Category: Mary Scott Nabers’ Insights

What a year we just left behind! After living through 2020, we all hoped that 2021 was the year to bring normalcy back to our lives. It did not happen so here we are again, entering a new year and hoping that 2022 will be the year we return to some degree of orderliness. We […]

Firefighters are heroes in our communities, and public safety is top of mind for first responders and citizens as well. Now, for the first time in many years, local governments have new funding for public safety facilities. Hundreds of projects for new or significantly upgraded and modernized fire stations are either in planning phases or […]

The recent passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill authorized a staggering $1.2 trillion for the rebuilding of America’s critical infrastructure. Airport officials throughout the country were among the first this month to begin receiving billions of the new revenue. The funding, however, arrives with earmarks for all types and sizes of projects that share the […]

The pandemic forced communities in America to mandate lengthy periods of social distancing. Now that the mandates have lessened, city and state officials are eager to fund projects designed to bring people back together. Large initiatives to construct sports stadiums, event centers, and municipal buildings are being launched with great enthusiasm.   The state of […]

Government leaders throughout the country are leading initiatives to renovate, preserve, and modernize historic municipal buildings, or build new public assets. These efforts may be found in every state and at every jurisdictional level of government. Many of the projects being planned will be especially conducive to public-private partnerships. In St. Petersburg, Florida, one such […]

Get ready to hear a lot about decarbonization. That’s the new magic word. It can be used to refer just about any program that removes or replaces carbon emissions. Because the term entails such a wide range of activities, it will soon open the door to an equally diverse pool of funding. Since the U.S. […]

A windfall of federal funding will literally change the landscape throughout America over the next several years. The recently passed $1 trillion infrastructure bill makes funding available for all kinds of large capital projects. Additional funding is available through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), and many parts of the country still have Coronavirus Aid, […]

America’s vast network of roads is a treasured public asset – an essential component of global competitiveness. The country’s roadways also are the backbone of economic vitality for every region of the U.S. Because of this, officials at all levels of government must continually care for this public resource. Fortunately, care and upkeep will be […]

The sudden onset of a natural disaster creates immediate havoc, and the cost of destruction that has become the norm is huge. To counter the cold unpredictability and extremely high costs of protecting the country’s environment, officials at various levels of government are announcing resiliency projects. Federal and state funding for infrastructure resiliency projects is […]

The effects of COVID eased America’s dependence on automobiles in ways that continue to alter the fabric of U.S. infrastructure. Lockdowns inspired massive portions of the population to look for more diverse methods of travel, and public officials took note of the trends. This is obvious in funding that has been appropriated for pedestrian and […]

Public officials throughout America are leveraging data in ways that can only be described as futuristic. Through partnerships with companies that specialize in data capture, data integration, and data analysis, big changes are occurring. The results are impressive – cost reductions, more efficient planning, fewer required resources, and improved citizen services. City leaders are capturing […]

Municipal buildings represent the center of government in communities throughout the U.S. In almost all cases, town halls and public buildings are esteemed as hallmarks of civic pride. The public assets have a cultural value as well as a functional one, and efforts to renovate, enhance, or rebuild them are common.   However, because of […]

America’s prison system is responsible for housing and rehabilitating a very large population of inmates. The resources and accommodations required are great, and the system, the largest in the world, has reached a point of no return. Many of its parts are in critical need of repair. As a result, there are hundreds of contracting […]

As 2021 winds down, officials at every governmental level are unrolling budgets for 2022. As they consider spending options for an unpredictable future, many appear to be relying on lessons learned from the previous fiscal year – the year when COVID dominated almost everything. To this end, it’s not hard to identify risk factors that […]

For hundreds of years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has overseen some of the country’s most monumental civil works – projects that improved waterway passages, conserved the environment, mitigated flooding, and, ultimately, made the nation more livable. The sprawling scope of USACE projects has almost always depended on assistance from private sector contractors. […]

In the immediate past, water and wastewater infrastructure projects rarely created any public excitement … but that may be changing. Citizens throughout the country now realize the critical need for clean and safe drinking water and careful management of wastewater facilities. And, contractors who provide water-related services are welcoming a massive and expanded marketplace for […]

Twenty-two different natural disasters struck various areas of the U.S. in 2020, and they all shared one commonality – estimated damages of more than $1 billion. The pattern of destruction from last year has alarmed and inspired local, state, and federal governments to take precautionary measures and increase funding for disaster prevention and preparedness. Washington, […]

As environmental concerns force us to rethink how we power our urban centers, the massive losses sustained from sudden natural disasters expose the need for us to initiate change sooner rather than later. The future of our energy supply must face the dual challenges of sustainability and reliability. These challenges are spurring new waves of […]

Federal funding continues to flow, and it is available now to government officials throughout the country. Just weeks ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced yet another $272 million that is available for rural drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects. USDA will finance 114 projects through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant […]

School districts throughout the U.S. are on the verge of letting large construction projects with new funding from citizen-supported bond elections. Some school districts already have secured their funding, and others will ask voters to approve bond packages in November and December. Cumulatively, the upcoming opportunities will represent billions in new spending, and although the […]

There are, of course, some people who know about what follows … but not the public at large. And, very few taxpayers, large companies, media outlets, and citizens have heard the news. Strange as it may sound, even many public officials appear to have little knowledge of this. Ready for it? Hang on … this […]

Airports in America are undergoing significant changes as focus has shifted to long-overdue, critical needs related to modernization. Finally, there is funding for these efforts. Public officials are preparing to launch thousands of projects with objectives related to expansion, safety, increased efficiency, and compliance with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules. Most of the projects will […]

Ports throughout the U.S. have extremely critical infrastructure needs, and port officials in numerous states are readying projects for launch. America’s ports are in desperate need of modernization, expansion, upgrades, and repairs if they are to remain viable. Because of the economic contributions that ports provide to the U.S. economy, officials can no longer ignore […]

As public assets become weathered over time, repair and maintenance costs accumulate. Without attention, the assets lose value and eventually become inefficient and unsafe. With local government budgets stretched to the breaking point, thousands of public assets throughout the country have spiraled into disrepair over the past few decades. However, there’s a growing trend to […]

The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) appropriated $350 billion to state, local, territorial, and tribal governments. After the bill was signed, the U.S. Department of Treasury released a Compliance and Reporting Guidance document that outlines provisions related to the funding. Public officials have until December 31, 2024, to use the money, and many […]