‘Average intelligence’ has been replaced

Dear Teri,

The Enderlin Lions have adopted a ditch for periodic cleanup. Part of the Department of Transportation procedure is a contract which includes safety tips, the first being, “Crew members should possess the following minimum qualifications: 1. Average intelligence … “

As you can see by the enclosed correspondence, DOT is less than forthcoming in helping us define what average intelligence is.

Could you use your capacity in The Forum’s “Ask Your Government” and find out DOT’s definition of “average intelligence”?

Mike Martin

Enderlin

Thanks for writing! I contacted Jamie Olson at the North Dakota Department of Transportation. Here’s what she said:

“The average intelligence criteria has been removed and replaced with a more descriptive requirement. The requirements haven’t been updated for years and, after discovering this old requirement, we decided that needed a bit better description and clarification of what the volunteers need to be able to do.

“The Adopt-A-Highway program is a volunteer program for groups to participate in to assist with litter control along state highways in North Dakota. The volunteer criteria for the program has recently been updated requiring volunteers to possess the following:

*Ability to perform tasks and be responsive to changing traffic patterns

*A sense of responsibility for safety of public and crew

“Our goal with the program is to keep highways clean and litter free, but also keep volunteers safe along state highways.

“You can find out more about the program and how to get involved by going to www.dot.nd.gov/public/adopt.htm.

“Thank you for contacting the North Dakota Department of Transportation.”

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