Management Operations and Maintenance Fundamentals

Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 9:00 am–3:00 pm
 Virtual
Maintenance workers pouring concrete on a roadside

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About the Workshop

This course explores the fundamentals of delivering public works maintenance and operations services. Attendees will learn about the equipment and personnel resources needed for efficient and effective service delivery to the public. Topics covered will include an operations overview, capital improvement programs, emergency preparedness planning, and environmental responsibilities.

Registration

Please let us know how we can ensure that this workshop is inclusive to you. What accommodations or access needs can we help facilitate? Contact Samantha Hahn-Douville at [email protected] when you register to help us provide you with the best access.

Topics Covered

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Topics Covered

Operations overview

  • Organizational structure
  • Mission/vision statements
  • Ethics in public works

Capital improvement programs/funding/approval process

  • Typical useful life of infrastructure (depreciation of assets)
  • Identifying potential funding sources and creating project cost estimates and budgets
  • CIP and project approval process
  • Coordinating with other departments and agencies
  • Equipment acquisition and considerations

Emergency preparedness

  • Emergency management operations
  • Priority planning
  • FEMA/damage assessment
  • Organizational roles between local-state-federal agencies
  • Media and crisis management

Environmental responsibilities

  • Citizen lawsuits
  • Clean Water Act
  • MS4 & SWPPP requirements
  • Dealing with contaminated sites & soils

Who Should Attend

Individuals who are interested in becoming a supervisor, newly promoted supervisors, or supervisors wishing to enhance their leadership skills, communication, and effectiveness.

Course Instructors

Michael Thompson is the director of public works at the City of Plymouth. His leadership has helped communities implement forward-thinking approaches in areas such as strategic planning, Living Streets, and asset management. With a strong background in municipal engineering, budgeting, water resources, and collaborative leadership, Michael is committed to building sustainable and resilient public infrastructure. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the profession, he was honored as the Public Works Director of the Year in 2021 by the American Public Works Association – Minnesota Chapter.

Will Manchester is the director of public works at the City of Minnetonka and a licensed professional civil engineer with experience in a variety of municipal, development, and transportation projects in both the public and private sectors. His expertise includes the planning, design, and coordination of public improvement and transportation projects from start to finish. He manages all project aspects ranging from communication, budget, easement acquisition, agency regulation, approvals, and construction administration. His day-to-day responsibilities cover a wide range of activities with municipal engineering, municipal public works and infrastructure, state highway project coordination, and county project improvements.

Credit

Sponsors

This workshop is presented by Minnesota LTAP at the Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota. Minnesota LTAP is sponsored by the Minnesota Local Road Research Board (LRRB) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). This course is subsidized through funding from LRRB and FHWA.