Posts Tagged ‘apwa’

National Public Works Week 2010

When I joined APWA in 2004, I received a very comprehensive package of promotional material in the mail which included a letter of thanks, information about their services, the Info Now network, the historical society, benefits of membership and a publications/resources catalogue. Needless to say, I was impressed and as we all know…you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression”.

Harry Campbell's graphic interpretation of the theme "Public Works: Above, Below & All Around You".

Over the years their publications and promotional materials have been consistently relevant, essential and timely. The National Public Works Week (NPWW) flyer that I received this week is no exception. The flyer cover – a copy of the 2010 NPWW poster by illustrator Harry Campbell – is an amazing interpretation of the theme “Public Works: Above, Below, & All Around You” .

Harry’s distinctive graphic line illustration work can be found in most major publications including The New York Times, Time Magazine, Newsweek, and many others. A graduate of The Maryland Institute College of Art where he also has taught. Campbell has received numerous awards from The Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts, and American Illustration.

National Public Works Week (NPWW) 2010 is celebrated on May 16-22. Instituted as a public education campaign by the American Public Works Association (APWA) in 1960, NPWW calls attention to the importance of public works in community life. The Week seeks to enhance the prestige of the often–unsung heroes of our society–the professionals who serve the public good every day with quiet dedication.

The Association of Ontario Road Supervisors (AORS) has formally partnered with the Ontario Public Works Association (OPWA) – A Chapter of APWA/CPWA. One of the goals of this agreement is to cross promote the partner’s significant events and awards including NPWW. OPWA has two awards available for NPWW in Ontario including:

  • Municipalities with more than 150,000 (The Bruce Brunton Trophy)
  • Municipalities with populations of 150,000 or less (The Roger Brown Trophy).

Township of Scugog staff and elected officials - winners of the Roger Brown Trophy.

The 2009 winner in the first category was the City of Brampton and the second category was the Township of Scugog. Congratulations to both Municipalities and their staff or organizing such great programs that met the strategic objectives of the program.

In my opinion, NPWW activities are like APWA publications. They’re opportunity to make a great impression…a lasting impression of your Municipal public works department and its important role in providing essential quality of life services in our communities. From my conversations with representatives of the winning teams, it doesn’t take a great deal of time or resources to make any NPWW celebratory event memorable. On the other hand, the benefits – award and trophies notwithstanding – including increased morale, teamwork and pride amongst participating Municipal staff are enormous.

So….don’t forget those dates…..May 16-22. If you and your Municipality are interested in supporting NPWW in Ontario please contact anyone at OPWA or AORS or better yet, talk to the Municipalities who have participated in the past. There is no sense in reinventing the wheel.
These folks have lots of experience and good ideas so tap into it.

CentreLine: NPWW is an opportunity to shout from the rooftops “We are public works”.

By Graham Zeisner in AORS, Association, Buildings & Grounds, Certification & Training, Fleet, Municipal Elected Officials, Parks & Recreation, Roads & Bridges, Sewer & Wastewater, Snow & Ice Control, Solid Waste Disposal/Recycling, Stormwater, Transportation, Water, Winter on February 17th, 2010 - No Comments »
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Linda Petelka, Region of Halton Selected as APWA Top 10 Public Works Leader

Linda J. Petelka, B.Sc., Manager, Business & Infrastructure Services, Region of Halton, Ontario has been named by theAmerican Public Works Association (APWA) as one of the Top 10 Public Works Leaders of the Year for 2009.  This year marks the 50th anniversary of the award and marks National Public Works Week, May 17-23. Each Top 10 Public Works Leader will be recognized at a local event and during an awards ceremony as part of APWA’s International Congress and Exposition in Columbus, Ohio, Sept. 13-16.

Linda Petelka, Region of Halton is one of the APWA Top 10 2009 Public Works Professionals

Linda Petelka, Region of Halton is one of the APWA Top 10 2009 Public Works Professionals

APWA annually recognizes 10 of the most outstanding public works professionals from across the U.S. and Canada for their professionalism, expertise and career-long dedication and service. Marking the 50th anniversary of the award, the distinction is among the most coveted and prestigious presented by the Association.

I will be attending Linda’s award presentation – on behalf of the AORS Directors – at the OPWA Spring Workshop and Top Ten Luncheon, Tuesday, June 2nd. 

About APWA

The American Public Works Association (http://www.apwa.net/) is a not-for-profit, international organization of more than 29,500 members involved in the field of public works. Originally chartered in 1937, APWA serves its members by promoting professional excellence and public awareness through education, advocacy and the exchange of knowledge. With 64 chapters throughout North America, APWA is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, and has an office in Washington, D.C.

By Graham Zeisner in AORS, Association on May 25th, 2009 - No Comments »
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OPWA/AORS Launch Partnership Agreement

The Voice of Public Works in Ontario

The Voice of Public Works in Ontario

Promoting Knowledge. Pursuing Excellence

Promoting Knowledge. Pursuing Excellence

Today – on behalf of the Association of Ontario Road Supervisors (AORS) – I met with the Ontario Public Works Association (OPWA) Board of Directors in Vaughan to initiate the Partnership Agreement between our respective organizations.

Judging by the warm reception and genuine interest in my presentation we will definitely realize the positive outcomes of successfully implementing the Agreement.  Both Associations recognize the importance of improving the Ontario public works infrastructure, transportation systems and operations through coordinated efforts to achieve our mutual goals including:

  • promoting and developing public works professional excellence through continuing education, training and accreditation
  • increasing advocacy and engagement with key Provincial ministries on  public works issues
  • improving communication to our respective memberships on all important public works matters
  • increasing membership participation through relevant services and programs
  • promoting public works professional opportunities to the new generation of students.

The following highlights from the Committee Reports on the agenda today should be noted:

  • Education – Spring Technical Workshop is rescheduled to Thursday, June 4th; Theme: Municipal Infrastructure Funding. (Formal announcement in coming days)
  • National Public Works Week – Kickoff Luncheon is Wednesday, May 13th. (Formal announcement in coming days).
  • APWA Congress – key organizing committees, job descriptions and work plan to be drafted for the 2014 APWA International Public Works Congress and Exposition in Toronto. OPWA will require several hundred volunteers and significant financial resources to meet their organizational obligations.

 

Thank you to the OPWA Officers and Directors and for the invitation, your enthusiasm and your public works professionalism.

CentreLine: Partership = Collaboration = Communication = OPWA + AORS

By Graham Zeisner in Association on April 8th, 2009 - No Comments »
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APWA Creates Public Works Social Network

APWA Social Network

Recently the American Public Works Association (APWA) created their own social network connecting the public works community. Wearepublicworks.org encourages all public works professionals to share their thoughts through a blog, upload a video that would be beneficial to others in the industry, share pictures of what they are doing in their communities, or just connect with fellow public works colleagues.

I spoke with Jon Dilley, Manager of Marketing and Graphic Design, APWA regarding this new communication tool.  I was curious about the purpose of the network and who could join. “Wearepublicworks.org is open to anyone to join. You don’t have to be an APWA member or even be in the public works industry. If you have an interest in public works and you think you can contribute to the conversation you can join.”

Jon hopes the site will become a “self perpetuating engine of public works people” and a “clearing house for public works professionals, engineering students and consumers to exchange ideas and make public works better.”

Check the site out for yourself.  Sign up in less than 5 minutes….I did.  I’m sure that AORS members can help APWA meet the goals of this very relevant and timely network.

By Graham Zeisner in Association on March 11th, 2009 - No Comments »
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The Benefits of Public Works Training and Networking

Since joining AORS in 2005 I have travelled all over Ontario promoting the benefits of public works training and the Certified Road Supervisors (CRS) Professional Development Program.

During my presentations I have used the following slides to remind our Associates of the benefits of training (e.g. public works related conferences/seminars):

picture1training2training-3 

 Needless to say, it’s nice to have someone else validate your statements with a real-life example or testamonial.  I thought this recent post by a fellow public works blogger in the USA (California) was perfect:

 How Attending an APWA Workshop Saved Our City $1M.

By Graham Zeisner in Certification & Training on February 17th, 2009 - No Comments »
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