Low temperatures produce females and higher ones produce males.

• Baby alligators develop in eggs and have an “egg tooth” that helps them break out of their shells.

Lemurs in the zoo cast a wide-eyed curious look at the humans watching them.

• Alligators often rest with their mouth open to release heat, similar to a dog panting.

• As an alligator’s teeth are worn down, new ones grow in to replace them. In a lifetime, an alligator may have as many as 3,000 teeth.

• Alligators can survive two to three years without eating.

• Albino alligators are extremely rare, with biologists estimating only about 100 exist throughout the world.

• Alligator snapping turtles are the biggest freshwater turtles in North America. The largest one on record weighed 249 pounds.

• Wild turkeys can swim by tucking in their wings, spreading out their tails and kicking.

• A group of turkeys is called a rafter.

• Mountain lions prey on deer, but they will also eat other smaller animals, even coyotes, porcupines and raccoons. They will often hide their kills and feed on them for several days.

• Pygmy goats can produce one to two quarts of milk a day.

The admission fee is $9 for adults, $7 for children 3-12 and free for children 2 and under. Groups rates for 20 or more visitors are $6.50 for adults and $4.50 for children 3-12. Military and senior discounts are available and printable coupons can be downloaded from the attraction’s website and Facebook page.

The Arkansas Alligator Farm and Petting Zoo is located at 847 Whittington Ave., Hot Springs, Ark., and is open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Jamie suggested visitors should arrive by 4 p.m. “People spend an average time of 45 minutes with us, but most spend more time here.”

For more information, call (501) 623-6172 or visit www.alligatorfarmzoo.com or www.facebook.com/alligatorfarmzoo.

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What’s In A Name

Cal-Nev-Ari and Paradise, Nev.

By RAY BALOGH | The Municipal Not all unincorporated towns are created equal. In fact, Cal-Nev-Ari and Paradise, Nev. could hardly differ more.

Most of the famous Las Vegas Strip lies in Paradise, not Las Vegas, as does McCarran International Airport and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. (Photo by Lucky-photographer) A dirt airstrip was the first improvement that drew visitors, mostly recreational pilots, to the desert community of Cal-Nev-Ari, Nev. (Photo courtesy of Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Cal-Nev-Ari Cal-Nev-Ari (pronounced Cal-Nev-Air) is a small census-designated place located near where the southern spear of Nevada terminates at the geographic tangent of California and Arizona.

Its current population of 111 is less than half the 2010 census count, and barely one-third its residency of 350 people a handful of years ago.

The community was founded in 1965 by Slim and Nancy Kidwell, avid private pilots who were looking to create a town for kindred spirits, complete with backyard hangars, a central airstrip and a fly-in casino.

They petitioned the U.S. government for a deed to a 640-acre parcel that included a long-abandoned emergency airfield carved in the Mojave Desert for Gen. George Patton’s World War II training complex.

After demonstrating their ability to meet the government’s requirements for the transfer of ownership — developing a water source and growing a beneficial crop — they received the deed and commenced developing the town.

The Kidwells first laid the infrastructure for a mobile home park and service station. Next came the casino — opened March 16, 1968 — followed by a restaurant, bar, 10-room hotel and RV park.

They sold one-acre and half-acre lots, and more than 100 private residences sprang up.

Since Cal-Nev-Ari’s founding, the Kidwells have owned all the public spaces and businesses and have been the town’s only employer.

Slim Kidwell passed away in 1983, and Nancy subsequently married Ace, Slim’s son from a previous relationship. Ace died in 2011 14 THE MUNICIPAL | SEPTEMBER 2021

and Nancy put the town up for sale in 2016. The asking price is $8 million, and several entrepreneurs have shown interest, hoping to develop the town and an adjoining 520 acres of undeveloped land into a retirement community or marijuana resort.

Paradise Paradise, with a population of 235,087, is the most populous unincorporated town in the United States. Located adjacent to Las Vegas, it is largely unheard of, reposed in the shadow of the socalled Neon Capital of the World.

But that is exactly how the Clark County Commission, which governs Paradise, wants it. To be annexed by Las Vegas would result in significantly higher taxes, and residents have successfully protested several attempts at a municipal takeover.

In 1975 the state’s legislative attempt to incorporate Paradise was ruled unconstitutional by the Nevada Supreme Court.

Paradise was formed on Dec. 8, 1950, and extends from the southern city limits of Las Vegas three more miles to the south.

Paradise contains the most tourist attractions in the area. In fact, one could land at McCarren International Airport; visit the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; ride the Las Vegas monorail; and dabble in the various entertainments up and down the Las Vegas strip — and not once set foot inside Sin City.

Even today, owners try to build their casinos within Paradise’s geographical limits to avoid paying higher taxes.

Paradise is home to the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League, the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders and the Las Vegas Aces of the Women’s National Basketball Association.

The town started with a strip of land one mile wide and four miles long and has since expanded across a 54-square-mile area.

All of its utilities and government services are provided by the county.

For more information, visit www.clarkcountynv.gov.

Focus on: Crisis Management

30% The percentage of Cloverdale, Calif.’s, population that speaks Spanish. The city factored in this fact while revising its emergency action plan.

CRISIS MANAGEMENT Focus on:

Learn more on page 22.

30 Days $1.8 million

After its public works building was destroyed in a fire, Greensburg, Pa., awarded the general construction contract to C. Tucker Cope & Associates for $1.8 million to build a new structure.

Read more on page 28.

20,000 Nearly 20,000 firefighters were working to contain 80 large, active wildfires that have burned more than 1.1 million acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Most of those fires are burning in Montana, Idaho, California and Oregon.

In 2017, Grandview, Mo., had two “100-year rains” within 30 days of each other.

To better understand stormwater flow and runoff in the area, the officials created a 3D model of the entire city.

Read more on page 26.

$28 million Following Hurricane Irene, Troy, N.Y., spent approximately $28 million to renovate its seawall.

Learn more about this project on page 32.

Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/fires-in-oregon-california-grow-as-heat -wave-continues-in-parts-of-west-11626705287

30

Since 2019, at least 30 U.S. cities have taken new actions, such as hiring a specialist, to combat the impact of extreme weather.

These cities include Phoenix, Ariz.; Houston, Texas; Louisville, Ky.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Oakland, Calif.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/ us-cities-hire-specialists-counter-climate-change-impacts-worsen-2021-06-01/

112 Degrees When the temperature in Portland, Ore., reached 112 degrees, a power cable on a major bridge for the city’s streetcar warped.

Other streetcar wires expanded and sagged elsewhere in the city, forcing the streetcar system to shut down.

Source: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/06/ portland-seattle-heatwave-warning/619313/

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M Focus on: Crisis Management

Communicating in

By DENISE FEDOROW | The Municipal

When communities are in crisis, whether it’s a power outage, weather-related disasters or the need for a boil order, getting the information to residents and businesses is critical. With all the communication methods available now, cities and towns have shifted to meet people where they are.

Most municipalities and their departments have Facebook pages and Twitter accounts where they post up-to-date information, but not everyone has social media and even those who do aren’t constantly checking it or are not connected to their municipality’s pages. Therefore, many communities are using a variety of methods — emails, text messages and robocalls — as well as social media to keep their folks in the know.

One community that has enhanced its notification system is Lakeland, Fla. The electric and water utilities in Lakeland have each updated the way they inform customers when something is amiss.

Cathryn Lacy, utilities marketing manager for Lakeland Electric, said the utility has two separate notifications by text message — one for outages and the other for billing and usage. It has been sending outage alerts since 2018 but more recently updated the outage map, which has added more options.

“We’re really pleased, and we’ve gotten great customer feedback,” she said.

The system Lakeland Electric uses is called Notify through Kubra.

It’s a fully integrated smart grid system. When a meter goes out of power, Lacy said, “It sends a last gasp to us and immediately goes into the system and goes directly to the call center and the lineman.”

It also generates a text notification. She said the utility notifies customers by email, text and voicemail.

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The system also gives status updates regarding the outage, like crews are en route, the reason for the outage and if it’s taking longer than expected for crews to get there or to fix the problem.

Lacy said the utility also sends notices for planned outages, too, like when workers will be trimming trees or doing substation maintenance.

Planned outages are sent predominately by email, but customers can choose to be notified by text message.

According to Lacy, it was after Hurricane Irma hit the area in 2017 that Lakeland Electric made the decision to go with this system, and it was implemented in 2018.

“It’s just been a huge success for our customers,” she said.

Lacy shared an anecdote of a speaking engagement she had with a homeowners association community in 2018. She said there had been a power outage in the neighborhood that same day. After her presentation, when she asked if there were any questions, “Every hand went up! I thought, ‘Oh dear.’”

But the residents all wanted to share how they received text messages about their power outage, how it had told them what the problem was and they were so happy about it.

“I never had so many positive comments — customers were in the know,” she said.

Another advantage is for the seasonal residents — aka “snowbirds.”

She noted, “We have so many snowbirds here. They own property

The reflection of downtown Lakeland, Fla.’s, skyline is shown on Lake Mirror. (Photo provided by the city of Lakeland, Fla.)

here but are not here all the time. They’ll still get the updates even if they’re out of state.”

The challenge sometimes is keeping current phone numbers so Lakeland Electric just launched a new website that’s easier for users to go in and update their contact information.

On the nonemergency side, Lacy said she was pretty excited about the Apogee billing system, which offers a variety of options for customers to take advantage of. She said customers can go into the system and sign up for email or text notifications to inform them when a new bill is sent, remind them to pay their bill or if they’re set up on auto pay, it’ll tell them when payment is approved or if auto pay expired.

It also informs customers of usage.

“Because we have a smart grid once we have 12 months data, we can tell them when they use more electricity than in the past. Customers can also set limits either on Kilowatt hours or dollar amounts, and if it goes over that limit, it’ll send a text message so customers can make adjustments.”

Lacy said the goal is customers don’t get a big unexpected bill at the end of the month — particularly in the hot summer months when air conditioner usage is up. Customers can know halfway through the billing cycle and determine what the bill will be at the end of the cycle.

“It’s extremely accurate,” she said. “The algorithms combine history and temperature to get a very accurate prediction of what their bill will be at the end of the month.”

Lacy also pointed out with the new outage map the outage alert system was turned into an opt-out program. If the utility had a cellphone number for the customer, they were auto-enrolled into text message alerts. They had to opt out or change to email notifications if that was their preference.

The utility also uses the bill and usage alerts to promote time-of-use demand rates. It informs customers how to save money and be more energy efficient by reducing usage during peak times.

“It’s been a great tool because it’s putting power in their hands,” she said.

While Lakeland Electric has increased notification about the COVID pandemic, its focus was on assistance programs and payment plan options, and that information was transmitted through

Wildlife enjoy the view of Lake Mirror with the Lakeland skyline in the background. Lakeland utilities upgraded their notification systems to inform residents in the event of a crisis to the utilities.

(Photo provided by the city of Lakeland, Fla.)

Factors to consider about informing the public Although not specifically about crisis notification, the Environmental Protection Agency offers these factors to consider when deciding how to inform the public: • What existing communication networks are available to share information?

• What forms of information are more likely to resonate with the target populations and therefore be more effective?

• Are there multiple languages in the community? How will you accommodate those languages?

• What is the literacy level of the community? Will they understand the information you’re trying to convey?

• Are there types of communication that will not work with the target audiences?

• Are there communication vehicles or media outlets considered to be more trustworthy than others that would be good vehicles for sharing information?

Source: http://www.epa.gov/international-cooperation/ public-participation-guide-tools-to-inform-public

SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE MUNICIPAL 19

continued from page 19

customers’ bills, the utility’s website and social media, not through the alert system.

The utility can also send out emergency notifications in case of an official emergency, like a hurricane. Lacy said those alerts would depend on the situation but are usually along the lines of messages encouraging customers to be prepared and expect an impact from the storm.

Water utility The city of Lakeland Water Utility enacted a new notification system April 30. Raymond Hoppenworth, CPM, smart grid systems manager for Lakeland Water Utilities, shared the application the utility is using is called Everbridge Suite.

“At this point, it’s primarily used to notify customers when there are precautionary boil water notices, their related rescission notices and any planned outages.”

Hoppenworth said the system is provided by an international company with a proven track record of delivering such messages across the globe. The new system replaces the previous notification system that required door hangers to be physically placed at each impacted location.

“As you can imagine if one of the events impacted 200-plus locations, hanging those door hangers was time consuming, expensive and slow to distribute important information to our customers,” he said.

A previous story in the press also mentioned the utility also heard complaints from customers who don’t use the front door so they didn’t see the door hanger. Hoppenworth said Everbridge gives them the ability to send notifications out so customers get the information much faster.

“Our crews can now focus on the needed repairs to get the customers back in service quicker,” he said.

The customer will receive multiple notifications in the following order — phone calls first, text messaging second and an email will be the final notification. Customers are asked to acknowledge receipt of the message, and if they don’t, the next method will be used. Once the customer confirms receipt of the notice, the system stops.

Hoppenworth said the response by customers has been mixed but mostly positive.

“By far, most of the comments received have been positive,” he said.

According to Hoppenworth, the negative comments officials have received have been about receiving multiple notifications, which customers could avoid by acknowledging receipt of the notification.

“As with any new process, there’s a learning curve,” Hoppenworth said. “Our goal is to deliver this important information to our customers quicker to keep them updated on any event that may impact their water supply. Everbridge allows us to accomplish this much faster than the previous notification method we were using.”

Boston increases available languages The city of Boston has had an alert system for several years. In August 2016, its system, AlertBoston through CodeRED, was upgraded. The system alerts residents, businesses and visitors by phone, text or email, and at that time had the capability to deliver alerts in four languages — English, Spanish, French and Chinese — according to the city’s website.

20 THE MUNICIPAL | SEPTEMBER 2021

Swans have been honored in Lakeland, Fla., and reportedly they’re the city’s mascot. The story is the swans that were found swimming on the lakes had all died off by 1954, and a pair of swans from London, donated by Queen Elizabeth after she heard of the swans’ plight, were shipped to the city. (Photo provided by the city of Lakeland, Fla.)

Pictured is Lakeland, Fla.’s, city hall. Lakeland’s electric and water utilities have implemented text message notification systems to quickly inform residents of power outages and boil orders, for example. (Photo provided by the city of Lakeland, Fla.)

The messages are sent in the event of severe weather, parking bans and street closures, and the upgrade also gave them the option to alert the entire city or just certain impacted areas.

In April 2020, the city increased the text service to include more languages so residents now have the option of 11 languages — English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Cabo Verdean Creole, Somali, Arabic, Vietnamese, Russian and Portuguese.

During COVID, text messages began being sent daily with Boston case numbers, local updates about the spread of the virus, preventative measures to mitigate the spread, etc.

The former mayor was quoted as saying it’s important that the critical public health information the city is sharing reaches every resident

in the language they speak, so collectively as a city, residents can be informed about the seriousness of the virus and work together to stop the spread.

Weekly robocalls were also delivered to residents 60 and older, and sound trucks went through the hardest hit neighborhoods.

Residents can fill out a form on the city’s website and choose the language in which they want to receive notifications, and they could also choose additional alerts for things like street occupancy permit alerts and towed car alerts.

Also, according to the website, current Mayor Kim Janey recently used the AlertBoston system to inform and warn residents about a heat emergency.

Up and running Lacy said Lakeland Electric worked hard to get the system up and communicating with each other — making sure it’s communicating with the customer tool, the asset management tool, etc.

“We worked hard to get that set up and all integrated,” she admitted, but in her opinion, the effort was well worth it.

“I will say it definitely helps during the outage on the call center because customers have proactive messages,” she said. “The customer feedback has been very positive.”

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M Focus on: Crisis Management

By JANET PATTERSON | The Municipal

Two communities revise emergency plans If four fires and a flood in four years were not enough, add in a global pandemic, and it all could make a city want to revise its emergency action plan.

That’s exactly what motivated the city of Cloverdale, Calif., to work on an update to its 14-year-old plan, which now includes instruction about floods, fires, pandemics and other potential emergencies.

“We now have a strong document that will have us prepared for looming disasters,” Cloverdale City Manager David Kelley said.

He credits Cloverdale’s police Chief Jason Ferguson with embracing the project to update and “provide appropriate planning documentation to address the emergencies that are not a matter of ‘if’ but a matter of ‘when.’”

The update is also part of an overall emergency planning effort for all cities in Sonoma County.

The revised plan includes evacuation routes for helping residents navigate their way out of dangers present during a disaster such as a wildfire. “We probably should have had one a long time ago,” Kelley said.

Although Cloverdale has a population of about 9,200 residents, he said surrounding unincorporated communities increase that number along with visitors to the area’s farms, vineyards and towering redwoods.

Kelley said while there are roads passing through Cloverdale, Highway 101 is the main north-south road on which people would leave the area.

Ferguson said the planning team identified evacuation routes “that are critical for traffic safety and emergency response.” By establishing six zones in the area, they assigned a primary and secondary evacuation route for each zone that could be used in an emergency. While he admits that disasters evolve quickly and routes can be blocked by fires, floods and earthquake damage, they’ve given people in the area a guide for the best ways to exit Cloverdale.

The addition of these routes is a response to the need for rapid evacuation for wildfires. “We’re trying to get this in place before the fire season this year.

Dubbed CloveReady, the Cloverdale Wildfire Community Evacuation Plan includes three components: awareness, preparedness and activation.

The awareness piece of the campaign is designed to educate residents on what steps to take to increase their knowledge of changing conditions and the call for action by way of alerts and other media outlets, he explained.

TOP LEFT: Lincoln City, Ore., has traditionally been prepared for earthquakes and tsunamis, but it is now adapting to wildfires.

(Shutterstock.com) BOTTOM LEFT: Cloverdale, Calif., has updated its 14-year-old emergency action plan to include instructions about floods, fires, pandemics and other potential emergencies. In 2019, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a drought emergency in 41 counties in California. Pictured is Lake Sonoma near Cloverdale, which had a water level of 60%. (Shutterstock.com)

22 THE MUNICIPAL | SEPTEMBER 2021

Lincoln City has a population of about 9,000 and also has a tourist population that swells that number every year. Ensuring these temporary residents are versed in emergency preparedness and evacuation procedures is a challenge. Pictured is a scene at Lincoln City’s annual Kite Flying Festival. (Dee Browning/Shutterstock.com)

The challenge for Cloverdale in this part of the plan is reaching all segments of the community, including those who do not speak English, and those with special needs.

“We are trying to take an equitable approach to this. Nearly 30% of our population speaks Spanish. We’re also sensitive to populations like caregivers and management groups who have others to consider,” Kelley continued.

Among these priority populations are homeless residents, people who don’t have access to a vehicle, seniors and people with disabilities, families with children, tourists and evacuees from other towns.

The preparedness phase is to provide guidance to residents to make smart investments in equipment and supplies that will ensure they are prepared to evacuate safely or shelter in place.

And finally, the activation phase of the policy for both evacuation and sheltering

in place is designed to help residents meet their own household’s or immediate neighbors’ needs.

Kelley said the community is recruiting volunteers to create a network that can both inform and organize people to be able to take care of each other in the event of an emergency. This Resilient Cloverdale effort was born out of the 2019 Kincade fire.

The dilemma of mass sheltering has also been under consideration in the plan’s revision in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cloverdale incorporated the mass care and shelter guidance provided by the Sonoma County Department of Emergency Management.

Additions to the plan also include improvements to Cloverdale’s emergency operations center. These provide anyone working in the center with names and contact phone numbers to reach critical individuals and

Lincoln City Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Kenneth Murphy

SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE MUNICIPAL 23

continued from page 23

agencies. Ferguson said they have also compiled checklists for those working at the center who might be unfamiliar with procedures.

“Whether or not you’re 100% confident in what your role is, there’s a checklist that you can go through and line-by-line check off.”

Up Route 101 in Lincoln City, Ore., Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Kenneth Murphy said his community is “indoctrinated in earthquakes and tsunamis.”

Until the Echo Mountain Complex fires in 2020, wildfires were not a great concern to area residents. “Most people didn’t believe a coastal community would have a wildfire.” The fire brought emergency preparedness to the forefront.

“In emergency management, our challenge is to convince people to be prepared.”

The Oregon town of about 9,000 also has a tourist population that swells that number every year.

“We are the third largest city in Oregon for vacation rentals with 500600 vacation rental properties and thousands of hotel rooms.” That fluctuation in the population keeps the retired Federal Emergency Management Agency employee on his toes.

Murphy said Lincoln City has been a “fortunate community that has really never suffered a disaster.”

However, during a power outage, the north end of the community had to evacuate. “The evacuation didn’t go well.”

So, Murphy said the city began working on an evacuation plan keeping in mind that the many visitors to Lincoln City would provide a challenge in implementing the plan.

“We’re a small community with limited streets.” The section of Route 101 that passes through the city alternates between sections of four lanes and sections of two lanes. In an emergency, Murphy said it’s important to keep one lane open for first responders such as police, fire and public works vehicles.

All of this requires communicating the plan to the public, especially to those visitors to the area who may not face emergency evacuations at home.

“I would love to have the evacuation plan for disasters on the back of every hotel room door,” he added.

Another challenge in helping people plan for a disaster is encouraging them to think about priorities. If a person has several cars, a recreational vehicle and a boat, with limited highway capacity, it

Route 101 passes through Lincoln City. (Photo provided)

would be impractical to try to save everything. “But people are going to do what they’re going to do.”

To help Lincoln City residents plan for a variety of emergencies, the city’s website contains a 54-page Lincoln City Family Emergency Preparedness Handbook.

It provides both general instructions and directions specific to wildfires, tsunamis, earthquakes, floods and winter storms. Checklists, charts and questionnaires can help individuals, families and neighborhoods evaluate their resources and determine how to best weather whatever disaster comes their way. The handbook also teaches how to prepare and pack emergency supplies and where to store them to prevent damage.

Murphy said real-time communication to those evacuating is also a consideration. “What is the best way in case communication is down?”

During the power outage, the local radio station could not broadcast because it didn’t have a generator.

He mentioned message reader boards and signage as options. Both Lincoln City and Lincoln County use Everbridge to provide alerts through phone, email, fax or text.

Cloverdale uses the NIXLE system for sending real-time alerts to residents who have signed up for the service.

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SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE MUNICIPAL 25

M Focus on: Crisis Management

Grandview uses 3D models to map flooding

Grandview, Mo., experienced major floods in 2017. 3D models were made of the entire city to provide citizens and engineers with a better understanding of stormwater flow and runoff in the area. (Photo provided by Grandview, Mo.)

26 THE MUNICIPAL | SEPTEMBER 2021

By DEB GERBERS | The Municipal

Grandview, Mo., is a first-ring suburb just south of Kansas City, with a population of about 25,000.

The city has implemented the use of three-dimensional printing to create models of flooded areas following a series of flooding events in 2017. These models were used so engineers, local officials and residents could get a better, more tactile picture of the local terrain and a better understanding of the mechanics of the flooding.

These models also helped refute false information and speed up the problem-solving process.

In 2017, the city had two “100-year rains” within 30 days of each other. Both times, floodwaters rose into the same neighborhood that sits near the Little Blue River. “The first flood alone caused over a million dollars in damages to vehicles and homes in the neighborhood,” said Grandview Communications Manager Valarie Poindexter. “While the Little Blue River did rise over the bridge, there were other factors in play that led to the flooding.”

Certain areas of the city are more prone to flooding than others due to the low-lying ground levels. In a matter of weeks, homes on Merrywood Circle flooded more than once, and the area saw 15 inches of rain. Homes near the Merrywood Bridge are in an especially problematic area. After the heavy rain, the ground was saturated and flooding was top of mind.

As a result of the flooding, the public works director at the time, Dennis Randolph, decided to have a 3D model made of the entire city to provide citizens and engineers with a better understanding of stormwater flow and runoff in the area. The 3D model was made of the entire city of Grandview. The models are constructed in blocks, and when the city has stormwater issues in neighborhoods, officials can take the needed portion of the 3D map to

ABOVE: Many homeowners along the Little Blue River were impacted by flooding. The floods in 2017 resulted in over a million dollars in damages. (Photo provided by Grandview, Mo.)

homeowners association meetings or other neighborhood gatherings.

According to local Kansas City news source, Randolph said the maps will help people living in the area get a better understanding of where the water is running and why. They will also help the city make future development decisions. For cities to better manage floods, 3D models of flood zones can allow city managers to consider preventive plans to reduce any risk that may come from future floods.

Flooding is one of the worst natural disasters that can severely impact a city or town.

Property owners and tenants need flooding insurance to be covered in the event of a flood.

The city of Grandview has several pieces of land that fall on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Flood Insurance Rate Map. After the major floods of 2017 that severely damaged dozens of duplexes and homes, the city of Grandview also compiled a list of responsibilities and resources for citizens.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency issued copies of revised Flood Insurance Rate Map and Flood Insurance Study for all of Jackson County, including Grandview. Revisions

Grandview’s 3D models allow city officials to consider preventive plans to reduce any risk that may come from future floods.

(Photo provided by Grandview, Mo.)

to the existing FIRM maps could impact those properties along or near the Little Blue River and/or major tributaries to the Little Blue River.

Specific to Grandview, those properties along tributaries of the Blue River near the west city limit may be more greatly impacted.

To learn more about the preliminary study for your area, other cities can visit the FEMA website, “View Your Community’s Preliminary Flood Hazard Data,” at https://www.fema.gov/ view-your-communitys-preliminary-floodhazard-data-0.

SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE MUNICIPAL 27

M Focus on: Crisis Management

Up from the ashes: Greensburg, Pa., Public Works rebuilds after fire

By JULIE YOUNG | The Municipal

On Oct.11, 2020, Greensburg, Pa., fire chief Thomas Ball responded to a late-night alarm coming from the community’s public works building on South Urania Avenue. As he drove the three-and-a-half minutes to the garage, Bell wasn’t overly concerned. He expected to find a malfunctioning panel alarm in need of a reset, but when the building came into view, he saw the orange glow of flames, and his heart sank.

28 THE MUNICIPAL | SEPTEMBER 2021

PHOTO ABOVE: The city of Greensburg, Pa., received assists from neighboring communities and local businesses after a fire destroyed its public works building.

(Andre Carrotflower via English Wikimedia Commons; https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en)

On Oct.11, 2020, Greensburg, Pa.’s, public works building was lost in a fire caused by the city’s street sweeper. (Photo provided by the city of Greensburg, Pa.)

“I am also the director of public works for the city of Greensburg, and that garage is my second home. I spend anywhere from eight to 12 hours a day there. However, I had to put my emotions to the side and go into fire chief mode,” he said.

A devastating loss Thankfully, nothing exploded, there were no fatalities and no civilians were injured in the blaze, which was deemed an accident by Bell. He said the fire originated in the street sweeper, but the exact cause of the fire remains unclear.

“We even brought John Deere out to take a look at it, and they couldn’t determine the cause either,” he said.

The fire resulted in a devastating loss for the city. Not only was the garage destroyed, but there was significant damage to the fleet as well.

According to reports, three dump trucks, a front loader, skid steer and pump truck were lost while two other dump trucks sustained repairable damage. Bell said the city council approved the leasing of one truck as well as the purchase of two more plus a skid steer to help rebuild the fleet, but the department has yet to replace the street sweeper. The city has also been looking at creative ways to replace the garage.

The garage was built in 1976, and over the past 45 years, the city’s fleet had stretched the facility to its limit. Bell said the city’s insurance would pay to replace the bicentennial-era building, but an updated

Following the fire, Greensburg has been working to rebuild with the future in mind. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has impacted some plans. (Photo provided by the city of Greensburg, Pa.)

structure would require more resources than Greensburg has. Bell said the city’s budget took a big hit over the course of the pandemic, requiring a more modest upgrade to the proposed building.

“If we have to build, then we have to build for the future, not the past,” Bell said. “I took a proposal to the city council and said that we need to utilize the land a little better, and that’s what we are doing now.”

A new beginning The new garage proposal allows for large, open bays for the city’s fleet as well as office space for the workers. It also incorporates a simple metal building to house equipment and the relocation of the existing salt building to a municipal golf course to make room for the new additions. Bell said the odd shape of the property, lack of parking and the salt storage building limited what could be done with the space. After working with Scott Maritzer of Civil & Environmental Consultants Inc. to design the new facility, Greensburg awarded the general construction contract to C. Tucker Cope & Associates for $1.8 million. Securing the raw materials necessary to build has presented additional challenges to the project, but Bell remains confident it will all work out in the end. He is also grateful for the nearby communities that offered their assistance while the department recovered their fleet from the fire damage.

“Believe it or not, I am working out of three different places at the moment,” he said with a laugh. “We have a stone company that SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE MUNICIPAL 29

continued from page 29

has a big warehouse on the east end of town, and we were able to rent a 5,000-square-foot space from them to store equipment. There is also the Old Freight Station, which is our maintenance and electrical shop, and then we have an emergency operations center — that’s where my crew hangs out every day. I am in the basement with a desk, a night light and an air conditioner plugging away.”

Despite the setback resulting from the fire and the subsequent pandemic, Bell is pleased with the resilience his department showed.

However, he hopes he never has to go through it again and would not wish a similar experience on anyone. If all goes according to plan, the new facility will be completed by January 2022, and when he is in his new office, he vows to supply the champagne for a proper celebration.

As he reflected on the experience, he said it has made his hair a lot grayer than it was before. Not only did he have to couch his emotions in his dual role of fire chief and public works director, but he also had to figure out how to proceed in extraordinary circumstances.

Still, he is grateful the city council and administrators were as supportive as they were.

“They knew what this meant to me,” he said. “They also knew I probably took it harder than anyone. Not only was I born and raised in Greensburg, but my father was the public works director before me, so it was personal. When this is all over, I think the city will be better off than it was before. It’s just going to take time.”

Work is underway to clear the destroyed public works building.

(Photo provided by the city of Greensburg, Pa.)

21_1792_The_Municipal_SEP Mod: July 30, 2021 9:59 AM Print: 08/02/21 11:18:03 AM page 1 v7

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M Focus on: Crisis Management

River city renovates shoreline for safety, commerce

By DANI MESSICK | The Municipal

A city in New York is hoping recent renovations to its seawall will benefit the local economy in conjunction with other marine-related projects.

In 2011, Hurricane Irene devastated the coastline of the Hudson River, specifically in Troy, a historic city where the seawall hadn’t been renovated since its original construction over 100 years ago.

“We are not an area that typically gets hurricanes; it just happens that it went in this direction,” said Monica Kurzejeski, deputy mayor for the city of Troy. “What happened with Irene is it came in through the Gulf and traveled through the Midwest. It was just significant rainfall. We’re more known for nor’easters, where we get a bunch of snowfall. Unfortunately, we also live in a mountainous area; we have the (Adirondack Mountains … ) and a lot of that mountain stream and flow with all their peaks comes down, and all those tributaries go into the Hudson River so it’s all an ecosystem, and it was kind of like the perfect storm. It was a time of year where we typically wouldn’t get flooding.”

The whole system is designed to accommodate that, but as a riverfront community, the city boasts plenty of flood zones.

32 THE MUNICIPAL | SEPTEMBER 2021

This rendering depicts the finalized Troy, N.Y., seawall project, which will not only improve safety but also encourage river tourism. (Photo provided by the city of Troy, N.Y.)

“We’ve always had the Hudson River so we’ve grown accustomed to working with it and respecting its water. You try to make your built form be able to accommodate that so you have little damage when the water recedes and you’re able to clean up quickly, and that’s really where our minds are when we’re looking at redeveloping this community. We are just as affected by tides as the ocean is here. We had buildings very close to or adjacent to the Hudson River that suffered a lot of damage from the flood itself,” said Kurzejeski. “When they did some inspections, they found that some of the area below the water had been scoured out; there was one area that actually tilted and suffered movement.”

According to Kurzejeski, some of the caverns were as much as 20 feet deep and 10 feet tall, and divers were brought in to do underwater concrete work. Through the help of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the New York State Department’s Waterfront Revitalization Initiative, the city rebuilt portions of the seawall as well as anchored the old seawall, designed a new marina,

Troy’s seawall had not been renovated since its original construction over 100 years ago. (Photo provided by the city of Troy, N.Y.)

expanded the downtown park and created a walkway. The project began in May 2018 and was finished in fall 2020.

In addition to the seawall project, the new high-tech marina allows docks to move up and down with the tide. The seawall varies in sections, and boats can go up to 14 feet in height. The boats in the marina have the ability to adjust with the height of the river at that time due to the tide.

The project wasn’t without its difficulties.

“The sea wall had to be built before we could put the marina in, but it had to be designed with the marina in mind because they had to fit together, and the park had to be done with the whole other project because you wanted to make sure how you left the seawall would coincide with the way the park was designed,” said Kurzejeski. “It was a really amazing project.”

Funding was roughly $28 million in total. At the time, it was the largest infrastructure project the city had done. Kurzejeski said the project was geared at safety but also for the benefit of the local economy.

“We had success prior to the seawall (project), and now that we have the new seawall and the new park and the new marina, we’re going to see continued success,” she said. “The marina, as much as it is an amenity, it’s also a tourism draw. Because we are on the Hudson River, and we connect to the canal system, and because we also have the connection to Canada through the Champlain canal system, we typically get a tremendous draw through the boater industry, and what that does is it offers another aspect of tourism that we haven’t had since prior to 2011. We are seeing an uptick in our boating traffic, but what that also does is draw more people to this area as well, and restaurants see the overflow of people coming into this.”

It’s a pretty simple concept: keep the boats safe, keep the water out and bring money to the town.

“If we can help minimize flooding in the future, that helps the existing businesses that are here. The improvement to the physical structure and the land is remarkable to the point where now we have

Work gets underway following the damage to the Hudson River coastline caused by Hurricane Irene. (Photo provided by the city of Troy, N.Y.)

The seawall project was the largest infrastructure project Troy had done up to that point. It cost approximately $28 million in total.

(Photo provided by the city of Troy, N.Y.)

businesses adding onto their buildings; another restaurant added another deck,” said Kurzejeski.

Troy is a historic city of 50,000, and Kurzejeski said the water is an integral part of what kept it going in the past, and it is what will keep it moving into the future.

“When they used the water back in the day, it was for industrial usage; everybody used to drop their waste in the river, but at the same time, it was used for transportation, and it wasn’t necessarily for recreational use back in the Gilded Age or the turn of the century, but now because we are using it as more of an amenity and looking at in a different way,” she said. “This area is more for beautification, recreational use and direct interaction with the waterfront. It draws people to it; it’s an attraction, which also helps bolster the businesses that sit alongside it and the parks, to increase activity around it and hopefully increase property values so we can get great businesses and renovated buildings and be able to bolster them as well.”

SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE MUNICIPAL 33

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‘A capital opportunity’ in

By DENISE FEDOROW | The Municipal

Augusta, Maine, has the distinction of being the third smallest capital city in the United States. It is in the heart of the Kennebec Valley in central Maine and is located on both sides of the river at the head of the tide. The Native American name, Cushnoc, means “head of the tide.” Augusta was named after the daughter of Henry Dearborn, an American soldier and statesman who served under Benedict Arnold in the expedition to Quebec.

Traders first came to the area in the 1600s to establish a trading post.

In 1754 Fort Western was built to protect the site from Indian attacks, and a village soon grew up around the fort.

Loretta Lathe, executive assistant to the city manager and Augusta native, said, “I think the most interesting fact about Augusta is we have the oldest wooden fort in the country, and it’s right next to city hall.”

Old Fort Western Descendents from the original Plymouth Colony tried to settle the area that was called Cushnoc — now Augusta — and called themselves the Kennebec Proprietors. However, they were unable to do so because the King Phillip war erupted in 1676 — the first in a series of wars in New England. The Province of Massachusetts was worried the French would meet up with several tribes of Indians and wipe out all the English settlements. The proprietors approached Royal General William Shirley and made a proposal: If the Province of Massachusetts built a provincial fort at what is now Fort Halifax, it would build a fortified storehouse at Cushnoc as long as Massachusetts 38 THE MUNICIPAL | SEPTEMBER 2021

would man both forts and General Shirley accepted. Construction for both forts began in 1754.

The purpose for building those forts was two-fold — to encourage resettlement of the Kennebec River and to provide necessary stores to Fort Halifax. Provincial stores would come up the Kennebec River and be unloaded and stored at Fort Western. The English capture of Quebec in 1759 reduced the threat of war in the Kennebec Valley.

Within a year, the number of soldiers was reduced to 10. Fort Western continued as a supply depot to store the Indian trade goods destined for Fort Halifax. The English gained control over the Kennebec Valley, and by 1767, the forts became militarily obsolete and Fort Western was decommissioned in 1767.

Fort Western was a complex with a storehouse and a home for Captain James Howard and his family. Lathe said the north end has tenement apartments. “It was Augusta’s first store — it was the heart of everything back then,” she said, adding, “There are block houses on each corner — one has a beautiful gift shop, another has a cannon.”

Today, the city owns the property and the old fort hosts lots of school kids, summer camps, tours and other events. The fort is open

Old Fort Western is the oldest surviving wooden fort in the country and still plays a vital role in the city of Augusta, Maine.

(Shutterstock.com)

Augusta, Maine

The Old Post Office and Courthouse at 295 Water St. is one landmark in Augusta, Maine. It is a beautiful historical building that is still in use as a post office, though the courthouse was relocated.

Numerous businesses also operate from the Romanesque Revival architecture-style building. (Photo provided by the City of Augusta)

daily from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. July 1-Aug. 31 and from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday through Monday Sept. 1-Oct. 31. Admission is free to Augusta residents.

Old post office and courthouse Another important feature of Augusta is the Old Post Office and Courthouse. The historic former federal government building at 295 Water St. in downtown Augusta is one of Maine’s “finest surviving examples

of Romanesque Revival architecture.” Built in 1886-1890, it was listed on the National Historic Register in 1974.

Designed by Mifflin E. Bell, it is a symmetrical two-and-a-half story granite structure with a central tower, flanked on either side by a wall and a smaller tower.

Lathe said it is no longer used as a courthouse, but the post office is still there alongside several other businesses. The inside has a marble staircase, and there are lights on the building that are lit up for different events and themes.

Government, recreation and housing Augusta has a population of around 19,000. Mayor David Rollins and an eight-member council — four ward council members and four atlarge council members — set policy while the city manager deals with the day-to-day operations.

William “Bill” Bridgeo has served in that role for 23 years — the longest in the history of the city — but has announced plans to retire in September.

Dozens of lakes and streams and the Kennebec River create a natural environment with a high quality of life. The Capital Area, as the seat of state and city government, offers a thriving economy and opportunities for new business development. There is also plenty of opportunity for year-round recreational activities.

One area — Capital Park — is called “one of the crown jewels in the state of Maine.” The 34-acre lot includes the Capitol grounds. When it was first developed, 20 acres were fenced off to keep out cattle and were planted with rows of forest trees.

Lathe also highlighted Bond Brook Recreation Area for its network of trails that are also great for cross-country skiing and snowboarding.

“It’s beautiful,” she said.

Viles Arboretum The 200 acres that make up Viles Arboretum — previously Pine Tree State Arboretum — began life in 1835-1905 as a state hospital farm.

During the 1890s, agricultural labor therapy was popular, and patients helped work the farm.

In 1981, the Maine Forest Service began development of the arboretum. In 1982, a nonprofit corporation was formed. During these early years, Elsie and William Viles organized a group of friends and interested individuals to lead the way forward, and the couple provided significant financial support. The name was changed in 2010 to honor the couple.

Lathe said, “Elsie Vile and her husband were big philanthropists — they did a lot for Old Fort The Downtown Riverfront District has been revitalized with trails, shops and Western and the arboretum.”

She said the arboretum has its own board and holds summer camps, plant sales and more.

Adjacent to Vile Arboretum is soccer and softball fields.

Restaurants include Cushnoc Brewing Company — a brewery and pizza place offering wood-fired pizza — Oak Table & Bar and Riverfront BBQ. A unique shop is Merkaba-Sol & The Chocolate Shoppe.

Lathe said when the chocolate shop closed, Merkaba-Sol took it over. The shop has metaphysical supplies like Himalayan salt lamps and unique gifts from around the world.

There are five distinct residential areas in Augusta. Northeastern Augusta has rolling farmlands and several tree-lined ponds and SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE MUNICIPAL 39

continued from page 39

extends to the northern end of downtown. Southeastern Augusta has established in-town neighborhoods, convenient to major regional medical centers, and extends to the rural eastern side.

The capital area is an excellent in-town neighborhood, and a variety of multifamily units surround the scenic, historic center of Maine’s state government. The West Side has elegant historic single-family homes and multifamily options in Augusta’s most historic in-town neighborhood with easy access to downtown and a major transportation corridor. Northwestern Augusta begins with the “Sand Hill” neighborhood in town with single and multifamily housing; it extends westward toward Augusta’s fastest-growing commercial district and pristine rural farmlands.

One of the bigger employers in the city is the state of Maine. Lathe estimated the population triples during the day as workers come into the city. Other big employers are Maine General, the Cancer Center and the University of Maine, Augusta.

If visiting the Pine Tree State, be sure to visit the capital city of Augusta.

The Howard Store in Old Fort Western first acted as a storehouse for military supplies before serving as a trading post for Native American goods. A store is still part of the fort, which is next to the city hall in Augusta. (Photo by Keith Luke, City of Augusta)

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M

Public Safety

Minnesota task force aims to alleviate opioid crisis

By LAUREN CAGGIANO | The Municipal

The Duluth, Minn., Police Department and partners are coming at an existing problem with a new solution.

Lake Superior Drug and Violent Crime Task Force Commander Jeff Kazel TOP PHOTO: Duluth, Minn., Police Department and partners have formed the Lake Superior Drug and Violent Crime Task Force to remove illegal firearms and dangerous substances for their communities. Poverty, lack of economic opportunity and access to opioids through the hospital system both play a part in the area’s opioid crisis.

(Shutterstock.com) 42 THE MUNICIPAL | SEPTEMBER 2021

Lake Superior Drug and Violent Crime Task Force is a multijurisdictional task force composed of multiple members from local and national agencies and has implemented practices to take an illegal firearm and keep dangerous substances off the streets.

Task force Commander Jeff Kazel details the size and scope of the problem.

“I started this job as a commander in 2014,” he said. “I knew we knew we had a problem, but we never really had any hard evidence that showed its severity.”

That all changed in 2015, he said, when the medical department of health came out with their statistics for overdose deaths for all the

counties the task force members serve. He started pouring over the data and learned St. Louis County had the highest overdose rate per capita in the state. For context, this was higher than Hennepin County and other larger population centers.

Why St. Louis County and why now? Kazel said it’s a perfect storm of factors. Poverty, lack of economic opportunity and access to opioids through the hospital system both play a part.

Despite this grim picture, Kazel said the task force is making progress. Though the name of the initiative has changed since its inception about 20 years ago, it is getting

DPD Overdose Numbers (as of 7/8/2021) Duluth PD Opiod Overdoses (Year)

DPD Number of Narcan Saves (as of 7/8/2021)

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Avg.

Total

42 51 90 105 182 106 174 233 175 122.875

Fatal

1

6 15 12 8

8 15 21 14 10.75

Non-Fatal 41 45 75 93 174 98 159

212 161 112.125 2.3809524 11.764706 16.66667 11.42857 4.395604 7.54717 8.62069 9.01288 8

8.977154

NonFatality% 97.619048 88.235294 83.33333 88.57143 95.6044 92.45283 91.37931 90.9871 92

91.02285

Fatality %

Duluth PD Opiod Overdose Data Only Non-DPD Narcan Uses 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

9 19 44 49 75 51 85 113 85

DPD Narcan Uses n/a n/a n/a 15 53 15 40 68 35

Total Narcan Use 9 19 44 64 128 66 125 181 120

Total ODs

% ODs with Narcan Used

42 21.42857 51 37.2549 90 48.88889 105 60.95238 182 70.32967 106 62.26415 174 71.83908 233 77.6824 175 68.57143

Non-DPD Narcan Uses

DPD Narcan Uses

Fatalities Fatalities with with DPD Non-DPD Narcan Narcan Admin Admin

Total DPD Narcan Saves

Total Narcan Saves

2013 9 n/a 0 0 n/a 9

2014 19 n/a 0 0 n/a 19

2015 44 n/a 0 0 n/a 44

2016 49 15 2 0 15 62 2017 75 53 2 0 53 126

2018 48 15 3 1 14 59 2019 84 40 7 2 38 115

2020 113 68 7 4 64 170 2021 85 35 3 1 34 116

Running Total 218 720

Duluth PD Opiod Overdoses Quarters

2019-Q1 2019-Q2 2019-Q3 2019-Q4 2020-Q1 2020-Q2 2020-Q3 2020-Q4 2021-Q1 2021-Q2 2021-Q3

Total 44 30 56 44 57 63 53 60 81 87 7

Fatal ODs 5 0 5 5 5 8 3 5 7 6 1 Non-Fatal ODs

39 30 51 39 52 55 50 55 74 81 6 Narcan Use 22 11 27 25 24 37 25 27 42 41 2 DPD Narcan Use 9 13 13 5 17 10 19 22 13 20 2 Total Narcan Use 31 24 40 30 41 47 44 49 55 61 4 *some fatalities pending toxicology results

recognized for its work. In 2018, it received an initial grant to fund a comprehensive opioid abuse program.

“We ended up hiring what we call an opioid tech, but it’s really a peer recovery specialist. And (then) we started following up on all the reports of overdoses that we had in our task force area.”

Kazel said task force members knew a lot of overdoses were happening because they were responding to them, often using the drug NARCAN to save them. From here, they started to follow up with the patients, offering them services and getting them to pursue comprehensive assessments to get into treatment.

While it’s difficult to quantify success, Kazel said there are certain markers that bode well. For instance, the amount of NARCAN has risen due to the fact the task force is supplying other law enforcement agencies with life-saving intervention.

“Just with our police department alone, we’re at 180 (lives) saved as a result of using NARCAN,” he said.

Speaking of departments, while Kazel said other agencies had some initial reservations about the approach, their skepticism has waned. He attributes that to selecting good hires and the task force’s excellent job communicating with the population.

“Specifically, they’ve made it easier for us to get comprehensive assessments by adding a licensed alcohol and drug counselor to the team. This has streamlined the recovery process for patients,” he said.

In his words, “I think we’ve had better results in that people are deciding whether they want treatment or help. The fact that we’re able to give it to them right away just makes it more convenient and more successful.”

Kazel acknowledges it takes a village to address such a weighty problem as opioid addiction. Fortunately, the task force has strong relationships throughout the community.

ABOVE: Duluth, Minn., Police Department has tracked the number of overdoses from 2013 to 2021 and also the number of lives saved with the use of Narcan. (Graph provided)

“We have a really close relationship with the jail,” he said. “The assessments come from the hospitals. They’re starting to get on board and to the point where they know of the good work that our teams are doing. So they’re giving direct referrals for people they know (who) would probably want help and have agreed to have contact with their team. So, we’re working with many different agencies and the community to expand (the program) in our region.”

Beyond the focus on drugs, Kazel draws attention to the violence that often goes hand in glove with drug dealing and use. That’s why the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is a member of the task force.

“When you’re talking about money, people are going to protect their investment — an illegal investment,” he said. “And people are prone to using violence to protect their (interests).”

Case in point, Kazel said they confiscated more than 400 firearms during his tenure and expects that number to rise. Also, looking to the future, he said hope is on the horizon that the state will get $50 million over nine years from the settlement of a multistate opioid lawsuit against drug maker Purdue Pharma and its controlling family.

“That money is starting to come in,” he explained. “I think what I would say to the other municipalities is, think about what you’re going to use that money for, because the need for treatment facilities for getting people help is great. We expect some good things to come.”

SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE MUNICIPAL 43

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Municipal Management

Teamwork propels Nampa forward

By JUDE STRIEBY | The Municipal

C

Nampa Mayor Debbie Kling TOP PHOTO: Nampa, Idaho, has headed WalletHub.com’s “Best-Run Cities in America” list, claiming the No. 1 spot again in 2021. Teamwork has been one key to the city’s success. (Tamanoeconomico via English Wikimedia Commons; https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ deed.en) 44 THE MUNICIPAL | SEPTEMBER 2021

ells in the body need to exhibit partnership in order for the body to exist and thrive. A parallel could be drawn between this example and a city in Idaho that has garnered attention for similar reasons. Sitting 22 miles west of Boise is Nampa, Idaho. Since 2017, WalletHub.com has deemed Nampa the “Best-Run City in America.” The WalletHub scoring system is centered on many subcategories within the criteria of recreational friendliness, financial stability, education, health, safety, economy, infrastructure and pollution. But, a number is just a number. The question is, how is such a high score achieved?

“This award takes all citizens to have accomplished it,” said Mayor Debbie Kling.

“Teamwork is key, and so is communication.

It is a true honor for Nampa to be recognized, especially because we work together diligently to serve and make the community better.”

Kling has been in office since 2018, and her words echo the atmosphere found within the city.

“Our town priorities are simple,” she stated. “Safety, infrastructure and economic options.” Upon exploration, these priorities can be traced as far back as the 1800s.

The Oregon Short Line Railroad built tracks from Wyoming to Oregon in the 1880s. On that line, a train depot was built,

and eventually, it became the railroad town of Nampa. From the very first, a pattern of paying attention to the delicate relationship between progress and citizen safety was enacted. At a time when many towns in the early days of the states were being platted north to south, town founder Alexander Duffe platted Nampa perpendicular to the railroad tracks to ensure traveler safety. It seems the literal foundation of the town was laid upon cultivating an attitude of bending according to purpose and safety while streamlining efficiency.

Today, Nampa still follows Duffe’s original example of “Form follows Function” and has continued to evolve the message. Those employed and elected by the town have a mindset of continuously striving for upward growth, a sentiment with which Kling agrees wholeheartedly.

“It’s always ‘Are we moving toward a safe and prosperous position?’”

She went on to list the town’s core values as integrity, teamwork and stewardship.

“You know, as a city, we have to spend,” she said, “but we always strive to be good stewards of the taxpayer dollars by finding better ways to do something.”

Amy Bowman, director of communications, mentioned one such thing from the street department. Under the watch of Don Barr, superintendent of the street department, Nampa was able to implement a proactive approach to snow and ice on roadways. The city pre-sprays streets with salt brine before winter storms, which brings street usage back to normal faster. It also uses less salt. Even more progressive is the department’s decision to manufacture the salt brine itself. Overall, the program saves the city $68,887 per winter and paid for itself within the first year.

Kling explained the responsibilities that are on the shoulders of town employees are multifaceted. “Nampa is the third largest city in Idaho, but is the largest full-service city.” Meaning, Nampa takes care of all of its own systems and does not outsource. This is not a small task with a population of 106,860.

One of the more innovative aspects of what helps the city run smoothly is the geographic information system overseen by Craig Tarter. GIS is a mapping data system that accrues and maintains information on almost every single public program in the city. From pedestrian paths, cemetery spaces, proposed subdivisions, sidewalk conditions, construction projects to road work and traffic studies, there are maps of the city for just about any sort of data one might wish to know. Basically, if Nampa was a person, GIS is where the brain’s spatial memory is stored. The result of this program is a city that’s better able to analyze changes and trends and then make more informed decisions on growth potential. It has also been useful in bringing accountability and transparency to problematic situations that have arisen.

In today’s world, a strong online presence is needed but often overlooked. Remaining on the subject of information, a well-organized facet of Nampa is its website. Precision, clarity and a consistent message throughout all online department sources of media can be nonexistent in local municipalities. But upon opening Nampa’s various online sites, one is greeted with user-friendly access and direct channels of information to all portions of the town. This is especially important in 2021’s heatwave. One of the many things citizens can find on the website is information on the town’s four “cooling locations” and what time they are open to the public.

Lake Lowell offers a beautiful sight in Nampa. (Photo provided by the city of Nampa, Idaho)

Nampa has hosted many concerts. Pictured is an aerial shot of a Kenny Chesney concert. (Photo provided by the city of Nampa, Idaho)

Nampa also has a number of other public works departments, which share the burden of caring for their city. Since the geography and climate of the area is a desert oasis, water management is one of the most important concerns of the city. The waterworks, wastewater and environmental compliance departments all work together carefully in order to maintain the balance of drinking water, irrigation water, stormwater runoff and sewage. Navigating water issues hasn’t been made any easier by recent climate change, drought, city growth and aging infrastructure. Simultaneously, Nampa is part of the Boise valley and part of a connection of agriculture economies that are linked in the area.

According to Public Works Deputy Director of Water Nate Runyan, nearly 20,000,000 gallons of water go through Nampa’s pipes daily.

In 2020, a recycled water program was implemented after Nampa received an Idaho class A reuse permit. In the summer of 2024, the Phyllis canal conveyance system and existing pumping facilities will have recycled water available, a completely new source of water for the city. By adding this source on top of putting in place the proper procedures for directing water usage and flow, Nampa is not SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE MUNICIPAL 45

continued from page 45

just improving the current state of affairs but aiming for the sustainability of itself for years to come.

But, one of the more drastic improvements within the last five years has been the reduction in crime that newer programs within the Nampa Police Department have helped lower by 30.5% in just three years, a 10% average per year. The Nampa officers even go above and beyond duty at times. As Bowman reported last year, the police herded and wrangled a 6-foot alligator, which had somehow gotten loose. There is no conclusive evidence whether or not capturing the alligator had anything to do with the yearly lowering of crime rate, but she did note police chasing an alligator in Idaho made the 2020 national news.

At the end of the day, what emerges most from observing Nampa is the true depth of care and service city employees give to their city and just how much effort is truly involved. Bowman stated it plainly.

“I didn’t fully appreciate the amount of behind-the-scenes work it takes until I started working for the town.” She laughed. “It’s almost like peeking at the wizard behind the curtain from ‘Wizard of Oz.’ We have some true municipal heroes in this town.”

While wizardry isn’t quite what the Nampa government employee team does to complete daily tasks, good things can be said about the power behind community synergy, and there is

46 THE MUNICIPAL | SEPTEMBER 2021

Nampa is a growing city, which has brought water and housing challenges. On February 11, 2021, more apartments were in the process of being built to meet housing demands. (Txking/Shutterstock.com) certainly a type of magic when people partner together with the goal of creating something bigger than themselves.

“The main thing we all want here is for this town to be a safe and healthy community where people prosper,” said Kling. “The great strength of Nampa is the people. This is a place where neighbor helps neighbor and handshakes still mean something.”

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Parks & Environmental Services

Residents shape Shawnee’s new Wilder Bluff Park

By BETH ANNE BRINK-COX | The Municipal

What do you know about Shawnee, Kan.? Not much? Well, wherever you’re from, you’ll want to visit the beautiful Wilder Bluff Park as soon as you can where there are numerous amenities to delight.

The name Wilder Bluff, one of five proposed, was chosen by Shawnee residents who had attended community meetings about the proposed park. Wilder Bluff is most fitting because the park land sits on a bluff above the old town of Wilder, which was founded in 1875 on land owned by Peter D. Cook. Cook, who lived in Topeka, had purchased the land from a Shawnee Indian, speculating that the area would become a train stop. The town eventually became a stop on the Kansas City, Topeka and Western Railroad, of which Mr. Cook was one of the directors.

Wilder was 2 miles from the Tiblow Ferry, which crossed the Kansas River to Bonner Springs. Over the years a post office, stores, a school/church, a blacksmith’s shop and a number of homes were built in Wilder. In 1878, several freed Black families moved to Wilder 48 THE MUNICIPAL | SEPTEMBER 2021

to farm the rich land. Their children attended the Kaw Valley School, integrating with the other children of the area. The town was a vibrant community until the flood of 1903, which covered the town. In 1911 a fire whipped by high winds destroyed much of the town again. In the 1930s, grain and many potatoes were shipped out of the Wilder railroad station. In 1951 a great flood again covered most of the homes and businesses to their rooftops. The town never fully recovered, and today it is only a small group of homes in Shawnee.

Future historical markers might tell the early story of the area so visitors may learn how people lived many years ago before the park was developed.

The park land was purchased in 2004. In November 2019, the project kicked off with a design charrette between the design team,

Shawnee staff and the construction manager-at-risk. The design team encompassed city of Shawnee Parks and Recreation staff, Confluence and SFS Architecture and Centric.

Neil Holman, director of parks and recreation in Shawnee, asked for three designs. “I’m very hands-on with the development of each park in our system, and yes, I had ideas in mind for the park,” Holman said. “This meeting consisted of walking the park, followed by a visioning and goals session.”

The team visited the Belmont Elementary School third-grade class, where the students were asked to take home base maps. They worked with their family, brainstorming ideas and choosing the features they would like to see at the park. The goal of the exercise was to create excitement and a sense of ownership for the students and their families.

Holman said, “At the first public meeting, the agenda introduced the design team and presented the dot boards so the attendees could select amenities they wanted in the park. Two boards had images of park possibilities, such as swings and play equipment, and the third board had the projected park names to choose from. After all the comments and discussion, the design team came up with two concepts — Treetop Adventure and Terraced Patio.”

At the second public meeting, both concepts were presented and the public could vote on the concept they liked. Holman said, “Treetop Adventure was chosen, but there were some amenities that were equally liked from the Terrace Patio. Accordingly, they were incorporated into the ultimate design.”

Wilder Bluff is a huge hit with residents and nonresidents. The grand opening and dedication was held July 6, 2021. It is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The splash pad hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The park is a beautiful place, featuring over 40 acres of parkland, a unique treetop canopy playground, a hillside slide and a natural-themed spray ground. There is a 1.38-mile walking trail, natural grasses, and a patio overlook. The Wilder Bluff shelter includes a fireplace and a buffet ledge with power outlets, which lends itself well to reunions and receptions as well as many other gatherings. As expected, there is plenty of good parking, including handicapped accessibility. Permanent bathrooms are available all through the open season, and in winter months, there are portable facilities. Leashed dogs are welcome and alcohol is not. Skating and biking are allowed, though skating may not take place across tables or other equipment.

This enormous project was funded entirely by the Parks and Pipes sales tax. Holman said, “That is only 1/8th of a cent that is split 50/50 with public works stormwater division. This is the third time the tax has passed by a 70/30% split. It is obviously very well received by the residents. This tax is for capital projects only, not for maintenance.”

Of course, Wilder Bluff is not the only park in the area. “We have 26 developed parks and six undeveloped parks in our system, and we try very hard to make each park a different experience for the user,” said Holman.

The parks and recreation department oversees more than 1,010 acres of city parks, Shawnee Town 1929 Museum, the Civic Centre and the city’s two state-of-the-art aquatic facilities. Also offered are more than 500 classes, programs and special events for youth, adults and seniors.

The Wilder Bluff Dedication was held July 6. (Photo provided by Shawnee Parks and Recreation)

Workers had the Wilder Bluff shelter well underway in December.

The shelter includes a fireplace and a buffet ledge with power outlets. (Photo provided by Shawnee Parks and Recreation)

Pictured is the finished playground at Wilder Bluff Park. (Photo provided by Shawnee Parks and Recreation)

SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE MUNICIPAL 49

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Streets, Highways & Bridges

CDOT’s Bustang displays commitment to reliable transportation

By LAUREN CAGGIANO | The Municipal

Generally speaking, public transit is more cost-effective, efficient and better for the environment than private transit.

The Colorado Department of Transportation is leaning into these truths with its commitment to providing routes to and from cities with its Express (IX) bus service that connects commuters along the I-25 Front Range and I-70 Mountain Corridors. By linking major local transit systems together, the Bustang service responds to demand from the traveling public to have a reliable transit alternative along the highest traveled corridors in the state.

Bustang is managed by the Colorado Department of Transportation, which 50 THE MUNICIPAL | SEPTEMBER 2021

has contracted with Ace Express Coaches to run Bustang’s North, South and West Line service. The westbound service, which runs daily, including on holidays and weekends, includes such stops as the Denver Union Station, Lakewood and Grand Junction — among others. Each Bustang coach is equipped with a restroom, bike racks, free Wi-Fi, power outlets and USB ports. There is also a wheelchair lift and two wheelchair securement areas on each coach.

ABOVE: By linking major local transit systems together, the Bustang service responds to demand from the traveling public to have a reliable transit alternative along the highest traveled corridors in the state. (Photo provided by Colorado Department of Transportation) Michael E. Timlin, senior manager mobility operations/deputy director of the division of transit and rail, has seen firsthand the advantages of having such a service in place. He came on board in 2013 to launch the bus transit program and has since watched the momentum grow over the years.

“We’re ecstatic about how successful it’s been,” he said. “And now we want to

The Bustang service has 19 over-the-road coaches in rotation on each route. Each coach has a 51-passenger capacity and comes equipped with restrooms, bike racks, free Wi-Fi, 110 volt outlets, USB outlets and are wheelchair accessible. (Photo provided by Colorado Department of Transportation)

expand it, even though we’re in the postCOVID recovery phase. Particularly the West Line is recovering at a much faster rate than the rest of our system. Right now, I can tell you that ridership has recovered back to about 70% of pre-COVID, which is really good.”

He attributes this rebound to the fact the West Line is less dependent on commuters. Instead, it’s more leisure and essential travelers — “those who need to go shopping, go to the doctor, come into town to get to catch a flight or catch Amtrak or whatever.”

Considering this renewed activity, he said Bustang is in a planning phase now, but it’s fixated on addressing one facet related to operations.

“One issue we’re dealing with now — and not just in Colorado — but nationwide is the very long-standing and

probably continuing shortage of CDL drivers,” he said.

Then there’s also the issue of congestion related to explosive population growth.

“We have a lot of world-class ski resorts, just west of the city,” he said. “And traffic becomes a nightmare on weekends, where we can go 70 miles at bumper-to-bumper traffic on Friday night, Saturday morning, Sunday afternoons. And on holiday weekends, it’s even worse.”

In response, Timlin said Bustang introduced an innovative approach, borrowing an idea from the private transit industry.

“They started using vans to operate transit elements for first and last mile to and from train stations to get people home, so they don’t have to use a car,” he said. “So, we took that idea, and we came up with (our own concept) and decided to use it.”

The concept met Bustang’s needs in terms of compliance and practicality.

That’s because drivers don’t necessarily have to have a CDL if the vehicle has 14 passengers or fewer, he said. He also pointed out the fact Colorado has other infrastructure issues. For example, they have some narrow canyons on Interstate-70, which means the Express Lanes are narrow, too.

It can be dangerous when the road gets congested. The vans, however, are small enough that they can safely navigate that stretch of the highway.

Timlin said the Bustang service is solving other issues, too, at the same time.

“We’ve targeted traffic in the corridor to mitigate the traffic — not just for tourism — but for the residents that live in the corridor because they have a problem getting around,” he said. “And the other issue is because of the mountainous area here, the greenhouse gas emissions are very delicate.

And we want to make sure that we keep the air clean, and the only way we can do that is to cut down on the vehicle miles traveled in the state.”

To that end, he said Bustang plans to introduce hourly service between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. Friday, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. This means people can choose when and where they want to go. He also acknowledges any fuel emissions aren’t great for the planet, but officials plan to address that sooner rather than later when the Bustang service transitions to emissions-free electric vehicles within the next five or six years.

SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE MUNICIPAL 51

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Water & Energy

How multiple energy improvements brought comfort and savings to Jasper County Jail

By MARY JANE BOGLE | The Municipal

Imagine investing in the construction of a brandnew correction facility, only to discover the energy costs to run said facility climbing upward of $25,000 per month. Even then, comfort levels for inmates and employees alike would be elusive at best — downright frigid at worst.

ABOVE: Comfort was impossible with the jail’s draftiness.

Improvements to fix this problem included spraying additional insulation foam where needed, sealing windows and doors and upgrading to LED lighting. (Photo provided by Melanie Lux/Jasper County Sheriff Department) TOP PHOTO: Jasper County Jail’s solar array will have a pollinator habitat, which will benefit the farming community while requiring very little maintenance from the jail. (Photo provided by Melanie Lux/Jasper County Sheriff Department)

52 THE MUNICIPAL | SEPTEMBER 2021

That’s where inmates and staff in Jasper County, Ind., found themselves when the county built a new jail in 2008. From the beginning, the county experienced nothing but problems with the heating and cooling system and overall energy consumption. According to Pat Williamson, Jasper County sheriff, the temperatures in some offices never reached above 50 degrees.

“I was a detective at the time,” said Williamson, “and we were constantly dealing with poor heat in offices and cells.” The building was so inefficient, in fact, that providing extra blankets for inmates became a regular occurrence during cold winter months.

Multiple efforts to solve the problem, including swapping the electric heating and cooling system to a boiler and then natural gas, yielded little improvement. “The poor insulation and low quality of windows and door seals,” said Williamson, “made it difficult for any heating system, no matter how good it was, to keep up with the need.”

The facility was so drafty, in fact, even the best system would struggle.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for the Jasper County, Ind., solar array.

(Photo provided by Melanie Lux/Jasper County Sheriff Department)

Sheriff Pat Williamson uses the 24/7 Solview monitoring system, which lets him know in real-time how much power his solar array is generating, among other things. (Photo provided by Melanie Lux/ Jasper County Sheriff Department)

That’s when the county hired a TRANE consultant, who conducted a full energy audit to assess the problem. Through the audit, contractors could tell where the facility was losing air. As a result, they were able to make calculated recommendations for improved efficiencies. These improvements included spraying additional insulation foam where needed, sealing windows and doors and upgrading to LED lighting.

And while these improvements were extremely helpful, they were just the beginning of the county’s journey from energy drain to energy gain. “Our building was so

inefficient,” said Williamson, “that it was becoming a real drain for the taxpayer. Our county commissioners wanted to offset the jail’s energy needs even further.” And that’s why they decided to bring solar power into the picture.

“The energy consumption at the jail meshes nicely with solar power,” said Williamson, “considering that the number of people working during the day far exceeds those working at night.” In addition, inmates take fewer showers during the evening and nighttime hours, and the lights are typically dimmed.

“The real energy use occurs during the day,” he said.

The county invested $1.2 million in a 3.5acre solar array, with the goal of producing up to an average of 50% of the jail’s energy use needs.

In conjunction with this solar project, the jail was able to install a new software system that enables the jail commander to raise and lower temperatures at any given time and check other factors such as weather conditions, the brightness of the sun and exactly what the solar array is producing at any given time. During summer days, for example, the solar array can produce up to 190% of the jail’s energy consumption, sending the surplus energy back into the grid.

For example, in mid-summer, the array produced 635 kW of energy. The jail was only using 213 kW of energy at the time, so 422

kW went back to the grid. And while the sun doesn’t always shine in this northern Indiana county, the average energy produced versus energy consumed certainly adds up over time.

“We anticipate the system to pay for itself in the next 15 years,” said Williamson.

Installing the new system took time, which meant that whole sections of the jail were without heat for up to a day at a time in order to bring the new system online. It was a true test of the new energy-efficient initiatives — a test the jail passed with flying colors.

“Solar was one of the last steps to be completed,” said Williamson. “We were able to monitor cells blocks during the transition period, and heat loss was very minimal. We were very surprised and very comforted by the fact that the building didn’t lose its energy.”

One final step remains in this comprehensive energy overhaul: planting a pollinator field. Williamson explained, “If you don’t cultivate the acreage of the solar array, weeds will grow and block the sun.” Pollinator plants, however, are low in height and help the bees pollinate the area at the same time, creating a win-win scenario.

In fact, win-win is a great way to describe the entire upgrade. Certainly, the energy improvements to the Jasper County Jail were a rousing success, keeping staff and inmates comfortable while giving back to the community at the same time.

SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE MUNICIPAL 53

M

Waste & Recycling

New Massachusetts’ initiative recycles marine shrink wrap

By KATHLEEN MORAN | The Municipal

Gloucester, Mass.’s, new initiative, which ran from early April to early June this year, started with a simple observation.

Boats anchor in Gloucester Outer Harbor. (Photo provided)

A sailboat and powerboat wear winter marine plastic shrink wrap coverings at Granite Pier Rockport. (Photo provided)

54 THE MUNICIPAL | SEPTEMBER 2021

According to Sean Steinberg, the project manager for Seaside Sustainability, “A Seaside Sustainability board member was driving through his neighborhood and realized the number of parked boats” that would eventually need to be stripped of their winterizing shrink wrap as warmer weather arrived. This important observation led to research investigating ways to recycle marine shrink wrap in a thoughtful and conscientious manner, an objective that resonates with Seaside Sustainability — a nonprofit organization that, as its name implies, is motivated to protect and preserve the ocean through awareness and effort.

This initiative quickly developed as several moving parts began to work collaboratively. One of Seaside Sustainability’s initial steps was to consult with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Sea Grants, which has already had success in running a comparable program on Cape Cod. Additionally, Harbormaster Thomas Ciarametaro confirmed that on March 12, the Harbormaster’s Office agreed to help sponsor the project. A crucial step was the nonprofit’s coordination with the Gloucester Department of Public Works to designate the exact disposal location for Dynamic Solutions in North Andover to deliver the two-month recycling container rental.

The Harbormaster’s Office also “launched a social media campaign to spread awareness of the initiative,” which was key since there were no restrictions for boat owners in terms of residency requirements, said Ciarametaro. It should also be noted that funding for this

Bundles of marine shrink wrap coverings are stored in a dumpster throughout the collection period. (Photo provided) Boats anchor in Rockport Harbor. (Photo provided)

initiative was supplemented by a generous contribution on behalf of a family friend of one of Seaside Sustainability’s interns.

Steinberg and Ciarametaro agreed this new Gloucester program was primarily intended to help those who do not store their boats at a marina and/or utilize the various services marinas typically offer, such as preparing a vessel for winter as well as getting it back on the water in warmer months. While many boat owners elect to store their boats at a local marina and take advantage of its available winterization services, others admittedly prefer to assume responsibility of their own vessels.

“While this can be a tedious and unexciting process, it is sure to keep costs down,” stated Steinberg.

It goes without saying that a large amount of shrink wrap is needed to ensure a boat survives the harsh elements of the winter months, and even more shrink wrap is needed depending on the size of the vessel. Unfortunately, the shrink wrap is not suitable for collection via traditional curbside recycling, so all too often, the winterizing shrink wrap is simply disposed of in one’s trash. From there, it is incinerated, which has obvious negative consequences for the environment, explained Steinberg.

The steps required for boat owners to ready their shrink wrap for disposal into the recycling dumpster were simple and easy to follow, allowing for a quick drop-off. Simply put, the shrink wrap was to be clean and free of debris like sand and leaves that may have accumulated and become trapped while a boat sat idle. It was also to be debrided of any wooden supports. Next, the shrink wrap had to be compactly rolled before it was ready to be dropped off.

“Our flyers outlined these specific parameters so that boat owners knew in advance what was expected of them when disposing of their shrink wrap as part of this new program,” said Ciarametaro.

This initiative was met with positive reactions from the public, including podcasts and calls of thanks at the Harbormaster’s Office.

Steinberg also noted a positive response from the public, especially given “the direct correlation between clean water and limiting oceanbound plastic.” While specific statistics and information were not collected from boat owners, anecdotal reports reveal some individuals

After one week, the program collected shrink wrap from nearly 30 boats. (Photo provided)

made a 25- to 30-minute drive in order to responsibly dispose of their winterizing shrink wrap.

“There really is no losing if at least one roll of plastic is diverted from the incinerator,” specified Steinberg.

Fortunately, the recycling dumpster was already half full before the program even came to an end, and the trial run’s success has justified proceeding with the program again next year, with the intention of increasing the number of disposal sites. As the two-month initiative drew to a close, Seaside Sustainability was already thinking ahead to when boat owners would begin to remove their vessels from the water in September. The plan is to provide boat owners with informative discussions that review winterization alternatives to shrink wrap, like non-plastic and reusable options.

“Granted, an alternative such as canvas can easily cost three times that of one year’s winterization services, particularly when factoring in the costs of material and labor, but it will start to pay off after three or four seasons,” clarified Steinberg.

An immediate objective, he elaborated, is to cut down on the production of virgin plastic. The hope is to find a company that will melt down shredded plastic so it can be recycled and turned into new shrink wrap. The ultimate goal is for boat owners to step away from using plastic altogether and instead utilize reusable products.

SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE MUNICIPAL 55

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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.

SEPTEMBER Sept. 1-4 U.S. Conference of Mayors 89th Annual Meeting Austin, Texas https://www.usmayors.org/ meetings/

Sept. 13-16 WaterPro Conference Wisconsin Center, Milwaukee, Wis. waterproconference.org

Sept. 7-9 Oklahoma Municipal League Annual Conference Oklahoma City Convention Center, Oklahoma City, Okla. www.omlconference.org

Sept. 15-17 Washington Ass’n of Sewer & Water Districts Fall Conference & Trade Show Great Wolf Lodge, Grand Mound, Wash. www.waswd.org/general/page/ workshops-conferences-andtrade-shows

Sept. 12-15 SGFMA Annual Meeting and Equipment Show Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center, Myrtle Beach, S.C. www.sgfma.org Sept. 13-15 NAFA Institute & Expo Virtual nafainstitute.org Sept. 13-15 Safety 2021 (In person or virtual) Austin, Texas https://safety.assp.org/ Sept. 13-15 MSTPA 2021 Annual Spring Conference & Tradeshow The Westin Chattanooga, Chattanooga, Tenn. https://mstpa.org/annualconference Sept. 13-15 StormCon Wisconsin Center, Milwaukee, Wis. Stormcon.com Sept. 13-15 North Dakota Reaction & Park Association State and Trails Conference Ramkota Hotel & Conference Center, Bismarck, N.D. ndrpa.

Sept. 15-17 Arkansas Recreation & Parks Association Annual Conference Hot Springs Convention Center, Hot Springs, Ark. https://arkarpa.org Sept. 15-17 Iowa League of Cities Annual Conference Coralville, Iowa www.iowaleague.org Sept. 16-18 North Dakota League of Cities Annual Conference Bismarck Event Center, Bismarck, N.D. www.ndlc.org Sept. 16-18 50 Years MidAmerica Trucking Show (Rescheduled March 24-26, 2022) Louisville, Ky. www.truckingshow.com Sept. 16-18 North Dakota League of Cities Annual Conference Bismarck Event Center, Bismarck, N.D. http://www.ndlc.org/223/ Annual-Conference

58 THE MUNICIPAL | SEPTEMBER 2021

Sept. 18-21 Tennessee Municipal League 81st Annual Conference & Expo Chattanooga Convention Center, Chattanooga, Tenn. www.tml1.org Sept. 20-23 F.I.E.R.O. 2021 Station Design Symposium Hyatt Regency, Greenville, S.C. www.fieroonline.org Sept. 20-24 28th Annual Emergency & Municipal Apparatus Maintenance Symposium Ohio Fire Academy, Reynoldsburg, Ohio oaevt.org Sept. 21-23 NRPA Annual Conference (in person or virtual) Nashville, Tenn. nrpa.org Sept. 22-24 Colorado Municipal League Annual Conference Westminster, Colo. (Sept. 30Oct. 1 Virtual) www.cml.org/conference Sept. 22-24 Michigan Municipal League Convention Grand Rapids, Mich. www.mml.org Sept. 22-24 League of California Cities Annual Conference and Expo SAFE Credit Union Convention Center, Sacramento, Calif. https://www.calcities.org/ Sept. 23-25 Illinois Municipal League 108th Annual Conference Hilton Chicago, Chicago, Ill. conference.iml.org

Sept. 26-29 ARTBA 2021 National Convention Pinehurst Resort, Pinehurst, North Carolina https://www.artba.org/ Sept. 26-29 Missouri Municipal League Annual Conference Union Station, St. Louis, Mo. www.mocities.com Sept. 27-30 IWCE 2021 Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nev. www.iwceexpo.com Sept. 29-Oct. 1 Utah League of Cities and Towns 2021 Annual Convention Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, Utah www.ulct.org Sept. 29 Vermont League of Cities & Towns Town Fair 89 Main St., Suite 4, Montpelier, VT (Oct.4-8 Virtual) https://www.vlct.org/event/ town Sept. 30-Oct. 1 Colorado Municipal League Special Conference Virtual – In Person was Sept 22-24 www.cml.org/conference Sept. 30-Oct. 1 Colorado Municipal League Virtual Special Conference Virtual www.cml.org/conference Sept. 30-Oct. 1 Florida Association of Governmental Fleet Administrators Fall Event Tradewinds Island Grand Resort, St. Pete Beach, Fla. https://www.flagfa.org/

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SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE MUNICIPAL 63

News & Notes Congratulations to the latest companies earning MVP status

first-time applicants. Companies renewing MVP status do not need to comply with changes until Jan. 1, 2022.

FARMINGTON HILLS, MICH. — Because standards don’t raise themselves, NTEA’s Member Verification Program acknowledges the companies leading the industry to excellence. Fleet managers, truck dealers and OEMs know truck equipment manufacturers and distributors with MVP status have implemented specific business and quality standards and comply with federal regulations.

New MVP members (since April 1, 2021) • Bucher Hydraulics Inc. (Elgin, Ill.) • Clean Seal Inc. (South Bend, Ind.) • Kalida Truck Equipment Inc. (Walbridge, Ohio) • Knapheide Truck Equipment Center (Tracy, Calif.)

• Knapheide Truck Equipment Center (Troutdale, Ore.) Renewals • Auto Safety House (Phoenix, Ariz.)

• Auto Truck Group – Charleston (Summerville, S.C.) • Auto Truck Group – Chicago (Bartlett, Ill.) • Auto Truck Group – Colorado Springs (Colorado Springs, Colo.)

• Auto Truck Group – Fort Wayne (Roanoke, Ind.) • Auto Truck Group – Fort Worth (Fort Worth, Texas) • Auto Truck Group – Kansas City (Kansas City, Mo.) • Auto Truck Group – Louisville (Simpsonville, Ky.) • Auto Truck Group – New Jersey (Maple Shade, N.J.) • Auto Truck Group – St. Louis (O’Fallon, Mo.) • Cabot Coach Builders (Haverhill, Mass.)

• Carco Industries Inc. (Phoenix, Ariz.)

• Carco Industries Inc. (Tualatin, Ore.) • Dejana Truck & Utility Equipment LLC (Kings Park, N.Y.) • Diamond Coach (Oswego, Kan.) • Eberhard Mfg. Co. (Strongsville, Ohio) • Frazer Ltd. (Houston, Texas) • HP Fairfield (Hopkinton, N.H.) • Intercon Truck Equipment Inc. (Aston, Pa.) • Interstate Truck Equipment Inc. (College Park, Ga.) • J&J Truck Bodies & Trailers Div. Somerset Welding & Steel Inc. (Somerset, Pa.) •M anning Equipment LLC (Louisville, Ky.) •M astercraft Truck Equipment (Aurora, Colo.)

•M onroe Truck Equipment Inc. (Monroe, Wis.) •M organ Olson LLC (Sturgis, Mich.)

•O hnsorg Truck Bodies Inc. (Belle Plaine, Minn.)

•P hoenix USA Inc. (Cookeville, Tenn.)

•R eading Truck Equipment – Indianapolis (Indianapolis, Ind.) •S pecial Fleet Service Inc. (Harrisonburg, Va.) •U tility Equipment Service Inc. (Spring Hill, Tenn.)

Current NTEA distributor and manufacturer members are encouraged to apply for MVP status at any time. There is no charge — NTEA underwrites the cost of MVP as part of an ongoing effort to enhance the core competencies of its members. Once qualified, companies receive MVP status for a three-year term. To renew, MVP members must again document compliance, ensuring their ongoing commitment to professionalism, industry knowledge and high performance.

In keeping with the goal to continuously increase program value, NTEA enhanced qualification requirements, effective Jan. 1, 2021, for

Visit ntea.com/mvp to learn more and apply, or contact NTEA’s technical services department for personalized assistance (800) 4416832 or mvp@ntea.com.

64 THE MUNICIPAL | SEPTEMBER 2021

Chassis OEMs present new model year updates at NTEA’s Truck Product Conference FARMINGTON HILLS, MICH. — Nine chassis manufacturers will share the latest commercial vehicle updates from a technical and engineering perspective at NTEA’s 2021 Truck Product Conference.

This in-person event will be held Sept. 21-22 in a new location at Kalahari Resorts & Conventions in Sandusky, Ohio.

Attendees can gain insights on upcoming changes to new model work trucks and upfitter integration implications from chassis OEMs. Presenters will share product upgrades and launches, positions on technical issues and key body builder information.

“Installing equipment on a chassis is not a simple task,” said Kevin Koester, NTEA senior director. “Model year changes at the OEM level can have a large impact on the ability to quickly and correctly mount bodies and equipment on a chassis. Truck Product Conference is an opportunity for equipment manufacturers and distributors to directly engage chassis OEMs, gaining important technical insights to help the upfitting process.”

This year’s event features a two-day program with opportunities to see the newest vehicles firsthand, participate in Q&A with chassis OEM representatives, and network with commercial vehicle professionals.

Participating chassis manufacturers • Crane Carrier, a Battle Motors Company • Ford Commercial Vehicles • General Motors Fleet • Hino Trucks • International Truck • Isuzu Commercial Truck of America • Kenworth Truck Company • Peterbilt Motors Company • Ram Commercial Visit ntea.com/truckproductconference to learn more.

News releases regarding personnel changes, other non-product-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.

TOP 10 Best States for Children’s Health Care Children are the future, and while that statement may be a cliché, it doesn’t make it any less accurate.

And as such, it is vital for children to receive quality medical care. WalletHub compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia to see where each one ranked in terms of children’s health care, using 35 key indicators of cost, quality and access to children’s health care.

Taking all of the data, WalletHub determined the District of Columbia ranked highest with a total score of 60.89. It ranked No. 1 in kids’ oral health, No. 2 in kids’ health and access to health care and No. 3 in the kids’ nutrition, physical activity and obesity categories.

Here are the top 10 ranking states for children’s health care.

The website states, “Our data set ranges from share of children aged 0 to 17 in excellent or very good health to pediatricians and family doctors per capita.”

1. District of Columbia

60.89

2. Hawaii

60.34

3. Vermont

58.88

4. Washington

55.09

5. Maryland

53.72

6. Oregon

53.72

7. Rhode Island

53.36

8. Colorado

52.87

9. New York

52.52

10. Massachusetts

52.51

Source: https://wallethub.com/edu/ best-states-for-child-health/34455 66 THE MUNICIPAL | SEPTEMBER 2021

Source: https://wallethub.com/edu/best-states-for-child-health/34455

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68 THE MUNICIPAL | SEPTEMBER 2021

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Advertiser Index A

I

Air Netix LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

ICOM America Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

All Access Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

K

Alumitank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

KM International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

AMCS Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 American Shoring Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Andy Mohr Ford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

L Land Pride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

M

B

Midwest Sandbags LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

BendPak Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Monroe Truck Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Bonnell Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Britespan Building Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2, 56 Buyers Products Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

N National Construction Rentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 North American Rescue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

C

O

CBI Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Omega Industrial Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

CleanFix North America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Clearspan Fabric Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 CTech Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover, 10-11, 63 Curbtender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

D das Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

E Ebac Industrial Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

F Fluid Control Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 FSI North America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

P Post Guard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30, 36 Precision Concrete Cutting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Q Quantum Fuel Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

R Rapid View LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BACK RPM Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

T Tech Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Toledo Ticket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

U

G

Uline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

GI Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Unique Paving Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Greystone Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Utility Truck Equipment Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

GVM Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

V

H

Versalift East, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Henderson Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

W

Hercules Industries Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Woodland Power Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

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

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