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2008 City Innovations Showcase
Public Works and Transportation
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Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit
City of Cape Coral
The City of Cape Coral Police Department collaborated with the Florida Department of Transportation (DOT) to train and certify four Cape Coral police officers, who are now agents of the Motor Carrier Compliance Division of the DOT. This partnership arose from a need to assist with the overabundance of commercial motor-vehicle traffic within the city, and the hazards associated with the operation of these vehicles. These officers are dedicated to the City of Cape Coral to enforce regulations for the safe operation of commercial vehicles. This program will identify and target vehicles and drivers who operate unsafely on the city’s roadways.
Contact: Captain John S. Mahshie
Special Operations Bureau Commander
Support Services Division
City of Cape Coral
815 Nicholas Parkway E.
Cape Coral, FL 33990
Phone: (239) 574-0669
E-mail: jmahshie@capecoral.net
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Solving Utility Challenges
City of Cape Coral
With overstressed aquifers and limited sources of supply, the rapidly growing City of Cape Coral developed an innovative contracting approach to achieve its ambitious utility master plan goals. The “program manager at risk” methodology enabled the city to leverage its staff to rapidly and cost-effectively construct 600 miles of water, irrigation and sewer services; rebuild 200 miles of roads; and expand its treatment facilities. This was accomplished while meeting regulatory requirements and exceeding community expectations. By replacing aging septic systems and shallow wells, the city is positioning itself to achieve water independence while improving water quality in its 400-mile canal system.
Contact: Charles G. Pavlos, P.E.
Public Works Director
City of Cape Coral
P.O. Box 150027
Cape Coral, FL 33915-0027
Phone: (239) 574-0706
E-mail: cpavlos@capecoral.net
The Weld Shop
City of Kissimmee
The Weld Shop is a welding and machine shop enterprise-funded operation that performs welding, hydraulic and fabrication work on equipment for all departments of the City of Kissimmee and for other cities in Central Florida. The Weld Shop has worked with different equipment manufacturers to make modifications to their products. These modifications have improved equipment performance and added longevity to their life. Some of the Weld Shop modifications have been incorporated by the manufacturers themselves. Employees perform all of the city’s hydraulic repairs in-house, saving both time and money.
Contact: Colleen Puglisi
Sanitation Superintendent
Sanitation/Public Works and Engineering
City of Kissimmee
101 N. Church Street
Kissimmee, FL 34741
Phone: (407) 518-2507
E-mail: cpuglisi@kissimmee.org
New Equipment Automates Valve Exercising
City of Melbourne
The city recently purchased a trailer-mounted valve exerciser. This multi-tasking equipment uses hydraulics to open valves, replacing manpower. It also will record the information at each valve to develop a database on how many turns are required and the torque it takes to open them. It comes equipped with a Trimble GPS unit to record all the information for downloading onto the city’s GIS system. In addition, it is equipped with a built-in vacuum system to clean mud and dirt from valve boxes for easier access, and it comes with a pressure washer.
Contact: Jennifer G. Wilster, Environmental Community Outreach Manager
Public Works and Utilities Department
City of Melbourne
2885 Harper Road
Melbourne, FL 32904
Phone: (321) 674-5761
E-mail: jwilster@melbourneflorida.org
Reclaiming Street Sweepings for Beneficial Use
City of Melbourne
The city’s street sweepers collect approximately 10 million pounds of debris per year. The swept-up dirt had been sent to the landfill, which costs the city $500 per load, plus employee and fuel costs to haul the debris. Staff came up with the idea of using the material for the benefit of the Streets/Stormwater Division. A $1,000 study was conducted to evaluate the potential beneficial use of the debris. This resulted in approval for using the debris for road construction or road maintenance, as long as it is not contaminated with oils. This is saving more than $35,000 per year.
Contact: Jennifer G. Wilster
Environmental Community Outreach Manager
Public Works and Utilities Department
City of Melbourne
2885 Harper Road
Melbourne, FL 32904
Phone: (321) 674-5761
E-mail: jwilster@melbourneflorida.org
North Port Repaves More Than 120 Miles
City of North Port
As part of the largest road repaving project in North Port’s history, more than 120 miles of roads are under reconstruction. In 2006, the North Port City Commission gave its Public Works Department a $13.1-million boost to start repaving the more than 800 miles that needed to be resurfaced. The city has split each repaving project into two phases. The first phase includes re-grading of all Texas swales and installing concrete pipes at all of the city’s intersections. The second phase includes the actual road rehabilitation operation.
Contact: Branford Adumuah
Public Works Director
Public Works Department
City of North Port
4970 City Hall Boulevard
North Port, FL 32486
Phone: (941) 240-8050
E-mail: badumuah@cityofnorthport.com
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Public Works Makes Customer Service No. 1 Priority
City of North Port
The City of North Port’s Public Works Department measures its success in terms of customer service. Recently, the city implemented a computer work-management system that documents and processes all customer-service requests. Staff is being trained in the new system and being coached to provide superb customer service. Working with an outside consulting firm, standard operating procedures were created to enable all representatives to follow the same criteria when they answer the telephone and to provide the expected high level of customer service every time. Additionally, this system provides accountability for the department by tracking interactions with customers.
Contact: Branford Adumuah
Public Works Director
Public Works Department
City of North Port
1930 W. Price Boulevard
North Port, FL 34286
Phone: (941) 240-8050
E-mail: badumuah@cityofnorthport.com
Ground Truth Project
City of Oldsmar
The City of Oldsmar is experiencing business growth and development at a rapid pace. Oldsmar is a small city with few employees tasked to respond to calls to identify meter boxes, underground valves, stormwater catch basins, utility lines and manholes in the city. The Public Works Department embraced the new GPS technology to compensate for the shortage of manpower. Response time is shortened, paper plans are eliminated, “ground-truth” accuracy is ensured, information can be provided nearly instantaneously, and field workers have laptops with encapsulated data at their disposal.
Contact: John Mulvihill, Public Works Director
City of Oldsmar
100 State Street W.
Oldsmar, FL 34677
Phone: (813) 749-1134
E-Mail: jmulvihill@ci.oldsmar.fl.us
Road Program
City of Palm Bay
In order to overcome a failed referendum, otherwise limited funding, increasing costs following the hurricanes of 2004 and a mounting number of roads within the city in dire need of repair, the City of Palm Bay sought and obtained funding via sales tax revenue bonds. The city sent out multiple RFPs, chose six contractors to assist in-house staff and planned the sequence of roads to repair, almost simultaneously. This, combined with the innovative methods used for paving, such as hot-in-place asphalt applications, allowed the city to not only begin work quickly, but to complete a three-year project in eight months, the project came in 16 percent under budget, and a total of 56 miles of roads was completed.
Contact: Chad Shoultz
Assistant Director
Public Works Department
City of Palm Bay
1050 Malabar Road S.W.
Palm Bay, FL 32907
Phone: (321) 953-8996
E-mail: shoulc@palmbayflorida.org
Mid-block Pedestrian Crosswalk LED Stutter Light System
City of St. Petersburg
The “Enhancer,” as it is called, is the first traffic-signal device in the nation that utilizes super-bright LED technology and a “stutter flash.” In four test locations in St. Petersburg, results showed that more than 90 percent of motorists stop when the LED stutter lights are activated by the pedestrian. When the enhancer activation button is pushed, a friendly voice explains to young pedestrians how to use the crosswalk. At night, the button placards are illuminated so pedestrians can see them. Upon activation, the entire area is illuminated, including where the pedestrian is standing, the pedestrian street signs, and the center of the roadway in divided highways so the motorist can clearly see the entire crossing. The enhancer system is radio controlled and solar powered for maximum efficiency.
Contact: Joe Kubicki, Director
Transportation and Parking
City of St. Petersburg
P.O. Box 2842
St. Petersburg, FL 33731
Phone: (727) 892-5274
E-mail: joe.kubicki@stpete.org
Hopkins Unit 2 Repowering
City of Tallahassee
The City of Tallahassee’s Electric Utility operates approximately 745 MW of electric generating capacity, including Hopkins Unit 2, a 233 MW electric generating unit. This unit was placed in commercial operation in 1977. The city currently is converting the existing unit from a conventional steam electric generating unit to a combined cycle unit. This conversion will extend the life of the unit another 30 years; result in 30-percent improvement in fuel efficiency, saving the city’s customers between $12 million and $24 million annually in fuel cost; and reduce the emissions from the city’s electric system.
Contact: Kevin G. Wailes
General Manager of Electric
Electric Utility
City of Tallahassee
2602 Jackson Bluff Road
Tallahassee, FL 32304
Phone: (850) 891-5532
E-mail: wailesk@talgov.com
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