PUG Chair Corner: PUG Conference, what PUG Conference?

May 28, 2020

When I wrote the article for you last November as your new chair, I did not know what new challenge our user group would be presented with, but I find some of words are still valid now. Considering the impacts relating to the COVID-19, the Board and Idaho made the decision to cancel in-person events for the 2020 PUG Conference. Commitments had already been made by the Board and Idaho for 2020 and in the best interest of those funds, Idaho was able to work with their vendors to alter the dates of their event to 2023. The good news here is that the PUG, after a couple years of limited hosts, we now have hosts for the next three years: Nevada (21), Virginia (22), and Idaho (23).

What remains for this year? The Board is committed to hosting the essential components of the conference this year using virtual means. The Board called a special meeting of the user reps to make sure changes were made to the Constitution/Bylaws to support conducting business virtually. The known essential components we still plan to host live are as follows: TAG Meetings, PUG User Rep/PTF Closed Meeting, and the open PUG Business Meeting. There are other options still being vetted to provide the user community with usual annual updates. The PUG Board, PTF/AASHTO, and Info Tech will continue to work together to determine if additional things can be offered. Keep an eye on the PUG Events & News page on AASHTOWareProject.org for updates and details relating to more 2020 virtual offerings.

By:
Ty Carlson, PUG Chair, Nebraska Department of Transportation