04/18/2011 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS TKDA ENGINEERING • ARCHITECTURE • PLANNING Historic Knowledge TKDA has served as City Engineer for 29 years, with Jim working at Lino Lakes for 8 years. This historic knowledge of the community is extremely valuable to City Staff and Council Members. It means that project after project there is no "learning" costs to the City; there is no additional billed time to hunt down records or determine who to ask when. In addition, our experience has driven us to create many improvements and efficiencies for the City over the years resulting in a better use of City dollars. Many responsibilities of the engineering department contain elements that are repetitive from annual regional agency reporting requirements and preparing cost estimates, to the development of feasibility reports and construction documents for annual street projects. Using templates increases quality control and the overall quality of the final product while reducing the costs and associated engineering fees. Some specific examples of efficiencies we have developed include creating building permit review forms, building foundation surveys, and Certificates of Grading to address building construction issues. Surface water management inspection and construction programs have been put into place to meet MS4 requirements. An inventory of the surface water system was created, maintenance programs were established, and improvements were prioritized. A street maintenance program called CarteGraph was initiated which, for the first time, rated all City streets, utilized City staff input, and defined a cost effective maintenance plan. Knowing how the City operates, Jim can efficiently manage any project. He manages resources by assigning the team member with the right level of expertise for a particular task, delivering the best value to the City. Long Standing Relationships Jim views the engineering staff as a critical extension of City staff. It is important that he works together with City staff to help implement the goals of the City Council. This is best accomplished through open dialog and strong relationships. Jim has made it a priority to develop a professional relationship with each staff member. He asks the tough questions when needed and prioritizes projects based on goals of staff and council. Success as City Engineer also depends on the ability to learn quickly the unwritten rules of the organization, the unmapped paths to consensus building and approvals. Having worked with a variety of staff and council members at Lino Lakes, Jim is a valuable resource who can efficiently build consensus and move projects forward to meet the City's infrastructure needs. His relationship building stretches beyond the City to residents in the community; staff at surrounding communities; regional, county, and state agencies; and contractors who work in the area. All these connections help projects move smoothly and efficiently for Lino Lakes. City of Lino Lakes 1 City Engineering Services • • 13