Madison's Everyday Engineering

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 [email protected].

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.