By Lisa Yang

A recent paint shortage has led to increased costs for highway paint and in the process has halted work on a few Mn/DOT projects.

District 8 and Metro District are the first two districts to be affected by the shortage. Each district let signing and striping projects this past May and received no bids.

“I think part of the reason why there weren’t any bids for those two projects is because of the shortage,” said Mitch Bartelt, pavement marking engineer. “It’s the first effects that Mn/DOT has felt directly from the shortage.”

In District 1, there is a pavement marking project scheduled for this fall that will be let in July.

“Fortunately, the reflective pavement markings on that highway are still in good condition, so any striping work can wait,” Bartelt said. “This is the case for most highways with markings that are in good condition, which is good news since it will give contractors time to stockpile during the winter in order to have the materials they need to stripe in the spring.”

The few 2010 striping projects that still haven’t been let could see an increase in bid price for roadway striping, according to Bartelt.

Internally, Mn/DOT’s maintenance crews haven’t had any delays or problems related to the paint shortage when they go out to restripe roads. If there is a need to, crews can restripe roads with latex marking or a fresh coat of paint before winter if the work can’t get done in the spring.

As for price, the department has experienced a modest increase in the cost of paint.
“We are paying an increase of 40 cents per gallon of paint,” Bartelt said. “In 2009, it was $5.20 per gallon—now, it’s $5.60 per gallon.”

With the uncertainties surrounding the shortage, there is still a possibility that the department may experience more issues and delays.

“We’ll see what happens down the line,” Bartelt said. “If the situation becomes dire, we’ll have to change our strategies.”

By Erik Rudeen, Government Affairs

As Minnesotans prepare to celebrate our nation’s independence, we remember the sacrifices veterans have made for our country.

Several pieces of legislation were passed during the 2010 session that allow for numerous segments of highway to be named in honor of veterans.

In the city of North Branch, a portion of Hwy 95 will be designated as the “Corporal Jonathan Benson Memorial Highway.” 

Benson graduated from North Branch High School in 2003 and went on to serve in the United States Marine Corps. He died Sept. 9, 2006 from injuries received on his second tour of duty in Iraq.
Benson’s family and friends worked with their local legislators to pursue the legislation and testified in support of the bill during legislative hearings.

Separate legislation designates the new Hwy 95 bridge over Interstate 35 in North Branch as the Veterans Memorial Bridge, while roads in Becker and Clearwater counties will be named as veterans memorial highways.

Signs will be erected along these highways as a result of the legislation.

“Highway signing is meant to inform motorists of regulations such as speed limits and stops, warn them of any impending dangers such as sharp curves, and help them find their destination,” said Sue Groth, Office of Traffic, Safety & Technology director. “Although memorial signing does not regulate, warn or guide traffic, it is Mn/DOT’s policy to remain neutral on memorial legislation for non-interstate routes as long as the section of highway has only one designated name.”

For a summary of the 2010 legislative session, visit http://ihub.dot.state.mn.us/governmentaffairs/legislative2010/finalsummary/2010yearend.pdf.

This is the third installment in a short series of 2010 Legislative Session highlights.
Previous highlights:

• New law requires quick removal of crash debris from Metro District roadways
• New law requires power lines to be located along highways when feasible

By Angela Mathis

Employees from Mn/DOT’s District 6 participated in the Think Green Fair June 26 in an effort to showcase environmentally friendly programs and practices in southeast Minnesota. The event gave D6 employees the chance to talk with an estimated 300 people about what the department does to be green.

“We got involved in the Think Green Fair because we saw it as a really great community relations opportunity,” said Jessica Wiens, D6 public affairs coordinator.

The Mn/DOT booth focused on sustainable approaches in five areas—snowplowing, construction projects, vegetation management, bicycling and wetlands, according to Wiens. A Rochester City Lines bus was also available so people could learn how to use the bus bicycle racks in a “stress-free” setting.

“A lot of people see Mn/DOT as construction, snowplows and cones, but they don’t necessarily see our efforts to be environmentally friendly,” said Wiens. “They see road construction, not the recycled material we’re using to do it. They see snowplows, not the in-depth formulas we use to reduce sand and salt usage.

“Our goal at the Think Green Fair was to highlight the green things the department does that aren’t so obvious to the community.”

By Susan Walto

TranSWIFT, Mn/DOT’s project to implement the new statewide financial system, continues to progress at a steady pace.

Twelve teams have been created to work on the project, including the Chart of Accounts and Budget teams, which have joined forces to implement a simplified chart of accounts structure. New values in the chart of accounts will be used by all employees when completing timesheets, purchase orders, payment processing and equipment usage. RCA will also be revised to accommodate the new chart codes.

One of the joint work team’s tasks is to move the department to a simplified coding structure, according to Kristi Schroedl, Budget work team leader, and Mary Ann Frasczak, COA work team leader. The current coding system has grown complex and confusing due to several reorganizations and the use of smart coding. The team is identifying new codes and cleaning up old codes that are no longer needed. Their focus has been on how to streamline and simplify coding that corresponds with new business processes.

The new chart of accounts will allow easier reporting at the department level due to the simplified coding structure.

“SWIFT’s move to a simplified coding structure will be easier for new employees to learn and ease end-of-the-year reporting,” said Schroedl.

With the new COA, commodity codes will be available to users—something not available in MAPS, the current accounting and procurement system. Reporting at the commodity level will now become possible due to the introduction of these codes.

Many people throughout the department have been working hard to complete the new chart of accounts, identify the use of new codes and clean up existing codes.

“We couldn’t do this work without help from people in Central Office and the Districts,” said Frasczak. “The district experts really provided some valuable ideas in terms of how to improve reporting.”

In addition to the Chart of Accounts and Budget teams, other work teams are reviewing recommended approaches to how business will be conducted under the new system.

For more information about the TranSWIFT project, including project status, schedule and updates, visit ihub/transwift/ or www.newsline.dot.state.mn.us/archive/09/dec/9.html#Z4. Employees with questions about the project can contact Bill Roen, TranSWIFT project director, at 651-366-4076.

Employees interested in attending the fourth installation of the Commissioner’s Reading Corner discussion can still sign up at ihub/readingcorner/index.html. Rebecca Fabunmi, special assistant to the commissioner, will lead a discussion of “Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney,” by Lee Cockerell.

The discussion will take place Wednesday, July 7, at 1:30 p.m, in Central Office Conference Room 461. Employees can also participate virtually via Adobe Connect and should log in as a guest no earlier than 1:15 p.m.

All employees are encouraged to attend, even if they have not yet read the book, according to Qin Tang, Mn/DOT librarian. Future discussions will include these titles, which are available in the Commissioner's Reading Corner at the Mn/DOT Library:

• A New Breed of Leader: 8 Leadership Qualities that Matter Most in the Real World: What Works, What Doesn't, and Why
• How Successful People Think: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life
• The Trusted Leader: Building the Relationships that Make Government Work
• The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You
• Collaborative Leadership: How Citizens and Civic Leaders Can Make a Difference
• That's Not What I Meant!: How Conversational Style Makes or Breaks Your Relations with Others
• The World's Most Powerful Leadership Principle: How to Become a Servant Leader
• Jeffrey Gitomer's Little Teal Book of Trust: How to Earn It, Grow It, and Keep It to Become a Trusted Advisor in Sales, Business & Life

Employees with questions can contact Fabunmi at 651-366-4808. To read an interview featuring Fabunmi’s reaction to the latest book, visit ihub.dot.state.mn.us/readingcorner/interviews.html.

By Angela Mathis

Professionals from around the globe presented at the International Erosion Control Association’s conference earlier this year. Out of this group, Dwayne Stenlund, Environmental Services, recently received the 2010 Presenter of the Year Award for his four-hour technical session workshop entitled Concrete Management Best Practices.

Although Stenlund expressed disbelief for receiving the award, he said, “I suspect I got it because I didn’t hold back. I wasn’t trying to sell the audience anything but ideas.”

An upbeat presentation style, which prompted someone to dub him the Jay Leno of erosion control and which Stenlund describes as “wild, entertaining and humorous,” probably worked in his favor as well.

At Mn/DOT, Stenlund develops pollution management plans and best practices for construction activities. A certified professional in erosion and sediment control, he has worked in the Office of Environmental Services for 15 years, is an adjunct instructor at the University of Minnesota, and gives best practices presentations nationwide.

What is concrete management?

Mn/DOT wouldn’t be Mn/DOT without concrete, but we need to be aware that concrete isn’t the same thing as dirt. Concrete contains toxins, so to protect our natural resources and the public, contractors need to implement plans for concrete dust management, demolition, disposal, reclamation and other operations.

For example, community members living near the I-35 Mega Project in Duluth were adamant about not having concrete dust in their homes. We needed a plan to ensure it stayed on site and the public was minimally exposed to it.

Reusing materials is also an important aspect of best practices—waste in your operation could be raw materials for another.

How do you develop best practices?

I make it up as I go because there aren’t a lot of manuals to follow, but you need to start somewhere. If you do nothing, you might be maximizing profit, but you’re harming workers and the environment.

To develop best practices, I observe, learn the issues and outline procedures that will minimize pollutants. At the end of the day, what matters is that everyone goes home with all body parts, the public is safe and the environment is protected as best as it can be.

How do you get contractors to implement best practices?

I observe contractors and tell them if they’re doing something that violates state and federal laws—then recommend solutions to correct the condition. I also name best practices after contractors who use them well. Some contractors approach me with an innovation because they want to be immortalized by having their name attached to it. Naming has been a great tool to celebrate successes and encourage best practices implementation. If you personalize success and failure, you’ll get change.

Contractors usually don’t mind implementing best practices as long as all contractors are held to the same standards. No one ever complains about too much clean air and water, but people do complain about spending money. In the end, though, it’s cheaper to prevent than to react. My goal is to write provisions to level the playing field.

What are your upcoming projects?

I’ll tackle bituminous pavement best practices next and will make the guidance documents more pictorial-based. I’ve found graphics to be powerful tools for communicating with contractors.

We’re also conducting research with Mankato State University on concrete management best practices for projects throughout the state. Our long-term goal is to develop standards, methods and outcomes that are clear and deliverable, at the lowest possible cost.

A unique thing I’ve been asked to do is instruct military trainees in how not to pollute groundwater when they practice blowing things up during training exercises.

I’ve also been invited to give presentations in several states because of the award.

Do you enjoy presenting?

I suppose I like it, especially the people I meet and all the really interesting ideas they bring to training, but if there were other options, I’d rather not do it.

If I want my job to work, though, I need to invest time in educating people about how and why to follow best practices so they can take that knowledge back into the field to implement every day.

Do you or a co-worker have an interesting job to share with readers? Click here to send us your ideas, and we’ll contact you for more information.

Recent employee profiles:

• On the Job: Dave Tody makes sure everything runs efficiently at State Sign Shop
• Kristie Billiar puts the ADA Transition Plan into action
• Have a traffic safety issue in District 3? Kevin Schmidt wants to know

By Lisa Yang

For 17 years Mn/DOT’s Seeds Program has provided job opportunities to high school and college students with the goal of developing them into future Mn/DOT employees.

“Every year, the program takes a day to celebrate the achievements that the Seeds and Phoenix student workers have accomplished during that year,”said Denise Hals, Seeds Program manager.

This year’s event was held June 17 at the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory. Students spent part of the day taking photos, accepting awards and listening to testimonials. They also had the opportunity to take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® test to find out about their work and learning styles.

“It was interesting to learn and analyze how the different styles interact and contrast each other,” said Chang Yang, Office of Land Management student worker.

Currently, there are 57 students in the programs—44 are in Seeds, 12 in Seeds Pathways and one in the Phoenix program.

Mn/DOT gives back

The Seeds and Phoenix programs, along with the Engineering Services, Operations and Employee and Corporate Services divisions, are giving back to communities by awarding scholarships to area high schools.  Jolene Forman, Recruitment Programs manager; Dana Wheeler, MGEC executive director; and Jim Mecklenburg, Project Lead the Way program director, met to select six schools out of 10 that submitted proposals

For the first time, Mn/DOT awarded PLTW scholarships totaling $20,000 to six high schools that will allow a teacher from each school to attend a two-week civil engineering training at the University of Minnesota.  The teachers will implement what they’ve learned into their fall civil engineering curriculum. 

The six high schools that received the scholarships are:

• Mankato West
• Eden Prairie
• Lakeville
• United South Central
• Anoka
• St. Paul Johnson

"By giving these scholarships, we’re helping schools and also helping Mn/DOT by getting more kids interested in civil engineering through their teachers," Forman said.