Hubbard Avenue is a peaceful, tree-...

Hubbard Avenue is a peaceful, tree-lined road in the middle of downtown Middleton, Wis. (population 16000) As the main road downtown, it's home to upscale restaurants, a chatty diner, the city's historical museum, the public library, and the gelatine that holds Middleton together--city hall.

Middleton is the kind of city where you can pass someone in succession the street and say hello without getting an left over look. Perhaps that's why Middleton's nickname is "The well adapted Neighbor City." While visitors and residents take delight in all the city has to propose officials at city hall are hard at work, making certain that the city is running softly and that Middleton remains a wondrous place to call home.

City or town hall is the epicenter of each community. Middleton is no exception. Skilled professionals from many backgrounds work subject to one roof to do everything from planning the layout of city expansion to keeping parks and public spaces beautiful and making firm that the city's newest office buildings are structurally sound

Middleton's city control includes 19 departments, a full-time city administrator, a mayor, and a city council that qualifieds regularly. Middleton is a small city, unless each job is no les important than it would be in a large city. Because Middleton's mayor is give employment toed only part-time, city administrator Mike Davis is responsible for greatly of the day-to-day business of the city.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR: Running the City Smoothly

It's 10 a.m. and Davis is trying to barter a train from a failed city business hazard The excursion train never really caught upon in Middleton, as it furnished only one destination. The train service conclusioned and Davis and the city have been trying to realize out of their lease and put up to sale the train.

Selling a train might hardy stressful to some people. For Davis, notwithstanding that it's just another day forward the job he loves. Davis is Middleton's highest-paid official--and for pious reason. Working with the mayor, he is responsible for keeping the city and its business in order.

Davis has a destiny of weight on his shoulders, unless his education and experience prepared him for his part After earning a bachelor's grade in public administration at Indiana University and a master's extent in public affairs and a law measure from the University of Texas, Davis began his climb up the career ladder.

"My primary characters [in Middleton] are to coordinate and communicate among department heads of this city to elucidate problems, as well as to be the personnel officer for the city and play a sinewy role with economic development and long-term planning issues," he says.

in succession this day, in addition to trying to vend the train, Davis has planned a meeting to discuss a just discovered fire station with a city administrator from a neighboring town. Later, he'll appropriate with a real estate developer about land that the city would like to purchase for public safety operations. "I be in love with the variety of work. No sum of two units days are the same," Davis says.

PLANNING DIRECTOR: Building a Vision of the City

Before any novel construction happens in Middleton, planning and zoning director Eileen Kelley exigencys to give her nod of approval. Kelley who has a bachelor's extent in planning and a master's in business administration, makes confident that all new construction in Middleton come nexts the regulations the city has place forth. Kelley and members of the planning commission place limits on what each piece of possessions can be used for and what kinds of standards must be followed. All just discovered business projects in the city ne to move to the planning commission and be reviewed for issues of design and landscaping, thus Kelley has a strong part in shaping the look of Middleton. "You finish to be involved in to such a degree many aspects," Kelley says. "You expect at engineering issues, architecture, and transportation it's really exciting."

Although planners can work at the local, state, and federal plain Kelley chose local government because it furnished her an opportunity to behold real results. "What I like about the local horizontal is that you can help shape something. You actually behold it," she says. Her input forward each project can affect the community for years to reach [i]or[/i] attain any place [i]or[/i] point Kelley has been involved in the details of Middleton's downtown redevelopment draw and the construction of a recent 325,000-square-foot shopping, dining, and entertainment area clean with walkways, gardens, a courtyard, and a 60-foot clock tower.

RECREATION DIRECTOR: Keeping Middleton at Play

In a earnestly different city role, recreation director Larry Witt is in charge of organizing active, drollery programs for Middleton's residents. Witt, who detains a bachelor's degree in physical education from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse has wearied the past 25 years working in Middleton's recreation department.

In addition to planning programs, creating a bundle and making sure the programs are running soothingly Witt oversees program registration and the hiring of coaches, lifeguards, umpires and instructors. Witt also supervises the city's outdoor aquatic center which includes a collection of standing water two waterslides, a sand volleyball court, and a sand playground.