A voice from Alabama’ s 67 counties
David Palmer
Engineer, Franklin County President, Association of County
Engineers of Alabama( ACEA)
Q
As you come to the end of your term as ACEA president, what stands out to you when you think back over the last year?
A
The last year has been a very productive year for county engineers in my opinion. The completion and addition of the Pavement Preservation section to the already invaluable County Road Design Policy was a great accomplishment. County engineers also worked diligently with ALDOT materials and tests personnel to improve and adopt positive changes to the state specifications, especially those that apply to full-depth reclamation. Two other notable accomplishments this past year were the completion and adoption of a new County Road Maintenance Certification Policy and a mutual agreement to
expand the use of“ force account” work on Federal-Aid projects. These new policies and agreements stand out in my mind as benchmark accomplishments that will provide tremendous benefits and cost savings to counties moving forward. These improvements are a direct result of the cooperation and collaboration by many individuals, representing a variety of departments, across several political boundaries. It is a credit to the hard work and dedication of county engineers, ALDOT personnel, and FHWA representatives who chose to work together to provide a better quality of life for the citizens of the great state of Alabama. I want to thank all those involved for your hard work and helpful contributions to this important effort.
Q
What can you say about the leadership role your fellow engineers played in the 2017 effort to enact legislation raising revenue for roads and bridges?
A
County engineers have worked very hard for several years to try and get additional revenue. I believe the 2017 session was sort of a culmination of those efforts that was more focused and better organized as a result of the coordination and leadership of the ACCA. It is a tough balancing act for county engineers to run their departments and play a role in political action. Most county engineers are almost overwhelmed with the responsibilities that come with the design, construction and maintenance of hundreds of bridges and hundreds of miles of roads with, by the way, very little help. That being said, a tremendous amount of gratitude is owed to those county engineers that find the time and energy to step up and do it all so well.
Q
Because legislation was not passed this session, the condition of county roads and bridges will continue to decline. What’ s the next step in this quest?
COUNTY COMMISSION | 43