Representatives from companies with energy-related services should be on the doorstep of some public official's office daily. If ever there was a time to discuss visionary plans and solutions to government executives, that time is now. Elected officials have a laser focus on reducing energy costs and sustainable initiatives.

It is interesting to see how aggressive public officials throughout the country have become in recent months.

• The City of Denver and the county launched what is called the Greenprint Denver sustainability initiative. The City committed to reduce energy use by 20 percent by 2020. Mayor Michael B. Hancock hopes to use the city's goals to set a standard for nonprofits, private sector buildings and schools.

El Paso Community College also planning new campus to be built on Army post

This artist's rendering shows the proposed new Beaumont Army Medical Center complex to be built at Fort Bliss.

The $1 billion construction project of the new Beaumont Army Medical Center at Fort Bliss is expected to open up a myriad of contracts for everything from road construction to purchase of hospital equipment. The bid process is expected to begin next week.

Also at Fort Bliss, the El Paso Community College has announced that it plans to build a campus at the Army post, next to the new medical center.

The medical facility will feature a 135-bed, four-building complex. A congressional allocation of $946 million has been set aside for construction. Officials expect to name a prime contractor by the end of this year, with construction to begin next spring. A completion date of 2016 is scheduled.

The project includes more than $40 million that has already been contracted for roads, utilities and other infrastructure. Maj. Bryan Walrath, program manager for the U.S. Army Health Facility Planning Agency, said he expects the project to draw one prime contractor and "a whole army" of subcontractors. Several have already shown an interest in bidding, including companies from Maryland, Missouri, Colorado, Oklahoma and Arizona. The final bid solicitation for the project could be issued this week and due by late September or early October.

The Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce has organized several meetings for prime contractors to meet with local subcontractors with whom they might partner.

Once the construction part of the project is complete, more will be spent for equipment for the new hospital. That hospital will be a seven-story facility with 135 private rooms, two six-story buildings for 30 specialty clinics and a four-story administration building. The new hospital will be designed to last approximately 50 years.

Regarding the El Paso Community College campus, the institution already has five campuses in El Paso. In fact, the first campus actually started in a building at Fort Bliss. EPCC is currently studying a lease document with the U.S. Department of the Army for 70 acres next to the Beaumont Army Medical Center. Once the lease is signed, a firm will be hired to design the campus. 

Half-cent increase will create city's first street maintenance fund

Sly James

Kansas City voters have voted to tax themselves in an effort to ensure funding for local parks, community centers and streets. By nearly a 2-1 margin, these Missouri residents voted to increase their sales tax by one-half cent, dedicating the proceeds to city needs.

 

Kansas City Mayor Sly James praised residents of the city for passing the issue. "They were willing to make the sacrifice to move this city forward," he said.

 

The increased sales tax will replace a $12.50 annual vehicle fee that was set to expire and several small property taxes related to parks. While there was some opposition because there was no end date on the tax, those supporting the tax said parks need a permanent source of funds. The increase is expected to raise some $30 million per year for the parks department. It not only will help replace the $9 million in parks department cuts over the last five years, but will also result in a net gain over approximately $3 million, since other revenue will be eliminated or allocated to street needs.

 

The extra $3 million will allow the parks department to expand community center hours and improve programming. There will also be an increase in park cleanup and repair as well as fountains and playgrounds. And the general fund money usually dedicated to parks will now go to a dedicated street maintenance fund. That fund is expected to increase from the current $8 million per year to about $20 million.

 

Voters also supported by an 80-20 percent margin the authorization of $500 million in bonds for a sewer modernization project. The sewer bond money will pay for wastewater storage tanks and other sewer improvements throughout the city.

 

Goal is to prevent fraud, abuse while improving purchases, saving money

Martin O'Malley

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is pushing for review of his state's procurement practices. With a goal of fraud prevention and abuse, O'Malley wants a scrubbing of purchasing processes that will improve purchasing efficiencies.

 

At a recent Board of Public Works meeting, O'Malley proposed review of procurement processes that has in the past been attempted by workgroups and task forces, but to no avail. The governor's call for review followed the controversial award of a Human Resources Department contract. Other recent questionable contract awards also were brought into question.

 

One example of a positive outcome resulting from examining procurement is that there is now a school buying consortium. As a result of legislation creating the consortium, the schools in the state bought goods separately. Now both public and private schools make cooperative purchases. As a result, a savings of 8-10 percent per year has been realized, netting a $400 million savings.

 

Officials are cognizant that a small savings of even 1 percent can result in millions of state dollars being saved.

 

Oklahoma school district plans $23 million bond issue for construction

Jon Tuck

Voters in the Madill (Oklahoma) Schools will go to the polls on Aug. 28 to decide the fate of a $23 million bond issue. If successful, the bonds would pay for building 24 new classrooms, an activity center and an agriculture and career technology building. Madill Schools Superintendent Jon Tuck explained that student enrollment has increased from 1,200 in 1995 to more than 1,800 today. "So we need to move forward and improve our facilities, increase our facilities, to meet those needs," Tuck said. School officials also tout the new facilities as a means of affecting the local economy. They said the new facilities will attract new visitors to the area who will spend new dollars with local businesses. Vicki Byrd of the Marshall County Economic Development Committee said each new person visiting a town spends approximately $62. She said the hundreds of people who might visit for events times $62 spent each would be a significant boost to the local economy. She said that would be "a lot of money in our merchants' pockets."

HISD board sets $1.89 billion bond election for November

A $1.89 billion bond election in the Houston ISD is set for November 6, following action Thursday by the HISD Board of Education. The bond election calls for funding to address needs in 38 schools in neighborhoods across the district. The bond proposal is heavy on facility needs for the district's high school and calls for 20 new high school campuses, partial replacement of four high schools and renovation of four high schools. It would also pay for conversion of five elementary schools into K-8 campuses, the building of three new elementary school campuses and replacement or completion of two new middle school campuses. Also included in the bond referendum are $100 million for district-wide technology improvements, $44.7 million to replace regional field houses and improve athletic facilities, $35 million to renovate middle school restrooms and $17.3 million for district-wide safety and security improvements. If approved by voters, design of the new schools could begin early next year and the first construction would start in 2014.

Illinois community college planning $18M public safety, sustainability center

Sharon Konny

Thanks to proceeds from a voter-approved 2009 tax increase, the Elgin (Illinois) Community College is preparing to break ground next spring on a Public Safety and Sustainability Center. The center is expected to include training for first responders, sustainability programs and a more than 40,000-square-foot truck driving training pad. The Burlington Village Board recently was presented with an initial design for a main academic building and other features that will be part of the center, including a "burn building" for fire science student training. Another part of the tax proceeds - $1.8 million - will be used to buy the 118 acres of leased land where the center will be located. Sharon Konny, vice president of business and finance for the college, said college officials are hopeful that municipalities also will use the training facility. "We want this not just to train municipalities in our district, but the whole region," said Konny. In addition to providing training for first responders, the facility also will house a truck driving program. The center also has a goal of being self-supporting eventually, employing geothermal ponds, wind turbines and green buildings. The Burlington site was chosen from more than 30 other municipalities that responded to a request from the college. Burlington was a step ahead of others because of its proximity to Elgin and the amount of available open space.

Houston Community College approves calling $425M bond vote

Houston voters will have yet another bond issue to vote on in November as the Houston Community College Board of Trustees Thursday voted to put a $425 million bond referendum before voters. The bond issue addresses aging facilities at the college, those facilities exceeding capacity and the need for technology upgrades. Officials point to the fact that the college has grown by 40 percent in the last five years and is operating at 92 percent of capacity as reasons for needing the bond proposal passage. More buildings are needed to keep up with that growth. Board officials note that after public hearings and forums, the community helped shape the bond issue and what needs would be addressed. The need for technology upgrades is exacerbated by the number of nurses and medical technicians trained for business needs in the community, which means the need for expensive medical equipment to prepare them for health care job opportunities. Funding also will be allocated for workforce development in high-growth industries such as energy and the fields of science, technology, engineering and math.

New Jersey to decide $750 million higher education bond election

Richard Edwards

The first higher education bond issue in more than two decades will go before New Jersey voters in November. Voters will be asked to approve $750 million in bonding authority to benefit campus facility renovations at the public and private colleges throughout the state. Legislation was approved allowing the bond election. The "Building our Future Bond Act" was the result of more than 10 years of college officials and higher education advocates lobbying for more funding for the state's colleges and universities. Higher education officials originally asked for $3.5 billion in bonding authority, but the legislature cut the amount to $750 million. If passed, the bond revenue will be divided among state colleges and universities, but public research universities like Rutgers University will get the biggest piece of the pie at $300 million of the total. "The construction of sorely needed classrooms, laboratories and other academic facilities will create construction-related jobs, as well as new jobs in higher education, and it will help keep more of our highest-achieving students here in New Jersey," said Rutgers Interim President Richard Edwards. The remainder of the state's public four-year colleges will share $247.5 million, while county colleges will get $150 million and private colleges $52.5 million. Private colleges with endowments of more than $1 billion will not be eligible for any of the funding.

 

Massachusetts school district to get new school, renovate others

A new middle school is on tap in Peabody, Massachusetts, and renovation projects are on the drawing board for Newburyport and at the Greater Lowell Regional Technical High School. The Massachusetts School Building Authority approved the expenditures recently. The new middle school will be a three-story, $83 million facility. Preliminary designs for the new school have been completed, but a more detailed design will also have to be approved. The Authority will cover at least 54 percent of the cost of the school, with the city responsible for the final $38.2 million. Officials also hope to hold down costs at the school by installing environmental initiatives that will cut operating costs. The technical high school and the Rupert A. Nock Middle School at Tyngsborough also have been given the green light for renovation projects. The technical high school would add 22,000 square feet to the current facility and address roof, windows, plumbing and electrical system problems. The same issues would be addressed at the Nock school as well as structural integrity of the building and accessibility compliance. The Nock school project carries a price tag of about $27 million, with a 50 percent reimbursement from the state.

 

New building for Texas Tech nursing school approved by board of regents

Kent Hance

The Texas Tech University Board of Regents recently approved funding for a new 25,000-square-foot building that will house the university's Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing in El Paso. The construction is expected to start next spring. The facility will include classrooms, laboratories, faculty offices, support space, training equipment and public art. "The potential exists in El Paso for us to make great strides in educating future nurses and other health care professionals here and in the rest of the state," said Texas Tech University System Chancellor Kent Hance. Hance said the school will allow up to 160 students to be admitted each year in either a four-year bachelor's degree in nursing program or a second bachelor's degree in nursing. Part of the funding will be provided by foundation money from a nonprofit group that is promoting the medical industry growth in the area of its Medical Center of Americas initiative. The nursing school currently operates in leased space in the downtown area of El Paso. 

 

Eddy County picks architect for new law enforcement complex

Allen Sartin

The Eddy County (New Mexico) Commission has named an architectural firm to design its new law enforcement complex. An evaluation team studied the 10 bid proposals received and gave the highest score to the Albuquerque architectural firm of Van H. Gilbert. The firm in 1990 was hired by the county to design a 100-bed detention center. Now that an architectural firm has been selected for the $8.6 million project, the cost of the project will not be firm until it is put out for bid. Some officials think the project will come in under the $8.6 million estimate. However, there is a chance that some of the local companies that bid on the project will file a protest over the score of 100 given to the Gilbert firm and the fact that no local firm was selected. The new facility, which will house the county sheriff's office, originally had been estimated to cost $8 million. County Manager Allen Sartin said $2 million has been set aside already for the law enforcement complex and another $5 million will be set aside next year. The remaining $1.6 million will likely come from a budget surplus.

Florida fast-tracking widening, deepening Port Canaveral ship channel

Florida will fast-track its support for widening and deepening of the Port Canaveral ship channel. Gov. Rick Scott said the state will offer funding of about $24.4 million through the Florida Department of Transportation and the port will kick in another $8.1 million. The widening of the channel is expected to begin in July 2014 with a completion date of fall 2015. The fast-tracking puts the project about three years ahead of its original schedule. Like other ports in the United States, Port Canaveral is expecting increased import and export shipping business from Central and South America once the Panama Canal expansion is completed.

 

Renewable energy $7 billion request for proposals released by U.S. Army

Katherine Hammack

The U.S. Army is anticipating awarding a multiple-award task order contract by the end of the year after releasing a $7 billion request for proposals for renewable energy on its bases. The Army is hopeful to award that contract by the end of this year and start projects on some of its bases next year. With a goal of producing a gigawatt of renewable energy on its bases by 2015, the Army is seeking to do so not by producing the energy itself, but by providing the land for private companies to build solar, wind, biomass or geothermal plants. The private partner would be responsible for the costs of those facilities and the Army would commit to buying the power they produce. Katherine Hammack, the Army's assistant secretary for installations, energy and environment, said she expects well over 100 responses to the RFP. She said the Army is hopeful to award contracts by the end of the year. The Army would like to see as many qualified vendors as possible involved. The Army hopes to not only save money, but also to have priority use of the energy produced in emergency situations when power is not available on the public grid. "Right now, the power grid is aging and we have all seen increased interruptions which have affected our military installations," said Hammack. "This will give us energy security by having power produced on the installation that's able to serve the base in case of power disruption." A pre-proposal conference is slated for later this month, with a goal of awarding a contract within 30 days of that conference.

  

RFP to be released for San Antonio convention center expansion

A request for qualifications for design/build teams to participate in a $325 million Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center expansion in San Antonio will be issued soon. The construction is expected to begin in late 2013. The most recent addition to the convention center will get an additional 500,000 square feet added for exhibit space and a 50,000-square-foot ballroom. Officials are hopeful the project will be completed by summer 2016. When the new construction is complete, the older west side of the convention center will be demolished to house a new 12-acre redevelopment of HemisFair Park.

 

Check out these recent awards:

New roles emerge for partnership structure

City approves agreement for development of entertainment facility

A public-private partnership (P3) that will result in development of a concert and performing arts facility has been approved in Sugar Land, Texas. The agreement is between the Sugar Land Development Corp., the Sugar Land City Council and ACE Sugar Land LLC. The P3 agreement will lead to construction of a 6,500-seat facility on a 21-acre site. The site also is expected to include a larger mixed-use development. No completion date has been established.

South Carolina

• The South Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles is seeking bids for a contract to manage the existing South Carolina Automobile Liability Insurance Reporting (ALIR) Program, support the related DMV Financial Responsibility (FR) functions and provide FR call center services at DMV's location in Blythewood, South Carolina.
• The South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism is seeking bids from a proven, established and financially stable commercial production company to produce television spots promoting the South Carolina Parks system.

Arkansas

• Arkansas State University-Jonesboro is seeking bids for house rigging and audio/stage lighting services for special events at the Convocation Center located on the University campus.
• The Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism is seeking bids for construction of Plantation Agriculture Museum improvements in Scott, Arkansas.

Indiana

• The Indiana Department of Administration and the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency with The Indiana Plumbing Commission is seeking bids for a provider to develop, maintain and administer computer-based written licensing examinations for journeyman plumbers and contractor plumbers.
• The Indiana Department of Corrections (IDOC) is seeking bids for post-secondary off-site correspondence courses for IDOC inmates.

Iowa

• The Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs Iowa Veterans Home is seeking to obtain a quote from qualified door companies to furnish and install all labor and material for three steel roll-up overhead dock doors located on campus at 1301 Summit St. in Marshalltown.
• The Iowa Department of Administrative Services is seeking bids for transport fuel deliveries to the State of Iowa fleet facility in Des Moines and the Rathbun Fish Hatchery.

Tennessee

• The Tennessee Office of eHealth Initiatives is seeking requests for information from Health Information Services Providers to provide Direct Health Internet Services and Direct Health Identity Services (Certificate Authority and Registration Authority) to the health care professionals in the State of Tennessee.
• The Tennessee Department of General Services is seeking bids for statewide office supplies, paper and toner.

 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 Matt D. Chase.

Matt Chase

Matt D. Chase earned his bachelor's degree from Hartwick College in Upstate New York and his master's degree in political management from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He is the former chief operating officer and membership services director for the Professional Managers Association in Washington, D.C. Chase was later named deputy executive director and director of legislative affairs for the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO), an organization that provides advocacy, education and research for the nation's regional development organizations. In October 2003, Chase was elevated to executive director of NADO and the NADO Research Foundation. During that time, he was a regular speaker on the national level regarding the federal budget and policy issues related to regional community and economic development, including rural development, transportation and sustainable development. He is a former member of the Purdue Center for Regional Development and the New England Transportation Institute. He now serves on the advisory committee for the Ford Foundation's Wealth Creation in Rural America initiative, the Rural Policy Research Institute and the University of Vermont's Transportation Research Center. Chase was recently chosen as the new executive director of the National Association of Counties, its first new director in more than 20 years. He succeeds Larry Naake, who has been with the organization since 1991.

 

Stan Heffner (top left), Ohio Schools Superintendent , has resigned after the state inspector general found he lobbied improperly for a private education company he planned to work for and Deputy Superintendent Michael Sawyers is now acting superintendent. Michael Strine (top middle), the University of Virginia's executive vice president and chief operating officer, who came to the university from Johns Hopkins University, has resigned. Lawrence Schovanec (top right), dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Texas Tech University, has been named interim president of the university, after Guy Bailey left the presidency to become president of the University of Alabama. Russell Van Gompel, village manager for Brown Deer, Wisconsin, for the last 14 years, is the new city manager for the city of Eau Claire. Daniel Bueno, chief of police in Alice, Texas, for the last 12 year and a 35-year veteran of Alice law enforcement, has announced his retirement, effective Dec. 31. Charles Clark, former Sulphur, Oklahoma, city manager, is the new city manager of Healdton, Oklahoma, succeeding former City Manager Louis Smitherman. Scott McClellan (middle right), former White House press secretary under President George W. Bush, has been named vice president for communications at Seattle University, effective in September. Charles L. Becton (middle center), an attorney and former judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals, is the new interim chancellor of N.C. Central University, replacing former Chancellor Charlie Nelms, who retired. Linda Fontanilla (middle left), vice president for student services at Cuesta College in California, has been selected as the next vice president for student services at Irvine Valley College. Timothy Boosinger, interim provost at Auburn University, has been appointed as provost and vice president for academic affairs at the university. Anthony Wright, who recently retired as commander of the Seattle District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will take over as the new executive director of the Puget Sound Partnership, replacing Gerry O'Keefe. Steve Boilard, head of higher education for the Legislative Analyst's Office and has been with the office for 14 years, has been named director of California State University, Sacramento's Center for California Studies, effective Sept. 10. Carl Kinnison (bottom left), former chief of the Cape Girardeau, Missouri, Police Department, has been chosen as the new director of the Law Enforcement Academy at Southeast Missouri State University. Carol Jacobs (bottom center), current city manager for the Orange County city of Stanton, California, has been hired as the new permanent city manager for the city of Eastvale, California, replacing Robert Van Nort. Dr. Stephen L. Grimm (bottom right), former superintendent of the Lansing school district, has been named superintendent of the Penefield, New York, school district. Laura Ross, interim chief academic officer at Seminole State College of Florida, has been promoted to vice president for academic affairs and chief academic officer at the university. Col. Brad Richy, commander of the 124th Fighter Wing of the Idaho National Guard, has been chosen by Gov. Butch Otter as director of the state's Bureau of Homeland Security, replacing Brigadier General William Shawver. The police services supervisor at Penn State University's campus in Mont Alto, Pennsylvania, Jim Sourbier, has been hired as the new police chief for the Waynesboro Police Department, effective Sept. 15.