Linda Aitken (standing), Mn/DOT’s tribal liaison, observes as representatives from Mn/DOT, the FHWA and tribal governments sign the historic "Government to Government Transportation Accord" in Hinckley on April 1. Photo by Craig Wilkins

Pledging mutual support and cooperation in future endeavors, officials from Mn/DOT, the Federal Highway Administration and seven Minnesota American Indian tribes signed an historic agreement April 1 to share resources, energy and commitment for meeting the state’s growing transportation needs.

The parties signed the agreement during the first "Tribes and Transportation Summit" held in Minnesota. The summit was designed to improve working relationships and engender mutual respect for the roles and responsibilities of federal, state and tribal governments.

The agreement, the "Government to Government Transportation Accord," calls on its signers to advance their mutual goals, create a practical framework for partnerships, and respect the governmental integrity and the cultures and values of each party to the accord.

Gov. Jesse Ventura honored the signing of the agreement by issuing a proclamation marking April 1, 2002, as "Tribes and Transportation Day" in Minnesota.

The three-day conference at the Grand Casino in Hinckley drew more than 100 participants.

Common transportation heritage

Opening the conference, Bobby Whitefeather, chairman of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa, reminded participants of their common interests and heritage, citing the earliest forms of transportation in Minnesota when the first settlers used canoes and toboggans for hunting, traveling and fishing, and runners to carry messages to outlying settlements.

"If you fly low over the Big Bog of northwestern Minnesota," he said, "you can still see the trails the runners made."

During the event, participants stressed the importance of acknowledging differences, protecting the natural environment, showing respect for each government’s sovereignty and legitimacy and listening thoughtfully to create the basis for lasting cooperative efforts.

The conference enabled representatives from the tribes, Mn/DOT, the FHWA, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and other agencies to explore ways to coordinate their involvement with transportation projects on or near tribal lands in Minnesota.

Panels and workshops at the conference explored topics such as preserving cultural resources, acquiring right of way in Indian-owned lands, focusing on Indian employment issues and strengthening the economic health of all the state’s communities by improving highways, bridges, transit and other transportation modes.

Curt Eastlund, District 3 pre-design engineer, and Elisse Aune, historic preservation officer with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, meet informally during the conference to discuss cultural preservation issues. Photo by Craig Wilkins

Landmark relationship

Melanie Benjamin, chief executive of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, said the conference and signing of the agreement mark an important landmark in the relationship between the tribes and state and federal governments.

"It’s crucial for us to sit down and establish partnerships that benefit all of our communities because they are all so inter-related," Benjamin said. "The conference and the agreement will promote understanding, help us hold each other accountable and make life better for all of our constituents."

Other conference participants echoed Benjamin’s thoughts, including Alan Steger, administrator for the Minnesota Division of the FHWA.

"State and federal highways don’t stop at tribal borders," he said. "The agreement demonstrates a commitment by the FHWA, Mn/DOT and the tribal governments to foster increased cooperation on transportation projects."

Steve Voss, District 3 planning director, said the conference will expand efforts already under way in the district. He said, for example, that both reservations in District 3 hold voting positions in the Area Transportation Partnership and that the BIA holds a non-voting membership.

"The conference presents an opportunity to bring issues to the table and improve our working relationships at the planning level."

Voss’s colleague, pre-design engineer Curt Eastlund, said the meeting will help improve relationships with the tribes when the district is involved in challenging projects such as rebuilding Hwy 169 near Lake Mille Lacs.

‘Do it right’

After reading the governor’s proclamation, Commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg said the words in the agreement are important, but the accord’s true value will be shown by how the signatories achieve its goals.

Echoing Tinklenberg’s remarks, Whitefeather spoke at length in Ojibwe and then said: "That was a quote from my grandfather. It means, ‘Don’t do it just any old way—do it right.’"

By Craig Wilkins

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The Senior Management Team gave the go-ahead March 26 to implement several changes in the Office of Maintenance, including eventually eliminating Mn/DOT’s sign shop function.

In a memo sent to his employees April 1, Mark Wikelius, Maintenance director, stressed that, despite the significant changes in some areas, the goal is to keep everyone employed.

"We need valuable employees, and we don’t want to lose our skill base," he said. "We will attempt to realign our staff and financial resources to best provide the services our customers deserve."

SMT’s actions are based on recommendations coming from the department’s Shaping Our Future effort, which is closely examining Mn/DOT’s business functions to ensure alignment with the new distributed products and services model.

After reviewing recommendations from the Program Delivery and Program Support groups, SMT made the following decisions concerning the Office of Maintenance:

• Sign shop—The fabrication of signs will be transitioned to outside vendors. While signs are necessary for the transportation industry, fabricating signs is not part of Mn/DOT’s core business.

• Signal/ lighting/ freeway management systems maintenance—These functions will be distributed to the Metro Division, districts or regionally.

• Gopher State One Call—Mn/DOT will continue to have centralized contact with Gopher State One Call and coordinate activities to locate electrical utilities in the field. Field-locate responsibilities are presently distributed to districts and will be distributed to the Metro Division.

• Equipment fabrication—The planned pilot program for building plow trucks will continue with evaluation of quality, cost comparison and production times.

• Facilities design—No changes were made to the organization in this area; however, the roles and responsibilities in the decision-making process will be clarified.

• Facilities construction management—No changes were made to the organization in this area; however, the roles and responsibilities in the decision-making process will be clarified.

• Striping—This function will remain centralized.

• Signal cabinet modification—This function will remain centralized.

• Equipment purchasing—This function will remain centralized.

• Fleet maintenance for Central Office equipment—Decisions were deferred until SMT’s April 9 meeting in order to gather more information.

• Motor pool—Decisions were deferred until SMT’s April 9 meeting in order to gather more information.

Over the next couple of weeks, an Office of Maintenance team will draft a transition plan and forward it to the Program Delivery team coordinating the transition implementation efforts.

Wikelius said that training, orientation or guidance will be provided to help employees feel comfortable in their new positions. He and Dick Stehr, who is leading the review of several Mn/DOT offices, have scheduled a number of meetings over the next few days to talk with Maintenance employees directly affected by SMT’s decisions. Wikelius also encouraged Maintenance employees to contact him via GroupWise with their comments and concerns.

Other offices undergoing internal review as part of the Shaping Our Future effort include Administrative Services, Bridges & Structures, Communications & Public Relations, Consultant Services/ Contract Management, Electronic Communications, Materials & Road Research, Research Services and Traffic Engineering.

Click here for more information about Shaping Our Future. Send questions to change@dot.state.mn.us or to Change, Mail Stop 150. See also Mn/DOT Newsline for previous articles relating to Shaping Our Future.

By Daneeka Marshall-Oquendo and Sonia Pitt

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Dwayne Stenlund (left), plant ecologist and soil specialist for Environmental Services, brought his camera along while looking over the Wood Lake Nature Center plantings in September 2000. His tour guides are Tom Moffatt (center) and Scott Ramsay (right), naturalists at Wood Lake Nature Center. Photo by Paul Walvatne

Mn/DOT and the Wood Lake Nature Center earned an award for their efforts to reforest two acres of the center along I-35W in Richfield from the Minnesota Shade Tree Advisory Committee.

The Outstanding Partnership Award recognizes the work of Metro maintenance crews, center staff and volunteers to plant trees, shrubs and grasses done as a part of installing a noise wall the center requested.

The three-year project involved a landscape design Environmental Services did, support from Metro Division Maintenance and the city of Richfield, and the efforts of the center’s staff to coordinate the program.

Mn/DOT also funded much of the project’s cost to purchase trees and other plants, wood chips, tree shelters, fertilizer and topsoil.

The award cites achieving the project’s goals, which include creating a viable upland forest, controlling erosion by planting and seeding native trees, shrubs and grasses, increasing plant diversity and improving habitat for wildlife. The project also enhanced environmental education, partly through involving more than 200 volunteers in its creation.

Paul Walvatne, forester, Environmental Services, designed the project; Bob Wryk, Metro Division maintenance superintendent, led maintenance support work for the effort.

They will accept the award for Mn/DOT during ceremonies in St. Paul on March 28.

By Craig Wilkins

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George Welk, assistant district engineer for operations at Windom, received the 2001 outstanding public servant award at a recent Intelligent Transportation Society Conference.

George Welk, assistant district engineer for operations at Windom, received the 2001 outstanding public servant award at a recent Intelligent Transportation Society Conference.

Welk was honored for his efforts to increase safety for travelers in southern Minnesota by implementing intelligent transportation system technologies along I-90. ITS Minnesota presented Welk with the award.

Welk has been a strong supporter of the advancement of intelligent transportation systems in Minnesota and promoted the use of technology to improve traveler safety. He aggressively pursued this vision by helping others implement components along I-90 including: variable message signs for traveler information; freeway closing systems at interchanges to prevent motorists from venturing into unsafe winter driving conditions; bridge anti-icing systems to reduce accidents; and integrating these components into a system that will likely set the standard for interstate operations in Minnesota as well as the nation.

A long-time employee of Mn/DOT, Welk has been the District 7 operations engineer since 1990. Welk is responsible for the maintenance and field construction work on state and federal highways in seven counties in southwestern Minnesota.

By Rebecca Arndt

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Marv Sohlo, Traffic Engineering, designed this logo, which will adorn T-shirts and other promotional materials for B-BOP Day on May 16.

B-BOP (Bike Bus or Pool) Day on May 16 will include organized bike rides in several locations statewide as well as events at the Capitol and in downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul to promote using alternatives to driving alone when commuting to work or school.

Bike rides will originate from Northfield, Forest Lake and Stillwater. Events will include promotional rallies to encourage the use of transit, carpools, bikes and walking.

A new logo designed by Marv Sohlo, Traffic Engineering, will adorn T-shirts and other promotional materials for B-BOP Day. For his creativity, Sohlo will receive a B-BOP T-shirt and three months’ worth of bus passes, notes Jarvis Keys, Transit.

To stay current with B-BOP Day events in the Twin Cities and in Greater Minnesota, visit its Web site at www.b-bop.org.

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Minnesota Public Radio begins a weeklong focus on statewide transportation issues on Monday, April 8. Broadcasts will air on MPR’s news stations, including KNOW-FM (91.1) in the Twin Cities.

Series editor Mike Mulcahy said the programs will address issues such as congestion, transportation policy and legislative proposals related to transportation.

On Thursday, April 11, MPR, the Center for Transportation Studies and the Minnesota Historical Society will conduct an invitation-only seminar on the future of the state’s transportation system.

MPR welcomes comments on the state’s transportation system. Just go to www.mpr.org and click on the "Soapbox" feature.

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