County Progress would like to thank former LTAP manager J.W. Chism for the many years he spent advocating roadway safety and educating county officials on road safety issues and proper road maintenance. J.W. retired in October 2005.
It takes pure dedication and a commitment to public service to travel to every county courthouse in Texas as an advocate for roadway safety. A dozen-plus years of enthusiasm kept J.W. Chism traveling those roadways, working his hardest to promote the Texas Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP), a state and federally funded program aimed at keeping Texas roads safe and properly maintained.
Along with traveling to every county, Chism was a familiar face at the educational conferences of the County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas (CJCAT), coordinating and presenting courses on county-related road issues.
“J.W. has made an invaluable contribution to our State Association,” said CJCAT general counsel Jim Allison. “He has provided the foundation for our road and bridge education program. He has earned our heartfelt gratitude.”
Chism managed LTAP within the Texas Engineering Extension Service. LTAP, funded by the Texas Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration, was launched in 1984 to help counties and municipalities with low budgets obtain quality training on road maintenance and management practices.
The assistance and training comes in the form of the Roads Scholar Training Program, the Lone Star Roads Newsletter, a video/document library of information on transportation-related subjects, and a technical assistance service. Chism, a veteran of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, conducted much of the training himself.
For more information on LTAP, go to http://teexcit.tamu.edu/texasltap/about.html.
Texas Engineering Extension Service contributed information to this article.
Julie Anderson, Editor