The MDT interchange

4 Pages·1991·0.37 MB·English

by  Montana. Department of Transportation. Public Affairs Bureau

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. [phone]