May-June
Message
District 6 Members,
With spring here, let’s move forward toward
positive signs of economic recovery. Although remaining economic
“humps” rest in the road,a portion of the vast
market deflation appears to be based in fear and a lack of
trust about portions of the system. If key issues can be addressed
(sooner than later), perhaps a faster than expected market
recovery could occur which would be helpful to transportation.
While careful caution continues to be wise, let’s hope
that sunshine will smile at us from the horizon!
As preferred by many, an economic stimulus package
which included some transportation projects was implemented
before March 2009. While some feel it should have been larger,
and others think it should have been different or smaller,
hopefully it will help to achieve some of our nation’s
transportation and economic goals.
During the first five months of 2009, I had
the opportunity to visit several Sections, Chapters &
Student Chapters. I was also able to share my “Engineering
Recommendations: Getting to ‘Yes’ With the Public
and Elected Officials”* and my “Careers in Transportation”**
presentations, where one and two asterisks are shown, respectively,
for those locations. These include: Arizona State University
Student Chapter** March 23, 2009; Arizona Section* April 23,
2009; and the joint University of Arizona Student and Southern
Arizona Chapter* meeting on April 24, 2009. I also had the
opportunity to participate in the Quad and Intermountain Section
Meetings on May 1, 2009 and May 15, 2009, respectively, and
debuted my “Do Speed Limits Really Matter and If So,
How Do We Sell Them” presentation. Both meetings included
participants from a broader region and the Quad Meeting includes
three District 6 Sections (Washington, Oregon and the Greater
Oregon), and two District 7 Sections (The Greater Vancouver
and Victoria Sections), which provides a venue to share transportation
expertise across US/Canadian Boundaries. Presidential Proclamations
were given to John Pavsek of the Montana Chapter, Terry Little
of the Idaho Chapter, Ken Shackman, James (Jim) R. Hanks and
Brian Genovese of the Greater Oregon Section (Quad Meeting),
Mark A. Madden of the Washington Section (Quad Meeting), Doyt
Bolling of the Utah Chapter, and Timothy (Tim) P. Harpst of
the Intermountain Section. Others are already planned and
will be reported on in the next newsletter.
I am pleased that a new “student zone”
was added into WesternITE by our Managing Editor Rachel Donovan.
This highlights activities occurring within our student chapters.
Stay tuned for other continuing enhancements such as the new
“Council Corner” segment.
This issue also contains the candidate’s
statements for your review in preparation for our District’s
election beginning in early June 2009. We look forward to
your participation in this process and have found that the
electronic voting alternative can increase participation.
The preliminary program for Denver’s Annual
Meeting on July 12- 15, 2009 has been available on the website
since March and was also mailed. Registration can be completed
through direct on-line registration, or by mailing or faxing-in
the registration form.
For registration information, go to:
https://www.newmedia1.net/westernite/registration/index.php
For preliminary program information, go to:
http://www.westernite.org/annualmeetings/denver09/denver2009PrelimProgram_Web.pdf
Reservations for the conference hotel can be
made at:
http://www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/ITE
This is one of the best values in our industry
and it includes much more than just program presentations.
We made sure to keep the early registration prices low, especially
in light of the economy. Denver’s Western District meeting
is anticipated to be informative, family-friendly, fun and
well-planned with several enlightening presentations, vendor
exhibits and poster sessions. We look forward to seeing our
extended ITE “family” in Denver this summer and
staying current on the latest in our industry!
One of my goals this year has been to enhance
communication by “bridging across” the generations
for all members, private industry, DOTs (state departments
of transportation) and other agencies, ITE International,
and our entire District. One way to achieve this has been
to recognize and bring-in leadership from DOTs and other agencies
into ITE which I did as a prior Section President and am aiming
for as your District 6 President. Through various Chair, Vice
Chair and other Ex-officio Board member appointments and Presidential
Proclamations, we have broadened our reach within the District.
This year, we have also highlighted successful projects in
WesternITE that were completed by both public and private
agencies to provide recognition throughout our region.
In an effort to enhance the interaction of students
and younger members with middle-level and more experienced
professionals, I have encouraged participation from sections
and chapters to provide social and professional mixers, ski
and boarding events along with our other more traditional
meetings. By providing alternative “add-on” events
to our more traditional meetings and golf tournaments, we
further our festive reputation as an organization that extends
well beyond our historical technical strengths. This also
furthers our reach within the industry and enhances our relationships
with our peers. Our District 6 diversity is a great strength
and I am very pleased with our tremendous team of Chairs and
Vice Chairs along with new additions to the District 6 Board
leadership. I have also seen enthusiastic leadership at the
student, chapter and section levels. This will serve us well
as we pursue our District goals well into the future!
With spring flowers and fresh greenery around
us, we have a bright future ahead in our transportation profession!
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