A spirit of putting collaboration over competition has been key to helping six small-town Massachusetts fire departments respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The towns of Newburyport, Salisbury, Amesbury, West Newbury, Merrimac and Newbury joined forces this spring to ensure they … Continue reading →
The city of Missoula, Mont., purchased EKO Compost in November 2016. You could say it is now organically reaping the rewards of this investment in more ways than one. Gene Connell, who acts as the treatment facility superintendent in … Continue reading →
What puts a city or town on the map in 2020? Many factors go into the equation, and it seems Elko, Nev., has cracked the code when it comes to livability. After securing the honor of “The Best Small Town … Continue reading →
There’s much more to trail systems than their face value. For instance, grassroots advocacy organization Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has released research in October 2019 that found active transportation infrastructure, like trails, currently contributes more than $34.1 billion to the U.S. economy … Continue reading →
The economy is becoming more global as we speak, and a seminar in Gilbert, Ariz., late last year only drives that point further home. Gilbert’s Office of Economic Development, the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce and Gilbert Sister Cities sponsored the … Continue reading →
Humans, by their nature, are prone to error and deficiencies, but when the stakes are high, you can’t leave anything to chance. Crew resource management in the fire service — and really any industry — is an approach that attempts … Continue reading →
It makes intuitive sense. Municipal plans that engage stakeholders are better received than those that have no community input. The city of Sugar Land, Texas’, mobility master plan and related task force are examples of that principle in action. … Continue reading →
Old Man Winter can be unpredictable, but that doesn’t mean municipalities have to concede to uncertainty. Instead, a few cities and towns have taken matters into their own hands to identify and respond to bad weather conditions before roads become … Continue reading →
Grand Rapids, Mich., and Lakewood, Colo., are two medium-sized cities that have taken on the weighty and hefty issue of climate change and related issues — and both have made strides in that regard. Alison Sutter’s position as the … Continue reading →
Water quality isn’t limited to drinking water. St. Tammany Parish, a municipality in Louisiana, won the state’s only Outstanding Achievement Award for a forward-thinking decentralized management program. This program, funded in part by the Environmental Protection Agency, reduced pollution … Continue reading →
Dodge City, Kan., may be small, but it has a mighty renewable energy program that rivals those in larger cities. This former frontier town’s population sits at 27,700, with most of its economic base rooted in the two beef … Continue reading →
