My Infrastructure Beat Note

To borrow a definition from Wikipedia, “Infrastructure can be defined as the basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function. The term typically refers to the technical structures that support a society, such as roads, water supply, sewers, power grids, telecommunications, and so forth.”

The term infrastructure is defined slightly differently depending on the dictionary and context, but Wikipedia’s definition best serves my intended purposes. To add to the definition, I also plan to cover construction projects in my beat, not just projects for road or water system improvements, but also the construction of buildings even if buildings are not typically thought of as infrastructure.

I like Wikipedia’s definition because it highlights why infrastructure is an important topic, worthy of its own beat - infrastructure is needed for the operation of society. When infrastructure fails, such as when there is an accident on the highway clogging roads or the internet goes down, these events have the ability to greatly disrupt society’s day-to-day activities. Because this beat will also be placed within the context of public affairs, my reporting will go beyond covering infrastructure projects like events and look to the funding of these projects, their impact on nearby areas, and the policies regulating them.

The beat has applications at the local (WSU and Pullman), county, state, and even national levels. Past issues that would fall under this beat include Pullman’s struggle with stormwater and water systems in general, Avista Utilities, technological updates on campus such as developing a system for better wireless Internet in the residence halls, and of course road work, including keeping the roads clear in winter. Many of these issues are ongoing and will remain important to the beat. In addition to them, upcoming issues include new construction projects, how the economy/budget is impacting infrastructure, and an increased emphasis on telecommunications infrastructure.

Possible story ideas include:
1) WSU reached an agreement at the end of spring semester with Microsoft to implement new, free e-mail accounts for all WSU students. The university said effective May 18, university correspondence would no longer be sent to any non-WSU accounts. A story could look at how this new e-mail system is faring so far. Have students set up the accounts as requested by the university? Has mail really stopped going to non-WSU e-mail accounts? Why is this new e-mail system superior to the old one? What do the university and Microsoft gain by partnering?

2) What kind of considerations, if any, are made for the timing of road construction improvements? This story would look to State Route 26 as an example because the highway is extremely important for getting to and from Pullman and the university. It always seems there are construction projects on the highway at its busiest times, before school begins and when it lets out. Is this actually the case? Is timing part of the planning for construction projects? Are any other factors considered, or is it purely convenience for whoever is doing the project?

3) I hear rumors each year that Parking and Transportation Services at WSU steps up enforcement the week before classes begin when people are moving in. The rumors go that this is when parking services makes most of its money. An interesting story would be to look at ticket records from Parking and Transportation from the past several years, looking for any trends such as more tickets given out at certain times or if some tickets are given more often than others. An additional aspect of the story would then look at where money gained from parking tickets goes.

Some examples of infrastructure stories from other publications:
1) Gmail Outage Appears to be fixed : This story from the Washington Post illustrates how infrastructure failure can become national news. The story is about how some gmail users had difficultly logging on to check their e-mail Tuesday.

2) Freeway leg isn’t a big time-saver yet : This story from the Spokesman Review gives updates on the major construction projects in and around Spokane. It also examines whether a completed re-done portion of I-90 does actually save drivers time.

3) Wash. seeking $1B in federal stimulus for rail : This story from the Associated Press (the link is to The Olympian) is about Washington state’s request for federal stimulus money to update its high-speed rail system.

Potential Beat Sources:
Keith Bloom, director of Construction Services and Quality Assurance for WSU Capital Planning and Development
509-335-9016
bloom@wsu.edu

Lloyd Brown, director of communications for the Washington State Department of Transportation
(360) 705-7076

Pete Dickinson, planning director for the city of Pullman
509-338-3213