Awards

For more than 30 years, the APWA-MN Chapter has sponsored an annual Awards Program that recognizes excellence in public works. In addition, the chapter actively supports the APWA Awards Program with multiple submissions to the annual national awards program.

Learn more about awards and winners in the tabbed section below.

Chapter Awards

Environmental Stewardship Award

City of Pine River - Pine River's Rock Riffle
City of Pine River - Pine River's Rock Riffle

The Pine River Rock Riffle Project, submitted by the City of Pine River, is the 2022 recipient of the APWA-MN Environmental Stewardship Award.

The Pine River dam was built in 1910. The dam was approximately 200 feet long and 13 feet high and created a reservoir upstream including the 500-acre Norway Lake. Electricity was generated at the dam until 1946. Trunk Highway 84 was built on the dam embankment. The highway included a concrete bridge to span the spillways of the dam. The dam was classed as high-hazard and was also a significant fish barrier. The project purpose was to remove the high hazard dam and install a rock riffle in its place. 

The dam was removed and replaced with a rock-arch rapids in 2022 by the City of Pine River. Replacing the high hazard dam with a rock riffle enhanced fish passage, biological connectivity, habitat, safety, aesthetics, fishing, and recreational access to the river. The riffle pools and channels enhanced recreational opportunities for wading, fishing, paddling, and other water-based fun. This work restored fish passage and connectivity between the Whitefish Chain of Lakes and reconnected 134 lakes (11,338 acres) and 80 miles of river and stream corridors benefiting fish, mussels, and many game and non-game animal species.

Read more.

Director or Manager of the Year

Mark Ray
Mark Ray

This year's recipient of the Director or Manager of the Year Award is Mark Ray, Public Works Director and City Engineer for the City of Crystal.

Mark has been an active member of APWA for over a decade and is extensively involved at both the Minnesota and APWA national levels. Professionally, Mark has been employed and involved in the public works profession for nearly 15 years, working in both the private and public sectors. Mark's accomplishments and contributions to the public works profession, especially as it relates to homeland security and emergency management at both the local and national level, are unparalleled for public works professionals. 

Read more about Mark

Superintendent of the Year

Troy Grossman, City of Lakeville
Troy Grossman, City of Lakeville

The 2022 Superintendent of the Year Award is presented to Troy Grossman, Street & Fleet Superintendent for the City of Lakeville. 

With the City of Lakeville since 1989, Troy provides excellent customer service and proactively communicates with residents, including sponsoring videos to inform residents of what to expect with various city services. He is a true public service professional and a leader who fosters a team atmosphere.

Read more about Troy.

Public Works Employee of the Year

Dustin Palm, City of Plymouth
Dustin Palm, City of Plymouth

Congratulations to Dustin Palm, Street Lead with the City of Plymouth, the recipient of the 2022 APWA-MN Public Works Employee of the Year. Dustin is responsible for multiple streets initiatives, including crack sealing, sweeping, mailbox and sod repairs, and snow plowing. Dustin also handles resident complaints related to snow removal and is very professional working with residents to resolve their concerns.

Read more about Dustin

Project of the Year

Southeast Main Avenue / 20th/21st Street Railroad Grade Separation Project
Southeast Main Avenue / 20th/21st Street Railroad Grade Separation Project

The APWA-MN 2022 Project of the Year Award is presented to the City of Moorhead for the Southeast Main Avenue / 20th/21st Street Railroad Grade Separation Project. Managing Agency: City of Moorhead | Project Design Firm: SRF Consulting Group. 

Read more about this award-winning project.

Additionally, the APWA-MN Awards Committee selected two Project of the Year Honorable Mentions:

  • I-94 Dayton Parkway Interchange Project - Agency: City of Dayton | Designer: SRF Consulting Group | Contractor: C.S. McCrossan | Read More
  • 4th Street Reconstruction Project - Agency: City of Minneapolis | Designer: Bolton & Menk, Inc. | Contractor: Veit | Read More

 

National Awards

Presidential Award for Chapter Excellence

Minnesota Chapter

APWA-MN is pleased to receive the PACE Award in 2022, our 18th year in a row for this award.

Despite all the challenges presented by the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Minnesota Chapter of the American Public Works Association remains a highly involved and active Chapter. Minnesota’s membership continues to stay strong despite the pandemic and jumped from 1,030 to over 1,070 members for the year ending 2021. The Chapter continues its efforts to value and put into practice the goal of engaging its retired members in areas of interest to them, as well as supporting the Young Professionals involvement and
encouraging their mentoring of Student Chapter members to build a solid APWA presence on University campuses throughout Minnesota. Late 2021 saw a return to in-person conferences and activities, and the Minnesota Chapter continues its efforts to offer numerous networking and educational benefits in 2022. 

Each year, the Chapter sees more member volunteerism and outreach in educating the public about the value of public works. These efforts continue as restrictions are lifted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Further, the Chapter provides valuable opportunities for members to be involved, gain continuing education, network with their peers through committee work, chapter outreach, semi-annual conferences, technical tours, etc. The Executive Committee strives to provide exceptional value for all Chapter members.

Read more.

 

Public Works Project of the Year - Environment, $5 million but less than $25 million

Metropolitan Council Environmental Services

Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES), along with the Metropolitan Council (managing agency and primary contractor) and Brown and Caldwell (primary consultant), received the Project of the Year Award - Environment, $5 million but less than $25 million category for the Minnehaha Park Area Sewer Rehabilitation project.

In 1983, Minneapolis and St. Paul joined forces to construct the first major metropolitan wastewater collection and treatment system on the Mississippi River. Eighty years later, the MCES continues to operate, maintain and rehabilitate these facilities through large-scale capital projects.

MCES used innovative construction management techniques to rehabilitate the 80-year old non-circular sewer located 75 feet below ground. The project required extensive collaboration and coordination among numerous local and regional agencies and took place during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite these challenges, the project was completed on schedule and on budget.

Learn more about this award-winning project.

Exceptional Performance Award - Sustainability

City of Fridley

The City of Fridley prides itself on being a safe, vibrant, friendly and stable home for its residents and businesses. As such, sustainability is a core value of the city and is interwoven into all aspects of its public works projects and operations.

The city has undertaken many initiatives and projects that include sustainability as a focus. These projects include Fridley's new City Hall and Civic Campus project, which won the Minnesota Chapter award for Project of the Year in 2020. Additionally, the city uses innovative policies and plans such as its Living Streets Policy and Active Transportation Plan to inform and guide public infrastructure development and redevelopment. Recently, the city held open house forums to gain public feedback on two heavily-traveled state highway corridors. Feedback from these forums resulted in the planting of salt-tolerant trees and vegetation within median areas. The city has also been actively pursuing the development of new trail and sidewalk segments, even given the challenges of constructing these facilities within a fully urbanized environment where the space to provide them is hard to come by. Road diets and cutting-edge stormwater quality features are an integral part of Fridley's annual street reconstruction program.

Learn more about this award-winning project.

Exceptional Performance Award - Journalism

City of Elk River

More to come

Harry S. Swearingen Award for Outstanding Chapter Achievement and Excellence in Chapter Service - Corporation

Stantec

Over the last several decades, Stantec has maintained consistent membership, participation and service with APWA-Minnesota. Involvement has included leadership on numerous committees, conference participation in presenting on critical topics of interest, annual sponsorship of the Young Professionals Group, and other key contributions - all of which has helped support APWA's mission in Minnesota and have demonstrated advocacy for public works issues.

Stantec has contributed in meaningful ways to the fabric of our community's infrastructure. Their work has been recognized through APWA Public Works Project of the Year nominations and awards, including the Historic North Loop Public Realm Reconstruction Project in Minneapolis, the Interim Water Treatment Facilities Project in Cottage Grove, and the Fridley Civic Campus Project. Each project demonstrated innovative and sustainable solutions.

The chapter appreciates Stantec's commitment to and investment in our local communities. A core tenent of Stantec's brand is the belief that communities are fundamental, and Stantec has demonstrated its application of that belief through its ongoing community engagement initiatives. These efforts span activities that support encouraging youth in STEM-related activities, environmental cleanup and protection initiatives, and hunger relief.

Learn more.

Professional Manager of the Year Award - Engineering & Technology

Brian Simmons

A lifelong resident of the State of Minnesota, Brian is a graduate of North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND and an Eagle Scout. He has been with Bolton & Menk Inc. since earning his B.S. in 2005. He is a Principal Engineer at Bolton & Menk, responsible for managing municipal clients and Innovation initiatives. His experience spans a wide range of projects, from municipal reconstruction, heavy utility construction employing both open-cut and trenchless technologies, to UAV LiDAR projects. Some highlights of his project experience are:

  • Brian is the designated City Engineer for the City of Mound, MN, where he has led 10 years of annual reconstruction projects averaging $2.5 million
  • He leads the company’s Reality Capture and Trenchless Technologies workgroups 
  • He is instrumental in technology advocacy and participation in intra-company innovation groups that are tantamount to R&D, including UAVs, Asset Management, Smart Cities, Product Innovation, 3D visualization and 3D printing, and AI
  • Brian played a key role in preparing his company for remote work and remote access to continue working during the pandemic

The Minnesota Chapter of APWA believes our profession has benefited and will continue to benefit from his passionate advocacy for technologies, and approach to innovating in these areas.

Read more.

Top Ten Public Works Leaders of the Year

Beverly Farraher

Bev is the Operations Manager for the Department of Public Works at the City of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Public Works | Saint Paul Minnesota (stpaul.gov). Saint Paul is the vibrant Capital City of Minnesota, with over 305,000 residents. Bev is responsible for the operations and maintenance of the public works infrastructure including 1,874 miles of streets, 806 miles of sanitary sewer, 450 miles of storm sewer, 107 bridges, 390 signals, 32,000+ streetlights, 60,000+ signs, and 1,980 metered parking spaces. Prior to working at the City of Saint Paul, Bev worked in a variety of responsibilities within the Minnesota Department of Transportation including enjoying being the Metro District Maintenance Engineer.

Beverly is a lifelong learner and has participated in numerous continuous education degree and certificate programs and has presented at many conferences over the years. Beverly is a constant advocate for her employees, which has been demonstrated by thoughtful award nominations of her staff for the annual Chapter Awards program. In 2013, Beverly was honored with the Chapter’s Director of the Year Award. 

At the national level, Beverly has authored many articles for the APWA Reporter Magazine on topics including asset management, emergency management, as well as diversity and inclusion. In addition, Beverly has been an active member of APWA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee since 2017.

Bev enjoys her life with husband Kevin, daughter Alexandra (25), Alexandra’s fiancé Josh, daughter Julia (21), and dogs Hank and Tansy.

Read more.

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