Sedalia Maintenance Crew Preps for the State Fair

Every August, thousands of people head to Sedalia for the Missouri State Fair. And before all the fun can begin, the Sedalia Maintenance crew spends weeks getting the fairgrounds and the area highways ready.

“Our MoDOT Sedalia Maintenance crew is lot like the Disney workers in a way, they work behind the scenes to get the show ready to go before anyone even arrives, and they keep things running smoothly,” says KC Assistant District Engineer Susan Barry. “It’s a lot of hard, thankless work, but with thousands of people coming through this area in just a few shorts days, it makes a huge difference – and we really appreciate it!”

One of the main tasks for the crew is getting the Highway Gardens ready for visitors. The Gardens are popular for their beautiful and shaded grounds. Each year crews have to move, clean and place approximately 200 chairs and more than 26 picnic tables, some of which weigh close to 400 pounds.  They set up the unique rock water fountain as well as rake leaves, sticks and place mulch throughout the Gardens. They also power wash the sidewalks, hang the large flower baskets, put up signs around the building and set out the trash cans. As a courtesy to our partners, they also prep the Otto Building and clean it for the Missouri State Highway Patrol. And that’s just the Highway Grounds!

Additionally, crews patch Route P and other various locations throughout the fairgrounds as well as sweep the area prior to the fair. For Pettis County crews re-paint stop bars, turn arrows, crosswalks and islands and sweep. They also mow Highway 50 and Highway 65. At their Maintenance building they even clean and empty two bays for the MSHP to use throughout the fair.

And finally, Sedalia crews go a step further for the public to provide and set up message boards to assist travelers in finding the correct entry way onto the fairgrounds and to prevent as much traffic backup as possible.  

Matt Killion Graduates State of Missouri Leadership Academy

Spring graduating class

MoDOT Kansas City Area Engineer Matt Killion recently graduated from the State of Missouri Leadership Academy class (Class of 2019 - Spring).

Matt is the area engineer for Jackson and Cass Counties in the Kansas City District. He is responsible for coordinating all MoDOT activities in the area and works closely with cities, counties and other transportation partners to deliver transportation solutions and improvements. Killion joined the department in 1999, and has held leadership positions in the traffic, construction and materials divisions.

Life Saving CPR And First Aid Classes Come to the District Office

You may not know this, but the person in the cubicle next to you or the coworker on the roadway could one day save your life.

After you thank them, you can also thank the organizers of the CPR/First Aid/AED class held at the District Office on Wednesday, July 10.

30 MoDOT employees took part in the training led by the American Red Cross.

MoDOT’s Safety and Health Manager Eric Ramsey says the class was a big success. “It was one of the most energized and engaged classes of 30 people I have seen. The instructors were outstanding and the MoDOT employees being prepared to be CPR Instructors were excited,” said Ramsey.  

ARC instructors say classes only take a few short hours, and the skills learned can make all the difference to someone in need. “When the heart stops minutes count. After 6 minutes irreversible brain damage occurs and most likely results in death. Intervention within a few minutes makes all the difference,” said Ramsey.

According to the American Heart Association, about 92 percent of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital. But the agency adds statistics show that if more people knew CPR more lives could be saved. 

The CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) portion of the class offered training which consisted of information on body positioning, hand placement and timing of chest compressions.   

The class also focused on the proper use of an AED (Automated External Defibrillator). You may have seen them stationed throughout offices in the KC District.

AEDs are used to help someone who might be experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. The medical device can analyze the heart’s rhythm, and if necessary; deliver an electric shock to help the heart re-establish a rhythm.

 

The third element of the class was instruction on rendering First Aid. Typically, first aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person suffering from either a minor or serious illness or injury. “Basic first aid can help attendees be prepared to provide assistance with strains, sprains, broken bones and bleeding according to Ramsey.

This was a first in a series of classes. Ramsey says those attended were provided with two key components, which are knowledge and confidence.

“We are thrilled to have 30 new employees prepared to make a tremendous difference in MoDOT’s readiness to render aid in a time of critical need,” adds Ramsey.

 

Randy Whyde Presented with High Achiever Award

Senior Facility Operations Specialist Randy Whyde was presented with the High Achiever Award last week.

The award is in recognition for Randy's work that has gone above and beyond on numerous occasions.  

Randy's flexibility and dedication to the needs of internal customers by being on-call for an activated building alarm in the middle of the night or weekend plumbing needs. 

Additionally, his willingness and expertise while assisting external vendors with equipment needs during an on-site event. 

Thanks for all you do, Randy!

Summer Vibes and Saving Lives - Blood Drive Happening Soon at District Office

We are now at that time of the year where the blood supply in the Kansas City community and cities across the country have reached a critical level. 

Every summer blood donations go down because many donors are busy with summer vacations, or with just life in general.

Just to give the situation more perspective, the American Red Cross says blood donations are leaving the shelves faster than they're coming in, which means patients are at risk of delaying life-saving surgeries or treatment.  

Thankfully, you can help!

A blood drive will take place in Room 136 at the District Office on Thursday, July 18 from 7 a.m. until noon. 

How's this for incentive? Organizers of the blood drive will also host a summer BBQ for those who donate.

They'll be cooking cup hot dogs, plus offer other goodies.

And if that wasn't enough, donors will be given one ticket per person to Worlds of Fun.

Donating blood couldn't be more easy. The process takes about 30 minutes or so.

You'll be asked to show your ID. You'll read some information about the process and be asked about your health history. From there you'll donate and then take a few minutes for recovery. 

Blood drives here at MoDOT’s Kansas City District Office are rotated between the Community Blood Center of Greater Kansas City and the American Red Cross. 

To learn more about giving blood, go to savealifenow.org (Community Blood Center of Greater KC) or redcross.org (American Red Cross).

MoDOT Kansas City Hogs Media Attention over Pig Incident

Warning: Some photos in the articles provided are graphic.

On Thursday, July 11, a tractor trailer carrying pig intestines lost its load in downtown Kansas City and effectively closed all lanes of westbound I-670. The load was supposedly headed to a dog food company.


MoDOT Kansas City Maintenance crews were there to quickly and safely shut down the route and detour traffic. 

The department's Emergency Response Operator Christi Gorman was on the scene plowing the mess off the roadway using an emergency response vehicle attached with snow plow blade. 

Together with the fire department and Kansas City Police department, crews cleaned up the mess that shut down the interstate for several hours. The team laid down soap and used fire hoses to help clear off any residue.

A very special thank you goes out to ALL of the people who worked to clean up this very smelly mess on a warm July day. 

With the assistance of real time updates and photos from Emergency Response Supervisor Scott Banes, Senior Communications Specialist Markl Johnson covered the story and the clean up progress on the department's Twitter and Facebook pages. Johnson advised drivers to "find an alternate snout. Sorry, alternate route."

The story, along with Johnson's clever humor and puns, gained national attention. In addition to local news channels, groups like the Associated Press, CNN, and the Washington Post shared the story.

See the Associated Press story here.

See the CNN story here.

See the Washington Post story here.

One tweet alone had over 700 likes and hundreds of re-tweets. You can see the entire Twitter thread here.

That's all folks!

Health Care Premiums and 2020 Pay Increase

Team MoDOT,

It is with great pleasure I get to share some good news with you.  Today the Commission approved the recommendation to not raise medical premiums for 2020. This is the third consecutive year active employees have not seen an increase in premiums.

Offering affordable medical coverage is a team effort. Keeping health care premiums the same as last year is partially possible because you continued to help manage costs by receiving the majority of services from participating providers and using generic drugs when possible. Thank you for continuing these good practices.

The Commission and I are well aware medical premiums are a yearly concern for employees and retirees alike. Keeping the premiums the same is a great benefit for everyone in our medical plan. This action, coupled with the pay adjustments that take effect for salaried employees on Jan. 1, 2020, means most employees will see an increase in their paychecks beginning on Jan. 31 of next year. In fact, all salaried employees will receive at least a 3 percent salary increase.  Here are some additional details on the upcoming pay adjustments:

• MoDOT’s salary grid will be adjusted by 1.1 percent.
• Employees on steps 1 through 8 as of Dec. 31, 2019, will receive a two-step salary increase.  This increase will move this group of employees further within the range and relieve compression towards the entry step of salary grades 1-21.
• Employees on steps 9 through 17 as of Dec. 31, 2019, will receive a one-step salary increase.
• MoDOT will ensure that all salaried employees receive at least a 3 percent salary increase. This includes employees at step 18 of the grid, employees whose salaries are not on the salary grid and any employee who might have otherwise received less than a 3 percent increase due to the percentage spread between steps being less than 1.9 percent.

These salary increases will help increase the competitiveness of our salary structure and advance employees within their salary ranges. We will continue to pursue all options available to us to ensure we can retain and recruit qualified employees. No increase in medical premiums and the 2020 pay adjustments are steps in the right direction.

Enjoy the rest of your summer and stay safe.

Sincerely,

Director McKenna

MoDOT KC Interns Staying Busy for the Summer

Here's an update on MoDOT KC's summer interns. 

They've all been staying busy working and assisting in their assigned work groups. 

They also have several events coming up as well. They'll take a tour of the Traffic Department in the District Office on Thursday, July 11. 

There will go on a walking tour of the Courselab Plant in Kansas City, KS on Thursday, July 18.

Courselab is a producer of precast/pre-stressed concrete products for railroads, highway components, box culverts, sound walls and retaining walls. 

The interns will also give their final presentations in Room 136 on Thursday, Aug. 1.  

And more importantly, there's the annual kickball game between the MoDOT KC staff and interns. 

The date of the game has yet to be determined. That will give both sides plenty of time to talk trash.

Blueprint Conference

Missouri’s 2019 Highway Safety and Traffic Blueprint Conference is now open for registration!

The conference will be held at the Holiday Inn Executive Center in Columbia Sept. 9-11, 2019.

Go to the conference website to view the registration fees, see information regarding hotel lodging and get registered.

If you have any questions about registration, please contact muconf4@missouri.edu.

Holiday Planning Committee Hosts Ice Cream Social

The Holiday Planning Committee sponsored an ice cream social on Tuesday, July 2. Approximately 34 people stopped by to enjoy an afternoon treat. The committee was able to raise $54 for this year's holiday party.

The committee would like to thank everyone who purchase ice cream and/or supported the cause with a donation.