BILL NUMBER: SCR 85ENROLLED BILL TEXT ADOPTED IN SENATE JULY 2, 2012 ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 23, 2012 INTRODUCED BY Senator Wolk APRIL 16, 2012 Relative to the Dana Cowell Memorial Highway. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SCR 85, Wolk. Dana Cowell Memorial Highway. This measure would designate a specified portion of State Highway Route 12 in the County of San Joaquin as the Dana Cowell Memorial Highway. This measure would also request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering those costs, to erect those signs. WHEREAS, The passing on January 21, 2012, of a distinguished California resident and devoted civic leader, Dana Cowell, whose good deeds earned him the respect and admiration of his colleagues and the countless individuals whose lives he touched, brought immense sorrow and loss to people throughout the state; and WHEREAS, Dana Cowell, who brought credit and distinction to himself as Deputy Director of the San Joaquin Council of Governments (SJCOG), enjoyed a lifetime of remarkable success in every avenue of his endeavors, inspiring others through his professional achievements, support of the community, and strong devotion to family; and WHEREAS, Dana Cowell joined SJCOG in 2006 after serving in a number of key transportation posts over the course of 26 years with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans); and WHEREAS, Last year, Dana Cowell was named Transportation Manager of the Year by the California Transportation Foundation for his dedication to overcoming obstacles to transportation projects; and WHEREAS, Among Dana Cowell's recent notable accomplishments are critical safety improvements and construction along State Highway Route 12 through San Joaquin County that will begin imminently; and WHEREAS, Dana Cowell led a partnership with Caltrans to develop intersection upgrades between State Highway Route 5 and Potato Slough Bridge highlighted by the complete redesign of the State Highway Route 12 Tower Parkway Glasscock Road intersection, and the construction contract for this $20 million project was awarded in early January 2012; and WHEREAS, Projects on State Highway Route 5, State Highway Route 99, State Highway Route 205, and Arch Road in Stockton all benefited from Dana Cowell's commitment to transportation; and WHEREAS, Dana Cowell also worked with Sacramento and Bay Area transportation leaders to craft the Northern California Trade Corridor Projects, directed SJCOG's organization of the Valley Wide State Transportation Improvement Program, and initiated SJCOG efforts to advance modeling techniques and planning tools in response to Senate Bill No. 375 of the 2007-08 Regular Session (Ch. 728, Stats. 2008), which requires reductions of greenhouse gas emissions; and WHEREAS, Dana Cowell was well known and respected by transportation planners throughout the state, and his significant knowledge and contributions, dedication, and warm friendship will be missed in the profession; and WHEREAS, Dana Cowell was married to Van Ha To Cowell, current President of the Lincoln Unified School District Board of Trustees; and WHEREAS, The couple met in Tennessee while Dana Cowell was pursuing his master's degree in urban planning from the University of Tennessee; and WHEREAS, Dana Cowell received his undergraduate degree from Carthage College in Wisconsin, the state where he was raised; and WHEREAS, Dana Cowell leaves to mourn his passing and celebrate his legacy his wife, Van Ha To Cowell, his two sons, Evan and Andrew, his mother, his two brothers, and a host of friends and relatives; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby designates the portion of State Highway Route 12 between Potato Slough Bridge and State Highway Route 5, in the County of San Joaquin, as the Dana Cowell Memorial Highway; and be it further Resolved, That the Department of Transportation is requested to determine the cost of appropriate signs consistent with the signing requirements for the state highway system showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources sufficient to cover the cost, to erect those signs; and be it further Resolved, That the Secretary of the State transmit copies of this resolution to the Department of Transportation and to the author for appropriate distribution.