PUBLIC WORKS COLORADO J O U R N A L CAPA INSERT: The Road Ahead BEST in COLORADO: Asphalt Awards FEATURE: Worker Well-being COLUMNS: Association News PS: Out & About in Colorado SPRING 2023: Vol.19, No.2 - $4.95
2┃ Colorado Public Works Journal
The Colorado Public Works Journal - jo@coloradopublicworksjournal.com J o u r n a l THE EDITOR REMEMBER that Colorado Public Works Journal can now be read online, on your phone, tablet or other mobile device. Please go there, take a look and let us know what you think at coloradopublicworksjournal.com PUBLIC WORKS COLORADO J O U R N A L NEWlogo_CPWJ:Layout 1 8/22/17 3:30 PM Page 2 SPRING 2023┃3 C onferences and Trade Shows are some of the best resources you can utilize to educate yourself and further your industry knowledge. Colorado Public Works Journal are fortunate to be media partners and so were invited to both Colorado Contractors Association Annual Conference and the Rocky Mountain Asphalt Conference and Equipment Show in February, both of which are featured in this issue on pages 64 and 65. The highlights of these events were: CCA celebrated their 90th year at the Westin in Westminster where topics included; The Safety Awards Breakfast, Technology Showcase and the Heavy Civil Students Competition. The Rocky Mountain Asphalt Conference and Equipment Show now in their 50th year held the event at the National Western Complex where there were over 1,000 attendees. The keynote speaker, Jason Redman a retired Navy Seal, back for a second time, captured the attention of the room with his life changing story of his time in Iraq. Guests were delighted to receive a complimentary signed copy of his new book ‘Overcome’ following his presentation. Practical sessions to attend at the show included; Pothole Patching 101, Mix Design Procedures, Paving Streets and Parking lots and much more. Mark your calendars for the RMACES 2024 event on February 6th & 7th. You will recall from our WINTER issue that CPWJ now has a JOB BOARD on the website and I am delighted to say that we have over 50 jobs now posted and the list is growing daily, from leading companies in the industry such as; ACL, Brannan Companies, CPWJ, Everline, GPR & Coring, Holcim, Kiewit, Sunland, Yeh & Associates and others. Do check it out at: coloradopublicworksjournal/job-board. I am off to CONEXPO-CON in Las Vegas next week, which at 2.7 million square feet is surely THE BIGGEST trade show in our industry. We will be bringing you an overview in our SPRING/SUMMER issue next month. Meanwhile, follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram to get up to the minute news on CPWJ, where we are, what we are doing and who we are talking to. As always, if you have something to say, news to share or a business to advertise, you know who to contact. Jo Taylor, Managing Editor
4┃ Colorado Public Works Journal CONTENTS Cover Image: © CDOT Worker Well-being: page 12 Mailing List Maintenance - UPDATES Are you working from home and miss seeing your copy of CPWJ? No problem, send us your address and we will have your copy of CPWJ mailed to your home address rather than to your office.You may resume delivery to your office at any time. Please take a moment to let us know of any co-workers who may have moved on and no longer need to be on our mailing list. THANK YOU for helping us. SPRING 2023 : Volume 19, No.2 COLORADO PUBLIC WORKS JOURNAL (ISSN 1555-8258) is published bimonthly in January, March, May, July, September and November CPWJ is published by Coterie Press Ltd., 5 White Birch, Littleton, CO 80127 tel: (303) 933-2526 coloradopublicworksjournal.com Managing Editor: Jo Taylor, (720) 360-6737 jo@coloradopublicworksjournal.com Editor: William Taylor (303) 933-2526 news@coloradopublicworksjournal.com Volume 19. No.2, March 2023 Production: Coterie Press Design: Violet Cruz Printed by: One Stop Printing Subscription, Mailing Services and Accounting info@coloradopublicworksjournal.com Subscription $30.00 per year in the USA Periodicals Postage Paid in Denver, Colorado. Postmaster: Send address changes to: Coterie Press Ltd., 5 White Birch, Littleton, CO 80127. Contents copyright © 2023 by Coterie Press Ltd. All rights reserved Colorado Public Works Journal is an independent publication designed to be of service and interest to those providing civil services related to infrastructure construction and maintenance and allied fields, including government officials, heavy/civil contractors, engineers and architects, distributors, dealers and manufacturers of equipment and materials, and providers of services to government agencies and the construction and development industry Colorado Public Works Journal accepts no responsibility or liability for the validity of information and articles supplied by contributors, vendors, advertisers or advertising agencies. Opinions expressed are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily represent the views of the publishers of CPWJ. 06 : Works News Equipment 09 : Works News Updates 10 : Works News People 12 : Worker Well-being by Cal Beyer 14 : Upward Mobility Sean O’Keefe 19 : The ROAD AHEAD (pages 1-32) Spring 2023 51 : Industry Insights John Lorme 52 : Association News APWA, NUCA, RTD, CDOT, CAPA, ACPA, CCA, CSSGA 64 : PS! (Parting Shots) Out and About at Events in Colorado 66 : Advertiers Index Our Corporate Partners
SPRING 2023┃5 www.cowyacpa.org CO/WY Chapter - ACPA @COWYACPA Concrete Pavement MAKING THE GRADE ON INFRASTRUCTURE SUSTAINABILITY Optimizing pavement with expected use and performance conditions in mind can improve costs and reduce lifetime CO2 emissions. Two-thirds of a pavement’s total environmental impact over its lifetime often occurs during the phase in which the pavement is in use – well after material and design selections are made. Concrete is an economical, costeffective pavement solution that consumes minimal materials, energy, and other resources for construction, maintenance, and rehabilitation activities over its lifetime. Because of its rigidity, concrete pavement deflects less under vehicle loading, which results in reduced vehicle fuel consumption. Here’s Why Concrete pavement’s lighter color helps mitigate urban heat island effects and can help offset global warming. Concrete pavement is 100% recyclable, suitable for use in new concrete pavement, base materials, or controlled fill. Concrete pavement can periodically be renewed through diamond grinding, prolonging its lifespan, enhancing its smoothness, and improving its skid resistance. LONGEVITY INCREASED REFLECTIVITY RIGIDITY RENEWABLE RECYCLABLE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
6┃ Colorado Public Works Journal Works News E q u i p m e n t Samoter/Asphaltica 2023: Sustainable Wirtgen Group Technologies for the Road Construction Industry From May 2023, the Wirtgen Group will be presenting a cross-section of its extensive product portfolio with 11 exhibits from Wirtgen, Vögele, Hamm, and Kleemann in Verona. The solutions at the show ranged from cold milling and cold recycling to asphalt paving and compaction, and the processing of natural stone and recycling materials. The focus was on the machines and, above all, on their digital assistance and documentation systems. How Production Systems Are Changing the Face of Road Construction. In the future, modern road construction will be possible only with sustainable and efficient solutions that fulfill the growing demand for protection of the environment and the safety of humanity and nature. In view of this, the Wirtgen Group supports its customers not only with innovative solutions for individual machines, but also with the development and realization of “green” drive system technologies. Much more than this, with its production systems, the group provides the end-to-end solutions that customers need to be able to cost-efficiently and sustainably realize their (road) construction projects. Apart from correctly-dimensioned machines or machine combinations, this includes ideally optimized applications and methods. It also includes appropriate (digital) assistance or telematics and automation systems, documentation systems, and application-specific equipment options that support the processes involved. Highlights of the Wirtgen Group booth at Samoter/Asphaltica 2023 was the Digital Assistance and Documentation Systems exhibit of the Wirtgen Performance Tracker (WPT), which can be seen in the Wirtgen W 100 Fi compact milling machine and the W 200 Fi large milling machine. The system enables the precise documentation of milling performance and automatically generates a report that can be sent by e-mail to the machine Komatsu Showcase At CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023 owner. This reduces the time, effort, and costs required for the completion of projects. In addition to a range of high-performance road pavers from the Mini to Universal classes, Vögele will also be presenting its digital solution for construction site documentation. As an example of this, the SUPER 1803-3i wheeled paver is equipped with WITOS Paving Docu and RoadScan, the contactless temperature measuring system for temperature monitoring of the entire paved surface. The combination of these two systems also enables quick and easy February 9, 2023 — To help meet worker shortages and increase jobsite productivity, Komatsu is committed to offering tools that help customers best deploy their workforce and optimize operations. With machines that help quickly upskill workers and technology that aims to improve efficiency, at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023, Komatsu will showcase how it can help customers optimize their workforce and create value. PC900LC-11 Designed for heavy construction, demolition, material handling, deep sewer, water, large mass excavation and mining/quarry, the PC900LC-11 combines exceptional power with digging capabilities. Its performance-enhancing technology includes a KomVision camera system and optional Smart Construction 3D guidance and payload monitoring. Intelligent dozers: D39PXi-24, D51PXi-24, D71PXi-24 Machine logic allows Komatsu’s iMC 2.0 dozers to continuously learn the terrain and make calculated decisions for the next pass, helping lessen the skills gap between new and seasoned operators. Tilt steering control automatically tilts the blade to maintain straight travel during rough dozing, reducing operator steering input. With the right products, latest technologies, actionable data and dealer support, Komatsu and its customers can create value together.
SPRING 2023┃7 Works News E q u i p m e n t John Deere to Roll Out Latest Construction Technologies, Including Industry-Firsts, at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023 At this year’s CONEXPO-CON/AGG show, John Deere showcased its latest technology offerings including advanced vision and object detection solutions, SmartWeighTM, standard EZ Grade on P-Tier small dozers and a variety of other grade management and automation solutions available to customers. IMPROVE JOBSITE SAFETY The next generation of John Deere production-class and utility-class loaders are specifically designed to improve operator visibility and awareness. As a direct response to demand from operators, select models can be equipped with new vision and object detection technology. This technology can enhance visibility and help detect obstacles that present jobsite risks. Object Detection technology, paired with a high-resolution camera and a dedicated display, helps enhance the operator experience and increase situational awareness. In addition, the industry-first vehicle trajectory logic technology overlays the projected vehicle reverse path to illustrate where the vehicle will move next. Building upon the object detection enhancements, the industryfirst Advanced Vision System integrates two digital cameras on the sideview mirror frames, helping to provide increased visibility to the sides of the machine. Within the cab display, operators benefit from an integrated view of all cameras, helping to increase spatial awareness with wider views and enhanced clarity. The next phase of Deere’s technology journey can be found with SmartDetect and SmartDetect with Assist. SmartDetect combines cameras and machine learning to help give operators a better view of their surrounds. The system alerts operators when an object enters the machine’s projected travel path and provides unique detection alerts for people in the camera’s entire field of view. With SmartDetect Assist, the machine will automatically stop before coming in contact with a person. INCREASE EFFICIENCY One of the more advanced technology solutions that was on display at the show was SmartWeigh, which is now available on the full lineup of P and X-Tier utility wheel loaders and will soon be available on the production-size P-Tier models as well. Aimed to improve cycle times when loading trucks or processing plants, this payload weighing system delivers increased accuracy, dynamic weighing capabilities, and ease of calibration. This John Deere designed-andsupported solution helps operators confidently hit loading targets and minimize material loss. Available fully equipped on loaders from the factory or as a 250-hour trial period, customers that do not typically utilize payload weighing systems can experience the benefits first-hand, helping to prove value and give them the highest levels of productivity on their jobs. As part of the SmartWeigh system, the dynamic bucket weighing technology eliminates frequent raising and lowering of the boom. The bucket capture height can be set anywhere between 15-90% of boom height and can be captured at any boom speed. Another key feature is that unlike other payload weighing systems, SmartWeigh does not require calibration with a known weight. This enables customers to easily calibrate the system themselves without the need for outside assistance. On top of this, payload weighing data is integrated into JDLink™, meaning it can be accessed nearly anywhere and not just within the cab of the machine. Also new to the P-Tier and X-Tier wheel loaders, Auto Level technology is designed to eliminate frequent bucket and fork adjustments. Operators moving or handling material do not have to worry about the load tipping too far backwards or forwards as the boom is raised up and down. This feature offers near perfect parallelism throughout the entire raise and lower cycle + or - 2 degrees.
8┃ Colorado Public Works Journal Works News U p d a t e s Metro Water Recovery Receives National Award for South Platte River Improvements DENVER, Colo. – Metro Water Recovery is receiving a National Environmental Achievement Award from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies for the South Platte River Aquatic Life/Habitat Improvements Project. Honorees will be recognized in February at NACWA’s winter conference in Sonoma, CA. The main goal of the project is to increase dissolved oxygen levels and improve aquatic life habitat for native fish communities. Examples of completed work are visible from some of the bike/ walking paths along the South Platte River: • Riffles that create foraging and spawning habitat for native fish • Boulder clusters that provide protective cover and create micro-pools and eddies • Trees and shrubs that provide aquatic shade and riparian vegetation The six-phase project is an example of a long-term collaborative effort with cost-saving regional benefits. Metro wrapped up Phase IV of the 20-year project in 2018. Phase V launched late last year. To learn more about the project and Metro’s role as a steward of the environment, join the water quality team at a river sampling location. You will have an opportunity to see regularly scheduled work – which includes river monitoring from Metro’s outfalls all the way to the Nebraska border. About Metro Water Recovery Metro Water Recovery was formed under Colorado law in 1961. Metro is the largest resource recovery and clean water agency in the Rocky Mountain West, serving approximately 2.2 million people in an 805 square-mile area. In partnership with 61 local governments, comprised of cities, counties, sanitation districts, and water and sanitation districts, we clean millions of gallons of water every day to be suitable for agriculture, aquatic life, recreation, and water supply.
SPRING 2023┃9 Works News U p d a t e s EverLine Coatings – Rethinking Pavement Maintenance in Colorado Colorado LTAP: A [Re]-Introduction to a Community Resource EverLine Coatings & Services, established leader and innovator in the pavement and parking lot maintenance industry, is experiencing rapid growth throughout North America, and has opened operations across the extended Colorado Front Range – With offices in Fort Collins, Boulder, North Denver, and South Denver. With over a decade of industry experience, and an unrivaled track record for delivering long term customer value for industry leaders such as CBRE, 7-Eleven, Home Depot, Lowes, Target , Costco, and Walmart, as well as office parks, malls, municipalities, schools, and churches across North America, EverLine Coatings applies its CORE Quality System and preventative maintenance programs to ensure that its clients’ parking areas and paved surfaces are safe, well protected, and look their absolute best. From proprietary eco-friendly durable line painting to custom stenciling, advanced infrared asphalt and pothole repair, sign installation, sealcoating, pressure washing, and more, EverLine offers property and facility managers with a complete suite of high-quality services to address virtually any parking lot or pavement maintenance need, all delivered at a substantial long-term cost savings. Situated within the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Center for Local Aid Support, LTAP centers are charged with supporting “local and rural road agencies across the US by providing training, technical assistance and technology services to help them manage and maintain their roadway systems.” Since kicking off in 1982, LTAP centers have been established in every state and Puerto Rico offering a nationwide network of 51 centers for transportation professionals. Coupling that with six Tribal Technical Assistance Programs (TTAPs), there is a robust community focused specifically on regional assistance to support local efforts. In 1985, Colorado became the 39th state to establish a technical assistance program and set up a cooperative effort sponsored by the FHWA and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). The program is currently administered by Front Range Community College (FRCC). Colorado LTAP is well-known across the state for its wide range of training offerings, but the center also offers technical assistance and technology transfer. It is truly a comprehensive resource center. Think of Colorado LTAP as a transportation library. All the services typically found at a traditional library can found at Colorado LTAP, just specific to transportation. Colorado LTAP is focused on serving the Colorado community. This includes not only the local agencies (counties and municipalities), but private individuals and organizations who operate in the transportation field. There are three programs to participate in and a number of agencies utilize these as their career pathing/ The Colorado owners: Nick LaPointe in South Denver, Stephen Collins in Boulder & North Denver, and Logan Ossenfort in Fort Collins all work closely together to serve the entire Colorado front range and beyond. In addition to quickly growing its customer community, the EverLine team is expanding its partnerships with construction firms and paving contractors to collaborate on new build and restoration projects. progression models with Colorado LTAP tracking all credits and classes. The tracks are optional and offerings are open to anyone interested. Trainings are typically hosted at partner agencies across the state and last year alone 70 sessions were delivered to almost 1200 participants. Focusing on geographical equity, each course can be offered up to three times across the state, but customized trainings are also available. The two maps below show not only where courses were hosted, but where participants came from. When it comes to technology transfer, Colorado LTAP is committed to sharing innovations, both local and national, and spreading new technologies to all corners of the state and ensuring Colorado is a leader in industry best practices, equipped with skills and know-how. Technical assistance dives into the industry’s specifics and Colorado LTAP can help with, or provide resources for efforts such as road safety audits, low-cost counter measures and solutioning, topical research, funding opportunities and workforce growth and development efforts. Stay tuned for more on Colorado LTAP, but for now… Want to host? Have a need? Have an idea? Contact us!
10┃ Colorado Public Works Journal Works News P e o p l e Andrea Hebard Andrea Hebard has been announced as the Colorado Women of Asphalt 2023 Woman (Person) of the Year! Andrea is the Local Agency Coordinator for the Region 1 Local Agency Group, currently reorganizing them to achieve uniform compliance with CDOT, State and Federal (FHWA) rules. She has been in the construction industry since 1992. She started her career with National Seal Company in Galesburg Illinois and Wellford, SC. In 2000 she started at CTL Thompson in Denver as a tester and worked her way up to an Assistant Project Engineer. In 2005 she joined CDOT Region 1 (formerly Region 6) as a Tech I moving to Tech II, Tech III, then to Project Engineering Assistant. In 2013, she became a Construction Engineering Project Manager for Region 1 North. She has been, and continues to be, a great role model and inspiration to her co-workers. www.oneatlas.com ASPHALT Superpave & Marshall Mix Designs ASPHALT BINDER Superpave Rheology Recovery CONCRETE Mix Designs ACI Criteria CCRL Accredited Lakewood, Colorado Cheyenne, Wyoming (303)975-9959 (307) 757-3460 With more than 3,000 professionals nationwide, Atlas provides professional testing, inspection, engineering, environmental, and consulting services, helping our clients test, inspect, verify, plan, design, and manage a wide variety of projects across diverse end markets. On January 1, 2023, WesTest became Atlas. we’re built to be better AGGREGATE ASTM C 33 ASR Tests Aggregate Reserve Analysis GEOTECHNICAL Pavement Engineering Soil Investigation & Design Bergkamp Inc. Announces Personnel Changes Bergkamp Inc., announced the retirement of Rex Eberly as Director of its Customer Care department, effective December 31, 2021. With Eberly’s retirement, Bergkamp has promoted Bob Rhodes, formerly the company’s Product Manager for new and existing product development, into the Customer Care Manager position. Rhodes joined Bergkamp as Product Manager in 2019. Over the past two years, he has helped to develop new product offerings by implementing new processes and procedures and through in-depth research of the industry. Rhodes currently serves on the ISSA Attendance Sub-Committee. Rex Eberly has worked within the pavement preservation industry since 1983, holding a variety of operations and sales positions with contracting and manufacturing companies. Eberly joined Bergkamp in January 2014 as Director of Sales for Bergkamp’s Contractor Business Unit. He is a past President of ISSA and has served as Secretary of the organization. Eberly was promoted to Director of Customer Care in 2019, where he implemented changes that delivered successful results. With his retirement, he leaves behind a legacy of hard work, leadership, and success.
SPRING 2023┃11 Works News P e o p l e Burns & McDonnell Grows Sales and Revenue by Nearly 50% in 2022, Promotes Five Senior Executives, Expands Officer Group “2022 was a year of incredible growth and performance — including safety, revenue and community impact,” says Ray Kowalik, chairman and CEO, Burns & McDonnell. “For us, success starts with our people and our employee ownership. We care about our employee-owners, our firm, our community and our clients. This is the 125th anniversary of our firm and we will continue to build on that tradition and our entrepreneurial spirit.” Promoted to senior vice president: Dan Korinek manages the Denver and Pacific Northwest regions, leading a team of engineering and construction professionals and scientists, providing services to a broad range of communities, industries and companies. These offices offer the full array of business lines provided by Burns & McDonnell with an emphasis on alternative delivery project execution. Korinek has spent his entire 34-year career at Burns & McDonnell and prior to his current role, he grew and led the regional Water Group in Denver. Promoted into the Burns & McDonnell officer group as vice presidents: Zach Herrington is responsible project delivery and construction for the Denver and Pacific Northwest offices. In his prior role, he led construction for all of the firm’s water and wastewater projects nationally. Throughout his more than 20-year career, Herrington has experienced working in all phases and aspects of collaborative project delivery on a variety of water, wastewater and industrial construction projects. ACEC Colorado Installs 2022-23 Board of Directors and New Executive Director The American Council of Engineering Companies of Colorado (ACEC Colorado) recently installed its 2022-23 Board of Directors, whose terms started May 1, 2022, and officially announced its new executive director. Gray Clark, PE (Muller Engineering Company – Lakewood, Colo.) will serve as president and accepted the gavel from Past President Bill Green, PE (The RMH Group – Lakewood) during the ACEC Colorado Annual Conference. Additional officer installments included Brant Lahnert, PE (KL&A, Inc. – Golden, Colo.) as vice president; Dave DiFulvio, PLS (Farnsworth Group – Greenwood Village, Colo.) as secretary-treasurer; and Karlene Thomas, PE (Pinyon Environmental – Colorado Springs, Colo.) as national director. Additionally, ACEC Colorado announced its new executive director, Heidi Gordon, CAE, who will also serve as executive director of the ACEC Colorado Scholarship & Education Foundation. Gordon started with ACEC Colorado in 2014 as deputy director and assumed responsibilities in her new role on Jan. 1, 2022. She has nearly 20 years of experience working in association management. Gordon is highly skilled in strategic planning, public relations/ communication, and event/education management. She holds a master’s degree in organizational and professional communication from University of Denver (Denver) and a bachelor’s degree public relations from Otterbein College (Westerville, Ohio). Gordon is also credentialed as a Certified Association Executive (CAE). “On behalf of ACEC Colorado, we look forward to Heidi’s new role within the association. She brings years of experience, enthusiasm and excellent communication skills that will further elevate the visibility of consulting engineers in Colorado,” commented Gray Clark, president of ACEC Colorado.
12┃ Colorado Public Works Journal CWPJ will be continuing to emphasize workplace and jobsite mental health and well-being during the remaining issues of 2023. These issues are of importance to public and private sector construction stakeholders in Colorado. CPWJ asked Cal Beyer to write a column in each remaining issue of 2023. These articles will pertain to worker well-being, including mental health, substance misuse, addiction treatment and recovery, suicide prevention, and opioid risk reduction. Beyer is the Vice President of Workforce Risk and Worker Well-being for Holmes Murphy & Associates. Beyer is a nationally recognized subject matter expert on workplace mental health. Worker Well-being by Cal Beyer images @ CDOT
SPRING 2023┃13 Practical Pointers on Worker Well-being How can employers help their workforce? • Adopt a culture of wellbeing to combine physical health and emotional health • Communicate to all employees that “it is ok to not be ok.” • Acknowledge that these are trying times and that the company cares about them and their families • Share information about mental health support services for employees to share with their loved ones • Encourage leaders to be intentional in demonstrating care for workers by being visible and vocal about mental health and to be vulnerable about seeking help themselves or for family members What can be done to encourage construction workers to consider their mental health and wellness and seek help? • Double-down on physical health to promote wellbeing, including warmup exercise programs, nutrition, hydration, and stress management skills, like deep breathing • Reduce barriers to care seeking by promoting onsite wellness and health services • Actively communicating about the importance of mental health reinforces that seeking help is a sign of strength and not a sign of weakness • Provide training to teach peer leaders to be mental health and wellbeing champions and peer coaches • Educate workers on their employee health and welfare benefits What can companies do to reduce the elevated risk of suicide among construction workers? • Incorporate mental health and wellbeing into apprenticeship programs • Focus on reducing the frequency and severity of musculoskeletal injuries which creates chronic pain, disrupts sleep, contributes to fatigue, and leads to unnecessary opioid pain management prescriptions • Aggressively promote the Employee Assistance Programs, as well as 988 (3-digit Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) and Crisis Text Line • Conduct Toolbox Talks on various topics relating to physical health and mental wellbeing topics • Create a custom hardhat sticker to show support for mental health How can workers help colleagues? • Make a personal commitment to be a quality teammate • Be observant and go to a crewmate to ask if they are ok when you see changes in their behavior • If the crewmate says they are fine, it is ok to say “you do not seem fine. I care about you. I have rough times too, let me know if I can help. I am here for you if you want to talk or need support.” • Commit to being your brother’s and sister’s crew and adopt a mindset of no person left behind and being there for every crew mate Excerpts of an article by Cal Beyer, Vice President, Workforce Risk and Worker Wellbeing of Holmes Murphy. Article appeared in the January 2023 edition of Keystone Contractor magazine (www.keystonecontractormagazine.com) Re- printed with permission by the Keystone Contractor Association in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania
14┃ Colorado Public Works Journal Upward Mobility ...top-to-bottom, Westminster engages Envision to rethink wastewater By Sean O’Keefe The fundamental thread connecting people and the places we build; infrastructure can be defined as any public works system that organizes human behavior. Highways, airports, and railways may come to mind, but infrastructure also encompasses all the utilities required to wash, flush, power, and broadcast our lives with the push-button ease we have come to expect. In that cooperation among many is essential to collective human betterment, the need for an organizational framework for society stretches back to the earliest days of human existence. And wherever there is infrastructure, be sure there is a need for infrastructure management. That’s where a special breed of built-environment professionals resides. Tanner Kraft is one of them. “I am the Plant Superintendent at the City of Westminster’s Big Dry Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. I started as an intern and worked my way up. Wastewater management offers a lot of upward mobility, so it has been a great career path,” says Kraft who has been at the switch in Westminster for three years as the Plant Superintendent, a position he earned through conscientious devotion to his craft, same as any other expert in their field. “My job requires an integrated understanding of all of the parts and pieces of Wastewater from process control within the plant, capital improvements, staffing, and regulatory compliance; to coordination with stakeholders, state government, and the public. People may be surprised to know that there is never a dull day in wastewater.” With a population of approximately 116,000 residents living in both Adams and Jefferson counties, the City of Westminster is the eighth most populous city in Colorado and one of the key suburban centers in the metro-Denver ring. Westminster’s mission is to provide core services and foster economic resilience to give their community the opportunity to thrive. Wastewater management is certainly an essential service, and as such the lineage of the Big Dry Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant very much mirrors the history of Westminster. “This plant first opened as a 1.0 Million Gallon per Day (MGD) facility in 1972, when the city’s population was around 19,500 people,” shares Kraft. As the story of the plant reveals, the evolution of infrastructure often parallels the trajectory of the society it serves. As people and places change, so do their needs, putting pressure on infrastructure to keep pace with progress. “The first iteration of this plant used stabilized lagoons. In 1979 the plant was expanded to 2.0 MGD and introduced a biosolids thickening facility. This allowed the biosolids output to be land applied as organic nutrients.” In 1982 the plant was expanded again to achieve an output of 5.5 MGD and incorporate aerobic digesters, which involve the bacterial conversion of organic matter into carbon dioxide. By 1995 when the city’s population reached 70,000, the plant was expanded to 7.5 MGD and the city-owned farm where the biosolids were being land applied relocated from within Westminster to a site east of the newly built Denver International Airport. In anticipation of more stringent regulations, in 2009 the city completed a fourth expansion and
SPRING 2023┃15 changed the main treatment process to a Biological Nutrient removal process, by which ammoniacal nitrogen is converted to nitrogen gas and phosphorous is removed. “It’s probably fair to say most wastewater treatment plants have gone through a similar evolution,” says Matt Gough, a Vice President at HDR, the firm hired to design the Big Dry Creek Plant’s latest iteration of now. Like Kraft, Gough has made a career in wastewater and agrees, it’s never boring. He has been working with the City of Westminster for more than 16 years and takes a lot of pride in solving problems with clients, stakeholders, and the public within these complex, vital facilities. “In 2018, Westminster started looking at their land-applied biosolids processes for efficiencies. Biosolids are about 98 percent water. The round trip from the plant to the farm is a 100-miles. They were hauling 28 loads a week, which is expensive in fuel, carbon emissions, and manhours.” The solution - a biosolid dewatering facility. In this case, a high-speed rotational centrifuge densifies biosolids from 98 percent water to 80 percent water. Though the change seems small, it decreased the number of roundtrips from 28 trucks a week to just 8 or 9. In doing so, the City of Westminster achieved the prized triple net bottom line. From the reduced fuel costs and environmental impact to decreased truck traffic locally and the outward spread of those benefits, the new dewatering facility is economically, environmentally, and socially beneficial all at once. “One of the early decisions was the desire to pursue an Envision Certification, which is a sustainability and resiliency framework for infrastructure,” continues Gough, who as the Project Manager, played a key role in implementing the process. Developed by the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure, (ISI) Envision spawned from a collaboration between ISI and Harvard University’s Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure. Envision uses 64 different sustainability and resilience indicators as credits for measuring a project’s performance around five categories – Quality of Life, Leadership, Resource Allocation, Natural World, and Climate and Resilience. Envision Categories of Considerations • Quality of Life – Addresses a project’s impact on host and affected communities, from the health and well-being of individuals to the well-being of society as a whole. • Leadership – Project teams are most successful if they communicate and collaborate early, involve a wide variety of participants, and take a long-term, holistic view of the project. • Resource Allocation – Resources are assets that are needed to build infrastructure and keep it operational. Concerns include the quality, source, and characteristics of these resources related to sustainability. • Natural World – Infrastructure impacts habitats, species, and nonliving natural systems that perform critical ecosystem services that clean air and water, produce healthy food, and mitigate hazards to our health. • Climate and Resilience – Minimizing emissions that contribute to climate change and ensuring infrastructure resilience through projects that are informed, resourceful, robust, redundant, flexible, integrated, and inclusive.
16┃ Colorado Public Works Journal Those who apply it typically find that Envision organizes owners, designers, and builders in finding ways within the project to cost-effectively reduce resources. In addition to the credit-based project evaluation system, the framework also offers individual credentialing for Envision Sustainability Professionals (ENV SP), who are considered subject matter experts in sustainable and resilient civil infrastructure. Though HDR was one of the framework’s founding partners, applying Envision to the plant was a first for Gough and the team at the City of Westminster. Gough feels fortunate to have had so much in-house knowledge of the process at his disposal. “HDR has some very knowledgeable people on Envision that showed us how to improve our scoring without making needless investments,” he shares. Whether you have an expert on-hand or not, Gough recommends that anyone applying the Envision process for the first time should seek counsel from people who have been through the process. “The City of Westminster has some ENV SPs on staff, so they were very knowledgeable, as well. There wasn’t a predetermined score we were trying to achieve. Rather than chasing points, we looked at everything and tried to find solutions that improve operations by creating efficiencies.” One of the most unique features of the new dewatering facility is how the biosolids are dewatered and distributed to the haul trucks waiting to take it to the farm. HDR and the City spent nearly two years planning and designing the facility by considering ways to make improvements to what had been done elsewhere. “Most dewatering systems densify the material on one level and then use conveyors to move it upward to the haul trucks outside,” says Gough of what the team identified as a common single point of failure in dewatering plants. “We made the facility taller and elevated the centrifuge above the trucks, which allows gravity to fill them. So, we deleted that point of failure and conveyors are no longer an issue for maintenance, operations, safety, or anything.” For those who have never worked on an Envision project, Gough points out that one of the biggest differences from other certifications is that scoring includes credit for community engagement as part of the process. “There is a new development going in just south of the plant, so we used it as an opportunity to conduct some public information programs aimed at educating people about what wastewater is, what we do, and where it goes,” he notes of a point within the program. “Envision also pushed us hard to consider locally sourced materials, recycled building materials, and waste reduction strategies. The scoring is holistic.” In the final count, on paper, the Big Dry Creek Wastewater Treatment Facility earned a Bronze-level certification with Envision and also scooped up an Honor award from ACEC Colorado in 2022. In terms of wins for the citizens of Westminster, there are many. For starters, the plant is now rated at 11.9 MGD, which is expected to serve the City’s needs without further expansion for many years to come. The decrease in hauling operations was so significant that the City had to rethink its drivers’ jobs. “We went from 28 to 8 trips most weeks, so we had three drivers that suddenly needed a lot more work,” shares Kraft of a benefit so deeply embedded in the outcome that it didn’t make it into the Envision scorecard. “So those guys are now in the process of getting their wastewater operator’s licenses and being trained on running the dewatering plant. Soon they will be both drivers and certified water professionals. As I said, there is a lot of upward mobility in wastewater.”
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WINTER 2023┃19 Understanding Green Construction – We are in a New Era 2023 Local Agency Pavement Condition & Funding 29th Annual “Best in Colorado” Asphalt Awards Larry Wise Elected to the Colorado Asphalt Hall of Fame Meet CDOT’s New Chief Engineer Keith Stefanik A Supplement to the Colorado Public Works Journal
2┃ The Road Ahead INTRODUCTION Welcome to THE Road Ahead - Tom Peterson 2023 is a celebration year for CAPA as it marks the 40th Anniversary of the association. Incorporated in 1983, the association has grown to over 260 member organizations and is the largest state asphalt pavement association in the United States. We thank our forefathers for the heavy lifting and establishing a rock-solid mission of “advancing the use and quality of asphalt pavements in Colorado.” Here are a few CAPA Fun Facts: • A few of the early CAPA pioneers were Skip Bettis of Siegrist Co., Bill Pakovich of Brannan Sand & Gravel, Bob Bisgard of halt Paving Co., Bob Wolfe of Western Paving, Herman Altergott of Best Way Paving, and Bill Lauer of Sterling Paving. • The original name was the Colorado Asphalt Producers Association. It was changed to Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association in 1994 to reflect the new user-producer organization and having affiliate agency member organizations. CAPA is one of only three state asphalt pavement associations in the country that have affiliate agency members and today, there are nearly 80 city, county, and towns that have chosen to be member organizations of CAPA. • John Boring was the first Managing Director and the late Rick DeLacastro followed and served from 1985 to 1992. It was under the leadership of Scott Shuler (Director from 1992 to 1997) that the Laboratory for Certification of Asphalt Technicians (LabCAT) was started. We will be celebrating our rich history throughout the year and have plans for a mid-summer steak fry to showcase our achievements and recognize those that were instrumental in our accomplishments. Enjoy this issue of THE Road Ahead and congratulations to all of the recipients of the 29th Annual “Best in Colorado” Asphalt Awards. Truly the best of the best. Thomas Peterson, P.E. Executive Director Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association tompeterson@co-asphalt.com
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4┃ The Road Ahead ASSOCIATES 360 Paving, LLC, Eagle, 970-328-4900 ABC Asphalt, Brighton, 303-659-3706 All Colorado Trucks and Trailers, Denver, 303-494-647 A.G. Wassenaar Inc., Denver, 303-756-2920 A-Core Concrete Specialists of Colorado, Denver, 720-899-4899 A-One Chipseal Company, Westminster, 303-464-9267 A-Peak Asphalt Inc., Vail, 970-476-8855 Acord Asphalt, Inc., Granby, 970-887-0363 Albert Frei & Sons, Henderson, 303-289-1837 Alpha Milling Co. Inc., Denver, 303-428-2899 Alpine Civil Construction Andale Construction Inc., Wichita, KS, 505-716-6851 Antigo Construction Inc., Antigo, WI, 715-627-2222 Arkema - Road Science LLC, Berthoud, 970-389-2639 ARS Companies, Littleton, 303-791-7404 Asphalt Doctors Inc., Denver, 303-956-8201 Asphalt Systems Inc Asphalt Testing Services (ATS), Denver, 303-923-5493 Astec Inc., Chattanooga, TN, 423-867-4210 Atkins, Denver, 303-221-7275 Atlas Technical Consultants, Denver, 303-975-9959 Avery Asphalt Inc., Colorado Springs, 719-471-0110 Barbarick, LLC, Colorado Springs, 719-495-9013 Best Engineering Solutions, Silverthorne, 970-409-9670 Bobcat of the Rockies, Golden, 303-216-1402 BOMAG Americas Inc., Kewanee, IL, 800-782-6624 Buckhorn Engineering Caterpillar Inc., Brooklyn Park, MN, 303-336-3693 CEI Enterprises Inc., Albuquerque, NM, 800-545-4034 Chacon Paving Inc Chavez Construction Inc. CMT Technical Services, Centennial, 303-220-0300 Coatings Inc., Arvada, 303-434-4303 COBITCO Inc., Denver, 303-296-8575 Columbine Hills Concrete Inc., Silverthorne, 970-468-7813 Colorado Barricade, Denver, 303-922-7815 Colorado Machinery LLC, Colorado Springs, 719-475-1100 Colorado Milling, Westminster, 303-358-4343 Coughlin Company, St. George, UT, 435-634-1266 Crafco Inc., Chandler, AZ, 800-227-4059 CTL/Thompson Inc., Denver, 303-825-0777 Cutler Repaving Inc., Lawrence, KS, 785-843-1524 DACS Dillman Equipment, Norman, OK, 888-818-4807 Dustrol Inc., Albuquerque, NM, 505-891-8342 Earth Engineering Consultants Inc., Windsor, 970-224-1522 EFC Inc Elite Surface Infrastructure, Denver, 303-287-0777 Entech Engineering Inc., Colorado Springs, 719-531-5599 ESCO, Evergreen, 303-674-3385 EZ Street Company, The, Miami, FL, 800-734-1476 Faris Machinery Company, Commerce City, 303-289-5743 Fiore & Sons, Denver, 303-429-8893 Foothills Paving and Maintenance Inc., Golden, 303-462-5600 Gencor Industries Inc., Conifer, 303-670-5456 Geocal Inc., Centennial, 303-337-0338 GMCO Corp., Rifle, 970-625-9100 Goltz Asphalt Co., Loveland, 970-663-2343 CAPA Member List March 2023 ASPHALT PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS Ground Engineering Consultants, Commerce City, 303-289-1989 Hamon Infrastructure – Denver, 303- 297-0340 Honnen Equipment Company, Commerce City, 303-287-7506 Intertek - PSI, Westminster, 303-424-5578 Jacobs Engineering Group, Denver, 303-820-5240 Jesik Consultants Kleinfelder Inc., Golden, 303-237-6601 Kraemer NA, Castle Rock, 303-688-7500 Kumar & Associates Inc., Denver, 303-742-9700 LHoist North America, Henderson, NV, 702-818-1575 Mc Donald Paving and Chip Sealing Martinez Associates LLC, Denver, 303-459-2216 Metro Pavers Inc., Henderson, 303-427-1039 MHC Kenworth, Denver, 720-941-0833 Mile High Paving, Co., Arvada, 720-441-5519 Minds Corp., Las Vegas, NV, 702-930-2984 Mountain Regional Equipment Solutions, Littleton, 801-886-3078 National Pavement Partners, Commerce City, 303-218-5292 New West Paving, Denver, 303-427-0550 Nilex USA, Inc Ninyo & Moore, Greenwood Village, 303-629-6000 Northwest Colorado Consultants, Steamboat Springs, 970-879-7888 Pete Lien and Sons, Rapid City, SD, 605-342-7224 Pickering, Cole and Hivner, Westminster, 303-996-2999 Power Equipment Company, Colorado Springs, 888-690-8292 Power Motive Corporation, Denver, 303-355-5900 Prime Milling, LLC Propane Transport International, Houston, TX, 281-552-4024 Protex, The PT Xperts, Aurora, 303-834-0671 Purple Wave Auction, Manhattan, KS, 866-608-9283 Pyramid Paving, Colorado Springs, 719-576-7600 Roadtec Inc., Grand Junction, 970-270-5026 Robinson Grading & Profiling, Gillette, WY, 307-682-2422 Rocky Mountain Civil Excavating, Brighton, 303-669-3623 RockSol Consulting Group, Inc., Westminster, 303-962-9300 RSA Protective Technologies, LLC Rush Truck Centers, Commerce City, 303-291-6300 Seal Coat Solutions – Colorado Springs, (719) 634-1001 Shannon and Wilson, Inc, Denver, 303-825-3800 Soilogic Inc., Longmont, 970-535-6144 Son-Haul Inc., Fort Morgan, 970-867-4401 Southwest JCB Statewide Milling LLP Sunland Asphalt, Littleton, 303-791-8300 Tenna LLC, Golden, 303-273-1417 Terex Roadbuilding, Oklahoma City, OK, 405-787-6020 Terracon, Wheat Ridge, 303-423-3300 Trautner Geotech LLC, Durango, 970-259-5095 Trax Construction, Colorado Springs, 719-638-8729 Valley Equipment, Denver, 303-293-3377 Vance Bros., Denver, 303-341-2604 Vine Laboratories, Denver, 303-662-1166 Vivid Engineering Group, Colorado Springs, 719-896-4356 Wagner Equipment Company, Aurora, 303-739-3000 Western Milling, LLC, Grand Junction, 970-242-3964 Western Technologies Inc., Farmington, NM, 505-327-4966 Wood Environment and Infrastructure Solutions, Denver, 303-935-6505 Yeh and Associates Inc., Denver, 303-781-9590 CAPA welcomed 21 new members in 2021 and has added two more in 2022. We continue to be the largest State Asphalt Pavement Association with nearly 270 members because of our member and the services we provide to them. JOIN US TODAY! JOIN OUR GROWING LIST OF MEMBERS. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT TOM CLAYTON at 303-741-6150 ext.151, or tomclayton@co-asphalt.com 265 Members and Growing!
SPRING 2023┃5 AFFILIATES Alliance GeoSynthetics, Lake Oswego, OR, 949-610-6098 Assignar, Denver, Denver, 303-228-5405 Award & Sign, Englewood, 303-799-8979 Balanced Engineering, Denver, 303-523-6074 Basis Partners, Colorado Springs, 719-299-5077 BG Chemical LP, Dallas, TX, 800-725-8470 Cargill Inc., Wayzata, MN 1-800-842-3631 Centaurs, Houston, TX 719-433-0614 Civil Technology, Inc., Denver, 303-292-0348 Cloud Colorado, Parker, 303-708-9725 Colorado Public Works Journal, Denver, 720-205-4681 Colorado Road Painting LLC, Loveland, CO Commercial Credit Group Denver Industrial Sales & Service, Denver, 303-935-2485 Earth Science Systems, Wheatridge, 303-800-2000 Earthwave Technologies, Indianapolis, IN, 317-218-6101 ECME, Mancos, 970-759-5320 Ellis Profiling, Mapleton, UT, 801-380-7832 Evergreen Solutions LLC, Alberta, Canada 4033-273-8000 Falcon Aerial Imaging, Thornton, 720-360-8388 First Western Trust Bank GRC Consulting, Inc, Frederick, 303-288-4703 Go West, IT, Centennial, 303-795-2200 Haul Hub Technologies, Haverhill, Maine 833-428-5482 Holmes, Murphy & Associates, Denver, 303-283-9966 Huitt-Zollars, Inc., Denver, 303-740-7325 Ingevity, North Charleston, NC, 800-845-1983 InstroTek Inc., Raleigh, NC, 919-875-8371 JR Engineering, Centennial, 80112 Kimley Horn, LLC, Denver, CO, 303-228-2300 Libra Systems, Denver, 303-740-7325 Loveland Barricade, Loveland, 970-663-5311 Mark Ryan Inc., Conifer, 303-674-4754 Momentum Energy Services, Denver, 303-623-5756 Moody Insurance Agency Inc., Denver, 303-824-6600 Nilex USA, Inc. OSCS Inc., Fort Worth, TX, 817-834-5411 PEXCO, Tacoma, WA, 253-284-8000 Precise Striping, LLC, Commerce City, 303-462-2800 PRI Asphalt Technologies, Tampa, FL 813-621-5777 QPC, Wheatridge, 970-361-1525 Redhawk Consulting, LLC, Golden, 303-656-0041 Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, Longmont, 303-881-1399 Roadway Asset Services. LLC Rocky Mountain Profilograph, Colorado City, 719-250-5556 RSA Protective Technologies LLC, Loveland CO Sapphire Gas Solutions, LLC, Dallas, TX, 214-500-6876 Schrader Propane, Fort Collins, CO, 970-484-1212 Seal Master Denver, Denver, 303-394-2220 Stanley Consultants, Englewood, 720-733-1821 Steffes Group Inc. Strategic Financial Partners, Colorado Springs, 719-388-0237 Superior Traffic Services Tenna, LLC, Aurora, 303-503-0926 Tensar International Corp., Broomfield, 303-429-9511 Town of Nederland, Nederland, 303-258-3266 Triax Engineering, LLC, Denver, 720-230-1931 TST Inc. of Denver, Lone Tree, 303-792-0557 Wells Fargo Equipment Finance, Colorado Springs, 719-591-7239 Western Infrastructure Inc., Centennial, 970-261-5004 Work Zone Traffic Control, Inc, Pueblo, 719-296-0222 WSP - Colorado Springs, 719-452-4293 JOIN US TODAY! For mor information contact Tom Clayton (tomclayton@coasphalt.com) 303-741-6150 ext.151 AFFILIATE AGENCY MEMBERS CAPA has an Affiliate-Agency Member List that includes 79 city, county, town and other government agencies (including the E-470 Public Highway Authority and the Northwest Parkway Public Highway Authority) that have joined to benefit from training and education, technical assistance, and specification development. For High Quality Asphalt Paving and Professional Services - Call a CAPA Member today! Founded 1906
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