Author: Mary Scott Nabers

We are living in historic times, and we are fortunate to be able to participate in the rebuilding of America’s infrastructure. The funding that has been made available and the projects that are being launched will be written about and studied for decades to come. All of the country’s infrastructure networks are getting attention and […]

Libraries are critical public assets for communities and a recent study confirmed that most are funded locally. Currently there are hundreds of modernization, expansion, and technology upgrade projects occurring in libraries throughout the country. This is a very defined and strong trend. In Deschutes County, Oregon, voter-approved bond funding will cover a new Central Library […]

American ports are currently receiving massive amounts of funding from the federal government for much-needed and long-overdue upgrades. The country’s port infrastructure is a critical component of America’s global competitiveness, and the funding will target critical needs that must be met immediately. As the ports are modernized and expanded, new collaborative projects will be launched […]

The two largest international sporting events, The World Cup and Olympic Games, will be hosted in a few U.S. cities in 2026 and 2028. Both events require massive work by host cities, and new development projects will be large and expensive. This effort is already launching hundreds of new contracting opportunities for private sector companies. Eleven […]

Electric vehicles (EV) should never again be considered ‘futuristic.’ They are the ‘here and now’ and investment funding for electric vehicles is now flowing abundantly from both public and private sector coffers. Billions of dollars are available for electrification projects. Transit agencies are on the leading edge as they move quickly to electric vehicles. The […]

Changes are occurring rapidly at the local levels of government and the changes will likely be noticed first by citizens and businesses because of fee increases. Citizen services are critical components of local government and while public officials work diligently to hold down costs for taxpayers, the cost of citizen services is escalating rapidly. Most […]

As America fights to preserve its economic leadership globally, universities are critical partners. A skilled and trained workforce is the required component of economic stability and because of that prosperity cannot be preserved without a strong education infrastructure. Colleges and universities are doing their part today by offering an educational curriculum that prepares men and […]

In spite of all the new federal funding and dozens of new grant programs, city and county officials are still scrambling to launch projects designed to generate revenue. There are many reasons for this. The primary reason is that the new federal funding has a short lifecycle, and there is no indication that this level […]

Hundreds of cities with minor league baseball teams already have launched stadium construction projects or have plans to launch them soon. This phenomenon is not happening because a hundred cities decided all at once to upgrade stadiums where minor league baseball teams perform. Instead, the new construction and renovation activity is the result of Major […]

There are multiple topics of high concern for Americans today but one that is receiving less media attention is related to the country’s water resources. Regions of high growth are vying for the same diminishing water supplies, and, at the same time, the country’s drought is sapping water in every pond, lake, river, and reservoir. […]

Microgrids are designed to harness renewable energy and make it available for all kinds of reasons. Often microgrids are used when disasters cause larger utility grids to falter or shut down completely. They also are used as backup power for hospital systems, school campuses, and other governmental entities. Microgrids are a critical component of the […]

Throughout the country, health-care facilities are receiving an abundance of attention, and large construction, renovation, and expansion projects are being announced weekly. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is partnering with The University of Texas Southwestern Dallas to oversee development of a new state hospital in North Texas. When completed, the new facility will […]

Public officials in Austin hope that the ongoing multi-billion-dollar transit authority project there will reduce automobile traffic by 50 percent when completed. Whether that goal is reachable or not is undetermined, but the project is indicative of a shift in public transit throughout the country. Mobility hub projects that connect citizens and neighborhoods to a […]

Cameras, video monitoring systems, and interoperability platforms are receiving more attention than ever because of public safety concerns. The immediate scramble to install more cameras and enhance video surveillance systems has never been greater. Billions will be spent on safety infrastructure over the next several months, and soon camera and video surveillance will have a […]

America’s airports are some of the country’s most powerful economic engines. They contribute more than $14 trillion in economic activity annually and support approximately 11.5 million jobs. Congress, after years of underfunding airport infrastructure projects, recently allocated billions of dollars for upgrades and modernization initiatives. State legislators approved millions more for airport projects, and numerous […]

Sustainability has become an extremely hot topic because of the billions of dollars in federal funding available for projects that will protect and extend America’s infrastructure. Congress and government leaders at every jurisdictional level of government realize that we must upgrade and enhance the country’s basic infrastructure assets. Many diverse federal programs have funding available […]

Rail projects are being launched in states throughout the country. Much of the funding requires a focus on projects that improve safety while also enhancing and/or upgrading rail infrastructure so the projects reflect that mandate. The much-needed rail project funding will allow public officials to reduce congestion, improve supply chain stability, and boost economic vitality. […]

Billions of dollars in public funding and tax enrichments are currently available to support the construction of affordable housing throughout the U.S. The impetus behind these incentives is the country’s affordable housing shortage which has reached near-crisis stage. A recent report notes that all 50 states have an inadequate supply of housing for low-income families. […]

Thousands of communities throughout the country owe their origins to a nearby waterway. The value of regional water resources has never been in dispute, and the coveted assets have never been underestimated. Now, there is a noticeable growing trend for community leaders to launch new initiatives designed to protect and enhance waterways because of their […]

Millions of motorists cross bridges daily, and every driver assumes that these bridges are safe. That safety, however, comes at an extremely high price – high enough to have prohibited hundreds of bridge maintenance projects over the past decade. With new funding, bridges throughout the country now are receiving attention that is long overdue. More […]

New federal infrastructure funding is beginning to reach local officials, and while the revenue will be spent in many ways, some commonalities are obvious. Many public officials will allocate the funding to refurbish roads or upgrade water systems. Others will use it for public transit or to expand airport facilities. Numerous plans have been announced […]

America’s shifting social, political, economic, and environmental conditions have created rapid change. Leaders in industry and government are scrambling to respond. Their immediate focus appears to be on worker shortages, increasing costs, supply chain disruptions, and public safety but those issues are only at the top of an issues iceberg that looms large. In 2021, […]

For entirely too many years, millions of U.S. citizens have struggled with little, if any, access to broadband. However, plans are evolving quickly now to resolve that problem. Congress has approved dozens of funding programs that allocate billions for broadband. State legislators throughout the U.S. also have allocated billions for broadband connectivity. The broadband expansion […]

Someone asked me recently if public-private partnerships (P3s) are just a fad or a delivery method that will ultimately be the country’s future. There’s no doubt about the answer. Public-private partnerships are here to stay. The federal government, realizing that public funding alone cannot cover critical infrastructure needs, continues to provide funding incentives, tax credits, […]

Technology has altered the way individuals participate in work, travel, entertainment, and health care. It also has changed the way government provides services. Technology purchases of upgrades and enhancements are required, and that will not change. The value of the benefits that result far outweigh the cost. A study of new statewide budgets confirms that […]