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The MDT interchange PDF

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Employee Newsletter Stategic Action Plan Complete February 1993 MDT's Strategic ActionPlanhas been mittee chairs on January 15. The ap- Director's Column completed, and implementation is the provedobjectives and tactics inthis docu- nextstep in the process. ment will be discussed with the Advisory BetweenOctober 14 andNovember9, Committee onJanuary 29. employee representatives and the Execu- DirectorDye has made itclearhe sees tive Steering Committee met to work the Strategic ActionPlan as apositivebe- throughdetails ofthe Plan. ginning and that the strategic planning Though themeetings werelong and,at process will be used to address issues times difficult, the fourday-long sessions confronting thedepartmentaswell asem- served as forums where proposals were ployee concerns. considered, discussed, and sometimes re- The Strategic Plan began early last written. Though not every proposal was year with a survey which was sent to all adopted, the issues raised were often dis- department employees and various other cussed in depth with advocacy coming private and public individuals.The survey from both Employee Committee chairs rated the MDT's performance on a wide TransportationDirector,MarvDye and the executive staff on the Steering range oftopics. Committee. Surveyresults were thendistributedto It's a pleasure and an honor to employees and were used as the basis of be selectedbyGovernorRacicotto With Transportation Director Dye's an extensive series of employee and ad- head the Montana Department of approval andsupport,the Strategic Planis ministrator meetings culminating in the Transportation. In the few weeks nowmovingintoimplementation.Theac- Strategic Action Plan. I've been on the job, I've been tion planning document, though provi- Ifquestions arise or if additional cop- confronted with a wide array of sional until comments are received from ies of the Strategic Action Plan are problems and issues and it's be- the Advisory Committee, was distributed needed, contact Sandy Straehl, Strategic comeevenmore apparentthere's a tothe work units andthe EmployeeCom- Plan Coordinator, at444-7692. great deal to learn and much to be done. A new look at the Director Coming in "cold" to ajob like this, especially with the legislature in session, I have my hands full! Marv DyejoinedthecabinetofGovernorMarcRacicotas Directorofthe De- So my attention is necessarily fo- partment ofTransportation January 4. He succeeds John Rothwell, who served cusedon the legislature and theis- underformerGovernor Stan Stephens since Octoberof 1990. sues that are, in part, external to Priortohis appointment, Dye served as Administrator ofthe Forensic Science theagency. I've metsome ofyou, Division ofthe Montana Department ofJustice for tliree and one halfyears; as but for those ofyou I haven't met well as Auditor, Bureau Chiefand Acting Division Administrator, respectively, yet, I ask that you bear with me overa fifteenyearperiodforthe CrimeControl Divisionoftlic Montana Depart- during this U-ansitionperiod. I look ment of Justice. Prior to that, he was an auditor for the Montana Legislative forward tomeeting you and work- Auditor's Office. ing with you on the important Dyeearned a BachelorofScience degree in Accountingfrom MontanaState business that lies ahead. University in 1973. He's received extensive continuing education since in the Montana has a record of areasofaudit, management andplanning. progress in transportation we can Dyeis anativeofMontanaandspenthisearlyyears intheCutBank-Sweetgrass area. PriortoattendingMSU,hewasanautomobileservicestationowner, agrocery See DIRECTOR,page3 managerandmeatcutter. Dye ismarriedwithfoiu"grownchildren. A partingnote: Memo More than a John Rothwell Archives give 0impse ofMDTs past A note of appreciation is in order to all MDT the employees of for the support you "History is the witness that testifies to the passing oftime; it illuminates gavemeduringtiiepasttwoyears.TTieorga- reality, vitalizedmemory,providesguidance indaily life." — nization went through tremendous change Cicero during my tenure, including the change to a true Department ofTransportation. Witiiout History buffs would have enjoyed Patti Borsberry's recent assignment. She, the dedication and support of a great many with the generous helpofJan Schutt, examinedover 650 MDThighwayproject superemployees,itcouldn'thavebeendone. files dating back to the 1920s and '30s which were sentinfrom the fieldoffices. I especially appreciate your help in edu- The day-to-day language was more cordial and versed back then. They catingtillsprivatesectoroutsider,who,with- addressedeachoUierwith"herewitii" and"foreto."One gentleman, attheendof outyoursupport,couldhavedoneverylittle. aletterregardingengineeringconcerns, informedourcommissionerhe wouldbe I hope I brought some new ideas to each of in town for a community meeting and perhaps the commissioner would care to you, ideas tiiat will help in your tenure witii jointiiemforaneveningofcards. Anotherprojectfilecontainedcorrespondence MDTandhelptiiecustcwnersweallserve. about a woman who had popped her tire on a road marker and she felt the I'veenjoyedthetime spentwithyouand department ought to replace her tire "or else." In the end, her tire was not tiie many new friends I've made. Thanks replaced " ... we werenotin thatline ofbusiness." againandbestofluck. There wererecordsdealing witiipayandlaborconcerns with the U.S.Works Programduring tiiedepression. Weeklypayroll records were as low as$1965.57 JohnRothwell for 81 employees. Two gentlemen were sent to work but fired for showing up drunk at the work camp. Land was purchased for $11 to $100.00, depending Injury Alert whether itwas barrenorcultivated. Even tiirough the changeoftimes, there are projectrecords still being generated; contract and bond, plan-in-hands, progress In tiie last two months, MDT employ- estimates,pitreports, special provisions, amongotiiers. ees submitted 35 Workers' Compensation Otheritems found were leathertabbedfile folders,oddshapedpaperclips,old claims of wh—ich eleven were caused by photosofMissoula's Orange Sfreetbridge witiitiiecourUiouse inthebackground slipsandfalls commonwinteraccidents. andonionskin documents. Back injuries were the most common These records helped support research done by our department's historians, butinjuriesrangedfromankletoskull. along with sparking interest from Uie state and local archivists. Maintenance reported eight injuries, Tom Barnard, among others, opted to retain files for highways tiiathave not engineering two and building mainte- been rebuilt. Yes, we're still driving onhighways built in the 1920s and 1930s! nanceone. Six requiredmedical treatment Theremainingrecords andphotos were transferred to State Archives to aidinthe andfive ofthese were losttime. preservationofourdepartment'smemory; provideproduction information,policy Causes: direction, personnel and financial information and provide legal advantage and • lack of attention to footing and sur- research service; plus prepare commemorative histories. roundings, • slicksoledshoes, • incorrectuseofequipment. Tohelpavoidslips andfalls: Mail Call • use step stools rather than standing on the sides ofvehicles, • kick snow and ice offoftruck steps January4, 1993 before getting out, and use hand holds to enterorexit, I havejust returned from a two-week trip to Seattle and I drove both ways. MT • check your footing before climbing This was abad timeofyearfora lotoftiieroads between Butte, and Seattle, onoroffofequipment, WA, but I must tell you tiiatI could tell by the condition ofthe roads whenI left • walkcarefullyonunevenorsleepslopes, the state of Montana and when I returned to Montana. The roads I traveled on • wearshoesorbootswitiinon-slipsoles, were very well maintained in the stateofMontana, and althoughdriving in win- • wipe your feet when entering build- tertime is not always apleasure,my trip was veryeasy due totheexcellentwork ings or equipment. of the road crews of western Montana. Your employees did a greatjob, and I MDT These injuries cost thousands of needed to tell you about it. dollars in medical and compensation ben- efits andalsohaveapriceinlostproductiv- DorothyM. Sternod ity and human suffering. Please stop and MT Butte, think;slipsandfallsarepreventable. New Helena News Billings District address office Lutke honored modeling andnewconstruction for the No, we haven't moved, but the MDT Douglas E. Lutke received MDT's Lewistown buildings and unselfish headquartershas anewmailing address to prestigioushonorofMaintenance Man giving of his own time to the Depart- gSeertvtihcee'msoesltecbternoenficitmafirlomrotuhteingU.S Postal owfitthhethYeedaerparretcemnetnlty.siDnoceug19h7a0swbheeenn mentW.e can always count on Doug to The new address should read: he started as anengineering aide, then follow through on a project to its completion in aprofessional and com- MONTANA DEPARTMENT moved to maintenance and was re- petentmanner. The District is proud to OFTRANSPORTATION centlypromoted toMaintenanceChief have such a dedicated and supportive 2P7O01BPORXO2S0P10E0C1T AVE pfolrisLhmeewnitsstowwhni.cIhnmeavkaeluhaitimngstaancdcooumt-, employee receive this honor. HELENA MT 59620-1001 it was evident that it is not only the Grinde honored "big things" that make EX)ug so spe- Forbestresults,mailshouldbeaddressed: cial, but rather an accumulation ofthe The Billings District takes great • in all capital letters, various "little" actions. Heconsistently pride in announcing that Rodney • withnopunctuation, displays acheerful,helpful attitude re- Grinde wasselectedrecentlytoreceive • single spaced, gardless ofthe task, he communicates the Governor's Award for Excellence •• wwiitthh tthheeZPIOPBcooxde(oornatdhderelsasst)loinne,the earnsdwrietlhateeassetoatnhdishcasreewxscealnledntcot-rwaionrikn-g on SRtoadteiEsmap2l7o-yyeeaerRMecDoTgnivteitoernaDnawyh.o nextto last line, capabilities due to his broad imder- is currently tlie district's Utility Agent • withtheaddress,andnothingelseinthe standing ofvariousjobs. and is responsible for coordinating all bottom23/4inchesoftheenvelope. utilityactivities withinthedistrict's ap- Don'tforget tousethenew address for Doug exceeds normal expectation proximate 40,000 square miles. His mail to headquarters and as a return for and takes on many new challenges in- schedulehas beenextremelybusywith mail from the headquarters. Formore in- cluding the underground storage tank projects including three major utility formationonmailingortoreceive aenve- update program, serving on persormel lope addressing template call the mail selectioncommittees,designing there- See BlhhlNGS,page4 room in Helena at444-6324. DlJCECTOR,Jrompage1 beproudof. Improvementsonoiu"highways havebeen substan- mentprogram begun inthe '80s. Asubstantial budgetincrease in tial overthepastdecade. Statesupportof 13 general aviation air- the maintenance program is alsopartofoiu" legislativeproposal, ports, the Essential Air service, and the aggressive transit pro- in order tomeetexpanding responsibilities and bolster the bud- gram, coordinating with over 100 community agencies, helps getthat's beenerodedoverthe years by inflation andnewcosts. provide Montanans access to transportation in a state where Rapid changes in transportation are occurring nationally, as "getting aroimd"has importantand sometimes difficult implica- well as in Montana. The new federal surface transportation law tions. enacted by Congress in December of 1991 significantly alters I'm committed to the strategic planning process and to put- federal-aid highwayfunding and systems. Approvaloffree trade tingto work the resultsofthe substantial employee effort aimed agreements with Canada and Mexico present opportunities and at improvingtheorganization and thewaywecarryoutourbusi- challenges as well, in international trade and, therefore, in trans- ness. Ifirmly believe theonly value any planhas is in its imple- portation. mentation. OnetacticorinitiativeI'veendorsed andintendtoemphasize As I wrote in my letter to tlie 53rd Legislative session intro- is a participatory management styl—e. It's a style I'm personally ducing our most recent legislative report, Montana's economy familiar with andcomfortable with I knowitworks andI look will grow and expand, but only if we have the infrastructure in forward tothechallengeofmaking it work atMDT. place to handle that expansion. Transportation is essential. And soI'meagerandready tohelp thedepartment and the statemeet I thinkmostofyou are aware the department and the admin- this challenge. We all play arole, we're all involved tosome de- istration are supporting an increase in fuel taxes. And that sup- gree, and I look forward to working withyou and thecitizens of portis for goodcause. In 1993, Montanabegins paying$17 mil- our slate on the important tasks that lie ahead. lion per year to retire bonds which financed the majority of the state financed Reconstruction Trust Fund Program carried out during the 1980s. And it's important we take advantage of tlie MarvDye available federal-aid and continue the transportation improve- DirectorofTransportation , MontanaStateLibrary MDT Happenings at ^ 0^64 ooe 3233 3 Ttie Hi^wayman Upbyseven, Donutsbyeight; Service Awards Ourhighwaymancanneverescape. ;; Service Awards were presented in the James A. Delaney, Stephen F. Garrison, Thewindwillblow, followingcategories: Martin F. Gauer, Louis G. Gonzalez, Andthesnowwillfall. 40years Ronald K. higersoll,RonaldJ. Joslyn, Su- Forheisatourbeckandcall. Glen Enderson. san L Keeting, Susan J. Kissinger, Roger Potholesanddetours,bumpsandtar, 35years D. McCaffree, Chris M. O'Neill, Stephen Givethathighwaymanacall,he'snotfar. JamesT. Brown, David S. Johnson. T. Palmer,Thomas H. Simpson, StuartF. Tellhimyourproblems. 30years Sorensen,James R. Vukasin. TellhimyourwOes Gerald L. Anders, S. Dale Arthun, 5years 6utpleaseremember;healreadyknows. Jerry R. Branum, Robert C. Chapman, Debra J. Bowcy, Paul W. Branum, Weowehimathanks, DavidC. Lloyd,GeraldE. Mans, Kenneth Douglas L. Burner, Mark R. Weowehimashin. L. Noble, Kenneth J. Peterson. Casenovember, Jerilee J. Davidson, Becausewithouthim,ourroadswouldbe 25years Harlan R. Davis, Lorrie M. Duncan, Dirt—! ChesterE.Ahlin,KennethE.Blush,John Kevin L. Farry, Joseph H. Fehrer, Mat- StaceyMoeller M.Giles,NormanC.Kerr,GaryW.Marten, thew J. Golz, Thomas M. Heggelund, ErvinL.Predmore,WilliamB.Stephenson. Ralph E. Howard, Walter F. Jester, Gene Stacey'sfather, Doug, is Kalispell's mainte- 20years S. Kammerman, Richard Krantz,Michael nMaDncTe superintendent, having worked for Marilyn J. D'Arcy, Dennis R. Dupre, A. Lindquist, Dcnley M. Loge, Jay C. 19 years. So, she knows the demands RonaldR. Elings, JohnP. Evans,Rudolph Lyndes, Monte H. Makin, Ross H. Mar- placedonouremployeesinthefield. C. Gerke, RobertE. Gorsich, Margene A. tin, Gerald S. Michel, John K. Nielsen, m\AA'HGS,frompage3 Grose, Marilyn P. Howeth (deceased), Donald A. Reidelbach, Stephen B. river crossings, equal in value to ap- Marvin E. Mosby, L. Herman Streck, Salusso, Beth A. Scofield, DelbertJ. Sell, proximately all other utility relocations Stephen E. Warn, Leroy V. Wolff. Traci P. Steen, Michael H. Tennant, 15years Michael G. Teter, Roger M. Tinder, inthe state andmorecomplex thanmost. Rodalwaysdealswitheach taskeffec- Scott W. Allen, Mark L. Baum, Paul Lesly-Rae Tribelhom, Edrie L. Vinson, W. Bronson, Daniel P. Callahan, Phillip BrianT. Watts, Larry W. Yerian. tively and professionallyregardlessofits complexity andaddresseseveryonewitha N. Davis, John Delaurenti, Martin D. Draper, Wayne A. Dunning, Thomas Q. Retirements positiveandprofessional attitude. Rod certainly demonstrates the pro- Erving, David A. Gait, Jason R. Giard, ShirleyNetleberg,Whitefish,SurveyAid. fessional attitude in his quality of work Kenneth W. Gooding, Patrick J. Hamper, Marvin Rau, Billings, Working Shop exemplified by an outstanding em- DeanWilliam Harris, RobertW. Johnson, Foreman. ployee. Congratulations Rod! Allen W. Levens, Robert W. McLatchy, Larry Young, HotSprings, Equipment JayE. McPhail,Timothy D. Merritt, Rob- Operator,. ert A. Miotke, Thomas P. Nicholson, Duane Olson, Belt,Truck Driver. imrnchame Charles A. Papke, Richard W. Saltzman, Fred Hasskamp, Helena, Training Su- George M. Stanich, Berdene M. Steen, pervisor. EmployeeNewsletter V>_7 James R. Strum, Cyril A. Tuss, Duyen GeraldOlson,Townsend, FieldSuper- Theemployeenewsletterispublishedby Van Hoang, Jacqueline R. Williams, visor. thePublicAffairsBureau,MontanaDepartment Donald C. Woodland. ClarenceRoot, Miles City, Equipment ofTransportation: 10years Operator. Interchangestaff: SeanSeville Chester F. Baldry, Corey D. Davis, KennethRapp,Butte,DistrictEngineer. Dennis Unsworth Thefollowingcontributedarticlesforthis Editor's Note: SandyStraehl JoEschler As we introduce the new Director with this editionofthe Interchange, we're ODrigaanneizLaettieonndarleDevelopmentBureau also planning for new features in coming editions. Beginning next month, we'll be including project lists from upcoming bid lettings to let you know what's Submissions and correspondence should beaddressedto: planned for the construction season. We'll also re-cap plans for the spring and PublicAffairsBureau summer maintenance program. And we'll be featuring stories on some interest- 2701 ProspectAvenue ing aspectsofthe MDTorganization, including the newermembers ofthe"fam- PHeOleBnoa,xM20T100591620-1001 ily".These features are the resultofrecommendations in the new strategic plan. (406)444-6200

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