Winners from the 2005 PUBLIC WORKS Department of the Year contest.
As manager of the department of public works in Denver, Guillermo “Bill” Vidal confronts many challenges that are all too common to public works leaders—growing population, aging infrastructure, shrinking budgets. However, he draws upon more than three decades of personal experience and his staff...
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The Model 2900 stump grinder features a 79-hp engine, and a 24-inch hydrostatic cutter wheel that lets the machine quickly dispatch stumps of any size. Its expandable and retractable rubber-tracked undercarriage and compact width (35 inches at its narrowest) allow it to move through confined areas...
Ever-increasing costs and limited resources are driving municipalities, real-estate developers, and commercial landscapers to seek innovative ways to reduce water usage.
A solid-waste transfer station is more than a mere shed into which solid waste is unceremoniously dumped. At its best, it is a well-oiled machine, thoughtfully designed and manned by a conscientious staff with an eye toward efficiency, safety, and environmental compliance.
In the 1950s, 30% of the world's population lived in urban areas. By 2030, 60% of the world's population will live in cities. The phenomenon of rapid urbanization is resulting in the transition of native vegetation to manmade engineered paved surfaces for roads, parking areas, sidewalks, and...
With the right instrumentation and controls, a sewer plant can be operated effectively from a remote location, as the Board of Water and Sewer Commissioners of the city of Mobile, Ala., has demonstrated at one of its facilities. The Wright Smith wastewater treatment facility, a trickling filter...
In the past decade, Utah has enjoyed economic success and expansion as the population has increased 30%. At the same time, lane miles on the state's highways have increased at an even faster rate than the population. Transportation indicators predict an increased expansion in lane miles, and the...
It's a plight shared by many. Fuel costs have shot up, but tax revenues are the same or down. You're asked to “hold the line” on costs.
Rapid expansion is common to American cities. For Chandler, Ariz., population growth and development is especially challenging. The city enjoys the distinction of being rated the seventh fastest growing city of all U.S. municipalities with populations exceeding 100,000. Over the past 10 years...
Butler County sits in southwestern Ohio on Interstate 75. Its population of 339,828 ranks it as the eighth largest county in the state, and its current expansion boom is expected to continue for decades to come. Facing such significant sustained growth, the Butler County Department of Environmental...
A city founded in 1682 might seem an unlikely candidate for most progressive public works department in the United States, but after reviewing characteristics such as innovative approaches, staff qualifications, training opportunities, and fiscal control, PUBLIC WORKS' choice for our first...
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A six-lane roadway has been named the 2005 Outstanding Civil Engineering Project by the Iowa chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Chesterfield Square, a brownfield project in Los Angeles, has received a Phoenix Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and International City/County Management Association.
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Here I was, on my way to one of the biggest water and wastewater trade shows in the nation, and there was no government entity set aside solely to protect and disseminate information on one of our country's most important and scarce resources: water.