Chesterton Town Engineer Mark O’Dell is now a rare bird in the State of Indiana: One of the very few municipal employees—and even rarer, one of the very few municipal engineers—certified as a Master Road Builder through Purdue University’s Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP).
O’Dell was honored at the Town Council’s meeting Monday night, Oct. 14, by LTAP Associate Director Richard Domonkos, who was pleased to present O’Dell with a hard hat in Purdue gold.
Simply to earn the certification of Road Builder requires the completion of 12 courses—“Basics of a Good Road,” “Public Purchasing,” “Bridge Basics,” “Drainage,” “Liability and Risk Management,” and “Highway Funding,” just to name half of them—as well as elective conferences and workshops totaling 300 credit hours.
To earn the certification of Master Road Builder requires the completion of yet another 300 credit hours. O’Dell’s significant achievement actually makes him the third department head or assistant department head in the Town of Chesterton to be certified as a Road Builder: Street Commissioner John Schnadenberg is similarly a Master Road Builder and Assistant Street Commissioner Dan Moy a Road Builder (and “on his way,” Domonkos noted).
“There are very few Master Road Builders in the State of Indiana,” Domonkos told the Town Council. “There are actually only about 262 Road Builders and Master Road Builders. They represent about 100 agencies across the state. So Mark joins a pretty elite company here in Chesterton.”
But the accomplishment of all three puts the Town of Chesterton itself in elite company and speaks in particular of its “organizational excellence,” Domonkos noted. “You have to recognize not only the people who achieve this but also the agencies that support this. And the fact that there are three Road Builders in this room says a lot about this town and the leadership.”
Schnadenberg agrees with Domonkos. “It takes a long time to be certified as a Road Builder and it takes even longer to make Master Road Builder,” he said after the meeting. “And the Town Council has always taken the long view of our professional development. They want us to be the best we can be, they give us the tools we need, and they’re committed to our continuing education. I’m really proud to work in and for the Town of Chesterton.”
“Congratulations, Mark, on achieving the prestigious title of Master Road Builder,” said Member Dane Lafata, D-3rd, the Town Council’s liaison to the Street Department. “Your dedication, skill, and hard work have paved the way for this incredible accomplishment. Looking at the required courses and on-the-job credits needed to achieve the Master Road Builder level, it’s clear Chesterton is lucky to have Mark.”