The Center for Local Government Technology (CLGT) provides a wide variety of products and services to Oklahoma's counties, small cities, and towns. Some ongoing major programs of CLGT include the Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP), the Tribal Technical Assistance Program (TTAP), the Rural Transportation Assistance Program (RTAP), and the County Training Program.
CLGT also serves as the executive office of the Oklahoma Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA) and conducts an annual APWA school and conference. CLGT prepares and publishes a quarterly newsletter for the Oklahoma Chapter. National conferences utilizing satellite TV transmission are conducted jointly with the national APWA organization. Downlinks are distributed nationwide to all participating state chapters.
The Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP)
LTAP is funded jointly by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the State of Oklahoma. The Program serves as a resource center for the transfer of transportation-related technology and information to local government officials and their employees. The LTAP Center at OSU is part of a network of fifty-seven similar centers located throughout the United States. The Oklahoma LTAP Center assists local officials in a variety of ways.
The Center's main emphasis is on conducting classes and seminars on a number of transportation topics. For example, a series of nine courses related to road and bridge maintenance, construction, and repair is offered to county commissioners, their foremen, and workers. The courses in this series are one to three days in length and cover subjects such as aggregate road maintenance, supervisory skills, surveying, testing soils for engineering properties, plan reading, and equipment maintenance.
Technical assistance to local officials is also provided through the LTAP Center. Center personnel often answer questions or provide information about problems local officials may have about the repair, maintenance, and construction of roads and bridges. At times, LTAP Center engineers will make on-site visits to help with specific problems.
The LTAP Center also conducts demonstration projects on new developments in transportation technology. These demonstration projects highlight the capabilities of these new technologies and show their proper use. These demonstration projects and other LTAP activities are featured in a quarterly published newsletter sent to local government transportation officials throughout the state.
Publications and video materials available from the Federal Highway Administration and the Oklahoma Transportation Center are provided to local officials through the LTAP library. These and other LTAP products and services are also advertised or made available through an LTAP booth set up at meetings of transportation entities.
The Tribal Technical Assistance Program (TTAP)
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recognized a need to expand the Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) to serve tribal nations in improving their transportation networks. The Tribal Technical Assistance Program (TTAP) at OSU provides information to tribal governments about the latest technological ideas and improvements related to road and bridge maintenance, repair, construction, and other transportation-related issues. The TTAP is dedicated to meeting the educational needs of the tribes for transportation-related projects and issues. Providing training sessions, classes, and workshops geared to specific tribal needs is an important part of the TTAP mission. It provides four basic services to tribes at no cost: 1) It conducts seminars and workshops, 2) It provides technical literature, 3) It performs on-site specific technical assistance, and 4) It prints a quarterly newsletter. A transportation resource center serving over forty-nine Native American tribes in Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas is provided.
Oklahoma's Public Rural Transit Systems
Oklahoma State University has developed software for use by Oklahoma Public Transportation project locations and Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) under previous contracts with ODOT. The current task is to modify the programs, to install them at various locations, and to train operators in their use. OSU will provide technical and professional development training for Oklahoma's rural public transit personnel and ODOT transit programs staff.