Volume 9, Issue 8 - February 22, 2017
Smart Cities - again, making huge changes to benefit citizens, taxpayers 
Mary Scott Nabers, President/CEO, Strategic Partnerships, Inc.
Here's something shocking... A recent report revealed that smart traffic management could save 4.2 billion man hours worldwide annually by 2021. If that happened, it would mean that every motorist in a crowded city would save roughly one full working day per year.

Transportation data, the focus of most smart city initiatives, is helping city leaders use technology to alleviate traffic congestion, improve mobility and create safer roads. That's a good thing and motorists in traffic congested cities hope that relief is on the way soon. 

Cities used transportation data in the past for planning and decision-making but the data that was collected was usually outdated by the time planners received it. The technology was not there to collect traffic data in real time.

All that has changed and traffic data is now collected in real time and the Internet of Things (IoT) is changing cities so rapidly that most citizens are not even aware of the changes.
In This Issue
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Having the use of the internet at home, work and anywhere else we take our mobile devices is a service most people rely on. A question that seems to come up that might make or break where a person might travel is "do you have Wi-Fi?" Advancements in technology have delivered a variety of choices for internet users to get this local or wide-area network and this provides them with the ability to choose the proper equipment and provider for their home or business. Some of the broadband choices offered by an internet service provider are cable, digital subscriber line (DSL), satellite, fiber and wireless. 

The term broadband means a high-capacity transmission technique using a wide range of frequencies, which enables a large number of messages to be communicated simultaneously.The transmission technologies of today make it possible to move broadband, bits of data such as text, images and sound, much more quickly than traditional telephone or wireless connections, including traditional dial-up internet access connections. 

Today's consumer wants information fast and when it comes to the internet we all feel the need for speed. The higher the amount of megabytes per second (Mbps) the better when downloading information onto the screen. Just one megabyte is one million bits of data per second.

Upcoming contracting opportunities

Massachusetts- The Plymouth-Carver aquifer is one of the largest water sources in all of Massachusetts. However, considering Plymouth's population has been experiencing growth, the town's Department of Public Works has created a $34.53 million plan to expand its drinking water supply and create long-term sustainability for the municipal water system. 

The Director of the Department of Public Works, Jonathan Beder, presented a plan that would construct two new wells on Long Pond Road, install 14 new miles of water main and establish an elevated water storage tank. This would all culminate in the creation of the town's seventh pressure zone. The $1.6-million design and engineering of the project will occur from this summer to June 2018, with the project officially going out to bid in the summer of 2018. 

Construction is projected to begin in September 2018 at the earliest. The $34.53 million will be broken down into $24.7 million for construction costs, $3.25 million for the well stations, $16 million for the water mains, $3.5 million for the water storage tank, $2 million for the valve control stations and $1.6 million for the project's engineering and design. The construction portion of the design and engineering will amount to $3.7 million.
Nevada- In preparation for the proposed Raiders stadium worth nearly $2 billion, the Nevada Department of Transportation is planning highway improvements to be awarded as early as May. In addition to providing upgrades around the anticipated stadium, the transportation department is also resuming plans later in 2017 for Faraday Future plant improvements in North Las Vegas.

Environmental experts are working on plans for the $150 million reconfiguration of the Tropicana Avenue interchange at Interstate 15, as well as for a separate construction project for direct-access ramps that would connect a new carpool lane on Interstate 15 to exits at Harmon and Hacienda avenues. Remodeling for the Tropicana Avenue interchange could start as soon as 2020 to relieve the regular traffic back-up along Russell Road and the 215 Beltway. However, there was no timeline or expected start date for the Harmon and Hacienda carpool off-ramps project. 

Both projects were part of feasibility reports released last year. Proposals are due in April from construction companies interested in building the project.
Indiana- The City Utilities Department of Fort Wayne, Ind. opened bids for the $200 million creation of a deep rock tunnel. Five companies have made bids so far for this project. The utilities department will award the bid in the coming weeks based on the lowest budget bid that meets the project's requirements. 

The importance of this tunnel is far-reaching, as it will reduce the amount of combined sewage that overflows into the city's rivers by 90 percent, which equates to 900-million gallons a year. The five-mile tunnel will be 200 feet below the ground, 16 feet in diameter, lined with concrete and tasked with managing 800-million gallons of water per day. With construction for the project beginning in late May or early June, the tunnel is expected to be completed by 2021.
Ohio- The county engineer's office and Ohio Department of Transportation have planned projects worth over $44 million for road construction and upgrades in Warren County, Ohio's fastest growing county. Road construction costs are expected to total $23.1 million in 2017, with the upgrades portion of the project being worth $21 million. 
 
This is a full list of upcoming 2017 Warren County Road Projects: 
* Butterworth Road Bridge Replacement over Ertel Run, $200,000, Hamilton Twp.;
* Innovation Way Widening, $4 million, City of Mason; 
* Greentree Road at Union Road Intersection Roundabout, Bridge Replacement; $1.7 million; Turtlecreek Township (Twp.).;  
* Pence Jones Road Bridge Rehabilitation, $275,000, Wayne Twp.;
* Warren County Resurfacing, $2 million, various roads; 
* Warren County Striping, $100,000, various roads;
* Tylersville Road at Butler-Warren Road Westbound Right Turn Lane, $166,000, Deerfield Twp.;
* Zoar Road Improvements, $380,000, Hamilton Twp.;
* Turtlecreek-Union Road, $350,000.00 Turtlecreek Twp., Union Twp.;  
* Warren County chip seal, $500,000, various roads;
* Ohio 73-Ohio 741 intersection, $4 million, Springboro;
* Mason-Montgomery Road widening, $7.3 million, Deerfield Twp.;
* Duke Boulevard widening $1.7 million, Deerfield Twp.;
* Wilkens Boulevard traffic signal pole foundations, $55,000, Deerfield Twp. and
* New Burlington Road bridge replacement, $350,000, Wayne Twp.
Ohio- The city of Lakewood recently announced redevelopment plans for a 6-acre site in downtown Lakewood to be transformed into a vibrant mixed-use urban neighborhood. The city released a request for quotation (RFQ) on Feb. 6 to completely reshape the city-owned site. 

The RFQ is the first step in the redevelopment process and will solicit responses from qualified developers to partner with the city to transform the entire city block of downtown. The city plans to partner with a development team that can envision this multi-functional outdoor community gathering space, while pledging to stay true to the Lakewood's development objectives outlined in the RFQ. Submissions are due on March 17, 2017.
New Jersey- City officials recently released plans to transform a waterfront pier into Camden Park. The 2.2-acre park is to be built on the Radio Corporation of America Pier located south of the Ben Franklin Bridge, with nonprofit Cooper's Ferry Partnership overseeing the project for the city. The park is projected to cost $5 million to $6 million. 

An undetermined amount of the funding will come from the state's Green Acres program. The park will extend from the southern end of Water Street, a road being built alongside the Delaware River as part of a $1 billion redevelopment plan by a real estate investment trust. Previously, the pier served as a parking lot for visitors of waterfront attractions and downtown events. The park will build upon a "foundation" provided by a mile-long walkway extending south from the bridge to the Battleship New Jersey. Construction of the project intends to stimulate a multi-phase project to construct high-quality park land under the bridge and into North Camden. 

The park plan is part of an effort to redevelop the nine-acre site that once housed Riverfront State Prison. The real estate company has indicated that initial construction will focus on a five-story, 220,000-square-foot headquarters for a water company and an 806-car parking garage, which should be completed by late 2018. The real estate company's project also is to hold a 180-room hotel, as well as more office space, retail and housing. Bids for the pier contract are due to Cooper's Ferry by March 3.
New York/ New Jersey- Commissioners of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey recently approved a $32.2 billion capital plan, which allocates $3.5 billion for a new Port Authority Bus Terminal. The new terminal is set to be completed by 2033. Commissioners also approved the immediate release of $70 million for the planning and permitting process for the project. 

Approval of the capital plan will allow for the repair and renovation of some of the region's major bridges, tunnels, airports and seaports. The plan also allocates $1.4 billion in funds for the renovation of George Washington Bridge, $2.5 billion for the redevelopment of LaGuardia Airport's Terminal B, and $2.3 billion for the redevelopment of Newark Liberty-International Airport's Terminal A. 

Commissioners also approved $2.7 billion to fund early phases of the Gateway Program, a partnership between state and federal agencies that will include digging a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River and doubling rail capacity between the cities of Newark and New York. The agency estimates the cost of a new tunnel between $7.5 billion and $10 billion. The funds to complete the project will be made available in the agency's next capital plan.
North Carolina-  Last November, voters of Winston-Salem approved $350 million for the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school system in a bond referendum as well as $65 million for Forsyth Technical Community College, and $15 million for Forsyth County Parks and Recreation facilities bonds. 

The school system's bond projects include two new schools and four replacement schools. In addition, about $25 million of the $350 million will used for technology improvements, and $29.5 million will be used for maintenance and capital improvements. Forsyth Tech's $65 million in bond funds will be divided up among four projects. $21 million will be allocated for Oak Grove Center renovation, $16.6 million for the Aviation Facility, $6.4 million for the Transportation Center addition, and $21 million for Learning Commons. 

Two projects are expected to be ready for bid by 2018. In addition to the $15 million worth of projects approved, maintenance projects from the Parks and Recreation will be available over the next two years. Some of these projects were approved in the November bond referendum and request for qualification for design services have been issued. The projects include Tanglewood roadway improvements (due March 1), community parks playground replacements (due March 8), and Tanglewood Clubhouse renovations and improvements (due March 15).
Arkansas- The state of Arkansas issued a request for proposal (RFP), seeking ad agencies to market Arkansas tourism and its state park system. The contract is worth $14 million a year, with up to six one year extensions allowed. This RFP came five days after the original bid was taken down by the Office of State Procurement. The original solicitation was a request for quotation which would have not allowed the state to negotiate costs before selecting a vendor. 

The new solicitation, an RFP, includes vendor pricing as a criteria for selection. This solicitation indicates a change in strategy from the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism. Previously, marketing work was split between two firms, with one firm handling traditional marketing and the other handling digital services. The new written proposals are due by March 7. After the review of the proposals, finalists will be selected to make oral presentations.
New York- The first of the two contracts for construction of a new Schenectady Amtrak station will be open for bidding on March 30. The contracts include tasks such as concrete work, building a new passenger platform and demolishing the current station. Bidding documents will be ready for review on Feb. 22. 

The contract is expected to cost about $6 million. The second contract is for the actual construction of the new station and is projected to cost about $9 million. The expectation is that the new station will be finished by late 2018. The work for the new station will be occurring at the same time as the construction of a second rail track between Schenectady and Rensselaer-Albany Amtrak station, a project expected to finish this fall. The new bids come after a yearlong delay. 

In March 2016, a bid for all parts of the contract came in at $24 million which was $10 million more than what had been budgeted by the state and federal governments. Plans have been redesigned since then and the project is ready to proceed.
News about public-private partnerships (P3s)

California- The full plan for San Diego's Major League Soccer (MLS) expansion team's stadium was announced on Monday by the bid group behind the expansion. The plan proposes to tear down Qualcomm Stadium in the Mission Valley area of San Diego and turn it into a multi-use space. 

The space would include a 30,000-capacity stadium used by the MLS team and San Diego State University's football team, 55 acres of public space, an entertainment district and housing for students. The plan also includes the possibility of building a separate National Football League stadium on site if a team were to relocate to San Diego. 

The stadium is expected to cost $200 million and the bid group is proposing to split the cost with San Diego State with plans to gift the stadium to the school in the future. The entire Mission Valley redevelopment is estimated to cost $2.5 billion, all privately funded. The bid group is now seeking 120,000 signatures from San Diego voters by the end of April to display public support for the Mission Valley proposal. As Major League Soccer looks to add four more teams to the league, development projects like the one in San Diego could appear in other cities.
Delaware- Dover Mall owners are envisioning the addition of a new power center to be built on 83 acres along with thousands of parking spaces to be built behind the mall's original shopping area. This entire retail complex would be accessible from a direct-access road from Delaware 1, thereby eliminating the need for U.S. 13. 

Mall owners are interested in constructing a collector-distributor which would run from the Scarborough Road interchange parallel to State Route 1. This would ultimately connect to a road that would run between Route 1 and 13, and that connector road would run between the Dover Mall and Dover Downs properties. The proposal is low on the Delaware Department of Transportation's (DelDOT) list of projects, so mall owners are planning to expedite the process by entering a public-private partnership with the DelDOT to assist with the design of the roadway. 

The estimated $31 million construction cost for the project will be covered mostly, if not completely, by tolls. Legislators plan to have legislation drafted this month which will allow stakeholders to formally present a plan to local officials and lawmakers.
Mississippi- A bill called the Health Care Collaboration Act of 2017 is moving through the Mississippi Legislature. The bill passed Feb. 9 in the House and if it makes its way to the governor's desk for final approval, it would allow the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) to form joint ventures with private and public hospitals and for the new entity to operate like a business, not a public entity. 

Supporters of this measure state that the bill would improve health care and access to health care and better struggling, rural community hospitals. The collaborative ventures would allow UMMC to rotate student doctors and deliver resources to rural communities who otherwise would not have access. 

In addition, operating like a private business would allow these newly-formed entities to avoid the red tape UMMC has to deal with as a public body because the new entities would operate separately from the public medical center. The new entities would instead be overseen by an authority created by the State Institutions of Higher Learning.
New Mexico- House Bill 87, a bill sponsored by Rep. Debbie Armstrong, was unanimously passed by the New Mexico House of Representatives on Feb. 13 and now heads to the Senate for consideration. The bill calls to create a public-private partnership to assist state agencies develop strategies to combat diabetes among the populations affected by their service. 

The bill also requires the Secretary of Health to create a Diabetes Committee of state agencies including the Department of Health, the Corrections Department, the Human Services Department, the Aging and Long-term Services Department, the Indian Affairs Department, the Public Education Department, the Interagency Benefits Advisory Committee, the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center and a telehealth program operated by a university in New Mexico with a medical school. 

The committee would also include various private organizations involved with diabetes care, education and Medicaid. The committee members will collaboratively develop a strategy to reduce the incidence of diabetes across New Mexico. Goals and benchmarks for member agencies regarding the incidence of diabetes and costs related to diabetes complications would be set for member agencies.
Arizona- Senate Bill 1149 passed through a committee in the Arizona Senate, bringing a new Arizona Coyotes arena one step closer to reality. If passed, the bill would establish a public-private partnership to fund and build the proposed $395 million arena. 

The hockey team would provide $170 million, the host city would contribute $55 million and $170 million would be raised through bond sales. The ownership of the arena would be granted to the host city. This bill is the second attempt to build an arena for the Arizona Coyotes. 

A partnership between the Coyotes and Arizona State University (ASU) was expected to form but the deal eventually collapsed. The plans were originally made around ASU's stadium district and since then have been reworked to fit at any location and to include a more prominent entertainment district. SB 1149 does not specify a location for the arena, but the hockey team has four or five options aside from remaining at their current location- the Gila River Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes have extended their lease in Glendale through the 2017-18 season.
Calendar of Events

Feb 27-March 1
The 2017 Public-Private Partnership Conference & Expo (P3C) will be held Feb. 27 through March 1 at the Sheraton Hotel in Dallas. The P3C offers education and networking opportunities to professionals exploring P3s and want to better understand how the model can address their project delivery needs. 

An audience of over 1,200 senior government leaders, higher education officers, and industry development professionals provides a unique opportunity to network with prospective partners and clients in a development focused forum.

The 2017 program will examine trends in P3 delivery, provide granular case studies, host conversations with project owners and stakeholders, and explores best practices and lessons learned. Visit  the website to learn more and to register for the event. 
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