Limited funds hinder what government officials can do to address problems

Lynnisse Roehrich-Patrick

The Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations projected the state's infrastructure needs between now and 2015 - from road and bridge repairs to adding water and sewer lines. However, the majority of the projects that need attention, according to the commission's report, are for transportation. The group identified nearly 4,000 transportation and utility projects that need funding to the tune of $19.1 billion. Schools are the second largest group of projects needing attention - requiring $8 billion for new construction and renovations through 2015. And finally, health, safety and welfare projects that include sewer and water treatment plants would cost $7.3 billion statewide. All of the categories for infrastructure spending have seen increases in the dollar amounts needed over last year's figures.

One common thread that runs throughout the report for funding of all type of infrastructure at both the state and local government levels is "limited funding." While the reports are helpful for rural cities and counties that may not have a strong capital planning operation of their own, Lynnisse Roehrich-Patrick, executive director of the Commission, said it is challenging to get local officials to report their needs. She said local officials often "are more likely not to give us the information if they think they can't do the project."

 
TDOT recently produced its own report on infrastructure needs, along with Smart Growth America. Project stakeholders including lawmakers and representatives of state associations, state agencies, school organizations, ports, environmental groups, transit authorities and others, noted that one key shortcoming they found is that there is not a process in place for building public-private partnerships. They called building P3s "critical" to being able to meet the ever-growing infrastructure needs. 

Officials unveil plans to provide system from communities to Denver metro area

Commuter rail cars like this one built in Colorado could be making a comeback.

A proposal to establish commuter rail between communities in Larimer and Weld counties in northern Colorado with each other and with the Denver metro area was recently announced by the Northern Colorado Commuter Rail, a nonprofit organization. The $3 billion project would include an eight-route system. The founders of the organization hope to establish a nearly 213-mile rail system with 94 stations, one nearly every two miles along the route.

The system would use existing freight lines and some new links that would be built. Lines of Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Great Western and Union Pacific would be used. In addition to a line from Wellington to Fort Collins and then south to Boulder would be dedicated as well as a line from Ault south to Brighton and into Denver. A high-speed rail line would also connect Wellington to Denver. The project would be in several phases over a period of 5-10 years.

The first phase is expected to be funded with revenue bonds and cost $1 billion to build the top five corridors and 27 stations. Public Access to Transit fees, a Real Estate Transit Access fee and fare box fees would help defray the costs of the projects. Officials expect 277,000 to 284,000 riders each weekday.

All of the plans will be superseded by a $33 million feasibility study that will be necessary to determine if local governments are prepared to back implementing the proposed system. Because the system would provide service in several communities and two counties, it would have to be developed and operated by a regional transit authority or agency. Among the positives of creating a rail line, according to the developers, are the reduction of energy consumption, decreased wear and fewer maintenance needs on highways and bridges and reduced traffic congestion.

Funds would have helped build $120 million handling facilities at two port sites

Two port projects valued at $120 million will not get the $70 million in funding state officials sought from the state-owned North Carolina Railroad company. State officials asked the railroad to fund the $70 million over 10 years to help build wood pellet handling facilities at the ports of Wilmington and Morehead City.

The projects, dubbed the most expensive in the history of the state's ports, got a "no thank you" from railroad officials when asked to sign on to help financially. Lining up solidly behind the railroad were environmental groups that question whether the state has looked closely at the potential effect the projects might have on the environment. There also has been concern expressed on how more train traffic in downtown Morehead City would affect forests in the eastern part of North Carolina.

Connecticut state universities approved for millions in project spending

Lewis Robinson

Thirteen projects at state universities across Connecticut have been approved for funding by the state's Board of Regents for Higher Education. Regents agreed to borrowing $118.5 million for these projects. Among the projects are a 500-space parking garage at Western Connecticut State University, an $82 million residence hall at Central Connecticut State University and repairs and upgrades at Southern Connecticut State University and Eastern Connecticut State University. University officials report that student fees and student housing rents will be used to pay back the loans. Some members of the Regents questioned if the projects were "critical," while others noted that the list of needed projects seems to grow every year. The board is still reeling from a pay raise scandal that resulted in the resignation of two regents. Board chair Lewis Robinson said the board is trying to "sort out by priorities the things that must be addressed and deal with them not on an ad hoc basis, but thoughtfully in an approach that ends up with a policy and procedure that can be used with the next incident." In the meantime, staff noted that an inventory is being performed throughout all of the state's higher education facilities, including state universities, community colleges and an online college to determine other project needs.

Indiana University School of Medicine expanding program in Evansville

Indiana University officials are actively seeking a location to expand the university's medical school in Evansville from two years to four years of study. The Evansville campus is one of eight regional medical schools operated by the university. All are either four-year institutions or are being expanded to four years. One of the sites being considered is the former Roberts Stadium property that closed after a new $127 million Ford Center was opened. City officials are currently studying demolishing the structure. A study of other potential sites is expected to be completed by early January of next year. While the current facility is adequate for first- and second-year students, there is not enough room for expanding the program so that students can meet residency requirements at hospitals and medical facilities in the area. As the area faces a shortage of physicians, officials know that 70 percent of students who complete their residency in an area generally stay in that area after earning their degrees.  

Community college looks for private sector financing for new facility

Laura Brown

Illinois' McHenry County College is looking for a private sector partner to help finance a new health and wellness building. The Board of Trustees will vote this week on a second-phase feasibility study to study whether a public-private partnership (P3) will work to build the proposed $42 million facility, discuss possible sites for the facility and look into possible private sector partners. Officials are aware that a P3 can help build the facility without having to turn to taxpayers for the funds. "We are not going to a referendum," said Laura Brown, vice president of institutional advancement. The college would leverage debt or employment alternative revenue bonds as its part of the partnership, with the bonds to be repaid through tuition revenues. And those student using the building would also likely see additional classroom fees. Officials have done the math and determined that to meet the needs of expanding occupational, physical and respiratory therapy as well as other health and wellness curriculum would require a 120,000-square-foot building, with nearly 70 percent of the space being used for classrooms and the remainder for a fitness center.

 

Arlene Mulder

The village board of Arlington Heights, Illinois, recently approved a $95.5 million capital improvement plan that includes public facilities, infrastructure and streets and equipment repairs and replacements. Some $17.6 million will be budgeted for 2014.  Included in the five-year plan is a new $40 million police station. The current 38,000-square-foot police station was built in 1978 and officials anticipate it would need $8.78 million in maintenance from 2014 to 2017.  A previous needs assessment called for a new 75,000-square-foot facility at a cost of approximately $28 million and $10 million to $12 million more for design, engineering, temporary relocation, demolition and other costs. Because the village's bond debt would decline during the last years of the five-year plan, it would be able to afford construction of a police facility without turning to taxpayers for more funds. "We will not raise the current debt. We got the message that we need to hold the line on property taxes," said Village President Arlene Mulder. "The police department has been on hold for over a decade and we're trying to get by with as little spending as possible in a lot of areas." Current plans are to discuss and make a decision about the new police facility location in 2014, with architecture and design in 2015 and 2016. Construction is slated to begin in 2017, with the new building completed and ready for occupancy by 2019.

Officials in Jeffersonville, Indiana, have approved the sale of up to $50 million in bonds for a variety of wastewater projects throughout the city. Some $34 million of the bond funds would be used for a combined sewer overflow interceptor to meet an Environmental Protection Agency consent decree. Officials said that about $11.4 million of the funds would be used to construct a pump station on the south side of town and a north wastewater treatment plant. The remainder of the bond funds would be used for other costs that might be incurred in the projects. The bond funds would be paid back through sewer rates, which already are under an ordinance that provides for a 200 percent increase incrementally through 2015.  Officials are hopeful the rate structure will be sufficient to repay the bonds without further increases. City officials also are planning to try to recover some revenue from individuals who over time have not made payments or have been late on payments and from persons in newly annexed areas who are now using the system.

Seattle RFP seeking proposals for energy conservation pilot program

Jorge Carrasco

Public utilities officials in Seattle, Washington, are planning a pilot program aimed at helping commercial electric customers save on their energy bills. Known as "pay for performance," the plan will have commercial partners working with the city to develop innovative and verifiable approaches that lead to conservation. An RFP for the pilot program will be issued in November by Seattle City Light. "City Light will provide financial incentives through annual payments for incremental energy savings, as opposed to a one-time rebate," said City Light Superintendent Jorge Carrasco. The utility official said the city is seeking partners to create a "modeling tool" that can be replicated for future investments. Energy savings would be based on a consumer's power use. "City Light receives the benefit of actual delivered energy savings performance, with limited financial risk," said Carrasco. Officials believe the program may be the first of its kind in the nation. The original pilot will target three commercial buildings. Those responding to the RFP can combine capital, operations and maintenance and behavioral change activities. If energy savings are achieved, they will qualify for incentives at 3 cents per kilowatt hour. City Light was the first utility in the country to include conservation as an energy source and has instituted conservation programs to help customers reduce their energy consumption, which collectively have reduced their electric bills by $797 million.

 

Rhode Island airport planning to use grant funds for runway, safety

Federal funds totaling $110 million will be applied to a runway extension and for safety enhancements at the T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island. Officials are expecting these changes to affect more non-stop flights coming in and out of the airport. Some $50 million of the grant funds will be used to extend the 7,200-foot runway by almost 1,500 feet so the airport will be able to accommodate longer national and international flights. Another $30 million will be used for runway safety improvements and $30 million will help defray the costs of noise abatement for residents near the airport. The funds will be distributed over five years by the Federal Aviation Administration. The airport will throw in $42 million of its own money toward the project, too.   

 

Flushing Meadows Corona Park moves closer to becoming reality  

Don Garber

A Major League Soccer team has announced it may soon cut a deal with the city of Flushing Meadows for a 35,000-seat stadium. Don Garber, MLS Commissioner, said the proposed development would include 10-13 acres of land on the current Fountain of Planets and will include another acre of adjacent grass land. The stadium would carry a $300 million price tag and would be the most expensive soccer stadium in North America. In addition to filling the stands for games, the stadium is expected to add 160 full-time jobs for the area as well as 750 part-time positions. "We looked at a lot of sites and we believe that Queens and Flushing Meadows Corona Park was right for us," said Garber. There are some who are opposed to the stadium, but Garber blames that on misinformation. The project also calls for improving the turf on all existing soccer fields and adding new volleyball courts. While a new owner for the team and stadium have not been identified, officials note that an architectural firm has been signed on in advance of the first phase of construction. If the issue is approved, construction could begin by 2014, with an opening date of around 2016.
 

County-owned medical facility planning $40 million remodel project

The county-owned Gila Regional Medical Center in Silver City, New Mexico, is making plans for a $40 million expansion and remodeling project. Included in the upgrades will be HVAC systems; creating private room with private bathrooms and shower; replacing labor, delivery and postpartum rooms; expanding the Surgical Center area; updating patient access; creating physician specialty clinic space; and establishing outpatient service areas. To pay for the project, the hospital will bring $6.34 million to the table and the balance will be paid by a bond that will be paid back through hospital operating revenues. Construction on the Grant County-owned medical center is expected to begin with the expansion part of the project in 2014, with the remodeling projects starting in 2015.

 

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P3 partnership will have US 460 toll project starting in 2014

Gregory Whirley

A $1.396 billion public-private partnership to fund the U.S. 460 toll project in Virginia is expected to get under way in 2014, with an opening date slated in 2018. The starting rates for tolls will be $3.69 for automobiles and $11.72 for trucks to navigate the 55-mile roadway, or 6.7 cents per mile for cars and 21.3 cents per mile for trucks. Toll rates are expected to increase 3.5 percent per year. The toll road is intended to provide for easily moving freight traffic out of the state's Hampton Roads marine terminals. Federal officials also say the project will open sites for manufacturing and distribution centers that will spur economic development. The Virginia Department of Transportation has committed $753 million to $930 million in public funding for the project, with the state's Port Authority to throw in $202 million to $250 million. Although the private sector contractors will not contribute money to the project costs, they are arranging the financing. That should reduce the project's cost as well as the length of time tolls will be used to pay for it from 99 years to 40 years. "It's a great investment in the future," said State Highway Commissioner Gregory Whirley, "particularly when the Panama Canal opens up." The expansion of the Panama Canal is expected to be a boon for many American ports. Whirley said Virginia needs to be competitive to gain additional shipping business that will bring jobs to the commonwealth. The private sector partners have indicated they will be hiring numerous Virginia companies for the project.

Grant for public-private partnership will help revitalize neighborhood

A public-private partnership in Honolulu is the recipient of a $300,000 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant that will be used to help revitalize the neighborhood around Kuhio Park Terrace and Kuhio Homes. The partnership, between the Hawaii Public Housing Authority and a private development partner, was one of 17 applicants selected for grant funding from a total of 72 applicants. Called a Choice Neighborhoods grant, the funds are used to encourage collaborations among housing developers, educators, the criminal justice system and others for mixed-income neighborhoods to have good housing, high performing schools and safe streets. The project that the P3 is working on is a $135 million rehabilitation of the Towes at Kuhio Park, the first phase of a multi-year revitalization.

Michigan seeking to restore MCCC through public-private partnership

Phil Pavlov

Lawmakers in Michigan are pushing for passage of legislation that would restore the Michigan Civilian Conservation Corps (MCCC). The MCCC program would provide jobs for young adults who want to work on public works projects. The best part of the program, they say, is that it will not cost taxpayer money. The legislation recently was passed in the Michigan Senate. The bill, championed by Sen. Phil Pavlov, would operate the MCCC in partnership with universities, private companies and nonprofits with goals rooted in field-based training, conservation and restoration work. The program would be open to Michigan youth ages 17-27 and provide them with work training. The goals of the new MCCC program are retention of Michigan's youth, stewardship of the state's natural resources, enhanced education and employment opportunities and improved labor resources for state agencies and other conservation organizations. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the nonprofit MCCC program will be encouraged to work on projects to increase public access to land that will spur the local economy. Parks generally are credited with increasing nearby property values and enhancing quality of life while helping provide an economic stimulus. Lawmakers added to the bill to include some high school students and returning veterans in the program. The bill heads to the House after the November election.

 

Colorado

• The University of Colorado at Boulder is seeking bids from qualified vendors for advertising sales for the University of Colorado Boulder Alumni Association to increase sales of advertising through its communication channels.
• The State of Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing is seeking bids to pre-qualify and establish a pool of vendors who will have an opportunity to be considered to provide Health Care Consulting Services for the Department.
• The Community College of Denver is seeking bids for managed print services for the college.

Wisconsin

• The Mendota Mental Health Institute in Madison, Wisconsin, is seeking bids for the removal of the existing fire alarm systems and replacing it with a new 25 addressable horn/strobe intelligibility system. This new system will be a Notifier product.
• The University of Wisconsin at Madison is seeking bids for replacement at the Babcock Area 7A of the existing BUR roof system with fully-adhered 60-mil 26 EPDM over increased "R" value roofing system and related work, all under a single lump sum bid.
• The Wisconsin Department of Corrections at Portage, Wisconsin, is seeking bids for demolishing an existing chiller and outdoor condensing units and the furnishing and installation of a chiller and outdoor condensing units. Vendor will also furnish and install a boiler (Alternate Bid A) and provide electrical work in support of mechanical installation. 

North Carolina 

• Trident Technical College is seeking bids for an emergency alert notification broadcast system.
• The State of North Carolina Office of Information Technology Services is seeking bids for audio visual for Laerdal AVS System for the Guilford Tech Community College.

Virginia 

• Norfolk State University is seeking bids for ADA door repairs and replacements.
• Norfolk State University is seeking bids for the furnishing and installation of campus exterior lighting.

New York State

• The State of New York is seeking bids for vendors to provide authorized users with a means of acquiring miscellaneous office supplies. The standard set of miscellaneous office supplies includes, but is not limited to, breakroom supplies, business machines, janitorial/sanitation supplies, paper, limited technology and accessories and toner cartridges.
• The State of New York is seeking bids for the purchase of office equipment, which is defined as workgroup printers, multifunction printers (MFPs) and production printers.

Bernette Johnson (top left), elected in 1994 to the Louisiana State Appeals Court and assigned to the state's Supreme Court until 2000 as part of a settlement of a lawsuit, when she was elected to the high court after it reverted back to seven districts, won unanimous approval from the court to succeed Chief Justice Catherine "Kitty" Kimball as chief justice. Don Allee (top center), longtime director of Mississippi's Gulfport Port, has announced he will resign Nov. 2, amid scrutiny over how the port is spending $570 million in federal funds it was awarded to deal with damages from Hurricane Katrina, with current port COO Matthew Wypyski named to serve as interim director. Jonathan Jett (top right), maintenance and transportation director for the Perry County (Kentucky) Schools, has been awarded a six-month contract to serve as interim superintendent while a search begins for a permanent new superintendent. Laura A. Winters, who has worked in the Lakewood (New Jersey) School District since 2001 as a teacher, assistant principal and interim superintendent, will be the district's new superintendent full-time, replacing the retiring Superintendent Lydia R. Silva. Los Banos, California, has appointed Police Chief Gary Brizze to serve as acting city manager beginning Nov. 1 while also serving the police department until a new permanent city administrator is named, replacing retiring City Manager Steve Rath. Kimberly R. Jozwiak, a court administrator in the Central Texas city of Bellmead, former Justice of the Peace in Washington County and former municipal court judge in Brenham, has been appointed municipal court administrator for the city of Corpus Christi. Virginia's health commissioner, Dr. Karen Remley (middle right), recently resigned her post in response to a host of new abortion clinic regulations and will be replaced by Dr. Maureen Dempsey, deputy commissioner, until a full-time commissioner is named. Marion Martinez (middle center), has been hired as the new Binghamton City School District superintendent in New York State and will replace the retiring Superintendent Peggy Wozniak on Jan. 2, 2013, as head of the region's largest school district. Former Westminster, California, Assistant City Manager Eddie Manfro (middle left), is moving up to Interim City Manager, replacing Mitch Waller, who was forced out of that post last July. Beth Brown, an experienced emergency management official who headed up the Virginia emergency management department, where she planned and coordinated emergency preparedness for the state of Virginia and the Washington, D.C., area, has been selected civilian emergency manager for the city of Fresno, California. The city of Greenville, North Carolina, has chosen Chief Planner Chris Padgett to serve as interim assistant city manager, Capt. Ted Sauls to serve as interim police chief replacing retiring Interim Chief Joe Bartlett and Human Resources Manager Leah Futress will serve as Interim Director of Human Resources. Clifton M. "Clif" Smart III, who began his career at Missouri State University in 2007 as general counsel and has served as interim president for 16 months, has been named the university's new president. Irene Parisi (bottom left), director of curriculum, instruction and assessment for the East Windsor Public Schools in Greenwich, Connecticut, has been selected as the schools' new assistant superintendent. Louis Atwell (bottom center), former deputy director of Public Works for the city of Downey, California, where he was in charge of the Utilities and Operations divisions, has been announced to fill the post of Public Works Director and Assistant City Manager/CFO in Inglewood, California. A retired Ernst & Young executive, Patrick Hogan (bottom right), is the new chief operating officer and executive vice president of the University of Virginia, succeeding Michael Strine, who resigned in August. Russ Widman, director of aviation for the city of Fresno, California, has resigned from the post he has held since April 2004 and Assistant Director of Aviation Kevin Meikle will serve as interim director. Scott F. Lucas. a 21-year firefighter who spent the last three years as assistant fire chief for the Westland Fire Department in Michigan, has been chosen as fire chief for the city of Bangor, Maine, effective Dec. 3. Ocean City, Maryland, Police Chief Bernadette DePino, a fourth-generation police officer who started her law enforcement career in 1985 with the Baltimore County Police Department, is leaving her post to begin serving as chief of the Sarasota, Florida, police department.