Program Members,
 
We informed you last fall that the IAMU Safety Group program earned a dividend of just under $1.7M for the 2021/22 policy term. Next week member checks and dividend calculation details are being mailed out to your local insurance agent for delivery.

Thank you for your commitment to safety and continued support of the IAMU Safety Group Insurance Program!

Iowa LTAP, Institute for Transportation, Iowa State University will have a series of work zone workshops during February and March.  Each one-day workshop will cover the 2009 MUTCD.  The workshops consist of a general session and a breakout session tailored to specific categories of work zone activities. 
CEU's available!
Please see the brochure below for more information:

For information about program content, contact Paul Albritton at the Institute for Transportation: 515-294-1231 or [email protected]
For information about registration, contact ISU Registration Services:
515-294-6222 or [email protected]

Common Ground Iowa (CGI) will be holding a 1-day Damage Prevention event at IAMU on February 28th from 9:00 – 3:00.   This is a free event to attend, but registration is limited to the first 70 people.  See attached brochure for topics to be discussed and to register.

Coming up this spring is a workshop for gas distribution system welders who work for municipal utilities or welding contractors.  Includes the opportunity to perform one or more of the pipeline welding procedures included in the IAMU procedures manual. Instructions on current welding techniques will be given throughout. The workshop is designed for beginning and advanced welding!

Procedures Available for Testing:
A-1: Arc weld, butt joint, under 2” NPS, Grade B – X42, ≥ 3/16” wall thickness
A-2: Arc weld, butt joint, 2" - 12" NPS, Grade B – X42, 3/16” - ¾” wall thickness.
A-4: Arc weld, fillet joint, all NPS branch sizes, Grade B – X42, 3/16” - ¾” wall thickness.
A-5: Arc weld, v-groove butt joint, 2” NPS, sch. 40
A-7: Arc weld, v-groove butt joint, 2”-12” NPS, X-42 – X-60, 3/16” - ¾” wall thickness.
A-8: Arc weld, fillet joint, all NPS branch sizes, X-42 – X-60, 3/16” - ¾” wall thickness.
IS Branch: Arc weld, fillet joint, low hydrogen, all NPS sizes, API 5L > X-65, all wall thickness.
IS Fillet: Arc weld, fillet joint, low hydrogen, all NPS sizes, API 5L > X-65, all wall thickness.
IS Long Seam-1: Arc weld, side seam, low hydrogen, all NPS sizes, API 5L > X-65, all wall thickness.
IS Long Seam-2: Arc weld, side seam, low hydrogen, all NPS sizes, API 5L > X-65, all wall thickness.
G-1: Gas weld, v-groove butt joint, under 2" NPS, Grade B – X42, > 3/16” wall thickness.
G-2: Gas weld, v-groove butt joint, 2" - 12" NPS, Grade B – X42, 3/16” - ¾” wall thickness.
G-3: Gas weld, fillet joint, all NPS branch sizes, Grade B – X42, > 3/16” wall thickness.
G-4: Gas weld, fillet joint, all NPS branch sizes, Grade B – X42, 3/16” - ¾” wall thickness.
 
The workshop will take place at:
Iowa Lakes Community College - Emmetsburg Campus
3200 College Drive
Emmetsburg, IA 50536

Training Schedule
March 13     -     Classes 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
March 14     -     Classes 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
March 15     -     Classes 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
March 16     -     Classes 8 a.m. - Noon
 
Participants must supply their own:

• Helmet
• Gloves
• Glasses
• Protective clothing
• Pipe & welding electrodes/rods
• Hand grinders
  

 
Please click HERE to register!

IAMU’s nominating committee is currently looking for interested parties to fill current and potential vacant positions on the IAMU board of directors.

All director positions on the IAMU Board are “at large”, but we do consider a variety of criteria when evaluating potential candidates in an effort to maintain a balance of perspectives. In doing so we will consider many criteria including but not limited to: educational background, work experience, gender, race, utility location, type of utility represented, and size of community represented. Terms are three years. While directors can leave at any time we are particularly interested in candidates that, after some time on the board, are willing to consider serving on the executive committee. Directors are term limited after 10 years, and most volunteers reach term limits. We have had excellent participation over the years.

The board typically meets the second Thursday of the odd numbered months in Ankeny from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. There are eleven members of the board. While in person attendance is encouraged and preferred, some electronic attendance is permissible. 

If interested please contact Executive Director Troy DeJoode by email at [email protected]

IAMU's Electric Superintendent & Foreman’s Meeting is specially designed to cover topics of interest to electric superintendents and foremen.

The 2023 meeting highlights include:

• Supply Chain Lead Times & Challenges
• Challenges of EV’s to Your Workforce
• NESC 2023 Updates
• Sex Trafficking
• Forest Pest Update

 
Also returning is the Product Show & Reception. Come socialize with fellow utility personnel and meet with exhibitors to see their latest products, technology, and services.

For additional information in regards to the workshop, including full agenda and registration, please click HERE.
 
Questions?
Contact Jared Masker at (800) 810-4268 or [email protected]

Bids will be accepted until February 3, 2023 end of business day and may be submitted to Dawn Hyler ([email protected]), Director of Finance & Administration.

Current Mileage: 159,729
Truck has been used for Gas Construction Services.

Any questions or wish to view vehicle prior to bid closing date may contact Dawn at the email address above.

Registration is open for attendees, vendors, and sponsors! Please click HERE to register, get more details, and to see the event agenda.

Whether your community already operates a broadband network or you are just thinking about it, this annual event is a must-attend for Iowa’s municipal broadband community! In addition to two-days of informative workshop sessions, you will also have plenty of opportunities to network with fellow utility representatives and the vendor community!
 
Again this year, the Conference will be held in conjunction with the CBAN Spring Forum on April 4th.
 
A hotel block has been reserved at Stoney Creek for the nights of April 4th and 5th. Standard King rooms are $94 per night. The deadline to receive this special rate is March 10th! You can book your room by calling (515) 334-9000 or visit their online reservation portal: https://bookings.travelclick.com/109230#/guestsandrooms.
The group code for IAMU is 2304IAMU.
 
We look forward to seeing you all in April!

Registration is now open for the IAMU Energy Conference!

Join other municipal energy professionals for the annual IAMU Energy Conference on March 1-3, 2023, at the Hilton Garden Inn, West Des Moines.

Learn more about the latest happenings in the industry and network with others during this much anticipated yearly event.

The annual Legislative Reception is also planned for this time, taking place on March 1 at Ken’s – a not so speakeasy, in Des Moines’ East Village.  

View the full agenda and register here.

Need more CEUs? This upcoming workshop offers 5 hours for both water treatment and water distribution. Held at the IAMU office, these 2 days offer a variety of topics and speakers while also giving participants the opportunity to network with a small group of exhibitors.
View the full agenda and register here.

• Advanced Water Treatment Workshop - March 8, 2023
• Advanced Water Distribution Workshop - March 9, 2023
  
• Attend one... or both!
  

If you have any questions, please contact Steve Marsh at 515.289.1999 or by email at [email protected]

The Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities will be holding mobile crane re-certification and examination classes for digger derrick, service truck, and mobile crane operators.  OSHA’s updated crane standard REQUIRES that operators of lifting equipment be trained, evaluated and tested in order to obtain re-certification.

Background Information:
Many of our members are coming up on the 5-year anniversary of our first NCCER mobile crane operator certification and now is the time to access your NCCER Registry and note the expiration date of your mobile crane license! Re-certification is required every 5 years. In order to re-certify you must retake and pass both the practical examination and the computerized test with an 80% score for each. There is no grace period after your certification expires.

We will be scheduling abbreviated operator re-certification classes for 2023, to see pricing and the full list of calendar dates go to https://members.iamu.org/page/NCCER.

IAMU has opened select registration for our NCCER Re-certification classes for March and April, 2023.  Please click HERE or visit the IAMU website to register. 

Who Should Attend:
Digger derrick and service truck crane operators who currently hold a mobile crane operator’s certification.

What Do These Classes and Certification Consist Of:
Classes will be a 3-days long, classroom instruction, an on-line exam that has an 80% pass requirement, a practical exam for re-certification of mobile crane. Students who pass the written and practical exams receive nationally recognized certification from the National Center for Construction Education Research (NCCER).

When Will Classes Be Held:
Dates have been scheduled for 2023 at the IAMU complex.  Please click HERE or visit the IAMU website for available dates. 
March 21st – 23rd  (Re-Certification class)
March 28th – 30th (Re-Certification class)
April 11th – 13th (Re-Certification class)
April 18th – 20th (Re-Certification class)

Examination retakes are $100 and may be taken during any scheduled exam date.

Additional Notes:

• There is a maximum of 10 participants per class session.
• Lunch will be provided Tuesday through Thursday.
• All participants will attend classroom days. Exams will take place on the Wednesday of each class session. Depending on the number of participants, Wednesday evening and Friday may also be used for practical exams.
• Each participant will need to bring their PPE for the practical exam: High Viz clothing, hardhat, safety glasses, gloves, safety shoes, and long pants.

For additional information about the classes and online registration for each event, click HERE.

Questions?
If you have any questions in regards to the classes, or requirements, please contact:
Margret Meade, IAMU Safety Outreach Coordinator ([email protected])
Phone:  515.210.6617

Registration is OPEN! Click HERE

Thursday, March 16, 2023
8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Lunch and breaks included
 
*** 0.4 CEU’s for WD or WW ***
 
OSHA requires a competent person be on-site at every excavation.
The competent person is required to evaluate site safety and resolve existing and potential hazards.  This workshop is an excellent opportunity to become qualified as a competent person (or stay current with the responsibilities).

Note: This is an in person workshop. No webinar will be offered.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Don Heck at [email protected] or 515-971-8481

The Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities is saddened to announce the death of our Information Technology Specialist, Josh Trout. Josh was a vital team member that will be deeply missed. For almost twenty-five years, Josh was the head (and sole member) of the IT department at IAMU. If you would like to leave some words and condolences for Josh’s friends and family, please follow this LINK.

With his passing, our staff has been working to learn the many and varied time sensitive tasks Josh carried out, including The Informer newsletter! We should now be able to resume those activities on a regular schedule. We appreciate the patience and grace our members have extended to us during this difficult time.

For any IT or web based needs (including job/notice/classifieds postings) please submit requests to https://form.jotform.com/230056401054037

The IAMU Broadband Conference and Expo will be held April 5-6, 2023 at Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center in Johnston. Registration is now open for attendees and vendors on the IAMU Events page. Whether your community already operates a broadband network or you are just thinking about it, this annual event is a must-attend for Iowa’s municipal broadband community! In addition to two-days of informative workshop sessions, you will also have plenty of opportunities to network with fellow utility representatives and the vendor community!
 
Again this year, the Conference will be held in conjunction with the CBAN Spring Forum on April 4th. We encourage you to attend the event and participate in a broad discussion of digital equity issues on April 4th, then stay for the IAMU Broadband Conference and Expo. CBAN Spring Forum attendance is free for CBAN members. Not a member? Become one for free! All the details on the CBAN Spring Forum are available at https://broadbandaction.com/cban-events/
 
A hotel block has been reserved at Stoney Creek for the nights of April 4th and 5th. Standard King rooms are $94 per night. The deadline to receive this special rate is March 10th! You can book your room by calling (515) 334-9000 or visit their online reservation portal: https://bookings.travelclick.com/109230#/guestsandrooms. The group code for IAMU is 2304IAMU.
 
We look forward to seeing you all in April!
 
Curtis Dean, President
SmartSource Consulting
[email protected]

Registration is now open for the IAMU Energy Conference!

Join other municipal energy professionals for the annual IAMU Energy Conference on March 1-3, 2023, at the Hilton Garden Inn, West Des Moines.

Learn more about the latest happenings in the industry and network with others during this much anticipated yearly event.

The annual Legislative Reception is also planned for this time, taking place on March 1 at Ken’s – a not so speakeasy, in Des Moines’ East Village.  

View the full agenda and register here.