From the Director
by Matt Cate, P.E.
It's hard to believe that winter is gone. The ups and downs of winter appear to be continuing as East Tennesseans were greeted by snow and temperatures in the 30s on the first day of spring. The basketball Vols and Lady Vols had a good run this year, but unfortunately both teams were upset victims in the second round of the NCAA tournaments. It's back to football for UT fans, and it is also time for casual hockey fans to put the Nashville Predators back on the radar.
As I promised in our last issue, we have some detailed results to share from TTAP's 2018 Training Needs Assessment survey. The results tell us that our current training workshops hit your highest-priority topics, but we've also identified some areas where we can expand our program to meet your needs. We asked several questions to gauge your interest in online training. While I think that most of our instructors (myself included) prefer the immediate feedback and ease of conversation offered by traditional classroom training, we realize that some agencies and individuals may be unable to join us for a variety of reasons, including time constraints and travel restrictions. We are looking for a way to connect with more of you while still providing an opportunity for interaction with our instructors and your fellow students. You can find more results from our survey in the article on page 1.
Speaking of surveys, the Federal Highway Administration's Center for Local Aid Support (CLAS) recently completed its Local Agency Needs Assessment survey. This survey provided local agencies across the country with an opportunity to influence an update to the national Local Technical Assistance Program/Tribal Technical Assistance Program (LTAP/TTAP) Strategic Plan. This plan affects each center that is a part of the national LTAP/TTAP network which includes TTAP as Tennessee's LTAP center.
The details of the new strategic plan are still evolving, but we expect to see an increased emphasis on innovation for local agencies. You've already seen a form of innovation over the last several years through FHWA's Every Day Counts (EDC) program, but innovation can take many forms. As part of this increased LTAP/TTAP focus on innovation, the National LTAP Association (NLTAPA) has formed a new Innovation and Implementation Workgroup. I have the honor of serving as the workgroup's first chairperson, and I hope that this endeavor will allow me to bring even more useful information to you in the future.
I'm running out of space, so I'll wrap things up here. Hopefully the weather reports will soon match our expectations of mild temperatures, sunny days, and flowers in bloom. It wouldn't surprise me if we are complaining about the heat in the next issue, but that's how it goes. In the meantime, please let me know if there is anything that TTAP can do to help you.
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