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Madison's Everyday Engineering

50 Episodes
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A new opportunity to create renewed connection with the beauty of our lakes and urban space, we’re talking about the generational project of John Nolen Drive Reconstruction paired with the intense Lake Monona Waterfront Design Contest. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts Parks Division Landscape Architect Mike Sturm and City of Madison Engineering Division Deputy City Engineer for Public Works and Private Development Chris Petykowski to talk about the contest, how the two projects will shape the future of the City’s most iconic path into the heart of downtown. You’ll also learn what happens next once design finalists are selected and how it’ll impact the community.
The City of Madison wants its streets to be safer. That means slower speed limits, narrower roads, less traffic deaths. These changes make for safe streets in the City of Madison. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts Traffic Engineering Engineer Ali Heinritz and City of Madison Engineering Division City Engineer Jim Wolfe to talk about how the City plans to roll out the new program, that includes safety elements the community has been asking for all along.
There has been no more than two City Engineers in the last two-three decades at the City of Madison, that’s saying something considering the amount of responsibility the position holds on the future of infrastructure in the City of Madison. This position impacts everyone living in the City of Madison, and in this podcast episode, we hear more about Jim’s vision for the division, the City and what major projects the Engineering Division looks to take on in the next decade, which includes some generational projects. City of Madison Engineering Division’s Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts new City Engineer Jim Wolfe to talk about important topics paired with some fun at the end to get to know the new leader of the division that build, designs and maintains infrastructure at the City of Madison.
Trees: a simple topic for some projects at the City of Madison, a bit more of a fuller conversation with conflicting opinions for others. In this podcast episode, City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts Water Resource Engineer Phil Gaebler and Streets Division and Urban Forestry Superintendent Charlie Romines to talk about the big questions that always circulate about trees, tree removal and tree strategy at the City of Madison. If you take anything away from this podcast episode, please be this: The City of Madison cares about its trees, and works to keep as many healthy trees in every project.
Who would have thought there’d be so many fun names to officially name the City’s new electric trash and recycling compactors? The City of Madison held a contest, and the winning names were selected. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts Streets Division Public Information Officer and Recycling Coordinator Bryan Johnson to reveal the names the City landed on officially for the new electric compactors, and what other machines may be getting a creative name next.
The next time a winter weather event moves through the City of Madison, property owners will need to remove snow and ice from public sidewalks and lots on their property, or they could face a new fine. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts Engineering Water Resource Engineer Phil Gaebler and City of Madison Building Inspection Director Matt Tucker to answer the questions about the changes to the new ordinance to help you avoid paying hundreds of dollars for putting down too much salt, or a contractor you hired. Catch all the information and answers in this episode.
Life’s Blueprint: an episode focusing on the career journey of one of our staff members, to share more about them, how they got here and hopefully some information on how to move into a career in this industry. Andy Zwieg is a streets and paths design engineer at the City of Madison Engineering Division, and chances are, you’ve traveled on a street or path he’s designed every day. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts Andy for a conversation about his journey through life, schooling and how he worked toward purposeful designing in the City of Madison. Take a cruise through this podcast episode to hear Andy’s journey and hopefully it’ll help someone you know looking to go into transportation design. You can reach out to Andy by emailing azwieg@cityofmadison.com.
Do you know where the water that washes down your storm drain goes? A Storm Drain Mural Program in Dane County, Wisconsin, is using art as a vessel to help teach students and communities about stormwater and where it goes. Dane County Land and Water Resources Department and the Madison Area Municipal Stormwater Partnership started the program, and over 40 murals are painted in spots across Dane County. Learn how you can get involved, use the interactive map with your kids on a perfect Saturday educational tour, and so much more in this 20 minute podcast episode with Dane County Land and Water Resources Department Coordinator Christal Campbell and City of Madison Engineering Division Stormwater Resources Engineer Phil Gaebler as they explain to host Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky why the program has been so successful, and how easy it is to apply to take part.
City of Madison Engineering Division Streets and Paths Design Engineer Fadi El Musa’s journey to the City of Madison Engineering Division took a lot of work, guts to relocate and courage to work through a language barrier in the interview process before landing in the Engineering Division. El Musa designs streets and paths at the City of Madison Engineering Division, which is part of the section that oversees all street and bike path reconstruction in the City of Madison. El Musa started his journey and found his love for civil engineering growing up in Puerto Rico as young as 10 years old. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts El Musa to learn about his journey, and hopefully his story will inspire others to push for a successful career like he has.
There are so many paths in our Engineering Division, and so we’ve started a segment within Everyday Engineering that focuses on the paths of different staff and careers within Engineering for anyone either looking, considering or trying to grow in the industry. Engineering Division Operations Supervisor Jay Schlimgen leads our Engineering Division’s crews that clean and maintain our City’s underground sewer systems, in addition, to so many other things, but his climb to leadership in the Engineering Division started with a strong work ethic rooted as a farm kid. Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts Schlimgen as he shares his journey to the City, and then his climb to division leadership, which started as an entry-level position. Learn how he created a successful career in this episode of Everyday Engineering’s Life’s Blueprint.
We’ve introduced you to so many people so far as guests on Everyday Engineering, but now, we continue to kick off a new segment that shares what went into getting here, and maybe help anyone planning their path forward. Life’s Blueprint: an episode focusing on the career journey of one of our staff members, to share more about them, how they got here and hopefully some information on how to move into a career in this industry. Brent Pauba is a project manager in the facilities management section of the City of Madison Engineering Division. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts Brent to learn about a career path toward a place in the division that has a hand in some of the most major, visual projects the community uses. You can reach out to Brent by emailing BPauba@cityofmadison.com.
We’ve introduced you to so many people so far as guests on Everyday Engineering, but now, we continue to kick off a new segment that shares what went into getting here, and maybe help anyone planning their path forward. Life’s Blueprint: an episode focusing on the career journey of one of our staff members, to share more about them, how they got here and hopefully some information on how to move into a career in this industry. Jojo O’Brien is a stormwater resource engineer at the City of Madison Engineering Division, but not before traveling the world to get a whole new perspective on water quality. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts Jojo for a trip around the world to hear how her experiences factor into everything she does for the City of Madison Engineering Division. You can reach out to Jojo by emailing jobrien@cityofmadison.com.
Every little bit helps. The City of Madison has a 1,000 Rain Garden Goal, and if everyone plants just a little rain garden, not big or expensive, you rcan really help the whole stormwater system, however, in this episode, we talk about a big effort by some awesome watershed stewards, and they’re going to tell us how they did it. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts Engineering Division Stormwater Engineer Phil Gaebler, Community Volunteer Sandy Stark to talk about the massive rain gardens, and how working together with local government can actually cut the cost for the community project.
John Nolen Drive— it needs some improvements in the City of Madison, and the public planning process began in 2021, which is years before any digging or disruption happens. However, it’s not that easy getting to the construction phase, especially fo the people in charge of designing and re-imagining the most popular street in the community. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts the two people tasked with hard jobs leading teams on the generational project: City of Madison Engineering Division Principal Engineer and Section Manager Chris Petykowski and City of Madison Parks Division Landscape Architect Mike Sturm. Learn how the City’s most-traveled path accommodates bikes, pedestrians and vehicles — and how it’ll all change with reconstruction fused with a brand new vision for the waterfront.
We’ve introduced you to so many people so far as guests on Everyday Engineering, but now, we want to kick off a new segment that shares what went into getting here, and maybe help anyone planning their path forward. Life’s Blueprint: an episode focusing on the career journey of one of our staff members, to share more about them, how they got here and hopefully some information on how to move into a career in this industry. Phil Gaebler is a stormwater resource engineer at the City of Madison Engineering Division, but not before having some of the smelliest jobs. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts Phil for a fun conversation and candid approach to his journey to the City of Madison Engineering Division, full of fun roadblocks and pathways that guided him to success in our City. You can reach out to Phil by emailing pgaebler@cityofmadison.com.
The City of Madison is one of many municipalities in the United States looking for creative, healthy and safe solutions to help community members experiencing unsheltered homelessness find a path forward, especially during the pandemic. The City of Madison constructed its Dairy Drive Sheltered Campground in record time, from buying and selecting the land, to working with Seattle-based Pallet to build 30 temporary structures with heat, air conditioning and electricity. The City’s newest and first approach to constructing a sheltered campground is the first in the midwest of its kind. Everyday Engineering Podcast Host Hannah Mohelnitzky interviews City of Madison Community Development Department Director Jim O’Keefe and City of Madison Engineering Division Facilities Management Section Manager Bryan Cooper to talk about how the City approaches this work, and is able to complete a project of this size in such a short amount of time.
As the City works to plan reconstruction on an iconic passage into the City of Madison, so many people and ideas contributed to the current skyline and beautiful drive into the heart of the City on John Nolen Drive. Everyday Engineering Podcast Host and Engineering Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts a Madison Historian and Author David Mollenhoff to talk about what ideas and designs were initially planned for the city’s most well-known street, the vision of John Nolen, collaboration with American Architect Frank Lloyd Wright (among many impressive others, too!) and the lasting legacy that may have you saying “Thank you, John Nolen!” the next time you drive downtown.
Anyone who walks, bikes, drives or travels in any way in the City of Madison knows how valuable street space is. There are so many options with use or reconstruction—sidewalk space, rain garden space, bike lane space, space for café dining and so much more. These options and questions are what are driving the City’s Complete Green Streets Initiative. And if you are asking yourself, 'will this impact me?' Short answer: Absolutely, yes.
In this podcast episode, listeners will learn what the process is for new street reconstruction, the differences of standard streets vs. green streets, and ultimately how the Engineering Division and Traffic Engineering Division work together. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts the City’s Bike and Pedestrian Administrator Renee Callaway and a principal engineer in the Engineering Division’s Streets and Paths Design Section Jim Wolfe to discuss the future of our City’s street design.
When we're in landscaping and yard season, a lot of people may be trying to cut cost by doing a lot of the work themselves. So we’re here to help you in a number of ways: so you don’t create more issues for yourself from a stormwater perspective and so you can landscape without worry so that you truly are improving your yard not only to beautify but also to improve the environment.
In this podcast episode you will learn how to landscape with a purpose by improving drainage around your home, which stormwater impacts you should be looking out for, what to do with yard waste and so much more. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts Stormwater Engineer Phil Gaebler to discuss what people can do to help better their lawns while improving the stormwater infrastructure. You will also learn the impacts that salt, lawn chemicals and fertilizers have on your lawn as well as the environment.
It takes all of us to improve our stormwater system. It's a total team effort. But, if you have someone like the late Roger Bannerman leading the way through hard work and dedication, the difference for the community is huge. In this podcast episode, you will learn more in depth about Roger Bannerman, his passionate work that he accomplished for the City, and the strong influence he had on the stormwater community- which ultimately lead to the Rain Garden Initiative to be named after him. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts Roger’s Wife, Jane Bannerman and Stormwater Engineer Phil Gaebler to discuss the impact Roger’s work made on the greater Madison area, including Wisconsin as a whole. You will also learn about the new rain garden that was dedicated to Roger on the corner of Fox Avenue and Sheldon Street, next to the Southwest commuter bike path in the City of Madison.