ITD Transporter

February 13, 2009

Transportation funding

Otter introduces five revenue-generating bills
Flanked by about 50 proponents of increased transportation funding, Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter Tuesday outlined five legislative bills that would begin to address Idaho’s growing backlog of highway and bridge projects. The half-hour news conference on the steps of the Capitol Annex came immediately after members of the House Transportation and Defense Committee agreed to send all of the bills for printing.
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Legislature
Director presents budget request to JFAC
ITD Director Pam Lowe presented the governor’s budget proposal for the department Thursday morning to members of the legislature’s Joint Appropriations and Finance Committee. During the session that lasted nearly three hours, Lowe also reviewed the department’s efficiency efforts, discussed findings of a peer review and Office of Performance Evaluation audit, and described the deteriorating condition Idaho’s infrastructure.
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Transportation board
Internal Review to present annual report
Internal Review will present its annual report to the Idaho Transportation Board when the board meets in Boise at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday (Feb. 18). The report will cover internal and external audits performed in 2008 and the work planned for 2009.
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Special Olympics
D-3 employees share American spirit with athletes
District 3 Employees show their support for the 2009 Special Olympic World Games by volunteering. Employees from ITD’s District 3 were among the hundreds of volunteers who helped make the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games a tremendous success in Idaho. ITD’s employees provided services from hospitality to transportation security.
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Employees
ITD introduces online exit survey process
ITD employees who voluntarily leave the department take with them valuable knowledge and perceptions. Their insight is important to improve the workplace and make conditions even better. A new process, implemented early this month, will make exit interviews even easier to complete and responses easier to report. All employees who voluntarily leave ITD will be asked to complete an online exit survey before their departure.
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Highway Users group honors ITD employees
ITD employees Steve Cole and Lennett Cantwell were honored with Motorvator Awards by the Idaho Highway Users Inc. for outstanding contributions to Idaho’s transportation system. The awards were presented during the organization’s annual luncheon for state legislators Tuesday in Boise.
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Medical center offers smoking cessation classes
A six-week program designed to help individuals kick the smoking habit will be presented beginning next week at St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center in downtown Boise. The series begins Tuesday with the class “On the Road to Freedom.” A “Wanting to Quit” session will follow on Thursday.
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Women in leadership

Women leave imprint on Franklin Boulevard Bridge
Isaac Newton once said, “We build too many walls and not enough bridges.” District 3 builds walls (soundwalls) AND bridges. And one of its most recent creations – The Franklin Boulevard Bridge over Interstate 84 – stands as a monument to the engineering/leadership contributions of women.
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ITD blessed with strong cadre of women leaders
Women hold a variety of leadership positions within the Idaho Transportation Department. Its director is a woman and more than a dozen female engineers are scattered throughout the state, including Fran Hood, Construction Engineer and Kathleen Slinger, Bridge Inspector – both of which are statewide positions.
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Women in Transportation Society presents awards
The Treasure Valley chapter of the Women in Transportation Society (WTS) presented two awards Thursday night to individuals who have worked tirelessly to improve transportation and mobility in Idaho. State Sen. John McGee, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, received the “Transportation Leader of the Year” award and Gloria Parkvold was named the WTS member of the year.
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Highway safety

ITD snowplow driver injured in I-15 crash
ITD snowplow operator Josh Sprague escaped serious injury this week when his vehicle was struck from behind while he was plowing snow on Interstate 15 about five miles north of Idaho Falls. A semi truck was unable to stop in time and hit the sanding equipment mounted on the back of a 10-wheel ITD snowplow. Sprague was operating in the left (passing) lane of the interstate at about 1:40 p.m. Tuesday.
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Work zone safety program submitted for award
Work zone safety is a core value for ITD and its Connecting Idaho Partners. Safety in roadway work zones also is the subject of a recent multimedia presentation prepared by CIP for use in drivers’ education programs statewide.
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District 3

Moles named new district maintenance engineer
Gary Moles was named District 3’s Maintenance Engineer on Feb. 6. Moles has served in several capacities in his tenure with ITD, including District 3 Materials Engineer, Roadway Design Area Engineer, and District 3 Region 4 Engineer. Moles has been with ITD since being hired as an EIT in Nov. 1979.

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ITD mailbox
Help with complex license greatly appreciated
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Tales of Olympic proportion

The Idaho Transportation Department is doing more than providing logistical support for the Special Olympics World Winter Games this week. A number of ITD employees are volunteering at event venues and helping with transportation between them. For those of you helping...
Please share your experiences with the ITD community. If possible, please make a note of your most memorable moments, snap a few photos and send them to the Transporter for inclusion in a Special Olympics Scrapbook.

Thanks for sharing your stories and for showcasing the great state of Idaho.

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Red attire draws attention to Heart Association campaign

A group of Headquarters employees, committed to healthier hearts, donned red shirts recently to raise awareness for the American Heart Association’s annual campaign. Go Red For Women is a movement passionately dedicated to helping women fight back against heart disease, the No. 1 killer of women in America. By putting our passion together with positive action, we can continue to educate other women about their risks and help them find their own
personal path to better health for life.
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Please share information about your accomplishments or those of your colleagues with the ITD community. Send contributions to the e-mail link above.

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Do you have a question related to ITD processes, policies or projects? Has something been puzzling you about why we do what we do? Share your questions using the e-mail link above and let us find the answers.

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Highway safety

Increased I-84 patrols lead to decrease in injury crashes
The number of injury crashes in the I-84 corridor between Nampa and Boise dropped by almost two-thirds - from 26 to 9 - thanks to increased work zone patrols over the last six months. The Idaho State Police (ISP), through an agreement with ITD, increased patrols in the 12-mile work zone last August.
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Aeronautics
Initiative under way to operate Reed Ranch Airstrip
The Reed Ranch Airstrip, a private facility that has been accessible by permission only, may become part of Idaho’s network of state-operated airstrips and available for public use. ITD’s Division of Aeronautics recently submitted a special use application to the U.S. Forest Service requesting authority for the state to open, operate and maintain the airstrip for public use.
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Highways
ITD shares GARVEE experience with Alaska DOT
Alaska has a problem – more transportation infrastructure needs than available resources to meet those needs. Sound familiar? Representatives from the Alaska Department of Transportation recently visited ITD as part of a trip through the Pacific Northwest
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Public service
Volunteers available to help translate for customers
ITD employees often come in contact with citizens whose primary language is not English. Recognizing the need to communicate with them effectively, Headquarters has identified and secured the services of employees who are proficient in non-English languages to serve as interpreters.
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Professional development
Conference to focus on practical solutions
ITD’s 2009 Project Development Conference will focus on Practical Solutions for Transportation Systems in Idaho. The event will include presentations by nationally known transportation experts, more than 30 breakout sessions, exhibits, sponsors and an awards banquet.
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Five new award categories added
Five new Excellence in Transportation awards will be presented as part of the 2009 Project Development Conference, April 7, 8 in Boise. Award winners will be announced at a banquet from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the opening night of the conference at the Boise Centre on the Grove.
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Employees
What's in an acronym?
What’s the difference between TPAA, TPA, TP and TPBM? Aside from the common emergency declaration, what does SOS represent at the Idaho Transportation Department? ADA is short for Americans with Disabilities Act; it has a different connotation at ITD. And DOS is more an antiquated computer operating system that morphed into the Windows platform.
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News to Share

ITD’s Bruce King is not an attorney, yet his argument in support of autonomy for local government has reached the U.S. Supreme Court. King, a communications specialist for District 6 in Rigby, devotes considerable spare time to local government as a city council member of the City of Sugar City. He recently drafted a letter on behalf of the council, outlining its disagreement with the court’s ruling about regulating adult entertainment businesses.
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Please share information about your accomplishments or those of your colleagues with the ITD community. Send contributions to the e-mail link above.

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HRD training schedule
	Feb. 24-26	Intermediate Communication
	March 10-12	Basic Communication
	April 14, 15	Situational Leadership
	May 12, 13	Managing Performance
	June 9-11	Intermediate Communication
This schedule represents training classes available at Headquarters. For schedules at specific districts, please contact your EST or refer to the training calendar.

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