August 2024 | Issue 123

In This Issue

Connecticut Public Works Promotions & Announcements
Safety Matters: Partnering with New Britain on Vision Zero Education
Innovation Station: East Hartford Wins Pioneer Award for Innovative Winter Maintenance Solution
Town Crier: New Haven Shows Off Connecticut's First Electric Garbage Truck
Empowering Communities: A Career in Local Government
Changing the World a Little Bit at a Time
Northeast State DOT Projects Win Awards for Boosting Safety, Improving Communities

CT Dept. of Transportation

Rick Arborio, a member of TLP Cohort 8 from District 3, has been promoted from General Supervisor to Maintenance Manager.

Town of Cheshire

Dan Bombero has been promoted to Director of Public Works
Marek Kement has been promoted to Director of Engineering

Town of Coventry

Charlie Harakaly started his career with Coventry on May 4, 1998. He was promoted from Maintainer 3 Heavy Equipment Operator to Maintainer 4 Crew Leader of Highway on August 5, 2024.
Colin Dunnack started his career with Coventry on March 9, 2015. He was promoted from Maintainer 2 to Maintainer 4 Crew Leader of Facilities and Grounds on August 5, 2024.

Town of Wethersfield

Nick Passanisi has been hired as a Maintainer II in the Highway Department.
Henry Cela has been hired as a Maintainer II in the Highway Department.
David Lea has retired after 27 years of service as a Maintainer II.

Let us celebrate your department's successes with our CT Public Works community. Please email Regina Hackett your agency's great news and we will publish it in an upcoming newsletter.

Partnering with New Britain on Vision Zero Education

As Connecticut seeks to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes, the State has adopted a Vision Zero policy and created a Vision Zero Council, which several municipal staff participate in through subcommittee membership. Many municipalities have, in turn, adopted local Vision Zero policies and committees in an effort to do similar work on their local roads.

The City of New Britain adopted Vision Zero earlier this year and created a task force made up of diverse stakeholders including the mayor, municipal staff, City council members, and local safety advocates. The City’s Director of Public Works, Mark Moriarty, recognized that many of these members may not understand the concept of Vision Zero and the Safe System Approach, which is how the goal of zero can be reached. In order to provide an educational opportunity for the task force, he contacted the T2 Center, the Connecticut Transportation Safety Research Center (CTSRC), and Watch for Me CT and asked to partner on a Vision Zero Education Day.

East Hartford Wins Pioneer Award for Innovative Winter Maintenance Solution

The Town of East Hartford has earned the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Build a Better Mousetrap Pioneer Award for their “Trackless Automated Loader,” an innovative repurposing of an old sander. This home-grown solution simplifies the loading and dispensing of materials during winter operations, improving efficiency.

The Pioneer Award recognizes locally developed tools that address maintenance challenges. For more details on the Build a Better Mousetrap competition and this year’s winners, visit FHWA's website.

Town Crier - Stories from CT Local Agencies

New Haven Shows Off Connecticut's First Electric Garbage Truck

The City of New Haven made “green” history in Connecticut on July 17, 2024, when the state’s first electric garbage truck hit the streets.

With the help of federal and state grants, the truck manufactured by Ohio-based Battle Motors cost the city about $336,000. That’s about $80,000 less than a diesel equivalent. City officials said the EV will save taxpayers about $15,000 per year in energy costs and as much as $26,000 per year on maintenance.

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Empowering Communities: A Career in Local Government

"Love Your Town; Work for It" by the CCM Municipal Career Center highlights the importance of working in local government and how it contributes to the community's well-being. The video features testimonials from municipal employees across Connecticut, who share their experiences and emphasize the rewarding nature of their work. The video aims to inspire individuals to consider careers in municipal government by showcasing the positive impact they can have on their towns and communities.

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Changing the World a Little Bit at a Time

If there is one common factor, one overriding consideration that we public works professionals deal with in our everyday decision process it is that any infrastructure asset that we plan, build, operate, and maintain will undoubtedly involve some aspect of our community’s transportation network. APWA members have seen it all, we have lived it and worked on it, and have experiences and knowledge to share with our fellow APWA members.

Northeast State DOT Projects Win Awards for Boosting Safety, Improving Communities

Eight projects from state departments of transportation in Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey won top prizes in the regional 2024 America’s Transportation Awards competition. These projects from the Northeast region were recognized for their positive impact on communities, ranging from employing new safety measures to save lives to investing in customer-focused transit.