Bucher Municipal: Soaring high to deliver your best street sweeping solution
Bottom line, you need the best street sweeper for your street sweeping program. Whether you are a small municipality, regional airport or contractor buying your first street sweeper or if you are a large city, airport or conglomerate buying your … More from our cover sponsor →
Urban renewal emphasis changes the landscape of downtown Twin Falls
What do most people think of when they think of Twin Falls, Idaho? How about Shoshone Falls on the Snake River? Or maybe the Perrine Bridge, crossing the Snake River Canyon? Natural assets aside, Twin Falls is no slouch when … Continue reading →
PAYT reduces waste, saves money
If you can drag your trash to the curb and it goes away, you don’t really have skin in the game, said Chip Chesley, general services director for the city of Concord, N.H. If you pay by the bag to … Continue reading →
Pothole Patching: Self Performing vs Contracting It Out
Pothole patching is one of those jobs no one necessarily looks forward to doing. Without sugarcoating it, pothole patching is a tough, dirty job and usually last on the list of municipal priorities. But with that being said, pothole repair … Continue reading →
Rhode Island, a cornucopia of fascinating names
Rhode Island may be the smallest state in land area, but it packs a surprising number of features within its diminutive borders. Rhode Island is home to more than a million residents, making it second in population density only to … Continue reading →
Not a handout, but a hand up for small business owners
Cities across the country take varied approaches to creating better lives for their citizens. Using Department of Housing and Urban Development and Community Development Block Grant funds, the city of Hickory, N.C. is trying to help low- and moderate-income individuals … Continue reading →
Pompeys Pillar National Monument Billings, Montana
But for the signature and date William Clark etched on a sandstone pillar in Montana, we would have no physical evidence that Clark and Meriwether Lewis took their iconic exploratory journey. That legendary 28-month expedition (May 14, 1804 to Sept. … Continue reading →
Chicago suburb balances charm with stable economic development
Crystal Lake, Ill., ticks several boxes for livability. The city, which is named for a nearby lake, has a vibrant recreational scene, ample shopping amenities, quality schools and more. Heather Maieritsch serves as the economic development manager for the city … Continue reading →
An urban oasis: Reprieve in the middle of Dutch Country
Located in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country and known as one of the oldest inland cities in the United States, Lancaster, Pa., is reported to be a great place to live, work, stay and play. Rich in history, heritage … Continue reading →
San Luis Obispo uses hard work, collaboration to rebound
Rain from storm after storm saturated the soil. When on Jan. 9, 2023, an atmospheric river dumped several more inches of rain on the city of San Luis Obispo, Calif., rushing water swelled creeks and submerged streets. Floodwaters piled debris … Continue reading →
Cambridge, Massachusetts, designs its sidewalks with residents’ poetry
Residents of Cambridge, Mass., can design some of the city’s public sidewalks during the annual sidewalk poetry contest. The city is currently in its eighth year of the contest. In the first year, the city received approximately 130 poems, and … Continue reading →
Reduce accidents with protected bike lanes and ‘bike boulevards’
Wonder why some bikers don’t always use bike lanes? You might think they would improve safety, but that’s not always true and for more than one reason. Some bikers choose not to ride in the lane if the traffic is … Continue reading →
Calling on the sun to improve trail safety
Trail safety is paramount in Paragould, Ark., and city officials proved it again in 2022 by installing trail cameras as part of the improvements along 8 Mile Creek trail. This trail is 4.2 miles long and paved 10 feet wide; … Continue reading →
Suffolk, Virginia, conducts a Public Works Citizens’ Academy
The public works department is a multifaceted, ever-evolving municipal department that few fully understand. It is responsible for the planning, construction, operation and maintenance of a city’s infrastructure, including its roads, transportation system, bridges, water, waste disposal, pest control, etc. … Continue reading →
The Municipal Top 10: Most-searched GIF by state
Since the early 2000s, American culture has embraced the GIF as a way to express emotion online. A moving picture or character catches the attention of digital readers, momentarily drawing them in to share the joy of good news or … Continue reading →
Personality Profile: Susquehanna Township Lt. Brian Tienter
Lt. Brian Tienter is a true “blue” blood. Born at the 5th Army Hospital in Stuttgart, Germany, to a military police officer who later became a Pennsylvania State Trooper, he knew he was destined to be a soldier or a … Continue reading →
What’s in a name: Medical Lake and Soap Lake, Washington
Two municipalities in Washington share nearly identical historical and legendary parallels that touch at several tangents. Medical Lake and Soap Lake are both named for the respective eponymous bodies of water around which they once thrived. The water and mud … Continue reading →
Re-accreditation leads Norman, Okla., to continuous improvement in public works
Shawn O’Leary, Norman, Okla., director of public works, joined the team in 2007 and his primary goal was improvement of his department. “I was looking for a tool to help me fix that,” he explained. He had been watching the … Continue reading →
Communities planning for the future
When an opportunity arises, it’s best to take advantage of it while you can, and that is especially true with municipalities planning for the future. The city of West Hartford, Conn., had such an opportunity and could take advantage of … Continue reading →
