HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-05-22; 2025 Public Works Awards (Districts-All); Gomez, PazTo the members of th~:
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May 22, 2025
Council Memorandum
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Carlsbad
Memo ID# 2025 033
To:
From:
Honorable Mayor Blackburn and Members of the City Council
Paz Gomez, Deputy City Manager, Pub~c)~-'~rk~
Via: Sheila Cobian, Assistant City Manager ~
Re: 2025 Public Works Awards (Districts -All)
This memorandum provides information on awards that the City of Carlsbad received from the
following professional associations:
• American Public Works Association (APWA) San Diego and Imperial Counties Chapter
and APWA National
• American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) San Diego Section
• National Association of Fleet Administrators (NAFA)
• Construction Management Association of America (CMAA)
• Maintenance Superintendents Association (MSA) San Diego Area Chapter and APWA
Background
Recognition from professional associations exemplifies the city's commitment to excellence.
This year, the following organizations offered awards programs that the city participated in:
• The national APWA awards program recognizes outstanding individuals, groups and
chapters representing the best in Public Works. The local chapter's awards program
promotes excellence in Public Works projects by offering awards for Project of the Year
as well as individual and team awards.
• ASCE presents project and individual awards that represent the greatest contribution to
civil engineering progress and to society.
• NAFA recognizes peak-performing public and commercial fleet operations in North,
Central and South America.
• CMAA's Industry Honors Individual Recognition Awards program recognizes and
commends the contributions of construction management professionals and those who
have made significant contributions on behalf of the industry.
• MSA San Diego Area Chapter and APWA Annual Equipment Show, Vendor Demo and
Roadeo Competition.
Discussion
This year, we are pleased to announce that the City of Carlsbad received a total of 18 awards
from these organizations. The awards are summarized below:
Public Works Branch
Public Works Administration
1635 Faraday Avenue I Carlsbad, CA 92008 I 442-339-2730 t
Council Memo -2025 Public Works Awards (Districts -All}
May 22, 2025
Page 2
APWA San Diego and Imperial Counties Chapter
• Project of the Year Award (Utilities less than $2 million category) -South Agua
Hedionda Interceptor Reach TlD Capacity Improvements Project: The project resolved
long-standing sewer odor issues within a private Homeowners Association community in
Carlsbad. Existing sewer mains were increased in size to achieve present-day city
hydraulic design standards and allow for the passage of sewer gases within the pipeline.
Post-construction CCTV inspection, smoke testing and flow tests verified project
success.
• Honor Award (Utilities less than $2 million category) -Palomar Airport Water Line
Realignment Project: The Carlsbad Municipal Water District (CMWD} owns and
operates a system of water distribution mains serving the County of San Diego's
McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad. These mains provide potable water service and
fire protection for the Airport's operations and tenants. The project constructed
approximately 1,600 linear feet of 8, 10 and 12-inch diameter PVC water pipeline to
realign the pipe out of taxiway areas, replaced aging asbestos cement and steel water
mains and abandoned approximately 1,200 linear feet of aging pipeline.
• Honor Award (Disaster or Emergency Construction/Repair category) -Buena Vista
Creek Channel Emergency Repairs Project: The City of Carlsbad cleared vegetation,
trash, sediment and debris in the Buena Vista Creek Channel as an emergency project
after major storms in early 2024. The city declared a local storm-related emergency,
expedited agreements, obtained an emergency permit, secured habitat mitigation
credits and removed more than 5,000 cubic yards with environmental oversight to
restore flood control capacity.
• Honor Award (Transportation less than $2 million category) -East-West Corridors
Multimodal Resurfacing and Restriping Enhancements Project: In response to a local
emergency declaration for traffic safety, Carlsbad implemented major enhancements
across 16 miles of arterial roadways. The project features reduced vehicular lane widths,
expanded bike lanes with green coloring, and visible conflict zones to optimize buffer
spaces and improve safety measures between vehicles and bicycles.
• Honor Award (Sustainable/Green less than $2 million category) -Carlsbad Boulevard
Pedestrian Improvement Project: Safe pedestrian crossings are critical for Carlsbad
Boulevard, a coastal street that connects people to key destinations on the waterfront.
The project enhanced safety at six critical crosswalk locations connecting pedestrians to
the beaches and encouraged bicyclists and pedestrians to access the beaches via
alternative modes.
Council Memo -2025 Public Works Awards (Districts -All)
May 22, 2025
Page 3
• Outstanding Operations and Maintenance Personnel Award -CMWD Administration,
Asset Management, and Water and Wastewater Division Staff: Tasked with
implementing a new enterprise asset management system, the teams embraced
change, collaborated effectively with Information Technology staff despite limited
technical expertise, and quickly adapted to new technology-key factors in the
successful system adoption within just two months. Their proficiency in technology
infrastructure is a rare and often overlooked asset in the maintenance field.
• Award of Merit-Graham Jordan: Mr. Jordan, Public Works Contract Administrator, is
recognized for 20 years of service to the City of Carlsbad in specification preparation,
public bidding and contract administration for critical transportation, drainage, water
and wastewater Public Works projects and the successful implementation of state and
federal funding program compliance.
APWA National
• Top 10 Public Works Leaders of the Year -Paz Gomez: This award is presented to
leaders whose excellence in Public Works earns them the distinction of the Top Ten
Public Works Leaders of the Year for the entire nation. The honorees are recognized for
their professionalism, expertise and personal dedication to improving the quality of life
in their communities through the advancement of Public Works services and
technology.
ASCE San Diego Section
• Outstanding Bikeways & Trails Project -Avenida Encinas Coastal Rail Trail Segment 2
Project: This project included upgrading more than 50 pedestrian ramps to meet
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards, lane reductions to improve operations,
including speed and safety, enhanced bike lanes that included green paint in conflict
areas and bigger buffers for safety, curb extensions to reduce the travel distance of
pedestrians in the roadway, and a new pedestrian signal was added. Other signal
improvements included a new right-turn overlap for operational improvements and
efficiency, and signal timing was improved to help facilitate smoother movements and
reduce delays. This part of the project, Segment 2, completed the trail along Avenida
Encinas from Poinsettia Lane to Carlsbad Boulevard.
• Outstanding Geotechnical Project -Trieste Drive Emergency Slope Repairs Project:
Emergency repairs were performed to stabilize the slope in between El Camino Real and
Trieste Drive. An atmospheric river and winter storms in early 2024 resulted in
unexpected slope movement, which had the potential to affect nearby property,
infrastructure and the environment. Emergency repair of the slope behind four homes
on Trieste Drive was necessary to ameliorate the risk. An emergency proclamation was
declared, and separate agreements were expedited with the Geotechnical Engineering
Council Memo -2025 Public Works Awards (Districts -All)
May 22, 2025
Page 4
Consultant, General Contractor and Construction Management Consultant to swiftly
respond to emergency conditions to efficiently perform the needed repairs.
• Outstanding Water/Wastewater Treatment Project -Palomar Airport Water Line
Realignment Project: See project description above.
• Outstanding Transportation Project -Carlsbad Boulevard Pedestrian Improvement
Project: See project description above.
NAFA Fleet Management Association
• Ranked #10 of the 2025 100 Best Public Fleets: Winners of this award undergo rigorous
review to ensure demonstrated achievement in 12 criteria, including accountability, use
of technology and information, collaboration, creativity, performance recognition and
celebration, evidence of a high trust culture, financial management, quick efficient
turnaround, competitive pricing, staff development, resources stewardship and "getting
it right the first time." Carlsbad is the only California city in the Top 10, and this is the
second year in a row for the city in the Top 10.
CMAA San Diego Chapter
• Owner Honoree Award -Emily Hasegawa: Ms. Hasegawa, Engineering Manager in the
Construction Management & Inspection Department, was recognized for her support of
the CMAA mission to promote and enhance leadership, professionalism and excellence
in managing the development and construction of projects and programs. She was one
of only a few recognized with the distinguished Owner Honoree Award.
MSA San Diego Area Chapter and APWA Annual Equipment Show, Vendor Demo and Roadeo
Competition
• Streets Maintenance Division team won 2nd place overall. The competition consists of
equipment operators skillfully completing assigned tasks. Agency teams competed for a
trophy based on overall scores in four competitions: Backhoe Skills, Mini-Excavator
Skills, Sign Assembly, and Wheelbarrow Obstacle Endurance.
• Andrius Andrius: Mr. Andrius, Street Maintenance Worker 11, finished in 5th place in the
Wheelbarrow Race.
• Tristin Poole: Mr. Poole, Street Maintenance Worker I, finished in 2nd place in the Sign
Assembly.
• Daniel Sabelis: Mr. Sabelis, Street Maintenance Worker Ill, won the mini-excavator
competition. He not only got pt place out of 10 municipalities but he was the only one
to complete the competition in the allotted time without getting any penalties. He was
Council Memo -2025 Public Works Awards (Districts -All)
May 22, 2025
Page 5
selected to represent the City of Carlsbad in the APWA PWX National Equipment
Roadeo in Chicago in August.
Next Steps
Staff will continue to develop and support the highly professional team that delivers award-
worthy Public Works projects and programs for the city.
cc: Geoff Patnoe, City Manager
Cindie McMahon, City Attorney
Gary Barberio, Deputy City Manager, Community Services
Laura Rocha, Deputy City Manager, Administrative Services
Christie Calderwood, Police Chief
Michael Calderwood, Fire Chief
Maria Callander, Information Technology Director
Amanda Flesse, Utilities Director/CMWD General Manager
Tom Frank, Transportation Director/City Engineer
Jason Haber, Intergovernmental Affairs Director
Zach Korach, Finance Director
Kyle Lancaster, Parks & Recreation Director
Jeff Murphy, Community Development Director
Suzanne Smithson, Library & Cultural Arts Director
James Wood, Environmental Sustainability Director
Sarah Lemons, Interim Communication & Engagement Director
Darrin Schwabe, Interim Human Resources Director
Emily Hasegawa, Engineering Manager
John Maashoff, Public Works Manager
Megan Powers, Senior Management Analyst