$445.3 million in Recovery Act funds headed to nearly 90 different communities

Water quality and public sanitation service projects will be plentiful across the country following the recent announcement of $445.3 million in Recovery Act funding for nearly 90 water and wastewater infrastructure projects in local communities. The projects are in 32 different states and Puerto Rico.
 
The goal of the funding is to provide safe drinking water and protect the environment in rural areas of the United States. This round of funding brings the total in U.S. Department of Agriculture-administered funding for 884 water and environmental projects throughout the country to $3.26 billion.

Some of the goals of the funding include providing public water service to more than 200 customers without that service in Orangeburg County, South Carolina. The county will use a $2.8 million loan and a $2.5 million grant for the project. A $1.5 million loan and $953,000 grant will be used by the city of Morton, Minnesota, to replace a sewer main, upgrade the main lift station and improve the wastewater treatment facility. 

A sampling of the water system improvement allocations include: 

• City of Corning, Arkansas - $4.68 million loan and $3 million grant;
• Clay County (Illinois) Water, Inc.: $1.3 million loan and $1.458 million grant;
• Grady County (Oklahoma) Rural Water, SSWMD #6: $12.539 million loan;
• Town of Cortlandville, New York - $1.058 million loan and $1.372 million grant; and
• City of Celina, Tennessee - $110,000 loan and $359,800 grant.  

Some of the allocations for wastewater system improvements include:  

• The City of Coachella, California - $5 million loan;
• Big Bend Water Authority in Florida - $875,000 loan and $2.45 million grant;
• The Village of Rudolph (Wisconsin) -$1.313 million loan and $1.022 million grant; and
• Breckenridge Village (Michigan) - $4.903 million loan and $1.497 million grant.

To view a complete listing of all the allocations and projects, click here and look under "Recent Reports." 
 

$600M, some for rural areas, goes to 42 capital construction and 33 planning projects

Forty-two capital construction projects, including 17 in rural areas of the United States, were recently allocated federal stimulus funds from the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) II program. The projects share nearly $600 million in funding administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The money will fund major infrastructure projects ranging from highways and bridges to transit, rail and ports.

Among the high-dollar allocations were $47.6 million that went to the City of Atlanta, Georgia, to construct a new streetcar line connecting many of the most important downtown residential, cultural, educational and historic centers. 

Another big winner was Fort Worth, Texas' Tower 55, a major rail and traffic bottleneck. The project was awarded $34 million in TIGER II grant funding toward its $91.2 million project to improve train traffic flow through a major rail intersection. The Fort Worth project will increase rail capacity by more than 40 percent over the first half of 2010 traffic levels and improve train flow by adding another north-south track and installing new signals and a new interlocking system. It will also include bridge and underpass improvements and some street improvements.
 
In addition to the 42 capital construction grants, another 33 planning projects shared in the funding. There were more than 1,000 construction grant applications from all 50 states, United States territories and the District of Columbia for the $600 million in available funds. The funding sought through the applications totaled more than $19 billion.

Approximately 29 percent of TIGER II funds will go toward road projects, another 26 percent for transit, 20 percent for rail projects, 16 percent for ports, 4 percent for bicycle and pedestrian projects and 5 percent for planning projects.

Examples of some of the rural projects funded are $16 million to reconstruct the MRC Railroad in South Dakota, $10.5 million for the Aroostook Rail Preservation project in Maine and $10 million for the Central Pennsylvania Rail and Road expansion project. More than $140 million of the Tiger II funds were reserved for rural projects. 

The original TIGER I project distributed $1.5 billion from the federal Recovery Act. Applications from 1,500 entities for the first round of the funding totaled $60 billion, 40 times the amount available. 

To view the complete list of capital construction and planning project grants, click here and look under "Recent Reports." 
 

Illinois school district planning $3.9 million classroom additions
A $3.9 million addition to the East Campus of the Lockport (Illinois) Township High School District 205 will result in six new classrooms and less congestion in hallways. The district will use Build America Bonds to help pay for the addition. Board member Michael Lewandowski (pictured) said the overcrowding at East is the biggest problem right now but the board also noted a new four-year high school must be in the district's future plans. Lewandowski said the addition is the most cost-effective solution for now. He compared it to "changing a flat tire rather than buying a brand new car." Board members said a district-wide referendum for a proposed new school could be in the district's future as early as April to help secure $20-$30 million in state construction funds.

University of Nebraska regents approve new $24 million center
Regents at the University of Nebraska at Omaha have approved establishing a center to help integrate community services into campus research and teaching. And that will lead to the construction of a new two-story, $24 million facility. Construction is expected to begin next October, with a completion date anticipated in late 2012. The Community Engagement Center will drive campus outreach and expand ways to help the public thanks to applied research projects, learning initiatives and community collaborations.

California System to see increase in amount of state funding
Some $2.9 billion in state funding has been allocated to the University of California system in the 2010-2011 budget. Also in the budget is $353 million for capital projects that include more classrooms and building upgrades to meet seismic safety needs. Another $352.7 million will fund building and seismic renovation projects, including replacement of Campbell Hall at Berkeley, CHS South Tower renovation at UCLA, science and engineering and site development 2 for campus build-out at Merced, Davidson Library addition at Santa Barbara and arts building at Irvine and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography research facilities at San Diego. Additionally, the budget includes $10 million for startup costs for the UC Riverside Medical School. 

Oklahoma school district planning for next round of capital improvements
Architects are currently planning and designing the next round of capital improvements for the Norman (Oklahoma) School District from its $109.7 million bond issue from last year. The next projects are expected to be a new elementary school  in southeast Norman and additions to three elementary schools. Designs are also being planned for all four of the district's middle schools. Superintendent Joe Siano (pictured) said the district will call a special meeting soon to discuss the designs.

University of Kentucky to add new $30 million residence hall on campus
A new 350-400 bed residence hall has been approved for the University of Kentucky by its board of trustees. The $30 million facility could be open as early as next fall. The on-campus facility will feature two-bedroom design with a shared bathroom. This will be the first new residence hall added at the university since 2004, adding to the 5,128 beds currently available.

University of Montana seeks to build wood-fired biomass boiler
The University of Montana is hoping to build a $16 million wood-fired biomass boiler to produce its own energy and complement the university's existing heating plant. The boiler would be the largest industrial-sized biomass gasification operation in the state. More importantly, it would reduce the campus natural gas consumption by as much as 70 percent. The university already has received a $180,000 grant for the boiler from the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and the U.S. Forest Service. Most of the other costs, if approved by the Board of Regents at their November meeting, would be paid for with bonds that are part of the federal Recovery Act. University officials say the project could pay for itself within 15-17 years. Fuel for the proposed biomass boiler would include trees killed by beetles and branches, bark and leaves left behind during timber harvesting. The result would be clean, low-cost heat and power.

Missouri public school district planning to bid major projects
Two major school facilities will be bid out soon for the Hannibal (Missouri) Public Schools. The projects include replacement for an elementary school and construction of an Early Childhood Education Center. Bids will likely be sought at the end of this month, with awards to be made in December. School officials are hopeful the work can begin next spring and completed by 2012. The new construction is part of $13 million in construction that will be financed with voter-approved bonds last April. The first major project, a new heating and cooling system for an elementary school, has already been completed.

Alaska proposition would provide nearly $400 million for education
A November ballot in Alaska seeks support for $397.2 million in funding largely dedicated to education. Approximately half of the amount would be for higher education projects. "This is a great time to be financing projects, with interest rates at historic lows," said Brian Rogers (pictured), chancellor at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks.

Among the projects that would be funded by passage of the bond issue are:  

• A "life sciences" center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks ($88 million) to include classrooms and office and research space;
• Rebuilt or overhauled K-12 public schools in Kipnuk ($49.9 million), Alakanuk ($46.5 million) and Kwigillingok ($32.1 million);
• A sports arena at the University of Alaska Anchorage ($60 million);
• A 24-unit housing complex and a career and technical center at Kenai Peninsula College ($30.5 million);
• A learning center at the university's Matanuska Valley campus ($23.5 million); A pool for the Mount Edgecumbe boarding school near Sitka ($20 million);
• In Kodiak, a new state Department of Fish and Game would triple the current 10,000 square feet and include state-of-the-art research space ($20  million);
• A renovation project at Prince William Sound Community College that addresses poor access for students with disabilities and outdated mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems ($5 million);
• A learning center at the university's Matanuska Valley campus ($23.5 million);
• A contribution of $18.5 million on a $90 million, 100,000-square-foot state library-archive-museum; and
• A vocational school on Prince of Wales Island ($3.2 million). 

University of Pittsburgh announces three new projects
Three new project with a combined price tag of approximately $14 million have been approved by the University of Pittsburgh board's budget committee. Among them are a $5.8 million renovation of the Concordia Club, which will include a 2,500-square-foot addition, landscaping and a roof replacement. Also on tap is the $4.85 million renovation of the fifth floor of the Chevron Science Center, which will include 8,300 square feet of work to house the chemistry wet labs. Another $3.4 million will be spent on the second and third floors of Eberly Hall to make what was a former library space into synthetic and spectroscopy labs for nanoscience.

Replacement high school being planned in Cleveland school district
Construction of a replacement facility for the John Marshall High School in Cleveland, Ohio, is part of a $1 billion construction program that the school district began in 2002. It will be followed by construction of a new Cleveland School of the Arts, a new Max S. Hayes High School and possibly an additional West Side high school. The Marshall school will be demolished in June to make way for the replacement school.

• Mehlville School District is seeking approval of a property tax increase that would raise $15 million per year for the district for new and improved facilities;
• Wentzville School District is seeking approval of a property tax increase for capital improvements and expansion, including expanding classrooms for full-day kindergarten and a possible third new high school;
• Pattonville School District will put a $41 million bond vote before taxpayers, to be used for capital improvements and upgrades to existing facilities; and
• Kirkwood School District will put two bond propositions before voters. One would allow the district to borrow $33.575 million to add kindergarten classrooms, upgrade middle school science classrooms and make safety improvements. The other proposition is for $14.85 million and would allow for improvements to physical education and athletic facilities and construction of an aquatic center at the high school.

Oklahoma school planning December bond election
A 15-year, $191 million bond issue is seeking passage in the Mid-Del School System in Del City, Oklahoma, in December. If the bond issues passes, four new elementary schools will be built and two existing middle schools will be expanded. When the construction is completed in 2013, four current elementary and two current middle schools that are each nearly 50 years old will be closed.

Illinois schools to get infusion of $270 million for new, expanded buildings
Some $270 million in funding from the Illinois Jobs Now! Program will be shared by 18 Illinois school districts to build new buildings and expand current buildings. Other expected improvements will be renovations to existing classrooms. Some districts will be allowed to use the funds to defray the costs of recovering from damages from natural disasters such as flooding. "This funding will provide much-needed improvements, which the local districts would not otherwise be able to afford," said State Superintendent of Education Christopher A. Koch (pictured). The Chicago Public Schools will get more than $54 million.

Other districts in line for funding include:  

• $28.2 million to the Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 to build additions to a dozen elementary schools;
• $8.2 million to the Bensenville Elementary School District 2 for additions to two elementary schools;
• $20.6 million to the DeKalb Community Unit School District 428 for a new high school;
• $15 million to South Holland School District 151 to build additions on one middle school and three elementary schools; and
• $1. million to North Palos School District 117 to build an early learning center addition.  

Growth in schools in Nebraska leading to two upcoming bond issues
Two Nebraska school districts - Gretna and Bennington - will put bond issues before their voters in November. In Gretna, a $35.8 million bond issue is being floated to build a new elementary school, add onto a high school and build a new bus barn. Technology upgrades and security improvements would also be part of the bond issue. In Bennington, voters will decide the fate of a $19.75 million bond issue. If passed, it will finance a third elementary school, a 650-seat auditorium and additional commons space to be used for dining seating.

Ground broken on first of seven projects in Ohio school district
The first of seven Switzerland of Ohio school district's $88 million construction projects held its ground breaking recently. The new building under construction in Beallsville now will be a K-12 facility. Site work is under way for the new Monroe Central High School. The next round of construction is expected in April or May, when renovations will be undertaken at the River High School and three new elementary schools will get under way. All of the projects are expected to take about 15 months to complete. 

Florida's Port Manatee studying leveraging $15 million in grant funding
Officials of Port Manatee in Palmetto, Florida, are studying ways to leverage $15 million in state and federal grants to help pay for an expansion project planned in the south port area. A recent $9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation is one of nine such grants that total more than $22 million. "When you think about $22 million in grants compared to asking Manatee County for $22 million, you realize how significant that is," said Gwen Brown (pictured), Manatee County commissioner and Port Authority member. The port hopes to extend Berth 12 and build a container yard. The $9 million grant is to support the south port project. Port Manatee officials hope to dredge the south channel, extend Berth 12 from 1,000 to 1,584 feet and develop a 52-acre container yard by 2013 in preparation for the Panama Canal expansion.

New Mexico has contracting opportunities of interest to vendors
Several governmental agencies in New Mexico have announced contracting opportunities. New Mexico Tech is seeking bids for doors and the city of Las Cruces is seeking bids for transit bus shelter cleaning. There are also several federal contracting opportunities available, including a solicitation for janitorial services for the Smokey Bear Ranger District through the US. Department of Agriculture, Forest Services; custodial services at the USARC in El Paso through the U.S. Department of the Army; and full-line food distribution for the Texas-New Mexico area through the Defense Logistics Agency. 

Austin officials seeking proposals for Web site redesign
The City of Austin, Texas, has released its Phase II RFP for the AustinGO Web site redesign. This phase seeks a vendor to implement the technology and design recommendations laid out during the project's first phase. "I'm confident this process will give us one of the best municipal websites in the nation," said City Manager Marc Ott (pictured). "We've made significant strides towards becoming America's best managed city, and this is another big step." While the first phase of the project was aimed at developing design, usability and content architecture recommendations, this phase seeks the installation and implementation of an enterprise-level Web Content Management System and to migrate existing Web content to the new platform. A pre-bid conference is set for 8 a.m. Nov. 2, at the Austin City Hall Room 1101. The conference will also be webcast for those unable to attend in person at www.cityofaustin.org/austingo/webcast.htm.

Memorial Bridge in Maine will be replaced thanks to USDOT funding approval
A grant of $20 million to New Hampshire and Maine from the U.S. Department of Transportation will be used to replace Memorial Bridge. "It's good news, and such a great affirmation of the critical nature of that bridge," said New Hampshire Transportation Commissioner George Campbell (pictured). New Hampshire actually applied for the grant. Last spring, the state approved $45 million in bonding for the replacement of Memorial Bridge. That money will be added to the USDOT funding for replacement of the bridge. New Hampshire is moving forward on the permitting process, said Campbell, and starting the bidding process for a design/build team. Officials expect the process to take approximately one year.

Iowa city planning sewer project paid for with bonds
Officials in Spencer, Iowa, plan to use a Community Development Block Grant and Build America Bonds to help pay for a sewer project that could cost upwards of $8.5 million. The project includes separation and rehabilitation of the sanitary and storm sewers in one particular area. Officials expect $600,000 from the CDBG and another $600,000 in local funding to pay for the project.

New capital improvement plan to help finance Minnesota projects
A Capital Improvement Plan for 2010-2014 was recently approved by the Houston County (Minnesota) Board and authorization of general obligation bonds to finance the projects was approved. The plan will pay for completing work on several sections of the new justice center, including the county attorney's office, the state Department of Corrections Probation and county courts. Leftover funding will help fund infrastructure needs at the current courthouse. The bond amount is expected to be $2.695 million. A second general obligation bond of $5.255 million will pay off the remaining costs of the jail project.

 Are you a government official who has moved into a new position or to a new agency? Did you recently retire? Were you recently named to an executive-level position at a state-supported college, university or community college? Have you secured a new job as superintendent of a public school? If so, we'd like to hear from you - and so would your friends and colleagues - for our "Where Are They Now" column. Just drop us a line at editor@spartnerships.com and let us know about your previous job and where you are now. This week we feature Dr. Joseph A. DiPietro.

Dr. Joseph A. DiPietro earned his bachelor's, master's and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees at the University of Illinois. His higher education background includes having served as dean for research at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois and as assistant director of the Illinois Agriculture Experiment Station. He also was a professor of veterinary pathobiology there. DiPietro was chosen as dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida in 1997. In 2006, he joined the University of Tennessee as vice president for agriculture and in June 2010 was named chancellor of the university's Institute of Agriculture. As such, he was responsible for the planning, implementing and leading of progressive research, teaching and extension programs. The institute includes UT Extension, the Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station, the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and the College of Veterinary Medicine. DiPietro was recently elected president of the University of Tennessee's three-campus university system, which also includes a health-sciences center. He will succeed Jan. F. Simek, who has been serving as interim president since 2009.

 

Dennis Prescott (top left), Baylor University's vice president for development, was recently named to the post of vice president for university advancement at New Mexico State University and president of the NMSU Foundation, effective in January 2011. Lee T. Todd Jr. (top middle), president of the University of Kentucky, has announced his plans to retire in June. Pennsylvania Deputy Secretary for IT Brenda Orth (top right) will resign Oct. 31 and Chief Technology Officer Tony Encinias will serve as interim CIO while retaining his current position. Dr. Helena Littlejohn Tillar, current chief curriculum, instruction and assessment officer for Orangeburg Consolidated School District 5, has been tabbed to serve as interim superintendent of the Marlboro (South Carolina) County School District, replacing Randall Malachi, who has been serving as acting superintendent since the resignation of Frank Roberson in August. Barbara Duncan, head of the Mount Vernon, New York, Police Department, has been named chief of the Salisbury Department, effective Nov. 15 to succeed Allan Webster, who retired in June and was replaced by Acting Chief Ivan Barkley. Dublin, Ohio, City Manager Jane Brautigam (upper middle right) has left the post she has held for the last six years to become city manager of Boulder, Colorado. Washington Fire Chief Dennis Rubin (upper middle center) has announced that he will resign in January when a new mayor takes over in Washington, and will then do consulting work and teach. Mukund Kulkarni (upper middle left), senior associate dean for academic affairs at Penn State Harrisburg, has been named chancellor at Penn State Harrisburg, effective Nov. 1. After 10 years in the private sector, Steve Harris is moving to Southwest Arkansas, where he will become a grant writer for community colleges in Hope, DeQueen, Mena, Magnolia and El Dorado. Longtime Breckenridge, Texas, City Manager Gary Ernest, has announced he will retire Dec. 31, but will stay on until that time during the transition period to assist city leaders in the search for his successor. Jean Morrison (lower middle left), executive vice provost for academic affairs and graduate programs at the University of Southern California, where she has also been director of the USC Women in Science and Engineering program, has been  promoted to provost and chief academic officer. Dr. Havidan Rodriguez (lower middle center), deputy provost at the University of Delaware, will become the new provost/vice president for Academic Affairs at The University of Texas-Pan American, effective Jan. 1, 2011. Former Corpus Christi, Texas, city manager George "Skip" Noe (lower middle right) has been named city manager for Aurora, Colorado, replacing Ron Miller, who retired earlier this year. Thomas Markus, city manager in Birmingham, Michigan, has been chosen to serve as city manager in Iowa City, Iowa, and will replace former City Manager Michael Lombardo, who was fired more than a year ago. The Winona (Minnesota) City Council has chosen an executive from the private sector who is also a former city administrator - Larry Thompson - to be its next city manager, replacing retiring City Manager Eric Sorensen. Veteran city department head Ralph Dannenberg (bottom right) has been named city manger for the city of Pyuallup, Washington, where he has been serving as city parks director and interim city manager. Mark Johnson (bottom center), Harvard Law School's director of major capital projects and physical planning, has been named the university's new vice president for Capital Planning and Project Management, a position created this summer to consolidate several planning offices that oversee Harvard construction projects. Bruce Bursten (bottom left), dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Tennessee and a distinguished professor of chemistry, will step down at the end of the year after five years in that position and a new interim deal will be appointed. Former Dublin (Delaware) City Manager Tim Hansley, who has served in that position for more than 14 years, has been named the new Delaware County administrator. Catherine Conlow, who has served as town manager in Orono, Maine, since 2004, has been named new city manager of Bangor, effective Nov. 29, replacing the retiring Ed Barrett, who has held the position for 22 years and will now become Lewiston's city manager in January.