2020 Asset Management Awards

Concord, NH – On January 19, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) presented the 2020 Asset Management Awards, established to promote and encourage communities to implement Asset Management Programs (AMPs). AMPs are a holistic plan to manage total infrastructure systems over the life cycle of assets in the most cost effective way. The 2020 municipal award was presented to the Town of Salem Asset Management Team and the individual award was presented to Tony Cavaliere from the Towns of Marlborough and Jaffrey.

NHDES believes that by providing assistance to communities for the development and implementation of AMPs, New Hampshire residents will benefit from more sustainable water, wastewater and stormwater systems throughout the state.

Since the start of the NHDES asset management initiative in 2012, NHDES’ expectations have been surpassed as communities have embraced the challenge of asset management. With each day that passes, asset management is increasingly becoming the accepted and expected way of doing business within the water industry and New Hampshire is certainly on the right path with adopting this philosophy.

In 2019, the NHDES Asset Management Award was established by the NHDES Drinking Water and Groundwater Bureau (DWGB), Wastewater Engineering Bureau (WWEB) and Watershed Management Bureau (WMB). The award recognizes exemplary AMPs within the state. Solicitation of nominees provided exceptional candidates and, as a result, NHDES decided to recognize two winners for this year’s Asset Management Award. The Individual Award is for an individual who stands out for high achievement and understanding of asset management concepts and who has put that knowledge and energy into work on the ground. The Municipal Award goes out to a Municipality that has not only implemented Asset Management but continues to expand its program, and along the way, is cementing the cultural shift needed to create successful AMPs.  

Individual Award

NHDES recognizes Tony Cavaliere as the winner of the individual award for his work associated with developing and/or administering AMPs in two communities – Marlborough and Jaffrey. He is the mover and shaker that brought attention to the value of developing an AMP for community water assets. Tony has said, “Nobody ever expects that their community needs to spend millions and millions of dollars over the next 10-20 years until it is all laid out on paper staring you in the face. That is when the real work begins… I think most people get sticker shock when they see the replacement costs of a stretch of water main. However, once you realize how much time, money and effort is spent every time an old water main breaks you begin to understand how it can actually be cheaper to replace an old asset before failure than after. This becomes more apparent if large industrial users, and high-risk users, are relying on an outdated asset.” Tony has embraced the concepts of asset management, sees the value of it, effectively communicates the purpose and need, and is a true believer in the benefits. He is an Asset Management Champion and should be recognized for his exemplary work and commitment to the mission. For these reasons and many more, Tony Cavaliere has won the 2020 NHDES Asset Management Individual Award.

Municipal Award

NHDES recognizes the Town of Salem for this award in acknowledgement of the work it has done to develop Salem’s AMP and communicate the value of that AMP to the public. The Town of Salem has embraced the idea and the concepts of turning data into dollars by using its resources and most importantly, its AMP. As part of the AMP, the town confirms that any capital investment improves or adds Level of Service to the Town, or shows that the capital investment is extending the life of an asset beyond its normal life span. Life Cycle Cost Analysis information is collected every day through work orders linked to the assets. This information, plus the cost of the asset, allows for financial information to be collected. The data allows the staff to see where their time and expenses are going. This information also shows what the failure mode will likely be and predicts when to replace the asset. For these reasons, and many more, the Town of Salem has won the 2020 NHDES Asset Management Municipal Award.

As NHDES continues with the journey of promoting asset management throughout the State of New Hampshire, exemplary work like that of the Town of Salem and Tony Cavaliere will propel NHDES’ vision into reality. NHDES urges communities throughout New Hampshire to continue their asset management work or to contact us to find out how to get started. Perhaps you or your community will be presented with the NHDES Asset Management Award next.

For more information about Asset Management and funding opportunities, please visit our Asset Management webpage or email Luis.adorno@des.nh.gov for drinking water, Sharon.Nall@des.nh.gov for wastewater, or Deborah.Loiselle@des.nh.gov or Katherine.Zink@des.nh.gov for stormwater.