Volume 3, Issue 17
| Aug. 10, 2011 |
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Big changes are coming!
A couple of weeks ago, we began our third year of publishing the State & Local Government Pipeline. We have been amazed at the response. Thousands have subscribed and we have many new friends and loyal readers throughout the country. We are told that many readers forward the publication to colleagues or post it on an electronic "bulletin board" to share with others.
Our goal when we started publishing three years ago was to bring our subscribers news about state and local government - contracting opportunities, information on people who are moving in and out of government, information about upcoming events nationwide and trends in government.
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Florida transportation plan would speed up road projects |
State officials touting public-private partnerships, privatization, outsourcing
| Ananth Prasad |
If Florida Gov. Rick Scott has his way, the state will speed up road projects, and many of them will be paid for with new tolls. Scott and Department of Transportation Secretary Ananth Prasad recently announced a major transportation plan that also seeks to revive controversial road projects for completion.
Scott expects passage of the plan would also help create jobs in Florida.
The plan calls for moving forward with $1.8 billion in Florida Turnpike projects and speeding up another $1 billion in other projects.
Many of the proposed projects would rely on public-private partnerships, particularly toll roads. The Florida Transportation Vision for the 21st Century, part of the proposal, seeks more tolls to help pay for upcoming projects.
Prasad explained that gas tax receipts no longer can pay for the growing transportation needs of the state and that tolls could help build and maintain roadways and repair and replace bridges.
New tolls would be added on roads that are being expanded or added. "Florida will be implementing a policy that all new capacity on interstates and expressways and widening and replacement of all major river crossings should be tolled where feasible," said Prasad. "Or, at the very least, tolls should complement traditional funding in delivering the improvements and new capacity."
The transportation secretary also said that the Florida Department of Transportation would seek to privatize and outsource as many projects as possible in the future. "If it's in the Yellow Pages, we shouldn't be doing it," Prasad said.
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Five states to share $336.2 million for rail projects |
RFIs expected to be issued later this summer for joint procurement process
| Joseph Szabo |
Five states will share $336.2 million in U.S. Department of Transportation-awarded federal funds to purchase next-generation, American-made trains that will run on rail corridors in each of the states. Saying the recently announced award will "pump more than three-quarters of a billion dollars into the domestic manufacturing industry," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the funding is "all about jobs."
Receiving this round of funding are California, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Missouri.
"Building a nationwide rail network is critical to America's long-term economic success," said Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph C. Szabo. "More people are choosing to take the train and this year Amtrak is projected to set an all-time record by topping 30 million annual riders." Previous awards to these five states and Washington State bring the total amount for purchases of 33 locomotives and 120 bi-level passenger cars to $782 million.
These trains are designed to travel at a speed of more than 110 miles per hour along intercity passenger corridors. The state partners now will begin a joint procurement process, with an RFI that will eventually lead to a contract. The RFI is expected to be issued late this summer. To view the complete list of the awards and how they will be spent, click here and look under "Recent Reports."
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Upcoming education opportunities |
San Ramon district approves construction of new facilities
| Terry Koehne |
Officials with the San Ramon Valley Unified School District have approved the construction of additional classrooms at an elementary school in the Dougherty Valley. This construction follows the addition of a four-classroom wing earlier this year. Community Relations Coordinator Terry Koehne said the school is hoping to add additional space onto that new addition. Koehne also said additional restrooms for special needs students and office space will also be added. Koehne said the district hopes to get the plans for the addition through the Department of the State Architect as soon as possible. Construction would take place during the school year and hopefully be ready for occupancy in time for the fall 2012 semester. The new space added to the new wing will include a single occupancy restroom, staff restroom, custodial space and two small office spaces.
Ohio school bond issue would include classrooms, technology, maintenance
A $25 million bond issue and 7.2-mill operating levy will be on the ballot for voters in the Dublin, Ohio, school district. The bond issue would include $4.3 million for additional classrooms at two elementary schools, $5.5 million for technology, $9.8 million for maintenance and $5.4 million for equipment. Voters in the district approved a $50 million bond issue and permanent 7.9-mill operating levy.
California school district seeks bond vote on new elementary school
Voters in the San Mateo-Foster City, California, school district will go to the polls in November to decide the fate of a $25 million bond issue. The funds would be used to build another elementary school, the district's fourth. Money from a 2008 bond issue will be used to purchase land for the school. Four sites have been considered, ranging in price from $2.2 million to $20.6 million.
University of Michigan prepares for $116 million renovation project
| Andrea Newman |
The East Quadrangle on the University of Michigan campus will undergo some $116 million in renovations. The 300,000-square-foot building houses about 860 students each year. Upgrades planned include new plumbing, heating, cooling, ventilation, fire detection and suppression systems. The project also will include the addition of wired and wireless high-speed network access, renovated bathroom facilities and accessibility improvements. UM Regent Andrea Newman said she had recently toured the residence halls on campus, noting the importance of upgrading facilities to keep pace with other colleges and universities making dorm upgrades. She said their upkeep is important to the recruitment and retention of students. "They're going to look at our dorms and look at other schools that have been updated and renovated," she said. There currently is no construction timeline for the project. The timeline will be announced once the regents approve the project designs for the 1940 structure.
Northwest Ohio schools asking voters to approve bond issue
Voters in the Northwest (Ohio) Local School District will be asked in November to pass a bond issue that would result in the renovation of both high schools. A newly adjusted levy would result in an increase to $5.78 million in operating funds annually and would generate about $44 million to renovate two high schools. School officials say all of the money will go toward building renovations. None will be earmarked for salary increases.
Bond issue would mean five new elementary schools for district
A successful bond election in Lancaster, Ohio, in November would mean the addition of five new elementary schools in the district. The bond issue would include a property tax increase for construction and an improvement levy for upkeep of the new buildings. With a tax increase, the district could borrow $61.5 million to construct the new schools. The Ohio School Facilities Commission would pay the remaining $28 million once the local share is raised. The state payment is available for the project for one year. If the bond vote is approved, the design process for the new schools would begin immediately.
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Ohio's Gov. Kasich pushing privatization in his state |
From leasing state's turnpike to colleges selling and leasing back dorms, buildings
| Gov. John Kasich |
The future of public-private partnerships (P3s) in Ohio has gotten a boost from Gov. John Kasich. The governor is pushing P3s as a way to cut spending and increase revenue. With his support, legislation has passed that will allow the leasing of the Ohio Turnpike, the sale of university-owned residential housing and more.
Kasich feels allowing the public sector, which is in many cases better suited for handling certain services currently operated by the state.
Some of the services Kasich would privatize include prisons and the sale or lease of the Turnpike. The state's liquor distribution business would be placed under JobsOhio, the new Ohio nonprofit economic development agency. Colleges and universities would be able to sell and then lease back buildings and counties could sell and lease back buildings and parking decks. Cities would be able to lease their parking meters and garages. As far as transportation is concerned, the state has authorized using P3s. That allows private businesses to finance and build large projects. The state would then lease the road, lane or bridge from the private sector partner and the vendor would charge tolls.
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Grants will support new health centers in 67 communities |
$28.8 million in federal funds to expand access to health care nationwide
Expanded access to health care is the goal of $28.8 million in awards of federal funding to 67 community health care center programs throughout the country. The funds come from the Affordable Care Act and will be used to establish new health service delivery sites to care for an additional 286,000 patients. These centers' goal will be to improve the health of the country's underserved communities and vulnerable populations by ensuring they have access to quality primary health care services.
The funds will help create new full-time service delivery sites for both primary care and preventive health care services. They are intended to be responsive to the specific health care needs of the communities they serve.
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the funding is "making an investment in the health of people and the health of our communities" through both improving and expanding health care in local communities.
Recipients include both public and nonprofit private entities, including tribal, faith-based and community-based organizations that meet certain health center funding requirements. Current HRSA grantees were eligible to apply along with other organizations applying for the first time. These 67 new facilities will join the 1,100 current health center grantees that provide affordable, community-based primary care to more than 19 million Americans. To see the complete list of awardees, click here and look under "Recent Reports."
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Other upcoming contracting opportunities |
Manhattan Beach approves design for $1.2 million library
| Dave Carmany |
A $1.2 million design for a new county library has been approved by the Manhattan Beach (California) City Council. The library, operated by the Los Angeles County Public Library System, still has an environmental impact report, design review and construction plan approval ahead of it as the project moves forward. The proposed 21,000-square-foot building will double the size of the existing facility and the adjacent Civic Center plaza will get upgrades featuring more space. City Manager Dave Carmany said there will be a series of public meetings to solicit feedback on the project as it moves forward. "We'll be able to make some exciting choices along the way," Carmany said. "This is a complex project, there's a lot of steps, a lot of moving parts." When the library project was originally approved in 2009, the price tag was at $15 million. The cost today has increased by 50 percent, to approximately $22.7 million.
Funding provides for upgrades to crime analysis, record management
A $24,470 federal grant has been awarded to the Napa (California) Police Department as part of the 2011 Byrne Justice Assistance Grant through the U.S. Department of Justice. The funding will be used to upgrade the department's crime analysis and record management systems. No matching funds are required. The crime analysis system will allow officers to identify where a series of crimes is occurring. Regarding the data entry system, police said the upgrades will eliminate the need to enter every traffic ticket by hand into the department's records management system.
Louisiana parish making plans for bids for new $4.75M library
Bids are expected to go out in November for a $3.75 million, 15,000-square-foot new library in Lafayette Parish (Louisiana). If that deadline is met, construction on the new facility could begin early next year. Construction documents are expected to be completed by late September. This new facility is one of four new library branches that were part of a $40 million bond measure approved in 2002. Only two have been completed so far. In addition to a contemporary and open design, the library has been designed for expansion of up to 25,000 square feet if funding becomes available and there is demand for more room. It will also feature a meeting room space that can be divided into two separate rooms. It will also have four study rooms and a larger study room for group meetings. A computer area and drive-through return also will be part of the project.
Funding for third phase of Missouri highway project approved
| Ed Hassinger |
Funding for the third phase of the Page Extension on I-364 in Missouri has been approved by the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission. An award date for the contract, which will be design-build, and the start date for construction can now be set once the timeline is set for a new I-64 bridge over the Missouri River. The $100 million budget for the project includes money for right-of-way purchases, utility relocation and design and construction. The first phase of the project was completed in 2003. Ed Hassinger, MoDOT district engineer for St. Louis, said the goal for the project is for it to be like the I-64 project in St. Louis. "We want to construct as much roadway as we can with the available funding we have," he said. Phase three funds would come from St. Charles County and from state and federal dollars. Phase one construction was completed in 2003 and phase two is expected to be completed in the fall of next year. Work on phase three could begin late next year or early 2013, with a completion date anticipated in late 2014.
New sewage treatment plant expansion planned for Maryland city
Officials in Leonardtown, Maryland, have approved the expansion of the town's sewage treatment plant. The project includes expanding the plant from 680,000 gallons per day to 940,000 gallons per day. Cost of the project is estimated at $20 million. The project is expected to be completed in 2014. The expansion will allow for the addition of 1,300 additional equivalent dwelling units and will have the capacity to accommodate the county's planned projects - a detention center expansion and development of property for two schools and other public uses. The next step is ensuring state funding and completing the plant design. Construction is expected to take a little less than two years.
Massachusetts city approves expansion of health care center
The recent approval of downtown construction projects in Brockton, Massachusetts, includes the $11.3 million, four-story expansion of the Brockton Neighborhood Health Center. The four stories would be added to the existing one story, urgent-care facility that opened last year. The main, five-story facility opened in 2007. The facility served more than 120,000 patients in the year that ended June 30. The new space will allow the center to expand its adult primary care, dental and behavioral health sections and to have group visits for patients battling diabetes or other medical conditions. A federal grant was received last year from the federal health care reform bill. Construction should begin by mid-October.
Training, equipment to be paid for from Mississippi port security grant
A federal port security grant of more than $358,000 will be used by the Jackson, Mississippi, sheriff's office to provide training and new equipment and to monitor and protect critical businesses near the Pascagoula port. Jackson County Sheriff Mike Byrd said his office patrols part of the port and numerous critical businesses there, and that is why he applied for the grant. Some of the funds will be used for purchase of a side-scan sonar apparatus and a K-9 unit. The sonar unit will assist the marine division in search and rescue efforts and can also scan the bottom of boats for explosive devices or contraband.
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Where are they now?
| 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 Tom Grady.
| Tom Grady |
Tom Grady grew up around politics. In Rockledge, Florida, his father served on the city council and was later named mayor. He served as a legislative page for the Florida House in 1972 and as a House intern from 1978-1979 for the Florida House Committee on Tourism and Economic Development. After graduating summa cum laude from Florida State University with an undergraduate degree, Grady went on to graduate with distinction from the Duke University law school. He then went into private law practice in Naples, specializing in securities and complex commercial litigation. In 2006, he was appointed by both Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum to serve on their respective transition teams following their election. Grady followed up by being elected to the Florida House and serving one term from 2008-2010. The former House member was recently tagged by Florida Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet to become the next commissioner of the Office of Financial Regulation, the office charged with overseeing the state's banking, securities and financial laws.
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Looking for P3 opportunities? |
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SPI is currently working throughout the country on P3 initiatives and is available for conversations with any public entity interested in asking questions, discussing national trends or obtaining advice about how to reach out to private sector firms.
Interested parties click here or call Reagan Weil at 512-531-3900 to schedule a conversation.
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Opportunity of the week... |
A city in Oregon is planning to spend more than $5.5 million to add a hydroelectric component to its planned upgrades to the city's water supply system. The entire project carries a $63 million price tag and the hydroelectric part of the plan is expected to generate $500,000 in revenue in the first year. Want to know more? Contact Reagan Weil at 512-531-3900 or rweil@spartnerships.com.
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People |
| Ghazaleh |
| Bobbitt. |
| Shirey |
Dr. Donald R. Bobbitt, provost and vice president for academic affairs at The University of Texas at Arlington, has been chosen as president of the University of Arkansas System and will take over by Jan. 1 of next year, replacing Dr. B. Alan Sugg. The next city manager of Sacramento will be John Shirey, head of the California Redevelopment Association for the last nine years and former city manager of the city of Cincinnati. Nabil Abu-Ghazaleh, vice chancellor of Educational Services and Technology at Coach Community College District, has been selected the new president of West Los Angeles College. Sylvia Wilkins, principal of Dillard Drive Elementary School for the last four years, has been named assistant superintendent of academics for the Wake County (North Carolina) school district and Jacqueline Boyd Ellis, Durham's assistant superintendent for human resources, has been named area superintendent for Western Wake. East Peoria, Illinois, native Melissa Anne Brown has been selected from among 55 candidates to serve as the new city manager for the City of Eureka, replacing Anne Sandvik, who will retire Oct. 31. The Sunland Park (New Mexico) City Council has rehired former city manager Jaime R. Aguilera, who was convicted of facilitating a bribe while an official in Cathedral City, California. Dr. Victoria L. Bastecki-Perez, former associate vice president of Academic Affairs, dean of Health and Physical Education and director and professor of dental Hygiene at Montgomery
| Bastecki-Perez. |
| Wise. |
| VanRoekel |
County (Pennsylvania) Community College has been named vice president of Academic Affairs and provost. Phyllis Wise, current provost at the University of Washington and former dean of the College of Biological Sciences at the University of California-Davis, has been selected as the next chancellor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, replacing Richard Herman, who resigned in 2009. Steven VanRoekel, a former Microsoft executive, will become the next chief information officer for the federal government, succeeding Vivek Kundra. The city of Cudahy, California, has hired Hector Rodriguez, former director of operations for the bus and rail systems at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, as its new city manager. Michael Tobias, a 32-year veteran of the Sarasota, Florida, County Fire Department and most recently assistant fire chief, has been named to replace Ken Ellerbe as chief. The Huntsville, Alabama, school system has hired Frank Spinelli, former consultant to the Colorado Department of Education and the Aurora, Colorado, school system, as its new chief financial officer. A South Texas judge from Corpus Christi, State
| Ramos |
| Davey |
| Goldsmith |
District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos, has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate and will fill the vacancy left by the departure of Judge Hayden Head. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority General Manager Richard Davey will become the state's new transportation secretary, replacing Jeffrey Mullan, who is retiring to return to the private sector. New York's Deputy Mayor of Operations, Stephen Goldsmith, is stepping down from his post after 14 months on the job to pursue private sector opportunities in infrastructure finance. Bruce Woody, who has served as interim city manager for St. Joseph, Missouri, and has been with the city for 16 years, the last 14 as director of public works, has been named city manager. Ernest Mitchell, Jr., former fire chief and assistant director of disaster emergency services for the Pasadena, California, Fire Department before his retirement, has been nominated by President Barack Obama to be U.S. Fire Administrator. Samuel DeMaio, a 25-year veteran of the Newark, New Jersey, police department, has been named the city's police director, with Sheilah Coley, a veteran police captain, named acting chief. Officials from Aurora (Colorado) Public Schools have named Financial Executives International Chairman Darryl Foster as their new CFO, replacing Casey Wardynski, who left earlier this summer to take over as superintendent of the Huntsville (Alabama) School District.
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Let us help advertise your event on our calendar |
Does your organization or agency have an upcoming event that would be of interest to either vendors who do business with government or officials and workers in state and local government, higher education, public education or health care? Are you planning a webinar? A conference or seminar? The State & Local Government Pipeline invites government and nonprofits to send information regarding your events for consideration to be included in our FREE Calendar of Events section below. In addition to providing contact information, the day, date, time and a synopsis of the event, you may also include a link to additional information on your Web page and/or a link to online registration that we'll include. Please submit your event information to editor@spartnerships.com. |
Calendar of events |
Design-Build Conference, Expo set in Florida in October
The Design-Build Institute of America will host the 2011 Design-Build Conference & Expo from Oct. 19-21 at the World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida. "Integration Magic: Reality of Results" will be the theme for this year's event. Keynote speaker will be Capt. James Lovell, NASA's Apollo 13 commander. Among the educational sessions will be topics that include the latest in design-build caselaw, a look into the future of design-build enterprise, risk allocation in the age of design-build, America's infrastructure challenge, successful teaming, legislative strategies that work and more. The event also features exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities. For more information and to register, click here.
NASTD 2011 Annual Conference set in Omaha Aug. 28-Sept. 1
The National Association of State Technology Directors 34th Annual Conference and Technology Showcase for 2011 is set for Aug. 28-Sept. 1 in Omaha. Jeff Taylor, founder of Monster.com and CEO of Eons.com, will keynote the conference. The 2011 conference will offer attendees opportunities to network, share information and learn about new ideas and solutions for improving state government through applied technology. The conference will have breakout sessions to provide specific training opportunities for those technology professionals responsible for managing and operating state networks and data centers. There will also be an e-leadership track to address issues of interest to current and future IT directors. For more information, click here.
11th Annual Public-Private Partnership Conference set Aug. 25 in D.C.
A comprehensive day of learning and networking for leaders and staff in the Washington, D.C., region is planned at the 11th Annual Public-Private Partnership Conference set Aug. 25. The conference will be at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. The District Office of Partnerships and Grant Services and Center for Nonprofit Advancement are joined by Greater DC Cares and the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington. Sessions will provide learning opportunities for all levels of board governance, program evaluation, grants management, fundraising, financial management and volunteer engagement. For more information and to register, click here.
NASCIO Annual Conference scheduled for Denver on Oct. 2-5
The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) Annual Conference is set this year for Oct. 2-5 at the Hyatt Regency in Denver, Colorado. "Moving Government Forward" is the theme for this year's conference. The conference focuses on pulling corporate sponsors into the conference to discuss trends and build relationships rather than market their products. The conference also features educational programs based on IT issues that affect both the public and private sectors. To register, click here. To view the agenda, click here.
National Veteran Small Business Conference set for August
The National Veteran Small Business Conference is planned for Aug. 15-18, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. Billed as the largest nationwide conference of its kind, it provides veteran-owned (VOSBs) and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs) an opportunity to learn, network and market their businesses. Those who should attend include VOSBs and SDVOSBs seeking an edge on the competition in the federal government marketplace, along with prime contractors seeking VOSB and SDVOSB partners and federal government representatives who promote both through contracting opportunities. For more information, click here.
AGC's HR Professionals Conference slated Oct. 4-6
The Associated General Contractors Human Resources Professionals Conference is set for Oct. 4-6 at the Crowne Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri. The gathering is billed as the premier event for human resources professionals to learn and share HR practices related to the construction industry. The conference features a number of construction-related sessions on HR topics such as creating a mentoring program, hiring from a remote location, successfully operating in multiple jurisdictions, keep your organization safe from workplace violence, using pre-employment assessments and more. A federal Contracting Compliance Construction HR Workshop will be held the afternoon of Oct. 5 and the morning of Oct. 6. For conference and registration information, click here. KC Business Central hosting Minority Business Forum Kansas City Business Central will host a Minority Business Forum on Wednesday, Nov. 9, that includes a panel of minority- and women-owned business experts who will discuss their successes and the resources available to others. Panelists include: Michael L. Barrera, attorney and former president and CEO of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Consuela McCain-Nunnaly, director of Diversity Business Connection of the Greater KC Chamber; CiCi Rojas, president of Community Engagement with Truman Medical Center; and Daryl Williams,director of Research at the Kauffman Foundation. For more information contact Heather Nicolosi at hnicolosi@anthempublishing.com. |
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