2024 MEFV Overseas Study Tour Report

Two representatives from Local Government in Victoria were awarded the 2024 MEFV overseas study tour Scholarship to travel to the USA and Canada and attend the Public Works Conference in Atlanta, Georgia (PWX2024). Prior to travelling, the Awardees arranged site visits to eleven (11) organisations across the states of California, North Carolina and Illinois USA and the Province of Ontario, Canada to research their respective study tour topics.

The awardees were:

Trent Daisley, Coordinator Design, City of Hume – Topic – Brownfield Repair and Replacement, a Sustainable Approach.

Faina Levin, Circular Economy Strategic Lead, Cit of Boroondara – Topic – Rethinking Local Infrastructure – Embedding Circularity in Public Works.

Vicki Shelton, Trustee MEFV and Manager Asset Services at Golden Plains Shire travelled with the two awardees to continue to grow international networks with our Public Works counterparts in the USA, Canada and other countries from around the world who attended the PWX2024.

Organisations visited across the USA and Canada are outlined below.

California, USA •              Greenwaste Zanker Resource Recovery Centre, San Jose

•              City of Napa – Engineering Division, Department of Public Works,

•              City of San Francisco – Bureau of Project Management, Bureau of Architecture, Department of Public Works

•              Bay Area Construction Leaders, San Francisco

North Carolina, USA      •              Mecklenburg County Recycling Centre

•              City of Charlotte – Street Maintenance Division, Office of Sustainability & Resilience, Department of Transport (CDOT),

•              Envision Charlotte, Innovation Barn

Illinois, USA       •              Argonne National Laboratory, Chicago

•              Village of Wheeling – Department of Public Works, Chicago

•              Northern Cook County – Solid Waste Agency

•              Metropolitan Waste Reclamation District, Greater Chicago

•              Chicago City Chapter – City Leaders and Illinois Mayors

•              Rebuilding Exchange, Chicago

Ontario, Canada             •              City of Toronto – Transportation Services, Environment and Climate Division, Department of Public Works

•              Region of Peel – Enterprise Asset Management, Waste Management, Transportation and Infrastructure

Awardees attended the 2024 American Public Works Association Conference and Expo in Atlanta Georgia along with over 5000 public works professionals from across the USA, Canada and International.  They attended the Canadian Public Works Association Lunch where outgoing APWA president Garry Losier gave a heartfelt presentation on his past year as president and his long career in Public Works. The team also had the opportunity to network with colleagues from the APWA Georgia Chapter Host Division, APWA Chicago Chapter and International Federation of Municipal Engineers (IFME).

PWX provided a first-class multi-modal learning experience designed for professionals at all levels and across the entire spectrum of public works allowing attendees to experience over 150 traditional and interactive sessions, seminars, workshops, and networking opportunities.

The conference extended over 4 days and included an onsite exhibition of over 400 exhibitors over a floor space of over 31,000 square metres and a rodeo for outdoor teams to show their skills in operating plant.

Watch the conference wrap  https://youtu.be/0B3pm9fTJc4  (you may see a quick vox pop of one or our awardees).

Below is a summary of the tour provided by the participants. In due course Faina and Trent will provide a full report on their tour and topics of study which will be available in the Reports page of this website together with other Study tour reports by past participants.

https://mefvic.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/MEFV-2024-Study-Tour-Overview-PDF-1.pdf

https://mefvic.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Web-photos.pdf