Sandee Oman, administrative specialist with the Business Development Section in the Office of Civil Rights, died unexpectedly June 20. She was 49 years old.  

Oman was found unconscious at her desk Monday morning by co-workers who immediately performed CPR and called 911. Paramedics rushed Oman to the hospital, where she passed away shortly after arrival.

“Our thoughts are with Sandee, her family and friends—no doubt this is a shock and is sad for everyone,” said Commissioner Tom Sorel. “Sandee was an important and valued member of our team and I know she made surprisingly strong personal connections since joining MnDOT last year.”

Oman began working for MnDOT in October 2010 and quickly assimilated to the work OCR had to offer, according to Kathy Bique, Oman’s supervisor.  

“When Sandee was given any type of project inside or outside the scope of her work, she took full responsibility for it and ensured it was done, often before the deadline,” Bique said.

In her short time with the department, Oman was able to develop relationships and close friendships with other employees and external partners as the administrative support for the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise and Workforce Collaborative group, according to Mary Prescott, OCR director. Prescott also labeled Oman as a model employee for her ability to balance work and personal life.

“You would have never known Sandee was the mother of nine children—her personal outlook toward any hardship was positive,” Prescott said. “She was the first person staff from Environmental Services and Civil Rights saw when they came in the office each morning—she started everyone on a cheerful note for the day.” 

Funeral services will be held June 25 at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Roseville. The service begins at 11 a.m.; visitation will begin at 10:30 a.m.

Commissioner Tom Sorel and members of MnDOT’s senior management staff held employee meetings June 21 at Central Office and district headquarters statewide to update employees about the state’s contingency planning efforts in the event that the Minnesota state government shuts down July 1. 

The commissioner and Bernie Arseneau, deputy commissioner/chief engineer, kicked off the employee meetings with a 20-minute webcast reviewing MnDOT’s planning efforts to date. Sorel said that budget talks are still continuing between the governor and legislative leaders, and that he remains hopeful that they can be resolved before a shutdown occurs July 1.

Arseneau said that the governor has recommended continuing a limited number of critical services (those affecting safety, health or having a significant economic impact) and keeping minimal staff if government is shutdown. Which services continue will be decided by the court.

The governor’s petition to the court recommends that the following MnDOT services be continued during a shutdown:

• Emergency highway repair
• Aeronautic navigation
• Emergency communication networks
• Truck permitting (but not highway or right of way permitting)
• Agency incident command and support for critical services (e.g., payroll, leadership team) to manage operations during shutdown

Employees will receive a checklist of things to do should a shutdown occur (e.g., recording a voice mail message).

MnDOT has sent more than 10,000 letters to vendors, contractors, partners and others notifying them of the potential break in services.

For more information about the potential shutdown, visit Minnesota Management & Budget’s Be Ready website, which is updated as new information is released.

If you have missed previous commissioner e-mails or webcasts, you can still view them at ihub.dot.state.mn.us/shutdowninformation/.

Research Services reminds employees with ideas for potential research projects in FY 2013 that the deadline for submitting a needs statement is July 20, 2011.

A needs statement allows employees to identify a transportation issue that merits further research and propose an idea for a research project to solve the issue.

Research funding from $50,000 to $300,000 is available for research projects that meet the needs of the department. Information and instructions can be found at the RSS Website. 

Employees with questions or who need help refining/scoping their project idea can contact Alan Rindels at 651-366-3779, Bruce Holdhusen at 651-366-3760 or Farideh Amiri 651-366-3545.

By Becky Dahlberg

Brad Larsen recently accepted a one-year mobility assignment as the new MnPASS policy and planning manager. Larsen most recently served as director of the Office of Traditional and Innovative Finance.

“I’m excited to get this opportunity to learn more about project planning, programming and development processes from the district perspective,” Larsen said. “I’ve spent 15 years in Central Office focusing on policy and financial issues and am looking forward to gaining some front-line district experience.”

Larsen has worked for MnDOT since 1996, primarily in the areas of finance, policy and federal affairs. Prior to joining the department, he spent several years practicing law in the private and public sectors. Larsen has a law degree and a master’s in public administration from Hamline University.

“We are very excited to have Brad’s extensive experience in Metro District to manage this effort,” said Pat Bursaw, Metro District transportation operations manager. “We are grateful to the division directors who helped arrange this mobility and who are continuing to offer career development opportunities to bring new perspectives within the department,” Bursaw said.

Larsen’s new office is located at the Regional Traffic Management Center. He can be reached at 651-234-7024.

By Lisa Yang

Employees will need to complete two timesheets for the pay period ending July 5, 2011, and will need to do so earlier than usual due to the fiscal year crossover. In addition, names for timesheet fields will change and lengthen with the implementation of SWIFT, the state’s new financial system, on July 1.

“We’re hoping the transition to the new RCA will be relatively smooth,” said Sue Stein, Office of Administration director.

The new RCA timesheet entrance page will have two links. Link One is for the first timesheet and Link Two is for the second timesheet. Employees will need to:

• Click on Link One to enter hours worked June 22-30. It must be completed by Thursday, June 30, and approved by 10 a.m., Friday, July 1.
• Click on Link Two to enter hours worked July 1-5. It must be completed by Tuesday, July 5, and approved by 10 a.m., Wednesday, July 6.
• Employees can start their second timesheet for fiscal year 2012 on June 22, but will not be able to complete it until the new fiscal year budgets are entered.

If an employee is on vacation, the supervisor will need to enter and complete the timesheet.

“If we need to move up the timeline for the first timesheet due to the possibility of a government shutdown, employees will be notified as soon as possible,” Stein said.

Employees also will notice the change in timesheet field names.

• Fund (270) will be Fund (2700)
• Org (2500) will be Fin Dept ID (T7932500)
• Appr Unit (068) will be Appr ID (T790068)
• Job number will be Project ID
• Activity code will be SRC Type (Source Type)

Last September, a new look for the timesheets was launched prior to additional changes that needed to be made before the implementation of SWIFT.

Eventually, SWIFT will integrate all of the administrative functions across state agencies, including financial procurement, reporting and the current SEMA4 human resources/payroll system.

Training and job aids will be made available for employees.

The RCA employee manual is currently being revised and will soon be available on iHUB. Employees with questions about the changes can contact the RCA Help Desk at 651-366-3020, or their local payroll administrator.

The Office of Communication’s Web Team recently made some updates to MnDOT’s external website and iHUB that employees should be aware of:

• An easier alternative to MnDOT’s long URL, www.dot.state.mn.us, is www.mndot.gov. For example employees can use mndot.gov/roundabouts/ or mndot.gov/roundabouts/safety. This makes the URL easier to remember and easier to fit on brochures, posters, e-mail signatures and business cards.
  
• A new Zipper Merge website has been created to explain how to properly use the zipper merge and how it benefits the flow of traffic.
  
• The department’s Labor Compliance website has been completely redesigned.
  
• Employees can view webcasts and messages from the Commissioner about the potential shutdown at ihub/shutdowninformation/.

By Qin Tang

The May 2011 edition of New Library Materials is now available at www.dot.state.mn.us/library/newlibmat.html.

In response to customer requests for audio books for use during their daily commute, the MnDOT Library recently added the first audio CD to its collection. Those interested in reading the latest Commissioner’s Reading Corner book, 7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis, now have the option of reading it in print, on Kindle or listening while driving.

Archived editions of New Library Materials are available at www.dot.state.mn.us/library/recacq-archive.html.

New Library Materials is a compilation of new titles and other resources added to the library collection during the previous month. If you would like to be added to the distribution list, please contact Pam Gonzalez at 651-366-3749.

For other information requests, contact the library at 651-366-3791 or e-mail library.dot@state.mn.us. Employees can also send requests via the “Ask a Librarian” web page at www.dot.state.mn.us/library/asklibrarian.html.

MnDOT recently received the 2010 Perpetual Pavement Award from the Asphalt Pavement Alliance for the Hwy 61/North Shore Scenic Byway project near Silver Bay. The award recognizes asphalt pavements that have stood the test of time.

Initial construction began in 1969 on the five-mile section of Hwy 61, which is part of the 154-mile North Shore Scenic Byway that connects Duluth to Grand Portage.

The APA selected the project for its design and endorsement of long-life, perpetual hot-mix asphalt pavement in Minnesota.

“Hwy 61's outstanding pavement quality along the North Shore is due to many factors from the bottom-up," said Bernie Arseneau, deputy commissioner and chief engineer. "The road has a strong gravel base below thick layers of asphalt; crews quickly maintain surface defects caused by Minnesota's annual temperature changes."

To be eligible for the award, the project had to fit the following criteria:

• Age—35 years or older
• Durability—no major structural failure in its lifetime
• Integrity—on average at least 13 years between overlays
• Quality—excellence in design, quality in construction and value to the traveling public

This is MnDOT’s ninth perpetual pavement award, which is more than any other state in the country.

"This award represents hard work from multiple people involved in planning, designing, constructing and maintaining Hwy 61 over more than 40 years," said Arseneau. "Their work ensures travelers' safety as they enjoy the beauty of the North Shore."

By Libby Schultz

District 7 employees are pulling together and raising money that will go toward an education fund for the children of Mike Struck, District 7/Mankato Maintenance.

Stuck died March 22 when the backhoe he was using to clear debris along Hwy 169 between Mankato and St. Peter was pulled into the flood waters of Seven Mile Creek, which feeds into the Minnesota River. Struck worked for MnDOT for nine years as a maintenance operator.

Struck’s co-workers in District 7 are selling silicone bracelets in his memory. The proceeds will fund the education of Struck’s children who are four years and six years old. 

So far, $600 has been raised from bracelet sales alone—other efforts have brought in more.

District 7 also held the “I Like Mike” picnic June 17. The event featured an auction, a fishing contest and sand sculpting contest. Proceeds from each raised nearly $3,000, according to Rebecca Arndt, District 7 public affairs coordinator.

“The plan is to make this an annual event to keep the memory of Mike alive,” Arndt said.

Struck was admired by his co-workers in District 7 and his loss continues to be felt throughout all areas, said Robin Jordan, District 7 Human Resources.

“Mike was a great co-worker and friend,” Jordan said. “He had an extremely contagious smile and personality—never short of words. Could be how he got his nickname, Windy.”

Employees interested in purchasing a bracelet in memory of Mike Struck should contact Robin Jordan at 507-304-6122.