Cash-strapped school districts are aggressively embracing corporate sponsors interested in advertising on school buses or on municipally owned assets. While some object because they see advertising in schools as distracting to students, others think it is an attractive solution to augment dwindling budgets. This highly debated issue is being discussed in legislatures around the country.

California currently allows advertising on the inside of school buses, but a bill has been introduced in the Senate that encourages lawmakers to allow ads on the outside of buses. The state already allows sponsorships and advertising to be purchased and placed in lunchrooms, hallways, school publications and even test-taking materials.  

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Three-group advisory team to determine if partnership can revamp schools

Bernard Pierorazio

Looking for revenue necessary to upgrade all of the 40 schools in the Yonkers (New York) Public Schools, the school district is headed toward becoming the first in the country to turn to a public-private partnership (P3) to rebuild or replace its aging facilities, most of which are an average of 73 years old.

 

The school district recently selected Macquarie Capital, Bruckhaus Deringer LLP and URS Corporation as its financial, legal and technical advisors for this P3 project. The three firms are a global provider of banking, financial, advisory, investment and funds management services and a world leader in P3s; a leading international law firm and acknowledged P3 leader; and a leading provider of engineering, construction and technical services for public agencies and private sector companies around the world. The three will jointly use their expertise to determine a public-private partnership's feasibility.

 

The school district already has drafted a $1.7 billion Educational Facilities Plan that includes all schools in the district. However, as Superintendent Bernard P. Pierorazio notes, the district does not have the money to take on the projects and continues to face ongoing funding cuts. While maintaining or rebuilding the current infrastructure is a priority for the district, finding funding to go forward with the facilities plan required an innovative solution. "The P3 transaction provides a highly innovative solution to the district's capital improvement needs to provide our students and staff with the safe, healthy and functional 21st century educational environments that they deserve," said the superintendent.

 

Paresh Patel

The district released its RFP for advisory services regarding a possible P3 in November of last year. Eight teams responded with proposals. Yonkers Board of Education President Paresh Patel said that process gave the district "extremely high caliber proposals" from which to pick the winner, and described the winning team as having a "deep bench of global P3 experience."

 

The Macquarie-Freshfields-URS team has been involved in every major P3 transaction with similar financing throughout the country. Their goal is a cost-effective, long-term, sustainable P3 solution for the Yonkers district.

 

The team will be looking for innovative solutions to upgrades and rehabilitation of some of the oldest school buildings in the state. State-mandated guidelines describe 95 percent of the facilities as "unsatisfactory." With its limited funding, the district has not been able to make strides toward putting new life in the aging buildings. The P3 solution may have been the district's last - and best - resort.

  

Nearly 50 projects to repair bridges, highways expected to create thousands of jobs

Andrew Cuomo

Nearly 50 projects under the New York Works project will benefit from an additional state investment of more than $45 million - resulting in the repair of 345 miles of roads and 11 bridges in the North Country region of the state of New York. In announcing the funding, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said the state budget's cornerstone this year is the New York Works program, which he called "a new and smarter strategy for putting New Yorkers back to work by rebuilding our aging infrastructure and helping put our state's economy back on track." He said the additional investment will not only rebuild the region's infrastructure, but will also rebuilt the economy and create thousands of jobs for New Yorkers.

This accelerated list of projects prioritized by the Department of Transportation will use either the conventional design-bid-build project delivery system or the newly enacted design-build project delivery method. Hundreds of critical infrastructure projects are expected to be accelerated as a result of the funding.

The state budget provides $247 million in capital funds for the NY Works program and $917 million in new federal funds for a total of $1.2 billion to repair, replace and improve the region's roads and bridges. This is in addition to the $1.6 billion already allocated this year for road and bridge projects and is in addition to the advancement of the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement project that is expected to pump billions of dollars into the regional and state economy.

The state will allocate $212 million for bridge deck and structural replacement or rehabilitation needs on approximately 115 bridges, $250 million for more than 2,000 miles of pavement preservation and pavement treatments and $687 million for transportation projects that had been halted due to lack of funds.

To view the complete list of projects planned in the North Country as a result of the additional funding, click here and look under "Recent Reports."

Plan could include tax credits, fee waivers and other proposals

Small businesses in Austin, Texas, have some friends at city hall.

The Austin City Council recently approved a resolution authorizing the city manager to develop an incentive program that may include providing tax credits, fee waivers and free or reduced-price business skills development and job training for companies with 20 or fewer employees. Like most other large cities in Texas, Austin routinely provides such incentives for big companies. The city, in fact, is currently considering incentives for Apple as it talks about doubling its workforce in the city.

But with small companies accounting for more than 80 percent of all business growth in the city, officials are turning their attention to incentives for those companies. The resolution provides for the appointment of a city advocate for small businesses and a promotion encouraging local shopping. The plan is to be presented to the city council by June 14.

Oregon community college taking $57M bond issue to taxpayers

A successful $57 million bond issue slated for May 15 would mean major renovation projects for the Umpqua Community College in Oregon. A successful bond would allow the college to build two new multipurpose classroom facilities on its Roseburg campus as well as add a classroom facility in south Douglas County. Current classroom facilities date back to the late 1960s and in addition to being overcrowded because of increasing enrollment, do not provide room for simulation labs necessary to teach today's subjects, such as nursing and dentistry. Those students currently must complete their classroom study at local hospitals and local dentist offices. One of the proposed buildings, a three-story, $21-million allied health and sciences building (as seen in the accompanying artist's rendering) would mean students could complete their studies on campus in state-of-the-art facilities. That new building alone will provide 57,000 square feet that would include labs, classrooms, computer space, a 70-person lecture hall and a health clinic. Another building that would benefit from the bond proceeds would be a two-story, 69,500-square-foot, $19.4 million industrial arts building. If the new buildings are constructed, officials would then move on with renovations to other UCC older buildings, and an $8 million facility would be built in Douglas County.

School district to seek funds to assist with AC, mechanical issues

The Brookhaven School District in Mississippi is planning to apply to the State Department of Education for federal stimulus funds to replace or repair air conditioning systems and other mechanical issues at schools throughout the district. The district would not be bound to borrow the money if it is made available, but officials say that it would help identify available funds to go toward the much-needed projects. The loans generally are at a low interest rate.

State budget provides funding for University of Nebraska facilities

The University of Nebraska at Kearney will get $15 million from the recently passed state budget to expand its nursing facility. Plans call for a 30,000-square-foot addition to the Bruner Hall of Science, making space for teaching and research space. Another budget bill was also signed that provides $71 million for three other construction projects - a $50 million University of Nebraska Medical Center cancer research tower and $6.1 million toward a Veterinary Diagnostic Center in Lincoln.

New Jersey proposes $3.2 billion in spending on infrastructure, transit

James Simpson

Highway, mass transit, bridge and public works projects totaling $3.2 billion have been proposed for the 2012-13 fiscal year by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Should the legislature approve that funding, $2.056 billion of it would go to NJDOT and $1.155 billion would go to New Jersey Transit. State support for the spending is estimated at $1.6 billion. NJDOT Commissioner James Simpson said the proposal "provides for significant road, bridge and transit infrastructure investments while also funding initiatives that will promote safety for all who share our roads and access our public transportation system." State support for NJDOT includes $353 million to advance projects within the port district; state and local bridge repair and rehabilitation at $685 million; $311 million for highway pavement resurfacing, rehabilitation or reconstruction; $105 million for safety programs; $343 million for congestion mitigation efforts; $42 million for investments in maritime, freight and rail initiatives and bicycle/pedestrian improvements; $380 million for local aid grant programs.

 

Numerous contracting opportunities available in El Paso area

A variety of contracting opportunities are now available in the El Paso area. They include:

• The El Paso Independent School District is requesting bids for Bradley Elementary School exterior and interior painting;
• The El Paso Independent School District is requesting bids for Andress High School gym sound system;
• The Socorro Independent School District is requesting bids for full-line food service; and
• The Housing Authority of the City of El Paso is requesting bids for design-build services for Elvin Estates.

Hudson Valley to get millions for infrastructure projects

Hudson Valley, New York, has been approved for more than $200 million in state funding for dozens of infrastructure improvement projects that are expected to create thousands of jobs. Most of the funding will be for bridge and roadway repairs, but $106 million of the total will be used to replace and paint portions of the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge. Two other bridges that span the Sprain Brook Parkway over Route 119 in Greenburgh will be allocated $24 million for replacement.

  

Louisiana seeking to privatize state employee health plan

Paul Rainwater

Looking to save money, the state of Louisiana is seeking to privatize its state employee health plan that provides health and life insurance for about 250,000 current and retired state employees and their dependents. Commissioner of Administration Paul Rainwater said that while some state employee jobs might be lost, but that will happen over time as the administration decides which jobs can be absorbed by a private company. State officials say as much as 90 percent of the Office of Group Benefits book of business may be part of the RFP as the state seeks to hire a single contractor for the job. The Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) is operated by state employees and insures more than 60,000 people. It is a group of doctors, hospitals and other health care providers who provide care at reduced rates. An RFP is expected to be released within the next few weeks.

  

County seeking developer for old downtown transit center site

Officials in Milwaukee County have issued a request for interest (RFI) seeking developers to buy and redevelop the old transit center site in downtown Milwaukee.  A committee has recommended the bus transit operations be moved from the downtown area and that site redeveloped. The transit center site includes 2.2 acres and a two-story waiting station and bus marshaling structure. Fewer and fewer buses have used the 20-year-old facility since bus routes have been modified.

 

Missouri city passes bond referendum for new wastewater treatment plant

Voters in Maryville, Missouri, recently approved a $13.7 million bond issue that will lead to the construction of a wastewater treatment plant mandated by the government. A new mechanical plant will be built to replace the current lagoon-based system, which meets neither state nor federal standards for ammonia removal. City officials warned voters than even if a bond issue did not pass, environmental agencies would likely force the city to build a plant anyway, and likely under a more expensive financing plan. The result would have been higher water and sewer rates for taxpayers.

 

National park airport in Arizona looking forward to major renovations

Officials of the airport at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona are looking forward to recently approved renovations. One major improvement is the addition of a new terminal, which will replace the current terminal, and is expected to draw more major airlines to the facility. The terminal is expected to take three to five years to complete. Airport officials are also studying the possibility of public-private partnerships to add commercial developments and retail sites such as restaurants and gift shops to the airport. 

 

Joplin voters approve $62 million school bond by thin vote

New plans for Detroit Public Schools: Sell services to other districts 

(To view these stories, click here and look under "Around the Nation.")

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Massachusetts town hoping for feasibility study regarding water project

The town of Westminster, Massachusetts, is hoping for $22,000 for a feasibility study to determine if an independent wastewater treatment facility is a viable option for the city. The study would determine also where it would be placed, costs and size of such a facility. The town is dealing with a recent rate increase from the city of Fitchburg for sewer service and the town wants to know if having its own facility would be less of a burden on taxpayers. If the town had its own wastewater treatment facility, officials believe it would have better control of its revenues and costs, and would be better able to accommodate a pump station and other high-priority sewer-expansion projects. A previous rough estimate of the costs to the town are between $5 million and $7 million. An unsolicited proposal for a public-private partnership might be another alternative.

AirRide bus system in Ann Arbor result of public-private partnership

John Hieftje

A new, less expensive bus system - AirRide - is now under way in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to ferry residents and visitors to the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. AirRide is the result of a public-private partnership that involves several entities - the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor's Downtown Development Authority, the convention bureau and the Michigan Flyer bus company. For those making reservations, the cost is $12 one-way and walk-on commuters are charged $15. The service offers a dozen trips each day and the University of Michigan's Central Campus Transit Center hosts four pickups each day. The buses feature comfortable seating and offer WiFi service as well. Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje looks at the service as bringing the city one step closer to his vision of a community with families having only one vehicle and residents using transit services instead of their own vehicles.

North Carolina Zoo considering public-private partnership for management  

Officials have, for the last three years, been discussing the possible privatization of the North Carolina Zoo. Those discussions have continued in earnest over the last year. The General Assembly recently issued a report recommending privatization of the zoo and three state aquariums. A member of the state House has indicated he will introduce a bill regarding the public-private partnership after the General Assembly convenes on April 23. If privatized, the state would still subsidize it with an annual $10 million stipend, $700,000 less than this year. The zoo is one of only a handful run by state government. The more than 740,000 visitors last year led to revenue of about $6.6 million, but spending on the zoo totaled $17.4 million. Officials say the zoo needs approximately $30 million worth of work and would better be able to provide upkeep and improvements with a private plan through which private donations could be received. 

New Mexico

• Dona Ana County is requesting bids for access to health services: orthopedic services for the DAC Health and Human Services Department.
• New Mexico Tech (Socorro) is requesting bids for monthly and on-call pest control service.
• Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico Region, is requesting bids for CFO Eagle Creek Pipeline (Chavez and Eddy counties).
• Mesilla Valley Public Housing Authority, Las Cruces, is requesting solicitations for parking lot asphalt resurfacing in three parking lots.

Texas

• Education Service Center Region 19 Purchasing Cooperative is requesting bids for glass and glazing materials and services.
• The Texas Department of Transportation is requesting bids for state-let construction contract, Hudspeth County, barbed-wire fence removal and replacement, IH0010.

New York

• The New York City Fire Department is seeking services of a qualified contractor to inspect, test, upgrade, repair and maintain underground petroleum storage tanks and related dispensing equipment, corrosion protection systems and leak detection systems; install new "Veeder-Root" TLS 350R LDS remote monitoring leak detection systems; monitor existing and new leak detection systems; and provide disposal services for waste petroleum products. These services will be provided at various facilities throughout the five boroughs of New York City.
• The New York City Department of Education is seeking bids from both qualified distributors and manufacturers experienced in providing security devices and installation for computer hardware and audio visual equipment.
• The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the renovation operation and maintenance of a newsstand at City Hall Park, Murray Street on Broadway, Manhattan.

Pennsylvania

• The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue is requesting bids for ceiling tiles with two potential options. The first would be supplying standard ceiling tiles and the second would be supplying the ceiling tiles cut to Revenue's specifications.
• The Pennsylvania Department of Administration, Bureau of IT Procurement, is soliciting suppliers to submit proposals in response to the Master Information Technology (IT) Services Invitation to Qualify (ITQ) Contract, 4400004480. Those suppliers that respond to this ITQ, if determined to be qualified, will be eligible to provide proposals for various types of IT services to Commonwealth agencies and Local Public Procurement Units.

Dr. Janet Allan (top left), a nurse since the 1960s and former dean and professor at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio School of Nursing, will retire this summer from her post as dean of the School of Nursing at the University of Maryland, a position she has held since 2002. Dr. Toni Pendergrass (top center), Vice President for Learning at San Jacinto College South in Texas for the last four years, is leaving that post to become president of San Juan College in her hometown of Farmington, New Mexico. Charles F. Zukoski (top right), currently the Elio Eliakim Tarika Chair of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has been named provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University at Buffalo, and will be joining UB this summer. Although snubbed by the Florida Senate during the 2012 legislative session, several state agency heads were reappointed by Gov. Rick Scott, including Secretary of State Kenneth Detzner, Secretary of Corrections Kenneth Tucker,Office of Early Learning Director Melody Jurado and Agency for Persons with Disabilities Director Mike Hansen asking them to continue to serve in his administration. Ben Scaggs has been selected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to serve as the director of the Gulf of Mexico Program after serving the agency as Office Director overseeing the agency's operation in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. New York University has named two academics to lead its Shanghai campus, with Yu Lizhong, president of East China Normal University, named chancellor, and Jeffrey S. Lehman, chancellor of the Peking University School of Transnational Law and a former president of Cornell University, named vice chancellor. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Thomas Harrigan (middle right), who has been with the agency in a variety of positions since 1987, has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the agency's new deputy administrator. David Vaught (middle center), who has led Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn's Office of Management and Budget since 2009, has been picked to head the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, with Quinn's Chief of Staff Jerry Stermer to serve as acting director of the budget office. U.S. Navy Capt. John S. Andrews (middle left), who is retiring from military service in June, has been chosen to serve as special assistant to Norfolk, Virginia, City Manager Marcus Jones. Palmdale, California, Assistant City Manager Laurie Lile has accepted the position of city manager for the City of Monrovia, effective at the end of April, replacing Scott Ochoa, who resigned to take a position in Glendale. Barry Feldman, one of two vice presidents at the University of Connecticut whose jobs were eliminated last month when UConn combined the posts of chief operating officer and director of human resources into a single position, has been named director of the school's Torrington campus, effective July 1. Cheryl Joy Norton, a senior fellow with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities in Washington, D.C., and former president at Southern Connecticut State University, will take over as president of Slippery Rock University on June 4, succeeding Robert Smith, who retired. Internal Revenue Commissioner Doug Shulman (bottom left), who came to the agency five years ago from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, said he plans to leave the agency when his term ends in November. Dr. La Mar Hasbrouck (bottom center), a director of public health and commissioner of mental health in upstate New York, has been chosen to head the Illinois Department of Public Health, effective April 23, succeeding Dr. Damon Arnold left last year to oversee a new master's program at Chicago State University. Sacramento City Attorney Eileen Teichert (bottom right),who is one of the city's highest-ranking officials and who has held her post for six years, has resigned, but will continue her municipal lawyer role in an organization closer to her family in Southern California. Des Plaines, Illinois, Mayor Martin Moylan has appointed Michael Bartholomew to the position city manager, replacing Jason Slowinski, acting city manager since 2010, who has taken a village administrator position in Lake Zurich. Mike Miles, superintendent of Harrison School District Two in Colorado Springs, Colorado, this week was named lone finalist for the superintendent job at the Dallas Independent School District, to replace Michael Hinojosa, who served six years at DISD before announcing his departure.