By Anne Meyer

As vehicles drive along Interstate 94 northwest of Sauk Centre, it’s hard to believe this four-lane stretch was once farmland.

The path of pavement was decided thanks in part to the work of Kenneth Sellon and Eugene Schlotfeldt. Both worked on MnDOT’s survey crew when the interstate expansion work began more than 50 years ago.

Sellon was the engineer in charge of the project and known for his attention to detail. Schlotfeldt, better known as “Schlotty,” was the brawn of the team and often called in to help when tasks required heavy lifting.

Sellon and Schlotfeldt were on the job Nov. 14, 1968, near the site of the future interstate when a semi-trailer struck their pick-up truck and killed the men.

“I’ll never forget that day as long as I live; I never got to say goodbye” said Jerry Middelstadt, Sellon's grandson. “What I really miss is that he wasn’t around to help me in college with my calculus.”

Middelstadt was 14 years old when his grandpa died. He’s spent the last decade making sure both men’s lives are never forgotten.

Minnesota dedicated a section of I-94 from Sauk Centre to Alexandria as the “Kenneth E. Sellon and Eugene B. Schlotfeldt Memorial Highway” in 2019. Family members and friends of the fallen workers raised money to purchase two memorial signs, which were put up along I-94 in designated areas last fall.

Those signs were dedicated during a gathering Jan. 31 in St. Cloud. Members from both men's families were joined by lawmakers who authored bills to dedicate the Memorial Highway, current MnDOT staff and former co-workers.

“All of our plans changed on that horrible day,” said Beth Watson, Schlotfeldt’s daughter. “We’ve lived with this our whole lives. It really touches you to the core.”

Watson hopes drivers learn about her father’s story and use caution in work zones. She doesn’t want another family to go through what hers did.

“They are someone’s husband, someone’s dad,” Watson said. “Slow down and give some consideration to these workers.”

Since 1960, 35 MnDOT workers and 15 contractors have died while working on Minnesota highways. Their lives are remembered April 28 each year on Worker Memorial Day. A memorial, located in the lobby of the Transportation Building in St. Paul, provides visitors with a listing of those who died and other information.

Learn more about each name on the MnDOT Worker Memorial list.

By Charles Stech, Office of Chief Counsel

The Research and Innovation Office is the winner of the latest email cleanup effort.

The office earned the “Golden Hard Drive” award by reducing its email by nearly 26 percent. District 8 was the district leader for reduction of email, decreasing its storage by more than 16 percent. The offices of Statewide Radio and Communications both garnered an honorable mention by reducing a combined total of more than 24 percent. More results can be found on the Records Management website.

Katie Walker, Office of Research and Innovation director, said the Golden Hard Drive would be displayed in the library to inspire not only office staff, but all employees and visitors. It didn’t take long for word to travel once Walker shared news of the victory.

“People jumped up out of their cubes and high-fived each other,” she said. “We were just elevated from a section to an office, so this really provided a great opportunity for the staff to come together and start working as a team. They really inspired each other.”

Research and Innovation staff also took time to clean up physical spaces, Walker said, taking further the idea of making it easier to find things by having less to look through.

“It makes you more efficient and cuts down on some frustration,” she said.

In all, close to a terabyte of data was deleted throughout the agency. This was almost 5 percent of the total email server. The Office of Chief Counsel reminds employees that email is not where records or long-term information are supposed stored. 

Previous “Golden Hard Drive” winners are:

• District 6 - spring 2019
• Office of Transit and Active Transportation - winter 2018
• Office of Civil Rights - spring 2018
• Office of Environmental Stewardship - fall 2017
• Office of Freight and Commercial Vehicles - spring 2017
• Office of Civil Rights - fall 2016
• Office of Communications - spring 2016

The spring shared drive cleanup will take place in May. 

By Joseph Palmersheim

MnDOT adopted MMB’s Human Resources/Labor Relations Policy #1358: Americans with Disabilities – Title II on Dec. 19, 2019. 

One of the requirements of the policy is that all state agencies complete an ADA self-evaluation and develop a transition plan. MnDOT has been addressing Title II requirements since the passage of the ADA in 1990. The agency developed its ADA Transition Plan in 2009. The plan assembled the agency’s existing work and organized ways to address challenges. The plan’s first revision was completed in 2014.

MnDOT is in the process of a second update to its transition plan. The plan details how the agency is working to ensure that its facilities, services, programs and activities are accessible to all individuals.

While past transition plans focused on infrastructure corrections, the current update is using a more holistic approach to review its programs and services to ensure that its processes and program access are aligned with ADA requirements and guidelines.

“Shifting ADA compliance considerations to be earlier in the decision-making process can make for a more mindful approach, versus doing something and hoping it is ADA compliant,” said Kristie Billiar, ADA implementation coordinator.

“When you have an event, there are basics in place, like making sure you have an event in an accessible place, and having translators or making certain you are providing notice,” she said. “But the new plan is encouraging a deeper dive of how inclusive the activities are. You can do translation, but sometimes the activities themselves may not be inclusive. It’s trying to get our mindset shifted around that. It’s not about meeting the mark, but making sure people are included.”

Other examples include documents and website communications.

“When something is written,” Billiar said, “it’s taken for granted that the person receiving the information can read it without assistance technology such as a screen reader. When we do not provide documents that can be accessed by screen readers, we lose important opportunities to hear from and work with an important population.”

One of the reasons for the plan update is to increase MnDOT’s capacity and understanding of what ADA is and how MnDOT works with accessibility issues.

“It’s more than just making sure we are meeting the legal requirements, but actually improving access for people,” said Sara Dunlap, planning coordinator. “Building capacity and identifying resources is a big part of this plan update.”

A plan advisory committee, which includes representation from a variety of MnDOT staff throughout the state, met for the first time in January. These PAC members will be connecting with staff during the plan development, and the project team will be connecting with management and functional groups to encourage feedback.

“Accessibility needs to be part of what we are doing to make our work effective,” Billiar said. “None of what we do is just there for certain segments of the population. As a public entity, what we do has to be there for everyone.”

A draft plan will circulated for internal review and external public comment in the fall. Contact Kristie Billiar with any questions regarding the 2020 ADA Transition Plan.

By Rich Kemp

MnDOT's new Human Resources referral program has led to the hiring of more than a dozen new employees.

The program, launched last May, encourages employees to introduce friends, family members and former colleagues to career opportunities at the agency.

“We are very excited that we have had 13 employee referrals that led to new employees,” said Lena Garcia, HR recruitment specialist. “It is good to see referrals coming in from all around the state.”

Employees can refer candidates by sending an email to jobs.dot@state.mn.us with the subject line “Employee Referral.” They are asked to include the candidate’s name and the Job ID number being applied to.

“Once we receive the referral, if candidate contact information is provided we will contact the candidate and set up a meeting to review their resume and assist them in applying online,” Garcia said.  

Employees receive a merchandise voucher if the referred candidate is hired. Referral awards include caps, portfolios, coffee mugs, journals, pen and key sets, and beanie hats.

By Joseph Palmersheim

Workers’ Compensation has a new Work Injury eLearning available.

Participants will learn about the policy, injury reporting and returning to work after a work injury. The 45-minute eLearning closes with an assessment.

For some employees, this training could be the first time that they’ve had to consider what to do in the event of a work injury.

“Many employees have never had an injury to report, which is a great thing, but we’d like to be proactive in educating so they know what to do should an injury arise,” said Sue Kielty, workers’ compensation supervisor. “We hope to emphasize the importance of timely injury reporting, and also how and when to report injuries.”

The process for developing the class included compiling a number of trainings and focusing on the most crucial components. There were substantial amounts of review of the content by the MnDOT Workers’ Compensation staff and MnDOT training staff, Kielty said.

Going forward, workers’ compensation coordinators will send instructions to injured employees and their supervisor, requesting that both take the eLearning course.

“I hope to see that employees will be better informed about their roles and what is expected of them especially reporting work injuries when they occur,” Kielty said.

The new Work Injury eLearning is available on the MnDOT Learning Center, course number SFTY00123.

By Joseph Palmersheim

Jeff Hall has been with MnDOT for close to 30 years. He enjoys the complexities of high-profile construction projects and the documentation supporting those projects during their lifespan. The image below is linked to a larger version.

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

Recent employee profiles: 

• Wendy Surprise responds to data requests, works with tort claims
• Siri Simons works with staff to reduce resource use, waste production
• Central Office's Chang Pao Yang develops automated workflows

By Nancy Daubenberger, deputy commissioner and chief engineer

As we enter the month of February, I’m reflecting on the challenging winter we have had so far and want to express a very sincere note of thanks to our maintenance staff who have been fighting snow and ice over the last three months.

Although the temperatures have been generally above average, we have certainly had plenty of snow (and worse, ice) to fight on our roads to be able to keep them clear for the traveling public. Although I have to admit that I love snow, I am so grateful for the hard work and dedication of our crews to clear it from the roadways, which means long hours for them away from their families and friends, and without much time for breaks. 

Thank you, MnDOT snow fighters and ice fighters, for all you do to allow us to be able to travel safely on Minnesota highways during the winter months! We are fortunate in Minnesota to get snow in the wintertime, and we’re very fortunate to have you to clear it from our roads.

Keep up the great work!