January 28, 2011

Future City
Students design cities with eye on healthy living
People who want to live in a progressive community that has conquered many of the social and health problems other Idaho cities face might consider moving to Dynamis. But you won’t find the city on an Idaho map. It’s still on the drawing board, a creation of students from Homedale Middle School. Their project to design a model community emerged on top of judging in the seventh annual Idaho Regional Future City competition at Boise State University.
Continue

ITD, LHTAC present award for 'Accessible City'
ITD and volunteers from the Local Highway Technical Assistance Council joined in creating a special “Accessible City Award”. It was presented to the project with “the most accessible design for people with disabilities, the elderly and others with mobility impairments. Designs that accommodate the most innovative systems (such as transportation, public rights of way, accessible services) for a community.”
Continue

Specialty plates
Proposed plate hopes to make smooth landing
Do you want to show your support for aviation in Idaho without leaving the ground? Legislation has been introduced that would create a new specialty vehicle license plate -- the "Fly Idaho." Proceeds from the proposed plate would be used to improve and maintain Idaho's unique backcountry and recreational airstrips.
Continue

Employees
New password rules planned for AMS-Advantage log-ons
ITD employees will notice several increased security measures the next time they reset their passwords for the AMS-Advantage financial system. AMS is used for recording and submitting timesheets and for a number of financial applications.
Continue

State website offers wealth of health information
First, the bad news. The effects of holiday indulgence still are evident when we step on the bathroom scale. The good news, though, is that hours of sunlight are steadily growing each day, affording a little more opportunity for exercise. If you are concerned about the shape your shape is in, you might tap into a resource on the State of Idaho home page and begin engineering a healthy way out of winter’s doldrums.
Continue

Clarification offered on private internal sales
An announcement recently about a policy governing personal sales at ITD warrants clarification. Some employees interpreted the policy as prohibiting all internal sales by ITD colleagues and family members. That is not the case, explains Kathy Chase, manager of Business & Support Services.
Continue

Credit union to present session on personal finance
Icon Credit Union is sponsoring a great new class called Money and Motivation. It will be held at the University of Phoenix in Meridian on Tuesday, Feb. 8. National motivational and inspirational speaker Joan Endicott and new local children’s book author and Icon’s own Account Relationship Manager, Mandy Wood, will present an entertaining open forum that will encourage and inspire each person no matter what their relationship with money currently is.
Continue
Highway Safety
Presentation to focus on risk of texting while driving
ITD’s safety committee at Headquarters will sponsor a “Texting While Driving,” seminar Wednesday (Feb. 2) in the Auditorium. Meridian police officer John Gonzales will give the one-hour presentation at 10 a.m.
Continue

DMV
Training begins for Contact Center program
Training began this week (Jan. 24) for Division of Motor Vehicles staff on the use of the Unified Contact Center. Training is for DMV staff and other department employees who assist with the receptionist role. The training includes discussion about what has changed and what remains the same in the Contact Center, a demonstration of software functionality and hands-on practice sessions.
Continue

Reauthorization
AASHTO president takes message to Congress
Federal transportation funding is crucial to states, the economy, and job creation and must be continued at nothing less than current levels, according to Susan Martinovich, president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and director of the Nevada Department of Transportation.
Continue

Encore
 Published January 21, 2011

Legislature
ITD makes presentation to Germane committee
ITD administrators unveiled a visual report card of the department’s quest to become the best in the country when they met with legislators in Boise Thursday. The annual presentation to the Joint Germane Committee, which included legislators from the House and Senate, included a short video that demonstrated other agencies are trying to emulate ITD’s success.
Continue

In Memoriam
District 6's Johnson dies in weekend car crash
The Idaho Transportation Department and employees in District 6 mourn the loss of a friend and colleague this week following an automobile crash near Salmon. Terry Johnson, 54, apparently died when he lost control of his vehicle late Sunday or early Monday on U.S. 93. Search and rescue workers recovered his body from the Salmon River Monday.
Continue
Organ donations
ITD honored for facilitating organ, tissue and eye donations
When Lacey applied for her first driver’s license in Idaho she had a dilemma. Should she check the box indicating she wanted to become an organ donor in the event of an unexpected death? Mother Diana left the decision to her daughter. Without much further consideration, the teenager checked the box. Because she did, two people are alive today and two others can see.
Continue

Highways

Historic Perrine Bridge photos uncovered
About two years ago, a multitude of photos and slides were uncovered in D-4 storage of the construction of the I.B. Perrine Bridge. The pictures present a visual history of all activities from the beginning of construction in 1973 through beginning of construction of the superstructure in the summer of 1975 and completion of the bridge in 1976.
Continue

Employees
D-4 employees raise funds for charity
Two days before the District 4 Christmas Party raffle, Randy Walgamott – who has sold tickets and collected money for years – said this year was the most money he’d seen raised. Little did anyone know D-4 would more than double the previous year’s fundraising effort
Continue