Section Annual Report 2011

Section Annual Report 2011 ITE PUERTO RICO SECTION

President s Message 3 ITE Puerto Rico Section 2011 Board. 4 2011 Section Committees and Appointments.. 4 Secretary Report 5 ITE Puerto Rico Section Meetings 5 ITE Puerto Rico Board Meetings 5 ITE District 10 Board Meetings.. 5 Puerto Rico Section Activities.. 6 Other ITE Puerto Rico Section Related Activities.. 9 Activities to Promote ITE Membership... 11 Section Communication Tools.. 12 Puerto Rico Section Membership 12 Treasury Report 13 Page 1

Dr. Alberto M. Figueroa Medina Let s go back to the night of April 30, 2010 when a group of around thirty persons met in Hato Rey at the College of Engineers and Surveyors of Puerto Rico to talk about their common interest in transportation and the urgent need of a local professional organization that could represent those interests. The meeting was used to appraise the local interest and the possibility of reactivating the Puerto Rico Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers. Among those present, we had current and past ITE members, transportation consultants, college professors, and engineers from transportation agencies. Jeff Arey and Rosana Correa, then District 10 International Director and Florida Section Vice-President, respectively, came to Puerto Rico to encourage the reactivation and to answer questions on how to move ahead. One interesting note was the presence in the meeting of a new generation of engineers who were once members of ITE Student Chapters, but once they graduated they did not have a Professional Section to migrate to. The dialogue at the meeting left everybody with a positive vibe, so the plan for future meetings and reactivation was set. A second Section Meeting was held on May 20, 2010. At that meeting four persons volunteered to assist me with the Section reorganization efforts and we established an Interim Board. This group included Alexis Nevárez, Miguel Pellot, Francisco Klein, and Carlos Del Valle. Later that year, Wilson Arias joined the Interim Board. I am more than grateful to this group of transportation professionals that took one step forward and gave their time and best effort in reorganizing the Section. The Interim Board took charge and completed all administrative duties: the Section was incorporated as a not-for-profit professional organization at the Puerto Rico Department of State as ITE-Puerto Rico Section, a permanent Internet website was created at http://itepr.org, a bank account was opened at Caribe Federal Credit Union, and a postal box was established for the Section. Even a Facebook group was created to maintain direct online communication with members, affiliates, and friends. Another task performed by the Interim Board was the development of a survey to identify the professional development needs in transportation to allow us to better plan seminars and workshop topics for the Section. The Puerto Rico Section reorganization efforts were recognized in the ITE Newsletter Edition of June 2010. 2

The Puerto Rico Section held its Reactivation Event at the Hotel San Miguel in the City of Bayamón on October 30, 2010. On that night, around 60 transportation professionals, including ITE Fellows, Members and Friends were present to celebrate the election of the first Section Board. Special guests included Miguel Santini, then Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Traffic Safety Commission; Carlos Machado, Assistant Administrator of the FHWA Puerto Rico Division; and Rosana Correa, ITE Florida Section Vice President. Eng. Jack Freeman, Jr.; Past ITE International President was the Guest Speaker at the activity. The event provided a much needed opportunity for local transportation professionals to network and to socialize with their peers. The momentum from the Section reactivation continued through the entire year 2011. The Section had an exciting year filled with great expectations from the local transportation community. All the Section events were directed to solidify our local presence as a relevant professional organization and to increase our Section enrollment. Our main goal was to provide accessible and first-rate opportunities of professional development in transportation for our Members and Affiliates, and the local transportation community. Another significant goal for the Section in 2011 was to participate of ITE International and District 10 events and meetings. This report presents the story and serves as a pictorial record of the professional development activities and the Section events for the past year 2011. The ITE Puerto Rico Section is just starting and there are many things yet to achieve and complete. Feel free to communicate with the Section Board at info@itepr.org to let us know your comments on how to continue improving and providing a good value to you. I hope that the future holds a lot of great things for our Section and for all our Members, Affiliates, and Friends. I want to finish this message by providing my sincere appreciation to all of you that collaborated, sponsored, or participated in our events during the last year. ITE Puerto Rico Section 2011 Board 2011 Section Committees and Appointments 3

4 Eng. Alexis Nevárez The following report presents a summary of the meetings and professional developments activities organized by the Section and information from other events that the Section had a role either as contributor, sponsor, or participant during the year 2011. A Section Meeting was held on May 24, 2011 at the College of Engineers and Surveyors of Puerto Rico in San Juan. The meeting was held after the end of the 1 st Symposium Creating Habitable Cities. Close to 20 members and affiliates were in attendance. The Section President, Treasurer, and Secretary presented their reports. One of the topics of discussion was the support for the existing ITE Student Chapter at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez and the creation of a new ITE Student Chapter in the universities of the San Juan Metro Area as a way to increase Section membership. The 2012 Board Nominations and Election process was presented and preliminary details about the 1 st ITE PR Section Annual Meeting for October 2011 were announced. Although there has been phenomenal success with the technical seminars, other ways to attract member attendance to the Section Meetings are needed. The Board had a total of twelve meetings, successfully fulfilling its mandate of administering the Section. The dates of the meetings were: January 20, February 24, March 24, April 19 and 27, May 19 and 22, June 11, August 11, September 3, October 21, and December 9. Of particular interest, the Board had a special meeting on October 21 with the presence of Eng. Rosana Correa, ITE District 10 President, Eng. Ken Voigt, Past ITE International President, Eng. Jeff Arey, Past District 10 International Director, Eng. Mario Candia, and Eng. Jack Freeman, Jr., Past ITE International President. The meeting discussion included strategies to increase Section membership and how to keep the Section momentum. The minutes for the Board Meetings are available upon request to the Section Secretary. The Section Representative to District 10, Alberto M. Figueroa, participates in the District Board monthly teleconference meetings. ITE District 10 is composed by the Florida and Puerto Rico Sections. At the meetings the Section Representative gives a report on the Section activities and represents the interests of the Section during the district budget and schedule planning, and governing discussions. The District 10 provides a $500 travel stipend to the PR Section Representative for his/her participation at the District 10 Annual Meeting. At that meeting, the Board Officials provide their annual reports and start the discussion of the budget and schedule for the next year. The Annual Meeting was held in the city of Saint Petersburg during November 30 December 2, 2011.

Since reactivating the Section in 2010, a total of nine professional development activities with a total 42 education hours were provided to the transportation professional and academic community. Close to 350 participants benefited from these activities. ITE-PR Seminar: New Standards for Road Signs and Retroreflectivity in the MUTCD 2009 (3 hours) September 15, 2010 College of Engineers and Surveyors of Puerto Rico, Hato Rey Instructors: Dr. Alberto M. Figueroa, University of Puerto Rico and Eng. Juan C. Rivera, Highway and Transportation Authority ITE-PR Workshop: Legal, Planning, Design, and Operational Aspects of Highway Work Zones (7 hrs) April 28, 2011 College of Engineers and Surveyors of Puerto Rico, Hato Rey Instructors: Eng. Eddie Rivera, FHWA, and Lic. Ivette Cancel, Mr. Rafael Rivera and Eng. Juan C. Rivera, Highway and Transportation Authority CIAPR-IIC Congress: New Trends in Transportation (6 hours) May 13, 2011 Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico, Hato Rey Instructors: Eng. Madeline Muniz, Plan. Martha Bravo, Plan. Mónica Rodriguez, Plan. Ivelisse Gorbea, Eng. José Pagán, and Eng. Juan C. Rivera, Highway and Transportation Authority; Arq. Andrés Mignucci; Eng. Francisco Klein and Eng. Alberto Alamo 5

ITE-PR Symposium: Creating Habitable Cities: The Future of Mass Transit in Puerto Rico (5 hrs) May 24, 2011 College of Engineers and Surveyors of Puerto Rico, Hato Rey Instructors: Dr. Felipe Luyanda, Dr. Hermenegildo Ortiz, Dr. Antonio González, Dr. Benjamín Colucci, Dr. Aníbal Sepúlveda, Prof. Amado Vélez, Eng. Madeline Muniz, Eng. Edgar Rodríguez, Mr. Rodolfo González Dr. Alberto M. Figueroa, Eng. Carlos Calero, and Eng. Miguel A. Vescovacci, Jr. ITE-PR Seminar: Introduction to Systems Engineering for Transportation Professionals (3 hours) September 7, 2011 College of Engineers and Surveyors of Puerto Rico, Hato Rey Instructor: Eng. Glenn Havinoviski, Associate Vice President, Iteris, Inc. Talk to the ITE-UPRM Student Chapter: Experiencing a Career in Transportation Engineering (1 hr) October 20, 2011 Department of Civil Engineering, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Instructor: Eng. Ken Voigt, Past ITE International President 6

ITE-PR Congress: Towards a Safe and Sustainable Transportation System for Puerto Rico (12 hrs) October 21, 2011 Cultural Center Yolanda Guerrero, Guaynabo Instructors: Eng. Jack Freeman and Eng. Mario Candia, Kittelson & Associates; Dr. Francisco Maldonado, Dra. Norma Peña, Dr. Benjamín Colucci, and Dr. Alberto M. Figueroa, University of Puerto Rico; Lic. Robert Weihe, Municipality of San Juan; Lic. Jennifer Sinigaglia, Municipality of Ponce; Eng. Ken Voigt, Arq. Andrés Mignucci, Mr. José Acarón, and Eng. Miguel Pellot. ITE-PR Technical Tour: Visit to the Tren Urbano Control and Maintenance Center (3 hrs) October 22, 2011 Martínez Nadal Station and Maintenance Yard, Guaynabo Instructors: Eng. Edgar Rodríguez and Arq. Blanca T. Sifre, Alternativa de Transporte Integrado; Ing. Francisco Martínez and Arq. Rafael Blanco, Alternate Concepts, Inc. ITE-PR Seminar: Basic Concepts of Tort Liability Related to Transportation and Road Safety (3 hrs) November 4, 2011 College of Engineers and Surveyors of Puerto Rico, Hato Rey Instructor: Dr. Benjamín Colucci, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez 7

ITE Technical Conference and Exhibit: Moving Toward Zero Deaths April 3-6, 2011 Orlando, Florida The ITE Puerto Rico Section had a significant participation in the ITE Technical Conference. Four Section Members and two Affiliates traveled to Orlando to participate in the meeting activities. In addition, Dr. Alberto M. Figueroa, Section President, participated as a speaker in a technical session presenting a research study about Motorcycle Safety in Puerto Rico. Launch of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 May 11, 2011 Puerto Rico Department of State, San Juan The Puerto Rico Section was invited to the Launch of the Decade of Action Activities in Puerto Rico. ITE is one of the international supporters of the Decade of Action. Our ITE Fellow Dr. Benjamín Colucci was named Local Spokesperson for the Decade of Action. Hon. Kenneth McClintock, Secretary of State, and Eng. Zoriemy Rivera, Puerto Rico Traffic Safety Commission, were among those officials of the Government of Puerto Rico present at the event. Talk to High School Students about Highway Safety June 29, 2011 Summer Transportation Institute, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez Dr. Alberto M. Figueroa, ITE Puerto Rico Section President, gave a talk to high school students about the role of transportation engineers in highway design and road safety. The talk included aspects of road geometric design, human factors and crashes to promote safe behavior among the students. 8

ITE Annual Meeting and Exhibit August 13-16, 2011 Saint Louis, Missouri The Puerto Rico Section participated in the ITE Annual Meeting technical sessions and exhibits. Two Section Members were present at the event. ITE-PR Section Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet October 21, 2011 Cultural Center Yolanda Guerrero, Guaynabo The Puerto Rico Section dedicated the First Annual Meeting to its six Fellow Members: Dr. Benjamín Colucci, Dr. Felipe Luyanda, Dr. Salvador Padilla (in memoriam), Eng. José Parejo, Eng. Rafael Saldaña, and Eng. Angel Soto for their careers in the field of transportation and their contribution to ITE and the transportation profession. In addition, the Puerto Rico Section gave a Special Recognition to Dr. Hermenegildo Ortiz Quiñones, Past Secretary of Transportation and Public Works and Past President of the Puerto Rico Planning Board, for his exemplary career and dedication to public service in Puerto Rico. Eng. Rubén Hernández Gregorat, Secretary of Transportation and Public Works, was the Guest Speaker at the Awards Ceremony. Secretary Hernández was awarded the distinction of Esteemed Colleague of the Puerto Rico Section for his work as Secretary of Transportation promoting the implementation of innovations and new technologies and for his collaboration with the Section activities. 9

ITE District 10 Annual Meeting: Transportation Policies on the Road to Recovery November 30 December 2, 2011 Saint Petersburg, Florida The Puerto Rico Section President and Jaime Angueira, representative from the ITE Student Chapter at the UPR-Mayagüez, participated in the ITE-D10 Annual Meeting. Eng. Robert Wunderlich, ITE International President, was present at the District 10 Board Meeting and expressed his admiration for the job performed by the Puerto Rico Section in such a short time. ITE-PR Section Exhibit Table @ Civil Mega Friday May 13, 2011 Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico, Hato Rey As part of the membership campaign efforts, the ITE Puerto Rico Section had an exhibit table at the Civil Mega Friday Event of the Institute of Civil Engineers of Puerto Rico. ITE-PR Members were at the table providing information about ITE membership. Current reports with transportation technical information were also provided at the table. ITE-PR Section Directory of Transportation Services and Suppliers Another effort of the membership campaign was the publication of a Directory of Transportation Services and Suppliers. The Directory included information about the ITE, the history and current membership information for the Puerto Rico Section, and information about the ITE Student Chapter at the University of Puerto Rico. The Directory served as a marketing tool for local transportation related business. Ads from transportation consultants and suppliers were included. Many ITE Members and Friends of the Puerto Rico Section promoted their 2011 Directory of Transportation Services & Suppliers T R A N S P O R T A T I O N S O L U T I O N S T H A T W O R K F O R Y O U C O N S U LT A N T S E R V I C E S T R A I N I N G S E R VI C ES T R A F F I C S T U D I E S T R A F F I C C O N T R O L D E VI C ES C R A S H R E C O N S T R U C T I O N R O A D W A Y C O N ST R U C T I O N M A T E R I A LS 10

services in the Directory. A total of 14 transportation-related businesses sponsored the Puerto Rico Section Activities through the year 2011. The Section has established three methods to communicate with the membership and to promote events and ITE: a website (http://itepr.org), a Facebook group (ITE Puerto Rico Section), and a newsletter titled Transportación Al Día. One newsletter edition was published in 2011. Screen capture of website Screen capture of Facebook Group Front cover of newsletter The Section had a significant increase of 92% in total membership and affiliation during 2011. A membership and affiliation campaign was performed, particularly at state transportation agencies. The campaign efforts should be followed up during 2012 with private consultants and contractors. Categories April 2010 December 2010 December 2011 ITE Fellows 6 6 6 ITE Members 17 22 24 Esteemed Colleagues 9 9 9 Student Affiliates 5 9 18 Section Affiliates 0 0 14 TOTALS 37 46 71 11

Eng. Francisco Klein The following report presents a summary of the debits and credits reported in year 2011. Bank Account January starting balance: $2,102.52 December ending balance: $2,000.38 Total debit: $8,042.63 Additional Operating Costs Bank account: $91.00 PayPal: $83.35 Total credit: $8,040.12 Notes: No 2011 accounts payable or receivable. All 2011 Section dues were received from ITE. Need to have an account balance greater than $1,000.00. Benjamín Colucci Ríos, PhD, PE, PTOE The ITE Puerto Rico Section also wants to give thanks to the following collaborators: Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation Authority Alternativa de Transporte Integrado Institute of Civil Engineers CIAPR San Juan Chapter Sociedad Puertorriqueña de Planificación Puerto Rico Local Technical Assistance Program Municipalities of Guaynabo, San Juan, and Ponce 12