9/16/2011

Transportation board
Transportation board to meet next week in Rexburg
The Idaho Transportation Board will visit with city of Rexburg leaders on the first day of its two-day business meeting in District 6 next week. The tour is planned for Wednesday, with a monthly meeting to follow on Thursday.
Continue

Highways
District 2 introduces new seal-coat warranty bid process
District 2 experimented with a new form of bidding on seal-coat projects that could pave the way for a new process within the district and possibly statewide. Two seal-coat projects, bid as a single contract this summer, used a warranty concept similar to the Montana Department of Transportation.
Continue

Aeronautics
Partnership opens new era of recreational airstrip enhancements
A cooperative effort to improve and enhance Idaho’s Airstrip Network took an important step forward with the recent completion of a new shower and restroom facility at Garden Valley Airstrip. ITD’s Division of Aeronautics pooled resources with the Idaho Aviation Foundation (IAF) and the Idaho Aviation Association (IAA) to build the new facility.
Continue

Cultural diversity
Brown-bag lunch to focus on communication
When communicating with each other, the “what we want to communicate” is often more simple than the “how we communicate it.” Add an overlay of cultural differences and effective communication can get complicated.
Continue

Cultural diversity
Overcoming communication challenges
Finding a means to communicate seems to have gotten much easier than participating in the simple act of communication. Despite texting, Tweeting, Skyping, blogging and posting, too much of modern human communication can best be summed up by a line from the 1967 movie “Cool Hand Luke” – “What we have here is … failure to communicate.”
Continue

Child safety
Choose right car seat for children
Selecting a new motor vehicle may hold less challenge than choosing the right car seat for a child. Somewhere between varying state laws and additional federal recommendations exists that perfect choice for protecting the littlest passengers at all stages of their young lives.
Continue

Employees
Gurnsey takes ITD history into 'retirement'
His official title is Engineering Manager for Engineering, but his real gift is storytelling. And he’s a master. Befitting his quirky personality, the stories are always illustrative of a point he’s trying to make, a point that often is as shrouded in mystery even after he tells the story as it was before he began.
Continue

Employees
Charitable giving campaign under way
The annual Idaho State Employees’ Charitable Giving Campaign officially began Sept. 1 and continues through October. ITD employees who would like to participate in the campaign should fill out a pledge form, make a copy for their own records and send the original to Diane Page in the Human Resource Services office at Headquarters or to Barbara Conklin in District 3.
Continue

Employees
Administrative Support workshop planned Oct. 13
A committee of ITD’s administrative professionals is planning the 23rd annual Administrative Support Workshop Oct. 13 in Boise. The theme of the 2011 workshop is “The Color of Change,” focusing on ITD’s goal to become the best transportation department in the country.
Continue

In memoriam:
Phil Choate
Former District 3 employee Phil Choate passed away Sept. 9 at St. Luke’s Hospital in Boise. He served as a senior planner before leaving ITD. Most of his professional life was devoted to community service through nonprofit organizations, primarily the Ida-Ore Planning and Development Association.
Continue

Preparedness
Are you ready for the next calamity?
September is National Preparedness Month. It is a time of increased outreach to the public on the issue of personal preparedness and family emergency planning. It is a time to realize that no matter where you live, disasters can happen.
Continue

Funding
AASHTO tells President states 'ready to work now'
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) supports President Barack Obama's message to Congress this week that calls for a $50 billion investment in transportation infrastructure to boost the nation's struggling economy.
Continue

Employees
Encore (9-9-11): Family ties run even deeper at ITD
I totally enjoyed the ITD family article. It is amazing how many families work for ITD. I’m an ITD old-timer, and there are only a few of us left that remember my dad, Joe Couch; we were/are also an ITD family. Years ago during the dinosaur days of hard copy Transporter, we were written up as an ITD family, and the trend continues.
Continue

Employees
Encore (9-9-11): Granddaughter of D-5's Fullmer receives heart transplant
Evan Fullmer, District 5, shares a newspaper article about four teenagers who received life-saving heart transplants in Salt Lake City this summer. One of the recipients, Maya Fullmer, is Evan’s granddaughter; her father, Joe, is Evan’s son.
Continue

Employees
Encore (9-9-11): Human resource veteran chosen as HR program manager
I am pleased to announce that Bill Schurtz has been selected to fill the HR Program Manager position that is currently filled by Shanah Percy. Shanah announced her intention to retire and will be leaving us in November. Mary Harker Chief Human Resource Officer
Continue

Employees
Encore (9-9-11): Tables available for annual Headquarters craft sale
The annual fall craft sale at Headquarters will be Friday, Oct. 14 in the lobby. Individuals who would like to reserve a spot at the sale should contact Ruth Munoz (Ruth.Monoz@itd.idaho.gov) in HQ 303. A fee of $10 is required to secure your table.
Continue