Because the world is so connected to the Internet, delivery of information and services via computers has become the norm. It is almost impossible today to conduct business or interact with others without access to the Internet. It may soon be impossible to prosper without connectivity. Americans living in areas where Internet access is strained will, at the very least, have significant restrictions. It is a problem that must be resolved.

Government officials are focused on the issue, but relief will not be quick or universal. Many regions are limited to a single Internet provider and others lack broadband access entirely. The disparity is closely linked to rural and low-income regions where there is little incentive for private-sector firms to invest in infrastructure.   

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Yonkers Public Schools seek private partners for $1.7B facility upgrades

An independent commission's findings following a study of the Yonkers (New York) Public Schools' internationally acclaimed public-private partnership proposal (P3) for rebuilding the city's schools is headed to the desk of Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano this week. The school district is hoping that the report will be favorably received by the mayor and the city, as support from the city is a necessary part of the proposal.

At a recent World Cities Summit in Singapore, the Yonkers school P3 project was named one of the world's 100 most innovative urban infrastructure projects. Called the first social infrastructure P3 for a public school district in the United States, the project would result in upgrades to 38 schools in the district and could serve as a national model for many cash-strapped public school districts throughout the country.

Several years in the making, the Yonkers Schools P3 would result in rebuilding and renovating deteriorating schools in the district with the financial assistance of a group of private-sector companies. Those companies would either construct or renovate schools in the district and then operate those schools during what is expected would be a long-term agreement for a number of years. The private-sector firms would recoup their investment by assessing fees that involve some amount of both city and state funding.

Yonkers Public Schools Superintendent Bernard P. Pierorazio (pictured) said the school district is not in the business of managing school facilities, but in the business of educating children. He said the proposed P3 "allows us to transfer the responsibility of building management to the private sector, who can do it more efficiently and, frankly, more effectively." Pierorazio has previously stated that he does not think the city can use traditional borrowing methods, such as bonds, to meet the needs of aging facilities in the school district. He said the P3 proposal, in the works for several years and dubbed Yonkers PRIDE, can meet those facility needs.

Supporters of the P3 say one need look only to the age of the facilities in the school district to see the need for capital improvements. The Yonkers district's buildings are the oldest in New York State, with an average age of almost 75 years old. Several of the buildings are more than 95 years old and one is 117 years old. The state regards 95 percent of the district's buildings as "unsatisfactory." Add to that a rapidly growing student population, and the need for both new and upgraded facilities is hard to deny. Because of its current debt and dwindling revenue, the district in recent years has taken a Band-Aid approach to fixing problems with those facilities. The proposed P3 would result in a design-build-finance-maintain model, where the costs to the district would be minimal, as private sector partners would shoulder financing the projects, along with taking on most of the risk. The project, on the other hand, is attractive to private-sector partners because interest rates are at a near all-time low and they are looking for long-term investments.

SBA says mall businesses slighted for seventh consecutive years

The federal government is well on its way to setting a record, but it's not one to brag about. The Small Business Administration (SBA) recently reported that the feds - for at least the seventh consecutive year - have failed to meet their goal for small business contracting.

Federal law provides that U.S. government entities must make a good faith effort to award 23 percent of federal contracts to small businesses. The federal government came close this year, but did not meet the goal. The SBA reports that in FY 2012, federal agencies awarded $89.9 billion in contracts to small businesses, or 22.25 percent of all contracts. For the previous fiscal year, that figure was $91.5 billion in small business contracts, or 21.65 percent of total federal spending. In fact, the federal government has not achieved the projected target since prior to 2006.

The U.S. House Small Business Committee chair, Rep. Sam Graves, said the administration should make these contracting goals a "priority because it is efficient governance, and not just a law that makes small businesses feel good."

Agencies also are encouraged to make 5 percent of federal contracts to women-owned business and 3 percent to businesses located in poor neighborhoods. Agencies failed to meet either of those goals as well. The only good news from the SBA report is that the federal government did meet contracting goals for small disadvantaged businesses and businesses owned by service-disabled veterans.

Opens door for projects other than just infrastructure, water, housing needs

Although public-private partnerships (P3s) have been used extensively in Florida for transportation projects, Gov. Rick Scott (pictured) has signed legislation into law that expands the use of P3s in the state. Now, all kinds of P3s will be open to private-sector investors and developers.

One successful public-private partnership in the state that involved the Florida Department of Transportation was the Interstate 4 Connector. Another successful P3 was a project that made U.S. Highway 19 a controlled access highway from Whitney Road to S.R. 60.

While previous P3 engagements were mostly limited to transportation, water, housing and municipal infrastructure projects, the new legislation signed by Scott will allow P3s for Florida municipalities, school boards, regional entities and state subdivisions. Even country road projects and public service work with a nonprofit or charitable youth organization are included. Not only can entities solicit proposals, but they can also accept unsolicited proposals. The new law also creates a task force to recommend guidelines for a uniform process for establishing P3s.

Iowa school district passes $41 million local bond issue

Voters in Johnson, Iowa, have said "yes" to a $41 million local school bond issue that will lead to both construction and renovation projects throughout the district. The successful bond vote comes on the heels of voters saying no to a similar $51 million bond election last September. The bond proceeds will help pay for a new $81 million high school expected to open in 2016. Other funding from the bonds will be used to make renovations to the high school and middle schools and one elementary. These projects collectively will cost approximately $106 million.  

Alabama school system discussing mobile computers for students

Calling its program "Power Up," the Athens (Alabama) City Schools are considering equipping students in the district with mobile computing technology. Board members recently heard a proposal to buy more than 3,300 laptops and tablet computers for students and teachers in kindergarten through 12th grade. The purchase would be funded by a penny increase in local sales tax that went into effect last January. The computer technology purchases would be spread out over the next three years. During the first year, all teachers in grades 7-12 would be provided laptops and tablets would be provided for K-6th grade teachers. The program also calls for extensive professional development over the next 18 months, with technology coaching made available to classroom teachers. Mobile computer carts would be added in each school to facilitate teachers implementing what they learned in training. More tablets would also be available in elementary schools. During the second year, students in 7th and 8th grades would receive laptops for school site instruction while students in 9th through 12th grades would be allowed to use the laptops both at school and at home. Tablets would be made available for all elementary and intermediate school students. The schools would purchase the new technology on a lease-purchase plan. The total lease payment over four years would be more than $915,000 or $1.09 million over three years. Superintendent Trey Holladay (pictured) said graduating seniors would be allowed to purchase the laptops at a discounted rate if they want to keep them, with the proceeds from the sales being returned to the computer purchasing fund. The proposal will first have to be approved by the school board.

University of Missouri-Kansas City gets pledge for arts campus

A $20 million pledge toward the creation of a Downtown Campus for the Arts for the University of Missouri-Kansas City has been announced by the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation. The challenge grant would help fund the first phase of the project, which includes moving the university's Conservatory of Music and Dance to a Crossroads District location. The project also includes moving other university-based arts programs to the new site. The funding, however, is contingent on the Conservatory raising the additional $70 million of the project costs for the first phase. That amount must be raised in three years. A recent economic impact study estimates that the economic activity related to construction of the arts campus and reuse of the Volker campus would create more than 400 jobs, create $30.9 million in gross domestic product and $22.9 million in real disposable personal income per year for 25 years. The construction part of the project alone would be responsible for half of that impact.

Three universities working together on $200 million redevelopment plan

A private university and two public institutions of higher education have announced a redevelopment plan and partnership that will result in a facility being shared by the three. The Dynamo House in Providence, Rhode Island, has been vacant since 1999. Brown University, Rhode Island College and the University of Rhode Island are participating in a $200 million redevelopment of the structure. Half of the approximately 240,000-square-foot building will be used for a joint nursing program of the Rhode Island College and the University of Rhode Island. Brown University will use the remaining 120,000 square feet for administrative offices. The project also includes construction of student housing for approximately 300 graduate, medical and nursing students. It will also include a restaurant and additional retail space, space for small high-tech companies and startups and a 600-space parking area. Construction could begin next spring. Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee (pictured) called the proposal "a perfect example of the job-generating potential of the meds and the eds," in reference to the medical and education industries working together. ''Our institutions of higher learning are partnering - with state and city support - with a private developer to breathe new life into a building, a neighborhood and our entire capital city.'' The facility is in what has been known as the Jewelry District because it was once a jewelry manufacturing district. Officials are hoping the area will now become a hub for health care, research and higher education. Brown opened a new medical school building there two years ago, and the school's investment in the district over the last 10 years has totaled $200 million.

Detroit school district seeks to pass $222M bond for various projects

A bond election is set next month in Farmington Hills, Detroit, for the Farmington Public Schools. The proceeds from a successful bond vote would pay for security, technology and infrastructure upgrades. Chief among the projects would be renovations of numerous older facilities. "Renovations to all our schools, K-12, is an essential component in moving our schools and community forward," said Superintendent Susan Zurvalec. The bonds would also pay for needed technology upgrades, putting a computing device such as a tablet or laptop in the hands of each student. Classrooms would be equipped with interactive whiteboards or projectors. Security enhancements are also part of the bond vote, to include revamping of school entrances to ensure better safety and limiting and rerouting access from outside the building. The bonds would also provide for improvements at the high school auditoriums, upgrades to the media center, a new pool at a high school and replacement of synthetic turf fields. Also included are infrastructure upgrades to include plumbing, roof repair and HVAC systems.

Illinois county awarded $35M in federal funds for reservoirs

An allocation of $35 million from the federal government is headed to Cook County, Illinois, to help complete the McCook and Thornton reservoirs to hold storm water and mitigate flooding. The reservoirs are being built by the Metropolitan Water and Reclamation District (MWRD), which plans to spend an additional $1 billion on the projects. Flooding in the county has become more frequent, resulting in millions of dollars in losses for residents and businesses in the area. The MWRD has already spent $3 billion on the projects. The latest phase includes tunnels 35 feet in diameter to keep floodwater from backing up into basements or polluting Lake Michigan.

Los Angeles to be home to world's largest groundwater treatment center

Two plants costing $600 million and $800 million will be part of the world's largest groundwater treatment center to be built in the San Fernando Basin. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power will build the plant over one of the largest Superfund sites in the country. The plants will restore groundwater pumping of drinking water from many wells in the San Fernando Valley that the department began closing in the 1980s. The plants will also be used to ensure no other wells are closed. "By 2035, we plan to reduce our purchases of imported water by half," said James McDaniel (pictured), DWP's senior assistant general manager. One of the plants will process three times as much water per second as the world's largest existing groundwater treatment facility. Officials expect construction to begin within five years and to have both centers operating by 2022. Together, they will produce about one-fourth of the 215 billion gallons of water consumed by the city each year. The project will be paid for through customer revenues and municipal bond sales over 30-40 years, according to McDaniel. In spite of a yet-to-be-determined rate increase, some of the costs will be offset by a reduction in demand for imported water that is more costly and from federal financial support from the Superfund laws, which are paid by parties responsible for contamination.

City in Texas issues RFQ for firm for possible private prison facility

Officials in the city of McAllen, Texas, are issuing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ), seeking potential candidates to run its 1,000-bed private prison. The city is seeking information from private sector firms regarding their experience, financial information and references and to show their interest in the construction of a proposed 1,000-bed prison. The facility would accept federal inmates under the city's agreement with the U.S. Marshal's Office. Most of the details of such a project have yet to be ironed out, but officials believe such a facility could reduce travel and logistics problems for the Marshals Service, which moves inmates from private prisons in Laredo and LA Villa to McAllen for court hearings. The federal government currently pays the city of McAllen $52 per day per inmate housed at its Public Safety Building. McAllen law enforcement officials currently house about 30 federal inmates there. The new proposed jail facility would hold inmates under the agreement with the Marshals Service and the jail owner would then pay the city. The amount would be subject to negotiation. Construction of the facility would cost about $50 million, and create 300 jobs. Because it would be a private facility, property taxes would be collected on the prison.

North Carolina beaches, waterways to benefit from $24.5M in federal funds

Federal funding totaling $24.5 million will fund projects at North Carolina's State Port of Wilmington, area beaches and the Intracoastal Waterway. The projects include port and waterway dredging and nourishment of beaches as part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2013 Work Plan. Rep. Mike McIntyre (pictured), said the funds will be a boon for the North Carolina coast. "We are thrilled that these funds are coming home to make a difference," said McIntyre. The funding in the Work Plan includes $16.37 million for operations and maintenance of the Wilmington Port, $1.89 million for operations and maintenance of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, $488,000 for operations and maintenance of the Cape Fear River Above Wilmington, $274,000 for investigations on Surf City and North Topsail beach, $49,900 for investigations on Wilmington Harbor Improvements and $5.46 million for construction of Ocean Isle Beach, Caswell Beach and Holden Beach in Brunswick County.

City of Raleigh plans $75 million bond referendum in fall

A $75 million bond issue has been approved for the fall by the Raleigh, North Carolina, City Council. Plans for how the bond proceeds will be spent have not been finalized, but there is speculation that one of the likely projects will be the new Raleigh Union Station. The project includes combining bus, Amtrak and future high-speed rail depots into one station in downtown Raleigh in the Warehouse District. The Council is expected to begin hammering out specifics for the bonds at their June 24 meeting. The bond election will then be held Oct. 8. The last transportation bond issue was a successful $40 million election that funded bicycle lanes, greenways, new sidewalks and old sidewalk repairs and general street resurfacing projects.

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Public-private partnership could speed up I-64 improvements

Tennessee city using P3 for ice rink, hockey center construction

A public-private partnership between the city of Nashville, Metro Sports Authority and the Nashville Predators hockey team is building a $32 million, mixed-use complex that will include a community ice rink and hockey center. Mayor Karl Dean (pictured) said the facility will be a convenience for citizens in the community because it will have an ice rink, community center, park and library in one location. "This new public facility will benefit nearby neighborhoods and the surrounding retail and commercial area by attracting more people to the vicinity and creating a more stable business environment," said Dean. The 86,000-square-foot hockey center, which will feature two ice rinks, will be used by the professional team as well as local youth hockey programs. The community center, at 40,000 square feet, will have a gym, walking track, dance studio and other features. The park, at four acres, will include a walking trail, bike racks, outdoor fitness equipment and a playground. The city's Southeast Branch of the Nashville Public Library will more than double in size.

Judge pushing for P3 for construction of new courthouse in Illinois

Illinois Chief Circuit Court Judge Richard Schoenstedt is pushing for a public-private partnership to build a new courthouse in Will County. Schoenstedt says the county should explore a P3 as the Illinois Department of Transportation has done for a $1.3 billion project on the Iliana Expressway that links two local interstate highways and the more than $400 million South Suburban Airport near Peotone. The judge said he believes a private-sector partner on the project could get the facility built quicker than the public sector alone.

Virginia identifies 10 projects for possible public-private partnerships

Citing the high cost of transportation projects, Virginia Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton (pictured) has identified 10 highway-related projects with costs high enough that the state is open to conversations on the use of public-private partnerships for the projects. "The cost of these very large projects is so enormous that we need to look to the private sector for financing and for innovation," said Connaughton. The state's Office of Transportation Public-Private Partnerships is planning to take comments on the proposals through Aug. 1. Among the proposed projects for P3 funding are a connector road between U.S. 460 and I85 south of Petersburg, widening of I-64 between Richmond and Newport News, converting the I-64 high-occupancy lanes to HOV lanes in the Hampton Roads region, improving the Hampton Roads bridge and tunnel crossings, widening I-66 in Northern Virginia, extending I-495 toll express lanes in Northern Virginia, improving the U.S. 460-58 connector in S. Hampton Roads, leasing air rights for development projects over I-66 in Northern Virginia, constructing I-73 from Roanoke south to North Carolina in the U.S. 220 corridor and leasing state right-of-way for cell towers and fiber optic cables. Additionally, several conceptual public-private projects under study include such items as roadway access improvements in connection with development on the new U.S. 460, the use of mobile smart technology for checking truck weight and credentials at highway speeds, development of a visitor center and tourist support facilities near the Wallops Island spaceport and providing advertising and sponsorship opportunities to generate revenue at existing park-and-ride lots. The Office of Transportation Public-Private Partnerships will hold a webinar for industry representatives on July 22.

Marine research center planned by Los Angeles port officials

A new $500 million marine research center is planned by Los Angeles port officials at a 100-year-old wharf on the San Pedro waterfront. Called AltaSea, the facility will allow research at the port in addition to its main use of facilitating cargo. The center will have direct access to both the harbor and the ocean. The project is expected to take 15-20 years to complete and will sit on a 28-acre site and include labs with circulating seawater, classrooms and support facilities. Outgoing Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said the center will allow for addressing ocean-related environmental issues not just in Southern California, but which will impact the world. The first phase of the project, which carries a price tag of $155 million, is expected to be completed in 2018. Part of the funding will come from a $25 million gift from the Annenberg Foundation, with those funds to be used for development.

Kentucky jumping on the public-private partnership band wagon

The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce will join in an effort started by businesses in Northern Kentucky to bring private funding to public projects through public-private partnerships (P3s). In fact, the chamber plans to issue a report in the next few weeks regarding the benefits of P3s. David Adkisson (pictured), president of the state chamber, is urging business leaders to support the P3 concept. The chamber is likely to promote P3 legislation in 2014 for projects such as infrastructure, state parks and other issues. Adkisson said one of the major advantages of a public-private partnership is that the private sector can provide funding that is not available to cash-strapped governments that have seen their cash decline for a number of reasons, not the least of which are falling tax revenues and federal funding sources that are drying up or have been cut completely. "State government is going to be strapped because of the Medicaid expansion, because of the pressure of prisons and public employee benefits," said the chamber president. The Northern Kentucky Chamber and a business alliance pushed for a bill that would allow P3s for financing road and bridge projects. A sponsor for the bill was found, but the bill died in committee.

 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 Brenna Berman.

Brenna Berman (pictured) earned a bachelor's degree in public policy from the University of Chicago and a Masters of Public Policy from the Harris School of Public Policy. In 1998, she began her information technology career as an analyst for HFR, Inc., serving in that capacity until 2000. She then was hired as an executive consultant for IBM, holding that post until May, 2011 when she was named Global Solutions Manager for IBM Global Services, holding that position from 2005 to 2011. In June 2012, Berman was named 1st Deputy Commissioner with the Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT) for the city of Chicago. Berman has worked for DoIT for more than 10 years, working most recently as acting commissioner for the agency.Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel recently nominated Berman to become the city's new chief information officer, replacing Brett Goldstein, who left in May. Berman will assume the roles of CIO and commissioner for the Chicago Department of Innovation and Technology. As the city's new CIO, Berman will also oversee the continued deployment of the city's spatial analytics platform, WindyGrid.

Kevin Boberg (top left), director and CEO of New Mexico State University's Arrowhead Center, has been appointed as NMSU's interim vice president for economic development, according to NMSU President Garrey Carruthers. Gregory Franklin (top center), assistant secretary of health information technology in the California Technology Agency since 2011 and how has provided oversight of the state's health IT infrastructure, will be retiring from state service in September. Ana Matosantos (top right), the California Department of Finance director whom Gov. Jerry Brown retained from the Schwarzenegger administration, will be stepping down in September and her deputy, Michael Cohen, will fill the vacancy. Bob Fagan, former chief engineer at Pratt & Whitney developing various aircraft engines, has been named chief technology officer for the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing research center in Prince George County, Virginia, a public-private partnership between dozens of industry partners and the University of Virginia, Virginia State University and Virginia Tech. Paul Gregory, the longtime chief of the Tarkington, Texas, Volunteer Fire Department, has been promoted to the position of fire chief for the city of Galena Park, after having worked in a dual capacity for Tarkington and Galena Park fire departments for a number of years. Texas Municipal Retirement System CIO Nancy Goerdel has notified the board of trustees and staff that she will retire on Jan. 31, 2014, after having joined TMRS in 1998. Tabitha Kappeler-Hurley (middle right), an English teacher and vice-principal at Santa Clara's Wilcox High School before moving into the district's public information role in 2004, has been chosen to fill the new position as communications coordinator for the Palo Alto school district. Karl Springer (middle center), superintendent of the Oklahoma City Public School District for the last five years and former superintendent of the Mustang district for eight years, has announced he will retire Aug. 30. Kevin Maxwell (middle left), Anne Arundel County's superintendent, will become the new head of Prince George's County, Virginia, schools, and will be the eighth schools chief in Prince George's in 14 years. Richard Crandall, an Arizona state senator and co-owner of two nutritional service companies, was selected on Wednesday by Gov. Matt Mead to run the Wyoming Education Department. Jeremy D. Brown, a former physics instructor at Princeton University and former head of the Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and Dowling College on Long Island, is the new president of Portland Community College. Washington, D.C., Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi, who has been with the District for the last 13 years, has announced he will retire this month, but will stay on until mid-July after a 2014 budget is expected to be approved. Brady Deaton (bottom left), who has served as chancellor of the University of Missouri since 2004, is retiring effective Nov. 15, but will continue to serve the school as chancellor emeritus, focusing on MU's role in international development. Loudoun County (Virginia) Schools Superintendent Edgar B. Hatrick III (bottom center) has announced that he plans to retire next year, ending his more than two-decade tenure at the helm of the school district, which he has served for 47 years. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has appointed Pontiac city administrator and director of the city's Human Resources and Public Works departments since 2011, Cathy Square (bottom right), as emergency manager of Hamtramck to help the city through its financial crisis. Gary Brown, president pro tem of the Detroit City Council, will leave that job to take on heading up the restructuring of city government operations under the city's emergency manager Kevyn Orr. The Office of the New York State Comptroller has appointed Robert Loomis, who has worked on the city's retirement system and in the central IT organization, as the new CIO, replacing Kevin Belden. North Seattle Community College President Mark Mitsui has been selected to serve as deputy assistant secretary for community colleges in the U.S. Department of Education, effective Aug. 12.