Volume 10, Issue 12- Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Mary Scott Nabers, President/CEO, Strategic Partnerships, Inc.
This is shocking ...and most people are not aware of these alarming statistics:
  

- The U.S. averages 1.5 school shootings every week; and 

- Since the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012, 400 people have been injured at 200 school shootings in the U.S. - 130 of which occurred at elementary, middle and high schools in 43 different states. 


The controversy over gun control is rampant but few doubt anything will change in spite of the recent shooting tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. Something should change. Schools, churches and public gatherings should not be subjected to shooters. But, what can average citizens do about this?  

Gun reform cannot be controlled by education leaders, school administrators, local elected officials or local police. Nor can average citizens control the mental health issues that drive individuals to shooting rampages in schools, public buildings or churches.  

Last week, the House passed a bill to authorize $50 million in grant funding for schools to conduct training and implement safety protocols. That's not much funding for a problem this large in scope. Last year, sales of security equipment and services to the education sector alone exceeded $2.7 billion. Even that resulted in no decline in the number of incidents. One has to question what Congress thinks another $50 million will accomplish. School students are taking to the streets to demand changes. Marches and demonstrations are scheduled. But, the question is what should school officials do to protect students and teachers? There does not seem to be any pattern to what is happening throughout the country.

Check out the latest article from our Texas Government Insider newsletter!
Nebraska- On May 15, Omaha Public School's (OPS) voters will decide whether to approve a $409.9 million Phase 2 bond issue. A major portion of the funding would be earmarked for building additions and new schools to relieve crowding at places like Highland and Spring Lake elementary schools and Lewis and Clark Middle School. Students are dealing with overcrowded classrooms, poor insulation from the cold, rodents, insects and rain. There are now roughly 226 portables spread across the district. The bond will help reduce, but not eliminate, the district's use of portable classrooms. The district has been able to get rid of roughly 99 portables and that number would shrink to 65 if the bond is approved. 

The district has already spent millions on school security features, renovations and rebuilding several older schools after voters approved a $421 million bond measure in 2014. Phase 2 revolves around creating more space by building new schools and expanding existing ones, especially in growing parts of the Omaha Public Schools district. Lewis and Clark, which has eight portables, would get a 15-classroom addition. Nine classrooms would be added on to Morton Magnet Middle, which has 13 portables outside. Two new high schools proposed for far northwest and South Omaha are pitched as relieving overcrowding at schools like South, Bryan and Burke. Bryan currently uses 13 portables, and Burke has 10.
California- Last week, the University of California Regent's Finance and Capital Strategies Committee approved the budget and design for a replacement of Emerson Hall, a residence hall at the University of California (UC) Davis. The university also presented plans for its overhaul of student housing. UC Davis is implementing an ambitious student housing and dining plan. The campus plans to add 5,200 student beds over the next six years. To do so, the university will work with a private developer for apartment-style housing for upper division and graduate students. 

The Emerson Replacement Project includes demolition of a 50-year old building and replacing it with three new buildings. The new complex also will include a Student Advising Center, multipurpose room, music room, lounge spaces, laundry rooms and study rooms. The Emerson Hall Replacement project will cost approximately $109 million and be paid for through student resident fees.
Virginia- In a push to be more transparent, Virginia Beach has reopened the bidding process for a new oceanfront pier. The initial bid process raised concerns with developers who felt there was a lack of public input and claims of favoritism. Preliminary plans included a city-owned pier, estimated at $21 million, and $250 million in private development. A museum, residential and retail were all proposed ideas. 

The new request for lease bids details the city's plans for a public-private partnership. The city wants to build a pier with a Ferris wheel as well as private businesses. Unlike the original bid, which only gave respondents two weeks, this proposal allows 60 days for responses. The deadline for new bids is May 14.
North Carolina- A request for qualifications (RFQ) has been issued for a private developer to join a public-private partnership for a two-block site on North Tryon Street in Charlotte. Plans for the 6.8-acre site include more than 580,000 square feet of traditional and creative office space in two separate buildings; 685 units of market-rate, senior and affordable-housing units; a 135-room boutique hotel, which is pegged for the historic Hall House Building; and 55,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space. The Seventh & Tryon project will also include an open plaza and underground parking.  

Last year, $65 million was budgeted for a new Main Library in the Mecklenburg County Capital Improvement Program, and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation is raising private funds to pay for the rest of the project. Construction on the five-story Main Library is expected to begin in 2020. The RFQ for the Seventh & Tryon project is due by April 24 and a shortlist of developers to receive a more detailed request for proposals will be made the week of May 21.
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Montana- The Columbia Falls School District has put out a request for qualifications (RFQ) for architect and engineering services to assist in master planning for its elementary district. The deadline to submit an RFQ is April 12. The district is asking planners to develop preliminary design documents and a cost-benefit analysis for potential renovation, expansion or new construction. 

The school district has two elementary schools that house kindergarten through fifth grade. Glacier Gateway Elementary was built in 1940, and Ruder Elementary in 1975. Both schools have been well maintained but lack outlets and energy efficiency, has a sub-par heating system and does not have the wiring for today's technology. A recommendation may come before the board on May 14.
Utah-The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) plans to convert U.S. 89 into a full freeway in Davis and Weber counties to connect Interstates 15 and 84. Now that a final state environmental study has been approved, detailed design and property acquisitions for the project now will proceed. Construction is expected to begin next year and be completed by 2021. It is estimated to cost $275 million. 

UDOT plans to widen U.S. 89 from four to six lanes and convert it into a freeway between Shepard Lane in Farmington and I-84 in South Weber. All traffic-signal intersections will be converted into either freeway interchanges or grade-separated crossings. Existing highway access from some driveways and parking lots will be eliminated, but access in some locations will be preserved via new frontage roads. Final plans call for the relocation of 20 residences, one business and one municipal water tank. The study and an interactive map of the project are available here.
Virginia- Liberty University (LU) plans to add a new arena to campus called the Liberty Arena. The new 125,000-square-foot facility will be attached to the Vines Center, that seats up to 10,000, and will be used mostly for volleyball and basketball games. Sports teams will use the locker rooms and practice facilities already in the Vines Center. 

The Liberty Arena will accommodate 4,000 people, or up to 4,500 if seats also are placed on the floor. Parking for Vines will be in the existing parking garage and, as crowds grow and demand increases, a couple of dorms on the East Campus will be demolished to make way for a new parking garage at the east end of the pedestrian tunnel under 29/460. A new highway ramp from the east bound lane of the bypass will serve the parking deck. The university does not have an anticipated cost yet, though LU plans to open the arena by 2020.
Michigan- Alpena County Regional Airport has released design renderings of what the proposed new terminal at the airport will look like if the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) appropriates funds. The design plan is 50 percent complete and the remainder will be related to electrical, plumbing and other systems. The new parking lot design also is near completion. The estimated cost of the project is $13.6 million. 

If the FAA approves the discretionary funding request it will pay for 95 percent of the cost, while the Michigan Department of Transportation and Alpena County would provide 2.5 percent each. The plan includes demolition of an old hangar and construction of the new terminal. The current terminal could be available for office use and space for leasing. The county has already received a $1 million in funding to contract for design work that was completed over a two-year period. The plan is to begin construction in 2019.
North Carolina- The Albemarle Sound is the largest body of water in the United States that currently does not have a ferry service of some type and residents hope that will change. The ferry system would link the towns to the outer banks and could annually bring thousands of inland visitors. 

Preliminary designs have the ferries carrying about 107,000 passengers in the first year with $14 million in additional tourism spending. The project is also expected to generate 94 full-time jobs. The project is expected to cost $22 million over five-years with an initial $13.8 million for the five, 49-passenger catamaran-style vessels. Plans for the system include a public-private partnership (P3) to operate, maintain and finance the project.
Gary Herbert
Utah- Utah Gov. Gary R. Herbert has signed a bill that will create an 11-member Inland Port Authority and provide an economic development opportunity for Salt Lake City and the state. This governing body will then hire a full-time executive director for the inland port project. The authority will oversee the development of a global trade area on nearly 20,000 acres of Salt Lake City's northwest quadrant west of the airport. 

The global trade port will act as a highly cost-effective distribution hub connecting Salt Lake City to major seaports and western locations. Primary activities at the inland port will include unloading and loading shipping containers, value-added manufacturing and repackaging items and shipping them to thousands of destinations. The port will also include a customs office allowing international customers to clear their products through customs before being processed and distributed.
Washington State- The city of Tacoma has issued a request for proposals (RFP) from developers to provide ideas for entertainment and retail on a 10.6-acre site. The unused plot of land next to the Tacoma Dome currently serves as a parking lot and some vacant parcels running parallel to Interstate 5. Minimum offers must include at least $8 million for the land as well as include ways to replace 594 parking spaces that would be lost with any development of the property. 

Proposals will be accepted through May 8. Once a project is selected this summer, the city will then enter exclusive negotiations with the proposed developers for up to nine months to hammer out details, timelines and permitting options before final approval from city council members.
Texas- Houston's Downtown Redevelopment Authority (DRA) approved leasing a site for a new public park in the southern area of downtown. The green space will occupy three-fourths of a block bounded by Bell, San Jacinto, Leeland and Fannin streets. Construction of the new park is expected to begin in 2019 and should be open by the summer of 2020. 

The DRA will seek input this year from the community on design and programming of the green space and will release a request for qualifications (RFQ) for a park design team. Since 2012, more than 1,500 residential units have been built in the southern portion of downtown - where the new park will be located This project supports Plan Downtown - a 20-year vision plan for the downtown area that was approved last November.
Washington State- The average time on a childcare waiting list for military families in Kitsap County is 90 days. That is because there are only 1,000 available spots and over 1,575 children. The Navy Region Northwest Child and Youth Program is considering a public-private partnership (P3) for additional childcare in the area. 

Partnerships could include programs at schools with excess capacity or building out an existing structure with capital from a partner organization for use as a new childcare center that would be run by the Navy. In 2012, the Navy submitted a proposal to build another childcare facility that would have served 300 children, but no funding was allocated. The Navy is currently soliciting feedback from the community on the possible partnership and plans to move forward with the project.
Hawaii- After 12 years without a racetrack, Oahu is creating plans to build one. Lawmakers asked the state to find land to build a new track. One of the reasons provided is to curb illegal racing on public streets. 

The track would be a public-private partnership (P3) where the developer would lease state property and develop revenue to operate and sustain the track. Two Senate committees passed the resolution and the concurrent resolution is pending. Opposition to the project stems from concern over where the state should prioritize funding.
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

April 9-10
The P3 Hub Midwest Conference of 2018 will be held April 9-10 in the InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile at 505 Michigan Avenue. The conference will present a series of roundtable sessions, interactive panel discussions, presentations and networking opportunities while focusing on public-private partnership (P3) opportunities in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri, Minnesota and many other states in the Midwest. 

The event will bring together U.S. procurers, mayors, governors, investors, contractors and advisers to debate the future of P3s. Senior public officials and private sector delegates will be on hand to discuss the latest opportunities to build and manage public assets through P3s on both sides of the Mississippi. This is your chance to hear all the information on where the latest project activity is emerging. Registration is open for the conference here. Receive a discount when registering for the conference by entering the code, Strategic10. View some details of the events here.
Strategic Partnerships, Inc. provides opportunity identification for all 50 states. 
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PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

- Colleen Jacobs was promoted to police chief of West Valley City, Utah's second-largest city's police department. She has filled in as head of the department since Sept. 8, when Police Chief Lee Russo retired. 
- San Francisco Chief Innovation Officer (CIO) Jay Nath has left city hall. Deputy CIO Krista Canellakis has been named the city's new chief innovation officer. 
- Richmond City Manager Bill Lindsay will retire July 31. A former city manager of Orinda, Lindsay took over as city manager in Richmond, Calif. in 2005. He replaced Contra Costa County Administrator Phil Batchelor, who was serving as the interim city manager. 
- Naples City Manager Bill Moss plans to leave his position on Oct. 2. Before joining Naples in 2008, Moss was the city manager of Marco Island for 10 years and also has been the city manager in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. and Atlantic Beach, Fla. 
- Des Moines County Information Technology Director Gina Erickson has announced her resignation. Erickson worked for Des Moines County in Iowa for 24 years and served as IT director for 13. Her last day will be March 23. 
- New Hampshire Insurance Commissioner Roger Sevigny, who's led the state Insurance Department for 16 years, announced he plans to retire in June. Prior to his appointment as commissioner he was assistant commissioner of the Insurance Department. 
- Former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent Anthony Box has been hired as the chief investigator in St. Louis, Mo. Box will serve as a primary contact and coordinate activities with various law enforcement agencies including the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI. Box has more than 20 years of investigative experience, including nine years at the FBI in St. Louis from 1996 to 2005. 
- Oregon Transportation Commissioner Paula Brown has resigned her position less than halfway through her first term. Brown had succeeded former Douglas County Commissioner Susan Morgan. Brown, who was appointed November 2016, has taken a position as public works director for the city of Ashland.
- William J. Behre will assume the post of president at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania effective July 1. Behre is currently the provost of Georgian Court University in Lakewood, N.J. Behre replaces Cheryl Norton, who retired as president last summer. 
- Miguel Gamino, New York City's chief technology officer, is leaving for the private sector after a year and a half in the role. After founding a pair of Information Technology companies, Gamino took on the role of chief information and innovation officer for the city of El Paso, Texas, in 2011. From there he worked at San Francisco's Department of Technology for two years, and in October 2016 he took on his current role in New York City. 
- Gloria Gibson will begin her position June 1 as the president of Northeastern Illinois University. She's been serving as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Md.  
- Robert Gaskill-Clemons began his new position March 5 as the chief technology officer for the city of St. Louis. This is a newly-formed position.
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