Public Administrator of the Year

Two outstanding Maine public servants were honored by the Maine Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration at its awards ceremony on June 19 at the State Capitol in Augusta.

Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap of Old Town was given the prestigious 2008 Public Administrator of the Year award to honor his leadership and passion and compassion, and to recognize his contributions to Maine state government.

The chapter’s Public Service Award was presented to Philip Dionne to recognize his passion for effective career-related education and training expressed through volunteerism.

Dunlap is well-known for his eight years of public service in the Maine House of Representatives. His passion and wealth of knowledge propelled him into multiple leadership positions such as Democratic chairman of the 2002 Legislative Apportionment Commission, House chairman of the Citizens Advisory Commission to Secure the Future of Maine’s Wildlife and Fish and the first House chairman of the Joint Standing Committee on Program Evaluation and Governmental Accountability.

Dunlap has been a vigorous promoter of improving the delivery of government services through technology, such as developing the MOSES system that makes hunting and fishing licenses available for purchase on the Internet.

As secretary of state he is a member of the InforME board overseeing the system that provides citizen access to government through the www.maine.gov Web portal. As Maine’s chief motor vehicle official, he has continued the work to modernize and integrate the electronic delivery of many services, including Rapid Renewal and online driver’s license renewals.

Dunlap takes a special interest in reaching out to Maine’s youngest citizens to instill in them the value of government. He sponsors the Maine Mock Election for high school students, the Maine Youth Vote Media Project and student activities such as the Run for the Governor’s Office board game.

According to Attorney General Steven Rowe, “Matt Dunlap shines when he gets in front of a television camera to advocate for a public policy position. However, he shines even more when, on a daily basis, he quietly assists citizens with accessing governmental services. Whether it be helping someone renew a license or access home heating fuel assistance, Matt is always ready to help a fellow citizen. Matt loves speaking with young students about their rights and duties as citizens, and it shows. The people of Maine are fortunate to have Matt in their service.”

Philip Dionne owns and operates Philip A. Dionne, General Construction. The Public Service Award recognizes his passion for effective career-related education and training through volunteer service.

A native of Brunswick, Dionne has an associate degree in architectural engineering technology from Wentworth Institute. He is a strong advocate for career and technical education.

Locally, he has been elected to the Brunswick school board. He has served on the State Board of Education since 1992 and is vice chairman. He is chairman of the Maine Jobs Council, which functions as the state work force investment board and oversees the statewide work force education and training activities. In addition, he is vice chairman of the State Apprenticeship Council within the Department of Labor.

Free at the Farnsworth

ROCKLAND – Celebrate Independence Day in Maine with free access to the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland on Saturday and Sunday, July 5-6.

Bank of America offers cardholders free admission to museums and cultural institutions the first weekend of each month as part of its yearlong “Museums On Us Program.”

For more information, visit www.bankofamerica.com/museums. The Web site also has a listing of participating

museums in other states.

Design excellence at UM

ORONO – The University of Maine’s new Foster Student Innovation Center has been recognized for design excellence by a national organization that promotes and recognizes creativity and efficiency in the planning and construction of educational buildings.

The Foster Center, an incubator for students who are innovators and entrepreneurs at UM, has tied for grand prize in the new construction-college division competition conducted by EducationDesignShowcase.com, a Web site showcasing 135 of the best-designed and constructed school, college and university educational buildings.

The Foster Center tied with the Kansas Life Sciences Innovation Center at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Grand prize winners receive $1,000 scholarships presented to the winning institutions.

The award-winning projects displayed on the EducationDesignShowcase.com site were evaluated by a jury of administrators, architects and facility.

Criteria considered in the evaluations included aesthetic characteristics; innovation and creativeness; attention to safety and security; efficient use of space; planned flexibility to accommodate change; accessibility for diverse users; site design, adaptation and development; selection of materials; attention to the environment, maintainability and energy use; and cost effectiveness.

The UM Foster Student Innovation Center opened in the fall of 2006. Designed by Oak Point Associates of Biddeford, the certified LEED-NC Silver facility is state of the art in technology and sustainability. As an Education Design Showcase winner, the center will be featured in the upcoming issue of College Planning & Management magazine.

For information about the Foster Center or its programs, contact Renee Kelly at 581-1401, or e-mail rwkelly@maine.edu.

Quality of Place Council

BANGOR – Gov. John Baldacci on June 18 named the public members of the Maine Quality of Place Council created recently by Executive Order. The Order to Create a Maine Quality of Place Jobs and Investment Strategy established the council to guide and support a State Quality of Place investment strategy, and to coordinate investment strategies across state departments and regional councils.

Among the 11 members named to the council is Bangor City Manager Ed Barrett.

The State Planning Office will convene regional government and economic leaders to promote the Maine Quality of Place investment strategy no later than Nov. 1.

More information about Maine’s Quality of Place can be found

at www.maine.gov/spo/

specialprojectsqualit

yofplace/index.htm.

Remodeling at BIA

BANGOR – Bangor International Airport will begin construction on its domestic terminal in July. After a terminal building needs analysis in 2006, design concepts were explored and completed at the end of 2007.

“The construction project will provide for more passenger amenities on the second floor and provide for more efficient operations in the entire domestic terminal,” said Rebecca Hupp, airport director. “We went through a very thorough process to determine a plan that provides the most benefit with the least construction activity and disruption possible. Improving our passenger experience and service while keeping costs and construction to a minimum was our primary goal.”

One of the primary improvements that passengers using the airport will notice when construction is finished is the addition of restroom facilities beyond the security screening area on the second floor. New boarding lounges and other amenities will improve passenger comfort. The entire second level of the terminal building will be enclosed, allowing for future expansion of boarding facilities.

The construction project will cost $2.9 million. Ninety-five percent of the funds will come from federal funding sources, with 5 percent split between the Maine Department of Transportation and airport revenues. It is expected that construction will be completed in December.

Quality engineering

ORONO – Darrell Donahue, a University of Maine professor of chemical and biological engineering, was recently named a Certified Quality Engineer by the American Society for Quality for having demonstrated a significant level of commitment to quality engineering principles and practices.

Donahue, coordinator of UM’s biological engineering program and a cooperating research professor in the Lobster Institute, was cited by the ASQ certification board for his understanding of the importance of product and service quality, evaluation and control.

He joins more than 100,000 other engineers who have qualified for the ASQ CQE designation since 1968.

New sales engineer

BANGOR – Oxford Networks recently hired Patrick Stevens as sales engineer. Stevens works with the sales team to customize solutions to meet the objectives of customers. His responsibilities include managing the implementation of complex solutions while adhering to customer timelines and expectations.

Before joining Oxford Networks, Stevens was a network engineer at Bangor Hydro-Electric Co. He also has held the position of project manager at Bangor Savings Bank, and was regional picture archiving and communications systems manager for Eastern Maine Medical Center.

Stevens has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering technology.

He lives in Eddington with his wife, Molly, and son, James, and is active in his church.

Architect leaving

BANGOR – WBRC Architects-Engineers announced that after eight years with the firm in Bangor, Richard Graves is leaving for Minnesota to join the firm of Perkins and Will in its higher education and sustainability groups.

John Rohman, CEO, said, “We’ll miss Richard but at the same time are pleased that he will be close to family in the Midwest. WBRC continues to grow stronger every year and Richard has certainly been a part of that growth.”

As a project architect, project manager, studio director and principal, Graves has designed and managed some notable projects at WBRC. They include the new research building at the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory; the student union and master plan for Maine Maritime Academy; and the Robert D. O’Donnell Commons, Ross Y. Furman Student Center, Meeting House and master plan for Husson College.