Competitors try their hand at the snow plow event

Classroom training included a fabulous Keynote Speaker, Jake French, Responding to Highway Emergencies, a T2 Roads Scholar Level 1 core class, Blading Techniques, Equipment Tie Down, and the return of the Top Gun of Innovation.  During the Top Gun of innovation, agencies shared the equipment/job modifications they had implemented to make their job easier.  The class participants then voted for the best innovation and a Top Gun of Innovation traveling trophy was presented to Linn County for their Innovation called the Whale’s Tail.  The Equipment Operator training and hands-on equipment operation makes this one of the most anticipated schools of the year.

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Summer/Fall 2011         Number 99

Roads Scholar Program Changes

introduced the Roads Scholar program in 2001 to enhance the maintenance skills and knowledge of local government personnel through training on current procedures and the latest technologies.  In addition, the Roads Scholar program is designed to acknowledge local agency maintenance personnel who are committed to learning new skills and expanding their knowledge of road maintenance technology.  Roads Scholar classes are offered on a regular basis at convenient locations throughout Oregon. Courses are taught by training specialists who are well versed in the latest developments and technologies. In most instances, the T2 Center provides this training free of charge to local government agencies.

When the Oregon Roads Scholar training program was introduced in the fall of 2001 it consisted of ten classes now referred to as Level 1.  A certificate of completion was offered to participants who completed the ten class curriculum and four electives within five years.  Recently, the program was modified with the adoption of a Level 2 curriculum and the elimination of the four electives requirement for Level 1.

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A quarterly publication for local governments responsible for roads, bridges and public transportation

Local governments in the state of Oregon are responsible for maintaining over 33,000 miles of roads and streets (60% of the total public road mileage in the state).  As Oregon grows and traffic increases, more diverse skills are needed for roadway maintenance activities at the local level.  The Oregon T2 Center recognized the need and

The Eighteenth Annual Equipment Operator Skills Demonstrations and Technical Training School returned for its fourth visit to Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center in Redmond September 13th through 15th. City, County and State road maintenance workers from around the state were on hand to mount the heavy equipment to see who would be this year’s Top Gun.

Over 97 participants, sponsors and exhibitors spent two and one half days at the Oregon Association of County Engineers and Surveyors sponsored event.