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Save the Date!!! | |
March 30, 2014 - April 2, 2014: 2014 SDITE Annual Meeting
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| 2014 Executive Board | |
Kirsten Tynch
Bill Seymour
Secretary / Treasurer
Hollis Loveday
International Director
Rick Day
Past-President
Martin Bretherton
District Administrator
Craig Hanchey
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| Social Media | |
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Archive(s) |
Available Editions
October 2013
November 2013
December 2013
January 2014
February 2014 |
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SDITE Apparel | |
Don't forget to visit the Lands' End Store to get your SDITE Apparel.
Lands' End Website |
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Future Annual Meetings | |
2014 - Greensboro, GA
2015 - Biloxi, MS
2016 - Nashville, TN |
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Newsletter Staff | |
Reviewers
Becky Malenke
Radha Swayampakala
Lindsay Walker
Social Media
Jeff Stephenson
Add Your Name Here Next Edition! |
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Hello all!
While traffic engineering is only a part of what ITE members do day-to-day, it's probably a pretty safe bet that most of us are involved with traffic in some capacity every day.
A high profile 'traffic study' recently made the news as a result of a bridge / ramp closure in New Jersey. While we'll stay out of the politics of this one, it's not everyday that traffic engineering becomes a punchline on late night TV.
The New York Times had an article on March 10, 2014 about this topic. Featured are quotes from ITE International President Hibbett Neel as well as long time ITE Member Sam Schwartz. Check it out.
And to have a little fun, how about a few jokes:
"Clearly, somebody is getting thrown under the bus. Fortunately for them, the bus isn't moving. It's stuck in terrible traffic." -Jon Stewart
"Let's talk about the big game yesterday. The Seahawks beat the Broncos 43-8. The Broncos are blaming it on a traffic study." - David Letterman
"Why did the traffic engineer cross the road? Because that's what they did last year." - unknown
[Editor's Note: To my Kentucky colleagues, I apologize for the similar Intro as the KYSITE newsletter. I felt it was relevant to both organizations.]
Have a great month -- and we'll see you in Greensboro!
- Scott Walker, Editor |
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SDITE 2014 Meeting: Updates
By: SDITE 2014 LAC
The planning for the 2014 Southern District ITE Annual Meeting in Georgia is still going strong. You can learn all the meeting details by going to the meeting website, www.sdite2014.org.
SILENT AUCTION
SDITE will be conducting its "Third Annual Silent Auction" at the 2014 Annual Meeting. The proceeds from this auction will be spent on SDITE young member programs. Please contact Carla Holmes at Carla_holmes@gspnet.com if you are interested in donating to this worthy program.
TECHNICAL PROGRAM AND OTHER ACTIVITIES
The Georgia LAC is very excited about the quality of the technical program planned for the annual meeting. In addition to the educational opportunities, there will be many other social and entertainment opportunities. Members and guests can choose between golf and sporting clays tournaments on Sunday in addition to all the amenities at the world-class Ritz-Carlton resort. The Spouse/Guest program includes tours of antebellum homes and dining at one of the South's most famous restaurants for Southern cuisine, the Blue Willow Inn.
REGISTRATION
Over 300 people have already registered for the meeting, but there is still room for more. You can learn all about the meeting details by going to the meeting website, www.sdite2014.org. There are several members that have indicated payment of their registration fees by check, but we have not received their checks to date. For those individuals, we will be sending out notices on Monday, March 24th to advise them on the status of their payments.
HOTEL BOOKINGS
There are still rooms available at the overflow hotel (The Lodge on Lake Oconee-(706) 485-7785). The Lodge on Lake Oconee has given SDITE a group rate, so mention that you are with the SDITE conference to receive the group rate. Please contact Carla Holmes if you need to cancel or modify your hotel reservation at the Ritz. This will allow us to reallocate any unused rooms to other SDITE members. We have already lost several rooms at the Ritz by members cancelling their rooms prior to notifying Carla.
See you in less than 2 weeks!
Georgia LAC Co-Chairs,
Todd Long
Deputy Commissioner, GDOT
Keith Strickland,
Dir. of Traffic Engineering, HNTB Corp
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Off-Road and Out-of-Office
Trailblazing on the Appalachian Trail
Now that it has finally stopped snowing and sleeting (we hope), lots of minds begin to think about planning that summer vacation. NCSITE member Todd Delk is content on knowing that he will be working this summer... on the Appalachian Trail, that is.
Since summer 2009, Todd has volunteered every year with the Konnarock Crew, one of six work groups sponsored by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy to help maintain 2,180 miles of the AT. These six "crews" work spring through fall, from Maine to Georgia, tackling large-scale projects such as relocations, major rehabilitations, and bridge and shelter construction. Every week, a new mix of Konnarock volunteers from around the country and world, young and old, head out from their base camp in Sugar Grove, VA to a campsite that will be their home away from home for the next week, which can be anywhere from Georgia to Virginia. In 2013, Konnarock volunteers alone worked with area clubs to build 5,282 feet of new trail and redefine another 2,300 feet, logging nearly 8,300 hours of service.
Todd's work has taken him to sites in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia. "I cannot wait to get back to Konnarock this summer. The best part is not only are you building this iconic trail, but also numerous friendships with folks from all over," noted Todd when the Connector asked about this year's plans. "The second best part is no cell service!!!"
 It's hot on the trail in the summer, and there are bugs and bears. If you want to trade in TV, internet, and cell phones for a week of hard work, sleeping under the stars, and looking out over the most gorgeous mountain vistas on the East Coast, Konnarock will leave you with lifelong friendships and the satisfaction of having improved one of the most important and beloved national parks/trails in the United States. Interested in finding out more or volunteering? The ATC is registering volunteers now. Check out the website (Get Involved > Volunteer > Trail Crews) or their blog.
Apart from trailblazing adventures, Todd is an engineer for the Town of Cary, NC. He is the current NCSITE Secretary and co-founder of the section's grassroots fellowship campaign "Make ncsITe Funner (and Other Good Things Like That)."
Have an awesome transportation-related adventure to share with SDITE? Email Meredith Van Duyn (meredith.vanduyn@rsandh.com).
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From the Sections...
North Carolina
The North Carolina Section of ITE (NCSITE) has developed a mentoring program that may be of interest to other Sections.
The purpose of the program is to support and encourage participants to become highly effective leaders by:
- Building strong relationships across agency lines (private, state, local, university)
- Learning about other business units and organizations and how they all fit together
- Providing supportive and caring mentor to encourage confidence in protégé participants
- Discussing emerging issues, and sharing experiences / lessons learned
- Helping participants see the bigger picture / understanding differing perspectives
- Providing leadership development support
For more information, click here.
Alabama
The Alabama Section of ITE (ALSITE) sponsors a Safe Driving Initiative called SALTEENS. Objectives of this initiative include:
- Reduce injuries/fatalities in Alabama caused by distracted teen drivers.
- Educate Alabama teens, parents, and teachers about driving hazards.
- Develop and promote safe driving educational materials for distribution in Alabama comunities.
Check out the video on this page.
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Technical Knowledge Committee
Greetings from the SDITE Technical Knowledge Committee.
The first few goals of our committee  involve getting and sharing technical knowledge with the District. In an effort to accomplish this, we have started a monthly rotation for each of our committee members to contribute this content. While we plan to have a technical article each month, this month is a summary of our committee's communication tool which is built on LifeRay. We have put together a collaborative website that will house our documents, meeting notes, and committee updates. Unlike a traditional website, LifeRay works on content management (similar to WordPress). We are able to post content or files with the click of a button. This allows our site to become more dynamic by removing barriers to update or add content. That being said, please visit our new site and give us your feedback. Those interested in collaborating can email me to obtain a user name and password. Otherwise, guests can browse the content. Or feel free to email me any content you'd like included on the site.
Thanks,
Eric Green, PE, MSCE, GISP Southern District Technical Knowledge Chair Phone: (859) 257-2680 
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Candidates for 2015 SDITE Officers
Vote by 5:00 PM (EST) on March 24!
Eligible voting members of the Southern District ITE (SDITE) may now go online and vote for 2015 officers.
Listed below are the candidates for officers for 2015. Candidate bios are posted online at:
http://sdite.org/news/candidates-for-2015-officers-announced
President:  Bill Seymour, P.E.
Vice President: W. Hollis Loveday, P.E. Secretary-Treasurer: Jennifer T. Bihl, P.E. Jonathan Kiser, P.E., PTOE, PTP International Director: (2015-2017) James A. (Jim) Meads, P.E. Bob Murphy, P.E., PTOE, RLS To vote, you must be a member of ITE. Student members and affiliates are not eligible to vote. Balloting will close promptly at 5:00 PM EST on Monday, March 24th. The results of the electronic voting will be announced via conference call with the SDITE Executive Board and the candidates prior to the Annual Meeting. To vote, go to http://sdite.org/members_zone and log in. If you experience difficulty in casting your ballot, please contact craig.hanchey@neel-schaffer.com, SDITE District Administrator. |
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Officer/Member Profile
In most issues of The Connector, we'll feature an officer or member of SDITE. This month, meet Craig Hanchey, 2014 SDITE District Administrator:
1. Name: Craig Hanchey 
2. City/State: Nashville, TN
3. Place of Work: Neel-Schaffer (20 years)
4. Title: Eastern Area Manager
5. Degrees:
- BS in Civil Engineering, LSU (1984)
- MS in Civil Engineering, University of Tennessee (1986)
6. Certification: PTOE
7. Place of Birth: New Orleans, Louisiana
8. Family: Married to Faith for 32 years. Our daughter Claire teaches special education in Nashville.
9. A Little More About Craig:
a. What do you do day-to-day? Oversee operations of offices in six states (lots of phone calls, emails, and travel)
b. What are your technical interests? Traffic Operations and Highway Safety
c. Hobbies? History and travel
d. Favorite Movie? The Outlaw Josey Wales
10. In what capacity have you served SDITE in the past?
- Past President, current District Administrator
11. Five Quick Questions:
- Coke or Pepsi? Coke
- Dogs or Cats? Cats
- Telephone or Email? Email
- Pen or Pencil? Pen
- Vols, Tigers, or Commodores? Geaux Tigers!
12. Three Interesting Facts About You:
1. Big hockey fan (love going to Nashville Predators games)
2. In addition to being a Past President of SDITE, I am a Past President of two Sections (Deep South and Tennessee).
3. Tend to be quiet. Usually reserved unless I know you.
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Curbside Haiku
Introducing Curbside Haiku, a New York City Department of Transportation safety education and public art campaign launched in November 2011. Artist John Morse published a series of twelve art/haiku signs that were installed city-wide to promote road safety. These signs were placed near eye-level at high-crash locations near cultural institutions and schools. We'll share a new haiku over the next several issues of The Connector. Enjoy!
Cyclist writes screenplay
Plot features bike lane drama
How pedestrian
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SDITE Website Image Solicitation
By: Mike Reese (SDITE Webmaster)
SDITE Members:
We need your help showcasing the great transportation innovations across the South! The current SDITE website (www.sdite.org) has been in place for three years, and it's time for an update.
If you have any photos of new transportation projects or modern innovations from across the District that we could showcase on the website, please send them to Mike Reese (mikereese@ncdot.gov) and Craig Hanchey (craig.hanchey@neel-schaffer.com) with the subject line "SDITE Website Images."
We need four images for the menubar, and up to eight images for the homepage animation. All menubar images should be 109x138, and all animation images should be 245x200 in medium resolution JPG format.
Thanks! 
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Have You Seen This?
Sat in on one too many conference calls? I think we all have. This video should put a smile on your face -- and perhaps hit too close to home.
 | | A Conference Call in Real Life |
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We hope you enjoyed this edition. Stay tuned for another edition in mid-April.
Sincerely,
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Scott Walker, Editor
Southern District ITE |
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