(l-r) Dan Gullickson, a forester with Environmental Services, and Herb Nelson, maintenance supervisor at Morris, led a group of students in Herman in planting nearly 500 trees and shrubs to create a living snow fence along the school’s frontage on Hwy 27. Photo by Pamela McLeod

In cooperation with Mn/DOT, students at the Herman-Norcross Community School in Herman planted nearly 500 trees and shrubs to create a living snow fence along the school’s frontage on Hwy 27. The planting occurred April 26, the 130th anniversary of Arbor Day.

Dan Gullickson, a forester with Environmental Services, and Herb Nelson, maintenance supervisor at Morris, led the project.

Mn/DOT and the school entered into the community landscaping partnership to keep snow from drifting onto the adjacent sidewalk, which often forces students to walk in the roadway.

"We are trying to contain the snow on the football field and trap it there before it gets to the highway, the playground and the parking lot as well as protect the homes downwind," Gullickson said.

Mn/DOT provided 492 trees and shrubs; students at the school did the planting.

Students planted trees such as silver maples, common hackberry and Ponderosa pine and shrubs including gray dogwood, cardinal red osier dogwood and wayfaring viburnum.

The snow fence will beautify the community, increase safety and help reduce highway maintenance costs, Gullickson said.

By Pamela McLeod, Detroit Lakes District public affairs coordinator

back

The Office of Land Management began work on transition plans as soon as the Senior Management Team decided April 29 to distribute—in whole or in part—nine functional areas to the districts and Metro Division.

The next day, Al Pint, director of the Office of Land Management, gathered office employees together to present the decisions and to address the concerns of all Land Management employees—regardless of whether their job tasks will migrate to the districts and Metro Division or remain centralized.

"These changes can’t happen overnight," he said, "but the transition team will work as quickly as possible so that affected staff will not be left in limbo."

Besides discussing the decisions, Pint addressed some of the emotional concerns expressed by employees.

"I encourage you to talk with me; my door is always open," he said. "If you have questions and concerns you would like answered, send me a note or set up a time to meet with me, and I will do my best to have answers for you."

Functions being partially or totally distributed are:

• Preparation of appraisals

• Right of way plats

• Preparation of condemnation maps

• Acquisition services (office abstracts and other right of way legal documents

• Preparation, review, and storage of legal descriptions

• Direct purchase document preparation

• Right of way acquisition offers and negotiation

• Computation of replacement housing and rental entitlements

• Demolition contracts and hazardous materials

Functions remaining centralized are:

• Geodetic 1st and 2nd order control data, HARN system, and database

• Photogrammetric aerial photo collection and map production

• Project coordination (i.e., Project certification)

• Data base maintenance and development (i.e., ROWIS)

• Appraisal reviews

• Appraisal contract administration (with pilots in District 3 and Metro)

• Preparation, updating and storage of final right of way maps

• Title services

• Preparation, review, and storage of Commissioner’s Orders

• Approval/payment of relocation claims

• Survey research and support

"We care about our employees," Dick Stehr told about 125 employees attending a "Discussions With Dick" meeting April 30. "That’s the reason I’m here talking to you every couple of weeks. We’re asking people to make dramatic changes. These are very stressful times. We want to help you through that." Stehr, acting Program Support Group director, is leading the change management effort of Shaping Our Future.

Pint also announced that working groups would be established to develop a transition plan for functions that will migrate to the districts and Metro Division.

"The working groups will report back to me with their transition plan by June 20, 2002," he said. "We expect that fully implementing the plan could take up to eighteen months, depending on training and pilot program needs."

Pint emphasized that he did not want to lose any employee whose tasks are redistributed, and said that training and individual help will be offered to these employees to help them find other positions within Mn/DOT.

Stehr reinforced this message for attendees at his Discussions With Dick session, saying that training, skill assessment and other Human Resources services would be available to help employees whose jobs are transitioning to other areas.

"I expect very few, if any, people will lose their jobs in Mn/DOT," Stehr said. "There are so many needs for people in this department that we are going to do our best to hold on to people and give training to anyone whose job is affected. We’re going to work very hard to help her or him find a new role in the organization.

"With many retirements coming up, we’re going to see turnover, and in that turnover is opportunity for people to do something different," he added. "I encourage people to start looking for opportunities. Look at your skill base. Look at what the needs are in the department. I think there is opportunity here."

In addition, Land Management will explore the disposition of the sale/lease/rental unit administration of buildings and properties.

An additional information resource for employees is the Shaping Our Future Web site, which includes decisions, reasons and timelines and much more.

back

Mn/DOT has the potential to lose 65 percent of its engineering and technical workforce in the next five years due to retirements and attrition, according to Mark Carlson, Human Resources director.

The state hiring freeze and budget shortfall have put some restrictions on how many people Mn/DOT can hire internally or on contract. Even before the freeze, it was becoming increasingly difficult to hire qualified professional and technical employees.

And the situation is not likely to get better in the future.

"Shaping Our Future changes to increase efficiencies around the agency are helping Mn/DOT work better with the current staff," Carlson said, "but we still have to deliver a larger-than-normal transportation program.

"Exceptions to the hiring freeze for positions providing essential government services addressing safety, emergencies and program delivery may not be enough to continue to deliver transportation services on time, within budget and aligned with customer needs."

"Mn/DOT has been increasing recruitment efforts for the last three years, but more has to be done," Carlson added.

But does "more" mean hiring more consultants, which is what other states such as Indiana, New Jersey and Illinois have done?

"This is not a trend Mn/DOT wants to follow," said Deputy Commissioner Doug Weiszhaar. "We want to maintain the capability to deliver a program in-house. We also must have trained internal staff to evaluate the work of consultants to be sure they are providing quality service at a fair price."

According to Dick Stehr, Shaping Our Future change management leader and acting Program Support Group director: "We are working to determine what we can deliver in-house with the professional/technical staff we have. What we can’t do in-house, we will have to contract out."

Carlson added, "The Office of Human Resources staff is committed to improving recruitment efforts in order to reduce the need to hire consultants. We are looking at new and better ways to expand our pool of qualified candidates."

Human Resources’ expanded recruitment and retention efforts include:

• TRAC and Explorer programs to interest people at a younger age in careers with Mn/DOT

• Education programs to support or supplement those that many colleges and technical schools are reducing or discontinuing

• Expanded efforts to create a more diverse candidate pool

• A coordinated, department-wide training program to prepare employees to do different jobs and improve skills for the jobs they already have

• Strategic staffing to help get the right people, with the right skills, in the right place at the right time

• A mentoring program that helps employees increase their department knowledge and prepare for career development opportunities

• A professional and supervisor rotation program that allows supervisors to learn new management and employee relations skills from their peers

• A new Organizational Health Unit that offers health and wellness services to help improve the well-being and productivity of Mn/DOT's workforce

• An active recognition program to reward employees for the good work they do

"A skilled, productive workforce is needed right here, now and in the future, so we can continue to meet customer needs and Move Minnesota," Weiszhaar concluded.

For more information about the Office of Human Resources services and initiatives, visit the Web page at http://www2.hr.dot.state.mn.us/hrw3/ or contact Mark Carlson at 651/284-4025.

By Donna Lindberg

back

Mn/DOT, Olmsted County and the city of Rochester announced May 1 that the County Road 14 – 75th Street NW interchange project has been combined with the design-build, best-value project to reconstruct Hwy 52 from Hwy 63 to 65th Street NW in Rochester.

Because the Co. Rd. 14 – 75th St. NW project was adjacent to the Hwy 52 design-build project, it was logical to consider packaging both projects into one. Combining the two high-priority, interregional corridor improvements also has several advantages, according to Commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg.

"Packaging these two projects makes sense. It provides better coordination and helps accelerate the letting of the interchange project at Co. Rd. 14 and 75th St. NW. This gives our local partners, Mn/DOT and the design-build contractor a better opportunity to achieve the best value in terms of cost, staging and timing," he said.

The Hwy 52 design-build, best-value project is Mn/DOT’s largest, one-time, highway construction project. Using the design-build process to complete the project in five years or less instead of the original 11-year time frame is expected to save an estimated $30 million in inflationary costs. And because Rochester—and the price of real estate—continues to grow, Mn/DOT, Olmsted County and the city of Rochester are expected to save millions more by avoiding future right of way acquisitions.

Click here to read the complete news release.

By Brian Jergenson, Rochester District public affairs coordinator

back

Trucks and other traffic make a short jog through a truck stop parking lot in Clara City on a detour route that keeps access to the truck stop and other businesses open during reconstruction of the Hwy 7/Hwy 23 intersection. Photo by Darrell Terlisner

Create a short, sensible detour—even across a truck stop’s parking lot—and they will use it. Especially if "they" (truckers and other drivers, that is) probably would have gone that way anyway.

Building on good working relationships with Chippewa County and Clara City officials and business owners, Willmar District project managers placed a detour route 300 feet long across Donner’s Crossroads parking lot to carry traffic around work on the Hwy 23/Hwy 7 junction.

The $1.4 million project will realign the intersection and resurface the roadway.

The owner of the busy truck stop expressed concern that a detour on other trunk highways would have steered trucks and other traffic away from his business and others in town. The truck stop occupies the interchange’s southeastern corner.

Hence, a solution emerged. The district acquired a right-of-way easement from owner Tony Donner after he suggested using his parking lot as part of the detour. Detoured traffic skirts his buildings and then uses Chippewa County Road 2, a city street and a township road to make the connection between Hwy 7 and Hwy 23.

Jeff Vlaminck, regional engineer at Willmar, said the easement avoids a longer detour route and more expensive detour agreements. Vlaminck expects the project to be completed in July.

"This was the only option that we could do for me to stay open," Donner said. "It will be a little congested but we can live with that."

By Craig Wilkins

back

Fifty-five burr oak trees found a new home last weekend when Mn/DOT uprooted them from the site of the Wakota Bridge project in Newport and moved them to Hwy 55 (Hiawatha Avenue) in south Minneapolis.

The burr oaks, salvaged with root balls intact to increase their chances for survival, are an estimated 20 to 30 years old. They range from two to six inches in diameter and from 10 to 25 feet in height. Shermik Tree Farms from Stacy, Minn., moved the trees one at a time to their new location.

"We had some challenges to overcome when digging up the trees from along Hwy 61," noted Paul Walvatne, Mn/DOT forester.

"Most of the trees were on the far side of a 20-inch gas main, which really concerned the movers because they didn’t know if there was enough soil to support the weight of the big tree spades," said Walvatne, who personally dug six deep holes to confirm that the soil depth over the line was sufficient.

Metro Division Maintenance will mulch and water the oak transplants for the 2002 growing season.

According to Walvatne, transplanting trees "is nothing new" for Mn/DOT.

"Since the mid-1960s, with the advent of large tree moving machines, Mn/DOT has transplanted good specimen shade and evergreen trees," he said. "If we did not move them to Hwy 55 they would have gone to another good Mn/DOT home."

Another transplant project, scheduled for next year, is the moving of oaks, pine and spruce to the new section of Hwy 37 in Brainerd and the proposed Crow Wing Vicinity Rest Area. The trees will come from Hwy 371 between Fort Ripley and the bypass.

back

Mn/DOT unveiled a new Adopt-An-Airport Program two weeks ago at the Minnesota Council of Airports aviation symposium in Bemidji. The program is modeled on the popular Adopt-A-Highway program that celebrated its 12th anniversary May 6.

Airports, like highways, need adopting and can benefit from community involvement. That’s one of the messages underlying Mn/DOT’s new Adopt-An-Airport Program unveiled two weeks ago at the Minnesota Council of Airports aviation symposium in Bemidji. The announcement came less than three weeks before the 12th anniversary on May 6 of Mn/DOT’s highly popular Adopt-A-Highway program.

Adopt-An-Airport comes to Minnesota from Pennsylvania and Virginia via its new coordinator, aviation education specialist Janese Buzzell.

Buzzell, who merged Virginia’s Adopt-An-Airport format with Minnesota’s Adopt-A-Highway format, said she was intrigued by the win-win solutions that matched community service group volunteers with budget-stretching tasks that serve a public function.

Like the Adopt-a-Highway program, Adopt-An-Airport also involves local civic and service groups picking up debris alongside roads and fences on publicly owned property (state highway roadsides and public airport property owned and operated by cities and counties).

The Adopt-An-Airport program, however, involves more activities and has the potential to provide volunteers with learning opportunities and making closer communities, according to Dan McDowell, Aeronautics public affairs coordinator.

The program can provide a cost-effective way for community groups and individuals to support and get involved with their local airports while helping the airports with upkeep and beautification, McDowell said.

"Several groups can adopt any one public-use airport and contribute in different ways at the same time," he added. "Activities such as mowing, trimming hedges, painting buildings and so on are all popular with different civic groups. Local garden clubs have the chance to plant flowers and shrubs, book clubs can donate reading materials and so on. Airport managers and volunteers will develop and agree upon activities based on the expertise of the group or individual."

"We encourage community groups to come up with ideas," Buzzell said, adding that airport managers, however, have the final say. She cited one airport manager at the aviation symposium who told her, "You know, this is just great because I wanted to put together a history display of the airport. They could help me do the research at the library, look up photos, and put together a display."

McDowell said the program offers volunteers the satisfaction of contributing to their community and state while generating publicity for their group.

"The interaction among groups can be a very positive and mutually beneficial experience," McDowell said, "especially if they volunteer at the same time or coordinate their efforts with each other."

"In many cases," added Buzzell, "the people who’d volunteer might never have a need or a reason to go out to their local airport, and this is a great excuse—and opportunity—to meet people involved in aviation. Many World War II veterans, for example, work out there. What a great opportunity for a Boy Scout troop or similar group to go out there to help out, meet the veterans, and hear their stories."

The Office of Aeronautics can also benefit—and provide benefits—by placing literature about aviation education programs to supplement the informal education that volunteers could receive while helping out, Buzzell said.

There are two more groups that benefit from spruced-up airports—tourists and businesses that depend on tourism.

Any public-use airport in Minnesota may participate in the Adopt-An-Airport Program, which is open to civic clubs, Chambers of Commerce, business and professional organizations, and other community groups and individuals.

Mn/DOT asks that groups and individuals adopt an airport for two years and conduct activities at least four times a year. For more information, contact Buzzell at 651/297-7652.

Click here for more information about Adopt-an-Airport and Adopt-a-Highway.

back

Biking is one of the preferred modes of travel being promoted as part of the annual B-BOP (bike, bus or carpool) day, scheduled for May 16 this year. This bicyclist is crossing the Stone Arch Bridge heading for downtown Minneapolis. Photo by Michelle Natrop

Moving Minnesota by pedal power is one of the transportation alternatives for May 16, the 11th annual B-BOP Day, when employees are encouraged to bike, bus or pool to work. Minnesota has more paved bicycle trails than any other state, and B-BOP Day creates an opportunity to try those trails!

Rochester, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Mankato and Le Sueur have scheduled special events for May 16 to honor those willing to give bicycling a try.

In Minneapolis, three different rides are planned: the south Minneapolis lakes, Cedar Lake Trail and along the Mississippi River. All rides end between 7th and 8th streets near the Nicollet Mall, site of a commuter information fair.

In St. Paul, five bike rides celebrate B-BOP Day: Summit Avenue, Como Avenue, West St. Paul, Vento Trail and Battle Creek Route. St. Paul B-BOP rides end at Mears Park, in Lowertown.

Rochester District's B-BOP activities bring together the city, the Mayo Clinic and IBM to demonstrate how easy it is to commute by bicycle. The Rochester rides culminate at three different areas of town: downtown, northwestern Rochester businesses, and on the eastern end of town. To learn more about the time and place to meet, register at http://b-bop.netfirms.com/bikeform.html.

Mn/DOT's District 7 also supports B-BOP Day by offering a healthy breakfast for Mankato employees who B-BOP to work on May 16.

In Le Sueur, B-BOP Day brings free round trip rides on Le Sueur Transit to those who pre-register. All Le Sueur city officials will B-BOP on May 16 and ADC Telecommunications workers are eligible for a bus buddy pass, as well their own free bus pass.

People working near the Capitol Complex can participate in the B-BOP Walk Around the Capitol Office competition. The office with the most people walking will win B-BOP day T-shirts and a B-BOP Sock Award plaque. All participants will receive prizes. Registration materials for the walk competition are located in the Transportation Building cafeteria, the wellness room and outside the locker rooms.

For more information on B-BOP go to http://www.b-bop.org or Mn/DOT's Web site at http://www.dot.state.mn.us/bike.html .

By Gail Gendler

back

Mike Robinson, District 1 transportation engineer, gave tribute to Dick Unzen, a transportation generalist in Duluth, who was killed April 22 when he stopped his truck on the I-535 John Blatnik Bridge to remove a ladder from the roadway. Unzen's former snowplow truck is in the background. Photo by Maureen Talarico

With his former snowplow truck in the background, Duluth District employees honored the late Richard (Dick) Unzen on May 7, by presenting his family with the District Engineer’s Award to honor his memory and recognize his final heroic act.

Unzen died on April 22 when he stopped his truck on the I-535 John Blatnik Bridge to remove a ladder that fell from another truck, blocking two lanes of traffic. Unzen was off duty that afternoon, having just completed an early morning snowplowing shift.

Unzen was struck and killed while he attempted to move the ladder.

A snowplow led the funeral procession when he was buried on April 25.

Unzen is the third person to earn the district’s highest award. Previous recipients include U.S. Rep. James Oberstar for his support of the state’s and the nation’s transportation systems and Chris Cheney, a transportation generalist at Togo whose alert action last winter helped save a woman’s life.

Mike Robinson, the district engineer, presented the award to Gloria Unzen, Dick Unzen’s widow, and other family members. The family also received an artist’s print of an eagle and a letter from Rep. Oberstar lauding Unzen’s dedication to his job and those he served.

"Dick Unzen was a man we all respected. He was the kind of person you would like for a neighbor. He was a hard-working man who was gentle and kind, and totally dedicated to his family, " Robinson said.

"We need to honor Dick by using this occasion to recommit ourselves to paying attention to the hazards ahead in work zones. While Dick may not have been officially on duty, he was doing what he professionally did—he worked to provide for the safety of others," he added.

More than 150 employees, family members and friends attended the award ceremony at the district headquarters where Unzen worked.

"The event was a sad but also a fitting and moving tribute to show his family how much we cared about him," said Maureen Talarico, district public affairs coordinator.

Peter Benner, executive director of AFSCME Council 6 also eulogized Unzen during Worker Memorial Day ceremonies last week in Minneapolis.

Unzen, Benner said, could have called 9-1-1 to call a Mn/DOT crew to remove the hazard, "but he thought it was his job to make sure that right of way was safe for passing motorists."

Click here to read the earlier Mn/DOT Newsline article about Unzen.

By Craig Wilkins

back

Roofs and roads don’t have much in common other than exposure to the weather and the sky, but thanks to one of Mn/DOT’s award-winning public-private partnerships, roofing shingles mixed with asphalt now cover some Minnesota trails, roads and parking lots.

Last month, Mn/DOT and its partners won the 2002 Center for Transportation Studies Research Partnership Award for this unique partnership. The CTS award goes to projects with measurable implementation benefits that involve University of Minnesota researchers and both the public and private sectors.

Karen Billiar, James Klessig and Micky Ruiz, Office of Research Services, and Roger Olson, Office of Materials and Road Research, received the award April 19 at CTS’ annual meeting. The implementation, which was several years in the making, mixes sand with scraps created during shingle manufacturing to create an asphalt mixture.

"Research takes a long time and implementation can take even longer," Ruiz commented. "But substantial benefits can be realized from large, collaborative projects like this. This project was about letting the left brain and the right brain work together to find a new way and a good result."

The environmentally friendly project also involved many public and private partners, including:

• Dave Newcomb, former U of M civil engineering professor, who studied the influence of roofing shingles on asphalt concrete mixtures.

• The Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance, which provided funds to Bituminous Roadways in Inver Grove Heights, so it could develop special processing equipment to grind the shingle waste and mix it with sand.

• Mn/DOT’s Office of Research Services, which funded outreach and education efforts to increase the use of manufactured asphalt shingle scrap in local road construction projects.

Benefits on many fronts

But where the "rubber meets the road" is the performance of the road surface itself. Recycled shingle material looks promising here as well. Field tests have shown comparable and even enhanced performance with the use of manufactured asphalt shingle scrap.

Recycled shingle-asphalt mix has been used on these projects:

• Two miles of the Willard Munger Recreational Trail in St. Paul

• A section of County State Aid Highway 17 in Scott County

• Several parking lots

So far, the implementation has only used scraps created in shingle manufacturing. In the next stage, the partnership will use a $125,000 grant from the University of New Hampshire to look into using tear-off shingle scrap.

Recycling tear-off shingles could reap substantial environmental and economic benefits. In the Twin Cities metro area alone, about 400,000 to 500,000 tons of tear-off shingle scrap go into landfills each year. Using recycled shingle asphalt can reduce the percentage of virgin asphalt needed in the mix, thus reducing overall cost.

This second stage will be more challenging. "Consistency and durability are key concerns here," said Klessig. "Post-consumer-waste shingles vary in composition, deterioration and age." Recycled shingles could contain nails, asbestos or other debris and contaminants, which complicate the recycling process and increase costs.

By Merry Rendahl and Marsha Storck

back

Adeel Lari, director of Research Services, welcomes participants at festivities marking the start of Asian Pacific Month in Minnesota. Lari serves as chair of the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans. Photo by Craig Wilkins

Greeting a colorful gathering of people in ethnic dress, youthful dancers and musicians, Adeel Lari, Research Services director, recently opened the celebration of Asian Pacific Islander month at the Capitol.

Lari welcomed participants and visitors, introduced State Sen. Mee Moua, Minnesota’s first Hmong legislator, and read a proclamation from Gov. Jesse Ventura honoring the month-long event.

Lari, a native of Pakistan, chairs the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans.

Asian Pacific Month honors the many contributions in Minnesota made by past and recent immigrants from Asia.

back

The new climate database allows Mn/DOT planners, managers and designers to learn the snow and wind history of any specific location. This is usefull in helping to pinpoint which snow control methods and road designs work best.

Snow drifting onto freshly plowed Minnesota highways is no longer a "given," and designing drift-free roads will not require a major climate change—just knowledge.

Thanks to a new climate database of weather data, Mn/DOT planners, managers and designers can now learn the snow and wind history of any specific location to help pinpoint which snow control methods and road designs work best.

"With the more precise information now available on the climatological history of a location, we can do even more now to design drift-free roads that will save lives, money and time," said Dan Gullickson, Mn/DOT forester and project chair.

"This database will help in the deployment of snow fences for snow control and/or modifying the road ditch width, depth and backslope to achieve a drift-free road," added Dr. Mark Seeley, University of Minnesota. "We researched snowfall and snowdrift amounts in Minnesota dating back, in some cases, to the 1850s to gain a better understanding of Minnesota’s winter weather."

Along with the database itself come classes in how to use it. This spring, Mn/DOT staff are studying snowfall statistics, wind analysis and road cross-sections along with the snow accumulation season and whether snow fences are needed to attain drift-free roadways.

Mn/DOT and the university worked together for two years to create this new database, which is posted on the University of Minnesota Extension Service Web site. Click here to view the database: http://www.climate.umn.edu.

By Gail Gendler

back