McGill Minute

There’s no better way to celebrate Park and Recreation Month than by highlighting the people who faithfully serve their communities all year long. In this podcast, we are excited to share with you insights from John Davis, Lincoln County Parks and Recreation Director about the parks and recreation field. John, a Lincolnton native, spent eight years doing youth educational recreational programming for the Burke County Cooperative Extension and joined Lincoln County in 2015. The City of Lincolnton and Lincoln County, through a joint process, recently created updated comprehensive parks and recreation master plans that exemplify how parks and recreation professionals are rising up to promote health and well-being, protect the environment, and offer inclusive options for play by building a plan with the engagement of their community. By assisting with planning efforts like this, McGill is shaping communities together.

In this episode of the McGill Minute, Toni Shope, McGill's Marketing Director, interviews LuAnn Bryan. LuAnn joined McGill after a long career in parks and recreation, where she had the opportunity to administer the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) and federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grants through the Resource Recreation Service for more than 20 years. In this podcast, LuAnn will walk you through how to submit for a PARTF grant and what is most important to include in your application.

With college career fairs approaching and students starting to make their post-graduation plans we wanted to talk with two of our team members who have interviewed many employees over the years and hear their insights into the hiring of new engineering graduates during this podcast.

STEM Day is celebrated every year on November 8, to encourage kids to explore their interests in the fields of science, technology, engineering, art, and math. As an engineering firm, McGill is proud to employ STEM-educated workers. There were nearly 10.8 million workers in STEM occupations in 2019, however the number of STEM vacancies continues to remain higher than the number of actual candidates for many areas of the country. At McGill, we are celebrating STEM Day by speaking with Ian Riddell, the STEM facilitator for grades PK-8 at Carolina Day School, in Asheville, North Carolina, about what he believes are the most important things to teach young people to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. Ian has crafted a STEM workshop at Carolina Day School that includes hand-tools, scientific equipment, Legos, computers, and much more. His passion for challenging students to think critically about science and mathematics through hands on experiences leads him to develop programming that inspires curiosity and confidence in young people and will likely result in increased numbers of workers in STEM occupations in the years to come. Resources: Scratch - https://scratch.mit.edu/ Science Olympiad - https://www.soinc.org/ FIRST LEGO League - https://www.soinc.org/ References: https://www.brookings.edu/interactives/still-searching-job-vacancies-and-stem-skills/ https://www.census.gov/newsroom/stories/stem-day.html  

In this episode of the McGill Minute, we bring in Nick Huffman, McGill’s Electrical Practice Area Lead, to explore his role on the McGill team as it relates to water and wastewater projects. Nick has been with McGill for over 14 years. Nick and his team play a critical role in McGill’s water and wastewater treatment projects, by upgrading electrical systems within treatment plants, providing auxiliary power through backup generators, and providing safety and operational guidance for operators. Nick shares his knowledge on SCADA, how to improve efficiency in water and wastewater plants through electrical engineering improvements, and why utilities and local governments need to be aware of and protect themselves from cyber attacks and outmoded software and electrical systems.

In honor of National Parks and Recreation Month hosted by the National Recreation and Park Association, McGill interviews Greg Stopka, the Strategy and Innovation Manager for the Park District of Oak Park, Illinois to better understand how communities are stronger, more vibrant, and more resilient because of parks and recreation. The Park District of Oak Park is a great example of how parks and recreation departments can use data to tell stories, from communicating messages related to park programming to telling the stories of how the Park District's efforts build communities and result in better outcomes for community members. Greg shares how using online dashboards and internal innovation tools has led to Oak Park's successful parks and recreation program.

National Environmental Education Week is the nation’s largest celebration of environmental education. Thursday the 22nd of April is also Earth Day. To do our part in environmental education we took time to talk with Jonathan Herman, an Environmental Planner at McGill about stream restoration. Jonathan has over 15 years of experience in a wide range of park and stream restoration projects. Learn what causes the need for stream restoration and what engineering firms can do to improve the quality of streams damaged from erosion resulting from both man-made and natural causes.

Mike Dowd, PE, of McGill's Asheville office joins us to provide information on America's Water Infrastructure Act and what small operators need to know about the act, staying in compliance, and meeting upcoming deadlines. Mike has over 24 years of experience and leads McGill's water / wastewater practice.

Have you ever wondered how the air handling system works at your office, your school, or your local hospital? Or, with the transmission of germs and viruses at the top of mind, how good the air quality is in these different places? On this podcast, our team asks Drew Hubbard, PE, McGill's Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) Practice Area Lead, some questions to find out what new technologies are available to address indoor environmental issues such as potential virus transmission, inhalation of small particulates, and allergens, as well as what facility operators with limited resources can do to protect employees.

In our most recent McGill Minute podcast, we discussed some of the tips that helped two of our Engineering Associates – Noah Green, EI, and Natalie Croom, EI – with their job search process. It can be a stressful time: trying to find a firm that shares your values, figuring out the direction of your career path, and deciding where you want to live, all while trying to network and set up interviews. Noah and Natalie share some great tips on how to manage this uncertain (but also exciting) phase of life. Good luck landing your first engineering job!  

In part 3 of the McGill Minute’s series on utility systems we are exploring opportunities to move public utilities forward despite challenging financial times. In part 1, RJ Mozeley shared his insights on how COVID-19 is impacting utility systems and provided both short-term and long-term strategies. During part 2 of this series, Dale Schepers discussed the importance of revisiting rate structures. In part 3, we would like to share some real-world examples of how our customers are using rate planning and McGill’s funding assistance to achieve better outcomes. As well as, how you can get started today toward planning for your utility’s future.

In part 2 of the McGill Minute’s 3-part series on the effects of COVID-19 on utility systems, you will hear from Dale Schepers on how effective rate studies can help municipalities, counties and utility districts weather this storm and future problems that may arise.

In Part 1 of this 3-part series, Joel Storrow's interviews RJ Mozeley, one of McGill's talented wastewater collection and water distribution engineers, on the effects of COVID-19 on utility systems throughout North Carolina. Even though communities are faced with some challenging times, RJ highlights the opportunities available to those operating these systems and reminds us that this is the perfect time to plan, forecast, and re-prioritize for success.

As we wrap up parks and recreation month, we bring Jim Ford, Parks Planner at McGill, on to speak with Gary Jackson about what he's learned over the course of the month from discussions with parks and recreation staff. Jim shares the innovative programs parks and recreation departments have come up with to address the difficulties associated with the COVID-19 health crisis, from social distancing on sports fields to registering for events in this new normal.

In this episode, Joel Storrow, Past President of McGill, speaks with Gary Jackson to hear his perspective on the COVID-19 crises based on a successful career of 40 years in city and financial management. Today, managers are asking how to address the uncertainty in city financials, from sales tax revenue to building permits, and how to address the upcoming budget cycle. Given the uncertainty, Gary shares current forecasts and actionable steps you can do today to help navigate through this crises and the uncharted waters ahead.