Post on 04-Jul-2020
transcript
7/30/2013
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Benefits of a Geographic
Approach to Infrastructure
American Public Works AssociationInternational Public Works Congress & Exposition
Chicago, Illinois
August 26, 2013
Patricia C. Passariello, P.E.Technical Leader
Weston & Sampson
Peabody, Massachusetts
Geographic Approach to Infrastructure
Today’s Discussion
• Quick asset management review
• What is a geographic approach?
• Key components of a geographic approach
• Benefits of a geographic approach
• Tips for making a geographic approach work
Asset ManagementSome Common Municipal Assets:
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Why Asset Management?
Prevention: Protection:
Why Asset Management?To Move from Reactive to Preventive:
PreventiveReactive
Why Asset Management?To Minimize Emergencies:
• More expensive (costs usually >$1000 per event)
• Often requires 24-hour outside contractors
• Inconvenient to your staff, users, and the public
• Can increase number/severity of insurance claims
• Frequent claims result in increased insurance
premiums/deductibles
AM minimizes emergencies!
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Why Asset Management?
Liability Facts & Figures:
• Municipal General Liability claims:
(example from one insurer)
₋ Sewer backups: up to 10% of annual claims
₋ Water main breaks: over 3% of annual claims
₋ Stormwater/flooding: aprx. 2 % of annual claims
Why Asset Management?
Legal Considerations:
• Legal authority (bylaw/ordinance)
- Connection & use
- Entry, inspection, & enforcement
• Liability
- Injury / illness
- Damage
- Cleanup
- Use & enjoyment of property (private nuisance)
- Duty of reasonable care
• Avoiding litigation
• Failure to act
Why Asset Management?
Bottom Line:
Avoidance Can Cost More!
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Asset Management
Asset Management is (among other things):
• Effectively operating, maintaining, and upgrading
• Providing expected level of service
• Collecting data to make educated decisions
• Combining engineering principles with sound
business practice and economic rationale
• A systematic process to sustain on a perpetual basis
Asset Management is a process, not a project
Asset vs. Infrastructure Management
Today’s Infrastructure Management Focus:
• Surface:– Streets
– Sidewalks
– Intersections/signaling
– Lighting
– Municipal electric (overhead)
• Subsurface:– Water
– Sewer
– Drain
– Municipal electric/gas (buried)
• Buildings & Grounds
– Municipal offices
– Fire & police facilities
– Public works facilities
– Libraries, senior/youth
centers, etc.
– Parks & recreational
facilities
• Equipment & Supplies
Traditional Approach:
• “Utility-based”
• Focuses on one type of
infrastructure
• Little (or no) regard for
adjacent infrastructure
• May retain multiple
engineers (by utility) to
design, bid & construct
Infrastructure Management
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Some Drawbacks of the Traditional Approach:
• Lacks coordination across:– Departments
– Infrastructure
– Capital budgets
– Engineering
• Not as cost-effective– Pay multiple times for design/bid/construction services
– Less economy of scale / higher unit prices
• May get less experienced / capable / equipped contractors
• Often return to (and dig up) same location multiple times
• More disruption / complaints over the long term
Infrastructure Management
Geographic Approach:
• Needs of all infrastructure
in area addressed together
• Coordinated design/bid/
construction
• Surface restoration done
only once
• Fewer complaints
• More opportunities for
cost efficiencies
Infrastructure Management
Basic Program Elements:
• Plan – develop goals & objectives for the program
• Map – locate, inventory and map infrastructure
• Assess – inspect/evaluate infrastructure condition/needs
• Prioritize – based on infrastructure needs
• Superimpose – compare & merge competing priorities
• Fund – set & justify needed Operating & Capital budgets
• Improve – design & construct needed improvements
• Document – every element of the program
Geographic Approach
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Identify & Assemble:
• Representatives from appropriate departments
• Available / existing data
• Known problem areas
• Anticipated future growth / development / needs
Geographic Approach - Plan
Discuss & Establish Community-Wide:
• Goals
• Objectives
• Priorities
Geographic Approach - Plan
Planning for Future Growth & Viability is Essential:
• Consider- New development
- Redevelopment
- Change of use
• Adequate authority & regulation- Ordinances / bylaws
- Rules & regulations
- Environmental & historic resource protection
• Coordinate with desired community development
• Develop a community-wide Master Plan
Map Municipal Infrastructure(include private where available)
Some Important Tools
• Geographic Information System (GIS)
• Global Positioning System (GPS)
• Databases
Geographic Approach - Map
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Geographic Approach - Assess
Resources Are Scarce – You Have to Prioritize:
• Criticality analysis
• System age / configuration
• Regulatory priorities
• Development / redevelopment
• Grant / loan potential
• Political pressure
• Public / environmental health issues
• “Biggest bang for the buck” or “low-hanging fruit”
Geographic Approach - Prioritize
Geographic Approach - Superimpose
Overlay & Combine All Infrastructure Needs:
• Use community-wide goals, objectives, and
priorities established in planning stage
• Target areas with the widest impact
• Avoid over-commitment
• Be prepared to negotiate but willing to compromise
• Priorities won’t coincide; accept it and move on!
• Consider an outside facilitator
New England Water Environment Association
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Major Advantages of Geographic Approach in Funding:
• Design, bid, and construction time & cost efficiencies
• Can be linked to and portions funded by development
• Surface restoration is done once
Geographic Approach - Fund
New England Water Environment Association
Funding Tips:
• Understand your costs – track & project
• Educate & engage people
• Establish (stick to) a long-term Capital Plan
• Be realistic – both in your requests
and your expectations
Geographic Approach - Document
All Program Elements:
• Plan: have a written document
• Map: revise maps as work progresses
• Assess: tabulate and compare results
• Prioritize: record comparative criteria
• Superimpose: write down rationale
• Fund: track expenditures
• Improve: require “as-built” drawings
Go digital!
New England Water Environment Association
Case Study
• Settled in 1624
• Just north of Boston
• Population = 35,080
• Per capita income = $14,628
• Land area = 2.5 square miles
• Density = 16,036.8/sq mi (one of highest in US)
Chelsea, Massachusetts
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Case Study
• April 1908 fire destroys 1500 buildings, 350 acres, 1.1 sq mi
• October 1973 fire destroys 18 city blocks, 45 acres, 0.5 sq mi
Factors Influencing Chelsea’s Infrastructure Management:
Case Study
• 1991 state places Chelsea in Receivership – Failed financial intervention by the state
– Political stalemate over the city's budget
– Deepening economic decline
– Spiraling fiscal crisis
• 1995 council-manager government established– New financial policies
– Focus on improving quality of service city provides to
residents/businesses
– Increased emphasis on economic development and capital improvement
Factors Influencing Chelsea’s Infrastructure Management:
Case Study
• Infrastructure Improvement Begins– City enters 10-year contract for O&M of water, sewer, & drain
– City lets annual contracts for emergency repair of sewers
– City embarks on Capital Plan for replacement of water mains
The Traditional Approach:
The Problem– Adjacent utilities damaged during construction
– Other infrastructure added at last minute
– Amendments & change orders increase
– Overall design/construction costs sky-rocket
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Case Study
The Geographic Approach:
• Early 2000s Chelsea begins to think more holistically– Water, sewer, drain, street, & sidewalk included in most projects
• 2010 Chelsea fully embraces Geographic Approach– Improvements coordinated with economic redevelopment
– Projects coordinated with improvement of private utilities
– Projects address all municipal infrastructure needs in the project area
Case StudyChelsea’s Most Current Project Now Includes:
• Improvement of all municipal infrastructure
• Sewer separation (reduce CSOs & flow-based fees for wastewater treatment)
• Green infrastructure & BMPs (capture, treat & infiltrate stormwater)
• Intersection redesign & signal optimization
• Ornamental lighting (enhances pedestrian environment)
• Bicycle lanes
• Street-scaping (aesthetics, air/water pollution, urban heat-island effect)
• Imprinting of crosswalks & sidewalks (pedestrian safety/highlight businesses)
• Relocation/enhancement of public bus stops
• Public education/participation
• Collaboration with watershed/environmental/minority/youth organizations
• Environmental permitting
• Long-term capital improvement planning
• Supplemental funding through available grants, loans, and City’s I/I Fund
Geographic Approach
Benefits:
• Addresses infrastructure needs collaboratively
• Allows identification of mutual benefits
(e.g., stormwater BMPs & street trees)
• Coordinates/plans for future growth
• Increases potential to combine/fund infrastructure
needs with new development & re-development
• Gains support for operating/capital budgets
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Geographic Approach
Benefits (continued):
• Minimizes repetitive surface restoration
• Decreases frequency of construction disruptions
• Reduces calls/complaints
• Maximizes design, bid, and construction efficiencies
• Lowers overall cost to address infrastructure needs
on a community-wide basis
Modified Geographic Approach
If You Don’t Succeed On A Community-Wide Plan:
• Consider a Modified Geographic Approach with similar benefits
– Plan, map, assess, prioritize for infrastructure under your responsibility
– Invite those responsible for adjacent infrastructure to provide their needs in your priority areas
– Determine costs/benefits for “shared” projects
– Get buy-in from budget makers
– Protect your department’s investment in infrastructure
Geographic Approach
• Don’t forget to account for private utilities
• Rehabilitation may not appear as cost
effective (e.g., sewer lining)
• Superimposing may oppose best plan for a
single utility (e.g., sewer separation)
• Up-front investment can be substantial if – No prior mapping or assessment data exists
– New or more detailed assessment is desired
• Construction disruption is significant but short-
term (i.e., public education is crucial)
A Few Cautionary Notes:
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Ways to Help Make it Happen:
• Understand the benefits & potential stumbling blocks
• Initiate discussion with your municipal counterparts
• Set SMART goals:Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely
• Establish clear community-wide priorities up front
Geographic Approach
Ways to Help Make it Happen (continued):
• Estimate reasonably achievable long range funding
• Educate & get buy-in from stakeholders
• Try a “pilot project”
– Area anticipated to see new development or
redevelopment
– Area known to need improvements for multiple
infrastructure types
Geographic Approach
Ways to Help Make it Happen (continued):
• Develop & implement a schedule for your programExample:Year 1 = Area 1 assessment
Year 2 = Area 1 design; Area 2 assessment
Year 3 = Area 1 construction; Area 2 design; Area 3 assessment
• Continuously compare funding vs. schedule & re-adjust
Geographic Approach
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Conclusion:
Regardless of the approach you choose…
Geographic
Traditional
Other
…just make sure you develop and implement
a program to properly manage your assets!
Geographic Approach
Questions?
Thank you!