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The 2023 Conference Workshops' title and description.
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| Track | Name | Workshop Description: |
| Administration | Municipal Law Update | This workshop will use a game show format to present an interactive discussion of recent cases, legislation, and developing legal matters. |
| Administration | Case Studies in Code Enforcement | This presentation includes case studies for real-world code enforcement matters. The proper enforcement of municipal codes, such as nuisance ordinances, property maintenance codes, and building codes, is a very important task that many township’s grapple with daily. It is important for township officials to understand all the options available to them when dealing with noncompliant properties. |
| Administration | PLGIT 101: Everything You Need to Know | PLGIT was created in 1981 to meet the investment needs of local governments and school districts in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As a cooperative trust and first of its kind in Pennsylvania, PLGIT is owned and operated by its members. This session will review PLGIT’s investment options and services and will also briefly discuss the history of local government investment pools (LGIPs) and some general best practices for public entities to manage their investments and liquidity needs. |
| Administration | Defining Public Spaces Using an Asset Management Lens | This workshop is designed to emphasize the importance of parks and open space as essential elements for community resilience. The session will outline a strategy for municipal leaders to redefine the use of public spaces and highlight available resources to guide the process. |
| Administration | Workers' Compensation for Volunteer Fire Companies | This workshop reviews which volunteer fire department members are covered by workers' compensation and under what circumstances. This includes the 2020 change to the Workers' Compensation Act regarding fire company members. The session will also review the presumption of cancer law, special fire police, and junior volunteer firefighters and discuss billing surrounding municipalities for fire service. |
| Administration | Searching COSTARS Contracts: Where’s Waldo? | Procuring goods and services is often like a game of Where’s Waldo?. In procurement, however, you don’t have the clues of a red-and-white-striped shirt and hat or black glasses to help in your search. In this session, attendees will learn the art of searching COSTARS-exclusive and statewide COSTARS-participating contracts to find the Waldo in need. It will also explore some statewide contracts that offer valuable products and services that many COSTARS members may not know about. |
| Administration | Municipal Newsletters on Low to No Budgets | This workshop will show participants low-cost/no-cost tools to create engaging municipal newsletters, focusing on Microsoft Publisher and Canva (free version). The presenter will demonstrate how to use each to create newsletter formats and information-packed graphics that are useful across communication streams, including newsletters, social media, and websites, and will also show the first-tier paid version of Canva, which offers additional tools for a low annual cost, including QR codes. |
| Administration | Meeting Prep 101: A Secretary's Guide for Every Meeting | This workshop is designed to provide participants with a step-by-step process to prepare for any type of meeting. The session will address the benefit of early planning and gathering of agenda items and documents and will also discuss placement/organization of the various topics for township meetings. A breakdown of these steps will share tips and tricks to make the process easier from start (drafting agendas) to finish (cleanup and completing tasks from the meeting). |
| Administration | Evolving Best Practices in Bid Management | While today’s bidding environment is beginning to normalize, several factors continue to evolve and present challenges to townships, such as material and labor shortages, supply chain logistics, and availability of qualified bidders. This thought-provoking session will review core requirements of bidding and procurement best practices and introduce several “forward-thinking” ideas that produce real results for successfully managing bids in today’s changing environment. |
| Administration | Ethics Update | This session will provide a brief update on the requirements and restrictions contained within the Ethics Act. It will also provide attendees with real-world examples of Ethics Act violations and help attendees spot, address, and avoid such violations. |
| Administration | ABC's of Liquid Fuels Tax Funds | This workshop is designed to give participants information on municipal liquid fuels tax funds and will cover a range of topics, including liquid fuels rules and regulations, allowable uses, reporting, most common audit findings, and available resources. |
| Administration | Communicating with Residents: Can One Person Do It? | Municipal administrators are busy people, and without a dedicated staff member or public information officer, municipal communications can often take a back seat. This workshop offers tips for efficiently managing digital and print communications for residents, including website content, social media posting and monitoring, and digital newsletters. |
| Administration | Socially Unacceptable Social Media: Tips for Municipalities | This workshop is designed to enlighten and entertain by covering issues facing municipalities in the age of social media, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. The session will explore the pros and cons of using social media and how to avoid potential pitfalls, while encouraging participants to share their experiences. |
| Administration | Right-to-Know Law and Sunshine Act Update | This workshop will provide an overview of significant decisions under the Right-to-Know Law and Sunshine Act in the last year from both the courts and the Office of Open Records. It will also cover legislative changes and how they affect townships and their open records officers' and officials' procedures, determinations of what are and are not public records, and open meetings requirements. |
| Administration | Balancing Your Insurance Needs | This workshop will explain health care programs offered through PSATS. |
| Administration | Building a Successful Retirement Plan | This session will explore the three retirement plans - defined benefit, 401(a) defined contribution, and 457 deferred compensation - that PSATS offers through the Pennsylvania Municipalities Pension Trust. Representatives from HUB International will explain the features of each plan and how they can work together to help employees maximize their retirement savings. |
| Administration | Fun and Games at Community Day | Struggling to build a “sense of place” in your township? Are you looking for ways to inject fun – actual fun – into your township government? Join township manager Elizabeth Randzin and Solicitor Michael Crotty for an in-depth discussion of tips, tricks, and landmines in hosting township community events. Topics will include the importance of setting these events as a priority, event ideas and planning, and a legal perspective on landmines to avoid. |
| Administration | Are You Paying Your Employees Correctly? An FLSA Update | This workshop will review recent changes to Pennsylvania's wage and hour regulations, including altered standards for exempt employees and changes for all tipped employees. Under the Biden Administration, more pro-employee FLSA and DOL regulation changes are expected, impacting employee pay, overtime, and employee classifications. The session will also discuss how to discipline exempt, salaried staff without running afoul of the FLSA and other quirks in the law that lay traps for the uninformed. |
| Administration | Bringing Awareness to the Human Element of Cybersecurity | Over 200 governmental entities were affected by ransomware in 2022. Most were breached due to human action, not a technology failure. This workshop will address the human element in the cybersecurity equation and demonstrate the importance of creating an awareness program for your township. Attendees will get tips for training employees to be more security conscious and learn best practices for creating a culture that will better position the township to defend itself. |
| Administration | Evolving Best Practices in Bid Management | While today’s bidding environment is beginning to normalize, several factors continue to evolve and present challenges to townships, such as material and labor shortages, supply chain logistics, and availability of qualified bidders. This thought-provoking session will review core requirements of bidding, procurement best practices, and introduce several “forward-thinking” ideas that produce real results for successfully managing bids in today’s changing environment. |
| Administration | Solar Power Purchasing Agreements: Reduce Electricity Costs | With escalating electricity costs, accelerating climate change impacts, and rising concern about both, the necessity to investigate energy alternatives is vital. This workshop provides an example of a 15-member intergovernmental working group investigating and pursuing an aggregated solar power purchase agreement. This workshop will present background, goals, data, processes, and lessons learned from a project underway in Pennsylvania’s Centre Region and Centre County. |
| Administration | Police Negotiations in the Current Economy | The current economic environment presents unique challenges for public employers negotiating collective bargaining agreements with their public safety unions. This session is designed to not only explore these challenges but also provide practical insight and strategy to address them in the context of negotiations. Participants will learn how to identify and respond to the strategies employed by public safety unions and keep their municipality in the driver’s seat in negotiations. |
| Administration | How to Handle the Injured Public Employee | Too many times, public employers resign themselves to being spectators when an employee is injured, needlessly exposing themselves to additional short- and long-term liability, which can either be avoided or possibly minimized. This session is designed to give public employers the information they need to make smart and informed financial decisions concerning injured employees. |
| Administration | Successfully Navigating the Succession Transition | In this workshop, Albert Ciuksza, Solutions 21 Vice President of Growth and Development, will discuss the post-pandemic challenges of generational leadership given the majority-Millennial workforce and the number of individuals reporting to a younger boss. He will discuss career growth and succession issues that impact high-potential employees and retiring leaders alike, including the human reasons driving this generational handoff. |
| Administration | The Year in Review: Labor and Employment Potpourri | This workshop will review the latest municipal labor and employment developments, including Act 195 and Act 111 negotiation, social media, harassment, health care, unfair labor practices, management rights, and more. Time will be provided for questions and answers. |
| Administration | Inflation, Recession & COVID Hangovers: Trends in Bargaining | With inflation reaching levels not seen in 40 years, unions have not been shy in making unreasonable wage and benefit demands and claiming that these demands can be paid with American Recovery Act funds. This workshop will discuss how to respond to the union’s demands, essential employer bargaining, and Act 111 issues. It will also review trends in bargaining and interest arbitration involving wage increases, health care, pensions, and other critical issues. |
| Administration | Disciplinary Interviews: How to Get to the Truth | This workshop will review the most effective strategies for getting to the truth when investigating misconduct, such as potential misuse of social media. The discussion will include how to obtain evidence of misconduct and rule out defenses through proper investigative techniques, while complying with due process requirements. |
| Administration | Creative Strategies for Funding Township Projects | After pandemic relief funds are spent, townships will be looking for fiscally responsible ways to pay for projects. Aside from traditional financing, state and federal moneys are available to fund certain projects in the form of grants and low-interest loans. In this workshop, learn how grants and other state funding programs can help finance all or a portion of your projects and can be combined with other financing methods to mitigate the impact of the current high interest rate environment. |
| Administration | Grant Writing and Process | This workshop will provide an overview of the grant writing process to include grant writing, cost estimate preparation with inflation, permitting, right-of-way acquisition, utilities, and the federal consultant selection process using PennDOT Publication 93, Policy and Procedures for the Administration of Consultant Agreements, and Publication 9, PennDOT Liquid Fuels Policy and Procedures. |
| Administration | QuickBooks Roundtable | This session will allow township secretary-treasurers who use QuickBooks but can't make the Sunday class to gather and talk about their issues and concerns. There will be a live demo of a QuickBooks file to provide examples of the Chart of Accounts, different funds (companies), transfers between funds, payroll questions, and more. |
| Administration | The Compensation Climate | This workshop will focus on the evolving practices in municipal government involving how employees are paid. The session will explore alternative workforce systems and how municipalities across the commonwealth are adjusting and adapting to economic changes post-2020. |
| Administration | How Ya Doin'? A Yearly Municipal Employer Checkup | This workshop will walk employers through an overview on how to set up and implement an annual pulse check to ensure their respective municipality is functioning at its best. The session will cover, among other things, regulations and statutes to be aware of, audits, job descriptions, reviews, electronic records, and workforce sustainability and include a question-and-answer period. |
| Administration | The Municipal Administrator: Surviving and Thriving! | This workshop is designed to help new and existing municipal employees navigate the complex world of administration in municipal government by providing helpful tips, contacts, and guidelines to help stay calm and on track. It will review municipal reports, liquid fuels, quarterly reports, new employee orientation, and building a municipal team while interacting with other functional departments. Customer service and self-care will also be covered. |
| Administration | Understanding Real Estate Tax Collection in PA | This workshop will provide an overview of the responsibility and liability of real estate tax collection in Pennsylvania. Topics covered will include setting compensation, filling tax collector vacancies, auditing tax collectors, the responsibilities of the tax collector, and legislative updates to the Local Tax Collection Act. |
| Administration | 20 Secrets of the Second Class Township Code (& Other Laws) | This workshop will be an engaging and lively discussion about 20 little-known laws and regulations that can affect your role as township officials. Some of the laws, when used properly, can help officials become more efficient and effective leaders, and others can help officials stay out of trouble! The session will allow plenty of time for questions and answers. |
| Administration | Marketing Your Township | This workshop will explore the many ways to market your township to boost tourism, attract quality residents and businesses, and promote a healthy and thriving community. Presenters will discuss numerous aspects from proper web presence to the use of video and social platforms and review many options for making progress with any budget. |
| Planning/Zoning | Active Transportation: What Does It Mean for Townships? | This workshop will explain how to assess the relevance, importance, and applicability of the principles of active transportation (biking/walking/running/etc.) to typical township infrastructure policy, planning, construction, and maintenance. Rather than focusing on the easy talking points, the presentation will delve into the concerns that township managers, roadmasters, and elected officials must contend with, like paving durability, road salt budgets, and staffing outlays. |
| Planning/Zoning | Pre-Disaster Local Capability Identification to Aid Recovery | This workshop will use the Capability Assessment requirement within the hazard mitigation plan development process to review, identify, and establish existing or desired local risk reduction capabilities. This assessment can expedite the use and implementation of state and federal post-disaster mitigation responsibilities and resources. |
| Planning/Zoning | Utility-Scale Solar: Current Trends, Future Ordinances | This session will highlight case studies of Pennsylvania solar ordinances deployed in the past 18 months. It will explore the siting of utility-scale solar, how a municipality can stay in front of the discussion, and tools municipalities can use to guide solar development while lessening land use impacts, such as the new Solar Guide for Municipal Officials. It will also review options for solar ordinances, particularly those impacting diminishing amounts of open space, such as prime farmland. |
| Planning/Zoning | Signs, Signs, Everywhere a Sign | This workshop will explore the current regulatory environment for sign regulations. Whether they are political signs, election signs, or large-scale billboards, the focus will be on the evolution of sign regulations under the MPC, Pa. Constitution, and First Amendment for each sign type. The goal is to give participants a working knowledge of these regulations, including the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in City of Austin v. Reagan Nat'l Adver. of Austin. |
| Planning/Zoning | The Implementable Comprehensive Plan, Top to Bottom | This workshop will give participants a thorough overview of the implementable comprehensive plan. Topics will include: • What is an implementable comprehensive plan, and how does it differ from a traditional comprehensive plan? • Why should my municipality, or municipalities, choose an implementable comprehensive plan? • What are some examples/success stories for implementable comprehensive plans? • What resources are available for funding implementable comprehensive plans? |
| Planning/Zoning | Managing Open Spaces: Guidelines for Success | As the use of natural landscapes has become more common, so have the issues associated with improvements and long-term maintenance of open spaces. This workshop will discuss how a municipality is using guidelines to help streamline the transition, from permitting to implementation to maintenance, to ensure long-term success of natural areas in increasingly urbanized areas. |
| Planning/Zoning | Effective Enforcement of Code and Zoning Violations | This workshop will review the standards and processes for the effective enforcement of township code and zoning violations. Township officials will leave this presentation with a working knowledge of the specific requirements that must be contained in code and zoning notices, effective tools for crafting enforceable notices, and detailed information on the appeals process and the related court enforcement for fines and penalties and legal fees. |
| Planning/Zoning | The ABC's of Processing a Sewage Planning Module. | Sewage Planning Modules are stress-free when you understand the simple steps of the process. This workshop will guide you through when they are needed, explain the components, and then give you step-by-step flow charts to easily process this paperwork through submission to the state Department of Environmental Protection. |
| Planning/Zoning | The Municipal Guide to Land Development | In this workshop, participants will learn the steps to process a subdivision or land development application in accordance with the Municipalities Planning Code. The session will take a comprehensive look at the types of applications, the roles of various outside agencies and township commissions and boards, the rules that guide the process, and the records that must be kept. |
| Planning/Zoning | Land Use & Zoning Law Update | The workshop will provide a summary of current land use law in Pennsylvania, including recent court decisions from 2022 through early 2023. The workshop will focus on the practical impacts of new statutes and court decisions on municipalities and planners. Interesting news stories related to land use and zoning issues may be discussed. Question and answer time will be provided to allow participants to inquire about issues not specifically addressed. |
| Planning/Zoning | Fighting the Blight: Turning a Liability into an Asset | In this workshop, participants will learn steps to take to mitigate neighborhood blight, both industrial and residential, and minimize environmental impact on the surrounding area. Cost and safety concerns prevent removal of blighted properties, only increasing the difficulties vacant and abandoned structures can cause a community. Once properties are identified, learn how to address the blight from demo to clean up, including focusing on environmental impact and identifying funding support. |
| Planning/Zoning | Roads? Where We're Going We Don't Need Roads! | This workshop is designed to give participants a better understanding of the terminology, timing, and process for laying out, opening, vacating, and dedicating roads in a township of the second class. It will cover how a township takes dedication of a road, whether intentionally or unintentionally, road-related legal issues to consider, and best practices to save the township time and money when vacating or accepting dedication of roads. |
| Planning/Zoning | Short-Term Rental Update | The polarizing land use of short-term rentals is here to stay, especially in this housing market. This workshop will address the current status of short-term rentals, including a recent decision issued by the Third Circuit in Nekrilov v. City of Jersey, and give municipalities ways to manage the prolific rentals. |
| Planning/Zoning | Mock Conditional Use Hearing: The Do's and Don’ts | Conducting a conditional use hearing requires a substantial amount of time and effort, although there are some aspects of a conditional use hearing that you cannot prepare for. This workshop will be presented as a mock conditional use hearing and will explain 1) how to run an efficient hearing, 2) parties to a hearing and public comment, 3) conditional use case law, and 4) expert testimony, among other matters. |
| Planning/Zoning | Free Transportation GIS Tool: PennDOT One Map | PennDOT One Map provides a free mapping platform with readily available spatial information for both state and municipal transportation assets as well as PennDOT planned projects. This workshop will explain some of the features of One Map I, what it can be used for (transportation planning, land use planning, and asset inventory), how to navigate it, and examples of final products that municipalities can create with One Map. |
| Planning/Zoning | Act 209 in Plain Speak | A developer wants to build new homes in your township, and you're looking for money to upgrade a traffic signal a mile down the road that will be impacted by this new development. State law (Act 209) authorizes townships to require developers to pay a fee for "off-site" road and traffic improvements like this. Want to learn more, but without the technical talk that only engineers understand? This workshop explains the steps to create a traffic impact fee in a way "regular" folk will understand. |
| Planning/Zoning | Zoning Rehab: When Codes Need an Intervention | This workshop will discuss how to make dated, difficult-to-access, and confusing zoning regulations easier to access, understand, and administer. The session will explore the evolution of expectations for development and municipal transparency, how new technologies and user-centered design principles can redefine standard zoning practice, and how local land use regulations serve the community-at-large best when the township prioritizes improving access, format, and alignment of codes. |
| Public Safety | Emergency Preparedness: Public-Private Sector Interface | This high-speed, low-drag presentation addresses significant events that could happen in your community. This workshop is designed to get participants thinking about potential hazards they may face in their municipalities and what their response capabilities might be. The session uses four significantly disastrous, local case studies as examples. Part of the discussion will review what resources are available to mitigate situations like these from both the public and private sector. |
| Public Safety | EMS Update | Since the COVID pandemic, EMS and other public safety entities have been struggling. The 2021-2022 legislative session saw several legislative wins for EMS, but there is still much to be done. This workshop will outline the successes from 2021-2022 and what is still needed to move EMS into this century. |
| Public Safety | Bedrooms and Barns: Rural/Suburban Community Risk Assessment | A community risk assessment is at the foundation of building a safer township, and it need not be over-complicated. The purpose is to identify risks and establish the priority in which each risk will be addressed. The 5 E’s of Community Risk Reduction outlines best practices for the prevention and mitigation of risk in a township. This workshop will apply these best practices to risks commonly faced in rural/suburban townships. |
| Public Safety | Your Township's Role in Sustaining Your Volunteer Fire Dept. | Whether your municipality takes a hands-off or highly engaged approach to providing fire protection and emergency services to your community, local government is ultimately responsible for supporting and helping your volunteer fire department survive and thrive. This workshop will outline some of the forces converging on today's volunteers and offer solutions for the community and its first responders to move forward together toward adequate and affordable public safety. |
| Public Safety | Electric and Autonomous Vehicles Update | In this workshop, learn from DEP and PennDOT about electric vehicles, including current initiatives, rebates for charging stations and purchasing vehicles, and other funding and credits. Attendees will also hear the most recent information about autonomous vehicles (AVs) from around the country and Act 130 of 2022, which allows expanded testing for AVs. Learn about PennDOT resources and strategic plan, the impact on emergency responders, and other initiatives, such as personal delivery devices. |
| Public Safety | First Net Priority: Keeping Public Safety Connected | This workshop will provide education on FirstNet for public safety representatives and share updates on the positive impact FirstNet is having on public safety. The presentation will include examples of use cases from planned and emergent events where FirstNet Priority and/or FirstNet Communications on Demand have served public safety. There will also be a Push-to-Talk update and demonstration. |
| Public Safety | VFC Recruiting/Retention and Communication: Today and Beyond | Recruitment and retention for emergency services, and communications with those groups, is different today. This presentation will give public administrators and fire department officials/members information to address sustaining fire and emergency services today and into the future as well as focus on positive relationships that are essential to services. A variety of topics will be discussed, including communications, collaboration, common practices, and a simplified business plan. |
| Public Safety | Best Practices in Police Department Management | This course provides municipal police officials with practical knowledge and sample policies that are necessary to operate a lawful and efficient police department. The goal is to arm the attendees with practical guidance on how to conduct a meaningful assessment of their departments to ensure compliance with federal and state law. Topics include the roles of local elected officials, managers, and chiefs of police and how to investigate and document claims of police misconduct and neglect. |
| Public Safety | Applying for Federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Assistance | In this workshop, PA Emergency Management Agency and Federal Emergency Management Agency speakers will discuss the groundwork and application process needed to successfully obtain federal Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) grants, including Building Resilient Infrastructure and Community (BRIC) Grants and Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grants. The session will also discuss the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). |
| Public Safety | Using Drones for Emergency Management | Unmanned aerial systems (UAS), better known as drones, are becoming a large part of public safety operations. As this trend continues, township officials and emergency managers need to understand the capabilities and strategies for UAS use for emergencies. This presentation will provide the information needed when considering deployment of a new UAS program. |
| Public Safety | 2023 Update: Latest in Policing and Police Dept. Management | This workshop will tell public officials what they need to know about what's changed, what's new, and what's coming in policing to team effectively with their police chief and provide for public safety in their community. Ever wonder what police professionals are talking about at their conferences, training sessions, and police chief association meetings? We have the "inside baseball," plus the legal updates and latest management issues to keep officials on top of this year's hot-button issues. |
| Public Safety | Demystifying Addressing Dilemmas | Has an addressing situation ever left you stumped? Let's talk about it! Addressing coordinators have the thankless task of ensuring addresses are assigned in a logical manner, but sometimes that requires out-of-the-box thinking. In this workshop, find out the best tips and tricks for successful address assignments. Presenters will share some of their own encounters with difficult addressing issues, and participants are encouraged to bring their own examples. |
| Public Safety | Public Safety Collaboration with Your Local School District | This workshop will provide real-life guidance on the benefit of first responders having an open dialogue with the local school district as a partner in township emergency management. Open communication is critical during an emergency, and this session presents practical examples used during drills and meetings. Presenters will share a reunification plan that they developed and practiced to unite students with their parents after a school evacuation due to an emergency. |
| Public Works | GRS-IBS Bridge Specification Update | This workshop will give attendees details on the most recent update of the specifications for GRS-IBS Bridge construction. Since its introduction in 2011, GRS-IBS bridge technology has been restricted to a limited number of locations. The most recent update will enable the technology to be implemented at more critical bridge sites. This will enable municipalities to benefit from the economy, ease of construction, and time to construct a structure by using this proven technology. |
| Public Works | Understanding Your Community’s Stormwater Obligations | This workshop, designed for newly elected township officials, will cover the basics of municipal stormwater management, including the causes and impacts of frequent flooding and possible solutions for your community. Topics covered will be helpful to communities with and without municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s). Don't worry if you don't know what an MS4 is ... you will by the time you leave! |
| Public Works | Floodplain & Drainage: What a Public Official Needs to Know | Drainage issues are complex and can be difficult to fix. Areas that are prone to consistent pooling and flooding aren’t necessarily located in a floodplain; often it is a result of insufficient drainage design in low-lying areas. This workshop will teach participants about the factors that contribute to problematic drainage issues in their communities and give them the knowledge to make smart decisions for their community. |
| Public Works | Water Problems? Need Financing? | This workshop will explain PENNVEST program financing for wastewater, drinking water, stormwater, and non-point source projects with a focus on additional funding provided by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. |
| Public Works | Getting Started with Asset Management and Capital Planning | Asset management can help you extend the life cycle of your infrastructure, identify the best places to invest limited funds, and attract grant funding. But how do you get started? What information do you need to collect, and how do you store it? How do you coordinate data across different departments? Can you start small and scale the system over time? Find out the answers from a public works director who is currently implementing asset management for his road, storm, and sewer systems. |
| Public Works | Managing Aging Infrastructure | This workshop will offer several case studies, from initial client contact through project implementation, to explore the value of proper planning and the cost implications associated with aging infrastructure. Routine planning, asset management, grant application/funding preparedness, and community outreach are a few of the strategies this session will cover. |
| Public Works | How Do We Get to Net Zero? | This workshop explores the complex effort to achieve net zero emissions. Weaving through the complexities to establish a science-based, carbon reduction roadmap is a journey. As the transition to net zero gathers pace, the need to assess and manage these emission sources is becoming more important. World Kinect presenters will explain how the company is driving the solutions and implementation and help townships develop a plan to get to net zero. |
| Public Works | Active Transportation for Rural Residential Roads | This workshop will explore the encouragement of active transportation concepts for low-volume, rural residential roads. These roads often have limited pavement and right-of-way width but are often the only resource for residents to walk or bike. Some of these roads also provide vital links between trails/paths to key destinations and other trails. This session will present relevant examples from around Pennsylvania and explore PennDOT and FHWA guidance for solutions. |
| Public Works | Wrench to Wallet | Investing strategically in infrastructure can be a far-off dream. Townships lack tools to understand the overall conditions of their assets, how much funding is needed to maintain them, and when it is most cost-effective to replace them. As a result, townships are constantly overpaying to maintain infrastructure or, worse yet, risking failing assets. In this workshop, learn about a tool that tracks asset condition, maintenance, and costs and how to invest in your riskiest assets. |
| Public Works | MS4 Outfall Monitoring with Penn State Extension Volunteers | MS4 permittees are required to conduct annual dry weather screenings of stormwater outfalls. Penn State Extension has developed a volunteer program to help communities perform this inspection task so staff and consultants don’t need to. This presentation will outline DEP's outfall inspection requirements, describe Penn State Extension’s volunteer outfall inspection program, and highlight case studies showing how volunteers are helping communities with their IDDE permit requirements. |
| Public Works | Pavement Preservation to Prolong Service Life | This workshop will explain how to leverage several web tools for understanding the advantages of pavement preservation treatments. A panel of Pa. Association of Asphalt Material Applicators (PAAMA) members will present technical information, best practices, and tips to use preservation treatments on the right roads at the right time to prolong service life. |
| Public Works | PennDOT Traffic Calming Policy Update | Traffic calming measures, such as curb bulb outs and speed humps, are used by municipalities throughout the state to manage vehicle speeds on roads without limiting access. In 2001, PennDOT issued Pub. 383, Pennsylvania’s Traffic Calming Handbook, which has been widely used by both municipalities and PennDOT. In 2023, PennDOT will publish an update to this guide as a new chapter for Pub. 13M, Design Manual Part 2. This workshop will provide an overview of this new guidance and include Q&As. |
| Public Works | MS4 Pollutant Control Measures | This workshop will explain the next requirement for many MS4 communities: addressing pollutant control measures for their discharges to surface waters impaired by acid mine drainage, pathogens, and priority organic compounds (i.e., PCBs). The first phase of these requirements was to map storm sewer sheds associated with these discharges. Now, MS4s must identify potential sources of pollutants. Attend this session to ensure your community is prepared for this and each subsequent phase. |
| Public Works | The Do’s and Don’ts of Stream Maintenance | With seemingly more frequent, severe storm events occurring, public works departments are busy with culvert and bridge repairs and replacements and stream maintenance activities, which may be regulated by the state or federal government. This session will answer questions about what types of maintenance activities are allowed in streams, when to seek engineering assistance, and when a permit may be required. |
| Public Works | Broadband in Your Community | This workshop will present an update and overview of programs to bring broadband to every corner of the state. The session will encourage discussion and questions from participants. |
| Public Works | Back to Basics: PennDOT’s Posted and Bonded Roads Program | This presentation will be a refresher on how PennDOT handles posted roads and what municipalities can do to adapt these procedures to their own operations. Posting and bonding fragile roads protects them from damage by overweight hauling, relieves stress on public resources, and keeps drivers safe. PennDOT presenter Halley Cole will discuss how to post a road, roadway hauling permit types, vehicle exemptions, weather-related restrictions, and PennDOT policy updates. |
| Public Works | Recycling in PA: Successes, Challenges and the Future | Since 1988, recycling has had significant environmental, social, and economic impacts. This session will focus on the the last five years: What have been the benefits, the challenges (China’s National Sword policy, COVID pandemic, etc.), and what future initiatives/opportunities may mean for townships and all communities. Recent studies of waste composition and material recycling facilities (MRFs) will be discussed to help guide near-term and long-range decision making. |
| Public Works | PennDOT Lane Reservation System for Local Roads | This workshop will inform participants about PennDOT’s Lane Reservation System (LRS), which is a central system for scheduling and managing lane closures on PennDOT’s Core Roadway Network and which allows contractors and crews to easily share work zone conditions with PennDOT Traffic Management Centers (TMC). Changes initiated in the field through a mobile app will be reflected in LRS TMC operation software and will assist TMC staff in monitoring and tracking activities. |
| Public Works | Slip-Sliding Away | This workshop will give participants an understanding and overview of geohazard problems commonly found in regions of Pennsylvania, actual mitigation solutions provided to townships across the state, and how townships can mitigate their geohazards to provide better and safer transportation and infrastructure facilities for commerce and residents. Topics and types of projects include impacts and remediation of landslides, rockfall, and sinkholes, illustrated by recent case histories. |
| Public Works | Establishing a Pavement Management System for Local Agencies | This workshop will describe the various data collection methods and pavement condition evaluation techniques used for establishing a pavement management system and how it can benefit local agencies. It will also describe the basic principles of a pavement management system and how it can be used to develop annual or multi-year capital improvement plans. |
