If available, presentations from the CEAM 2021 Annual Conference are posted below.

1. COVID-19: Examples of Technical and Practical Actions
Chad Millner, City of Edina; Don Kopecky, Barr Engineering; Mark Ray, City of Crystal;
Laura Hershon, Noel Kyle, US Department of Homeland Security National Risk Management Center
Session summary: This concurrent session will present actions taken to address circumstances associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the lack of hand sanitizer available for purchase, the City of Edina undertook efforts to manufacture and distribute its own hand sanitizer both internally and for public use. Edina Engineering Director Chad Millner will describe this proactive approach taken by the city of Edina. Also, Barr Engineering will present on the use of ionization equipment to improve indoor air quality and mitigate the transmission of infectious disease. Dan Kopecky will provide an overview of the technology, including information on a project to install equipment at Bismarck State College. Finally, a representative from the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) will present on the overall issues and challenges of supply-chain networks and logistics during a pandemic.

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2. Bridging the Gap: Expand Your Bridge-Related Knowledge
Dave Conkel, Minnesota Department of Transportation; David Hedeen, Minnesota Department of Transportation; Jennifer Wells, Minnesota Department of Transportation
Session summary: What can the State Aid Bridge Office help you with? What are your roles and responsibilities as a Program Administrator? What are the latest and greatest bridge inspection techniques being used by our partners? Answers to these, along with a bevy of additional information, will be presented during this session.
Dave Conkel will introduce what State Aid can do for you as a bridge owner in your cities along with funding opportunities available to you. David Hedeen will dive deep into bridge inventories, the Structure Information Management System (SIMS), and what your role is as a Program Administrator in your City. Jennifer Wells will provide a detailed look at what different inspection techniques are being used by the MnDOT bridge office and the different inspection programs that MnDOT can assist with or perform for you, such as fracture-critical or underwater inspections.

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3. Engineering 101 Series: City Government and Engineering Topics
Bob Bauer, Dougherty, Molenda, Solfest, Hills & Bauer PA
Session summary: Each set of concurrent sessions will include a “101” topic geared toward younger engineers or those new to the field of city engineering. This first 101 session will be on overall City Government and City Engineering. It will cover a number of topics regarding city government structures, city council/commissions, easements, special assessments, and contracts. The session presenter, Bob Bauer, is the City Attorney for the City of Eagan. He has spoken at several previous CEAM Conferences, and this presentation is sure to be delivered in a clear, informative, and engaging style.

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4. Local Breweries: Impact on Water and Waste Water—Cold Spring and Two Harbors
Henry Croll, Stantec; Brian Lintgen, City of Coldspring/Stantec; Luke Heikkila, Two Harbors; Brian Guldan, Bolton & Menk, Inc.
Session summary: City of Cold Spring, MN, initiated a field evaluation of biologically active filtration (BAF) of groundwater for denitrification based on a two-stage, 1 gpm pilot unit. The six-month study demonstrated denitrification performance achieved by BAF under various design and operational conditions: nitrate levels were consistently reduced from up to 18 mg-N/L to 0−4 mg-N/L. Castle Danger brewery started in a garage in 2006, and moved to downtown Two Harbors in 2014. The brewery has experienced great success, and after increasing its output tenfold, it was having a serious impact on the city’s wastewater system. The City of Two Harbors has a long history and a wastewater plant that sits on the shore of Lake Superior, discharging directly to that valuable resource. The plant is old and in need of $20M worth of upgrades. The City and Castle Danger Brewery have worked closely together regarding impacts on the wastewater system, including developing a SIU (Significant Industrial User) agreement and installing a monitoring station to track discharge from the brewery. The City is in the process of developing a project to replace its aged wastewater treatment plant.

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5. Slope Stability
Heather Nelson, WSB & Associates; Jen Holmstadt, WSB & Associates
Session summary: Changing precipitation patterns have resulted in a 37% increase in 100-year rainfall events in Minnesota, as well as changes in the seasonality of precipitation. These changes have resulted in several natural hazards that increasingly affect public infrastructure. Slope failures, subsidence, and flooding are all hazards that occur more frequently than in the past. WSB staff will discuss a sustainability case study for the City of Burnsville. WSB partnered with Burnsville to proactively identify and mitigate slopes vulnerable to failure that may affect infrastructure or public safety.

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6. Pavement Markings 101
Jon Jackels, SRF Consulting Group; Adrian Potter, SRF Consulting Group
Session summary: This is the third session in the “101 Series,” providing information on the subject of pavement markings. Cities address the selection, application, and maintenance of pavement marking in a variety of ways. This session will review the importance of pavement markings, describe multiple types of pavement marking materials, and explore how cities use different materials in different locations. Audience participation will be encouraged: be prepared to share your experiences and learn from your peers.

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7. Ethics
Chad Weinstein, Ethical Leaders In Action
Session summary: Chad Weinstein holds a PhD in ethics and is Founder and President of Ethical Leaders in Action. He is a practical ethicist and consultant who has worked with numerous clients in both the private and public sectors, including several cities. Chad has developed dozens of hours of ethics curriculum, drawing upon a basis of authentic stories. He returns to the 2021 CEAM Conference after presenting the top-ranked session in 2020. Professional ethics encompasses many aspects – trust, relationship building, collaboration and teamwork, problem solving, and decision making. Chad will provide an engaging, thought provoking and entertaining session on these elements, allowing attendees to employ the information in their work. The content of this session will also count toward the continuing education requirement for ethics in Minnesota PE licensure.

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8. 2020 Election Review and Analysis
David Schultz, Hamline University
Session summary: The first appearance of Professor David Schultz at the CEAM Conference was a session to recap the 2016 election. It was so well received he’s been back every year since! This year bring us full-circle, as Professor Schultz returns to provide an energetic and objective presentation covering the 2020 election, the past twelve months, the present status, and the future outlook. Where do things stand today? How will the election results play out over the next several years? The takeaway will be what all of this means for local government, with respect to funding and support for infrastructure projects, implications for staff relations with new city councils and the public, and the outlook for city government in general. And then he’ll throw in COVID-19 for good measure. Professor Schultz delivered the top-ranked session at the 2017, 2018, and 2019 CEAM Annual Conference. (His session at the 2020 Conference was “only” #2 ranked…) He is a national expert on election law, professional ethics, state constitutional law, eminent domain, and land use law, and teaches courses on those topics at Hamline University in Saint Paul, MN. He has authored/edited 30 books and over 100 articles, and he is a frequent contributor on television and radio coverage of government and elections.

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9. State Aid Engineer
Chris Kufner, Deputy State Aid Engineer, Minnesota Department of Transportation

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10. MS4 Permit Update
Randy Neprash, Minnesota Cities Stormwater Coalition, Stantec, National Municipal Stormwater Alliance
Session summary: The MPCA has been working on the update to the MS4 permit for a couple of years. This session will provide details on the update and highlight the changes that cities need to be aware of, once the permit is issued.

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11. LRRB Update
Michael M Marti, SRF Consulting Group
Session summary: This session will provide an update on recent LRRB activities including current research into bicycle facility design, full-depth reclamation options for urban settings, and roadway system preservation for cities.

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12. Transit in the Metro
Chris Beckwith, Assistant Director of BRT Projects, Metropolitan Council; Ryan Kronzer, Assistant Director for Design and Engineering, Metropolitan Council; Nic Dial, Assistant Director of Construction, Metropolitan Council
Session summary: This session will provide an overview of the planned transit system in the metro area including the latest information on light rail transit (LRT), bus rapid transit (BRT), and arterial bus rapid transit (Arterial BRT). Additionally, this session will take a look into the design and construction of the Southwest Light Rail (SWLRT) project.
The SWLRT project is the largest construction project in the state, consisting of an approximate 14.5 mile route through Minneapolis, St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Minnetonka, and Eden Prairie.
Construction began in 2019 and when complete will provide 16 new stations in those communities. A review of the history of the site selection and design will be presented along with the highlights and hurdles of construction.

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