Thursday, May 17, 2007

New, New, New!!

Ok, first of all I have not posted since I can't tell you when (ok it was November...and a bad rant). I have a new job at Caltrans. No longer am I slaving to those in Mass Transporation, which, though I really loved the work, it was going downhill for reasons that I can better explain in person.

I am now working for CT District 3 as a Regional Planner and IGR Coordinator for Placer, Nevada and Sierra Counties. Even though D3 is headquartered in Marysville, I work in a satellite office here in Sacramento. Our district is building a brand-spanking new building which will be open in Dec. 2008 at which time I will be up there (nothing like a 40-mile commute)....but that is still a long time from now and as they say in baseball, anything can happen.

But Will, you ask, what does a regional planner and IGR coordinator do? Funny you should ask. A regional planner is Caltrans' liaison to all the regional transportation planning agencies in those counties listed above. I attend their full commission meetings, sit as a member of their Technical Advisory Committee' (TAC) and try to answer questions as to why Caltrans does the things it does.

The other part of my job is to review any and all plans as they may affect the state highway system within 1 to 2 miles of a state or federal highway. This includes new housing developments, a new water treatment facility, temporary permits (such as: "hey, I want to hold a wedding on my 5-acre spread.."), etc. I review and comment, as well as send it out to our various offices within Caltrans such as Hydrology, Traffic Operations, Traffic Forecasting, etc.
So any and all plans that may affect the highway, we review them and comment on them. Pretty chic, huh!

So athletics at Sac State is winding down for the academic year. The only thing left to do is the NCAA Div. I Track and Field Championships at Hornet Stadium June 6-9 and then I get my summer off until football opens at Fresno State on Sept. 1.

As always, would love to hear from you with your comments.