]]>In the interest of time, I won’t get too existential on you in this forum. No need to thank me.
Now, I’ve always considered myself a patient person, as patience was long the most heralded quality of my late father. He was a friend to many and an enemy to none, working extraordinarily well with any personality type. He was also sincerely honest, kind and trusted by all who knew him. For me, this makes him someone more than worthy of emulation. But I digress.
The issue here is that patience isn’t simply about having a long fuse or remaining level-headed under fire. There is an entirely separate end of the patience spectrum; one that many - especially eager young professionals such as I - tend to disregard. Since I couldn’t seem to find a name for this type of patience, I’ve decided to come up with one on my own… I’ll let you know what it is when I think of it.
It has been exactly one year since I was forced to confront this particular end of the spectrum for the first time. It all started when I said final farewells to my beloved alma mater, the University of Colorado at Boulder (cue fuzzy flashback transition).
It’s a funny thing, graduating from college. There’s a whole lot of “hurry up and wait” followed by a series of sleepless nights, lazy days and a toxic dose of self-doubt. The last few weeks of classes represent the ultimate sprint to the finish, with students packing libraries and tossing back Red Bull by the gallon. Then, in the blink of an exhausted eye, it’s over. And then – if you’re like me – unemployment awaits. Oh, and you’re moving back home. Oh, and your peers are snatching up jobs left and right.
Or maybe that was just me.
Regardless, it’s easy to lose patience and wonder whether or not you will make it. A laundry list of questions seep into your everyday consciousness:
Why can’t I land an interview?
Is my résumé subpar?
Should I have gone to a different college?
Did I pick the wrong industry?
Am I not smart enough?
Am I not good enough?
Whoa. Take a deep breath, champ.
It’s a scary world out there, especially when you don’t feel a part of it yet. In the months between college graduation and signing on the dotted line, making my first “real” job a reality, there were many moments when I questioned everything from my intelligence to my hair style. Only when I relaxed, gave myself a break and made the decision to let the chips fall where they may did I even land that first interview.
In a way, finding happiness is like finding love – it sneaks up and bites you when you least expect it. Until that point, all you can do is prepare, be steadfast in your pursuit, be confident in your abilities, and worry only about what you can control. This is where that other type of patience comes in. Although, on second thought, patience may not be a strong enough word.
Faith.
There’s the word I was seeking. Not necessarily faith in a particular religion or worldly philosophy; rather, a broader faith that, in this crazy mixed up world, things typically work out the way they are meant to.
This leads to the biggest single lesson I have learned to this point in my infantile career: If you’re patient, have faith and stay true to your convictions, CIG will offer you your dream job… Or some variation thereof. Keep calm and carry on – happiness will be there in the end.
Believe it.
]]>The purchase is part of a massive art buy, totaling $5.2 million, mandated by rules that require 1 percent of the construction budgets of major city projects go toward art. The set-aside, common to major municipalities across the U.S., ensures public officials will consider aesthetics, and not just function, when completing new buildings.
The south terminal project has an overall price tag of more than $500 million.
DIA has already hired Colorado artist Patrick Marold to create a $1.5 million work for the massive bowl that will surround the train platforms where light rail passengers arrive and depart. Officials are also in talks with French installationist Yann Kersalé to create a $1.1 million piece incorporating the escalator that will take rail riders to the Jeppesen Terminal’s upper floor.
The projects are being ushered through the city’s bureaucracy with considerable speed so they can be integrated into the South Terminal project’s construction and landscaping, scheduled for completion by the end of 2015. Another $1 million has been reserved for art that is temporary or needs a shorter lead time to place.
The large purchases require approval from the Denver City Council, which recently gave the nod to the Marold piece and is likely to have the Kahn sculpture on its agenda this month. The council’s Business, Workforce and Sustainability Committee voted unanimously in favor of the idea last week.
The council’s consent is one of several layers such deals must go through. DIA’s art staff first proposes projects to its in-house Art Committee, made up of eight volunteers representing the fine arts, academic and civic communities. Then, projects proceed through the city’s 24-member Commission on Cultural Affairs.
Dozens of officials and art experts, as well as the building project’s architects and construction staff, will have signed off before the latest pieces are completed, said Matt Chasansky, who oversees DIA’s Art and Culture Program. “It’s not just one guy making decisions on behalf of everyone,” he said.
The airport is perhaps Denver’s busiest showcase for art. More than 53 million people pass through each year, half of whom never leave the building as they connect between flights. For many, the airport’s design, efficiency and art provide their only impression of the metropolis. “What we say to them is basically what we’re saying about Denver overall,” Chasansky said.
DIA’s art collection has been the subject of praise and criticism, much of it generated by artist Luis Jiménez’s 32-foot “Blue Mustang,” which greets visitors arriving via Federico Peña Boulevard. The fiery horse, with its electric, red eyes, has emerged as a lightning rod on public opinion about art.
Among its nicknames: “Blucifer” and “Satan’s Steed,” though it has many defenders who cite its recognizability, as well as success generating wide-spread conversation about fine art.
The airport operates an aggressive, international art program that taps new technologies and evolving ideas about visual art. Recently, it commissioned several, short digital pieces to play in rotation on electronic screens above the security check-in lines.
Another work, “Lightning Blues Express,” by artist Humberto Duque and on display through July, is a performance piece that has actors roaming the terminals, pulling behind them amplified music players that look like carry-on bags. The wheeled, boom boxes play various recorded songs with a theme of farewell, generating odd and amused stares from airport users. DIA paid $75,000 for the work.
In addition to making the airport a more lively place, the pieces are meant to shake people out of their hurried routines, if only for a moment. For some passengers, the art fills the down time air travel forces upon them. For others, the works offer an invitation to relax.
One “intent is to create artwork that will pull people out of their fear and anxiety,” said Kendall Peterson, who is heading up the art efforts for the South Terminal expansion.
The Kahn piece will put Denver into an elite list of cities who own one of his works. Kahn, based in Sebastopol, Calif., is best-known for large, graceful and easy-to-like sculptures, often made of aluminum, that move without electrical power. His best works are at public spaces such as San Francisco International Airport, as well as private spaces, such as the ultra-trendy 21C museum and hotel in Louisville, Ky.
The exact shape and size of the DIA piece is yet to be determined. It will be mostly horizontal with moving parts that reflect the patterns of the wind and other natural elements. It will be integrated into the architecture in a way people can walk around and through it, Peterson said.
Marold is known for working with light, and DIA hopes his piece will be visible both day and night.
Kersalé is creating an entire environment that will envelop the main escalator and entertain riders along their 90-second journey between levels.
In all, DIA solicited proposals from 180 international artists. Peterson said the airport wanted to work with established professionals who have demonstrated they can bring quality art projects in a timely manner to large public spaces. “There’s a pretty small sample out there,” she said.
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]]>Idaho Springs Mayor Jack Morgan said it’s about time. Communities along the corridor have waited for decades for improvements to the interstate.
“There will be short-term pain for people traveling on I-70” as regular blasting continues through much of the summer, he said. “But there will be long-term gains because of this project.”
The $106 million project includes adding an eastbound lane from the east Idaho Springs interchange to U.S. 6 as well as the expansion of the eastbound tunnel to include three lanes and shoulders.
The work also calls for improving lighting in the tunnel and widening the entrance to encourage eastbound drivers to keep driving into the tunnel without braking, Colorado Department of Transportation planners say.
Improving the Twin Tunnels, built in 1961, is the first of several projects designed to improve safety and mobility along the interstate, CDOT executive director Don Hunt said.
“When this highway was built, there were 1.8 million people in Colorado,” Hunt said. “Now we’re at 5.2 million people, but the highway has stayed the same. Something has to be done.”
Expansion along the corridor will reduce accidents by an estimated 35 percent and save Sunday travelers about $11.4 million in travel time and fuel costs, Hunt said.
Among the first things necessary to widen the eastbound tunnel is large drilling equipment to create holes in the hillside. Explosives are then packed into the cavities for controlled, localized blasts that remove large sections of rock, CDOT said.
During each blast, I-70 traffic will be stopped in both directions just before the tunnels. Eastbound traffic will be stopped for up to 20 minutes and westbound traffic for up to 30 minutes. This will give crews time to conduct the blast, clear out any materials and inspect the westbound tunnel bore before allowing traffic to proceed.
The project contractor — Kraemer-Obayashi — is using two sets of drilling equipment to speed up the tunnel blasting and widening.
Blasting should be complete by midsummer, and eastbound I-70 traffic probably will be moving through the new tunnel by the end of the year, CDOT spokeswoman Amy Ford said.
Read more: Blasting at Twin Tunnels signals start of I-70 improvement project - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_23168538/blasting-at-twin-tunnels-signals-start-i-70#ixzz2SYK3GsuS
]]>In addition to servicing clients, the successful candidate will also be responsible for planning and managing a summer children’s safety public service campaign, Brake for Bela, on behalf of CIG. The Brake for Bela campaign will offer a variety of work experience to enhance the candidate’s portfolio.
Job Duties
Responsibilities include:
• Implement public service campaign focused on children and road safety
• Develop and publish website content
• Draft blogs for website
• Assist in production of newsletters for a variety of clients
• Draft press releases, media alerts and other media relations tools
• Assist in development of marketing materials such as flyers, brochures, advertisements, etc.
• Assist in special event coordination
• Research opportunities for placement of clients in local and national media outlets
• Assist in development and distribution of press information
• Assist in finding and archiving media clippings
• Assist with filing, copying and other clerical tasks
• Perform other duties as assigned
CDOT and HPTE will enter into a 50-year agreement with Plenary Roads Denver who will:
Construct Phase 2 of the US 36 Corridor which includes:
• Constructing an Express Lane in each direction of US 36 between 88th Street and Table Mesa for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), High Occupancy Vehicles (HOV) and tolled Single Occupancy Vehicles (SOV);
• Reconstructing two general purpose lanes in each direction between 88th Street and Table Mesa
• Widening the highway to accommodate 12-foot-wide inside and outside shoulders;
• Replacing the Coal Creek Bridge and rehabilitating and widening the S. Boulder Creek bridge and widening the McCaslin Boulevard bridge to accommodate a diverging diamond interchange;
• Adding Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) improvements, including new electronic display signage at stations and bus priority improvements at ramps. The improvements also will allow buses to operate on the shoulders of US 36 between interchanges to decrease bus travel time;
• Installing Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) for tolling, transit and traveler information, and incident management;
• Installing a separate commuter bikeway along the rest of the corridor; and
• Improving the RTD station at McCaslin Boulevard.
• Operate and Maintain the following highways, which includes snow and ice removal:
• The entire US 36 corridor between I-25 and Table Mesa
• I-25 Express Lanes between downtown Denver and US 36
“The ability to construct large-scale roadway improvements has become more and more challenging as construction dollars are limited and we must look for ways to be more economical, efficient and effective with those limited resources,” said Trey Rogers, Chair of the HPTE Board of Directors. “The public-private partnership allows us to do just that, and as a result, we are able to move into the final phase of construction years ahead of schedule.”
About two-thirds of the Phase 2 Project costs are funded through private sector equity and non-recourse debt. The project delivers much-needed capacity, while shifting operations and maintenance and replacement obligations to the private sector for the next 50 years. And, the P3 arrangement enables the project to be completed 20 years sooner than originally planned.
The Concession team includes the following partners:
The Plenary Group- team lead and managing partner
• Ames Construction, Inc.- construction
• Granite Construction- construction
• HDR- engineering design
• Transfield Services- maintenance
• Goldman Sachs- financial advisor
The second phase of the US 36 Express Lanes project is expected to begin construction in late 2013 and will be complete by late 2015.
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]]>Now that I am in my 20s, I see things a bit differently. I have had a couple of jobs that reinforced my premature theory, but have also had a couple of jobs that turned this hypothesis on its head. Most of the time, I have been pleasantly surprised, and when I dislike an environment, I find I am good at doing the best I can to make it better, or I am good at finding something better.
We are the 20-somethings. We are the ones who enjoy every day like it’s our last, and who refuse to settle for anything less than perfect. We are carefree and have accepted that sometimes, it takes a little bit of time to find the right job or the right fit. We are selfish and ambitious, we are determined and motivated. We are naive. We love money. We think that we deserve the best, and that only the best deserve us.
Oddly enough, it is this attitude that has landed me a job that I didn’t even know existed. I don’t dread going to work, and I look forward to the challenges that each day brings. I have the upmost respect for my colleagues, and admire every person I interact with. I get constructive criticism, great guidance, projects that I am proud to complete, and I get to put the specific skill set I have to very good use.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not out to be one of those awful philosophizing people who pretentiously wags a finger. I’m just saying that I truly enjoy going to work, and that it’s never too late to do that. If, when you read the first sentence of this blog post, you found yourself tight-lipped and in silent agreement with my old hypothesis, go out and find a job that gets your heart racing on a Wednesday, with some emails that you won’t dread reading on a Monday, with some smart, motivated people who you will go out with on a Friday.
After all, all the 20-somethings are doing it.
]]>“We average about 200 accidents a year in that area,” said Tony DeVito, regional transportation director for the Colorado Department of Transportation. “And the tunnel is not inviting — it’s like a dark hole, and there is a lot of slowing.”
Residents aren’t even jittery that through August, at least, crews will be exploding the mountainside over their heads to widen the eastbound bore. After all, Idaho Springs was carved from solid rock by rawboned, fearless prospectors during Colorado’s gold rush.
However, they do fret that people will forget about their tourism-oriented downtown after Monday, when full traffic stops begin in order to accommodate blasting and when eastbound I-70 traffic between the tunnels and the Hidden Valleyinterchange is detoured to the frontage road that parallels Clear Creek. River traffic also will be stopped during the blasting.
The project is inside Idaho Springs’ city limits.
“We’re just worried about our businesses and traffic jams, and we’re worried our economy will tank over the next nine months,” said Mary Jane Loevlie, a business owner and member of the Idaho Springs Chamber of Commerce.
The detour will be in place around the clock through late fall, when the eastbound tunnel will reopen.
CDOT promises that delays for the blasting will take place mostly on weekdays and overnight, when traffic volume is typically low.
“We want people to know we are here, we aren’t shutting down, so they should come in like they would have in the past,” city administrator Cynthia Condon said. “We aren’t going anywhere.
She hopes the tourists and other visitors who feed the town’s economy agree with Mayor Jack Morgan, who says a 20- to 30-minute delay on I-70 is a minor inconvenience compared with what travelers endure elsewhere.
“People deal with security delays at the airport of an hour or better, and few really complain,” Morgan said. “But not a 15-minute delay on the interstate.”
Town managers and CDOT are confident the hassles will be worth the wait.
Along with widening the entrance to the eastbound tunnel and adding a third lane to expand capacity, crews will also rebuild the eastbound I-70 bridge over Clear Creek to help flatten the roadway curve at Hidden Valley.
The improvements should cut the number of accidents by as much as 36 percent and reduce Sunday travel times by at least 10 minutes by early 2014, CDOT predicts.
CDOT decided to concentrate first on the eastbound bore because congestion there is more pronounced, sometimes backing traffic up to Georgetown, and it logs more accidents. Westbound I-70 has more environmental issues to wrangle, including rock cuts and creek flow, CDOT said.
CDOT also opted against starting from scratch or, as one resident suggested, knocking down the mountain, because the debris from the circa-1961 tunnels and the hillside would be tough to get rid of, wildlife habitat would be disturbed and the potential for rockslides would be increased.
“We know we’re not going to fix the entire corridor with this project, and this is a problematic 3-mile stretch,” DeVito said. “But we will make progress, and I think people will see the difference.”
The project is complex, and additional work — including widening the frontage road and more preliminary work in the tunnel than had been anticipated, requiring the hiring of extra drilling crews to finish the tunneling before winter — boosted the cost of the project last year to $100 million from $60 million.
“You never really know what the rock will be like until you get in there,” DeVito said.
The extra funding came from delaying other projects and pulling from Colorado Transportation Commission reserves, say officials.
CDOT resident engineer Russel Cox said the agency is confident in its contractor, Kraemer/Obayashi, a joint venture. Obayashi Corp., founded in 1892, is considered one of the top tunneling experts in the world.
So far, residents and local officials are happy with the work.
CDOT has kept them well-informed through in-person meetings and telephone town halls.
“I think they have done a tremendous job. They’ve kept us informed daily,” said Suzen Raymond, owner of Mile Hi Rafting, located off Clear Creek. “But we are waiting and seeing what’s going to happen.
“I don’t anticipate a major problem, but you never know.”
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907, mwhaley@denverpost.com or twitter.com/montewhaley
More information
People interested in getting daily updates on the Twin Tunnels widening project can got to several sources, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
You can call 511, visit cotrip.org, text CDOT to 25827 or download the CDOT smartphone mobile application from your App store.
Read more: Idaho Springs girds for widening project on eastbound I-70 - The Denver Post Click here for full article.
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]]>Each Saturday for six weeks we gathered in this same room with ten other PR practitioners to learn the methodology behind the madness. Our personal goal (which was graciously given to us) was to complete all three parts of the process – questionnaire, readiness review panel presentation and computer-based exam – in three months. It was a lofty goal and one that, as we moved forward, we realized was unachievable – but that is beside the point.
The point is that Matt and I persisted through the summer, fall and winter, jumping over every hurdle that was thrown before us. We worked long hours learning the theories, history, ethics and laws behind what we’d been practicing and it has finally paid off.
I’m proud to say that CIG’s clan of merry APRs has grown by two, for an agency grand total of five.
So with that, I am taking an extra-long vacation to reward myself. Au revoir!
]]>Here’s what I mean. Have you stopped recently to thank a co-worker, family member or friend for something they did to help you? Have you looked for an opportunity to “pay it forward” somehow? Have you penned a brief, handwritten thank you note? Have you taken a moment to re-read an email for clarity? Have you turned a problem upside down and looked for the opportunity? Have you taken a moment to think about whom else might need to be consulted before making a key decision in your personal or professional life? Have you thought “out of the box” about a recurring challenge and how you can change the equation to achieve a better outcome?
Let’s spend a bit of time capital to make a difference. It is all about the little things.
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