Commissioner Tom Sorel began his 2012 district tour May 7 with visits to District 2 and District 4. Sorel visited with employees in Bemidji, Bagley and Park Rapids before ending the day in Detroit Lakes.

Bernie Arseneau, deputy commissioner and chief engineer, and Greg Ous, assistant Operations Division director, joined Sorel on his District 2/District 4 visits.

The dates for the Commissioner's other district visits are:

• District 6—Rochester/Owatonna, Red Wing and Zumbrota—May 14
• Metro District/Arden Hills Training Center—May 31
• District 7—Mankato—June 27-28
• District 1—Duluth—July 9
• District 3—Baxter—July 10
• District 8—Willmar—July 27                                                  

If you haven’t met Wendy Friede yet, it’s probably a good thing. But she’d still like to meet you.

Friede, the department’s first employee ombudsman, is hosting two open houses next week to introduce herself to employees and to talk a little bit about the services the employee ombudsman offers.

The events will be held Tuesday, May 15, from 1:30 to 3 p.m., in B26A Central Office, and on Thursday, May 17, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, in Conference Room 408 at Waters Edge. Refreshments will be served.

Friede, who began her role last fall, is the person to whom employees can turn when they are having trouble getting workplace issues resolved. The employee ombudsman’s role is to complement MnDOT’s formal resources and help employees bring their work-related concerns to resolution. Sometimes this means identifying the resources employees have available, sometimes it means coaching them on how to use those resources most effectively.

In all instances, Friede said, “My main job is to listen, to really help employees be heard and help them clarify what their real issue is.”

Discussion will focus on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues in the workplace

The Diversity Council invites all employees to participate in a brown bag panel discussion with the Twin Cities chapter of PFLAG—parents, families and friends of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons—on Wednesday, May 23, from noon to 1 p.m. 

The panel will discuss their lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender family members’ experiences and challenges in the workplace, as well as their own challenges in the workplace as allies of the LGBT community. 

“This event is part of a series of brown bag discussions that enable employees to learn about and discuss issues that impact our personal culture and our co-workers’ cultures,” said Sue Mulvihill, Employee and Corporate Services Division director and Diversity Council chair.    

Employees can participate in person at Central Office rooms G13-G14 or via Adobe Connect.
Instructions for joining the event via Adobe Connect will be available on the Diversity Council iHUB page.

For questions about this event, contact Rosemarie Merrigan at 651-366-4719.

PLFAG was founded in 1972 and is composed of parents, families, friends and straight allies uniting with LGBT people. PFLAG has more than 350 chapters and 200,000 supporters across America.

Employees are invited to attend a Research Services brown bag presentation May 16, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in Central Office Conference Room 461. The presentation is being offered as an opportunity for employees to gain a better understanding of the agency’s research partners and programs.

Presenters include Richard Pain and Monica Stearns, Transportation Research Board and Strategic Highway Research Program, who will be in Minnesota as part of a two-day visit to different MnDOT research areas.

Several employees have become nationally recognized experts in their field by directly participating in the TRB and SHRP2 programs. Testimonials by Ken Buckeye, Policy Analysis, Research and Innovation, Bill Gardner, Freight and Commercial Vehicle Operations director, and Roger Olson, Materials, will describe their experiences with these programs after the formal presentations are over.

The TRB is a division of the National Research Council, which consists of research-oriented committees, panels and task forces. Its communication focus has created a participating network of more than 7,000 engineers, scientists and other transportation researchers and practitioners across the United States.

SHRP2 is administered by the TRB and was approved by Congress to address some of the most pressing needs related to the nation’s highway system. Through project funding and research committees, the SHRP2 program oversees and participates in necessary research aimed to improve highway safety, renewal, reliability and capacity.

MnDOT Library recently received the 2012 John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award from the American Library Association.

The award is presented to libraries for outstanding achievement in public relations. It has been awarded since 1946 and is considered to be the most prestigious of all library awards in the field of public relations.

The department received the honor for its creation of a “moving knowledge” campaign to convey updated library space and resources and improve outreach efforts. A complete space redesign transformed the department’s basic government library into a warm and inviting environment.

“The marketing campaign was a huge success that has brought in new library users from all around the state,” said Commissioner Tom Sorel.

The library offers resources focused primarily on civil and transportation engineering with additional strengths in management, environment, computer software, leadership and risk management. It serves department staff as well as city and county engineers, consultants, students, University of Minnesota staff and the public.

“As we continue toward our goal of becoming a transportation leader and employer of choice that delivers value to the public, it is essential that our employees and other transportation stakeholders know about the resources available to them to bring us closer to that goal,” Sorel said. “The library is one of those resources.”   

MnDOT Library was one of eight libraries out of a record 108 contenders that received 2012 John Cotton Dana Awards, an honor that has predominantly been awarded to public and academic libraries in years past.

The John Cotton Dana Awards will be presented June 24 at the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, Calif.

Check out these recent updates to MnDOT’s social media channels and websites:

Social media

• This year’s Worker Memorial Day event at the Golden Valley Truck Station is available for viewing on MnDOT’s YouTube Video Channel.
• Twenty-five employees from around the state received awards for efforts that went beyond the call of duty at the second annual Heroes of MnDOT event April 25.
• The agency also created a pile load testing video to show the different kinds of load testing the department performs to determine how much weight and resistance the ground will bear before constructing a bridge.

iHUB and external website

• A new webpage for roadside vegetation management lists the benefits and details of prescribed burns. See www.dot.state.mn.us/roadsides/vegetation/fire.html.
• The Approved Products website has been revamped. Employees looking for products pre-approved or certified for use on MnDOT projects can visit www.dot.state.mn.us/products/.
• The Employee Services website on iHUB will be taken down soon, so employees may run into broken links when searching for payroll, purchasing, business cards, affirmative action and contacts by office. Employees should use the A to Z feature for the correct links and update their bookmarks.

New biking component will feature Nice Ride bike share system

All state employees working near or visiting the Capitol Complex area in St. Paul are invited to participate in the State Capitol Walk/Bike event Wednesday, May 16, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Employees can create a team of co-workers to walk or bike around the Capitol Complex and promote health and wellness.  

Walk details

• 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. – Employees can use break/lunch times to walk a few laps around the Capitol Complex then record those laps with a team. The course will be marked by orange cones. Each lap is approximately one mile.
• Contact jarvis.keys@state.mn.us with questions.  

Bike details

• 11:15 a.m. – Employees should check in at the John Ireland Boulevard entrance of the Central Office building
• 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. – Employees can learn about the Nice Ride bike share system, which is coming to MnDOT and 24 other locations in downtown St. Paul in summer 2012. They can then take a short bike ride around the Capitol Complex. Some Nice Ride bikes will be available. Helmets are required.
• Contact lisa.austin@state.mn.us to reserve a Nice Ride bike prior to the event. 

Health fair details

• 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. – There will be a health fair on the ground floor of the Central Office building.
• Contact connie.eystad@state.mn.us or bob.eder-zdechlik@state.mn.us with questions.

Employees who do not work at the Capitol Complex are encouraged to bike or walk in their own communities.