Transparency is supposed to be a "given" in the public sector. That is both good and bad.

As tech-savvy taxpayers and citizens demand more public information via the Internet, it places a huge burden on public officials. Public documents, organizational changes, new regulations and emergency data all need to be updated regularly. License renewals have moved online. Contracting opportunities are advertised online and all kinds of additional information must be posted. Now, with public-private partnerships becoming more common, there is even more information to put online. It all takes time and resources to keep data timely, but in the future, this type of public access will ultimately reduce costs, time and resources.

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Recipients together expected to reap $400,000 in annual energy savings

Robert Weisenmiller

Almost $5 million has been awarded by the California Energy Commission to three California cities and one college to improve their energy efficiency. Energy Commission Chair Robert B. Weisenmiller called the investment "a simple, effective way to reduce energy use and money." He said the recipients expect to realize annual energy savings of $400,000.

The projects include retrofitting of lights, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) units and the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. Together, the projects are expected to save 2.8 million kilowatt hours or $422,456 in energy costs annually. Projects included:

• City of Patterson - $2.8 million for installation of energy-efficient building lighting, streetlights and solar PV systems at city-owned facilities. Solar panels will be installed at the city's wastewater treatment plant, maintenance yard, senior center and aquatic center.
• City of San Pablo - $1.14 million to install three solar PV systems totaling 280 kilowatts at the city hall, police station and senior center. The systems are composed of 16 separate rooftop and carport PV systems.
• California City - $161,890 to install new energy-efficient HVAC systems and new energy-efficient lights at the city hall, police station, fire station, city yard, airport and animal control building.
• Santa Barbara Community College District - $750,000 to fund energy efficiency upgrades at Santa Barbara City College. The college will upgrade exterior lights, streetlights, parking lot lights and pathway lights to light emitting diode (LED) technology and the latest generation linear and compact fluorescent lights.

The combined $4,851,890 in energy loans for these projects are granted at a 1 percent interest rate for local governments, public K-12 schools, special districts and public and non-profit hospitals and care facilities.

Officials say growth could mean $1.1 billion economic boost

Phil Brown

A plan to spend $2.1 billion on improvements to the Orlando International Airport through 2018 has been released by the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority. The success of the proposal is contingent on passenger growth and the top airlines at the airport agreeing to fee rates they will be asked to pay the airport.

Phil Brown, executive director of the authority, admits it will be a hard sell to get airlines to pay higher fees, which will be necessary because $746.2 million of the $2.1 billion would have to come from future fees.

Among the projects in the plan questioned by the airlines are a new south terminal complex valued at $1.3 billion, including an extension of the airport's people mover system and a new 16-gate terminal and improvements valued at $114 million to keep international traffic moving.

Officials say the growth of the airport is at stake, as well as providing a $1.1 billion shot in the arm for the local economy. They say the projects, valued at $526 million and including renovation and extension of the people mover system, a 3,500-space parking garage and a new 200-space cell phone parking lot, could create up to 11,000 new jobs and provide a $1.1 billion boost to the area economy. Officials also note that if more room is not created to process international travelers, the airport's ability to attract more international traffic will be negatively affected.

Public-private partnerships are catching on throughout the country. "This area is probably the hottest new business trend that we will see in the next two decades, and here's the reason - it will spur economic activity more than anything else." That's what Strategic Partnerships, Inc. President and CEO Mary Scott Nabers says in a recent interview with McCombs Today, an online publication of the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin. Read the complete interview and see what Nabers thinks the future holds for public-private partnerships involving government entities from cities and counties to college campuses.

Joplin school district plans new schools, several safe rooms

Officials in Joplin, Missouri, are ready to solicit bids for a new Joplin High School and Franklin Technology Center. The final architectural drawings for the facilities were recently received and a bid opening has been tentatively scheduled for about six weeks. In addition to the new schools, the district also is planning for construction of five safe rooms. Seventy-five percent of the cost of the safe rooms will be paid for by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, with the school district paying the remaining 25 percent. The safe rooms will be constructed at McKinley, Eastmorland, Cecil Floyd and Stapleton elementary schools and at Junge Stadium. They will be under construction in the spring after school is out. The grant was for $2.8 million.

Washington Senate authorizes $544 million for school projects

Bonds totaling $544 million were approved by the Washington State Senate recently. The funding includes $10 million for security upgrades in response to the increase nationwide of shooting deaths. Other legislation was also passed by the Senate that addresses campus security. It would provide that school security money be used for panic alarms that would notify local law enforcement during emergencies. Other projects would include reducing the number of public entryways into schools and controlling and monitoring those entrances to ensure only authorized persons enter the schools. Sen. Bruce Dammeier said he wished there was no need for the additional safety measures. "I wish we lived in a world where our schools were entirely secure and our kids were perfectly safe," Dammeier said. "Sadly, that's not the world we live in. But, we can make them safer than they are today." The Senate's passing these bills is happening at the same time that numerous school districts throughout the state are preparing for bond issues of their own.

Oklahoma bond elections address public school construction

Several school bond issues were recently held in school districts in Southeastern Oklahoma. The bond issues will result in millions of dollars' worth of construction activities.

Included among the bond issues passed were:

• Caddo Public Schools - $400,000 to build a library for elementary schools and $300,000 to build classroom and restrooms for the high school;
• Greenville Elementary School - $135,000 to repair and remodel school buildings;
• Moyers Public Schools - $150,000 to repair and remodel school buildings;
• Albion Elementary School - $40,000 to repair and remodel school buildings and $95,000 to purchase transportation equipment.

VDOT issues RFP for design, construction of ferry boat

A request for proposals has been issued by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) for design and construction management of a new 70-vehicle capacity, double-ended ferry for the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry service. Officials estimate the cost to build the steel ferry boat at about $27 million. The new boat would replace the service's oldest ferry, The Virginian. That boat has a capacity of 28 vehicles and was built in 1936. VDOT is seeking a naval architect to design the boat and provide construction management. The winner of the contract would develop design plans, specifications, bid documents, construction cost estimates and project schedules for the ferry. That would also include designing all components and auxiliaries that meet all federal, state and local agency requirements regarding design. Construction could begin this year, with a timeline of no later than 2016 as the date the vessel would be put in use.

Ohio city plans to use surplus funds for future capital projects

With a surplus of funds at the end of 2012, officials in Waterville, Ohio, are planning to use some of that $2.4 million in funds to fund future capital improvement projects. City leaders met in January to discuss how to spend the funds. At that time, city officials decided that 75 percent of the surplus funds, or $1.7 million, would be put into an account for future capital improvement projects. Among the spending will be adding more than $857,000 to a project to expand and renovate the city's Public Service Department complex. The city had previously allocated more than $3 million toward that project. The additional funding will be used for upgraded landscape at the facility and making the face of the new construction match other new construction and the addition of new offices and a vehicle lift.

UNC Hospitals issue RFP for architectural, engineering services

The University of North Carolina Hospitals have issued an RFP for architectural and engineering services for renovation of the second floor of the Meadowmont Village Building 300. The 24,000-square-foot facility will see current office space converted to clinic functions. That area will be dedicated to 5,000 square feet for a Pulmonary Clinic, 10,000 square feet for Endocrinology Practice and 5,000 square feet for Endocrinology and Diabetes research. These practices will be relocated from off-site locations into the new facilities. The budget has been preliminarily set at $3.6 million.

Louisiana city seeking funding for wastewater system upgrades

Seeking to make improvements to its wastewater system, the city of Monroe, Louisiana, is asking to borrow up to $25 million from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality to help make those improvements. The issue will be taken before the state bond commission for review. If approved, the issue would then come back before the city council for its approval, probably around April. The funding would help defray the cost of three improvement projects in southern Monroe, repair and improvement to the main line to the Standifer pump station, three projects in northern Monroe, including the River Oaks Subdivision to U.S. 165 and around the Forsythe pump station. Also, in southern Monroe, areas along the south end of the town would be addressed.

Wastewater bids likely to be sought in New York in April

Paperwork has been filed regarding the Clark Mills wastewater upgrades, and bids are expected to be sought in March or April. That would allow for construction to begin this summer. The more than $5.4 million project will take about 14 months to complete. Historically, the plant has been too small to handle increasing water flows. The project received federal funding previously from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. However, the plans were restructured. The city was into the preliminary stages of the project when the funding was recalled, based on the city's population having grown past the limit for receiving funding. Following the recall of that promise of funding, the city turned to the Environmental Facilities Corp. and was offered a $2 million grant and a $3.4 million zero percent, interest-free, 30-year loan. That funding will cover the cost of the project, but would have resulted in a $40 to $50 increase in sewage rates for 2015.

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Pennsylvania officials looking at P3s to fund bridge repairs

If Pennsylvania bridges are to be repaired quicker, state officials says the best route might be through public-private partnerships (P3s). They say that a P3 could help them complete bridge projects in a year or two instead of the nearly 10 years it would take through conventional methods. A public-private partnership board was appointed in the state last fall and may be called on by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to address the backlog of bridge repair projects that can be funded quickly from the governor's transportation plan.

The state currently has more than 7,400 structurally deficient bridges. The P3 board could identify similar bridges and ask private sector firms to bid on them. Officials say one of two P3 scenarios could occur. One would allow for the identification of the largest project that is too expensive for the state to fund and seek a private firm to fund the work in exchange for making the bridge a toll bridge on which the private firm could collect toll revenue. The alternative is to bundle several similar bridge projects and allow private firms to bid on doing all the work at once.

PennDOT officials note that no public-private partnerships can be entered into until the state's transportation funding plan is approved. Once that happens, the state could begin to solicit proposals. Also, private sector firms are welcome to offer unsolicited proposals.  

 

Boston selects developer to build two mid-priced hotels

James Rooney

Two mid-priced hotels will be built across from the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center after state convention officials recently selected a developer for their construction. The hotels are expected to be the first step toward a $2 billion planned expansion. Commonwealth Ventures will be responsible for the $137 million hotels and construction is expected to begin by the end of this year.

 

One hotel will feature 330 rooms and the other will include 180 rooms. These two hotels are hoped to be part of a bigger expansion that would include a 1,000-room headquarters hotel, parking garages, public parks and an increase that will double the size of the South Boston hall exhibit space.

 

"This is another major step forward for us," said James Rooney, executive director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority. Rooney said Boston is at a disadvantage because it only has about 1,700 hotel rooms around the center while cities that compete with Boston have up to 8,000. And Boston has no mid-priced hotels. The developer chosen has not built hotels previously, but has built other facilities such as an office tower. The developer will pay about $3.4 million in rent to the convention center authority over the next 10 years. The authority owns the land on which the hotels will be built. The hotels are expected to generate about $5 million per year in city and state tax revenues.

 

Texas city negotiating with developer for conference center, hotel

The city of Longview, Texas, has authorized negotiations with a developer to build a hotel and conference center in the city through a public-private partnership. City officials are talking with a developer and the owner of the property. The exact location has not been revealed, nor has the name of the developer, but the construction is expected to be on the Interstate 20 corridor.

 

The agreement being sought would have the developer build the hotel and the city build the conference center. The city chose a public-private partnership. Officials are hoping for a facility that could accommodate a 1,000-person banquet with seven break-out rooms and a full-service restaurant and bar.

 

Part of the negotiation will be to examine the cost and scope of the project and a method of financing the city's portion of the project. It could be financed through a bond election or perhaps through hotel occupancy tax revenues.

 

Public-private partnership sought for possible third airport in Chicago area

Karen Freeman-Wilson

A public-private partnership will be sought to help ensure a third airport in Chicago. "A public-private partnership is the right growth strategy for the tri-state region's third largest airport," said Gary, Indiana, Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson. An ad hoc committee has been appointed to conduct due diligence necessary and then to make recommendations within the next couple of months.

 

According to a report by the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority, the economic impact of a revitalized third airport would likely be an estimated $400 million in capital investment, 2,400 direct and indirect jobs and an annual economic output of $526 million.

 

Officials have noted that total privatization of the airport is not under consideration. The airport already is undergoing a $167 million runway extension project that is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Freeman-Wilson called the project a "long-term investment to grow the region by attracting companies in the aviation, manufacturing, warehousing and logistics industries and expand ground capacity to better manage air traffic." The airport is directly connected to Chicago's transportation network via rail freight, interstate and mass transit integration.

 

North Dakota

• The North Dakota Office of Management and Budget is seeking bids from a qualified vendor to provide office supplies to state agencies and other government entities choosing to participate.
• The North Dakota Department of Transportation is seeking bids from a qualified supportive services consultant to provide technical assistance to Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE). Supportive services are those activities and services that are designed to increase the total number of DBEs active in transportation-related construction, contracting and consulting. DBEs are provided supportive services to assist their firms' growth and self-sufficiency and to improve their proficiency in competing for Federal Highway Administration, Federal Aviation Administration and Federal Transit Administration contracts and subcontracts. 

South Carolina 

• The South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles is seeking bids from qualified vendors to answer and successfully resolve all general, driver and vehicle calls, live chats and emails received in the Contact Center for the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles.
• The South Carolina Housing, Finance and Development Authority is seeking a qualified full-service marketing and advertising agency or a joint venture of multiple specialized agencies to work with the Authority in the development, implementation and evaluation of the state's strategic, integrated marketing programs to promote the South Carolina Homeownership and Employment Lending Program (SC HELP) as a legitimate, U.S. government-backed program designed to enable South Carolina homeowners who meet certain qualification standards to avoid the potentially devastating impacts of property foreclosure. 

Ohio

• The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is seeking bids for professional services to develop new and/or update existing flood hazard data, assist with selected watershed discovery projects, provide public outreach and create other risk mapping, assessment and planning (Risk MAP) related products, as directed by ODNR Floodplain Management personnel.
• The Ohio Facilities Construction Commission is seeking for bids a construction manager-at-risk for design and construction of a new University Center on its Main Campus in Wilberforce /Greene County. 

Virginia

• The Virginia Community College System is seeking bids for the complete tear off of an existing roofing system of the Bisdorf Building Phase 1 and 2 on the campus of the Northern Virginia Community College, Alexandria Campus, Alexandria, Virginia, and providing a new adhered PVC Single Ply roofing system, including insulation. The total area to be reroofed is approximately 51,250 square feet.
• The Stafford County Purchasing Office is seeking bids for the construction of the Embrey Mill Athletic Fields - Phase 1 for the Stafford County Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities.

Connecticut

• The Connecticut Department of Administrative Services is seeking bids for microfilm services for the state of Connecticut Military Department. The contractor must be capable of reproducing state government records from scanned images or compact disk (CD) in digital format and/or microfilm as outlined in this solicitation.
• The Connecticut Department of Administrative Services is seeking bids for the Department of Consumer Protection to develop and administer qualifying examinations for licensure, collect continuing education credits issued to licensees from approved providers, collect and process license applications and fees, effectively transfer acquired data to the Client Agency and maintain appropriate records and report on activity associated with this contract award.

Free listings offered for RFPs to public sector entities, nonprofits

Sam Somers (top left), deputy chief of the Sacramento Police Department since 2006 and a member of the police force since 1984, has been named police chief, replacing Rick Braziel, who retired. George Julian Dworin (top center), who has 20 years of business management and advertising experience and has served more than 400 corporate, institutional, nonprofit and small business clients during his career, has been selected as director of the Silver City, New Mexico, Arts and Cultural District. Becky Kesler (top right) former assistant superintendent of secondary education at the Texarkana, Arkansas, School District, has been chosen as the district's new superintendent. The Stanley County (South Dakota) School District has hired Dan Martin, high school principal in the Fremont County School District in Shoshoni, Wyoming, as its new superintendent, effective July 1, replacing Don Hotalling, who is retiring. Jacksonville (Florida) Transportation Authority CEO Nathaniel Ford has named four members of his administrative team, including: Atlanta attorney William Moseley, chief of staff; Alice Tolbert Cannon, former Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority employee, vice president of external affairs; Henry Li, Hampton Roads Transit in Virginia executive, vice president of finance and administration; Michael Sloan, vice president of compliance and risk management; and Brad Thoburn, JTA, vice president of long-range planning, capital programs and system development. Gary Alexander (middle right), secretary of Public Welfare for the state of Pennsylvania, has resigned, with Deputy Secretary Bev Mackereth named acting secretary. Karen Mills (middle center), a former venture capitalist who has headed the Small Business Administration for the past four years, is stepping down, but said she would stay until a successor is confirmed by the Senate. Robert Shilling (middle left), a member of the New Mexico State Police since 1992 after working for the Silver City Police Department, has been confirmed as State Police Chief, replacing Faron Segotta, who retired. John R. Kellogg, an administrator in the South-Western Ohio School District, has been chosen as the next superintendent of Westerville Schools, replacing Dan Good, who is retiring. Allen Parker, an economic development consultant since 2006, is the new city manager of the city of San Bernadino, replacing former acting city manager Andrea Travis-Miller, who quit the job. Retired Maj. Gen. Abraham Turner, executive director of the South Carolina unemployment agency, has resigned and will be replaced by retired Air Force Brig. Gen. John Finan, who previously has served as interim executive director. Brad Laures (bottom left), superintendent of the Lisbon School District, has been chosen for the superintendent's job at the Denver (Iowa) School District. James Williams II (bottom center), deputy chief of the Oakland, California, Fire Department, is the new fire chief for the city of Oxnard, effective in early March. Mark Watkins (bottom right), assistant city manager of Thousand Oaks, California, since 2011, has been chosen as the new city manager for the city of Ventura.The Clark County (Nevada) School District has selected Lucy Keaton to become the first assistant superintendent of the district's English Language Learner program. The village board in Fisher, Illinois, has hired Steven Bein, a former Gibson City police officer, as its new police chief, replacing the retiring Charlie Shepard. The Fairfax County (Virginia) Board of Supervisors has appointed Richard Bowers Jr., fire chief in Montgomery County, Maryland, as the county's new fire chief, replacing Ronald Mastin, who will retire in May.