Lots of city and county property has fallen into disrepair. The situation is common throughout America and it has resulted from various reasons, including foreclosures, non-resident owners and business relocations. It creates all kinds of issues for public officials, including a loss of tax revenue because of property devaluations. But, a possible solution is emerging as municipalities and county officials begin to establish publicly owned authorities called land banks.

Cities and counties can create land banks which allow them to acquire, hold and/or manage properties. Land banks have the authority to work with private developers to revitalize local property and create new tax revenues.    

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Will include $347M in tax-exempt bonds, $149M in taxable bonds for investors

The fund used to pay for state-backed construction projects in Louisiana is about to get a $500 million infusion. The State Bond Commission has given preliminary approval to a plan for borrowing the funds, $347 million of which will be in tax-exempt bonds and $149 million of which will be made available to investors through taxable bonds for upfront cash. Details will be developed next month.

Whit Kling (pictured), director of the Bond Commission, said that after the bond sale, the state will have $1.2 billion in outstanding lines of credit that have been approved for construction projects, but still need financing to pay for them.

Contracting opportunities will be plentiful for college building repairs, economic development projects, road and highway projects and some local projects. The bond sale is good news for the state, which was dangerously close to losing many projects. But, improved revenue forecasts and low interest rates worked on the side of the state, allowing for more borrowing.

The state's debt ceiling requires the annual debt repayment requirements to be under 6 percent of the state's yearly income from taxes, licenses and fees. But with increased revenue estimates, refinancing of some state debt and taking advantage of low interest rates, the amount the state has to come up with annually to pay off some of the debt was lowered. 

Blueprint unveiled to rebuild community infrastructure following storms

In response to damaging storms such as last year's Super Storm Sandy, New York State is preparing a blueprint for rebuilding - through its New York Rising Community Reconstruction Program. The state has allocated $25 million for planning for the most affected communities. Once plans for projects are identified, additional funds will be allocated that will help those communities implement the projects. A total of 102 communities across New York State have been designated for Community Reconstruction Program assistance.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (pictured) said the "Re-Imagine New York" plan has been on the drawing board for more than a year. Officials expect the plan could eventually be something that could be adapted to other areas of the country. After the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Sandy, areas of the state were left with damages to the power grid, beaches, shore lines and transportation hubs. The Cuomo administration began putting together a comprehensive plan of more than 1,000 projects with a combined price tag of about $17 billion. Part of the cost of implementation of some projects will be paid for through some of the $60 billion allocated to the state by the federal government after the storm. The projects, when implemented, will not only create jobs, but also create millions of dollars' worth of contracting opportunities. Through the planning process, projects to repair or reconstruct critical facilities and essential public assets damaged or destroyed by storms will be identified.

The projects range from the proposed $5 billion redesign of the entire New York subway system, which was heavily damaged as a result of the storm, to building dikes, levees and flood walls around a local sewage treatment plant. Another project would be a $257 million plan to strengthen John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports, and to build a flood wall around LaGuardia.

Many of the projects address buildings, infrastructure or services that must be rebuilt or relocated. Mitigation projects also are under consideration to make communities more resilient in case of future storms and storm damage. Local public safety agencies will benefit from improved communications technology. Disaster-resistant building technologies will be promoted.

Nabers to address P3s at San Antonio Water Reuse Tech Summit 2014

USC will use $50 million gift to build interdisciplinary research center on campus

Thanks to a $50 million gift from retired orthopedic spinal surgeon Gary K. Michelson, the University of Southern California is planning to build an interdisciplinary research center on its campus. The funds will establish the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience (as seen in accompanying artist's rendering) to facilitate researchers in engineering, medicine and scientific fields with the expectation of bringing products created to market. Expected to be completed by late 2016, the 190,000-square-foot building will be partnering with the schools of Letters, Arts and Sciences and Engineering and will house as many as 30 principal investigators, with its labs employing hundreds of researchers and students. Michelson, who spent his career developing spinal devices, surgical instruments and procedures, has more than 950 patents or patents pending. He said he is hopeful the center will allow university scientists to leverage their basic research into successful technology transfers. Michelson's gift is part of the university's $6 billion capital campaign, which began in 2011 and had raised $3 billion as of November of last year.

Bids sought for contractors for two projects to be built on Missouri school campus

A performing arts center at the Monett (Missouri) High School and a new Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) storm safe room at Monett Middle School are being bid out for construction. The two multi-million-dollar projects should receive bids by early February, with a bid opening planned for mid-February. The school-hired architectural firm will check references on all bidders before making a recommendation. Monett Superintendent Brad Hanson (pictured) said he would like to see the facilities completed by the opening of the 2015-16 school year, but is not sure whether the architect will be ready to make a recommendation on contractors by the regular February meeting. If not, then the district would call a special meeting either later that month or in March. These size projects usually take 12-18 months to complete, according to the architect. Hanson reported recent bids on some storm shelter projects like Monett's that are funded in part by FEMA have come in higher than expected, so the school is hoping for many bidders that could drive down the costs.

Funding being sought for new federal courthouse in San Antonio

Officials in San Antonio are urging Congress to provide funding for a planned federal courthouse in downtown San Antonio that has been stalled for a couple of years. The current courthouse not only is running out of space, but it also faces numerous security problems. The new courthouse, to be located on Nueva Street where the former San Antonio Police Department headquarters was previously located, will carry a price tag of $100 million to $110 million. Rep. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio said the current facility was not designed to be a federal courthouse, and thus does not meet the needs of such a facility. He is one the members of the Texas congressional delegation asking the House Appropriations Committee to allocate funding for the facility from its $3 billion Federal Buildings Fund. Others signing a letter to the committee seeking the funding are members of Congress whose federal construction projects in their districts also have stalled. Almost four years ago, the city and federal governments agreed to a land swap, with the city being given ownership of the John H. Wood Federal Courthouse and Spears Training Center at the HemisFair Park area. In return, the federal government was given rights to the old police headquarters site. The design for the courthouse is completed (see accompanying artist's rendering), said U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez of San Antonio, liaison judge to the federal government's General Service Administration regarding the courthouse project. He praised the "support of the entire congressional delegation" in its efforts to move the project forward.

Pennsylvania hospital gets $2.5M grant toward $15 million facility

Waynesboro Hospital in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, has been awarded a $2.5 million grant from the state's Redevelopment Assistance Capital Project Program for a new building and improvements. The price tag for the project totals $15 million, and officials hope construction will start in February. Plans for the project include a three-story building to house physicians' practices and a walk-in care center. The new medical office and urgent care center are expected to open in summer 2015. The new building will be next to the hospital and across from the emergency department. 

Capital improvement projects in Hawaii to benefit from $9.3 million in funds

Renovations and improvements as part of a variety of capital improvement projects in Hawaii will benefit from $9.3 million in funding recently announced by Gov. Neil Abercrombie (pictured). One of the big beneficiaries of the funding is the Department of Public Safety, where facilities across the state will share $4.7 million for improvements and repairs. Among the facilities to be funded are the Halawa Correctional Facility, Waiawa Correctional Facility, Hawaii Community Correctional Center in Hilo, Kauai Correctional Center and Women's Community Correctional Center. Abercrombie called the projects funded "priority, long-term improvement projects." Some of the other projects funded include: $939,754 - Financial System Enterprise Resource Planning - first phase to re-engineer and transform the statewide financial management processes; $819,350 - Information and Communications Services Division, radio facilities - planning, land acquisition, design, construction and equipment for repairs, upgrades and expansion of critical communications systems in the state; $819,000 - Kalanimoku and Kekāuluohi Buildings, Oʻahu - construction funds to replace the existing halon fire suppression system with a new FM-200-based fire suppression system in the basement of the Kalanimoku Building within the DAGS ICSD and at the Kekauluohi (state archives) Building; $501,970 - Waiawa Correctional Facility, Electrical System Improvements, O'ahu - construction for electrical system upgrades, including installation of an automatic generator for use in the event of a power outage; and $350,000 - Aloha Stadium, Structural and Various Health and Safety Improvements, Phase I, Oʻahu - additional construction funds required for health and safety including repairs, alterations and improvements to meet code, safety and operational requirements.

Pennsylvania airport looking at possibly selling facility to private sector

Because it is a privately owned facility, the Carlisle (Pennsylvania) Airport does not qualify for federal funds to make improvements, and state funds are scarce. Thus, airport officials are considering selling the airport to a public entity. Operations Officer Jimmy Kingsborough said the importance of the airport to the community makes it equally important to qualify for federal funding to make needed upgrades. Saying the airport is "great for economic development," Kingsborough said selling to a private entity will make it easier to secure funding for improvements. To make the plan become a reality, the owners must develop a municipal or local authority that is willing to purchase and manage it. Approval would then be sought by the new owners from the Federal Aviation Administration and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Bureau of Aviation. Once approved, the new owners could apply for federal funding. Kingsborough said he anticipates the airport being owned by a township, county or municipal authority or airport authority. "By having a public airport, you can take better advantage of more of a public-private partnership because you're able to leverage more state and federal dollars to match private dollars to make those improvements," said Jonathan Bower, CEO of the Cumberland Area Economic Development Corp. Improvements needed at the airport include upgrades of runway lighting and a taxi-way, more ramp space, additional hangars and a new terminal building.

Check out these recent awards: 

• Aecom National Security Programs won a contract worth up to $10 million from the U.S. Army to provide U.S. Forces-Afghanistan with the capability to gather, analyze and disseminate open-source atmospheric information. 

• Caddell Construction Co. was awarded the contract to build the new $27.6 million Jackson County Adult Detention Center in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The 127,000-square-foot project will house 300 steel modular cells and will feature state-of-the-art detention equipment and security electronics.

• Reynolds, Smith & Hills won a $336,000 contract from the city of Amarillo to oversee construction by Southwest General Contractors of the $4 million Consolidated Rent Car Service Center at Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport.

• Alaska Universal Services won a contract worth up to $2.6 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for maintenance, repair and alteration of real property.

• Black & Veatch has been selected to manage the construction of more than $500 million worth of tunnel projects for the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District. The work is part of the St. Louis sewer district's multi-billion-dollar project to address sewer overflow and basement backups in the St. Louis area.

• American Truck & Bus won a contract worth up to $9.3 million from the General Services Administration for ground effects vehicles, motor vehicles, trailers and cycles.

• ISI Contracting, Inc. was awarded a two-year, $11 million contract from the Texas Transportation Commission to perform all required routine maintenance of 100 miles of roadway in Central Texas. The contract includes traditional routine maintenance such as mowing, sweeping, vegetation management, striping, guardrail upkeep and snow/ice control, among other services.

• Ross-Brandt received a $2.07M contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to supply electrical equipment and to replace and upgrade systems at John Day Dam on the Columbus River in Oregon and J.E. McAmis received a $637,000 contract to repair failed monolith water stops to reduce the amount of water entering the dam.

• Wolf Construction won a $3.8 million construction contract from the city of Lawrence, Kansas, to improve operations at its Kaw Water Treatment plant by building a new raw-water intake in the Kansas River and making improvements to an existing intake in the river.

• Henthorne Commercial Construction won an $827,774 contract from the city of Lubbock to build a new fueling station that will include fiberglass storage tanks to replace the current steel ones.

Four private company teams chosen to bid on Maryland's Purple Line

A public-private partnership (P3) to design, build, operate, maintain and help finance construction of Maryland's Purple Line has named four teams of private companies to bid on the project. The $2.2 billion light-rail Purple Line would be the first such P3 for a Maryland transit project. In fact, only one other such transit project in the United States - in Denver - is such a public-private partnership and it is still under construction. There were a total of six teams that responded to the request for qualifications. Maryland Department of Transportation officials hope to select the winning bid by early next year. Should that happen, the 16-mile line between Bethesda and New Carrollton would begin construction in spring 2015 and be completed in 2020. The line would connect Montgomery and Prince George's counties and have 21 stations. Private companies will be asked to contribute $500 million to $900 million toward construction of the project. The Purple Line will also seek $900 million in federal construction funds that are competitively awarded. The state has earmarked $750 million for the project. It would then pay the private firm annual payments for up to 40 years to operate the line. The four private-sector teams that will be submitting bids include: Maryland Purple Line Partners: Vinci Concessions, Walsh Investors, InfraRed Capital Partners, Alstom Transport and Keolis; Maryland Transit Connectors: John Laing, Kiewit Development and Edgemoor Infrastructure; Purple Line Transit Partners: Meridiam Infrastructure, Fluor Enterprises and Star America Fund; and Purple Plus Alliance: Macquarie Capital and Skanska Infrastructure Development. The new line would connect neighborhoods with Metrorail stations and Amtrak and MARC commuter rail stations.

 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 Karen Jackson.

Karen Jackson (pictured) earned a bachelor's degree in business management from Christopher Newport University and a Master of Business Administration from The College of William and Mary. She began her career in private sector business and in the mid-1990s was employed by the Virginia Center for Innovative Technology, a quasi-state agency that provides business consulting to entrepreneurs. She served that entity as vice president for broadband programs and was also director of the Virginia Office of Telework Promotion and Broadband Assistance during both Gov. Tim Kaine and Gov. Robert F. McDonnell's administrations. In 2009, she was named Virginia's deputy secretary of technology, serving as senior advisor to the governor on technology matters including modeling and simulation, telecommunications, telework and unmanned aerial systems. engaged in the federal policy initiatives including the development of the National Broadband Plan. Jackson was recently appointed secretary of technology for the Commonwealth of Virginia by newly elected Gov. Terry McAuliffe. 

Pat Lyp (top left), attorney for the Chicago/Gary Regional Airport Authority, is leaving his post as airport attorney to take over as attorney for the City of Valparaiso, with attorney Lee Lane of Genetos Retson & Yoon LLP, to replace him. Sally Buchanan (top center) has been named chair of the board of the San Antonio River Authority, to replace outgoing chair Gaylon Oehlke. Deputy Shelby County (Tennessee) Attorney Marcy Ingram (top right), has been named interim Shelby County Attorney, replacing former Shelby County Attorney Kelly Rayne, who left to become vice president of policy for the Greater Memphis Chamber. Twenty-year veteran Albuquerque Deputy Fire Chief David Downey has been named interim fire chief, taking over for Chief James Breen, who is retiring after more than 23 years with the department. Gloria "Dale" Cousins, who has worked for the Wake County, North Carolina, Public Libraries for more than 35 years, most recently as senior manager for communications and community relations, has announced her retirement. Shuman Juvenile Detention Center (Pennsylvania) Interim Director William Stickman, has announced he is departing that post and has been replaced by new Interim Director Earl Hill, who has 45 years of related experience. Oregon House member Rep. Chris Garrett (bottom right), will leave his seat in the House after being appointed to the State Court of Appeals, replacing Judge David Schuman. Carmen Farina (bottom center), who has served the city of New York's school system for nearly four decades as teacher, principal, regional superintendent in Brooklyn and deputy chancellor, has been chosen by Mayor Bill de Blasio as the New York City school system chancellor. Carolyn Lawson (bottom left), Oregon Health Authority and Department of Human Services CIO, has announced her resignation, due to personal reasons, following numerous failures and delays in launching the state's troubled insurance exchange. Cook County, Illinois, CIO Lydia Murray, who previously worked for the Civic Consulting Alliance, was chief of staff at the Chicago Transit Authority and deputy chief of staff at the city of Chicago, has resigned from her post, citing personal reasons. The University of Kansas has hired Lindsey Douglas, chief of policy and legislative affairs for the State Department of Transportation since 2010, as the new director of state relations. Anne S. McKenzie, executive director of the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative in Massachusetts, has been selected to lead the Hadley public school system, effective July 1.