CEAM, MCEA, NCITE, MN-APWA Awards
City Engineers Association of Minnesota
Ken Ashfeld
The City Engineers Association of Minnesota (CEAM) presented the following awards at its 50th annual conference, held January 28-30, 2009.
2008 Engineer of the Year Award
Ken Ashfeld, Maple Grove city engineer, was selected as the CEAM Engineer of the Year Award winner for 2008. Ashfeld has overseen the Maple Grove Engineering Department since 1988.
2008 Project of the Year Award
The City of Edina West 70th Street Roundabouts Project was selected as the CEAM Project of the Year Award winner for 2008.
Edina roundabout, before
The primary objective of the West 70th Street project, from France Avenue to York Avenue, was to improve safety for vehicles and pedestrians in the corridor while ensuring satisfactory traffic operations now and in the future.
The result was the construction of three single-lane roundabouts along the corridor. The roundabouts give West 70th Street a boulevard feel that results in slower traffic speeds and shorter crossing distances for pedestrians while not degrading the level of service.
Honorable Mention 2008 Project of the Year Awards
Two cities received Honorable Mention for CEAM’s Project of the Year Award.
Edina Roundabout after
The first was the City of St. Anthony Village for its water reuse facility. The system collects storm water runoff from Hennepin County Road 136, City Hall, local streets, and backwash water from the city’s water treatment plant in a 500,000-gallon underground reservoir. Water stored in the reservoir is recycled to irrigate a 20-acre site. Due to its innovative nature, the project will serve as a demonstration for future water reuse projects in the region. Nearly a dozen tours of the facility have already been conducted for Watershed, Ramsey County, and Hennepin County staff, elected officials, and managers.
The second project was the Shoreview Owasso Neighborhood Road Reconstruction Project. The new storm water system collects runoff and redirects it to specific locations, eliminating flooding problems and property damage.
Learn more about these projects at CEAM’s redesigned Web site.
CEAM president
Shelly Pederson, a member of the Minnesota LTAP Steering Committee, was elected CEAM president.
Minnesota County Engineers Association
The Minnesota County Engineers Association (MCEA) presented the following awards at its 63rd Annual Conference Awards Banquet, held January 20, 2009.
County Engineer of the Year
Dave Enblom
Dave Enblom is the 2008 County Engineer of the Year. He has been the county engineer of Cass County since 1997.
Maintenance Work Zone Safety Award
The Cook County Highway Department and county engineer Shae Kosmalski were honored with MCEA’s Maintenance Work Zone Safety Award. The award recognizes counties that are taking the extra steps to provide safe work zones for workers and the traveling public.
The Cook County Highway Department achieved compliance with state work-zone traffic control standards and guidelines, developed and implemented an innovative permit and traffic control system for activities using county right-of-way (marathons, sled dog crossings, etc.), and provided local opportunities for education to promote work-zone safety. In addition, the department received a $15,000 grant from the Roadway Safety Foundation (see below).
North Central Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers
The 2008 Young Professional of the Year Award was awarded to Marcus Culver, traffic engineer with the City of Maple Grove. The 2008 Past President’s Award for Transportation Professional of the Year was awarded to Tom Campbell, retired from Mn/DOT.
Minnesota Chapter of the American Public Works Association
Mike Eastling, director of Public Works for the City of Richfield, received the 2008 Hugo G. Erickson Award for excellence in chapter service. Other personnel awards: Director of the Year—Jon Thiel, City of Brooklyn Park; Superintendent of the Year—Robert Cockriel, City of Bloomington; Supervisor of the Year—Nancy Bailey, City of Eagan; Maintenance Employee of the Year— Gary Dalleger, City of Shoreview. The Sauk Rapids Regional Bridge project was named Honorable Mention Project of the Year.