Award-winning agency presents story at industry conference in New Zealand
Sometimes, executing a sound pavement preservation strategy at home becomes a model for the entire country – and other countries, as well. That’s exactly what happened to the town of Fairfield, CT, after it won the 2017 Excellence in Pavement Preservation Award for North America from the International Slurry Surfacing Association (ISSA). Industry leaders in New Zealand caught wind of the story and asked for a presentation overseas.
Scott Bartlett, Superintendent of Public Works for Fairfield, and Dan Patenaude, Sales and Marketing Manager at indus, packed their bags and traveled to New Zealand. There, they were keynote speakers at the New Zealand Transport Agency and New Zealand Institute of Highway Technology’s 19th annual conference in Blenheim, NZ.
Their presentation, titled Pavement Preservation in North America – Profile of a Winning Agency, shared the Fairfield success story with road owner agencies and other transportation industry professionals from around the country of New Zealand.
One of the New Zealand conference sponsors and organizers had seen Scott and Dan present on why Fairfield was chosen for this ISSA award at a workshop in Las Vegas back in January. He asked that this same story be told to the New Zealand conference attendees in November.
The story centered around the criteria that caused Fairfield to win this prestigious award:
Fearless Innovators – Scott and his team in Fairfield are never afraid to try new treatments or ways of doing things to save their constituents money and improve the level of service they provide.
Committed to Pavement Preservation – While many communities dabble in pavement preservation with an occasional project here or there, practicing pavement preservation is how Fairfield does business on a regular and ongoing basis. And the condition of their roadway network shows it!
Astute Asset Managers – The most valuable physical asset in most towns is the municipal roadway system, and managing it to achieve the best possible condition at the lowest possible cost is a huge challenge. Fairfield excels at that challenge.
Outstanding Communicators – Avoiding the traditional worst-first and mill-and-fill-only trap that many communities fall into and succeeding with a program of innovative pavement management techniques requires both strong leadership and superb communications skills. Scott spends a good portion of every day communicating with the town’s many stakeholders.
Regional Leaders – As a result of its multi-year track record of success, Fairfield has developed a well-earned reputation for its pavement preservation program and regularly hosts visitors from other communities to see and hear about some of the methodologies being employed there.
In addition to their presentation at the New Zealand national conference, Scott and Dan also met and spoke with pavement managers at the New Zealand Transport Agency headquarters in Wellington and to the Auckland Transport agency in that city during their 10-day tour of the country.
Read more about the Fairfield pavement preservation program case study. Then request a specification or pavement evaluation from indus.