SPECIAL EVENTS
Self Assessment Workshop: Self Assessment Using the Public Works Management Practices Manual—A Tool for Improving Operations and Management
Saturday, August 14, 8 a.m.–4 p.m.
(Additional fee applies: $250 members/$300 nonmembers)
Are your operational performance and productivity levels as high as you want them to be? This workshop is designed to help you examine and evaluate your agency’s current management policies and procedures. You’ll learn how to target problem areas, identify opportunities, and improve the overall effectiveness of all of your public works operations. If you are already using the Management Practices Manual to prepare for APWA accreditation, the new format will give you hands-on training. This workshop is designed for public works directors, managers, supervisors, and accreditation managers, as well as municipal administrators performing public works functions.
PWHS Workshop: Circulation in the Living City
A Three-Part Series on Historical and Contemporary Transportation Projects in Boston
Sponsored by the APWA Public Works Historical Society (PWHS).
Part 1: Historical and Contemporary Transportation Projects in Boston
Saturday, August 14, 1:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Room 151B, Boston Convention and Exhibition Center
(Additional fee applies for Parts 1 & 2: $55 members/$55 nonmembers. Part 1 and 2 attendees can also attend the Sunday session without additional fee.)
An old city with a rich and dense urban fabric, Boston has also been reshaped over the centuries by a series of ambitious and transformative public works projects. The Public Works Historical Society program at the APWA Congress will focus on the history of great public works projects in Boston and elsewhere that have provided access and circulation for the city. Planned events include a panel discussion on historical and contemporary transportation projects in Boston focusing on the Big Dig, Central Artery, Storrow Drive, the Southwest Corridor Park and Boston’s anti-highway movement.
Walking/Riding Tour of Boston
Saturday, August 14 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
(Reservation only event -- Space is limited to 15 people. To register for the walking tour, contact Teresa Hon, thon@apwa.net, or 800-848-2792, ext. 5224.)
Preregistrations to the Saturday Circulation and the Living City Workshop are also invited to an optional walking/riding tour of Boston. Depart the Boston Convention Center, walking along the harbor to the Greenway (above the Big Dig), then over to the Esplanada (a park on the Charles on a nineteenth century landfill) via the Common and Beacon Hill and back by Red Line subway and Silver Line subway.
Part 2: The Big Dig
Sunday, August 15, 3 – 4:50 p.m.
Room 150, Boston Convention and Exhibition Center
APWA Past President Robert Albee (and former Director of Engineering and Design for the Central Artery Tunnel Project) will discuss the execution, politics, planning, lessons learned and historical perspective of the Big Dig. A frank discussion of the implications of the project as well as the future will also be shared. Closing remarks will be offered by the current State Secretary of Transportation.
Part 3: Public Works Historical Society Luncheon: Hydraulic Myths, Hydraulic Realities: The Lessons of Nineteenth-Century Boston Harbor
Monday, August 16, 2010, Noon – 1:30 p.m.
Room 205C, Boston Convention and Exhibition Center
(Ticketed event—separate $40 fee and preregistration required.)
No single piece of nineteenth-century Boston’s transportation system was more important than its harbor. So when Bostonians began expanding the city by filling the thousands of acres of tidal flats that surrounded their peninsula, many worried that such extensive landmaking might damage the harbor beyond repair. Bostonians therefore used their best understanding of the harbor’s hydraulics to guide decisions about where to build seawalls, dredge the seafloor, and make new land. But they did not always understand the harbor as well as they thought, and their well-intentioned but sometimes misguided efforts hold important lessons for both historians and practitioners of public works today.
First-Timers Meeting
Sunday, August 15, 7–8:30 a.m.
If you are attending the APWA Congress for the first time, please join us at the First-Timers Meeting. You’ll hear greetings from the APWA President and Executive Director; learn how to get the most out of your dollar and time investment in Congress; learn all about the educational sessions and tracks that APWA offers; learn how to use the exhibits to your advantage; understand how to scan the Congress program to find what you need; and in the process, make some lifelong acquaintances of public works people from around the world. The First-Timers Meeting is coordinated by the APWA Diversity Committee, and sponsored by HDR.
Sightseeing Tours
See historic Boston with the sightseeing tours available at this year's Congress. For more information, stop by the Sightseeing Tours Desk Saturday, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. or Sunday, between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Or click here to sign up for one or more tours.
Get Acquainted Party
Sunday, August 15, 5–7 p.m.
Our New England Host Chapter, in association with Regions I and II, welcome you to this year’s Congress with a party celebrating the flavors and sights of Boston. Flavors abound at the food buffets—from Boston Clam Chowder to Fenway Franks to mini Boston Cream Pies. The décor and entertainment will celebrate the best of Boston’s past and present. Catch up with all your “Congress friends” and just come have some fun! This year’s Get Acquainted Party will be held at the Seaport World Trade Center, located next to the Seaport Hotel and just a short walk from the convention center.
Progressive Women in Public Works Networking Reception
Sunday, August 15, 7–8:30 p.m.
Progressive Women in Public Works invite you to join them for a free Networking Reception. Come meet new friends and renew old connections. Sponsored jointly by Stantec and Parsons Brinckerhoff.
APWA Fourth Annual Blood Drive
Proud Partner with Children's Hospital Boston
Monday and Tuesday, August 16 and 17, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Eastside Drive, Level One, Across from the APWA Bookstore (Look for the Mobile Unit on the Drive Outside)
Do you have 45 minutes to spare to save the life of another person? Did you know that every three seconds someone needs blood? One single donation can save as many as three lives—and there is NO substitute for human blood. Anyone age 17 years or older, who weighs at least 110 pounds and is in good general health may donate. Photo identification is required before beginning the donation process. (Some health conditions or medications may temporarily or permanently prevent persons from donating blood.) Prospective donors must first complete a health history questionnaire and go through a screening process. During the screening process, a technician will take important vital signs such as blood pressure, temperature, and an iron check. If all the requirements are met, a unit of blood is drawn from the donor. The actual blood collection takes approximately 15–20 minutes. The entire process, from when you sign in to the time you leave, takes between 45–60 minutes. Please join APWA—proud partners with the Children’s Hospital Boston—in this vital effort. Check out the Mobile Unit, roll up your sleeve and save a life!
Progressive Women in Public Works Breakfast
Breaking Down the Modal Divide: Complete Streets
Speaker: Barbara McCann, Executive Director, National Complete Streets Coalition, Washington, DC
Monday, August 16, 7–8:15 a.m.
(Ticketed event—additional fees apply.)
Enjoy this discussion of how the power of an idea and an unusual set of organizational principles helped the National Complete Streets Coalition go from a new phase in 2004 to a national movement today. Barbara McCann will also explain how her first profession, journalism, helped shape her second career in transportation.
CPWA Luncheon
Monday, August 16, Noon – 1:30 p.m.
(Ticketed event—additional fees apply.)
Speaker: David H. Ruberg, Vancouver's General Manager of Olympic and Paralympic Operations (2004-2009)
Topic: "2010 Vancouver Olympics Public Works Successes and Challenges"
The 2010 Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games are over and now part of our collective memories. Media reports and comments by other observers have for the most part been positive and the Games operations ran smoothly. The successes of the Games resulted from the coordinated efforts of a number of partners including the host municipalities. How did the municipalities contribute to the Games infrastructure and operations? What lessons were learned and was hosting the Games worth the effort? There are stories to be told that are informative and entertaining.
Awards and Recognition Reception
Monday, August 16, 5–7 p.m.
APWA’s Awards Program recognizes outstanding individuals, groups and chapters representing the best in public works. Come celebrate with your colleagues as we pay tribute to them for their achievements and contributions to the public works profession. The awards ceremony will be immediately followed by a special reception honoring our award winners. Sponsored by HNTB.
Young Professionals Networking Reception
Monday, August 16, 8–9:30 p.m.
Please join us at APWA’s third annual Young Professionals Networking Reception. All APWA members age 35 and younger are invited to attend at the Stix Restaurant and Lounge. Meet and socialize with other young public works professionals, including members of APWA’s Emerging Leaders Academy and the Subcommittee on Generational Issues. Learn more about how APWA is attracting young people to the industry, and keeping them engaged! (Business casual dress is preferred.) Sponsored jointly by Stantec and Parsons Brinckerhoff.
AAEE Breakfast
Tuesday, August 17, 7 – 8:15 a.m.
(Ticketed Event—separate fee and pre-registration required)
Effective Public Works Management in the Next Decade
Speaker: Jason E. Cosby, PE, Director, City of Virginia Beach, Virginia Beach, VA
Understanding the next generation of management, especially in the Public Works profession, is a vital part of our future. It requires us to be more aware of the internal and external impacts of community, regional, state-wide, and international policies on our field. That also means: *Being more involved and in-tune with staff diversity and development (with both existing and future employees); *Managing an explosion of various communications tools; *Strengthening the bottom line; *Growing and sustaining the needed technology on a rapidly-changing basis. Do not take the coming decade lightly! With the growing focus on environmental perspectives and concerns, allocating limited resources by priority, and sustainability needs that are fundamental to our profession, Effective Public Works Management will be essential to our success.
Diversity Brunch
Tuesday, August 17, 10 – 11:30 a.m.
(Ticketed event—separate fee and pre-registration required)
A Success Story: A Woman’s Escape from Communist Czechoslovakia to the United States and Her Attainment of the American Dream
Speaker: Helena K. Allison, Senior Traffic Engineer, City of Napa, CA
Helena Allison was born and raised in Czechoslovakia experiencing first-hand the 1968 Russian occupation of her country and the hardships it entailed. Determined to escape Communist rule, she defected to Italy with her 3-month old son and lived in a refugee camp for many months. She later immigrated to the United States with no money, a small suitcase of clothes, and without knowing how to speak English. While working part-time jobs to pay for her education, she received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of New Mexico in 1984. Today, she enjoys a successful career as Senior Traffic Engineer for the City of Napa, CA, is married with four children, and is very active with APWA, serving as President of the Sacramento Chapter in 2002.
Golf Tournament
Wednesday, August 18, 7:30 a.m.
Shotgun Start, four-person, 18-hole scramble. (Additional $125/player fee and preregistration required)
Enjoy beautiful views of Boston at the President’s Golf Course, 357 W. Squantum St., Quincy, Mass., an 18-hole championship course located 15 minutes south of the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, off of I-93 (S.E. Expressway). Fee includes golf, cart, continental breakfast, buffet lunch, prizes and transportation.
Download the golf registration form and sign up today.
Congress Reception and Banquet
Wednesday, August 18, 6 p.m.
This year’s closing banquet features Boston’s best in classic big band swing—the Beantown Swing Orchestra. This 18-piece band, featuring American Idol Season 3 finalist John Stevens, represents swing music as it really was during its heyday—exciting and performed by hip young musicians. They’re the hottest and hippest swing band in the Northeast United States. With eighteen top-notch jazz musicians averaging the age of 23 and in the prime of their careers, the Beantown Swing Orchestra has enough energy and talent to keep everyone dancing for hours!