02/23/2010 01:00 PM House TRANSPORTATION

              HB 345-SAM SCHUYLER MEMORIAL BRIDGE                                                                           
1:18:46 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR P. WILSON  announced that the next order  of business would                                                               
be  HOUSE BILL  NO. 345,  "An Act  designating the  bridge to  be                                                               
built on  the Dalton  Highway at approximately  mile post  308 as                                                               
the Sam Schuyler Memorial Bridge."                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
1:19:15 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MARGARET DOWLING, Staff, Representative  Jay Ramras, Alaska State                                                               
Legislature,  Juneau, Alaska,  on  behalf of  the prime  sponsor,                                                               
explained that Sam  Schuyler was a beloved employee.   The Dalton                                                               
Highway is sometimes  lonely and harsh place.   Thus, friendships                                                               
made  along  that  road  are  often "forged  like  steel".    The                                                               
Department  of Transportation  & Public  Facilities (DOT&PF)  has                                                               
indicated the existing  DOT&PF budget can absorb the  cost of any                                                               
signage.  She paraphrased from the sponsor statement, as follows                                                                
[original punctuation provided]:                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     HB  345  gives  the  name the  "Sam  Schuyler  Memorial                                                                    
     Bridge" to  a bridge  that will be  built at  mile post                                                                    
     308  on the  Dalton Highway.  Sam Schuyler  was a  well                                                                    
     loved    and    respected    Alaska    Department    of                                                                    
     Transportation and Public  Facilities (DOT&PF) employee                                                                    
     who spent  his entire  career working along  the Dalton                                                                    
     Highway. Sam  began his career  with DOT&PF as  a heavy                                                                    
     equipment  operator   at  the  Jim   River  Maintenance                                                                    
     Station,   milepost   135   of  the   Dalton   Highway.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
     Sam immediately exhibited a  spirited tenacity that set                                                                    
     him  apart  from his  peers.  This  trait caused  Sam's                                                                    
     career to rise  rapidly. He was promoted  to Foreman of                                                                    
     the  Jim River  Maintenance Station  and from  there he                                                                    
     quickly became  the Dalton District Roving  Foreman. In                                                                    
     this position, Sam frequented every  mile of the Dalton                                                                    
     Highway and he was  personally involved in the everyday                                                                    
     functions of each maintenance camp.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Throughout  Sam's storied  career, he  routinely placed                                                                    
     the needs  of friends and  coworkers ahead of  his own.                                                                    
     He  based  his leadership  on  the  principle "lead  by                                                                    
     example." Sam never asked an  employee to take on a job                                                                    
     he  would not  do himself.  His men  knew him  well and                                                                    
     respected him immensely.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
     Sam  was   dedicated  to  the  Dalton   Highway,  often                                                                    
     personally overseeing a project  to ensure that the job                                                                    
     was  completed   on  time   and  within   budget.  This                                                                    
     dedication is reflected in  Sam's favorite saying, "Get                                                                    
     'er  Done!"   This  often-used  phrase,   coupled  with                                                                    
     another  favorite  saying,  "Can Do!"  earned  Sam  the                                                                    
     respect of  other maintenance  workers and  the respect                                                                    
     of the famous Dalton Highway truckers.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Sam's  work  ethic  and  his  heartfelt  commitment  to                                                                    
     improving  the   Dalton  Highway  are   appreciated  by                                                                    
     travelers  who  drive  this road  today.  He  left  the                                                                    
     Dalton  Highway  in a  much  better  condition than  he                                                                    
     found it.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     Sam's life  ended unexpectedly on  January 1,  2007. He                                                                    
     was still a DOT&PF employee when he passed away.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:20:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MEADOW  BAILEY,  Public  Information  Officer,  Northern  Region,                                                               
Department  of   Transportation  &  Public   Facilities  (DOT&PF)                                                               
stated,  on behalf  of the  Maintenance &  Operations (M&O),  and                                                               
other  DOT&PF  employees  who worked  with  the  Alaska  Trucking                                                               
Association,  Inc. to  support this  bill.   She stated  that Sam                                                               
Schuyler  worked on  the Dalton  Highway  for 23  years and  died                                                               
suddenly.   He was a knowledgeable  manager who was loved  by his                                                               
employees and  was someone would  help out  anyone in need.   The                                                               
DOT&PF  employees  and  the  Alaska  Trucking  Association,  Inc.                                                               
employees  were very  excited  at the  prospect  of honoring  Mr.                                                               
Schuyler by naming a memorial bridge in his honor.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
1:22:28 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS. BAILEY,  in response to Representative  Gruenberg, identified                                                               
Mr. Schuyler as  the man in orange in the  photograph in members'                                                               
packets.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:23:03 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PETERSEN  asked which river the  bridge will cross                                                               
and if there is an existing bridge at the site.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MS. BAILEY related  that currently a culvert exists  at the site,                                                               
but as part of reconstruction  project on the Dalton Highway this                                                               
summer the  DOT&PF plans to install  a small bridge in  a section                                                               
of the Dalton Highway on which  Sam Schuyler worked.  In response                                                               
to  Chair P.  Wilson,  she clarified  that  the existing  culvert                                                               
collapsed  and the  DOT&PF has  recommended replacing  it with  a                                                               
bridge.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:24:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
HOWARD THIES, Director, Maintenance  & Operations (M&O), Northern                                                               
Region,   Department  of   Transportation  &   Public  Facilities                                                               
(DOT&PF) stated that  Sam Schuyler was a great  employee and this                                                               
would be a great  tribute to him and to the  people who drive and                                                               
work on the Dalton Highway.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:24:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CLARK MILNE,  Engineer, Maintenance & Operations  (M&O), Northern                                                               
Region,   Department  of   Transportation  &   Public  Facilities                                                               
(DOT&PF), stated that he worked  with Sam Schuyler and the reason                                                               
truckers and crew  thought was good idea is that  Sam was "one of                                                               
those   big-hearted   neat  guys."      He   was  the   assistant                                                               
superintendent for  a number of  years.   He stated that  Sam got                                                               
along  well with  everyone and  solved problems.   He  emphasized                                                               
that  Sam loved  the Dalton  Highway.   He said  he thought  this                                                               
would be a gesture that would remind people of Sam Schuyler.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. THIES interjected  that Sam Schuyler knew  the Dalton Highway                                                               
and would  provide maintenance when truckers  identified areas in                                                               
need of repairs.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:26:07 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR P.  WILSON, after first  determining no one else  wished to                                                               
testify, closed public testimony on on HB 345.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
1:26:25 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MUNOZ moved  to report  HB 345  out of  committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
note.   There being no  objection, HB  345 was reported  from the                                                               
House Transportation Standing Committee.