Search for new Parkland CEO opened beyond four finalists

Parkland Memorial Hospital has decided the four finalists named for the chief executive officer position at the hospital is not enough. As a result, the search for a new chief administrator has been opened again. Debbie Branson (pictured), chair of the hospital board, said the board will take "whatever time is necessary" that will lead to a successful search. She said until that time, interim CEO Robert Smith and the members of his senior management team are providing leadership for the facility.

The board previously named the following four finalists: Walter "Ted" Shaw, Parkland's interim chief financial officer; Larry E. Volkmar, CEO of Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix; Pete Delgado, CEO of the Los Angeles County and University of Southern California Healthcare Network in Los Angeles; and Wright L. Lassiter III, CEO of the Alameda County Medical Center in Oakland.

Branson says now the board has "placed a premium on quality" at the hospital and are looking for candidates with stellar qualifications. "Our next CEO must be fully prepared to address the challenges of a large, complex, urban, academic health care system and lead it to the next level," she said. When a new CEO is chosen, that person will replace Dr. Ron Anderson, who stepped down in December 2011 after 29 years as Parkland's top leader. His contract was not renewed by the board after inspection failures jeopardized state and federal funding for the facility.

City of Houston supports county's jail processing facility

Harris County's plans to build a jail processing facility got a welcomed boost recently - from the city of Houston. With the city's backing, the county is again discussing a plan for the processing facility. Harris County commissioners this week authorized seeking an architect to make plans for what will be a joint processing center. The city is expected to pay for half of the $250,000 for the architectural plans.

Officials from the city and council are hopeful to have a proposal and cost estimate by June so that it can be decided by a bond vote as early as November. However, other financing options are also being studied. The current booking/processing center is operating over capacity and has been for years. City officials are hopeful this expanded processing facility will allow for the closing of the city's two aging jails. Officials say jail cells likely will eventually be added and services provided to hook up inmates to services - such as mental health services - that they need. That, they hope, will reduce recidivism.

Andy Icken (pictured), the city's chief development officer, said Houston's primary interest in the project is to close its two jails, which hold minor offenders for up to 48 hours. The jails cost the county approximately $25 million in operating costs annually. County officials see the center as a money saver and a way to ensure public safety.

Montgomery tapped as new TxDOT district engineer in Paris

Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) officials recently appointed Paul Montgomery (pictured), as the new district engineer in Paris.

Previously serving as director of maintenance in the Lufkin district since 2003, Montgomery's new duties as district engineer include oversight of planning, design, building, operation and maintenance of the state transportation system in the nine-county district headquartered in Paris.

Montgomery began his career at TxDOT in 1989 in Tyler, and then was an engineering assistant in Mineola and an assistant area engineer in the Jacksonville Area Office. He became assistant director of maintenance for the Tyler District Office and director of maintenance in 1998 in the district office in Waco. A licensed professional engineer, Montgomery has a bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University.

Shaffer becomes provost, VP academic affairs at WTAMU

Dr. Wade Shaffer (pictured), who has served as interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at West Texas A&M University since March of last year, has had the "interim" dropped from the title. He now fills permanently the position previously held by Dr. James Hallmark, who resigned to accept the vice chancellor for academic affairs post at the Texas A&M University System.

Shaffer joined the WTAMU faculty in 1994 as an assistant professor of history. In 2001, he was named head of the Department of History, Political Science and Criminal Justice in the College of Education and Social Sciences. The department was changed to the Department of History and Geography and moved to the Sybil B. Harrington College where Shaffer was named associate dean in 2008. Two years later Shaffer was appointed to the position of associate provost for academic affairs and moved into the interim provost position in 2012.

Shaffer holds both bachelor's and master's degrees from The University of Texas at Arlington. He earned his doctoral degree from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va. He served as a visiting assistant professor there before joining the WTAMU faculty in 1994. 

Picone retiring as director of Blinn Foundation

Joe Al Picone (pictured), executive director of the Blinn Foundation, recently announced he will retire after 40 years at Blinn College.

Picone served 17 years on the board of trustees and was dean of business services before becoming executive director of the Foundation in 2007. His honors include being named to the Blinn College Hall of Fame and was also named the Washington County Man of the Year.

Picone, who has helped raise almost $10 million in contributions during his tenure on the Foundation, graduated from Blinn in 1961. He plans to work on a part-time basis for the Foundation. Picone is credited with helping raise $10 million, or an average of $2 million annually, to help build new facilities at the Brenham and other campuses of the college.

Kenneth Evans selected as finalist for president of Lamar University

Regents for The Texas State University System recently selected Kenneth R. Evans, Ph.D., (pictured) as the new president of Lamar University, based in Beaumont. More than 70 candidates for the leadership post were considered in the national search for a president to succeed Dr. James M. Simmons, who is retiring after 14 years in that post, said Chancellor Brian McCall.

Evans currently is a dean at the University of Oklahome and previously served as an associate dean at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He also has been a researcher, teacher and administrator at Arizona State university, the University of Colorado and California State University in Sacramento.

A former marketing representative for private companies in California, Evans has a bachlor's degree from the University of California, a master's degree from California State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado.

UTMB nets $2.7 FEMA grant for building repairs

The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) recently won a $2.7 million award from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to repair the Harborside building damaged in 2008 by Hurricane Ike. Last year, UTMB received $90.1 million from FEMA to repair and rebuild more than $1 billion in facilities damaged by the storm.

The FEMA grant will pay for flood-proofing parts of the building that housed medical records, information systems, print functions and payroll records by waterproofing walls and installing flood gates at doorways on the first floor. UTMB officials also plan to relocate mechanical, plumbing and electrical equipment to the second floor using part of the Public Assistance Grant.

Including construction planned before the hurricane, the UTMB campus has and will have about 200 construction and renovation projects that cost about $1.79 billion.

Baylor chief of staff gets VP title, responsibilities from Starr

Karla Leeper (pictured), chief of staff for Baylor University President Ken Starr, has been given the additional title of Vice President for Executive Affairs, with her expanded role and new responsibilities. She will continue to carry out her responsibilities of chief of staff, but will now also assume responsibility for the Office of Governmental Relations and Baylor Event Services. They reported previously to the Division of Constituent Engagement and Division of Finance and Administration respectively.

"This appointment recognizes Dr. Leeper's exceptional tenure managing the essential and strategic responsibilities of the President's Office," Starr said. "We have expanded her role to include a vice presidential position that will lead a set of emerging areas of critical importance as our office moves boldly forward."

Leeper said it makes sense that government relations would be operated out of the President's Office. She also said that because of the current focus on development, event strategies must align with the communications strategy, so it also made sense to move events from operations into the President's Office

El Paso approves $5 million to rebuild bridge, create quiet zones

El Paso City Council members recently agreed to spend $5 million to rebuild the Carolina Bridge and establish more quiet zones along a rail line where the train is prohibited from soundings its horn.

The two projects will benefit commuters traveling to a new $50 million baseball stadium being built downtown, according to Irene Ramirez, interim city engineer.

Plans call for Union Pacific to spend about $1.3 million to help pay for creating the quiet zones and the city plans to spend about $1.4 million on the quiet zones, which will be in the Five Points and University Medical Center areas, Ramirez said.

City officials have not yet approved a design for the new Carolina Bridge, but expect to seek bids in September and begin construction in 2015 on the bridge, said Ted Marquez, interim director of the transportation department. Plans call for the new bridge to feature pedestrian walkways, lighting, a new structure and pavement. More than $5 million of the funding for the $8.6 million bridge project is from state and federal funding, Marquez said. The existing bridge most likely will be closed for a period of the construction project.

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Palestine to issue $2.6 million in debt to upgrade infrastructure

Palestine City Council members recently agreed to issue $2.6 million in certificates of obligation to pay for upgrades to lighting, water and sewers and to expand parks and recreation facilities. The bonds have a fixed interest rate of 2.15 percent through 2018, City Manager Mike Ohrt said.

City officials plan to use the $2.6 million to pay for acquiring, designing and equipping water and sewer facilities, upgrading the electrical system of the water intake facility and installing new water meters; purchasing new and upgrade heating ventilation and air conditioning systems and installing lighting control systems in city facilities; improving and renovating several existing city facilities; and acquiring land for parks and recreation.

The president of the Beeville Water Supply District (BWSD) recently warned that a $15.3 million bond proposal by the city of Beeville could threaten improvements to a water treatment plant at Swinney Switch and upgrades to the water distribution system of the city.

Beeville city officials placed a bond proposal on the May 11 ballot asking voters to approve funding for construction of a reverse osmosis plant, a new water well at the Cleveland Street Water Storage facility and for upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant. They did so with no consultation with water supply district officials, said Jim Crumrine (pictured), president of the water district. He also noted that city officials failed to address the need for more water storage tanks in the proposed bond issue.

The timing and high price tag for the city's bond issue could threaten the ability of the water district to win approval of future bond proposals of up to $8 million that will be needed for other water supply and distribution projects for water district customers. Property owners in the city may be reluctant to approve a bond proposal from the water district because of the additional taxes they may be required to pay because of the bonds issued by the city, Crumrine said.

U.S. Department of Labor awards $406,000 grant for wildfire cleanup

U.S. Department of Labor officials recently announced a $406,000 National Emergency Grant to help pay temporary workers for cleanup and recovery efforts in 32 Texas counties damaged by wildfires in 2011. This grant brings the total of grants to Texas from the Labor Department to $1.2 million.

Grant funding to workers to perform cleanup and recovery from wildfire damage will be available in Anderson, Bastrop, Bosque, Briscoe, Cass, Cherokee, Clay, Colorado, Coryell, Edwards, Gregg, Hall, Harrison, Henderson, Hill, Houston, Howard, Kimble, Leon, Marion, Menard, Montague, Morris, Navarro, Nolan, Panola, Rusk, Smith, Sutton, Upshur, Walker and Wise counties. The Federal Emergency Management Agency designated these 32 counties as eligible for public assistance for recovery efforts from the wildfires.

Houston nets $1 million in Bloomberg mayor's challenge

The Bloomberg Philanthropies' Mayors Challenge recently selected Houston as one of four cities to win a $1 million award from the 300 cities that submitted entries to the challenge launched in June by Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York. Providence, Rhode Island, won the $5 million grand prize in the Mayor's Challenge.

Houston won the $1 million award on a recycling idea, "One Bin for All," now being implemented as a public-private partnership that will use technology to separate trash from recyclables. The goal is to achieve a 75 percent recovery rate for recyclable materials, the mayor said. Houston also won as the fan favorite on the Huffington Post, an online publication that will provide news coverage and promotion, and also received an additional $50,000 in-kind grant from a corporation.

The five winners in the challenge were judged based on vision, ability to implement programs, potential for impact and the possibility to replicate the program in other municipalities.

Denton progressing with hotel, convention center project

The developer of a proposed hotel and convention center in Denton recently set a goal to finalize an agreement with the city in 30 days and begin construction soon on land owned by the University of North Texas (UNT).

City Council members are expected to hear an update on the convention center proposal from O'Reilly Hospitality Management LLC in a work session scheduled for March 19. Council plans to review the schedule for the project originally planned to begin construction early this year and completed in summer 2014. The city is expected to build and own the convention center that will be leased to the developer, which will build the hotel and a restaurant in addition to managing the convention center.

City officials have said the council may authorize the issue of certificates of obligation to help pay for the conference center, but will need more information on the exact amount of funding and the timing of a bond package. The bonds would be repaid from revenue from the conference center before finalizing the public-private partnership agreement.

College Station eyeing consultant to rank street repair projects

For the second consecutive year, College Station city officials recently asked City Council to spend about $57,000 to hire a consultant to help prioritize which streets most need maintenance and repair.

Without a contractor to perform that work, the city would be forced to use crews now working on streets, drainage, mowing and irrigation projects when the public works department is already understaffed, said Jeff Given of the public works department.

The contractor would be tasked with using criteria such as how smooth or bumpy the ride and traffic count to score each street and provide that information to the City Council members who will select street projects to proceed with in the coming year, Given said. Council members are expected to vote this week on a contract for the street evaluations, he added.

Lubbock mayor requests creation of library advisory group

Mayor Glen Robertson (pictured) of Lubbock recently requested City Council appoint a citizens' advisory committee to help plan the future of public libraries in that city. Rather than focusing on a stalled debate over the $25,000 monthly lease payment for the Godeke Library, an advisory committee is needed to recommend a 15- to 20-year plan for the library system, the mayor said. Some options to be considered include building one central library or maintaining several relatively smaller branch libraries, he added.

Council members in December approved $80,000 to create a master plan for the future public library system and then began a debate on whether to find a new location for the Godeke library. That library moved to its current location at a shopping center in 2008 after the city demolished the library building on South Loop 289. In November 2012, Council rejected a $1 million proposal to buy and renovate a building on 50th Street to house the Godeke Library.

Reacting to the closure of large juvenile detention centers operated by the state, Grayson County commissioners recently moved forward with a project to expand a facility for juvenile offenders. Commissioners approved a $1 million loan for the expansion of the juvenile facility. County officials expect to house juvenile offenders from other counties for a fee that will help pay for the expansion.

Current plans are to build a new 11,000-square-foot facility at Perrin Field of the North Texas Regional Airport to house 48 medium-security youth offenders in individual units. There will be 12 maximum-security youths in barracks in the back of the unit, said Bill Bristow, the director of juvenile services. The current facility now has 48 beds, all in a barracks arrangement.

South Plains College moving on with expansion plan

South Plains College officials recently outlined plans to renovate a 20,000-square-foot shopping center into a new cosmetology school and build a new residence hall for men to accommodate enrollment growth.

Officials of the Levelland-based college also plan to renovate a portion of residence hall for women this spring. Most of the renovations involve upgrading bathrooms at the residence hall built in the 1960s, said Cathy Miller, vice president for student affairs.

Current plans call for asking for bids on the new residence hall for men in April and kick off construction in May.

San Angelo ISD approves $1.6 million to upgrade aquatic center

San Angelo Independent School District board members recently approved $1.6 million to upgrade the the Gus Clemens Aquatic Center at Central High School. District officials plan to install a control system for humidity and temperature, new pool equipment, replace tile, replace old windows and doors with energy-efficient windows and doors and add new lighting throughout the facility, said Jeff Bright, assistant superintendent of business.

Midland may buy old county courthouse for new high-rise

Midland City Council members are expected to meet with Midland County officials on Monday to decide whether to approve an agreement for the city to purchase the old county courthouse. The city would use it in a proposed public-private partnership to build a multi-purpose high-rise building in the downtown area.

Council members then will vote on an agreement with a private developer to partner in building a high-rise tower featuring a hotel, office space, retail establishments, residential units and spaces for entertainment. County commissioners must still vote on whether to sell the old county courthouse and land to the city before the agreement is finalized.

The decision to demolish the courthouse rather than renovate it for other uses is due to the high cost to renovate the building compared to the cost of new construction,  said Midland Mayor Gordon McKay (pictured).

Teague selects new executive director of development group

Teague city officials recently selected Brienne Ashmore Van de Way as the new executive director of the Teague Economic Development Corporation.

Van de Way attended Portland State University and previously managed commercial and residential developments while employed in the private sector in Dallas.

Schlitterbahn to hold conference for work on proposed new park

Private sector businessesinterested in working on the construction of a 65-acre water park resort on Padre Island will have a chance Tuesday, March 19, to find out more about the project.

Schlitterbahn is having a conference for vendors and suppliers from 8 a.m. to noon at the Padre Isles Country Club. The project carries a $41 million price tag and is expected to open in 2014.

Lamesa begins interviews

with city manager candidates

Lamesa City Council members recently interviewed three finalists for city manager and plan to interview a fourth applicant on March 20. The new city manager will replace Fred Vera, who is retiring in May from the job he has held since June 2003.

Council members set a goal to hire a new city manager by May 1 to provide a transition period.

SPI launches blog addressing

P3s, contracting news, trends

Strategic Partnerships, Inc. has launched its blog - Strategic Partnering with State and Local Government. The blog will serve as a venue for sharing and discussing public sector contracting news, trends, public-private partnerships (P3s) and other innovative solutions for transforming government. The group includes business development, government affairs and marketing professionals as well as government contracting experts interested in discussing the state and local government marketplace.

Among the topics already discussed are public-private partnership issues such as trends, emerging projects and legislation nationwide, government contracting trends and the importance of training sales staffs to sell to government.

Join our blog! Check us out and see what we've got to say and tell us what you think! We hope you will "like" our blog and share it with others. We welcome comments.

Lampasas moving forward

with library expansion

Partnering with the Lampasas Library Foundation, Lampasas City Council members have agreed to move forward with a pared-down expansion of the Lampasas Public Library. Voters in 2011 rejected a $3 million proposal to expand the current library from 6,500 square feet to 17,000 square feet.

Foundation members raised $330,000 in contributions to help pay to expand the library with a 700-square-foot room for collections, renovate existing office and staff areas, build a new circulation desk, improve landscaping and expand parking. The foundation also has agreed to apply for grants to help pay for new shelves and furnishings for the library.

City officials have agreed to pay for adding 10 more parking spaces, maintenance costs and roof repairs for the library. City officials expect to ask for bids for the library expansion in April and complete the project in six months.

Knox City searching

for new city manager

City officials in Knox City recently began searching for a new city manager to replace City Manager Chad Roberts, who resigned on March 1. City council members expect to begin interviewing applicants soon, the mayor said.

SAISD interim superintendent sets deadline for replacement

Interim Superintendent Sylvester Perez (pictured) recently notified trustees for the San Antonio Independent School District that he plans to leave that post on July 1 and urged the board to hire a new superintendent before that date.

In an e-mail to board members, Perez, who came out of retirement to serve as interim superintendent, said he is frustrated that board members were unable to agree on a new superintendent in mid-February from the three finalists selected in a year-long, stalled search.

Trustees requested and expect to receive a new list of semifinalists for superintendent from the search firm on March 18 and move forward with selecting a new superintendent. Board members asked the consultant to review the original pool of applicants and to contact candidates who did not submit applications, but trustees are interested in interviewing, district officials said.

Gregg Co. OK's donation of lighting equipment to Missouri

After renovations at the East Texas Regional Airport rendered 100 bulbs and other lighting equipment obsolete, Gregg County commissioners recently voted to donate the 100 bulbs, transformers and other lighting equipment to the Cape Giradeau Regional Airport in Missouri.

Because a federal grant paid for the equipment, the county must scrap the lighting equipment or donate it to another airport that currently uses that lighting system, County Judge Bill Stoudt (pictured) explained.

Check the GOVERNMENT NEWS section of the SPI Web site for these and other press releases.

• Regional Workplace Safety Summit offered in San Antonio on March 20

• TxDOT extends truck discount on Central Texas tollways

• 17th Annual Texas Safety Summit for Employers, Employees May 14-16

• Lamar's Simmons honored as president emeritus

Morrison terminated as city manager in New Braunfels

In a 5-2 vote, New Braunfels City Council members recently terminated the services of City Manager Michael Morrison (pictured), who had served in that post for seven years.

The mayor praised Morrison for his work on city infrastructure, including a development project involving 2,427 acres in the northern area of the city. The mayor also predicted the departure of Morrison would have a negative impact on city operations.

Council members plan to appoint an interim city manager on March 18 and discuss whether to hire a search firm or use the city's human resources department to find a new city manager.

Caldwell, commander of Army North retiring from position

Lt. Gen. William Caldwell IV (pictured), the U.S. Army North commander, recently said he is retiring from his post in San Antonio.

A 37-year veteran of the Army, Caldwell led missions in both Iraq and Afghanistan, where he commanded the 82nd Airborne Division. He oversaw Afghan security forces from 2009 until 2011 when those security forces grew from 190,000 to about 330,000 police and soldiers.

A native of Georgia, Caldwell plans to return to his home state to become the president of Georgia Military College.

• Terri Bauer of Richardson, Council on Sex Offender Treatment;
• Louis Gonzales III of Round Rock, Council on Sex Offender Treatment;
• Albert "AJ" Bonner Jr. of Plainview, Texas Violent Gang Task Force;
• Tim Flores of Harlingen, Texas Violent Gang Task Force;
• Riley Shaw of Fort Worth, Texas Violent Gang Task Force;
• Patrick Natividad of El Paso,Texas Violent Gang Task Force;
• Jon Hodde of Brenham, chair, Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying;
• William "Bill" Merten of Houston, Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying;
• Paul Braden of Dallas, chair, State Pension Review Board;
• Laurie Bricker of Houston, State Board for Educator Certification;
• Sandra Bridges of Rockwall, State Board for Educator Certification;
• Dawn Buckingham of Lakeway, State Board for Educator Certification'
• Jill Druesedow of Haskell, State Board for Educator Certification;
• Paula Gomez of Brownsville, Texas Council on Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke;
• Michael Hawkins of Temple, Texas Council on Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke;
• Suzanne Hildebrand of Live Oak, Texas Council on Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke;
• Cheryle Locke of Austin, Texas Council on Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke;
• Elizabeth Gunter of Austin, Texas Emissions Reduction Plan Advisory Board;
• Mark L. Rhea of Fort Worth. Texas Emissions Reduction Plan Advisory Board;
• Russell Tharp of Tomball, Texas Emissions Reduction Plan Advisory Board;
• Daniel Durany of Fort Worth, Texas Council on Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders;
• Tammy Lemoine of Center, Texas Council on Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders;
• Frank C. McCamant of Austin, Texas Council on Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders;
• Callie M. Vivion-Matthews of Fort Worth, Texas Council on Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders.

Refugio seeking new director for community development

Refugio County commissioners recently agreed to begin a search for a new director of the Refugio County Community Development Foundation to replace Joe Arrendondo, who resigned from that position.

County Judge Rene Mascorro (pictured) urged commissioners to take a global approach and look for applicants with experience in economic development who will agree to relocate to Refugio County within the time alloted.

Commissioners also expressed a preference for candidates with a college degree and able to provide three references to be selected to lead the economic development group.

Dubois resigns as head

of Crockett County CCSD

Superintendent Chris Dubois recently resigned from the Crockett County Consolidated Common School District. Trustees also appointed Larry Taylor as the interim superintendent effective on Monday, March 18.

Taylor previously served as superintendent for the Crockett County school district and in interim posts at the Veribest and Big Lakes school districts. He also has been a field service agent for the Region XV Education Center.

Burleson ISD appoints Basham as human resources director

Trustees for Burleson Independent School District recently appointed Cretia Basham as the director of human resources. She previously served as an elementary school principal and teacher for the district.

Basham has a bachelor's degree from Texas Christian University and a master's degree from The University of Texas at Arlington.

Dublin eyeing police chief

as new permanent city manager

After Police Chief Lannie Lee (pictured) advised city officials he could no longer serve as interim city administrator and as police chief, Dublin City Council members asked Lee to apply for city manager and to seek applicants for police chief.

After 40 years of police work, Lee said he was ready for new duties and agreed to submit an application to become the permanent city manager. He also agreed to serve in the interim position until June when new council members are seated. Lee said he will accept applications for police chief for the next 30 days, and send the applications to Council members to consider.

The mayor said council is happy with the performance of Lee as the interim city manager and looks forward to continue working with him. Council members, however, agreed to take applications from other applicants interested in being city manager and expect to begin interviews later this year for that position.

City of Llano to appoint

new city manager soon

Llano City Council members recently met in executive session to finalize negotiations, the employment, duties and pay package for a new city manager.

The focus is on two finalists after a third finalist asked to be removed for consideration for the job. The two finalists are Kyle McCain and Brenton Lewis. The new city manager will replace Lynda Kuder, the city's finance director, who is currently the interim city manager.