Madison's Everyday Engineering

It's bright green, with big pink letters on the outside reading "Have a Drink on Us," a drink of water of course. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts Madison Water Utility's Marcus Pearson to talk about the City's one-of-a-kind Water Wagon, a custom vehicle that has proved a major success for community outreach and a long waiting list! Listen to how the idea came about, who built the vehicle and why the Water Wagon is a perfect vehicle to connect the community with a necessity!

Extreme weather continues to challenge our environment, and that includes major flooding events. However, the City received major funding to help a project in the middle of one of the hardest hit spots of the 2018 flood. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) awarded the City of Madison $6 million through the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program. The BRIC grant will cover 70-percent of eligible project costs, which are estimated to be $8.6 million. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts Engineering Division's Principal Engineer Janet Schmidt to talk about the what we've learned since 2018, the funding and the outlook on stormwater design in the City for the future.

You've seen them plenty of times, and often you've likely noticed how pretty they are, but ponds serve an important purpose in the City of Madison. In this podcast episode, you may learn about ponds things you may not have known before, including what they're built for. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts stormwater engineers Phil Gaebler and Grant Pokos to talk about the City's 300 ponds on stormwater utility owned land and what the actual purpose of a pond is in our community.

The City of Madison’s approach to invasive species has changed over the years, but this one you probably didn’t see coming: Goats—yes, fuzzy white, black and tan goats all there to help with tackling invasive species on the City’s land. City of Madison Engineering Division Greenway Vegetation Coordinator Maddie Dumas and Parks Division Conservation Resource Supervisor Paul Quinland joined Public Information Officer and Everyday Engineering Podcast Host Hannah Mohelnitzky to share more about why this unique approach is important to the health of the City’s green spaces and how the partnership came to be so helpful and fun!

If you’re a person who loves the outdoors, digging, planting and being outside, imagine being paid to enjoy nature and improve greenspaces, it could be the best first step toward making a career in nature! The Conservation Trainee Program is a part of the City of Madison Engineering Division, and it’s a great way to get into the dirt, help out your community and spend time with our amazing conservation crews while learning something new! City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts the supervisor of the program City of Madison Engineering Division Greenway Vegetation Coordinator Maddie Dumas and Conservation Technician Emily Jorgensen to talk about how the program has changed and how it can create space into a career at the City of Madison Engineering Division! https://media.cityofmadison.com/Mediasite/Play/888f0e262cc5424ca92bc554f3a65da81d

Dredging is a standard practice for stormwater projects, scooping out the mud, weeds and sediment from the bottom of the space to help with water flow. However, it’s not just mud or sediment at the bottom of ponds in our area, there are likely herptiles and other living water creatures who need delicate care in the process. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts City of Madison Engineering Division Landscape Architect Sarah Lerner to learn a new approach that the City of Madison Engineering Division is trying out to keep the frogs, snakes, salamanders and others safe during the Wexford Pond Project.

Getting your foot in the door at the City of Madison can look different for so many people, with different backgrounds, apprenticeships, hourly positions, seasonal positions, part time positions, internships and training programs. In the past few years, we have been building on some key positions that are developing our workforce, and our #TeamCity. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts Engineering Division Facilitites Coordinator Stephen King and Fleet Services Superintendent Mahanth Joishy to talk about two successful programs, and one new program anyone trying to work for the City of Madison should know about: GreenPower, Fleet Apprenticeship Program, MI-TE Program. Thinking about applying? Listen to this 20-minute episode to know what you can expect! https://media.cityofmadison.com/Mediasite/Play/bef223c2536d420fa3f3fff1bb5b41f81d

Little did you know, in the City of Madison Engineering Division, we have pollinator specialists. Our team focuses on best practices, and also is part of a state-wide group Bumble Bee Brigade. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts Engineering Division Greenway Vegetation Coordinator Maddie Dumas and Conservation Technician Emily Jorgensen to talk about the City’s involvement in the Wisconsin Bumble Bee Brigade, and give you some useful tips and tools while out in nature that can help you identify different species with a quick click of a question to a pool of experts. Learn what we’re talking about in this quick buzz-tastic episode of Everyday Engineering! The Wisconsin Bumble Bee Brigade is coordinated by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. As a citizen-based monitoring project, we partner with volunteers from the public to conduct long-term monitoring of the state's native bumble bees. https://media.cityofmadison.com/Mediasite/Play/4e5d1753c182467c8397597b4619ae581d

You may see color and culture across the City of Madison, but the Public Art Program has so many layers that help bring beautiful art to life on public structures and in the community. The Percent for Art ordinance, passed in October of 2017, officially created a mechanism to increase the rate of our investment in public art. Through the Percent for Art Program one percent of the city funds committed to any capital project exceeding $5,000,000 will be designated for public art. In 2020, Madison’s Percent for Art ordinance initiated its first project with the Metro Transit Maintenance Facility project on East Washington Avenue. Learn more about this and other public art projects and how the program works in this 20-minute podcast episode. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts City of Madison Planning Division Principal Planner Bill Fruhling to explain about the ordinance and how it’s a part of our community. https://media.cityofmadison.com/Mediasite/Play/508da8f810af43cb988dc3a031cbc3651d

If you’re a person who loves the outdoors, digging, planting and being outside, imagine being paid to enjoy nature and improve greenspaces, it could be the best first step toward making a career in nature! The Conservation Trainee Program is a part of the City of Madison Engineering Division, and it’s a great way to get into the dirt, help out your community and spend time with our amazing conservation crews while learning something new! City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts the supervisor of the program City of Madison Engineering Division Greenway Vegetation Coordinator Maddie Dumas and Conservation Technician Emily Jorgensen to talk about how the program has changed and how it can create space into a career at the City of Madison Engineering Division! https://media.cityofmadison.com/Mediasite/Play/888f0e262cc5424ca92bc554f3a65da81d

Public transit is part of a growing conversation in the City of Madison, Wis. You may even be listening to this podcast episode on your way riding on the bus! Whether you use public transit—or join in the conversation—if you travel in the City of Madison, you’re impacted by it in some form or another, and if you aren’t already—you most likely will in the future. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts City of Madison Engineering Division City Engineer Jim Wolfe and City of Madison Transportation Department Director Tom Lynch to talk about themes the country is seeing in terms of public transit use and design, and how it holds true in the City of Madison.

What in the world would soybeans have anything to do with the City of Madison Fleet Services? Way more than you probably know! City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts City of Madison Fleet Superintendent Mahanth Joishy to talk about all the ways the City of Madison is trying to use soybeans to help the environment., from biodiesel to soybean tires on police cars, you'll learn something new in this episode guaranteed!

There’s a need, and we’re filling it with concrete…. Literally. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts City of Madison Engineering Division Facilities Services Coordinator Stephen King to talk about the City’s newest program, the City of Madison Infrastructure Training Engineering Program, also known as “MITE.” In this episode you’ll learn what the program is, how it came to be, and how to apply and start a career in the City of Madison, City of Madison Engineering Division and City of Madison Public Works Department. We’ll walk through the application process, what you’ll learn in the program and how anyone, with any background can apply and have a successful career in public works if they’re willing to work and learn.

The City of Madison is the second largest city in Wisconsin, and if it seems like we’re growing, it’s because we are. Building, developing you name it—it’s happening right here in Madison—but why? and how? City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts City of Madison Planning Division Director Heather Stouder and City of Madison Engineering Division Deputy City Engineer for Public Works and Development Chris Petykowski to talk about how the City is growing, how a city grows and how that impacts the future of development and growth in the City of Madison. There are other things that matter too, like HOW we grow and how fast a city develops. We cover it all in this episode of Everyday Engineering.

The City of Madison’s first purpose-built shelter-- what does that mean? More importantly, what does that mean for the City of Madison, Wis., community? Those are two questions we answer in this podcast episode as City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts City of Madison Community Development Division’s Linette Rhodes and Engineering Division Project Manager and Engineer Jon Evans. Definitions, site selection, a deeper understanding of the Trauma-informed report guiding decisions for future use and so much more, it’s all covered in this episode of Everyday Engineering.

Located in the Southwest part of the City of Madison, Wis., two phases, added bike lane, and an impact to Whitney Way, just a few things Hammersley Road construction will be disrupting and impacting this construction season. In this episode, City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts City of Madison Engineering Division Engineer Aaron Canton talk about how this project will impact residents and what residents can expect for disruptions.

Three years in the making, a project that is proof community feedback is heard and used to make changes for a better street for our community. Davies Street and Dempsey Road has a few-year history so far, longer than a typical road reconstruction project, but it's time to start bringing the design to life with construction. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts City of Madison Engineering Division Engineer Aaron Canton talk about how this project will impact residents and what residents can expect for disruptions.

The City of Madison Engineering Division is doing Watershed Studies—where the division’s engineers comb through the City of Madison, looking at where the stormwater infrastructure system can be improved to prevent or minimize flooding, and then present results of the studies to the public. There has been a need for even more clarity, so in this episode, the City takes some time to dig into the results that we are presenting, and what they actually mean for planning—potential construction and really how they’ll be used moving forward toward finding long-term solutions to flooding in the City of Madison. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts City of Madison Engineering Division Principal Engineer of the Stormwater Section Janet Schmidt and Stormwater Engineer Jojo O’Brien.

No matter what time of year, it’s always a good time to recycle. However, what if you don’t know where to start? You’re in luck, the City of Madison has a Recyclopedia, put together and updated each year to serve the needs of the community to support recycling habits and needs. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts City of Madison Streets Division Public Information Officer Bryan Johnson to talk about how the Recyclopedia came to be and how to use it, including some of the most helpful chapters to apply to everyday recycling.

The intense pressure of the COVID-19 pandemic forced municipalities to find solutions for homelessness in the community—and the City of Madison was no exception. In just the last two years: the City of Madison Engineering Division led five huge projects to help people struggling with homelessness. It’s an incredible amount of work to address an issue in our community that really cuts to the core of people’s livelihood. All of this work changed based on resources changing during the pandemic. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts City of Madison Engineering Division Facilities Services Coordinator Stephen King and Facilities Management Engineer Jon Evans to talk about how the move came to be and how it fits into the bigger picture of helping the community address homelessness.