TRANSCRIPT, September 2000 1

The Ohio Department of Transportation Employee Newsletter September 2000

Q Steppin� ... join in! page 2

Fl❁❁❁❁❁wer P❁❁❁❁❁wer page 3

Crash Test: Don’t be a Dummy page 4

TTTTTechnifiedechnifiedechnifiedechnifiedechnified page 4

Freeze Frame ... Smile page 5

How is Your Pavement Marked? page 6

A Tribute to Don R. Conaway page 7

2 TRANSCRIPT, September 2000

By: Ronald Poole, Central Office

Strategic Initiative FiveODOT will renew its commit-ment to Quality Principles.

The wording of this initiative issimple, but it encompasses a tremen-dous task. The nine other 2001 initia-tives are related to specific aspects ofthe department. Strategic Initiative Five,however, will affect ODOT as a whole.

“This initiative calls for creative ener-gies of the entire department, directedto achieve a series of common goals ina way that has not been attempted be-fore,” said Deputy Directorof the Division of Qualityand Human Resources,Bob Blair.

How does a large groupof people undertake sucha concerted effort?

Anne Fornshell, admin-istrator for the Office ofQuality and Organiza-tional Development, sug-gests the departmentshould start by remember-ing the extraordinary his-tory ODOT has had usingthe principles of the Qual-ity Services through Part-nership (QStP) concept.

“When we introduced quality prin-ciples nine years ago, no one knew whatto expect,” said Fornshell. “Peopleasked, ‘How do we apply these ideas toour jobs?’ Today, ODOT leads state

Over the next few months,Transcript will present a seriesof articles introducing thenew ODOT initiatives for2001. This month, we look atInitiative Five.

agencies in utilizing quality principles. Now we must take the next step.”For the department, that next step is to guide all quality efforts in the same direc-

tion. ODOT will achieve this using the criteria found in the Ohio Award for Excel-lence (OAE). Patterned after the highly-coveted Malcolm Baldrige National Awardfor Quality, the OAE is presented to state public sector organizations based on theirlevel of excellence in the areas of leadership, strategic planning, customer andmarket focus, information and analysis, human resource focus, process manage-ment and business results. Ultimately, the department will be able to compete forthe OAE award as a whole, and become a greater and more efficient organization inthe process.

To help the department achieve its goals, ODOT’s current state QStP steeringcommittee has been reorganized. Thad Kilgore, a transportation technician special-ist with District 12 and a member of the state committee, points out the QStP com-mittee has been streamlined from 16 to eight members, and has chartered fourstatewide sub-committees. “The sub-committees are Assessments, Teams, Measure-ments and Cascading,”said Kilgore. “The focus of each committee is to work closelywith the districts and divisions to address quality related topics.”

Each district and division of ODOT will be assessed by an outside consultant basedon the seven OAE criteria. The offices will apply the reviewed information to learnabout areas which may need improvement, and develop a plan to address thoseneeds. Additionally, they will develop their own monitoring system for that plan.

The offices will continue to develop and refine their performance indicators tomeasure how well ODOT is achieving its goals. The department will have in placeways to identify the training and development needs of its employees to see if ODOTis consistently exceeding the expectations of its customers. Under the initiative, the

department will also de-velop an objective qualityaward recognition pro-gram, and an educationplan to encourage the de-velopment of skills ODOTwill need in the future.The results of these effortswill be publicized, bothinternally and externally.

With the developmentof Strategic Initiative Five,the department is facinga great challenge, but it isfacing that challenge as ateam. Myron Pakush, Dis-trict 11 deputy director

and a member of the state steering committee, believes the next year will be anexciting one for ODOT.

“When we first learned about quality there was a real ‘buzz’ around the depart-ment,” said Pakush. “Now, with everyone trained in the basic quality principles, anew leadership and sub-committee structure in place, and ODOT’s renewed com-mitment to quality, I think that buzz will return even stronger.”

TRANSCRIPT, September 2000 3

By: Kim Patton, District 8

Thanks to the efforts of District 8,motorists traveling along Interstate 71this summer were treated to an unex-pected burst of sunshine.

Under the direction of DistrictDeputy Director Mike Flynn, 17 acres ofsunflowers were planted along 21 milesof the corridor in Clinton and Greenecounties.

Flynn’s idea to plant the sunflowersdeveloped after seeing acres of themlast summer in the Rush Run WildlifeArea in Preble County. “All of a sudden,you walked into this field and they wereeverywhere,” said Flynn.

He charged Brenda Bradds, thedistrict’s Adopt-A-Highway coordina-tor, with the mission to beautify thehighway. “In May, when we were plan-ning our wildflower program for theyear, Mike suggested the sunflowers,”recalls Bradds. “We knew the seeds hadto be planted by the first week in June.”

Clinton County Highway Mainte-nance Worker Craig Borton planted theseeds, staggering them for a longerblooming cycle, from late July to Au-gust. The sunflower strips were 10 feetwide and varied in length.

District 8 has received positive com-ments about the sunflowers from thepublic. Borton said he even heard com-pliments about them at the Ohio StateFair. “I was pleased with them,” saidBorton. “They spruced up the interstate,and broke up the monotony of driving.”

As a bonus, Bortonsaid the sunflow-ers were mucheasier to mowaround than trees.

At the end of theblooming cycle, crimsonclover was planted to keep thesunflowers from infesting thefields of nearby farmers. “We weren’table to harvest the seeds this year, becausewe couldn’t find a buyer or someone to dry the seeds,”said Bradds. But the district is investigating the cost to har-vest the seeds after future plantings. “We planted too late to harvest this year, butwe’ll know what to do next year,” said Flynn. “We may rent a combine and eventu-ally get to the point where we will never have to buy seed again.”

The low cost of the project added to its success. The price, $2,250, includedabout $545 for labor – approximately 30 employee hours; $960 for materials,which included spray, fertilizer, and sunflower seeds; and $761 in equipment costs.

District 8 plans to add sunflowers to the landscape of other highways as well.Next year, they will plant seeds on 20 acres along Interstate 275, the beltway aroundCincinnati. In addition, they will begin a year-long landscape beautification pro-gram on Interstate 71 in the district. This will include 85 acres of wildflowers, sun-flowers, and ornamental plants.

“Our goal is to have a blooming season that lasts from spring to early fall,” saidBradds. The first signs of color will emerge in the spring when the crimson cloverthat was planted over the sunflowers comes into bloom. “It will be a sea of red,”said Flynn. “Just in time for the Cincinnati Reds’ 2001 season.” According to Flynn,the district will also experiment with planting sunflowers in different colors, such asorange, burgundy and brown.

Flynn has challenged districts 3, 6 and 12 to join District 8 in beautifying the I-71corridor. “They could create their own identity, for example, by planting orangesunflowers in Cleveland to represent the Browns, making it something unique totheir area,” said Flynn.

Bradds hopes the other districts will accept his challenge. “Wouldn’t it be spec-tacular if we had flowers blooming all season from Lake Erie to the Ohio River!”

BrighteningThe Drive

4 TRANSCRIPT, September 2000

JobProfile

By: Michael Cull, Central Office

As computers become more impor-tant in the day-to-day workings ofODOT, so do the people who install,connect and fix them. While the dozendata system managers (DSMs) whooversee the increasingly wired ODOTdistricts are not indispensable yet, theyseem to be getting close.

As Jody Slemmons, DSM in District 1says, “We are busier. It’s gotten to thepoint where everyone needs some-thing from the information technologyarea. It used to be the technology wasan add-on. Now, it’s a requirement.”

Each ODOT district has a DSM andeach reports to the district business andhuman resources administrator; alloversee most of a district’s technology:phones, computer assisted design, etc.Beyond that each DSM’s duties vary bydistrict; a DSM’s staff can be anywherefrom four to eight people.

Slemmons, 39, earned a degree incivil engineering from the University ofToledo and has been with ODOT 17years. Like other DSMs interviewed,Slemmons likes his job: “I can’t imag-ine going to a job I didn’t enjoy. Rightnow, computer stuff is very enjoyable.”

As with other DSMs, he and his staffdid most of the installing and trainingfor Lotus Notes, the e-mail system re-placing Sharkmail.

Another DSM, Hiram Crabtree of Dis-trict 2 also graduated from the Univer-sity of Toledo and came to ODOT as anintern more than six years ago. His dis-

Safety Facts• Safety belts save nearly 10,000 lives each year.• Speed causes nearly one third of all fatal crashes.• 11.4 million vehicles were involved in crashes in 1998.• Motorcycles are more likely than cars to be in crashes.

By: Robin Grant, Central Office

Each year, on- and off-the-job traffic crashes cost U.S. businesses tens of billionsof dollars in lost productivity, higher insurance premiums and medical costs. Withschool starting and vactioners returning from summer trips, the roadway environ-ment is changing for commuters. In an effort to combat job-related traffic crashes,the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Ohio Department of Public Safetyparticipated in Drive Safely at Work Week (DSWW), Sept. 11 through 15.

The week was part of a national campaign to improve the roadway atmosphereand increase safe driving practices. Major employers, from corporations to stateagencies, set up displays, talked to employees, passed out safety information andperformed safety checks to promote safer driving to their staff.

Although ODOT staff might not think about their driving habits when they con-sider the hazards of the workplace, the Federal Highway Administration reports thatevery 14 seconds someone in the U.S. is injured in a traffic crash, and every 12 min-utes someone is killed. Safety belt usage can reduce the chance of injury or death ina crash by as much as 45 percent, making the safe driving message important toeveryone.

Throughout the DSWW campaign, five major traffic safety issues were addressed,focusing on a different theme each day of the week, including “Buckle Up,” to en-courage staff to wear their safety belts; “Courtesy Counts,” aimed at avoiding ag-gressive driving; “Who’s Driving,” focusing on driver inattention/distraction; “Give‘Em Some Space,” promoting sharing the roads safely with trucks, motorcycles,and EMS vehicles; and “Steer With A Clear Head,” to educate staff about drivingwhile under the influence of prescription drugs, illegal drugs and alcohol.

Employeesof the ColumbusHilltop facilitiesof ODOT andODPS partici-pated in specialactivities, give-aways and edu-cational mes-sages on these

themes in the cafeteria, halls, and outdoor areas. Included in the special activitieswas Continental Teves’ anti-lock braking system (ABS) skid pad, used to demon-strate proper use of ABS brakes. Roadway Express’ “No Zone” demonstration truckvisited the ODOT Central Office parking lot during the week as well. This semi-trucktravels the country to spread the message about the danger of driving in a truck’sblind spots, or the No Zone.

Additionally, a rollover simulator showed staff the effect of not wearing a safetybelt in a rollover crash. Vince and Larry, better known as the crash test dummies,were present throughout the week to spread the message that safety belts save lives.

By participating in the campaign, ODOT and ODPS encouraged staff membersto drive safely, both on and off the job. By taking the time to think about safety,employees can help prevent themselves and their families from becoming a crashstatistic. For more information and safety tips, visit the FHWA’s Web site at:www.fhwa.dot.gov/factsfigs/dsweek.htm.

TRANSCRIPT, September 2000 5

HobbyShoppe

By: Janis Cravens, District 8

We’ve all heard the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Each pictureConnie Hahn, District 8 delivery worker, and her daughter, Myra Jean (MJ) have takenspeaks volumes about the experiences they have had with their cameras.

Hahn’s love of photography began when she lived in Europe. “In 1974, my formerhusband was stationed in Augsburg, Germany with the Army,” said Hahn. “He wasworking all day, so I had lots of time to explore the area. I discovered the Army posthad everything you needed to take and develop your own pictures, and having noth-ing to tie me down, I wandered throughout the area snapping photos as I went.”

With the help of an Army photography instructor, Hahn began taking pictures ofthings in her surroundings, like little kids playing and castles with swans swimmingin the reflecting pools. She also learned photography techniques such as how toenhance black and white photos with the use of color.

“Hand-coloring a black and white print with photographic oil-based paints addswonderful value to a picture,” said Hahn. “Also adding sepia tones, brown and redcoloring, to black andwhite prints gives thelook of pictures takenin the old West.”

Hahn continued topursue her love ofphotography whenshe returned home,taking wedding andbaby photographsfor friends and fam-ily. When her daugh-ter MJ was born,Hahn began chroni-cling her life on filmfrom day one. In 1989, Hahn began showing her 3-year-old daughter how to take pictures with a point-and-shoot camera.

“When we started, Mom would just turn me loosewith my camera,” said MJ. “There were no rules. Icould use as many rolls of film as I needed. She has taught me everything I know.”

At age 14, MJ is an experienced photographer, entering her pictures in photog-raphy contests since the 4th grade. Recently, MJ was the youngest person to havean entry in the Midfest photo contest in Middletown. Her picture was among 20chosen to be in a traveling collection. At the same event, Hahn took first and sec-ond place in the black and white category.

Today, mother and daughter are hooked on their hobby. Together they own fivecameras, and, whenever possible, develop their pictures in a friend’s darkroom.“Making a darkroom in our basement is a future project for MJ and I,” said Hahn.

In the meantime, the two enjoy planning photography-related trips and findingnew things to photograph. The Hahns’ next excursion will be to the Paul BunyonFestival in Nelsonville in October. Hahn says if an ODOT employee happens to be atthe festival, she and her daughter will be easy to spot, carrying their footlocker fullof photo equipment. And she offers one piece of advice to anyone that comes upto them to say hello: “Be sure to smile!”

trict was one of the pilot districts for Lo-tus Notes introduction to ODOT.

Crabtree, 27, said DSMs support thedistrict’s local computer network. “Wetry to implement local solutions for,say, right of way applications, ditchpermits, etc.” He calls his work bothhectic and exciting.

In District 11 Keith Thiebaud, 36, isthe DSM. His responsibilities includemanaging personal computer support,the computer assisted drafting system,plus the radio room and supply room.He is a graduate of Kent State Univer-sity and began with ODOT 15 years agoas an intern. Back then, he recalls, therewere just two computers in the district.

Although district DSMs do not reportto Central Office, they do coordinatewith and receive guidance from the Di-vision of Information Technology,probably most often with Angelo Serra,administrator for DoIT’s Office of Appli-cation Services. “We have a lot of inter-action with the DSMs as they help rollout applications such as Lotus Notesand the Request for Leave system,”Serra said.

Serra, 33, is a Euclid native whojoined ODOT’s District 2 in 1995. “I amvery excited about what is going on ininformation technology. We seechange every day. This is the best timeto be in IT. We are where the auto in-dustry was in 1900. We are shapingthings and hopefully we are makingthings better.”

MJ and Connie Hahn

Horse stable photo by: Connie Hahn

Illustration by: Meghan Martindale, Central Office

Data System Managers

PassionFor

Pictures

6 TRANSCRIPT, September 2000

BestPractices

By: Rhonda Pees, District 1

For their Innovation ODOT idea, Traf-fic Supervisor Mike Halker and RouteMarker Todd Stump of District 1 sug-gested the use of a new material in thecreation of pavement markings. CalledPremark 20/20 Flex, the material is usedto designate traffic flow on the high-way. The material is easier and faster toapply and more durable than the coldplastic marking tape the districtcommonly uses. In its first year ofuse, the material saved the dis-trict $17,000.

The District 1 Traffic Depart-ment places pavement markings onnewly-paved roadways. These mark-ings are necessary for traffic controland direction, such as turn lanes,stop bars, school zones, channellanes and railroad crossings. Theseareas were commonly marked using in-laid cold plastic marking tape. Twohighway workers would install the tapewhile the asphalt was still warm. Themarkings would be installed, then a fin-ish roller would be used to press theminto the asphalt.

This method meant ODOT workerswould have to be on hand and ready toput down and roll the markings as soonas the contractor finished laying the as-phalt. If the contractor had an equip-ment failure or other delay, they wouldbe forced to wait.The workers wouldhave to quickly install and roll the mark-ings before the pavement cooled, to en-sure proper bonding.

Halker, Stump, and other membersof the traffic department began experi-menting with Premark two years ago.The application requires heating the

road surface slightly with a propane-powered heat gun to remove any moisturefrom the road. This heating also brings the oil in the asphalt to the road’s surface.The pieces of Premark are then placed on the road surface, and the area is heatedagain until the top surface looks like a toasted marshmallow. Once activated byheat, the markings form a permanent bond with the oil in the asphalt.

Premark offers several advantages over cold plastic markings. For example, itcan be applied to pavement of any temperature. “There’s no time wasted waitingon contractors,” said Halker, “and also no overtime. We lay the markings at ourconvenience.”

This product enables one employee to lay down the markings and heat theminto place instead of two, saving the department employee hours. “The new prod-uct saves time and money normally spent for maintenance,” said Stump.

It is also long-lasting: Once in place, the material is eight times more durablethan plastic marking tape.“Premark will last the lifetime of the pavement,” saidStump. “More importantly, this new product is more visible to drivers using theroad.”

Halker and Stump each earned a $423 award for their submission.

Pho

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Mike Halker and Todd Stump applying Premark 20/20 Flex.

TRANSCRIPT, September 2000 7

By: Ronald Poole, Central Office

On Friday, August 4, Deputy Director of Engineering Policy Don Conaway passedaway at his residence in Grandview Heights after a battle with cancer. He was 72.

“Both the people of ODOT and the contracting industry had tremendous respectfor Don,” said ODOT Director Gordon Proctor. “He had a remarkable work ethic,which, combined with his experience, made him unique. We will certainly misshim.”

Mr. Conaway joined the then-named Ohio Department of Highways in 1949 af-ter receiving a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from The Ohio State Univer-sity. He worked as an assistant to the district engineer of tests, then as a projectengineer for six years, before leaving to work in the private sector.

He was the chief engineer for a Columbus-based construction company for nineyears, then co-owner and general superintendent of the Whitaker-Merrell Companyin Columbus for 16 years. He rejoined ODOT as a staff engineer in 1982. He wasnamed deputy director of the Division of Construction in 1991, and then becamedeputy director of the Division of Engineering Policy in 1995. Mr. Conaway waswith the department for a total of 24years. In 1999, he received the “Friend ofthe Industry” Award from the Ohio Con-tractors Association (OCA).

Clark Street, executive vice-presidentof OCA, knew Don Conaway for more than20 years. He said that in all that time, hisfriend always remained the same.

“He was a good person, first and fore-most,” said Street. “Don had a way of giv-

ing confidence to those around him. Healways listened to people and made hisdecisions based on the facts. I think thatis why everyone liked him.”

Former ODOT Director Jerry Wray ap-pointed Mr. Conaway to his deputy di-rector posts at the department. Wraysaid he was someone he relied onheavily during his time as head of thedepartment.

“We had more than a professionalrelationship,” said Wray. “He was agood friend. This is a great loss.”

Mr. Conaway was preceded in deathby his wife, Joan, in 1999. He is survivedby his daughters, Cindy Ozamiz andAmy Shafe; his son, Brad Conaway;grandchildren, Jim, Katie, and KelsieOzamiz, and Kayla Hanley; sister, EileenScarpello; and many nieces and neph-ews.

Contributions in his memory may bemade to Hospice at Grant/Riverside,3535 Olentangy River Rd., Columbus,OH 43214.

Don R. Conaway1928-2000

Mr. Conaway with his children Amy Shafe, Cindy Ozamiz, and Brad Conaway.

“He was a goodfriend. This is agreat loss.”

Jerry WrayFormer Director

8 TRANSCRIPT, September 2000

OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONSJ. Brian Cunningham, EditorRon Poole, Managing EditorJulie Walcoff, Layout/Design Editor

PRINTED BY THE ODOT PRINT SHOP

ODOT IS AN EEO EMPLOYER

Bob Taft, GovernorGordon Proctor, ODOT Director

V i s i t o u r W e b s i t e a t ww w . d o t . s t a t e . o h . u s

OHIO DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION1980 W. BROAD ST.COLUMBUS, OHIO 43223(614) 466-7170 (FAX) 644-8662

FYI

Cover Photo by: Marco Praete, District 8

Innovation Online

The Innovation ODOT Program hasadded a Web-based application for sub-mitting and tracking suggestions.ODOT employees can log onto the siteusing the same names and passwordsaccepted by the Request For Leave sys-tem. Employees can type in the namesof their team members (if any), the ap-plicable work situation, the suggestedchange and advantage of the new idea.The system automatically includes thename, location and e-mail address ofthe user. Once a suggestion is submit-ted, the system will automatically as-sign an ID number to the suggestion,and e-mail the information to the ap-propriate coordinator. The user will alsoreceive an e-mail with the ID number,confirming the suggestion has beensent to the named coordinator. The newsystem makes it fast and convenient tosubmit your ideas to the program. Visitthe new Web site at: http://itcww012/innovation/.

OTEC

The Ohio Transportation Engineer-ing Conference (OTEC) is now accept-ing registration for the 2000 confer-ence, to be held Oct. 30 and 31 at theGreater Columbus Convention Center.The two-day conference, co-sponsoredby ODOT, will offer technical and groupsessions, and a transportation expowhere commercial and university ex-hibitors will display transportationproducts and research. Technical ses-sion topics this year include intelligenttransportation systems, local programs,public involvement, geosynthetics, andasset management.

For a complete listing of the confer-ence agenda and to obtain registrationinformation, contact Debbie Sparkes at:(614) 466-4788 or e-mail Sparkes atdsparkes@dot.state.oh.us.

Combined Charitable Campaign

From Sept. 6 through Oct. 27 ODOTwill host a variety of fund raising activi-ties for the Combined Charitable Cam-paign (CCC). If you would like to be apart of this year’s efforts or want moreinformation regarding the campaign,please contact your district’s CCC coor-dinator or one of the agency-wide co-ordinators, either Bob Young at (614)644-6557 or Bettie Haynie at (614) 466-2882.