2015 goal expected to increase efficiency, save taxpayers millions of dollars

Steven VanRoekel

More than 200 federal agency data centers were expected to be closed by the end of 2011, and another 525 by the end of this year. By 2015, that number is expected to total more than 1,000. The closures are the result of an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) goal of closing nearly 40 percent of government data centers - or 1,200 - over a five-year period. The original goal addressed the possible closure of data centers that were at least 500 square feet. That directive was later changed to data centers of all sizes. Additionally, data centers have been instructed to consider energy efficiencies and implement more efficient technology.

In a White House blog, the nation's CIO Steven VanRoekel noted that the federal government is looking for ways to eliminate waste, and one way is to make more efficient the "thousands of duplicative data centers" the government operates. Consolidating their numbers, he said, will save billions of dollars by cutting spending on underutilized hardware, software and operations.

VanRoekel said the remaining data centers will take on additional work after the consolidations, and thus improving efficiencies of those centers will be important. Calling them the "centerpieces of service delivery" to taxpayers, the nation's CIO said it is important now to see that Americans receive better service for less. "Agencies will focus on computing power and density instead of capacity, taking advantage of current technologies that deliver more bang for the buck," he said.

The CIO said some agencies already are realizing savings by consolidating physical facilities and shifting to "the cloud." One agency alone closed a 6,570-square-foot, contractor-operated facility that will result in a savings of $1.7 million in yearly operating costs beginning this year. The agency also has enhanced its remaining facilities and is offering co-location and hosting services to other agencies. Technology changes have resulted in the agency reducing power consumption by 10 percent at all its data centers.

Says proposal would speed up projects while curbing unemployment numbers

Christopher Lee

Support for a national infrastructure bank has gotten a boost from a Maryland financier. Christopher Lee, whose investment firm is managing the Seagirt Marine Terminal in that state, is pushing for Congress to set up a $250 billion quasi-private entity that would get $250 billion in startup funds for the program from the federal government. He says that funding would leverage an additional $750 billion in private funding. An infrastructure bank would invest in projects that could help pay for themselves and return money to the "bank" through tolls and fees.

Lee says the program could not only improve the nation's infrastructure, but also help curb the nation's unemployment issues.

The concept of an infrastructure bank is not new in the United States. An infrastructure bank has been proposed by President Barack Obama and supported by some Republican members of the Senate and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. However, Lee has proposed a much larger investment upfront by the government than the $30 billion proposed by the President. It would also create a method by which certain projects could be "fast tracked" and not face the same environmental, labor and safety standards as others. Without it, Lee said, the nation's infrastructure will "rapidly deteriorate."

Lee may have more expertise on the subject than most. He is managing partner of a fund manager firm that manages more than $5 billion dollars of assets. He also is a leader in infrastructure investment, with expertise in public-private partnerships (P3s). He has been involved in P3s in the United States, Asia and Latin America since the 1980s.

Lee says government handling of infrastructure projects such as highway, airport and mass transit projects, creates inefficiencies. And although Congress is currently mired in partisan struggles relating to spending, the financial expert says infrastructure should be a bipartisan issue and continues to meet with members of Congress to push his proposal.

Proposal calls for creating new Kentucky public university in Appalachia

Bruce Ayers

Officials in Kentucky are exploring the possibility of creating a new public university in Appalachia. The private University of Pikeville (UP) is being looked at as a possible new publicly funded institution to provide both an educational and economic stimulus to that area of Kentucky. UP currently has about 1,100 full-time students in undergraduate and graduate programs. Backers of the proposal want the state's mountain residents to have a four-year state university closer to their homes. The nearest to UP now are more than two hours away. W. Bruce Ayers, president of Southeast Community College in Cumberland indicated he is not opposed to taking UP into the state university system, but that it needs to be studied carefully. "On one hand, obviously, you can see the advantages of lower tuition. But on the other hand, from the standpoint of a precedent, what signals are we sending to other private institutions that might also have designs on becoming part of the state system?" he said. A consultant will be hired to head the study to consider the educational needs of the eastern area of Kentucky, the ability of current universities to fulfill those needs, the economic impact such a university would have in that area and the costs associated with bringing a private school into the state system.

Connecticut school district announces refurbishing plans for schools

An architect is being sought by the Owen J. Roberts School District in South Coventry, Connecticut, for refurbishing projects. Two elementary schools will see upgrades, with the two projects carrying an estimated cost of $43 million. School officials recently approved sending out requests for proposals from architects. Plans call for renovation and expansion at East Coventry and East Vincent elementary schools. The projects include adding classroom space and air conditioning and other improvements. Both schools are the only elementaries in the district without air conditioning. Officials say there is no immediate need for creating a lot of additional space in schools in the district, given the slow growth of students.

 

SUNY planning to add residence hall projects in coming years

David Lavallee

Nearly 2,000 new beds at six schools of the State University of New York (SUNY) will be added in the coming fiscal year and more than 100 residence hall projects will be constructed in the coming years. "We definitely need more beds," said David Lavallee, SUNY's interim provost and vice chancellor of academic affairs. The $400 million in residence hall projects are part of the university's $1.69 billon capital budget request for the 2012-13 state fiscal year. The request also includes $550 million for maintenance projects, $137 million for the state's share of capital projects at community colleges and $600 million for academic health centers. For the current year, $1.5 billion in capital funds were requested, with $1 billion granted. Twenty-two campuses would benefit from the $400 million requested for dorms. Some $355 million of the price tag would be paid for through bonds, with room fees to finance all capital investments in residence halls. Among the projects in the maintenance proposal are $7.8 million to replace the fire alarm system at the University of Buffalo and $4.3 million for electric distribution system upgrades at SUNY New Paltz. Construction is expected to begin in the fall of 2012 or spring 2013 for a previously funded academic building at Brockport. That campus also is seeking an $8.5 million interior reconstruction at Tuttle North athletic facility. On the community college side, 54 projects are seeking $92.3 million in funding, including:

• $20 million for eight projects at Erie Community College;
• $3.7 million for Monroe Community College, including window replacement and parking and loop road improvements;
• $11.5 million for SUNY Geneseo in Livingston County for critical maintenance projects, such as roofing, repairs to sidewalks and drainage and campus-wide masonry restoration;
• $7 million for Genesco for planning and specifications for an addition to Milne Library and money to start renovations of an unused aquatic area in the old gym at the Schrader Sports and Recreation Building into a fitness center.

Cornell, Israeli university to partner on $2 billion campus in New York

Cornell University and Tehnion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel, are planning to spend more than $2 billion on a 2.1 million-square-foot applied sciences campus in New York City. The campus, including startup incubator space, will be built on city-owned property. The pairing of the universities was one of several partnerships vying for the project, which meant the use of city-owned land and its infrastructure. The city is still hoping to reach agreements with one or more of the other teams to launch at least one more, smaller campus. The effort is being made through the new campus to increase the number of full-time, graduate-level engineering students in New York by 70 percent and create a fund for financing start-ups in the city. New York officials also hope the campus will help the city become a leader in technology.

 

Nevada school district facing repairs, upgrades totaling $5.1 billion 

Jeff Weiler

As the economy slipped, repairs and upgrades to the schools in the Clark County (Nevada) School District were put on hold. And now, the district is facing an estimated $5.1 billion in funding needs to make those repairs and modernizations over the next 10 years. Officials say $3 billion will be needed for repairs. That doesn't take into consideration the fact that the district needs nine new elementary schools and another $1 billion to invest in technology and equipment. Although a bond election is a possibility, officials say they would not be able to sell those bonds for five years, according to Chief Financial Officer Jeff Weiler. The district is currently using leftover funds from a successful $4.9 billion bond issue for the most pressing repair jobs. Officials say they need at least $200 million per year.

 

Nine Chicago schools to get $110 million for construction projects

Nine schools in the Chicago Public Schools will share nearly $110 million for construction projects. The Chicago Vocational Career Academy High School will get the lion's share of the construction funds, with $75 million that will be used for projects that include roof replacement, masonry reconstruction and dining area renovations. Six schools being turned around by the Academy for Urban School Leadership have been named to receive $25.7 million for rehab work. Named recipient of $7.3 million in construction funds is Crane High, which is being phased out and eventually taken over by Talent Development Charter High. Other funding includes:

• Fuller Elementary - $3.2 million;
• Marquette Elementary - $4 million;
• Piccolo Elementary - $3.5 million;
• Stagg Elementary - $1 million;
• Casals Elementary - $5 million;
• Herzl Elementary - $9 million); and
• Woodson South -$200,000.

Mayor seeks bill to increase taxes for athletic fields in Vicksburg

Paul Winfield

Seeking to build baseball, softball and soccer fields and a walking trail, Vicksburg, Mississippi, Mayor Paul Winfield has asked lawmakers to support a bill that would allow the city to increase two taxes to help pay for them. Winfield plans for the city to borrow $18.5 million to $19.5 million toward the project. The funds, he said, would be paid back over 15 years from revenue collected with increases in taxes on hotels, restaurants and bars. Under Winfield's plan, the city's hotel tax would double, from its current 2 percent to the proposed 4 percent. The current tax rate on restaurants and bars is 1 percent. Winfield proposes increasing that figure to 2.5 percent. He also adds that the increases in the taxes would be rescinded once the loan is paid off. Officials say Winfield also has announced where he thinks the facillities should be built.

 

Variety of contracting opportunities available in Texas

A number of contracting opportunities are available in areas throughout Texas. Some examples include:

• City of Lubbock, Power & Light, is requesting bids for 12-yard dump truck with hydraulic hoist;
• City of Laredo is requesting bids for variable frequency drive for the Utilities Department;
• City of Laredo is requesting bids for concrete repairs for the Utilities Department;
• The University of Texas at El Paso is requesting bids for Physical Science Building electrical equipment replacement;
• The El Paso Independent School District is requesting bids for professional medical services;
• The El Paso Independent School District is requesting bids for online pre-employment profile assessment testing services provider;
• Ysleta Independent School District in El Paso is requesting bids for classroom remodel at Eastwood Knolls Elementary School;
• City of El Paso is requesting bids for management and operation transit and lift system.

IT funding for VA up $100 million over previous year

The omnibus budget bill passed last month in Congress includes $100 million more for IT expenditures for the Department of Veterans Affairs than it received the previous year. Included is $73 million in developmental costs for a joint VA-Department of Defense digital medical record system. IT development projects for the VA were funded with $580 million. Other funding approved includes $107 million for the Veterans Benefits Management System, $70 million for Veterans Relationship Management, $50 million for the Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record, $48 million for health care access programs, such as telehealth, surgical quality and workflow management and emergency department and systems.

 

Power plant projects in four states awarded total of $8 million in USDA funding

Doug O'Brien

Hydroelectric power plant projects in four states will benefit from more than $8 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Rural Development Deputy Undersecretary Doug O'Brien said the projects are in Connecticut, Oregon, Utah and Vermont and the funding is from the Rural Energy for America Program. "When energy costs are reduced," he said, "American rural businesses become more competitive, allowing them to expand and create jobs." The projects and their funding include:

• Oregon - $7.2 million for a hydro project to construct a 5-MW, 45-mile project that translates into a capital cost of $1.44 per watt, consisting of a single turbine-powered generator to generate 18.126 GWH of electricity per year. It will utilize irrigated water from two nearby rivers.
• Utah - $500,000 to construct a 650-kW Six-Mile Creek hydroelectric power plant that consists of four hydroelectric turbines, a diversion structure and transmission lines.
• Connecticut - $275,000 to fund an 875-kW dual-turbine Cargill Falls project in Quinebaug River that will generate 2.523 GWh per year.
• Vermont - $49,325 to construct a 65-kw hydroelectric plant on Roaring Branch Brook in Bennington.

Construction projects planned for Grand Teton National Park

Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park has a variety of construction projects planned for 2012. Among them are a pathway, a new administration building and employee housing. More pathways and a new water/wastewater treatment plant are also planned at Moose. The new facility will allow for decommissioning of the current plant. Another planned project is the renovation of the David T. Vernon Indian Arts Museum at the Colter Bay Visitor Center.

 

Navy's RFP for Next Generation Enterprise Network delayed to end of January

The Next Generation Enterprise Network project RFP that was expected last December has now been delayed with no firm date set for seeking proposals. Instead, the Navy was expected to release another updated draft RFP and a question-and-answer sheet. The updated draft RFP is expected to include revisions to the last draft, which was released last September. Navy officials now say the final RFP is not expected before the end of this month. A Navy spokesperson said the program office is gathering and reviewing comments from the first draft of the RFP and will be using that information to provide an RFP industry can bid on and execute to provide the best enterprise network services.

 

California city rejects bids for community center, park upgrades

William Brien

Officials in Beverly Hills have rejected bids for a project to upgrade the Roxbury Park Community Center and other park facilities and will head back to the community to see if the size and scope of the projects should be altered. The city had budgeted $14.7 million for the project and the lowest bid totaled more than $16.8 million. The proposed upgrades included addition of a multipurpose room that could also be a gym, community meeting rooms, a small satellite library, a kitchen, exercise room, staff offices and other spaces. The exterior of the facility would have included upgrades to the maintenance building and yard, additional parking space, drainage improvements, a fire lane for fire truck access to the park and landscaping. City officials are now committed to more public feedback before again seeking bids. "We'll get this right - something that is safe and clean and of Beverly Hills quality," said Vice Mayor William Brien.

 

Maryland board approves grant funds for sewage plant, sewer upgrades

Grants totaling $17 million for construction for the Blue Plains sewage plant have been approved by the Maryland Board of Public Works. The grants will help pay for upgrades that will reduce nitrogen discharges by 83 percent. The plant is the largest single source of nitrogen pollution entering the Chesapeake Bay. The plant is the main sewage treatment plant for the Washington region and serves the district, suburban Maryland and northern Virginia. The board also approved a $600,000 grant to the city of Frostburg for sewer upgrades to reduce overflows during storms.

 

Who's winning the contracts?

Want to know who your competition is? Who was awarded the contract on a particular project? Below are listed some recent winners of major government contracts: 

• Tyler Technologies has been awarded an $8.8 million contract by the Pasco County (Florida) school district for new software and its implementation, marking the district's largest single non-construction purchase ever.
• Skipper General Contractors Inc. was awarded a contract for $173,800 by the Andalusi, Alabama, City Council for two concession and restroom facilities to be constructed as part of the renovation of Johnson Park.
• Angel Staffing Inc., Dependable American Services LLC, InGenesis Inc., Professional Performance Development Group Inc., Donald L. Mooney Enterprises LLC and Chesapeake Educational Services LLC, all in the San Antonio area, are among 23 staffing firms that were awarded indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracts with a value of $992 million over four years, with a guaranteed minimum of $5,000 per contractor. The firms were awarded contracts by the U.S. Air Force to provide medical personnel to military treatment facilities in the United States and Guam. The initial award is estimated at $148 million. 
• Washington Office Center won a $112.5 million contract from the General Services Administration for lease or rental of facilities.
• Fluor Federal Solutions LLC has won a $40.4 million contract to provide base operations support services at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Naval Station Mayport, the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Jacksonville, and Blount Island Command, including port services, supply, personnel support, facilities support, facility management/facility investment, swimming pools, pavement clearance, utilities, chiller, electrical, wastewater, steam, water, telecommunications, compressed air, base support vehicles and equipment and environmental services.
• N.H. Stone, Inc. was awarded a $124,169.01 contract by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for installation of guardrail on KY 15 between Lost Creek and the Wolfe County line in Breathitt County.
• Ensco won a $70.3 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense for professional, administrative and management support services.
• Garney Construction Inc. has been awarded a contract for $47 million by Midwest City, Oklahoma, for improvements to the city's sewage treatment plant. 
• FGM won a $30 million contract from the General Services Administration for professional, administrative and management support services.
• Swartz Mowing, Inc. has won a $591,695.89 contract from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for removal of trees and brush along KY 15 in Perry and Breathitt counties and KY 80 in Perry County.
• Qwest Government Services was awarded a $2.1 million contract from the Department of Veterans Affairs for information technology services, including telecommunications services.
• Skanska-Shimmick-Herzog was awarded a $772 million contract by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority board to extend BART 10 miles from Warm Springs to the Berryessa neighborhoold in east San Jose.

P3 could result in largest public safety network in United States

Bill Schrier

One of the largest public safety networks in the country will result from collaboration among several Washington state counties. Led by the city of Seattle, a request for information was issued last month. Officials hope that the network, made possibly by a public-private partnership, will be completed by 2015 and used by police, fire, emergency, medical, utilities, transportation and public works departments in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties - serving some 3.5 million people. Seattle CIO Bill Schrier said the plan is to have public safety officials operate on a separate framework set aside by the Federal Communications Commission for government use. The proposed network will provide mobile broadband and critical voice and data capacity. Schrier is hopeful that a commercial cellular carrier will join the network and have access to the city's fiber-optic networks to facilitate the partnership. The carrier would provide a wireless network to serve public safety officials. The goal of the RFI is to bring in that cellular provider, thus cutting costs to the counties. 

 

Sacramento to solicit partners to lease parking garages to help finance arenas

John Dangberg

Sacramento officials this month are expected to seek private company partners for leasing downtown parking garages as part of the city's arena financing deal. The city is expecting to solicit private company interest beginning Jan. 9, said Assistant City Manager John Dangberg. It's all part of a plan to meet a March 1 deadline of coming up with a plan to finance a new arena for the NBA Sacramento Kings. If the proposal deadline is not met, the Kings will likely gain approval from the NBA to move to another city. Privatizing downtown parking areas will raise an estimated $200 million in up-front cash to help pay for the facility. Dangberg is expecting to advise the City Council of its parking lease proposal results in mid-February as well as to present a finance plan to the NBA and the Kings and other private partners at that time. The request for qualification is the first part of the equation that could result in privatizing downtown garages, parking meters and parking citations. The second step would be to formally seek bids.

 

Some contracting opportunities from across the country

Wisconsin:

• University of Wisconsin, Green Bay campus is seeking bids for the Phoenix Center shower/restroom renovation, cost estimated at $217,000. Renovations of the men's and women's general locker room areas. Renovation includes painting existing walls and ceilings, replacing acoustic tile ceiling and ceramic tile floor in toilet area, new light fixtures with controls, removal/replacement of toilets, lavatories, urinals and shower mixing valves, and installation of new toilets/toilet partitions to meet current ADA (ANSI) regulations. Plumbing supply lines will be replaced from fixtures back to shut off valves and a section of waste line serving the urinals will be replaced. Locker room HVAC system will be rebalanced under this project.
• Chippewa Valley Correctional Treatment Facility is seeking bids on an HVAC equipment and controls upgrade, cost estimate $2.8 million. Includes upgrading the HVAC equipment and controls, replacing 22 air handling units and pneumatic controls with nine new air handling units and direct digital controls (DDC). Facility-wide, the pneumatic controls will be replaced with a DDC system serving the existing air handling units, heating system and chilled water system. The project also replaces VAV units and hot water reheat coils. General, electrical, fire alarm, plumbing and fire suppression work will be provided to support the upgrades. Project also includes extensions of walls in inmate sleeping areas.
• Castle Mound Campground, Black River State Forest is planning a $1.2 million project involving the public entrants and visitors station, to relocate the existing entrance and visitors' station building and construct new wood-frame, one-story entrance and visitor's station building with related utilities. Also demolition of the existing shop service building and constructing new structural insulated panel and wood-framed office, shop and vehicle storage building. 

New York:

• New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) seeks consultant services for development and planning of new industrial Business Improvement Districts (Industrial BID) or the expansion of existing Industrial BIDs in M-zoned districts in New York City. The new Industrial BIDs will improve the efficiency and functioning of the industrial sector in New York City by providing unique services that are targeted to the variety of issues facing industrial communities. 
• New York City Department of Parks and Recreation is planning reconstruction of HVAC system at various recreation and nature centers. 
• New York Police Department is seeking a contractor for exterior façade restoration at the 108th Precinct Station House.

 Virginia:

• Campbell County Maintenance - seeking bids for maintenance and janitorial supplies.
• Colonial Behavioral Health - seeking RFPs to establish a term contract with one qualified firm to provide unarmed security guard services for the entity, an agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
• James Madison University - seeking bids for providing and delivering advance floor equipment including wet-dry vacuums, housekeeping and trash carts, high-speed and low-speed burnishers, upright vacuums and more.

Pennsylvania:

• Department of Environmental Protection is seeking a contractor to pick up, package, transport and properly dispose of hazardous waste on an as-needed basis in the Harrisburg area.
• State System of Higher Education is seeking a contractor for specified demolition and legal disposal of  all exterior windows on Linden Residence Hall at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania.
• Department of General Services is seeking safety consulting firm to manage the Commonwealth's Workplace Safety and Health Program and provide recommendations for improvements that will help prevent and reduce the number of and cost of work-related accidents. 

 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 Robert A. Doty.

Robert A. Doty holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Minnesota - Carlson School of Management and in 2002 became a Certified Public Accountant through the Minnesota Society of CPAs. From 1984 to 1989, Doty began a public accounting career as a senior accountant with Ernst & Young. He then spent three years, from 1989 to 1991, as an audit supervisor for Burlington Northern Railroad and spent from 1992 to 1995 in a similar position with the St. Paul/Travelers Insurance Company. He was Director of Finance and Operations for Independent Television Service from 1995 to 1997 before being hired by Dunwoody College of Technology in 1997 as senior vice president and chief financial officer, where he led the Operations Division which includes Accounting and Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Purchasing, Financial Aid, Facilities, Business Administration and Diversity. He served in that capacity until 2010. Since 2000, he has also owned his own business, RAD Consulting, Inc., an accounting, tax preparation and business consulting firm.Doty will bring his more than 20 years of business experience and 12 years of senior-level management experience to his recently announced new role as chief financial officer of the Minneapolis Public Schools.

David Mayor (top left), CIO for the city of Rochester, New York, who has held that position since 2008, has resigned his post to take over as CIO of the Minneapolis Public School District. New York University and the Polytechnic Institute of New York University have appointed Theodore (Ted) Rappaport (top center), the William and Bettye Nowlin Chair of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, to lead a new initiative in wireless communications engineering and research. Florida Power & Light President Armando Olivera (top right) will retire in May after 40 years with the company and will be replaced by Eric Silagy, FPL's senior vice president of regulatory and state government affairs. Navajo Nation District Court Judge Leroy S. Bedonie, who has served the Navajo Nation court system since 1989 when he was confirmed as a probationary judge, has announced his retirement, effective at the end of last month. Helen M. Cauthen, president and CEO of Team Volusia Economic Development Corp. in Daytona Beach, has been named to lead Central Virginia's Thomas Jefferson Partnership for Economic Development, effective Feb. 1. Beth Cochran, principal of North Carolina's Enloe High School since 2005, has been tapped to serve as senior director of magnet programs. Rod Siedlecki (middle right), who recently resigned his post as Secretary of the Department of Social and Rehabilitative Services in Kansas, is returning to Florida as assistant secretary for Substance Abuse and Mental Health, replacing David Sofferin, who resigned. T.C. Broadnax (middle center), an assistant city manager for the city of San Antonio and former special projects coordinator in Pompano Beach, Florida, is headed to Tacoma, Washington, to become that city's next city manager. Aaron Spence (middle left), who has supervised Houston ISD's high schools for about a year and a half, is leaving the district in February to become the superintendent of the Moore County School District in North Carolina. Douglas Ackerman, who most recently served as category marketing manager at Publix Super Markets, has been named head of the Florida Department of Citrus, which markets and regulates Florida citrus. Kathleen Tighe, inspector general for the U.S. Department of Education, has been tabbed by the White House to serve as head of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board which keeps tabs on how money from the federal stimulus act is spent. Michael Sarton, who has worked for the city of Palo Alto, California, since 2002 and has been serving as interim director of the city's Public Works Department, has been named permanent director of the department. Alan Bersin (bottom left), commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, has resigned his post and will be replaced by Deputy Commissioner David V. Aguilar, with Field Operations Chief Thomas Winkowski named acting deputy commissioner. College of Architecture alumnus Quinn R. Jenkins (bottom center), who previously worked in the Dallas County Community College District and the University of Houston, has joined the staff of Prairie View A&M University, serving as Director of Facility Maintenance. Scott Sudduth (bottom right), former associate vice president for federal relations for the University of Chicago, has been chosen as director of federal relations for the 19-member Texas A&M University System. The Margate (Florida) Commission has elevated Assistant City Manager Yolanda Rodriguez, who has served as acting city manager since October, to the position of permanent city manager, replacing Frank Porcella, who is retiring. Assistant Superintendent Lynn McMullin, who has worked in the Canton (Connecticut) Schools since 1996, is leaving to become the superintendent of Orange Public Schools and will be replaced by Jordan Grossman, Canton Intermediate School principal. Jack Schnirman, former chief deputy supervisor at the Township of Brookhaven, New York, and current vice president of management consulting for an IT company, has been chosen the next city manger at the City of Long Beach.