I just returned from the Midwestern District Fall Officers Retreat in Kansas City. A fun and interesting time was had by all. Thanks to Kyle Anderson for making all the arrangements and keeping us on schedule. Thanks to KCITE for a wonderful evening at Granite City. (The Zona Rosa night life was fun, too!) And a hearty thank you goes to Ken Voigt for the Strategic Planning Session onFriday!

Happy Holidays! Thanks for a great 2006, and we look forward to 2007!

Today, Kyle Anderson forwarded the latest agenda for the December Officer's Retreat (see below). He also stated that they have made arrangements to have a lunch catered in prior to the meeting. It will be a buffet style sandwich tray, served around 12:30 pm. Please let Kyle know if you are going to be there for lunch so he can get an accurate head count. Also, if you have special dietary needs, let Kyle know and he can accommodate you.

The Officer’s Retreat is scheduled for 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm (estimated) on Thursday, December 14th. KCITE is planning to arrange dinner in KC with some of the local chapter representatives. They will provide transportation to and from the dinner. Friday morning, Ken Voigt will facilitate the development of a Strategic Plan for the Midwestern District. We will be done by 11:30 am to accommodate those that need to travel back home.

The meeting will be held at the Fairfield Inn – Kansas City Airport. There website is located at: http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/MCIFA . When you make your reservations, mention the District IV ITE Meeting to get our room rate. They have shuttle service from the airport.

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Midwestern District ITE Fall Officer’s Retreat
Fairfield Inn – Kansas City Airport
December 14 & 15, 2006

I. Secretary’s Report - Young
a. Minutes of the 2006 Annual Meeting in Rochester, MN

II. Treasurer’s Report – Young
a. Updated Report / Budget
b. Appointment of Audit Committee

III. Transfer of Officer’s Duties
a. 2006 District Officer Election Results
b. President’s Duties – Green
c. Vice-President’s Duties – Anderson
d. Secretary/Treasurer Duties – Young
e. 2007 District Officer Election Schedule – All

i. Secretary/Treasurer – NCITE
f. Midwestern District Officer’s Handbook – Green

IV. Other Business
a. District Administrator’s Report – Campbell
b. District Director’s Report – Voigt
c. Section Issues/Concerns – Section Presidents
d. District Logo Changes
e. District Website
f. District Newsletter

V. Discussion of 2007 District Board Priorities
a. Student Chapters – Green
i. Student Chapter Initiatives
ii. Student Support
b. Midwestern District History Book – Campbell
c. Midwestern District Meeting Guide
d. Strategic Plan Update

VI. Other Issues
a. Status of Policies
b. Discussion of Meetings
i. St. Louis (June 13-15, 2007)
ii. 2007 Fall Officer’s Retreat

Yesterday, NCITE posted the election results for the 2007 NCITE Board. The new board is as follows:

- Past President: Carla Stueve, SRF Consulting Group
- President: Marc Culver, City of Maple Grove
- Vice President: Wayne Sandberg, Washington County
(above positions filled via automatic succession)
- Secretary: Randy Newton, City of Eden Prairie
- Treasurer: Kristi Sebastian, Dakota County
Directors:
- Mike Anderson, Alliant Engineering
- Jeff Preston, Bonestroo, Rosene, Anderlik & Associates
- Sue Zarling, Mn/DOT

Congratulations to to the new NCITE officers. We look forward to working with them!

Today we learn two items:

Kyle Anderson has notified us that he has firmed up the schedule for the 2006 Midwestern District Officer’s Retreat to be held in Kansas City. The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, December 14th and Friday, December 15th. The Officer’s Retreat will occur from 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm on Thursday afternoon. Lunch will be catered in at 12:30 pm to make it more convenient for those arriving just prior to the meeting. Members of the KCITE chapter have indicated an interest in having dinner with us on Thursday night. Kyle will coordinate with them to find somewhere for dinner, possibly in the Plaza area. Transportation will be provided.

On Friday, Ken Voigt will facilitate the development of a Strategic Plan for the District. We will plan on being finished around 11:30 am or noon on Friday so everyone can travel back home Friday afternoon.

The meeting will be held at the Fairfield Inn near the Kansas City airport. A link to the hotel is provided below. They have a shuttle service to the hotel, which is only 5 minutes away. If you are coming in to the airport just prior to the meeting, Kyle may be able to pick you up on his way to the hotel.

http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/MCIFA

More information will follow as we get closer to the meeting date.


The second item pertains to the nominations for 2008 ITE International Officers:

Nominations for 2008 International Officers --

President:


Alfred A. Guebert, P.Eng., PTOE, FITE




Vice President:


Kenneth H. Voigt, P.E., FITE

Rodney W. Kelly, P.E. FITE

Hello! My Name is Steve Manhart, and I am the host of this new blog, Midwestern-ITE. I am your incoming Midwestern District Director to the International Board of Direction for the Institute of Transportaiton Engineers (ITE). On January 1, 2007, I will be assuming the office held by Ken Voigt these last three years.

The Midwestern, formerly known as District 4, encompasses eleven central states of the US -- Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wisconsin. It also encompasses four sections of ITE -- the Illinois Section, the Missouri Valley Section (MOVITE), the North Central Section (NCITE), and the Wisconsin Section.

I intend to use this blog as a source of two-way communication. I look forward to dialog with you in the next three years on all matters of issues facing ITE today.

The Insitute of Transportaiton Engineers is a great organization. I have been a member of with ITE for nearly 15 years, but have been aware of it's importance to the transportation community for far longer. ITE provides us as transportation professionals with training and professional development opportunites, while working to keep us current with the state-of-the-practice applications and technology. ITE serves us well!

In the coming weeks and months, i will work to keep this blog active and up to date with current goings on in ITE. I invite you to participate by posting your thoughts and questions.

Thank you for this opportunity ot serve you in these next three years!

-- Steve