Most municipalities are familiar with the concept of saving historic downtown buildings, preserving architectural history for generations to come. These types of projects are often complex and bring together multiple partners to revive older buildings for new uses. Such was … Continue reading →
City halls are structures that play a variety of roles in a community. In addition to serving as the headquarters for local government officials, it is the place where bills are paid, plans are laid and decisions are made. While … Continue reading →
During a job interview 21 years ago, then job applicant Stephen J. Lawrence was asked a typical interview question: Where did he see himself in five years? His answer: As director of Animal Services and Enforcement, overseeing an upgraded facility … Continue reading →
Keeping a city alive and well when the economy makes a major shift requires generous touches of both creativity and courage. So, when Bay City, Mich., began the shift from an industrial economy to a tourism-based economy, city officials … Continue reading →
The people of Pierre, S.D., voted for an increase on their water bill. The increase of nearly 40% was a stipulation of a project to build a new water treatment facility — to be uniquely situated in a municipal riverside … Continue reading →
Municipal construction projects are a necessary part of any city’s growth and development, whether new roads and sidewalks or sewer lines and other necessary improvements. However, there are times when projects require the acquisition of private property. Typically, a … Continue reading →
Municipal fleet managers have been on the front lines of the electric vehicle revolution since the first modern passenger EVs began sharing our roads in the mid-1990s. While the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendment and subsequent emissions regulations on automotive … Continue reading →
It’s not unusual for a city to make use of its natural resources, like a riverfront. What is unusual, perhaps, is how exactly the city of Port Neches, Texas went about its riverfront development. In 2005, two tracts of … Continue reading →
Economic development is necessary for any community to grow and thrive. For smaller cities, however, this can be a struggle, especially when they sit in the shadows of major metropolitan areas. In these cases, public-private partnerships like Startup Waco … Continue reading →
A decade ago, Deltona, Florida, was a small city with few jobs and 250 acres of seemingly useless undeveloped land nearby. Today, that piece of land has transformed into the Portland Industrial Park, which has attracted major companies like Amazon, … 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 →
