Advisory Council Sees Changes

Several new members have been named to the UGPTI Advisory Council. Tom Balzer, is managing director of the ND Motor Carriers Association. Balzer replaces LeRoy Ernst who retired from the ND Motor Carriers Association. Balzer was previously the recreation division manager of the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department.

Sandy Clark represents the ND Farm Bureau. She is public policy director for that organization, focusing on public finance and education, transportation, food labeling, food quality, food safety, national grasslands and rural development. She replaces John Mittleider.

Jay Elkin represents the ND Grain Growers Association. He is in his second term as vice president of that organization and farms near Taylor. He also serves on the domestic policy committee of the National Association of Wheat Growers. Elkin replaced Greg Nelson on the advisory council.

Neal Fisher is administrator of the ND Wheat Commission. His background is detailed in the Advisory Council Profile on page 7. He replaces Judge Barth.

Francis Ziegler is the director of the ND Department of Transportation. He earned his B.S. degree in civil engineering from NDSU in 1970 and has worked for the Department of Transportation since then. Ziegler has served in a number of capacities, including director of the Office of Project Development, west region engineer, assistant chief engineer (operations), construction engineer, and project and Advisory Council Sees Changes resident engineer. He is a professional engineer with a background in field construction, statewide operations (construction and maintenance), planning and programming of projects, budget, environmental document preparation, and plan development. Ziegler replaced Dave Sprynczynatyk who was named adjutant general of the North Dakota National Guard in August.

Additional changes possible. At this writing, the North Dakota Legislature is considering additional changes to the make-up of the UGPTI Advisory Council. At the request of the UGPTI and the council, the Legislature is considering adding two representatives; one each from the North Dakota League of Cities and the North Dakota Association of Counties.

"Counties and cities spend a significant portion of their budget on developing, planning and maintaining our rural transportation infrastructure," notes UGPTI director Gene Griffin. "Adding this representation will assure that our programs continue to address the challenges and opportunities faced by the rural areas and small communities of our region."

In addition to the two recommended additions, the North Dakota House Transportation Committee also added a representative from the Lignite Energy Council. The full House passed the legislation and it is now waiting for action by the Senate. The Dakota Transit Association has also asked to have representation because no other agency directly represents transit on the board.

UGPTI Assumes National and State LTAP Duties

The Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) funded by the Federal Highway Administration provides technical training and assistance to cities, counties, states, townships, tribal organizations and other agencies. The UGPTI is expanding to become involved at both the local and national levels.

Last fall, the UGPTI and the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), based in Washington, D.C., were awarded a contract to operate the national LTAP Clearinghouse. The Clearinghouse serves as a repository and source of training and technical material for the 51 LTAP centers and seven Tribal Technical Assistance (TTAP) centers across the country.

As a subcontractor to ARTBA, the UGPTI is primarily responsible for improving and upgrading the Clearinghouse's website. UGPTI communications coordinator Tom Jirik and UGPTI web manager Patrick Nichols are working with ARTBA and FHWA staff to identify priorities and develop a strategy for improving services offered via the Web.

Julie Rodriguez, director of UGPTI's Transportation Learning Network and Gary Berreth, director of the North Dakota LTAP, will work with the program to develop innovative training and outreach strategies.

At the local level, the UGPTI took over management of the North Dakota LTAP Center. The center was previously managed by the NDSU Civil Engineering Department. The center was moved to Bismarck because of a desire to have the program located close to and affiliated more closely with the NDDOT.

Berreth will continue to be involved in activities of the Transportation Learning Network, the Rural Transportation Safety and Security Center and will serve as director for the ND LTAP. Dave Levi, recently retired from the NDDOT is program manager. Denise Brown was hired as the office administrator.

"There are some real opportunities for synergy," Berreth notes. "Our involvement in the Clearinghouse will give us national perspective and expose us to a broad variety of technical training and outreach programs. We'll be able to put the experience to use almost immediately at the local level in North Dakota and regionally through the Transportation Learning Network and other programs."

"Conversely, our close working relationship with the NDDOT and other local agencies, our previous involvement in applied training and outreach programs, and depth of experience in transportation research will allow us to make contributions to these programs that will benefit transportation professionals across the country."