Funding allocations from the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are arriving early for airport improvement projects relative to other federal tranches, and now there is visibility into planned upcoming opportunities throughout the country.

Companies that offer planning and design services are already working on pre-procurement documents. Billions will be spent to upgrade facilities, expand taxiways, construct new terminals, improve lighting and traffic routes, and increase public safety. Several examples of what to expect reflect an influx of upcoming opportunities.

In the state of Washington, numerous airport projects are already underway. Work continues on a $18.6 million project at Spokane International Airport to expand the facility’s west terminal ramp and taxi lane. With additional funding, extra components to the project will be incorporated. New projects will include the construction of a facility for overnight aircraft parking, relocation of existing airport utilities and drainage areas, relocation of a security perimeter, and installation of access control/card reader stations. The project will add more airfield lighting. Snohomish County Airport, also known as Paine Field, will launch a construction project for a new snow removal equipment storage and maintenance facility. The estimated cost of the project is $12.6 million.

The Texas Supreme Court is expected to decide the future of a high-speed railway connection between the state’s two most powerful economic centers by this summer.

The Texas Central Railway (Texas Central) aims to connect the Dallas and Houston areas with sub-90 minute passenger rail service. However, this plan — developed by a Japanese company with a record of successful high-speed train projects in its country — was brought before the highest court in Texas over issues of eminent domain. The court’s January 11 hearing marked the most recent proceeding in a flurry of legal actions surrounding the high-speed rail proposal.

The legal dispute began after a private Texas landowner did not concede a portion of his property for use in Texas Central’s railway plan. After a Leon County trial judge initially ruled in favor of the landowner, Texas Central successfully appealed that ruling in the Court of Appeals for the Thirteenth District.

In response, the landowner successfully petitioned the Texas Supreme Court for review in 2020, which led to the recent January hearing. Progress on Texas Central Railway has since been halted for judicial review. These proceedings have delayed the project’s anticipated timeline that originally started with construction in 2021 and operations beginning in 2026.

Meanwhile, both the landowner and Texas Central continue to garner support in the form of amicus briefs filed with the court. The court will weigh these arguments while deciding if the $20 billion railway project is an operating railroad company or interurban electric rail company, a standing that would grant it eminent domain authority.

Texas Supreme Court officials said their docket is on schedule for completion by this June, although the court’s ruling on the plan could end up being appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

A city of College Station citizens advisory committee is prioritizing a list of 33 bond projects for a November 2022 bond election highlighted by a $32 million recreation center, $32 million Public Works operations center, $12 million Military Heritage Center, among other capital projects.

The proposed recreation center would accommodate all ages and abilities and could include a gym/fitness center, basketball/volleyball courts, and event spaces. This type of venue is not available in the Brazos Valley region, and prior research for a YMCA showed a considerable level of interest in a similar type of facility.

A new operations center for the Public Works department would feature approximately 90,000 square feet of fleet bay space and 70,000 square feet of covered parking and storage/warehouse space. The center would include an environmentally compliant truck wash facility and a third fueling station.

Architectural plans are in progress to develop a 20,000-square-foot interactive, educational facility for the Military Heritage Center. Through its exhibits and educational outreach, the center will emphasize lessons and leadership dynamics drawn from real world stories and experiences.

The committee is evaluating a $6 million project intended to increase tourism and commercial activity in the Northgate District through the creation of a covered pavilion which can serve as a “Biergarten” as well as a venue for vendor stalls during special events.

An $8 million Parks Office Building project would demolish existing offices and replace them with space that features improved accessibility for staff and customers as well as offices, meeting rooms, restrooms, and a break room. The current parks office was constructed in 1979 then later expanded in 1993.

The committee also is evaluating several road improvement projects and parks amenities as part of its proposed bond package that will be finalized for presentation to the City Council before August 1.

Bexar County commissioners are considering the conversion of the existing San Antonio State Hospital into a psychiatric facility.

Using $200,000 in federal funding to conduct the San Antonio State Hospital Reuse Study, the county will assess the building’s ability to accommodate a new 150- to 300-bed county psychiatric facility.

The county also will develop a plan on how to utilize the vacated buildings for services and supportive housing for individuals suffering behavioral health issues.

This option is in addition to the county sheriff proposal in 2020 to add a psychiatric wing at the county jail that would be operated separately from the Sheriff’s Office, in response to an increasing number of inmates with mental health issues.

Bexar County officials have not submitted any formal plans with Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) regarding the possible use of the campus.

HHSC is building a new 300-bed San Antonio State Hospital set to open in 2024 and renovating another building to add 40 more beds on the campus, but those facilities will not have additional beds for psychiatric care.

Sam Houston State University will host a mandatory pre-submission conference at 2 p.m. March 17 at its Huntsville campus to present information on the College of Osteopathic Medicine Parking Structure.

The university is seeking prospective design-build firms to construct a $23.85 million parking structure of six levels accommodating at least 1,000 parking spaces on its Conroe campus.

Wholly within an existing surface parking lot, the project site is adjacent to the university’s College of Osteopathic Medicine. It is anticipated that the parking structure will be situated toward the northeast corner of the property.

University regents are scheduled to approve a design development submittal in November and guaranteed maximum price proposal in December, followed by start of construction later that month. Final completion is set for March 2024.

The project’s design will complement the College of Osteopathic Medicine building and be coordinated with concurrent programming efforts for the future Health Professions building to be located within the same site.

Public career highlights and education: After working a short while in the private sector financial industry, I returned to school to earn my Master of Public Administration and began my career with the city of Dallas in 1995. I have worked in seven different departments over the years and came to Aviation in 2011.

What I like best about my public service is: The variety of things you get to do within one organization. Cities do so many great things that people take for granted, but I really enjoy the ability to see projects all around the city, that I helped build, being enjoyed by so many people.

The best advice I’ve received is: When I started as an intern, the City Manager I worked for once told me “What you need to know is how many cubic yards of concrete you need for a thousand feet of sidewalk.” You have to know fundamentals of your business. You have to be constantly learning. If you only rely on the knowledge of others, you can’t make good decisions.

My favorite ways to de-stress are: Getting out of the office and walking through the terminal at Love Field. Seeing my colleagues, the customers, and the activity of a bustling airport always gives my mood a boost! But the ultimate de-stress is leaving work at the office and spending time with my family.

People might be surprised to know that I: Have a degree in philosophy.

One thing I wish more people knew about Dallas Love Field is: We have a robust public art program with the majority of the art in the public areas of the terminal. When we built our new Garage C, we made space for four art installations, including refurbishing Alexander Liberman’s iconic Venture that was previously at downtown Dallas’ Bank of America Plaza. Our art program partners with various groups in Dallas, such as Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), Stewpot, and Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, for sometimes-moving and always-interesting temporary exhibitions. Twenty-two of our 24 artworks are viewable without a plane ticket and our team hosts free group tours.

The Coastal Bend Council of Governments (CBCOG) is developing a method for allocating nearly $180 million in federal disaster mitigation funds to the 11 counties and 33 cities it represents.

After receiving input from the public, the council is set to submit a preliminary report March 23 to the Texas General Land Office (GLO) on its plans to distribute Community Development Block Grant Mitigation Funds (CDBG-MIT) throughout the region.

The funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will go toward developing strategic, high-impact activities to mitigate disaster risks and reduce future losses in areas impacted by recent disasters.

Eligible projects must mitigate against at least one of the top two severe risks Texas experiences of hurricanes/tropical storms/tropical depressions or severe coastal/riverine flooding.

GLO is administering the CDBG-MIT program at the state level under a federally approved State Action Plan that will allocate funds to councils of governments impacted by Hurricane Harvey. Under this plan, the GLO has issued distribution guidelines for these councils.

At least 50 percent of funds must address mitigation needs in HUD Most Impacted and Distressed areas, and 50 percent of all CDBG‐MIT funds must benefit low‐to‐moderate income individuals.

Officials at CBCOG are scheduled to host a second public hearing on April 20 before the public comment period closes April 26.

Texas Southern University (TSU) is considering a public-private partnership (P3) to engage a developer to design, develop, finance, and construct a residential mixed-used facility.

TSU is seeking to further enhance the student living learning environment by creating diverse social spaces – in a village concept with a residential, dining facility, as well as retail space for its students. This development will create an attractive pedestrian oriented environment with diverse commercial, dining, residential, and public uses.

One of the university’s objectives for the P3 is to accommodate the rising number of freshmen and continuing student housing needs by building a mixed-use facility capable of housing 2,000 apartment-style beds. Set for completion by June 2023, it would include a dining area and surface parking.

The university defines “apartment-style” beds as double occupancy with private bedroom and bathrooms interior units with private restrooms and living room space (no kitchens). TSU has a stock of dormitory style and apartment-style beds and is looking to supplement these offerings.

A pre-qualification conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. March 15 at Texas Southern University, Hannah Hall, in Houston. All proposers are highly encouraged to attend.

Renewable energy’s contribution to the U.S. power grid rose by 4.1 percent from 2020 to 2021 to account for more than one-fifth of the country’s power generation, according to a new report by the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE).

The 2022 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook reported wind, hydropower, and solar were the largest contributors. Wind and solar each made record contributions to power generated and consumed in 2021 with the two technologies generating a record 13 percent of total U.S. power last year.

A record-breaking $105 billion in new capital went into new U.S. clean energy assets, an 11 percent year-on-year jump. New investment has grown 70 percent in the last five years.

Developers built a record 37 gigawatts (GW) of wind and solar power-generating capacity. Solar enjoyed its best year ever with 24.2GW added while wind had its third-best year at 13GW. For a third straight year, solar accounted for the largest share of new capacity added to the U.S. grid.

Total U.S. offshore wind capacity stands at 42 megawatts, but there is now a pipeline of 17.6GW of projects in very active development. Most are set to be commissioned post-2025.

BCSE is a coalition of companies and trade associations from the energy efficiency, natural gas, and renewable energy sectors, including public power providers.

The city of Aransas Pass is commissioning a fire station feasibility and facilities study with an onsite inspection for prospective bidders set for 1:30 p.m. March 24 at Aransas Pass Fire Department (APFD).

Selected consultants will identify recommended future fire station locations and a phasing plan for station development or construction, based on:

The purpose of the study is to review the current fire station location, its facility, and deployment of equipment; and, to provide long-term recommendations for fire station facilities and infrastructure, taking into consideration future planned growth in the city of Aransas Pass and within the fire department.

Currently, the APFD station adjoins the Aransas Pass Police Department at the Aransas Pass City Hall Complex, built in 1993. The station includes approximately 1,400 square feet of interior space attached to a 3,600 square foot, pull-through, four-lane engine bay.

In 2021, APFD responded to 847 calls for service, a significant increase in call volume over the previous two years. The department responded to 716 calls in 2020 and 733 calls in 2019.

Mabank ISD will ask voters to determine a $94 million bond election on May 7 that would fund the construction of several capital projects.

If approved, the proposition would authorize funding for a new early childhood center, a career and technical education addition at the high school, athletic improvements, and more.

The proposed early childhood center would house the Child Development Center, Head Start, pre-K, and eventually kindergarten students districtwide.

Athletic improvements would involve upgrades to baseball and softball fields. If successful, the bond would provide funds for additional districtwide improvements.

The city of Marble Falls is assessing needs and preparing preliminary designs for a new city hall building that would house multiple departments and public meeting space.

Originally built as a bank in the 1950s, the existing City Hall has since been retrofitted for municipal administrative offices and activities, but the council chambers, conference room, and offices are no longer sufficient for conducting city business.

In addition, several city departments are housed in multiple facilities either within or close to the Downtown District. These buildings are at capacity, limiting growth, operations, and expansion for the city.

Proposed locations for the new city hall include a city-owned parcel at 1001 Second St., or a privately held parcel in the 700 block of Main Street.

The Austin Parks and Recreation and Public Works departments are beginning the process of building a performing arts center as part of the second phase of an expansion to the Asian American Resource Center (AARC).

In 2019, the city adopted a building expansion plan that estimated that the work in the second phase would cost between $15 million to $20 million if construction was completed by 2023.

The 2019 plan along with additional community input will guide the Phase 2 Improvement Project supported by $7 million in bonds approved by Austin voters in 2018.

This project focuses on the addition of a 200- to 400-seat live performance theater, associated programmatic spaces, parking stalls, and associated site improvements. The scope will be refined based on the available budget.

After completing a community engagement process this spring, the city anticipates starting design work. Construction is scheduled to start in spring 2023 and conclude in summer 2024.

Waxahachie councilmembers commenced with engineering design services for improvements to Boat Dock Park at their March 7 meeting.

Project scope includes a topographic survey used for the layout and design of park improvements and geotechnical engineering. Work also will involve creating a site plan of the boat docks, ramps, parking lot, and site amenities such as a protected swimming area, boardwalk, beach, harbor, playground renovation, and pavilion and dock adjacent to the harbor.

Funding for the design phase is coming from the city’s 2021 park bond fund.

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan issued interim committee charges on March 10 that will guide the House heading into the 88th Legislature, set to begin in 2023.

These charges provide direction to committee members as they gain input from Texans, research potential legislative solutions, and recommend policies to the full House chamber.

Phelan’s interim charges cover:

Additional interim charges include:

In addition to releasing interim charges, Phelan also announced the creation of the House Interim Study Committee on Criminal Justice Reform and the House Select Committee on Health Care Reform. These committees were established for the purpose of dedicating extra attention to the policies that influence outcomes in the state’s criminal justice and health care systems.

Strategic Partnerships Inc. (SPI) welcomes Greg McCaffery, an accomplished administrator and professional engineer with over 30 years of diversified and comprehensive experience in all facets of public works.

Greg has worked in administration, operations, staffing, and planning within streets, water and wastewater treatment, distribution and collection systems, parks, motor pools, GIS, engineering, facilities, and solid waste/ recycling. He is a Licensed Professional Engineer in Texas, Michigan, Kansas, and Nebraska and a Certified Floodplain Manager.

As the Director of Public Works for Abilene, Greg was credited with helping to bring many national and state awards to the city. He also has served as the Assistant City Manager for Junction City, Kansas, and as the Utilities Administrator for the City of Pontiac, Michigan, where he was responsible for implementing a water loss program that resulted in over $6 million of annual savings. In addition, Greg has held positions as Public Service Director and City Engineer within various municipal communities.

Greg has served as the liaison to Federal, State, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, and other public entities where he was involved in obtaining millions of dollars in grants and low-interest loan funding for transportation, facilities, and water and wastewater improvements.

He is a former recipient of the Top Ten Leader of the Year award and a Fellow of the American Public Works Association.

Greg holds bachelor’s degrees in civil engineering from Wayne State University and in building construction management from Michigan State University. He is an active member of the American Public Works Association, American Water Works Association, Water Environment Federation, and Solid Waste Association of North America. His experience and keen insight into public works as well as local government administration will add significant value to the SPI Team.

Officials in southern Texas are working with their counterparts in Mexico to develop a park along the Texas-Mexico border. Early conceptual plans for the project, called the Binational River Park, entails construction of a 6.3-mile greenbelt that runs from the city of Laredo to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.

The development will take place over phases. Work planned for the first phase will include ecological restoration of the Rio Grande-Rio Bravo valley features that run through both Texas and Mexico. The Binational River Park also is being designed to accommodate public art, cultural assets, and other elements that will drive economic revitalization of the region.

A public-private consortium called the Binational Working Group, comprised of officials from both the U.S. and Mexico, is overseeing progress on the park development. The group expects that, once completed, the park will serve as “a unique international landmark with global reach for this hemisphere.” Early estimates suggest that the riverfront park’s total cost will exceed $100 million.

As the project advances through the design stage, its scope will be defined in greater detail. At that point, the Binational Working Group expects to release a firm timeline for the park’s phases of construction.

Randy Sumrall has more than 30 years of experience in K-12 educational technology. He has held Chief Technology Officer positions in large and small districts and he spent six years serving as Chief Information Officer of Education Service Center (ESC) Region 10.

Randy brings a rare combination of technology leadership skills, instructional experience, and insight into school data utilization, and the Strategic Partnerships Inc. (SPI) team will definitely benefit from his knowledge and expertise.

In the past, Randy has managed school networks serving over 30,000 devices and led technology departments with more than 60 employees. The reach of his management extended into broader technical needs, including networking, servers, cloud provisioning, user devices, telephony, audio/visual, door access, and security cameras.

Randy also has been a keynote speaker at conferences and served as an officer and a board member of many educational technology support organizations.

There are too many public entities to list that benefitted from Randy’s assistance and support. But, during his career he has advised the Texas Education Agency (TEA), Raise Your Hand Texas, 80 school districts, 25 charter schools, and five education service centers. He has presented to conferences held by the Texas Computer Education Association, the Texas Association of School Administrators, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the Texas Association of School Business Officials, and others.

Randy holds a Bachelor and a Master of Education in educational administration from the University of North Texas. He is certified to teach music, information technology, and driver education in Texas and holds principal, mid-management, and superintendent certifications.

The Texas Tech University System board of regents named Dr. JuliAnn Mazachek as the sole finalist for president of Midwestern State University (MSU Texas) on March 7. She will succeed Interim President James Johnston who has filled the position since Dr. Suzanne Shipley retired as MSU Texas president in August 2021.

Mazachek is currently vice president for academic affairs, chief academic officer, and associate professor at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. She joined the university’s administration in 1998 when she began a four-year appointment as dean of the School of Business.

The Brazoria City Council appointed Sheila Williams as permanent city manager. She had been serving as interim city manager since former City Manager Mike Collard was assigned to a different role with the city in February.

Williams had served as the city secretary for Brazoria since 1997. Before that, she was a court clerk.

The Mesquite ISD (MISD) board of trustees named Dr. Ángel Rivera as superintendent of schools for the district. He succeeded Dr. David Vroonland who retired.

Rivera most recently served as MISD’s deputy superintendent. Before that, he was the district’s assistant superintendent of innovation and leadership and chief of strategic initiatives and community engagement.

Following the retirement of Greg Smith as city manager, the Denison City Council named Bobby Atteberry as interim city manager.

Atteberry also is assistant city manager for Denison. He previously served as a management consultant in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

U.S. Energy Information Administration - Annual Energy Outlook 2022

U.S. Department of Transportation - Supply Chain Assessment of the Transportation Industrial Base: Freight and Logistics

Dozens of public-sector jobs are available. Click here to view all job openings and guidelines for job submissions to SPI. New jobs added this week: