Schedule
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14TH
Wednesday’s Arizona Chapter APWA/Arizona Chapter SAVE International Value Methodology Training Sessions cost $25 each which are separate from the APWA Conference registration cost. Proceeds will support Arizona Chapter APWA Scholarships.
8:00 am - 12:00 pm
The ABC’s of the Value Methodology (Agave)
Description: This is a half-day course designed to introduce the value methodology to a wide-range of attendees. We will present the Who, What, Why, Where, When and How of value and its application to innovation and fiscal responsibility. Participants will have a strong understanding of the three-stage process of pre-study, study and post study and truly understand the six-phase job plan and what occurs during each step in the plan. Additionally, we will briefly discuss the need for program development within public works organizations and how to gain support from management and staff.
This class is designed for individuals involved in planning, design and construction projects, including planners, architects, engineers, construction managers, contractors, cost estimators and owners. Learn an extremely valuable process to help you make improvements, seek out innovation and opportunities to projects and programs, and even the way you and your organization does business.
For more information and to register: www.teamrha.com/apwa-training
10:00 am - 1:00 pm
ANNUAL SUMMER TOPGOLF TOURNAMENT AND FUNDRAISER
For more information and to register: www.azapwaconference.com/golf-2024
1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
A Deeper Dive into the Value Methodology (Agave)
Description: This is a half-day course designed to take a deeper dive into the value methodology. Participants will have previously participated in the introductory course, “The ABCs of the Value Methodology.” After a quick refresh of value methodology, participants will apply the value methodology on an actual public works project.
This class is designed for individuals involved in planning, design and construction projects, including planners, architects, engineers, construction managers, contractors, cost estimators and owners. Apply an extremely valuable process to help you make improvements, seek out innovation and opportunities to projects and programs, and even the way you and your organization does business.
For more information and to register: www.teamrha.com/apwa-training
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Opening Reception Sponsored by SealMaster (Turquoise Ballroom, Turquoise Foyer, and Presidio Foyer)
THURSDAY, AUGUST 15TH
7:30 am – 8:15 am
Exhibit Hall Networking and Breakfast (Turquoise Ballroom, Turquoise Foyer, and Presidio Foyer)
8:15 am – 9:50 am
OPENING SESSION (Presidio Ballroom):
2024-2025 Officer Induction Ceremony
Welcome Remarks - Angel Cobb, Arizona APWA Chapter President
Keynote Speaker - COLLETTE V. SMITH
Presentation Title: Believe N You: Making Tomorrow Better, TODAY
Description: Collette is dedicated to using HERSTORY to assist others in breaking through the barriers that limit them. Collette has proven that if you believe in yourself, you too can defy the odds that are stacked against you and achieve the impossible. Collette's audacious approach motivates individuals to tap into their inner strength to tackle the unthinkable. She is driven by passion, purpose, and the desire to see others win in life.
Bio: Collette V. Smith is the Founder and President of Believe N You, Inc. and the NFL’s 1st African American Female Coach in the History of the National Football League by way of being the 1st Female Coach in NY Jets Franchise History, Coaching the Defensive Backs in 2017 during Training Camp.
Smith is a former Women’s Professional Football Player playing two positions as a Defensive Back and Special Teams on Kick Off, Defensive Backs Coach and was the Director of Marketing, PR, Promotions and Events for the New York Sharks women’s pro football team in two Women’s Professional Football Leagues, the WFA- Women's Football Alliance and the IWFL- Independent Women’s Football League. She didn’t start playing professional football until the age of 42. The Sharks recently won the National Championship in July of 2018 in Atlanta, GA.
Collette today is a social philanthropist and an entrepreneur specializing in motivational speaking engagements and has been invited to speak at Fortune 100 Companies, Corporations and Ivy League Institutions including Columbia University to speak on disparities women in sports face and the empowerment of black youth, girls and women to see their greatness and excellence through adversity.
10:00 am – 10:30 am
Exhibit Hall Networking and Morning Break (Turquoise Ballroom, Turquoise Foyer, and Presidio Foyer)
10:30 am – 11:00 am
Presentation Title: Full Circle in One of Scottsdale’s Busiest Corridors: Design and Construction of the Raintree Drive Extension
Speakers: Derek Rogers, City of Scottsdale; Casey Peery, Achen-Gardner Construction; Kate Bondy, AECOM
Presentation Description: The Raintree Drive Extension project provided the first segment of reconstruction and enhancements to improve traffic flow from Scottsdale Road to the Loop 101, simplifying traffic in the airport area. Utilizing the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) delivery method, the City of Scottsdale (Owner), Achen-Gardner Construction (Contractor), and AECOM (Design Engineer) worked as a team over the course of three years to solve numerous challenges including maintaining traffic flow and access for local businesses, coordinating with third-party utility companies, and managing scope within budget. This presentation will explore the project’s challenges, solutions, and lessons learned.
Presentation Title: New City Manager Arrives Implementing Proactive Buried Asset Management Approach Saving Taxpayers Millions
Speaker: Chris MacDonald, CPM Pipelines
Presentation Description: At the conclusion of this session, participants will be better able tounderstand proactive asset management and why it is important, employ the stages involved in proactive asset management, and utilize technologies to create a proactive asset management plan.
Presentation Title: Small Town, BIG Savings – Town of Patagonia Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements
Speaker: Taylor Pierce, Mike Krebs, PACE
Presentation Description: Funding available to small communities fluctuate greatly, often forcing them to search out grants and low-interest loan programs for essential infrastructure needs, including wastewater treatment. The Town of Patagonia is filled with history, artistic culture, lodging, and dining; however, the influx of visitors creates financial challenges for such improvements. There are ways to make the most cost-effective wastewater upgrades and operational improvements ensuring high quality and long-term viability, while reducing the community’s financial burden. Viable infrastructure improvement approaches will be discussed through a wastewater treatment project case study, including strategies to maximize scarce funding through specialized planning and engineering solutions.
Presentation Title: Construction Livestream, How Does it Benefit You?
Speaker: Dave Dirren, Sunrise Engineering
Presentation Description: Historically, documentation for Construction Management & Observation Services has been paper based, disorganized, and reports from the field were slow to reach the office. Now there is an option. We have developed a tool using GIS called Construction LiveStream. This tool allows us to upload pictures, inspection reports, test results, RFI responses, meeting minutes, pay-apps and includes an updated status map of the project with links that take the user directly to the inspector’s daily reports. This web portal is shared with the client’s staff to keep them up to speed with the progress of your project.
Presentation Title: Are Abandoned Utilities Bothering You?
Speaker: Al Field, Al Field & Associates
Presentation Description: Projects today, especially Capital Improvement Projects, are fast-paced, technically challenging, and usually affect underground utilities. When excavators encounter utilities, how do they know if it is a live line or an abandoned line? This presentation will answer this question and much more.
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Presentation Title: Succession Plan Like a Pro
Speaker: Joseph Blackman, Vitendo Training Solutions
Presentation Description: Get out of your own way when finding your next superstar employee. But should it really be an employee, or a system? This talk will give you 4 ACTIONABLE items to use in finding the path to a smooth succession.
Presentation Title: The Clock is Ticking: The Pending Passage of Prop 479 and Impact for Maricopa County for Public Works
Speaker: Danielle Feroleto, Small Giants
Presentation Description: The passage of Prop 479 will be instrumental in the industry’s future of public work in Maricopa County. It is also unique in the statewide involvement for the November 2024 vote. Come to this session to learn from the authors of this session on why this is significant and what it means to our future in public work and construction.
Presentation Title: Delivering Organizational Value for Public Works Infrastructure in The Town of Gilbert
Speaker: Susanna Struble, Town of Gilbert; Renee Hoekstra, RHA
Presentation Description: Gilbert is on a mission to be a thriving community today and well into the future. How does the Town remain focused on this mission and balance the dollars with the challenges of today’s volatile market. Gilbert has been utilizing value management tools to deliver quality infrastructure. These tools are now being adjusted to the challenges of the current volatile market. Join us to learn how we apply these tools to maintain a focus on the organizational mission to provide best value and quality to our citizens through a proven process which maintains priorities and performance for success.
Presentation Title: Changing Your Organizational Culture – Lessons Learned Along the Way
Speakers: Bret Hodne, Rich Vereecken, and Amy Murray, City of Buckeye
Presentation Description: Changing the culture of an organization is not an easy thing to do. Oftentimes employees and managers are threatened by change and can be very reluctant to embrace new methods and ideas to improve morale and operational efficiencies. Issues like trust, interpersonal relationships, past managerial philosophies and lack of upper-level support are just a few of the things that are impediments to effectively changing the work culture.
Presentation Title: Accurate and Consistent Cost Estimating for Program Development; Applying Lessons Learned
Speakers: Rick Ellis, Pima Association of Governments; Brent Kirkman, HDR Engineering
Presentation Description: An overview of the Pima Association of Governments Project Cost Estimating Methodology and Process for Development of the RTANext Program.
12:15 pm – 1:30 pm
APWA Awards Luncheon (Presidio Ballroom)
1:30 pm – 2:00 pm
Exhibit Hall Networking (Turquoise Ballroom/Foyer)
2:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Presentation Title: Overview of the City of Phoenix Water and Wastewater Capital Program
Speakers: Darlene Helm and Patty Kennedy, City of Phoenix Water Services Department
Presentation Description: The City of Phoenix Water Services Department (WSD) prepares a multi-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) which is a plan for capital projects and expenditures needed to maintain safe reliable water deliveries and the safe removal and treatment of wastewater. This presentation will review the current programs within WSD’s CIP and how the CIP is planned.
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Presentation Title: Navigating Professional Relationships and Difficult Situations As A Young Professional
Moderator: Nicole Calabrese, Entellus
Panel: Arizona Chapter APWA Young Professionals Committee
Presentation Description: Join the Arizona Chapter APWA Young Professionals Committee as they present several scenarios impacting Young Professionals through several role-playing sketches. A panel and audience participation will provide guidance and advice on how to successfully navigate professional relationships and difficult situations.
Presentation Title: Building Project Budgets That Stand the Test of Time, Changes, and Market Conditions
Moderator: Danielle Feroleto, Small Giants
Panel: David Laughlin, Willmeng Construction; Dave Lipinski, Town of Queen Creek; Rick Carr, City of Avondale; Ryan Blair, Town of Gilbert; Joe Lisiewski, Arizona State University
Presentation Description: Municipalities need to rely on their budgets and depend on a GMP, but as these budgets are developed early in the Capital Improvement Planning stages and many factors influence the project to change, how can we count on the GMP holding up. Attend this session to hear the expectations and advice of public owners, engineers and contractors who discuss experiences, processes and case studies of GMP success.
Presentation Title: What do the 2023 Public ROW Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG) Mean to You?
Speaker: Alejandro Angel, Psomas
Presentation Description: In August 2023, the US Access Board published final rule of the Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG), which identifies minimum accessibility requirements for all facilities in the public ROW. With billions of dollars in ADA infrastructure, and more than 25% of the U.S. population experiencing a long-term disability; agencies and consultants need to develop a thorough understanding of the new requirements. This presentation will discuss the key provisions and changes in the new guidelines that impact both existing and new transportation facilities.
Presentation Title: Guardrail and Guardrail End Treatment Issues and “Frankensteined” Guardrail
Speaker: Seth Chalmers, Dibble
Presentation Description: This presentation coincides with work that Seth Chalmers and others in the industry have done or are doing to help bring awareness and priority to the importance of proper installation, operation, and maintenance of guardrails and guardrail end treatments (GETs).
2:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Presentation Title: Carefree Water Consolidation: Expanding and Improving the Town’s Water Infrastructure
Speakers: Greg Crossman, Carefree Water Company; Abi Goode, Achen-Gardner Construction; Cassandra Alejandro, CVL Consultants
Presentation Description: The Carefree Water Consolidation project allowed the Town of Carefree to expand water services to more than 20% of its residents who were being furnished potable water by the Town of Cave Creek. It was the largest utility project Carefree Water has ever constructed and the Town’s first use of the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) delivery method. This presentation will explore the challenges of the project and how the Town (Owner), Achen-Gardner Construction (General Contractor), and CVL Consultants (Design Engineer) worked together to deliver a total of six Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) phases safely, on time, and within budget.
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Exhibit Hall Networking (Turquoise Ballroom/Foyer)
3:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Presentation Title: How to do More with Less
Speakers: Nicole Calabrese, Luis Mora, Entellus; Abigail Harbeck, GHD
Presentation Description: Many projects in developing countries fail a few years after completion due to inadequate maintenance, training, and procedures. Making a project sustainable for a developing community goes beyond delivering a usable product. This presentation introduces Engineers Without Borders approach to projects in developing countries. We will discuss how we adjust engineering and construction practices where limited materials, technical information, and conventional construction methods may not be available. The presentation will review the Chapter’s current project in Aguas Calientes, Nicaragua where we will deliver an improved water distribution system.
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Presentation Title: SR 79 Gila River Bridge Multi-Span Slide/Bridge Replacement
Speakers: Robert Ringwald, Benjamin Ansley, and Christopher Labye, AECOM
Presentation Description: The bridge replacement project involved replacing an existing 30-span steel girder structure over Gila River in Florence, Arizona. Conventional construction methods would have required a 100-mile detour, but the project team chose the slide method as an Every Day Counts initiative to short-circuit the delivery, enhance public safety, and reduce time delay and economic impacts. The slide method allowed the existing superstructure to remain in place while the new structure was constructed. The new, 14-span, 1,417-foot long superstructure met all project goals, and the bridge slides were completed within two weekends, paving the way for a closure pour for completion.
Presentation Title: Attracting and Retaining Employees
Speaker: Bret Hodne, City of Buckeye
Presentation Description: This presentation will focus on some of the key aspects associated with both attracting and retaining quality employees in your agency. Some of the areas that will be discussed include hiring practices, market trends, motivational initiatives, and the work culture.
Presentation Title: Maricopa County Asset Management System and Heater Repaving Program
Speakers: Jorge Duran, Maricopa County DOT; Todd Gonser, Cutler Repaving
Presentation Description: This panel will discuss the experiences, challenges, and successes of the MCDOT Asset Management Program. By developing a high-quality program, MCDOT is able to manage their surface treatment system over the vast roadway network. The panel will also examine a construction technique that maximizes budget and minimizes environmental effects. Heater Repaving (Hot In-Place Asphalt Recycling) adds a tool to the MCDOT toolbox that helps accomplish these goals.
Presentation Title: Renewable Natural Gas Production for Improved Community Resiliency and Supplemental Revenue
Speakers: Jeff Prevatt, Pima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department; Lauren Whittaker, City of Mesa
Presentation Description: A tremendous transformation is underway at wastewater treatment facilities throughout Arizona with an increased focus on resource recovery and active participation in achieving climate change initiatives. This presentation highlights partnerships between wastewater and natural gas utilities to provide cost effective, alternative energy sources for Arizona communities and the numerous benefits associated with upgrading biogas to RNG at our local wastewater treatment facilities. In addition to providing resilient sources of energy for our communities, the supplemental revenues generated can help to curtail future rate increases for sewer customers or help fund future resource recovery projects while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
4:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Presentation Title: The Northwest Outfall Sewer Siphon: Building Bridges to Solve Problems
Speaker: Keith Faucett, Dibble
Presentation Description: Pima County Wastewater Reclamation owns the Northwest Outfall Sewer Siphon in Tucson, AZ. The existing system experienced several issues including nuisance odors, corrosion, and debris accumulation. To address these issues, Dibble designed new corrosion-resistant siphon structures that improve system performance and maintainability. During construction, Hunter built a 270-foot temporary bridge to support wastewater bypass piping across the Santa Cruz River. The existing siphon pipes were 90% blocked with debris including sandbags and furniture among the sludge, all of which was manually removed. This noteworthy project was a success through innovative solutions, effective communication, and commitment to schedule.
4:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Exhibit Hall Networking (Turquoise Ballroom/Foyer)
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Fun Night Sponsored by DCS Contracting - Olympics Theme (Presidio Ballroom)
FRIDAY, AUGUST 16TH
7:30 am - 9:00 am
Exhibit Hall Networking, Breakfast, and Vendor Prize Giveaways (Turquoise Ballroom/Foyer)
9:15 am - 10:15 am
CLOSING PRESENTATION (Presidio Ballroom)
Presentation Title: Leadership in Public Works
Panel: Arizona Chapter APWA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
Presentation Description: Public works touches all our lives, and we have differing views on current hot topics facing the public works profession. Our panel will be divided into two debate teams to debate three current hot topics facing the public works industry. One team will be for the argument and one team will be against the argument. Each team will have four minutes in four segments to present their argument and have an opportunity to call on the audience to support their position. The audience will vote at the end for the team that best presented their argument. The panels will consist of private and public sector public works professionals with varying experience levels.
10:15 am - 10:30 am
APWA Giveaway Drawings (Presidio Ballroom)
10:30 am - 12:00 pm
AGENCY SHOWCASE (Presidio Ballroom)
Networking with Owners, Project Managers, and Decision Makers
Don’t miss out on exclusive one-on-one time with key staff from various Arizona municipalities. Agencies who have signed up so far include:
• City of Avondale
• City of Buckeye Development Services
• City of Buckeye Engineering Department
• City of Casa Grande
• Town of Gilbert
• Town of Marana
• Maricopa County
• City of Mesa
• City of Phoenix
• Pima County Regional Flood Control District
• Pima County Transportation
• Pima County Wastewater Reclamation
• Pinal County
• Town of Queen Creek
• Town of Sahuarita
• City of Surprise
• City of Tempe
• City of Tucson Department of Transportation and Mobility
• Yavapai County
• City of Yuma