NEWS AND INFORMATION FROM THE MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION – SPRING 2001

MDOT Tests New Cool Tool:Anti-Icing Truck ............. pg. 2

New MARS Program –It’s out of this World .... pg. 2

Putting the FIXon I-496 ......................... pg. 3

Satellites and Surveys:New GPS ReferenceStations ......................... pg. 4

Our MDOT Heroes ........ pg. 5

The Help DeskReally Can Help ............ pg. 5

OHR UpdatePerformanceReviews MeanMore Feedbackat MDOT ....................... pg. 6

MDOT TodayNewsletter SurveyWhat You Said .............. pg. 7

A Rare Bird Indeed ....... pg. 8

Inaugural AviationConference GetsHigh Ratings ................. pg. 9

People News ............. pg. 10

Working Together...Better Roads,Cleaner Streams .......... pg. 11

New State Map ............ pg. 12

Health Matters ............. pg. 12

Quality. It’s somethingthat service providersand business people arealways saying theyprovide. It’s somethingthat nearly everyconsumer expects whenshopping for a productor service. But what doesit mean?

One dictionary definition says it is “a degreeor grade of excellence or worth.” MDOT ismeeting with roadcontractors to structurethat definition to provideimproved quality forroads and bridges. That,in turn, will increase theworth of roads andbridges for those who arepaying for the work:Michigan taxpayers.

It’s been in many mediareports lately thatmotorists – ourcustomers – want us toprovide good roads thatlast. Certainly we’vetaken some tremendous strides forward inthe past few years, thanks to additionalfunding provided through the hard work ofGovernor Engler, our state and federallegislators, and all of you here at MDOT. Wehave been fixing more roads and bridges, butdoing this in better, smarter ways. Many ofthese projects are accomplished by contrac-tors who provide a five-year materials andworkmanship warranty. This basically meansthat if anything goes wrong with the roadwaywithin five years – anything that has to dowith the materials that were used or how theywere applied – the contractor is expected to

make adequate repairs without additionalcost to MDOT and taxpayers.

One of the goals I set when appointed to mynew position was to expand the warrantyprogram to provide better, longer, moreinclusive warranties on our road projects.Doing so will take the guesswork out of theequation of determining who is responsible.The proposed 10-year performance warrantyprogram would require contractors to fix anyproblems not attributed to normal wear andtear. The cause of the problem is not going to

be our concern. Onbehalf of the motorists,we will be able to say tocontractors: “We don’tknow what happened,just fix the road.”

This proposal should notbe taken to mean thatthe department believescontractors don’t dogood work. We havemany excellent roadbuilders in this state, andwe are lucky to have sucha dedicated workforce inthe contracting industry.

In fact, many contractors do such good workthat extending a warranty to 10 years shouldnot be a concern for them.

As I mentioned before, we are working with theroad-building industry to discuss this proposal.One of the concerns raised is that contractorsdo not want to guarantee work that they hadno control over. This is a reasonable issue and weare working on this with them. We will do whatwe can to satisfy the concerns of the industry,but we cannot back down from our goal ofmaking quality a top priority.

Making Quality a Top Priority at MDOTTransportation’s New Director Greg Rosine Speaks Outabout 10-year Warranties

Gregory J. Rosine

“When we buy aproduct at a store,we expect that itwas produced

with quality and willlast a long time.

We do not expectto pay more for

that quality.”

continued on page 9

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MDOT tested a new anti-icing truckthis winter in the Southwest Region.

The truck was developed jointly withMDOT personnel and Monroe Snowand Ice in Monroe, Wisconsin. The newvehicle is a 5,000-gallon tanker with theability to cover 165 - 250 lane miles withanti-icing material in one trip.

This winter, the Southwest Regionexpanded its testpilot of liquidanti-icingmaterials toinclude all of I-94in Kalamazoo,Berrien, VanBuren, andCalhoun counties.

The new, state-of-the-art truck is equipped with aGlobal Positioning System, which givesthe driver the time, date and exactlocation of application. It also hasground speed computers, allowing thedriver to determine the rate of applica-tion and record all data gathered.

pass through a carwashwill remove the materialfrom a vehicle.

It is the department’sintent to evaluate thismethod of winter stormmanagement over thenext few winter seasonsto determine theeffectiveness of thematerials, cost and levelof service to customers.Other states have tried

this method and proven it effective for theirneeds, showing a reduction in crashes duringheavy snowstorms. MDOT is researchingthe advantages and disadvantages of thisprogram to determine if this winter mainte-nance method is beneficial to our state.

“This very forward-thinking design will allowus to clear the roads of ice and snow fasterand more thoroughly than before. Thismeans safer roads for our customers – andthat is a savings you can’t begin to put aprice tag on,” said Southwest RegionEngineer Bobbi Welke.

MARS is anexciting new datamanagementprogram atMDOT. Theacronym standsfor MaintenanceActivity Reporting System and its goal isto provide a simple, accurate system toreport maintenance costs. It haseffectively reduced the number ofmaintenance activity codes from morethan 200 to approximately 90.

MARS incorporates two computersoftware programs that plan, schedule,measure and report the accomplish-ments of highway activities. After thedata is collected, employees can generate

MDOT Tests New Cool Tool: Anti-Icing Truck

The liquid anti-icingmaterial is non-toxic, non-corro-sive andbiodegradable...plusit is made fromcorn by-products.It may actually

help undercoat vehicles. Motorists arereminded “Don’t Crowd the Plow,”or, in the case of the Southwest Region,don’t crowd the tanker, because thematerial is rather thick. It takes quite abit of windshield washer solvent toclean the windshield. However, a quick

reports that compare and contrastservices by state work forces versuscontract agencies and contractors.

“The data can be used for planningpurposes, or it can form the basis forrequests to obtain funding. It can helpprovide detailed explanations for whatwe do,” said John Kimble, MARS systemcoordinator.

“For instance, MARS can tell us howmuch it costs to patch the holes on

M-66 in CharlevoixCounty, or compareI-94 guardrailreplacement costs in1999 versus 1997 inCalhoun County,” hesaid. “It really is an

amazing management tool.”

The MARS team is in process of devel-oping a Maintenance Planning Toolwhich can be used for planning budgetsand planning work activities. The pilotversion will be available in April.

For more information, contactJohn Kimble, or visit our intranet site,

the MDOT Interchange, at:http://interchange/mars/

Inside the truck – it’s a complex new world forsnowplow drivers.

MDOT’s new anti-icing truck.

New MARS Program – It’s out of this World!

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With nearly one-half of MDOT’s 3,300-employee workforcebased in the Lansing area, I-496 informationwill help you getaround construc-tion this spring...read on for details,and to impress yourneighbors with yourknowledge.

Billboards, radioads, a 24-hourinformation line andIntelligent Transpor-tation Systemtechnology will helpshare informationwith residents andvisitors during themajor reconstructionof I-496 through Lansing this summer. The region’s diversebusiness, government, tourist and education attractions madeit necessary for MDOT to carefully plan for the impact ofthis major project.

Preparation for the expedited project began more than a yearago, when University Region’s Tony Kratofil, the projectmanager, along with Matt DeLong, region administrator, andothers talked to Grand Region staff who planned andexecuted the successful reconstruction of the US-131S-Curve through Grand Rapids last year. Their primaryadvice: “Make sure you let everyone know about the projectin advance.” So preparations began early, with public outreachmeetings for government, business, education and neighbor-hood groups.

The reconstruction project will rebuild 32 bridges, repair ninemiles of roadway and add a third lane between Pennsylvaniaand US-127 in downtown Lansing. This major rebuildingeffort is the area’s largest road and bridge project since I-496was initially built in the late 1960s.

As a way to speed up construction and reduce the inconve-nience to motorists, work will take place in two phases duringjust one construction season.

MDOT also worked on a unique arrangement with CATA,the local bus transit provider in Lansing. With a $150,000grant from MDOT, free bus vouchers were offered to alldowntown workers to encourage them to get out of theircars and into an alternative form of transportation.

Another new feature of the project will incorporate the latestin information technol-ogy. Sensors and 17cameras will detecttraffic slowdowns andother importanttraffic information,while changeablemessage signs willkeep motoristsinformed about theroadway ahead.

“This is an acceler-ated, high-profileproject,” said TonyKratofil, who has

24-Hour Information Line:517-335-0496

Additional Information on the Web:www.fix496.com

The public relations cam-paign may make a star of Kirk Branson, Jackson

TSC manager. In a local billboard and poster campaign, Kirk is featured as“Bob” – the frustrated driver who failed to plan ahead by rerouting histravels and avoiding construction. The ad is a lighter approach to roadconstruction blues.

masterminded the coordination of this huge project. “Iattribute our ability to get design work done to the outstand-ing cooperation of our in-house squads.”

The lead design unit for road design (and coordination of thetotal proposal package) was the University Region’s designunit, led by Jeff Reid. Two bridge design units prepared thebridge plans: Gerard Feuerstein and Raja Jildeh’s units inLansing. A tremendous number of people were involved in theadvance work, all helping to keep the project on schedule. JimDaavetilla at the Lansing TSC will be the resident engineer.

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Andy Semenchuk, MDOT SurveyAutomation specialist (left) andEric Soderstrom, LEICA Inc., GPSspecialist, work together onsetting the first pole on its base ata GPS reference station.

The GPS team, headed by project manager Brian Dollman-Jersey, is working hard on the new reference stations, slatedfor 12 locations in the state.

4

A new satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS) is nowinstalled in Michigan and is one of the first of its kind in the nation.

For both MDOT and private-sector surveyors, the GPSreference stations – which are called CORS (ContinuouslyOperated Reference Stations) – will provide precise andpermanent location data. The new GPS network will provide a

Testing on the system is expected to be completed by latespring. All of the seven region offices will benefit from theCORS. The stations are located at: Auburn Hills, Jackson,Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Saginaw, Alpena, Gaylord,Cadillac, Escanaba, Newberry and L’Anse. A twelfth station isscheduled for Brighton.

“We received great cooperation to get the equipment for thereference stations in the ground,” said Brian. “We met withMark Cheadle and the sign crew and they literally took overthe project of placing the monuments in the ground. Theyfabricated a reinforced steel cage, mounted bolt templates –everything we needed. Lavern Lass and his machine shopteam designed and fabricated posts. The radio shop orderedcables and connectors and the personnel at the Region andTSC maintenance facilities we visited went out of their way tohelp. The spirit of cooperation of all the players and at each ofthe facilities where the stations are located was absolutelyimpressive!”

“Of course, none of this would have happened if OIM

Satellites and SurveysNew GPS Reference Stations WillAssist Surveyors Around the State

(Office of InformationManagement) had not fundedthe purchase of the referencestation equipment; an aerialcamera with integrated GPSand a flight navigation system;and GPS equipment for eachregion’s survey crew thatneeded it,” he said.

Mike McMahon, OIM, wasinstrumental in getting thenetwork support for thissystem working. He config-

ured the servers, and worked with the Design team andvendor to resolve technical issues.

“The teamwork demonstrated on this project shows what ispossible when we get the right attitude, skills and focuseddirection,” said C. Douglas Couto, chief information officer.“The value of this project to the State of Michigan is muchgreater than the investment made by MDOT.”

The heart of this system is the software that allows thegathering, manipulation and distribution of the GPS data acrossMDOT’s existing network. The GPS data will be posted to aWeb site...making it available for users to download.

Eight of the 12 CORS sites began logging satellite data lastNovember. The system should be up and fully functional bythis summer, following testing.

permanent framework for all kinds of surveys. Byincorporating the reference station informationwith field survey data, the need for approximately20 percent of traditional control survey work will be eliminated.

“Using the GPS Reference Stations will be like having one ortwo additional people on the crew, thereby allowing us toperform a control survey in less time while still meeting ouraccuracy requirements,” said Brian Dollman-Jersey, supervi-sor of the Survey unit in Design. “Networking all of thereference stations together and monitoring and controllingthem from a central site is quite an innovative approach. Thenew stations will benefit not only MDOT surveyors, but alsosurveys done by the consultant community for MDOT.Basically, anyone who uses GPS will benefit.”

A new aerial camera, also equipped with GPS, will work inconjunction with the ground system. By processing the on-board GPS data with the corresponding reference stationdata, the precise location of the camera’s center at themoment it is fired can be computed. This will result in at leasta 35 percent decrease in the number of ground targetsneeded – and therefore ground survey required – forphotogrammetric control.

5

Most people wouldn’t stop. Larry Brenner, assistant residentengineer in the Paw Paw Construction Office, did. While travelingsouthbound on US-131 last winter during the snowy and slipperyweather, Larry came upon a two-car crash. A car headednorthbound on US-131 near M-89 in Allegan County hit apatch of black ice, careened across the median and hit a vehicletraveling southbound.

“I saw that one car was on fire and that’s why I stopped – I had afire extinguisher,” said Brenner. The driver of the southboundvehicle was trapped in his car, all of the doors were jammed and theinterior of the car was quickly filling with smoke. Brenner tried toput out the fire, which had started in the engine compartment, but

he realized that the fire was spreading to the interior.

“Our main concern was trying to keep the fire away from the driver,” Brenner said. He andanother passerby reached into the broken windows to determine if anyone else was in the car.After being relieved by the paramedic crew on scene, Brenner went around to the other vehicle.Sadly, the driver had perished.

“I feel that God has put me on this Earth to do good deeds. Any human being would do thesame thing. I know that I would not like to go through something like this again, but, if put inthe same situation, I know I would be right there,” Brenner said.

Our MDOT Heroes!

An accident can happen in a flash. Two Pepsi distributor employees were loading a heavy popmachine into their truck at the A&E garage in Lansing when the machine slipped off thetransport dolly and fell onto one of the employees, pinning him to the floor of the truck. Theother employee rushed into the garage seeking help. She first met Mark Gove and Walt Sanfordwho instructed her to have Angie Miller call 911, then the two went to help the employee. Inthe meantime, Angie paged everyone in the shop to report to the Pepsi truck for assistance.First on the scene, Mark and Walt observed the Pepsi employee pinned beneath the machinewith most of the machine’s weight on his chest. He was unconscious and did not appear to bebreathing. They attempted to remove the machine, but were only able to lift it a few inches andnot able to move it out of the way.

Pete Bengel, Steve Hershberger and others entered the truck and assisted Mark and Walt,pushing the machine out the door. Thankfully, the injured man began breathing. The EMTteam arrived quickly and transported the injured employee to the hospital. He suffered aconcussion and numerous bruises.

The pop machine weighed an estimated 600 to 800 pounds.

We give a heartfelt hard-hat salute to Mark Gove, Walt Sanford, Angie Miller, Pete Bengel, SteveHershberger and the rest of the A&E garage for their life-saving assistance.

Paw Paw Engineer Assists at Crash Scene

A&E Garage Employees Save Visitor’s Life

The HelpDesk ReallyCan Help!

The MDOT Help Desk hasbeen serving departmentemployees for about a yearand a half. Since thebeginning of call tracking inSeptember 1999, the HelpDesk has responded to morethan 8,000 calls. Theycurrently average nearly 30calls per day, and recentlyreceived a record 76 calls inone day. They are able toanswer 67 percent of all callswithin 15 minutes.

The Help Desk staff can helpyou with any IT-relatedquestion. If they are unable toassist you, they will findsomeone who can. The HelpDesk also can serve as aresource center for MDOTemployees, providingassistance with the creationof a database or withbuilding complex formulasin a spreadsheet.

Check out the Help Desk’smost frequently asked

questions (FAQs) on the MDOTInterchange at:

http://interchange/helpdeskThis site also includes a list ofvirus warnings, both legitimate

ones and hoaxes.

Call 517-373-0038for computer assistance any

workday from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.Or E-mail Helpdesk via

GroupWise.

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Larry Brenner

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When English author and satiristJonathan Swift coined the phrase,“A carpenter is known by his ‘chips’”–he probably wasn’t thinking aboutperformance appraisal in the cosmopoli-tan terms of the year 2001. However, hiswords, even though penned more than300 years ago, reflect an understandingof the most basic principle of perfor-mance reviews still at work today –feedback. Feedback, whether betweena supervisor and subordinate, or anorganization and its customers, isessential to understanding issuesrelated to performance measurementand achievement.

In the relationship between employeesand their supervisors, MDOT believesthat feedback must be available to allemployees all of the time in variousforms. Feedback provides the opportu-nity to connect individual improvementwith improving the work environmentand systems overall, reflect on pastsuccesses, and chart a course to developadditional skills. Feedback is crucialto the development of a forwardmoving, goal-oriented, fluid organiza-tion. And it’s about to be thrustcenter-stage in the employer/em-ployee relationship at MDOT.

As of April 1, 2001, the MichiganDepartment of Civil Service regulationsrequire that all employees receive perfor-mance feedback from their supervisors onat least an annual basis.

At MDOT, we are updating the circa1997 Performance ManagementSystem to cover Group 1, 2, and 3employees. (Employees in Group 4,

OHR Update

Performance Reviews Mean MoreFeedback at MDOTWhat’s on your mind? Send us your questions about services and issues concerning humanresources and we’ll be happy to address your inquiries. Please send issues to TammyKirschenbauer (E-mail: kirschenbauert) in the Office of Human Resources (OHR). Thismonth, OHR answers questions about performance reviews at MDOT.

beginning of the review period. Super-visors and employees are encouragedto find common ground where boththe supervisor and the employee agreeon the relevance and importance of theperformance factors. Throughout theyear, the supervisor and employeeshould track and review performanceand periodically provide feedback toeach other to ensure that the objec-tives are still relevant.

The Learning and DevelopmentDivision facilitated OHR trainingsessions during February, March andApril to provide supervisors, managers,and administrators with information onthe initial plan and background regard-ing how to conduct successful andimpartial annual ratings for employees.Attendance at one half-day “OverviewSession” is mandatory for all supervi-sors, managers, and administratorswithin the department. MDOT also willprovide training opportunities for allemployees on performance manage-ment and appraisals. Please check theLearning and Development Divisionintranet site for details (http://inter-change/training).

Watch future editions of MDOT Todayand Monday Memo for announcementsconcerning these training sessions. Foradditional information, or if you havequestions, please contact the Office ofHuman Resources at 517-373-1620.

State Executive Service, or Informa-tion Technology classification, arecovered in separate plans.)

The purpose of the PerformanceManagement System is to:

1)align day-to-day responsibilities andtasks with the Mission and Visionexpressed in the MDOT Business Plan;

2)create a sound and clear communi-cation tool between employees andsupervisors;

3)identify specific behavioral-basedcompetencies; and

4)identify employee training andexperience needs to improve andenhance employee growth andperformance.

The goal of the annual review processis to provide a personal, face-to-facecollaborative exchange between theemployee and the supervisor. Supervi-sors will review competencies andestablish performance objectives witheach of their employees at the

6

Roberta Tisdale is the Office of Human Resources

administrator. To reach her, call 517-373-1680.

Her E-mail address is tisdaler@mdot.state.mi.us.

*Group 1 employeesClassifications that do notnormally require a bachelor’sdegree.

*Group 2 employeesClassifications that do require abachelor’s or post bachelor’sdegree, but do not superviseother employees.

*Group 3 employees –Responsible for supervisingsubordinate staff.

“Sometimes you have topublish good news

and bad news.”

7

About 300 department employees and retirees responded to our newsletter survey questions, publishedin the December issue of MDOT Today (also available electronically).Thanks! We appreciate yourcomments and learned a lot about what you like, and don’t like, about our newsletter.

Thanks for the feedback on MDOT Today!

“I look forward toreading MDOT Today.

It is like a warm fuzzy, sortof a pick-me-up.”

“With so many changesover the past couple of

years, the sense ofcommunity has

deteriorated. ‘Peoplestories’ in your newsletter

help restore that.”

For instance, we learned that only half ofthose who responded realize they canread the newsletter online – and very fewactually do. Several people suggested wesend an e-mail to staff to let you knowwhen the new issue is online. Good idea –we’ll start that right away.

You asked if we could publish MDOTToday electronically via e-mail, similar toMonday Memo. That sounds like a goodidea. We looked into it, but learned thefile would be too large to downloadbecause of the photos and artwork.Instead, we opted for posting it on theMDOT Interchange.

Timeliness is an issue. One writer said,“I do not receive (the newsletter) in atimely manner. News is old before we getthe publication.” We continue to workon this problem. It does take a lot oftime to produce a quality newsletter. So,beginning with this issue, we will produceMDOT Today quarterly...unless a specialedition is required at some point.

Most people read the entire newsletter,as opposed to reading just their favoritesections, orspecial interestitems. And mostMDOT Todayreaders believethe articles areabout the right length. We’ve consideredgoing to a tabloid format – which islarger than the current size – but,

Here’s What You Said

because public opinion counts, wewon’t...since readers prefer this size.

People thought the balance of photos-to-copy is about right. Several peoplecommented on the value of employeephotos, like the following commentfrom Amy Lindstrom in Planning.“I work with MDOT employeesstatewide. The most helpful feature ofthis publication is news and photos ofemployees – who they are and whatthey do. This helps me remember thepeople I come into contact with. It alsoputs a face to a name, since I may talk topeople for years, and never meet them.”

And because your responses suggest thatMDOTers like to have fun – we’ll print

interesting, motivating quotes andappropriate cartoons. In fact, if you havea favorite, send it to us and, if copyrightlaws permit, we’ll print it.

We ate some humble pie, too. Wedeveloped a series of articles called“Region in Review” that focused on (no

surprise) the regions.It’s time to focus onsome Lansingdivisions now.Another employeewrote that he would

like to see, “something more aboutother regions – it’s always about Lansingor the Southwest Region.” We do strive

for balance, but clearly we’re notpleasing everyone. If you have appro-priate news to share with MDOT,

please call or write and let us knowwhat’s going on! And thanks to all ofyou who volunteered to be a newssource. Please keep your eyes and earsopen for good stories.

We’re working withDirector Greg Rosineto bring you importantpolicy news via the“Director’s Column.”As Kathy Hulley,Construction andTechnology, said,

“I would like to hear the tough stances,anticipated problems and solutions.”

Overall, your comments were bothinsightful and helpful. If we’re some-times too politically correct, know thatwe’ll try to do better. Steve Conradson,Alpena TSC, advised us, “There’salways room for improvement.” Andwe know he’s right about that!

The final tabulations of the MDOT Todaysurvey are available from the Office of Commu-nications. Please call if you want more detail.

Janet Foran, Joan JustemaMDOT Today editorsOffice of Communications

“The nonwork-relatated activitiesthat emloyees do is interesting –it shows that we do have a life

outside of our work!”

A pair of peregrine falcons have found a home in thespans of the International Bridge in Sault Ste. Marie. It’san unusual accomplishment because there are only six tonine nesting birds in all of Michigan – including one pair inthe capital city!Bob Kinsella, International Bridge Authority (IBA)maintenance crew leader, had been keeping track of thefalcons and located the nest by peering through expan-sion joints on the bridge. The female peregrine, he

A Rare BirdIndeed!

A team of people from the Wildlife Recovery Associa-tion was contacted to visit the bridge to try and band theimmature bird. Following is an account of the visit, astold by Barb Rogers:

“We were escorted to the site in a service van, accompa-nied by two IBA employees who were totally at ease onthe supporting framework of the International Bridge.Bob (Kinsella) dropped over the bridge wall, down a steelladder, and we followed...along with Charlie Streeter, abridge steeplejack. Thin metal bands circled the ladderevery four feet or so; the bottom was open to the rocksnearly 100 feet below. These thin bands were our solesafety net. Just below the bridge, catwalks allowed us tomake our way back and forth underneath the bridgeroadway where the peregrines nested.

Although it was obvious from the screams and dives ofthe adult peregrines that the young were nearby, the nestwas empty. We began an intense investigation, peering intometal tubes and other bridge parts and narrow spacesbetween steel and concrete structures. Occasionally, oneof the adult birds would fly over from their favoriteperches on the railroad bridge and scream and dive at us.But no behavior clearly defined the exact spot where ayoung peregrine might be hidden.”

Although the visitors left with their mission unfulfilled, thebridge maintenance crew did report a sighting of the youngbird about a week later. Apparently, the youngster wasunruffled by the visitors and everything is back to normal.

reported, sat tight to the nest and gave him the “evil eye,”making it difficult for Bob to determine how many eggs oryoung were in the nest.

Peregrine falcons are protected in Michigan and listed as anendangered species. They are normally cliff settlers, which mayexplain their confusion in mistaking the bridge for home base!

These wannabe birdwatchers look everywhere, but can’tfind a falcon to watch!

A bird in the bridge is worth....

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A diverse crowd of aviation enthusiasts descended on MichiganState University’s Kellogg Center earlier this year for the firstGreat Lakes International Aviation Conference. Severalhundred airplane pilots, mechanics, inspectors, flightinstructors and students from throughout the regionparticipated in the weekend conference in East Lansing thatfocused on new technology.

MDOT’s Bureau of Aeronautics partnered with the state’saviation schools, the Federal Aviation Administration,

Transport Canadaand AircraftTechnical Publishersto organize theevent that attracted800 people. Aero’sPhil Tartalonechaired the planningcommittee.

“We are verypleased so manywho are involved inour industry tookadvantage of this

excellent opportunity to improve their aviation knowledge andskills,” said Aeronautics Bureau Director Bill Gehman. “Ourcommitment to operational safety and industry advance-ment was evident from the hard work of many people

First Great LakesInternational Aviation ConferenceInaugural Aviation Conference Gets High Ratings

within the department who made the conference a hit.”

Tom Krashen, Aeronautics Safety and Service Sectionmanager, earned high marks for his presentation “Flying withGPS,” which was so popular that two sessions had to be addedto the program over the weekend.

“Everything was so well organized,” wrote one aviator. “It wasobvious that a high level of consideration went into theplanning and execution of the symposium. Even the van driverwas an aviator – a little detail that added to an overall greatexperience.”

Tartalone says his group is already at work organizing nextyear’s conference.

Phil Tartalone (right) was the conference planner.The three-day event attracted about 800 people.

Tom Krashen, Aero’s safety and services manager, talks aboutGPS to fellow aviators.

The bottom line is that the investment we are making inMichigan – more than $1.5 billion on roads and bridges in2001 alone – must be protected. When we buy a productat a store, we expect that it was produced with quality andwill last a long time. We do not expect to pay more forthat quality. We do expect the manufacturer to take careof any problems that develop without a hassle or addi-tional cost. Michigan motorists have every right to expectand receive the same commitment.

continued from cover page

Making Quality a Top Priority at MDOT

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TTTTTeamworkeamworkeamworkeamworkeamwork

“One man may hit the mark,

another blunder;

but heed not these distinctions.

Only from the alliance of the one,

working with and through the other,

are great things born.” — Author unknown

Worth Repeating...

9

Philip Becker is the new administrator ofthe International Bridge in Sault Ste. Marie.Phil was most recently the associate regionengineer of projects for North Region. TheInternational bridge, which connects SaultSte. Marie with its sister city in Ontario, isgoverned by a Joint International BridgeAuthority (JIBA), comprised of membersfrom both Michigan and Canada. As bridge

administrator, Phil will oversee daily operations of the bridge,including toll plaza operations, repairs, financial matters andconsultant functions. Operational and policy oversight willcome from the JIBA.

Barbara Hayes is the new chief administrative officer atMDOT. She has been the assistant deputy director of Financeand Administration for four years. Barb joined MDOT in1979 as an analyst and worked in several managerial positionswithin the department. Barb’s strong financial background,coupled with a thorough knowledge of the department, will beinvaluable in deploying the Build Michigan III initiative, saidDirector Gregory J. Rosine.

Joetta Parker is the new equal employment opportunitycoordinator for MDOT. Any questions regarding the hostile-and violence-free workplace environment, discrimination, orsexual harassment policies should be directed to Joetta. She isthe complaint investigator for claims of policy violation.

Nicole Schrauben is the new office manager/training coordi-nator for the Office of Information Management (OIM).Nicole is from FIA and new to the department. Welcome toMDOT, Nicole!

Congratulations to Tom Hohm, Local Agency Programs(LAP); and Diana Quintero, consultant administration,Design; who both recently completed their degrees with helpfrom MDOT’s Education Support Program. Tom completedhis master’s degree in public administration and Dianareceived her bachelor’s degree in business administration.

Ari B. Adler has been appointed the new director of commu-nications for MDOT. Previously, Ari was the communicationsmanager, overseeing regional communications activities for

the department. Earlier, he was the commu-nications representative for both the Grandand Southwest regions. Before joiningMDOT more than three years ago, he was acommunications specialist for the MichiganHouse Republican CommunicationsOffice. Also new to the communicationsstaff are Rob Morosi and StephanieLitaker. Rob became the second part of a

two-person team when he joined BrendaPeek at the Metro Region in Southfield. Robwill focus on the day-to-day road repairactivities in metropolitan Detroit. He comesto MDOT after nine years at AAA Michigan.

Stephanie is the newSouthwest and Grandregion communicationsrepresentative. She willwork actively with the region and TSCstaff to share news and informationregarding MDOT projects in west andsouthwest Michigan. Stephanie comes toMDOT from WKZO radio in Kalamazoo.

The new Freedom of Information officerfor the department is Steve Kost, who mostrecently worked in UPTRAN. The Freedomof Information Act (FOIA) regulates andsets requirements for the disclosure ofpublic records by all public bodies in thestate. Each region and all bureaus, as well assome divisions and offices, have an FOIcoordinator who assists Steve in retrievingrequested information.

Baby News – Tammy Jo Sopocy, secretary in theOffice Services unit in Lansing, and her fiancé, MarkKorn, are proud parents of Jamie Edward Charles,

born July 12. He joins his older brother, Nicholas, 7. DonHundley, an engineering technician at the Bay City TSC, andhis wife, Julia, are enjoying their first baby. Cameron Ray wasborn November 13. The proud grandparents are BobHundley, Davison TSC, and Joni Tarras, Bay Region.

Philip Becker

Tom McNamara, 59, Lansing, diedJanuary 8 following a massive heartattack at work. Tom was the supervisorof the Rail Safety inspectors inUPTRAN. He previously worked forMDOT in Cadillac and Lansing. Prior toworking for MDOT, he was a locomotiveengineer for Chesapeake and Ohio

Railway (now CSX). Tom is survived by his wife, Pam,who was his high school sweetheart; son, Scott; anddaughter, Kim; and three grandchildren. In his sparetime, Tom was a ham radio operator. He also hadconverted a former dial-a-ride bus into a railroad crossingsafety inspection vehicle for diagnostic study team reviews.

Obituary

Robert Morosi

Steve Kost

Stephanie Litaker

Ari B. Adler

People News

Tom McNamara

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Clean water is something that is easilytaken for granted. According to theU.S. Environmental Protection Agency,the number one threat to water qualityis polluted runoff. Runoff is precipita-tion that falls on highways and roads,then carries pollutants and debris intostreams, rivers, lakes and ponds.Pollutants and debris can includesediment from construction sites, oiland leaking chemicals from cars andtrucks, excess fertilizer from our yards,and a host of other pollutants. It willtake our combined efforts to help

Our Mission:

Working Together...Better Roads, Cleaner Streams

Tips to KeepYour Rivers,Lakes andStreams Clean

Never dump anything down astorm drain!

Use an oil pan when changingoil to keep fluids off thepavement. Check local bodyshops and quick lubes to find aplace to appropriately disposeof used oil.

Dispose of pet wastes in a trash can.

Leave grass clippings on yourlawn as an alternate nutrient tofertilizer. If fertilizer is neces-sary, choose a slow-releaseproduct and test your soil tofind out how much fertilizeryour lawn actually needs.

Wash your car on your lawn soexcess water, chemicals, and dirtare filtered through the lawn.

Keep household hazardouswastes – such as harsh cleaners,paint, car fluids and batteries –from entering lakes and streamsby disposing at a householdhazardous waste center.

Use a broom (rather than ahose) to clean up grass clippingsand dirt.

Keep a trash bag in yourcar...and use it!

reduce the amount of potential pollut-ants that enter Michigan’s waterways.

One way to address this threat towater quality is to develop and imple-ment a Storm Water Management Plan.This is exactly what MDOT is doing.This plan has a common mission:Working Together...Better Roads, CleanerStreams. The three major componentsof the plan are the Illicit DischargeElimination System, the Public Educa-tion Plan, and the Storm Water Pollu-tion Prevention Plan.

POLLUTION – Where Does it Come From?

Most contaminants are made up of common items used by residents, businesses andvisitors, such as fertilizers, car oils and greases, yard clippings, soil, and pet wastes. Atright are some tips you can follow to help keep pollution from entering lakes andstreams via storm water runoff.

Future Articles Tell How You Can HelpThis article is a prelude to a series of articles that will appear in future publications of MDOT Today.We hope these articles will explain what you can do to help protect Michigan’s precious waterresources. Future topics include:

• MDOT Storm Water Management Plan• What Is Storm Water Runoff?• Storm Drain Stenciling –

You Dumped What Down a Storm Drain?!• Smart Care for Your Lawn and Garden

Note: A Web site currently under development will provide additional information plus links to related sites.

•Hazardous Waste in Your Home•Is Your Home Improvement

Project Water Friendly?•Car Care and Your Water:

What’s the Connection?

11

Bulk RateU.S.Postage

PAIDLansing, MI

Permit No.1200Editors: Janet W. Foran

Joan H. Justema

Graphic Design: Graphics Unit

All photos in MDOT TODAY arecourtesy of MDOT Photo Labunless otherwise noted.

Michigan Department of TransportationP.O. Box 30050Lansing, Michigan 48909

12

MDOT is improving Michigan’stotal transportation system byefficiently delivering trans-portation products, servicesand information.

MDOT TODAY is publishedquarterly for the employees andretirees of MDOT. We encourageyou to recycle old issues. Pleasesend any questions orcomments to: MDOT TODAY,Office of Communications,P.O. Box 30050, Lansing, MI48909, Phone 517-373-2160.www.mdot.state.mi.us

6,000 copies printed at $0.409each for a total of $2,455.

Visit MDOT’s Web site for an electronic version (PDF) of this issue or previous issues of MDOT Today.They are located under publications at: WWW.mdot.state.mi.us/communications/.If you need this information in an alternative format, contact MDOT, Office of Communications,P.O. Box 30050, Lansing, MI 48909-9791. Telephone 517-373-2160.

spend three to five minutes responding topre-recorded questions to receive an immedi-ate result. The screening is not diagnostic anddoes not take the place of a personal examina-tion, but it can tell you if your symptoms areconsistent with either or both of theseconditions. As in past years, the call isanonymous and completely confidential.

Depression and alcohol misuse are not signsof personal weakness. Rather, they areillnesses that respond to treatment anddeserve the same attention we give to themany other illnesses that confront us in thecourse of our lifetime. If you are affected byeither of these conditions, help for yourselfand your family is just a phone call away.

This year, the screening program is beingexpanded in four new directions:

• Callers may now obtain ascreening for alcohol problems,as well as for depression.

• The program is now availablethroughout the entire year.

• Callers may take the screening inEnglish or Spanish.

• Retired State of Michigan employeesand their adult family members arenow eligible for this program.

We encourage you and your loved ones toutilize this valuable resource. It is simple, freeand anonymous. Call 800-887-5676 and

Telephone Screening Program Expanded for 2001Health Matters

Between 17 million and 20 million Americans experience depression each year. More than80 percent who seek treatment will improve, but only a small percentage of people actuallyreach out for help. More than 14 million Americans experience problems with alcohol. Forsome, alcohol use is tied to underlying problems like depression.

For the past five years, the Employee Service Program has sponsored a free and confidentialtelephone screening for depression. Last year, 3,829 State of Michigan employees and familymembers utilized this program.

Lookfor NewStateMap

WithMichigan’sboomingtourismseason justaround thecorner, motorists soon willhave a fresh, new OfficialState Transportation Map tohelp them navigate the GreatLakes State. The new versionfeatures photo collages ofexciting Michigan destina-tions – assembled bySpecialized Technology artistBrian Whitfield. Others wholeft their creative mark on thenew map were communica-tions representative BobParsons (writing), photogra-phers Tim Burke and JimLeMay (photos), andcartographer DennisKnudsen (map changes).The map should be availableat Welcome Centers, MDOTregion offices and Transporta-tion Service Centers (TSCs) byMemorial Day.