Displaying the names of Cook Airport's new adoptive groups are, from left: Dr. Steve Towle, Cook Airport commissioner, Commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg, and Tom Woock, Cook municipal airport director. Cook Airport is the first to join Mn/DOT’s new Adopt-An-Airport program. Photo by Janese Thatcher-Buzzell

Commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg lauded the Cook Airport Commission and staff during the annual Cook Fly-in on July 20 for becoming the first Minnesota airport to participate in the new Adopt-An-Airport program developed by the Office of Aeronautics.

"Our new Adopt-An-Airport program makes citizens more aware and supportive of their local airport and gives them some ownership. It also gives folks the chance to learn more about aviation and what happens at airports," said Tinklenberg during the ceremony to honor Cook Airport.

"And, of course, as groups sign up to support the program, they benefit by having their names out in front of the community as strong community supporters," he added.

He thanked the airport as well as the six community groups that have pledged their support so far: Friends of Aviation, Ludlow’s Island Resort, BIC Realty, the Cook News-Herald; Zups Market of Cook and Vermilion Construction.

"When I attended the Minnesota Council of Airports symposium in April and heard about the new program, I knew it would be a good program for the Cook municipal airport," said Dr. Steve Towle, Cook Airport commissioner. "As it turned out, so did many community members because they called to ‘adopt’ the airport as soon as they heard about the airport participating in the program."

Adopt-An-Airport is a volunteer program open to civic clubs, chambers of commerce, business and professional organizations, community groups and individuals. The groups work with airport management to decide how to best help support, maintain or beautify the airport.

"The program offers volunteers the opportunity to contribute to their community," said Janese Thatcher-Buzzell, Mn/DOT’s program coordinator. "We’re excited that Cook is the first to sign on and we look forward to working with them in this program."

Since the program began in April, two more Minnesota airports have agreed to participate, Alexandria and Duluth.

For background on the new program, please see previous article in the May 8 Newsline e-bidding update.

By Lucy Kender

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July marks Mn/DOT’s first six months of using the electronic submittal process for bidding on construction projects.

Mn/DOT moved to electronic bidding in January 2002 to increase the efficiency of the contractor’s bidding practices and help ensure safe, timely delivery by eliminating travel time.

Mn/DOT will save approximately $60,000 annually with the reduction of data entry fees and staff hours. In the past, Mn/DOT audited each bid that was submitted, which required approximately 150 staff hours annually to rectify due to state and federal requirements regarding acceptance of incomplete bids or those containing errors.

"Mn/DOT has had to reject lowest bidders because of bid errors on numerous occasions, and in some instances, the cost to go to the next bidder is a considerable sum," said Gary Ericksen, Office of Construction and Contract Administration.

The new electronic bidding software has safeguards that notify contractors about data entry errors and incomplete forms. This feature alone will greatly diminish the need to go to a second bidder, he said.

Approximately 50 percent of construction contractors use the new electronic bidding process. The process calculates all the figures for the contractors and allows them to submit bids just minutes before the submittal deadline. With no necessary travel time involved, contractors can stay in their offices and obtain quotes from sub-contractors and suppliers.

"I talked to one contractor and he said that by not being on the road to deliver the bid to us, he was in his office and received a call from a steel supplier who dropped his quote by $50,000," said Ericksen. "The contractor submitted the new quote in the electronic bidding system, and because of the price reduction, the contractor was awarded the job. There alone, Mn/DOT saved $50,000."

Mn/DOT continues to accept hard copy bids to accommodate disadvantaged business enterprises and those who have not adopted the new system.

"This is a great system for everyone. The convenience of submitting bids electronically will increase the number of bids received. More bids equals lower prices," he said.

By Daneeka Marshall-Oquendo

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Shrubbery planted by Mn/DOT crews to protect this Floodwood Park veterans' memorial struggles to grow back in spite of damage from tent caterpillars. Photo by Tom Jacobson

Concerned that operators of three-wheelers, four-wheelers and other vehicles were damaging the veterans’ memorial in Floodwood Park, caretaker Bob Palmer put up a bright orange plastic fence for protection in the right of way along Hwy 73.

Palmer’s fence didn’t pass muster with Duluth/District 1, but his desire to protect the v-shaped stone memorial, trees and other landscaping materials earned notice. Twelve trees were planted to honor 12 Floodwood residents who died fighting in the nation’s wars.

After removing the fence, district maintenance staff decided that a fence made of shrubs and bushes would help protect the memorial and blend with the park’s landscape setting as well.

After consulting with Palmer, Tom Jacobson, landscape specialist at Duluth, designed a row of plantings 130 feet long and three feet wide along the highway.

Working with Monica Hendrickson, maintenance supervisor at Floodwood; Gary Karkianen, Floodwood, and Ken Lindstrom, Duluth, Jacobson planted lilacs, honeysuckle and other native plants adjacent to the park.

Jacobson said tent caterpillars damaged the new plants this year, but he expects the shrubs to recover and to provide an effective but attractive buffer area to protect the memorial and the park.

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Representatives from Mn/DOT, other agencies and the contracting firm observe a freshly laid ‘macro-surfacing’ overlay on Hwy 14 near Waseca. The process promises to extend pavement life longer than standard resurfacing practices. Photo by Rebecca Arndt

Macro-surfacing—a new chip seal technique—promises to reduce the time needed to complete asphalt overlays and extend the life of the highway for twice as long as conventional sealing methods.

Mankato/District 7 recently used the new method on an eight-mile section of Hwy 14 between Janesville and Waseca to determine its effectiveness.

The new sealing method includes placing an extra layer of sealant to keep aggregate rock from damaging vehicles and applying a new asphalt compound and quartzite at the same time. Applying the asphalt and rock at the same time speeds the process and allows paving crews to cover more territory in less time, said Steve Oakey, Mankato/District 7 materials engineer.

Oakey said their use of the process is the first time it has been used in the United States with a competitive bid.

The process differs from the standard chip seal method by using one paving machine to apply the sealant oil and the aggregate simultaneously.

One application and the quick-drying sealant developed by the Koch Refining Co. near Hastings enables the application to cure in about one hour instead of four to five hours for the standard process, Oakey said.

"Because the ‘stickier’ modified oil can hold the rock in place, we anticipate successful use of the process on high-speed, high-volume roadways," he said.

Oakey said standard seal coats will keep moisture from damaging pavement for three to five years but the new process will protect the pavement for as long as seven years.

The new process is more costly, he said, but should be more economical in the long run.

The district will monitor the project for skid resistance, noise levels, ride smoothness and other factors, Oakey said.

"This process is part of looking at alternatives to extend road life as we research additional preventive maintenance measures," he said.

By Craig Wilkins

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There’s Bart, Marge, Milhouse, Cletus, and of course, Homer. Nearby are Milhouse, Lenny, Itchy, Wiggum and Apu, the Quik-E-Mart clerk. Characters on The Simpsons? D’oh! They’re also names for Mn/DOT’s drainage ponds at I-494 and Hwy 61 for the Wakota Bridge project in Newport.

In the Land of 10,000 Lakes, there are a whole lot of highway drainage ponds as well. Naming them with letters or numbers led to confusion, so Metro Division hydrologists came up with character names from The Simpsons, the Three Stooges, Happy Days, Star Wars and other pop culture sources to identify each pond individually.

You won’t see signs designating them as Curly, Chachi or Kenobi, but the names make things a lot easier for hydrologist Patrick McLarnon and his colleagues to keep hundreds of ponds at various interchanges straight.

The distinctive names, he adds, helps them determine the ponds’ location, the project they’re a part of and their function. He said, for example, that "wet" ponds that settle out sediments heavy metals, phosphorus and other pollutants to keep them from entering bodies of water and "dry" ponds that provide storage capacity when runoff levels are high.

"We used to name them 1-2-3 or A-B-C but that was pretty confusing because we could have 20 Pond A’s," he said. "Using the character names makes them much easier to remember."

Besides that, he said, it’s fun.

McLarnon said he doesn’t know what the source will be for the next round of pond designations, but whatever it is, it will have a lot of characters.

By Craig Wilkins

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Mn/DOT’s managers are urged to submit proposals by Aug. 9 for the 2003 Legislature to consider in order to prepare for the next legislative session.

Betsy Parker, associate director, Government Relations, said the governor has directed state agencies to proceed in the usual manner even though there will be a new administration in January 2003.

Employees who have proposals to be addressed by the Legislature need to forward them to their managers before Aug. 9.

The commissioner’s executive team will review the proposals. Forms for submitting proposals are available from Diane Leuzinger, 651/297-2932.

Parker said the proposals should include fiscal data as well as information about potential supporters and opponents. All proposals must be approved by the appropriate group director before submittal.

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A Mn/DOT worker explains the operation of a snowplow truck to visitors at the department’s exhibit at the Minnesota State Fair. Photo by Kevin Walker

Mn/DOT needs employees to share their knowledge about transportation and the department’s operations to work at Mn/DOT’s booth during the 2002 Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul.

The exhibit’s theme is "The Mn/DOT Zone" and will showcase district and Metro Division projects and operations, new technology, multi-modal offices and career opportunities.

At the fair, which begins Aug. 22 and ends Sept. 2, the department will also conduct an informal poll of exhibit visitors to measure their interest, priorities and concerns about transportation issues.

"Mn/DOT’s fair exhibit is designed to inform the people of Minnesota about the world of transportation and that’s where volunteers fit in," said Mary Meinert, Communications and Public Relations. "Our exhibit needs their knowledge and work experience with the department."

Each district office will be responsible for staffing the exhibit for one day. Metro Division and Central Office employees will work on weekends and Labor Day. Volunteers will work four-hour shifts and receive an admission ticket and a T-shirt to wear when they are working.

District employees may contact their public affairs coordinator to volunteer. Metro and Central Office employees may contact Kathy Lehner at 651/297-4253 to volunteer. Employees need supervisory approval before volunteering to work at the fair.

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