May 13, 2011
Transportation board
Business meeting to include update on central issue process
The Idaho Transportation Board will travel to District 4 and Shoshone for its monthly business meeting and tour next week. The tour begins on the Wednesday when board members will view Interstate 84 construction projects. They will stop at the Hagerman Rest Area for an overview of a recent reconstruction activity. The daylong tour also will include stops at the Buhl Municipal Airport and the transit center in Twin Falls, Trans IV, to learn more about those facilities.
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Highway safety
Mary Hunter preparing for dog days of retirement
Many people approach retirement with a loose plan to relax, play golf or just do nothing, but not Mary Hunter. When she closes the door on a 28-year career at ITD, she will head to California to pick up a new puppy and add new challenge to the Hunter household. Hunter really likes dogs. So much so that she planned her retirement around when her new puppy would be born. The puppy has arrived and so has time for that retirement.
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Safety summit focuses on rural highways
The chance of being seriously injured or dying in a motor vehicle crash on a rural highway is significantly greater than on an urban highway. More than 200 law enforcement officers and highway safety professionals learned why during a presentation delivered at a recent Highway Safety Summit by Prof. Nicholas Ward, with Montana State University’s Western Transportation Institute.
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Accolades
Communications staff earn 10 Idaho Press Club awards
ITD and its Office of Communications brought home 10 awards from the Idaho Press Club's Best of 2010 awards, presented at the organization's annual meeting Saturday in Boise Saturday. ITD swept the “Feature Writing – Public Relations” category with Mel Coulter, Bruce King and Reed Hollinshead honored. Hollinshead received first place for his feature on efforts to increase organ, tissue and eye donations through a driver's license designation.
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Employees
Insurance open enrollment period begins
The FY2012 Open Enrollment Information page includes the following changes to our health insurance starting July 1. Please review the brochure for detailed information: premium rates for FY2012; new EAP vendor;
new eligible dependents maximum age; lifetime maximum rules change; change in pre-existing conditions waiting period for minors.
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Achievement
Scenic byway committee member honored
Tony Varilone, a longtime member of ITD’s Scenic Byway Advisory Committee, recently was selected for the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award in Recreation and Tourism. The award presented by the Idaho Department of Commerce, Tourism Division was based, in part, on his contributions to Idaho’s highly acclaimed Scenic Byway program. He has been active in promoting, encouraging and improving recreation and tourism in Idaho since he arriving in 1984.
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DMV
Conversion to centrally issued driver's licenses begins Monday
Idaho driver's licenses and identification (ID) cards will have a new look, beginning Monday in select southwest Idaho locations. The new licenses and ID cards will have state-of-the-art security features and be issued through a new process. The Payette County Driver's License office in Payette will pilot the new system beginning Monday (May 16). Based on results there, a second pilot is scheduled to begin May 23 at the Ada County Driver's License Office on Benjamin Lane in Boise.
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Encore
Published May 6, 2011
Administration
Mike Golden begins new era as Chief Administrative Officer
Michael Golden, a life-long resident of the Kansas City area, continued a 30-year history in transportation when he began work Monday as ITD Chief Administrative Officer. His experience in private- and public-sector transportation began after graduation from the University of Missouri at Kansas City in 1970. His first position at Yellow Freight System (now YRC Worldwide) was staff accountant in 1971. When he left the company 24 ½ years later he was vice president of taxation.
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WASHTO
GARVEE's Brinkman nominated for prestigious award
ITD’s GARVEE Program Manager Jason Brinkman has been nominated for one of the highest awards bestowed by the Western Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (WASHTO). The Dr. L. I. Hewes Award recognizes outstanding contributions to the highway development program by an individual actively engaged in highway development in the West with a WASHTO state organization.
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Public transportation
Idaho delegates attend RouteShare conference
The ITD Division of Transportation Performance is managing a deployment of specific technology applications at six separate transit provider locations throughout Idaho. The technologies are aimed at helping the transit providers improve their operational efficiency and effectiveness. The technology applications are being provided by RouteMatch Software, Inc. and include demand response dispatch software, fixed route management software, automated vehicle location devices and mobile data terminals onboard the vehicles
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Excellence in Transportation Awards
2011 Professional Development Conference
Accolades
ARTBA honors Interstate 84 project for community relations
A national road builder's organization recently selected ITD, Connecting Idaho Partners, RBCI and the Langdon Group for an award in community relations for their work to keep the public informed of progress on the Interstate-84 East family of projects. The frequently-honored Vista Interchange reconstruction project was part of another award – it’s 11th – for the “I-84 East Community Relations Program.”
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Idaho 21 wildlife crossing project receives award
The Capital City Communicators, a group of Treasure Valley public relations professionals, honored ITD and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game for efforts to keep motorists advised of a wildlife crossing construction project on Idaho 21. The award in the Media Relations/News Release category was announced April 29 during a banquet in Boise. Reed Hollinshead took the lead for ITD in the cooperative media campaign with the Department of Fish and Game.
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Alternative travel
May In Motion helps take drivers off the road
It’s that time of the year again! Alternative transportation options are jump-started every Spring with our May in Motion promotion. For those unfamiliar with the event, May in Motion is a month-long promotion designed to educate valley residents about transportation issues and encourage them to use transportation alternatives.
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Employees
Farewell planned for retiring Mary Hunter
Mary Hunter, manager of the Office of Highway Safety, will bring a 28-year career at ITD to a close later this Month. Co-workers and friends will begin a slow roast in the Headquarters auditorium, from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. A formal presentation is planned at 1:30 p.m. and a reception with cake and punch will follow. Mary has been a tireless advocate of highway safety, especially the use of seatbelts throughout her career. She is recognized nationally for building ITD's highway safety program into a national model. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend the reception. Those unable to attend are invited to send best wishes via e-mail or cards.
