Bill Sazama, District 4-Perham Truck Station, died Jan. 28 in Fargo, N.D., surrounded by his family. Sazama was hospitalized with a serious illness Monday, Jan. 24.

Sazama, 54, began his career with Mn/DOT in 1977 as a laborer with the District 4 Bridge crew. In 1978 he was hired as a highway maintenance worker in District 8, working out of Redwood Falls. He transferred back to District 4 one year later, where he worked at the Dilworth Truck Station for seven years before moving on to the Perham Truck Station.

Sazama was the third of three brothers to work in District 4. Art Sazama worked with the Bridge crew from 1969-2003 and Roger Sazama has been working out of the Perham Truck Station since 1974. 

“Bill was a dedicated employee – always ready to work and got along with everyone,” said Dennis Redig, District 4 maintenance superintendent. “He was fun to be around and will be missed by many.”

In his spare time, Sazama enjoyed hunting, fishing, riding his motorcycle and spending time with his grandchildren.

Sazama was raised in Perham, Minn., where he graduated from high school in 1975. He is survived by his wife, Cyndi; two children, Jennifer and Josh; grandchildren Elizabeth and Lucas; eight brothers and sisters; and numerous relatives and friends.

By Bob Filipczak

The Office of Statewide Multimodal Planning recently released its Overview of Planning and Programming in Minnesota, a document Philip Schaffner, a principal planner in OSMP, called “a reference guide to how we do planning and programming.”

According to Schaffner, the document is a lead up to the next big thing for OSMP—launching a long-range visioning process to better align the transportation system with what Minnesotans expect for their quality of life, economy and natural environment, which will be followed by an update to the statewide multimodal transportation plan in 2012.

This means Schaffner and his team need to talk to a lot of people and spend time listening this year.

“Because we have such a broad scope and are thinking so long-term, we have to know something about rail, something about bicycles and pedestrians, something about transit, something about aeronautics and something about freight, in addition to knowing about highways,” Schaffner said. “And because we have so many partners from several industries, our biggest challenge is getting everyone involved who needs to be involved.”

Schaffner said he hopes that stakeholders understand at least three things after reading the overview:

1. How  each of Mn/DOT’s key partnerships work throughout the state
2. The differences between Minnesota’s metropolitan planning organizations, regional development commissions and area transportation partnerships
3. What Mn/DOT does in terms of planning and programming for each mode

For more information on the Overview of Planning and Programming in Minnesota, visit www.dot.state.mn.us/planning/program/overview.html.

Tom Hicks, District 3-Remer Truck Station, is now eligible for the state vacation donation program, which allows employees to donate up to 40 hours of vacation per fiscal year for approved recipients who have exhausted their sick and vacation leave due to illness.

Hicks started experiencing medical problems associated with a tumor resection and placement of a shunt in December. As a result, he is unable to work and has exhausted all of his sick and vacation leave accruals. Hicks has been with Mn/DOT since 1989.

To donate vacation hours, go to the Employee Self Service Web site and click “Other Payroll” and then “Leave Donations.” The site also allows employees to view a list of all state employees eligible for the program and enroll as a recipient.

Related information:

By Lisa Yang

Looking for a printer or a dresser? Are you curious about who’s retiring from Mn/DOT?

Employees can visit the Employee Bulletin Board on iHUB where they can share information about items for sale or post notices about retirements and events.

The bulletin board has categories that include electronics, furniture, garden/lawn, sporting goods, tickets, vehicles, notices, pets and housing. Employees who can’t find what they’re looking for can submit an ad and have it posted to the “wanted” category.

To submit an ad, e-mail it to bulletinboard.dot@state.mn.us or fill out the Bulletin Board online form.

Employees should keep the following things in mind when posting an ad on the bulletin board:

• There is no editing service—read your ad a couple of times to make sure the information is complete and short.
• Include contact information so employees can request more details. Pictures, PDFs and other files that go along with ads will not be posted.
• E-mail bulletinboard.dot@state.mn.us if you’ve sold your items or no longer need your ad posted. Ads will be removed after two weeks.

Ads that sell or promote franchise products, such as Pampered Chef or Avon, as well as a private or commercial business or service, such as “Katie’s Katering,” will not be posted.

By Becky Dahlberg

Negotiation can be tough. Throw in multiple agencies, pricey improvement projects and cost-sharing, and it’s almost impossible.

Enter Rhonda Prestegard, an unassuming District 6 State Aid & Agreements employee with 27 years of Mn/DOT experience who just happens to be an experienced negotiator. Prestegard regularly collaborates with cities and counties on upcoming projects to determine who will be responsible for what.

How does the negotiation process work?

A lot of District 6 projects involve both Mn/DOT and city and county cost-sharing. I work with project managers to determine what items Mn/DOT can pay for and what items the city or county should pay for. It’s a lot of negotiation, a lot of back and forth. For example, there will be an improvement plan in place and an agency will approach us saying 'we’d like to include this in your project'—then we have to negotiate. The challenge comes from the way we look at the proposals—analyzing them for their benefit to the state highway system, as well as to the city or county road systems. Sometimes what we see as a benefit, they see as a detriment, and vice versa. Overall though, it’s a good process and we have excellent rapport with our partners. We eventually come to an agreement and have it written, signed and approved. When that’s all done the project can be let.

What’s a typical day like for you?

I wear a lot of hats. A typical day varies by the time of year. There are usually a lot of project scoping meetings with project managers to set up the boundaries of a project early on. As the project progresses, I also get involved with reviewing any plans as they come in. When the project is completed, there’s the whole review process and checking to see if there needs to be any modifications to the agreement.

How is an agreement put together?

There are many different kinds of agreements, including cost-share agreements, detour agreements and city and partnership agreements. Usually a city or county will approach us about a project and we’ll work together to write an agreement outlining the project intention. This is where all the meetings and negotiation comes in. As the project progresses, we may write a memorandum of understanding to make sure everyone is on the same page.

On the Hwy 52 Elk Run project, there are four agreements in place, with talk of a fifth on the horizon. One of those agreements advanced state money for the upcoming interchange project on the city and developer’s promise of economic development and job creation to support local growth and vitality.

Is there anything new happening in the world of agreements?

Yes. District 6 recently held a workshop introducing a new program to solicit project proposals from cities and counties called the Municipal Agreement Solicitation Program. Multiple agencies will send in their proposals, we’ll evaluate them all and then pick the ones we think will provide the most benefit to Mn/DOT and the local agency. Right now our process is more of a first-come-first-served basis. If we have funding, we’ll work with the agency to develop the project; but since there are always more requests than available funds, we’re turning it into more of a competitive process to leverage local funds to help pay for these improvements. This gives cities and counties equal opportunity to bring their proposals forward and get their issues addressed as they share ideas and establish solid partnerships.

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: District 1’s Bob Wryk plans ahead one last time
• On the job: Denny Smith is on the move in Mankato
• On the job: Tina Markeson manages roadside vegetation

By John Tompkins, Office of Freight & Commercial Vehicle Operations

As Mn/DOT celebrates Black History Month, it’s a good time for me to reflect on the life and accomplishments of Col. Kenneth Wofford, a former manager in Mn/DOT’s Office of Aeronautics who passed away a few months back.

Col. Wofford served the United States Air Force as a Tuskegee Airmen, a group of young patriotic men who became the first African-American aviators in the U.S. armed forces. When I discovered Col. Wofford was a Tuskegee Airmen, I could not believe that we shared the connection of both being Air Force veterans and Mn/DOT employees—past and present. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to meet him and only became aware of his existence after his passing in September 2010. As I delved into his history, it was surprising to see how well Col. Wofford was known and celebrated not only for his work as a Tuskegee Airmen and highly decorated Air Force officer, but also for his role as an Aeronautics manager with the department. 

Growing up the son of a Korean War veteran, I was exposed to stories that celebrated the accomplishments and acknowledged the adversity of African-American men in the military—stories of the Tuskegee Airmen were told to inspire and motivate me. Flying proud in their signature red tail airplanes, the airmen proved themselves worthy of the opportunity to become pilots despite the expectation of failure. 

Col. Wofford and the Tuskegee Airmen have made a great contribution toward the history of the United States of America and have impacted the lives of countless Americans. Please join the department this month in celebrating the life and accomplishments of Col. Kenneth Wofford and others like him as we recognize the African-American leaders who have contributed greatly to our country’s transportation history.