The Municipal

07/30/2024

With over 800 acres of park space in New Bedford, Mass., the parks, recreation and beaches department plans an extraordinary amount of programming and improvements each year.
(https://www.themunicipal.com/2024/07/new-bedford-parks-boast-impressive-programming-and-recreational-space/)

With over 800 acres of park space in New Bedford, Mass., the parks, recreation and beaches department plans an extraordinary amount of programming and improvements each year.

07/29/2024

After what they called a “violent” spring in 2022, city officials in Columbus, Ohio, took steps toward ensuring a safe, more peaceful summer. First, they beefed up the number of officers patrolling the parks. They followed that with a $500,000 contract for 25 portable surveillance and lighting systems at some of the parks.
(https://www.themunicipal.com/2024/07/eyes-ears-and-light-cut-crime-in-columbus-ohio-parks/)

After what they called a “violent” spring in 2022, city officials in Columbus, Ohio, took steps toward ensuring a safe, more peaceful summer. First, they beefed up the number of officers patrolling the parks.

07/24/2024

Among the hardest jobs in the world is law enforcement. It is dangerous work, and those who do it are sometimes viewed with suspicion by the public. The hours are challenging, and, as of late, police departments are too often understaffed.
(https://www.themunicipal.com/2024/07/police-proximity-project-connects-officers-to-the-community/)

In the capital city of Madison, many members of the current police force are new to the department and to the city itself.

07/24/2024

Edinburg, Texas, has a little over 50 ditches throughout the city with all subdivisions connecting into the ditches for drainage and a link to the county ditches. The drainage water from four nearby cities also runs through the city ditches, so all their drainage must flow through Edinburg before going out to the bay.
(https://www.themunicipal.com/2024/07/new-real-time-systems-manage-drainage-and-flooding-in-edinburg/)

New real-time systems manage drainage and flooding in Edinburg

07/22/2024

Marin County’s fire chief of more than a decade received a top state honor in October 2023, earning the Fire Chief of the Year distinction from the California Fire Chiefs Association. But if you ask him about it, he’ll say, “I credit the team that surrounds me for any recognition I get. The only thing I’m good at is picking a good team.”
(https://www.themunicipal.com/2024/07/california-fire-service-innovator-just-fell-in-love-with-career/)

Marin County's fire chief of more than a decade received a top state honor in October 2023, earning the Fire Chief of the Year distinction from the California Fire Chiefs Association.

07/18/2024

We all heard so much about the total eclipse this year, and for good reason. While not the only eclipse we would see in 2024, it was a major event, with totality (defined as being ‘the whole of something’) predicted to last twice as long as it had in 2017. And it was the longest totality on land for more than a decade, so there were plans made everywhere to observe and, yes, celebrate.

(https://www.themunicipal.com/2024/07/reflections-on-the-total-eclipse-in-russellville-ark/)

We all heard so much about the total eclipse this year, and for good reason.

07/18/2024

According to a recent WalletHub article, “Best & Worst Small Cities to Start a Business (2024),” Cedar City, Utah, is the best city in the United States to start a business.

(https://www.themunicipal.com/2024/07/business-flourishes-in-small-town-utah/)

According to a recent WalletHub article, “Best & Worst Small Cities to Start a Business (2024),” Cedar City, Utah, is the best city in the United States to start a business.

07/17/2024

Since 1960, National Public Works Week has celebrated the people who plan, build, manage and operate the necessary services that enhance our everyday lives.

(https://www.themunicipal.com/2024/07/communities-commemorate-national-public-works-week-2024/)

National Public Works Week has celebrated the people who plan, build, manage and operate the necessary services.

07/12/2024

Does a desire to feel the sun, sand and water ever go away in those who love the beach lifestyle? It doesn’t seem so.

(https://www.themunicipal.com/2024/07/the-municipal-top-10-best-beach-towns-for-retirement/)

A secluded cottage right on the beach is not always a well-thought-out choice for retirees, though.

07/11/2024

The city of Newport News, Va., like many others, experienced trouble hiring new employees post-COVID. So, because of staff shortages, department heads and city officials realized something needed to change. The idea of using a simulator to aid with training came from that realization.

(https://www.themunicipal.com/2024/07/newport-news-simulator-helping-with-new-hires-and-maintaining-equipment/)

For new hires, he said Newport News is using the simulator as a skills assessment tool.

07/10/2024

LaVetta Sparks-Wade is not just excited about her new job, but about the place where she gets to do it.

(https://www.themunicipal.com/2024/07/jewel-parks-lead-off-gary-indianas-reinvention/)

Sparks-Wade is the newly minted director of parks for the city of Gary, Ind., her “home sweet home,” to quote Meredith Willson in “The Music Man.”

07/08/2024

The Toblin Hill Bridge in Shrewsbury, Mass., has been reconstructed and reopened after the original had to be demolished following the discovery of a sinkhole.

(https://www.themunicipal.com/2024/07/shrewsbury-mass-concludes-toblin-hill-bridge-project/)

The Toblin Hill Bridge in Shrewsbury, Mass., has been reconstructed and reopened after the original had to be demolished.

07/08/2024

VMAC is at the forefront of mobile compressed air innovation, delivering powerful, lightweight and compact solutions that revolutionize how municipalities operate. VMAC prides itself on manufacturing top-tier air compressors and multi-power systems in-house at its 44,000-square-foot facility in North America.

(https://www.themunicipal.com/2024/07/vmac-revolutionizing-mobile-compressed-air-and-multi-power-solutions/)

VMAC is at the forefront of mobile compressed air innovation, delivering powerful, lightweight and compact solutions.

07/08/2024

Located 20 miles north of Cincinnati along the Great Miami River, Hamilton, Ohio, may be a small city of 63,000, but its public works department is doing really big things — and reaping some well-earned recognition for its efforts.

(https://www.themunicipal.com/2024/07/the-hamilton-ohio-public-works-department-recognized-with-accolades/)

Hamilton, Ohio, public works department is doing really big things — and reaping some well-earned recognition for its efforts.

07/03/2024

07/01/2024

If there is a constant during the spring and summer, it’s the wave of never-ending mowing. Highways, ditches, right-of-ways, parks and other municipal and DOT properties all require routine trimming to improve motorists’ visibility and the quality of public property.
(https://www.themunicipal.com/2024/07/montage-enterprises-surpassing-the-expectation-in-mower-parts/)

Finding parts to keep all those mowers running can be a challenge – a challenge no one has time for, which is why parts supply became a specialty of Montage Enterprises some 40 years ago.

07/01/2024

The July Public Works issue of The Municipal Magazine is out now.
Check It Out! 👷‍♀️👷

(https://issuu.com/thepapersinc/docs/municipal_july_2024_web?fr=sNzgwMTYyNzY0MjY)

Read The Municipal - July 2024 by The Papers Inc. on Issuu and browse thousands of other publications on our platform. Start here!

06/28/2024

In March 2022, the city of Wildwood, N.J.’s, Board of Commissioners voted to continue a popular tax incentive program designed to encourage development and home improvements throughout the coastal community. It is a program that began in 2015 and has increased property values and revitalized blighted areas of the city with newer housing and commercial projects including hotels, restaurants and retail stores.
(https://www.themunicipal.com/2024/06/tax-incentive-program-rehabs-coastal-city-of-wildwood-new-jersey/)

In March 2022, the city of Wildwood, N.J.’s, Board of Commissioners voted to continue a popular tax incentive program designed to encourage development and home improvements throughout the coastal community.

06/27/2024

There was a time when city life in the U.S. revolved around a few main streets, and a downtown center served as its beating heart.
(https://www.themunicipal.com/2024/06/downtown-revitalization-puts-michigan-town-on-upward-trajectory/)

Beginning in 2018, officials in one municipality, Allegan, Michigan, population 5,222, saw such a need to restore the heart of the town.

06/26/2024

The 16/50 program was developed in 2018 to support women in local government, with the goals of supporting them throughout the interview and hiring processes and developing their understanding of the inner workings of local government. Now, looking back at the program provides insight into its positive aspects and all that women have gained from the experience.

(https://www.themunicipal.com/2024/06/michigans-16-50-program-empowers-women-in-local-government/)

The 16/50 program was developed in 2018 to support women in local government, with the goals of supporting them throughout the interview and hiring processes and developing their understanding of the inner workings of local government.

06/24/2024

In 2017, the Bentonville, Ark., Parks and Recreation Department developed a visionary plan to connect six different public parks and spaces into one cohesive downtown area. Those spaces, known individually as Lawrence Plaza, Bentonville Square, Dave Peel Park, Town Branch Park, The Commons and Activity Center Park, will soon be connected and form one linear park that is currently referred to as the “A Street Promenade.”
(https://www.themunicipal.com/2024/06/bentonville-arkansas-parks-unification-project-brings-a-community-together/)

Bentonville, Ark., parks developed a visionary plan to connect six different public parks and spaces into one downtown area.

06/20/2024

Kristina Koch wants her students to embrace their career potential. As the director of the Northwest Career and Technical Center in St. Albans, Vermont, she is determined to give them the tools they need to succeed in a wide range of vocational fields.

(https://www.themunicipal.com/2024/06/vermont-public-safety-program-trains-the-next-generation/)

Students enrolled in the NCTC Public Safety program take a number of field trips in order to get a broad view of the career opportunities available to them, such as to the Vermont Air National Guard base.

06/19/2024

Consistency is a theme in Dave Wright’s life. The public servant has faithfully worked for the city of Swartz Creek, Mich., for more than 50 years.
(https://www.themunicipal.com/2024/06/wright-reflects-on-career-in-public-services-with-city-of-swartz-creek/)

Consistency is a theme in Dave Wright’s life. The public servant has faithfully worked for the city of Swartz Creek, Mich., for more than 50 years.

06/17/2024

Every year by mid-January, the residents of Silverton, Colo., have been under several avalanche alerts and faced numerous power failures lasting from a few hours to most of the day. Depending on which side of the mountain they live on, they may have also become snowed in a few times.
(https://www.themunicipal.com/2024/06/the-town-of-silverton-colorado-looks-out-for-its-seniors/)

Every year by mid-January, the residents of Silverton, Colo., have been under several avalanche alerts and faced numerous power failures lasting from a few hours to most of the day.

06/14/2024

Located 6 miles south of Reedsport in Wi******er Bay, Ore., the Umpqua River Lighthouse towers over the place where the river empties into the Pacific Ocean. Created at a time when California investors saw this fertile valley as a great place for their fortunes, it offers visitors the opportunity to learn more about West Coast maritime history.
(https://www.themunicipal.com/2024/06/on-the-road-again-umpqua-river-lighthouse-museum/)

Located 6 miles south of Reedsport in Wi******er Bay, Ore., the Umpqua River Lighthouse towers over the place where the river empties into the Pacific Ocean.

06/13/2024

Following a discussion regarding the master planning process for the Tampa, Fla., drinking water facility, a city consultant suggested the possibility of piloting a suspended ion exchange system.
(https://www.themunicipal.com/2024/06/suspended-ion-exchange-pilot-program-reduces-tampas-total-organic-carbon-in-water/)

The water treatment facility’s source, the Hillsborough River, has high and variable levels of total organic carbon.

06/11/2024

The U.S. state capitals are vibrant, thriving places to live.
(https://www.themunicipal.com/2024/06/top-10-state-capitals-in-which-residents-flourish/)

The U.S. state capitals are vibrant, thriving places to live.

06/07/2024

In September 2023, New Brunswick, N.J., welcomed long-planned park improvements to its beloved Feaster Park after a long year of park closure. Residents attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the park officially to the public. Various spaces have been developed to encourage locals to spend time utilizing these areas with their friends and families. Later, in 2024, a statue of Paul Robeson, a local hero, will be unveiled.
(https://www.themunicipal.com/2024/06/new-brunswick-new-jersey-unveils-park-renovations-for-community-enjoyment/)

In September 2023, New Brunswick, N.J., welcomed long-planned park improvements to its beloved Feaster Park after a long year of park closure.

06/06/2024

In some parts of the United States, water is often treated as an infinite resource, but in the southwest, the truth is different. Conserving that natural resource to ensure the faucets keep flowing is more of a priority there and in cities like Flagstaff, Ariz., efforts have been recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Conserving that natural resource to ensure the faucets keep flowing is more of a priority there and in cities like Flagstaff, Ariz., efforts have been recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency.

06/05/2024

More than 170 households in Lincoln, Neb., expect to save on their heating and cooling costs thanks to the city’s heat pump incentive program, which launched in January.

There have been other programs to help with energy savings, but they have not been funded by the city.