Goal is to improve transportation systems throughout country

Addressing current transportation needs while training transportation professionals for the next generation is the goal of $18.7 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The grants, which have been announced for 11 University Transportation Centers, are expected to allow the centers to use new technologies to help improve transportation systems across the country. The agency's Research and Innovation Technology Administration (RITA) made the awards.

RITA Administrator Peter Appel (pictured) said the program for the centers "plays a key role in supporting collaborative research and transportation workforce development that will help us create a truly 21st century transportation system."

Among the recipients of the grants is the Infrastructure Technology Institute at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. It will use its $3.3 million grant to extend experimental work in monitoring the health of the infrastructure of rapid transit and commuter railroad structures and continue long-term studies of bridge performance. City University of New York's University Transportation Center garnered a $2.08 million grant to support research, education and technology transfer activities to address the planning and management and future evolution of the region's mature transportation systems in the face of emerging challenges. To view the complete list of projects, click here and look under "Recent Reports." 

 

Las Cruces district to seek bids on solar energy production
The Las Cruces, New Mexico, school district will seek bids on a project to produce solar energy, rather than continuing the licensing agreement previously approved. Herb Torres (pictured), associate superintendent for operations, said school attorneys had been studying the agreement and found "there were enough gray areas" found to reissue any work under a different agreement. The agreement signed provided for an independent company to finance, own and operate a solar energy system that would cost approximately $24 million. Solar panels would be placed on 40 school buildings to generate nearly half of the district's energy from the sun. The district hopes to move the project forward and plans to put the project out for bid within the next two or three months, Torres said.

 

Library bond vote totaling $7 million coming up in New Mexico
Voters in Farmington, New Mexico, will decide a $7 million library bond issue in a November election. If passed, San Juan College would receive $103,000 of the amount and the Farmington Municipal Schools will be allocated $44,000. The college depends on funding from the general obligation library bond voted on every two years for its operational budget. The funds are used to purchase books, subscriptions to research materials and for technology upgrades.  

  

New York's Union College seeking bonds for various campus improvements
Electrical and mechanical upgrades, roof repairs and renovations will be paid for from $38 million in bonds being sought by Union College in Schenectady, New York. Assistance in securing the bonds will be received from the Capital Resource Corp. (CRC), administered by the Schenectady County Industrial Development Agency. Although the college will be responsible for the bond debt, the fees it pays CRC will be reinvested in the local community, according to Schenectady County Legislature Chair Susan E. Savage (pictured). The bond funds will also be used for deferred maintenance issues on several older buildings at Union College, and support renovation of the Social Sciences building early next year and other construction projects on the drawing board.  

 

Farmington school board selects architects for projects
Two architectural firms have been named to develop and design more than $50 million in school improvement projects in Farmington, New Mexico. Among the projects are a new Tibbits Middle School and $25 million in school improvement projects district-wide. One of the firms chosen will be in charge of several projects in the $1 million to $4 million range. Among the projects are new turf for Hutchinson Stadium, restrooms in the Farmington High gym and a library at Animas Elementary. The architect estimates that it will take some 16 months to build the 100,000-square-foot, $33 million new school.

  

Lottery funds result in addition of classrooms for N. Carolina schools
The Alamance County Board of Commissioners has approved $2.4 million for the Alamance-Burlington School System in Burlington, North Carolina. The funds will be used to construction classroom additions. W.D. Yarbrough (pictured), director of facilities for the school system said Western Alamance Middle School and Altamahaw-Ossipee Elementary School will each get four new classrooms as a result of the funding from North Carolina Education Lottery funds. Approximately $4 million in available lottery funding remains that could be used for other school projects.

Montana school district passes $3.5 million construction bond
The Monforton, Montana, school bond issue, for maintenance and construction projects, has passed. The bond amount - $3.5 million - will be used to build an addition to the north side of the school, adding six classrooms and funding other renovations.

Design for W. Des Moines high school overhaul approved by board members
Design for the $59.7 million in improvements to the Valley High School in West Des Moines has been approved by the school district board. The first phase of the project will include a $20 million, three-story addition to the school's southwest corner. Bids for that project are expected to be sought in the spring, with construction beginning as early as July. A completion date is expected in November 2013. The original plans were $7.7 million over budget, and board members thus approved a scaled-down proposal that excluded $2.9 million in alternatives. Board member Mark Lyons (pictured) said that although the projects include a large amount of money, all "are well justified." The new addition will house science and family consumer science classrooms, a new kitchen and cafeteria, wrestling room and strength and training room. New tennis courts and a sky bridge connecting the new building to the old one are also planned. The project list also includes a $16 million auditorium and $4 million for renovated classroom support space. Another $20 million will go into renovations to the high school.

Heating, cooling systems to get upgrades in Indiana school district
The Union County school system in Palladium, Indiana, has approved selling $1.48 million in interest-free bonds for energy saving and other improvement projects at the Union County High School and Liberty Elementary. The district will use federal Qualified School Construction Bonds for the projects. Heating and cooling equipment in the elementary school will be replaced and linked with the high school's heat pump system. Other projects include work on the high school auditorium and kitchen. 
 

Illinois school district awarded funding for renewable energy project
Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director Warren Ribley (pictured) recently visited Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 in Illinois to announce $447,400 in funding for a renewable energy project. The money will be used to help defray the costs of installation of solar panel systems in four of the district's schools. Ribley said the solar projects "will decrease the district's utility bills and bring us one step closer to breaking our dependence on foreign oil." The four schools where the solar panels will be installed include Cassens Elementary, Goshen Elementary, Liberty Middle School and Worden Elementary. The systems will produce approximately 140,000 kilowatt hours per year. The State Energy Plan is providing more than $100 million in grants statewide. The agency is supporting half of the cost of the project through it allocation.

New Jersey charter schools can apply for construction funding
Some $30 million in federally subsidized construction bonds will be made available to charter schools in New Jersey seeking to either renovate existing structures or build new ones. Charter schools heralded the funding as good news, since they only receive per-pupil operating costs funding from tax dollars and not money for buildings. The bonds are made available through federal Recovery Act funds and charter schools have until Nov. 19 to apply for the funding. There are currently more than 70 charter schools in New Jersey.

  

$11.4 million school building plan gets approval from area's voters
Voters OK'd a scaled-down bond proposal recently that failed last year. The original bond issue, for $29.4 million, was scaled back to $11.4 million and passed. Unlike the previous bond issue that failed, this one did not include new buildings, building additions or expansion. The proposal that passed includes heating, ventilation, air conditioning, plumbing, lighting, wall, flooring, ceiling and electrical work in a former auto shop area that will be converted to a computer lab and classroom, the high school media center, the open media center in the elementary school, the middle-high school chorus room, the band room, the auditorium, existing gyms, locker rooms, the mezzanine above the high school gym and the swimming pool. Playground areas will have improved storm drainage installed and additional blacktop and the track will be resurfaced. Construction bids are expected to be sough in February or March of next year with much of the work taking place during the summer months and continuing through 2012.

 

For information about these and other opportunities,

contact Reagan Weil or Richard Hartmann at 512-531-3900.

Three Virginia public safety programs to share grant funds
Almost $9 million is headed to three Virginia public safety programs. The National Center for State Courts in Williamsburg will be allocated $7.4 million to be used for projects that include the enhancement of the statistical database for state court systems nationwide, a survey of state court criminal appeals processing and an assessment of current procedures. Two new full-time officers will be hired by the Franklin Police Department with the $385,310 allocated to the city for the COPS Hiring Program. And, $1.3 million will go to the Hampton Roads police departments from the Justice Assistance Grants program. The money will be used for hiring and purchase of equipment. Lillian Taylor (pictured), Fiscal Service Manager for the Newport News Police Department, said the funds help departments purchase equipment they might not have been able to purchase on their own because of "tight fiscal conditions."

Tinley Park plans sale of bonds for three major projects within city
Approximately $11.7 million in bonds will be sold by the Village of Tinley Park, Illinois, to help defray the costs of three major projects. Some $2 million of the total will be used for sewer projects, another $5.2 million will be the village's share of a new 80th Avenue Metra train station, while $4.5 million will help expand the Tinley Park Convention Center. The bond issue is expected in November with the bond sale in December. Noting lower interest rates, Trustee Michael Bettenhausen (pictured) said now is the time to sell bonds. "The debt service and the obligation for the bond issues is not on the property owners," he said. 

Five projects in Maricopa hope to be jump-started after standards manual writtten
Officials in Maricopa, Arizona, are planning a design standards manual they are hopeful will light a fire under five city projects - an aquatics/multigenerational center, a city hall complex, a regional sports complex, a main library and public works yard. "Either the aquatics/multigenerational center or regional sports facility will be the project the city looks at moving first on," said Council member Carl Diedrich (pictured). The manual will help create consistency in design across all the facilities, which cannot all be built at once. It will then be up to the council to prioritize the projects. In March, the council approved selling $20 million of the $65 million in bonding authority approved by voters for parks, recreation and the library. The sports complex will cost approximately $20 million and include baseball, soccer and football fields. The aquatic center, a $16.5 million project, will be at least 50,000 square feet. Initial plans are for the aquatic center construction to start before the current fiscal year ends in June of next year. The sports complex has a FY 2011-12 proposed start date and the city government complex is expected to be under construction in FY 2012-13. 

Alamogordo lists prioritized improvement projects for 2012-2016
In Alamogordo, New Mexico, officials have approved a capital improvement plan for 2012-2016 and have given five projects top priority relative to infrastructure. They include (in order of priority): completion of the design phase for upgrades to the wastewater treatment facility; reclaimed water distribution and storage; the engineering and design phase of a desalination plant; improvements at the Recreation Center pool, including solar panels and a new slide; and Department of Public Safety radio equipment.

Mississippi ferry boat terminal will be rebuilt after storm damage
In Gulfport, Mississippi, the Ship Island ferry boat terminal project has been awarded a grant of $223,000 to rebuild. With funds from the Federal Highway Administration, the terminal destroyed during Hurricane Katrina has been idle. Gulfport Mayor George Schloegel called the project "a very important step for the harbor and the park, and for the city." Design of the new terminal has already begun and drawings should be competed in 90 days. At that time, bids for construction will be sought. 
 

$22 million grant goes to Port of Miami for upgrades
Upgrades and restoration of rail service between the Port of Miami and the Florida East Coast Rail Yard in Hialeah will be paid for in part by a $22 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. "The federal investment in our port recognizes Miami's expanding role in international trade and the potential for greatly increasing our cargo business in coming years," said Port of Miami Director Bill Johnson (pictured). The $610 million port tunnel is slated for completion in 2014, connecting the port to Interstate 395 and helping to alleviate traffic jams inside the port and through downtown streets, where an estimated 5,500 trucks pass on their way in and out of the port every day. The $610 million port tunnel is expected to be completed in 2014. Johnson said another component of the project will be deepening the water to 50 feet to accommodate bigger cargo vessels.

San Francisco planning rehabilitation of Pier 70 for development
A $600 million rehabilitation of nearly 70 acres of waterfront known as the Pier 70 project is being plotted by the City of San Francisco. The development will include 3 million square feet of new buildings and rehabilitation of 700,000 square feet of historic buildings. It will also include parking, open space and infrastructure. The project could take nearly 20 years to compete, with a start date no earlier than 2014 and a price tag of approximately $665 million. A variety of funding sources will be used to finance the project, from federal historic and new market tax credits to property tax-increment financing. Only approximately $310 million is expected to come from public financing.

Virginia supercomputer, renovations to be paid for with federal stimulus funding
A supercomputer center expected to open in Fairmont, West Virginia, next fall is being financed with more than $27.6 million in federal stimulus funds. "Demands for more detailed climate and weather information continue to grow from all sectors of society, so NOAA must invest in technology now to meet future needs," said Jane Lubchenco (pictured), administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. She said the additional computing power at the center will allow NOAA to strengthen its ability to provide correct information at crucial times. The supercomputer will take up more than 54,000 square feet at the Fairmont tech park. Renovations will begin in January of next year. The new computer is expected to improve hurricane and other severe weather forecasts. The funding will include electrical, plumbing, mechanical and other improvements.

Cameras to be installed in Ohio as part of pilot project in Columbus
A pilot project has been approved in Columbus, Ohio, that will lead to the installation of 114 security cameras in five neighborhoods. The cost of the project is between $2 million and $2.5 million. "These cameras are not a silver bullet to end crime in the City of Columbus," said Mayor Michael Coleman (pictured). "They will be another tool officers can use to potentially prevent crimes before they happen and solve crimes after they happen." The areas where the cameras will be installed were chosen based on requests of neighborhood leaders and residents and from crime analysts and police officers. The cameras could be installed as early as next summer. The cameras will feed into city hall and security staff will monitor them and alert police to criminal activity. Police will also be able to use the videos as evidence.

New fire headquarters approved for city in Virginia
Refinancing existing loans and taking out additional loans will allow the city of Danville, Virginia, to build a modern fire headquarters that will also double as the city's Emergency Operations Center. The city has outgrown its nearly 85-year-old existing fire house. Officials are working to sign an architect and finalize a site for the new building. A total of $6 million has been budgeted for the project.
 
Los Angeles to use federal loan for planned light-rail project
The City of Los Angeles will move forward with its plans for a light-rail project to run from the Crenshaw district to a station near Los Angeles International Airport thanks to a $546 million federal loan. LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (pictured) called the loan "a substantial down payment" on the project, as it will pay for more than one-third of the planning and construction costs for the project, which carries a total price tag of $1.4 billion. The proposal includes approximately 8.5 miles from Exposition and Crenshaw to the Green Line Station at Aviation Blvd. near LAX.

For information about these and other opportunities,

contact Reagan Weil or Richard Hartmann at 512-531-3900.

Thomas Wilbert (top left), police chief and 23-year veteran of the East Lansing, Michigan, Police Department, has been named police chief for the city of New Braunfels, Texas, where on Nov. 8, he will replace former Chief Ron Everett, who retired in April. David Wain Coon (top center), who has served as president of Evergreen College in San Jose, California, since 2005, was recently named superintendent/president of the College of Marin in Kenfield, California. Alhambra, California, Fire Chief Bruce Stedman (top right) is resigning his post after more than 30 years with the department to accept the fire chief position in Arlington, Washington. Richard Nelson, a former county official in Davis County, a former Workforce Services regional director and current city manager of Payson, was recently named city administrator for the city of Alpine, Utah, replacing Ted Stillman, who recently retired. Milton, Wisconsin, Police Chief Jerry Schuetz, who has served in that position since 2008, and has been interim city administrator and police chief since Administrator Todd Schmidt left in September to take another job, has been offered the job of city administrator full-time. Washington, D.C., Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee (upper middle left) has stepped down from the position she has held for more than three years and has been replaced during the interim by Deputy Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson (upper middle center), a longtime aide. The University of Texas at Tyler Provost and Executive Vice President Peter J. Fos (upper middle right) is one of three finalists under consideration for president of the University of Louisiana Monroe and will undergo interviews this week along with other finalists Nick J. Bruno, vice president for business and finance for the University of Louisiana System and Thomas F. Moore, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty at Winthrop University. Christopher Channel, mayor of Hays, Kansas, has been hired as the Valley Falls, Kansas, city administrator, replacing former City Administrator Terry Urban, who is retiring. Teresa Everett, former Deputy Chief of Training for the Rochester, New York, Fire Department, has become one of the few female fire chiefs in Georgia, being sworn in as the first female chief of the College Park Fire Department. Joe John (lower middle left), a former judge on the state Court of Appeals in North Carolina, has been named interim lab director at the North Caroline State Bureau of Investigation, after former Court of Appeals Judge Gerald Arnold declined the job. Dallas insurance executive Bill Velasco (lower middle center) has been re-elected chair of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit board of directors. Gary L. Word (lower middle right), city manager of the South Florida town of Surfside, will bring some 30 years of municipal government experience to his new position as city manager of Green Cove Springs, Florida. Grand Island, Nebraska, city administrator Jeff Pederson will leave that post to become city manager of Paducah, Kentucky. San Rafael, California, City Manager Ken Nordhoff has agreed to become the new city manager of Walnut Creek, California, replacing retiring City Manager Gary Pokorny, effective Dec. 1. B. Kaye Walter (lower left), executive vice president and chief learning officer at Valencia Community College in Florida, has agreed to become chancellor at Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana. Robert Neely (lower middle), associate provost and associate vice president for research at Eastern Michigan University, has been selected as Texas Woman's University's next provost and vice president for academic affairs, effective Jan. 2, 2011, succeeding former TWU Provost Kay Clayton, who left the position last spring due to health concerns. Ending a 30-year career with Guilford Technical Community College in North Carolina, Dr. Donald W. Cameron (lower right) has announced he will retire, effective July 1, 2011. Retired law enforcement veteran Ricky Baldwin has been hired to be Brookneal, Virginia's next police chief, bringing more than 30 years experience to the position. Michael A. Hart, one of six finalists, was recently named city manager of Davison, Michigan, succeeding Dale Martin, who was fired. Jeffery Simpson, who most recently served as battalion chief of the Hanover County FIRE/EMS Department in Virginia, has been named fire chief for the city of Salisbury, Maryland.

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