National Work Zone Awareness Week takes place April 3 through 7. The theme is “Work Zone Safety is in Your Hands.”

Wednesday, April 5, is “Go Orange Day,” in which people are asked to wear something orange in support of highway safety.

Work Zone Awareness Week is sponsored by federal, state and local transportation officials to draw attention to the safety needs of road workers during construction season. Generally, crashes occur when drivers speed through a work zone, do not pay attention to changing road conditions, run into other vehicles or highway equipment or drive off the road completely.

See the Federal Highway Administration’s “National Work Zone Awareness Week” webpage here, complete with flyers and fact sheets.

Other resources for the 2017 Work Zone Awareness Week:

• Wisconsin work zone news release template
• Wisconsin work zone traffic deaths
• Wisconsin work zone safety talking points
• View the Wisconsin kick off event on NBC15 in Madison here.

State Representative Keith Ripp recently rode along with Columbia County Highway Commissioner Chris Hardy to see an up-close look at the issues facing Wisconsin roads and counties.

View the video Representative Ripp and Chris Hardy here.

Be sure to follow Representative Ripp on Twitter at @WIRepKeithRipp.  Here is his post on Twitter regarding this video: “Watch my video to see how bad state road conditions are forcing traffic onto county roads instead. #WIbudget“

Register today for the 2017 Commissioner’s Spring Training Conference, held March 27-28 in Madison.

The event will be held at:
The Madison Concourse Hotel
One West Dayton Street
Madison, WI 53703
800-356-8293

To see the full agenda, click here.

To register for the event, click here.

The conference will begin on Monday, March 27th and formally end on Tuesday, March 28th.  Breakfast Buffet will be provided on Tuesday for all registered attendee’s.

Please make your own room reservation by referencing the Wisconsin County Highway Association or Group ID 609990.  The block will be reserved until March 1.  Single room rates are $82 and will be the responsibility of each County.  The number for reservations is 800-356-8293.  The fax number is 608-257-8454.  Commissioners who are not able to attend are encouraged to send a representative.

Please bring evidence of tax-exemption, otherwise the hotel will charge you tax.  You must cancel your reservation at least 24 hours prior to the day of your arrival to avoid being charged for the room.  If you do cancel, please obtain a cancellation number from the hotel reservation agent for confirmation.  Check-in time is 3:00 p.m. and checkout time is 11:00 a.m.
A Registration Fee of $50.00 for each attendee!! must accompany your registration

WCHA’s Dan Fedderly and Barron County Highway Commissioner Mark Servi are in Washington D.C. this week at the National Association of Counties Annual Legislative Exchange.

The NACo Legislative Conference, held annually in Washington, D.C., brings together over 2,000 elected and appointed county officials to focus on federal policy issues that impact counties and our residents. With a new administration, and newly elected members of Congress, the 2017 Legislative Conference is a can’t-miss opportunity to elevate the county voice at the national level. Attendees are participating in second-to-none educational sessions, interact with federal officials and also descend on Capitol Hill, delivering the message that federal policies matter to counties and counties matter to America.

The WCHA Winter Road School will be held January 16-18, 2017 in Wisconsin Dells.  Register today for another great event!

Our agenda is packed full and addresses the topics that are currently impacting county operations across the state.

Agenda for 2017 Winter Road School.

To register as a vendor or as an associate member for this highly visible three-day event, click here.

Be sure to check out the December 2016 issue of “The Informer,” the updated WCHA newsletter which includes highlights of activities and upcoming events.

See the December 2016 Issue of “The Informer” here.

The First Annual WCHA Professional Development and Leadership Conference was held December 6-7, 2016 in Wausau.

This all new conference, held at the Jefferson Street Inn, was for highway committee members, commissioners, engineers and superintendents that want to improve their professional development and leadership skills.

Conference topics included:

• Personality & Motivation
• Lobbying 101: The Insights of Transportation Lobbying
• How to Deal with the Media
• Current Legislative Issues
• Performance Management
• Legal Obligations
• What is Your WCHA?
• The WCA and WCHA Relationship

“We were happy with the high attendance and strong agenda,” said WCHA Executive Director Daniel J. Fedderly, PE, PLS.  “It shows that our county highway officials are constantly striving to seek out enrichment opportunities that ultimately will help them do their jobs better.”

WCHA Chairman Dave Ostness and WCHA Executive Director Dan Fedderly recently attended the FHWA EDC-4 Summit October 25-26 in Minneapolis.  They attended with WisDOT leadership.

WCHA, WisDOT and the Wisconsin Counties Association have been leaders in the
nation on implementation of many of the EDC (Every Day Counts) Initiatives
since the inception.  Learn more about it here.

Ostness, Fedderly and WisDOT group in Minneapolis.

The WCHA Conference Coordinating Committee will be hosting the 2017 State Winter Road School in Wisconsin Dells at the Chula Vista Resort on January 16-18, 2017. Our road school is anticipated to have over 500 in attendance, which will be comprised of Highway Commissioners/Public Works Directors/Highway Committee Officials/State Officials/Corporate Sponsors and Associate Members.

To help make the 2017 WCHA Road School a success, we are welcoming your corporate participation. The association is offering multiple areas for your participation in various conference activities. There are a number of options including indoor exhibit areas/booths, hospitality rooms, sponsorship of coffee/soda breaks, meal programs, etc.

You may review the participation choices on the attached form and see you in Wisconsin Dells in January!

The Wisconsin County Highway Association-Leadership Development Group (WCHA-LDG) Scholarship Program is to financially assist students in a Transportation related academic program.

This scholarship program will consist of up to $5,000 worth of scholarships awarded to eligible students attending an accredited university or 2 year technical college.

APPLICANT QUALIFICATION – Applicant shall be a Wisconsin County Highway department employee’s dependent, an intern, summer help or a part-time highway department employee. Applicant must be a college or technical student going into their second year level (or higher) and enrolled in a Transportation or closely related curriculum, such as, diesel mechanic, civil engineering or civil technology, public administration. Student must have a 2.75 GPA or higher. Consideration will be given to academic achievements, character, participation in professional organizations, and any previous work experience in the area of transportation. The decisions to award or not award by the WCHA will be final. The WCHA-LDG reserves the right to modify this program.  The WCHA-LDG may periodically review an applicant’s eligibility. Final recommendations must be approved by the WCHA Board of Directors.

Learn more and apply for the WCHA-LDG Scholarship here.