11/16/2012

Gifts of life
ITD awarded gold medal for organ donor support
Idaho’s extraordinary level of participation in a national organ, tissue and eye donor program earned the department and its Division of Motor Vehicles a gold medal-of-honor award for 2012. More important, the registry program provides a second chance for life. Mark Bowman is alive to testify about the life-saving benefits of donations.
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Being the best
ITD honored for byway public involvement
Barbara Babic, who was an integral part in planning and executing a public involvement process for the Sand Creek Byway, accepted a national award for the project this week. Dave Butzier of Connecting Idaho Partners presented the crystal plaque Wednesday at the Idaho Transportation Board meeting in Boise.
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Highway safety
Don't be a turkey by driving impaired
Don’t spoil a happy Thanksgiving gathering with needless tragedy caused by impaired driving, ITD reminds Idaho motorists. Idaho law enforcement agencies are conducting education campaigns and high-visibility enforcement patrols statewide in a search for drunk or impaired drivers. The campaign runs through Nov. 25.
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Outstanding Customer Service
Untangling a cross-country web of confusion
ITD’s Amy Kearns and Michelle Radford recently reached across the continent to untangle a web that threatened the driving privileges of a Massachusetts motorist. In the process, they gained new friends and an outpouring of appreciation for the Division of Motor Vehicles.
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Highways
Design-build project begins at Idaho 44, Linder Road
Reconstruction of the State Street (Idaho 44) and Linder Road intersection, which began recently, prompted some people to wonder about the dirt taking flight on the south side of the highway.
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Employees
Fenn named D-1 engineering manager
Marv Fenn likes new challenges and encourages others to do the same. His new job as District 1 Engineering Manager comes with plenty of challenges, but also with many rewards. District Engineer Damon Allen said Fenn has accepted the position and took over the reins Monday (Nov.12).
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Highways
Culvert repair on Idaho 71 restores Brownlee Creek flow
Roy Grossen of ITD’s Council Maintenance shed discovered a natural wonder while supervising the repair of a culvert serving Brownlee Creek under Idaho 71 northwest of Cambridge last month. The river channel passes beneath the roadway embankment in a 12-foot wide, 125-foot long half culvert resting on concrete footers.
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Technology for holidays
Brown-bag presentation to offer tech advice
Technology is everywhere. We use it at work, at home and everywhere in between. The more you know about it, the more effectively you’ll be able to use it. ITD’s Training & Development, located at Headquarters, is ready to step up and help sort employees sort through the options.
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Alternative transportation
Winners commended for participating in Rideshare event
Idaho businesses competed in the Employer’s Challenge during Idaho Rideshare Week (Oct. 7-13) to encourage their employees to park their cars and choose alternative methods for computing to work. Participants were asked to consider carpools, vanpools when traveling to and from work and keep a log of their commutes.
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Highways
Encore (11-9-12): ITD inspectors feel heat at East Boise Port of Entry
Work used to be relatively quiet, maybe even mundane, for Caleb Forrey until he traded the Marsing Port of Entry for the much busier East Boise Port of Entry Oct. 29. But he probably wasn't expecting the warm welcome he received in his second week at his new location.
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Legislators
Encore (11-9-12): ITD schedules legislative outreach series
Director Brian Ness and other ITD executives will discuss transportation and related topics with legislators throughout the state next month as a prelude to the 2013 Legislative session. The annual legislative outreach meetings give ITD representatives a chance to showcase the department's accomplishments and its service to the citizens of Idaho.
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Highway safety
Encore (11-9-12): Fatalities on upward trend, but likely to be less than 200
Brent Jennings: As we see the end of 2012 on the horizon, I am often asked how Idaho is doing with regard to fatalities on our roadways.
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Partnerships
Encore (11-9-12): ITD provides tools — two dump trucks —for hands-on learning
It’s often called "repurposing," converting something of diminishing or no value into a new, productive use. ITD has a history of “repurposing” or breathing new life into surplus equipment, usually computers and technology. The practice expanded recently when District 1 completed the transfer of two vehicles to the Kootenai Technical Education Campus in Rathdrum.
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Employees
Encore (11-9-12): Support workshop focuses on customer service
Approximately 65 ITD support staff from throughout the state learned more about the department and its emphasis on customer service when they assembled for the annual administrative support workshop in Boise Wednesday.
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