Engineering Solutions

Thursday, January 29 1:30pm ET/12:30pm CT

Discover how innovative engineering can dramatically reduce the need for winter salt. This webinar will highlight design approaches—such as optimized grading, drainage, and material choices—that set the stage for safer, more efficient winter maintenance. We’ll also explore the growing role of smart sensors and connected infrastructure in tracking conditions in real time. Finally, learn how AI-driven storm management tools can support crews in making faster, more precise decisions that keep surfaces safe while minimizing salt use.

Presenters

Connie Fortin is the Low Salt Strategist at Bolton & Menk and a nationally recognized leader in chloride reduction strategies. As the inventor of the Low Salt Design approach, Connie has pioneered innovative methods to minimize salt use in winter maintenance, infrastructure design, and planning, helping communities protect freshwater resources while maintaining public safety. Her work bridges science, design, and policy, empowering engineers, and decision-makers to implement sustainable, low-impact solutions that reduce chloride pollution at the source.

Wilf Nixon is the Director of Public Works for the City of Pella, Iowa, a position he started in fall 2025. Prior to that, he served as the President of the Professional Snowfighters Association, a winter maintenance consulting business. Wilf was a key developer of the American Public Works Association Winter Maintenance Certificate programs. He regularly writes a column for the APWA Reporter on winter maintenance and speaks at National APWA Conferences on topics ranging from winter maintenance, to AI, to employee retention, and more.