Listen up: City of Abilene hosts first-ever podcast

The city of Abilene is now hosting a podcast with topics including news, public safety announcements, events and more.

The podcast, hosted by Mari Cockerell, will debut fresh episodes on Sundays. The team hopes to update Abilenians about the happenings across the city.

The first episode, "Let's talk about streets!" features an interview of Director of Public Works Max Johnson and Assistant Director Scott Chandler about upcoming street projects and maintenance for 2024.

'It's a marathon, not a sprint."

In its debut episode, Cockerell focused on everyone's favorite topic — current and anticipated street projects with the Public Works Department.

Johnson and Chandler were quick to point out the numerous projects, including a new light coming to Antilley and Memorial. They also noted the project on Buffalo Gap Road is run by the Texas Department of Transportation and not public works.

The Street Maintenance Fund helps to pay for these projects and those to come in 2024. The fund contribution costs the average family about $8.75 on their bill.

In turn, projects are then chosen by the Street Maintenance Advisory Board. Members encourages residents to be a part of that conversation by attending meetings and making their voices heard.

If residents are not available for the meetings, they can report potholes or any other city problems to city staff via the online portal, SeeClickFix.

Johnson and Cockerell ended by pointing out the team is about 26% complete on planned roadway improvements with a little less than three-fourths left to go.

In the words of Johnson, "It's a marathon, not a sprint."

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: City of Abilene hosts first-ever podcast