Volume 11, Issue 1- Wednesday, January 9, 2019
Mary Scott Nabers, President/CEO, Strategic Partnerships, Inc.

2018 was supposed to be a banner year for self-driving cars - or autonomous vehicles. It didn't happen! 

After pedestrian deaths in March, both Uber and Tesla scaled back significantly on initiatives that were on a fast track. The future for self-driving vehicles looked even bleaker after 50 percent of 25,000 consumers surveyed globally said they did not believe autonomous vehicles (AVs) were safe. 

Interestingly enough, none of this slowed public officials' interest in or demand for autonomous vehicles. Now, cities throughout the country are announcing plans to launch autonomous vehicle projects in 2019. Some of the impetus is likely the upcoming competition for smart city funding. Self-driving vehicles are the future and pilot projects are extremely attractive to municipal leaders. 

Autonomous vehicles will become safer as 5G wireless is expanded. Faster connection reduces the possibility of a dropped connection. Driverless vehicles cannot access needed data without continual wireless connectivity. 

The global AV market is forecast to grow significantly with projections of $127 billion by 2027 and $173 billion by 2030. From 2018-2022, predictions are that the autonomous vehicles market globally will grow at 41.61 percent. That's a staggering statistic...the question is whether this is real or not. 

Between 2011 and 2017, 22 states passed bills related to AV usage while five governors signed executive orders encouraging their development. Most of the legislative action expressly permitted AV pilots. This year, another boon in state action on AV policy is underway with 28 states introducing, debating or passing new laws related to autonomous vehicles. 

Check out the latest article from our Texas Government Insider Newsletter!
Illinois- The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) has buildings and a campus layout that dates to the 1960s. School officials want to update the look with a plan that will remake UIC over the next decade. Facilities on the 104-acre campus will include more green space. The West Campus, home to the school's medical hub, would see new surgery and cancer centers as well as a renovation of the Polk Street rapid transit station. 

The Richard J. Daley library will be expanded, and the Central Quad will receive outdoor furnishings, outdoor fire pits and ice-skating rinks. The projects will be financed through public-private partnerships, bonds and private money. A new performing arts center has also been envisioned for the shoulder of the Jane Byrne Interchange. Nine new buildings are planned for the first phase, which is estimated to cost about $1 billion.
California State Printing Plant
California- A request for proposals to get design-build bids will be issued later this year from the California Department of General Services for an office complex in Sacramento's River District. The California State Printing Plant site at Seventh Street and Richards Boulevard is set to be demolished in the 2019-20 fiscal year. A design-build partner should be in place at the beginning of 2020, with construction to start after that. The complex could be up to 29 stories and include a child care center and parking structure. 

The notice of preparation for an environmental impact report describes a project of up to 1.3 million square feet as the benchmark for determining environmental impacts. The estimated project cost is estimated to be around $1 billion. Once completed, the building will house several state agencies.
Broad Ripple Park
Indianapolis- The Indianapolis Parks Department will pursue a public-private partnership to finance and develop a new family event center at Broad Ripple Park. The concept is to work with a healthcare entity to develop a building to replace the existing 11,000-square-foot park center. A financing and development model has not yet been established, but the project aligns with the recently adopted parks master plan. 

The parks board approved $70 million in spending over the next two decades to build a new events center, a revamped river walk and updated athletic facilities. A timeline for the new building has not been finalized, but a formal request for proposals will be released in the coming weeks.
North Carolina- Cumberland County Board of Commissioners this week approved funding up to $15 million for an emergency operations center. The board also supported a budget amendment to take $6 million from the county's Capital Investment Fund for the first phase of the project.

In November, the county bought a building on Executive Place near Raeford Road for an emergency operations center. County officials have asked the city about the possibility of co-locating or consolidating the 911 dispatch operations in the facility. The county plans to seek partners to help pay for the cost of the project. The county also plans to pursue grants to help pay for renovation, hardware, equipment and associated technology costs in the center.
St. Petersburg Police Department
Florida- The city of St. Petersburg released a request for proposals (RFP) Monday for the purchase and development of a property located at 1300 1st Avenue North. The site is currently home to the police department headquarters, which was originally built in the 1950's and expanded in the 1970's. A new 170,000 square foot headquarters is currently under construction across the street at 1301 1st Avenue North and will open later this year. 

The two-acre site recently appraised for $6.6 million and sits in the middle of the EDGE District, one of Downtown St. Petersburg's fastest growing neighborhoods. According to the EDGE District Master Plan, which was released in December 2016, this parcel has the potential to be a catalyst project - attracting additional development and serving as an end cap for a future Baum Avenue pedestrian streetscape.
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St. Louis Lambert International Airport
Missouri- In 2018, Congress as part of a broader Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill passed legislation for private investment in all or part of an airport through long-term leases, expanding beyond a federal pilot program for airport privatization. Privatization would still require airline and FAA approval.

The city of St. Louis may find out in 2019 what it could get in exchange for privatizing its airport. The government's working group looks set to issue a request for qualifications to bidders early in 2019. After it determines who is qualified to operate St. Louis Lambert International Airport, the city would issue a request for proposals. Those responses will determine what the city would get, such as cash and airport improvements, in exchange for giving up operational control. It could review those in the third quarter of 2019. 
Louisiana- Gonzales residents in December voted in favor of a 2 percent hotel motel tax that will bring in a little over $500,000 dollars per year. Those funds will support the construction of a new Performing Arts, Conference and Event (PACE) Center. There are at least two proposed site locations for the PACE Center. One would be located alongside S. St. Landry Avenue by Lamar-Dixon and Cabela's Parkway. The other would be between La. Highway 44 and W. Highway 30. 

The plan is to partner the PACE Center with a full-service, or at least mid-service level, hotel that could provide catering. Feb. 1 will be the beginning of picking a location for the PACE Center. Then, the last week of February will be when the final selection of the location will occur.
Iowa- The Dubuque County Board of Supervisors has approved to release a request for proposals for engineering firms to do a needs assessment of the county jail. The study will focus on the older section of the jail that opened in the 1970's. A state inspector and the county's insurance company have requested that the steel-barred cells be replaced due to liability issues. The county expanded the jail in the early 2000s, and that section has more modern features. Women and short-stay inmates primarily are the ones housed in the older section. 

Another focus would be exploring alternative access opportunities between the old and new sections of the jail. The only passage now is the main booking area and when that room needs to be secured, movement between the sides is restricted. Space is another issue, and the study would look at accommodating more females, as the jail often reaches its capacity of around 30. Proposals for the architectural study are due back to the county on March 8, and selection of a firm is expected to occur in April.
McCoy Stadium
Rhode Island- Pawtucket officials are expected to issue a request for proposals (RFP) for repurposing or redevelopment of McCoy Stadium. The minor league baseball team currently occupying the stadium will move to a new city in 2021 and Pawtucket is planning around its departure. 

Local officials have suggested the possibility of use by another baseball team, repurposing the stadium for soccer and other sports, or constructing another facility altogether. The Rhode Island Commerce Corporation will issue an RFP in the near future on what to do with the stadium.
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Wisconsin- Milwaukee officials will pursue a mixed-use development in conjunction with a museum in a central city neighborhood. The Department of Natural Resources will be moving from its offices in the Bronzeville area and the city hopes that the property they originally gave to the department will be returned. The city intends to demolish the building on the site and to build affordable apartments, market rate housing and commercial space. 

The new site would fit into the city's transit-oriented development plan and may house the relocated Wisconsin Black Historical Society and Museum. Once the city has acquired the land it will issue a request for proposals for private developers.
Tennessee- Shelby County officials plan to move to new voting machines with a paper audit trail. The new polling machines will feature a touch screen and once voters make their selections, a hard copy will print out the voter's choices. This way the voter can confirm how they voted before it is counted by the election commission. 

With special elections in March and a city election in October, county officials do not anticipate having machines ready for elections this year. The county plans to issue a request for proposals once approval is provided by county attorneys and purchasing officials.
Idaho- Boise residents are spearheading an effort to place two major projects on the ballot in 2019. The group "Boise Working Together" is pursuing an initiative to put the proposed Main Library and new downtown stadium for the Boise Hawks, that would be funded through a public-private partnership, on the ballot in 2019. Following a long public debate surrounding the cost and feasibility of the two projects, citizens hope to get a 50 percent majority vote to get both endeavors underway. 

The stadium and nearby mixed-use development are slated to cost $100 million with only $3 million expected to come from the city. The new main library is budgeted for $85 million and would be funded with a combination of philanthropy, long-term debt financed by the urban renewal agency and charitable contributions. The group has until April 30 to gather the required 5,000 signatures to place these projects on the ballot in 2019.
Indiana- The city of Carmel is searching for a developer to create a mixed-use development on recently acquired land at the northeast corner of Main Street and Rangeline Road. The 1.8-acre site includes a two-story office building and a house. A new redevelopment project is expected to include residential, office, retail and public parking. 

Part of the site was acquired by a bank that will be a future tenant on the redeveloped property. City officials want to pursue a public-private partnership and are expected to release a request for proposals this year.
Photo courtesy: Google Maps
Missouri- The city of Cape Giradeau plans to issue a request for proposals (RFP) to develop a 1.04-acre parcel at the northwest corner of Broadway and Main Street downtown. The site currently serves as a parking lot, but the city desires any new development to help accomplish its downtown strategic plan. The 2017 plan is built around high-density, compact, pedestrian-oriented shopping, office, service, entertainment and residential districts. The property has several attributes that should appeal to developers, including it is in the heart of downtown Cape Girardeau, is close to the riverfront and is just blocks away from a new hotel.

The property is eligible for tax-increment financing for public improvements like sidewalks, parking and accessibility. Additionally, the city is interested in proposals that are solely private or a public-private partnership (P3). A new RFP is expected later this year.
Photo courtesy: City of Milwaukee Capitol Library
Wisconsin- The city of Milwaukee is examining redeveloping the Capitol Library via a public-private partnership. The Milwaukee Public Library issued a request for proposals (RFP) at the end of 2018 seeking a developer to undertake the new 17,500-square-foot mixed-use development. Developers have until Jan. 29 to respond. 

The city has expressed interest in combining the library facility with apartments, condominiums, retail or office space. The design of the new library's interior will have a separate RFP process and will be funded by the Milwaukee Public Library. The city anticipates construction starting on the new Capitol branch in 2020.
Nebraska- The Omaha-Douglas Public Building Commission is scheduled to vote in two weeks on a proposed $120 million bond issue for a courthouse expansion and juvenile detention center in downtown Omaha. If the building commission approves the bond issue it will then need approval from the Omaha City Council and the Douglas County Board. 

Those two bodies would be asked to ratify amendments to an agreement involving the city, county and building commission. The county would pay rent to the building commission for use of the new buildings. The building commission would use part of that money to pay off the bonds. The county also would have to raise property taxes.
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Philadelphia- Darby Borough has unveiled a master plan for a prospective county park. A report commissioned by the Delaware County Council has determined a 30-acre space for the park towards the east of the county. The Little Flower Manor Open Space Master Site Development Plan recommends passive recreation complete with large, multi-functional open space, picnic groves and a walking trail connection to the Darby Creek Trail on the site of the Woodburne Mansion property. Part of the plan would include converting the 2,200-square-foot former power house building into an education center that would serve as a trailhead for the Darby Creek Trail system. 

Also being discussed is a plan to deal with the historic Woodburne Mansion that is the largest structure standing on the property and has been vacant for over a decade. The 100-year-old 49,000-square-foot building is deteriorating, subject to years of water damage, and is in need of roof repair. The county council has voted to request bids for the repair or replacement of the roof and conduct a structural and engineering study of the mansion. Restoration of the building is estimated to range from $13.7 to $17 million and would require a public-private partnership.
Florida- The city of Anna Maria has named a new city pier as a top priority in 2019. Work to get the pier reopened after storm damage this last year will begin in January and is projected to be completed by 2020. Officials are also interested in the completion of a stormwater plan to deal with hotspots with poor drainage. The commissioners are willing to discuss multiple public-private partnerships (P3) in order to run the city government more efficiently. 

The city intends to emulate what officials have done in Sandy Springs, Ga., which has a very low tax rate due to minimizing full-time employees and contracting out for essential services.
New York- City officials in Kingston will issue a request for proposals (RFP) to evaluate the need for a new firehouse. Currently, Kingston is served by the 110-year-old Central Fire Station and consultants for the city estimate that necessary repairs to bring the fire station up to code could cost $3.8 million. 

The issue of possibly replacing the Central Fire Station came about after a working group was appointed to review the findings of consultants that had been hired to conduct a full-scale study of structural conditions at the fire station. The city will now seek a firm to assess the need along with the potential costs, possible locations and necessary size of the facility. An RFP is expected later this year.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS

March 4-6 / Dallas, Texas
The 7th Annual Public-Private Partnership Conference & Expo will be held March 4-6 at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel. Government Contracting Pipeline readers can use promo code 100GCP to receive $100 off their registration. Register for the event here. 

Join over 1,250 senior representatives from governments, higher education institutions and leading firms in the global construction and financial markets. The conference attracts professionals from all corners of the industry and provides a valuable opportunity to facilitate new partnerships with industry peers and public sector partners. Attendees will discover new alternative project delivery methods, strategies for implementing successful P3 projects, the nuts and bolts of how deals work, and how to manage risks associated with legal and financial frameworks. Attendees will participate in interactive panels, workshops, and conversations specifically tailored to the needs of public agencies evaluating P3s. The conference is designed for all levels in the market including those beginning to explore P3s and seeking to better understand where alternative and accelerated project delivery methods can be applicable.

Attendees will participate in interactive panels, workshops, and conversations specifically tailored to the needs of public agencies evaluating P3s. The conference is designed for all levels in the market including those beginning to explore P3s and seeking to better understand where alternative and accelerated project delivery methods can be applicable.
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

- Georgia Institute of Technology President G.P. "Bud" Peterson is retiring this summer, ending a 10-year term as leader of one of the nation's top research institutions. Peterson was chancellor of the University of Colorado at Boulder when he was hired to lead Georgia Tech in 2009. The University System of Georgia will conduct a national search for Peterson's replacement. 
- Tracy McKee has been hired as the chief innovation officer for the city of Charleston. McKee was hired for the new role in November after serving an eight-month stint as Baltimore's chief data officer. Before working in Baltimore, from 1999 through January 2018, McKee oversaw Charleston's GIS division within the Department of Technology. 
- Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has hired former Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) Director Paul Trombino III as her chief operations officer to provide leadership of state government agencies. Trombino was the Iowa DOT director for Reynolds' predecessor Terry Branstad from 2011 to 2016. Trombino is currently the president of an engineering firm in Clive. 
- Air Force veteran and former comptroller Douglas Murdock has been named Hawaii's chief information officer (CIO). Murdock replaces CIO Todd Nacapuy, who recently announced he was leaving the public sector to work for a private firm. Murdock currently works as the state comptroller and director of the Department of Accounting and General Services, and as vice president of administrative and fiscal affairs for the Hawaii Tourism Authority. 
- Nicole Keaton Hart has been chosen as the chief information officer for Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia. Hart was previously the deputy chief information officer with the county. Hart's predecessor in the role, Sallie Wright, departed in August following nearly three years in the position. Chief Financial Officer Sharon Whitmore was tapped to oversee tech work there while the county conducted a search for Wright's replacement. 
- Julie Anderson, who has been the deputy emergency management director for a little over a year, was officially hired as the full-time director for Douglas County. She is taking over for Douglas County Sheriff Troy Wolbersen, who, besides being the sheriff full-time, served as the emergency management director for the last 12 years. Anderson will also take on the responsibilities of being the county's public information officer, a position that serves as the communications coordinator or spokesperson for various governmental agencies. 
- The United States Senate confirmed James Gfrerer Jan. 3 as chief information officer (CIO) and assistant secretary of internet technology at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The move makes Gfrerer the first permanent CIO at the VA since the start of the Trump administration, ending a nearly two-year vacancy. Gfrerer was in the U.S. Marine Corps for 20 years, including serving as the first director of the Marine Corps Information Operations Center. Since 2015, he has been an executive director at a professional services firm. 
- Savannah State University President Cheryl Dozier is retiring at the end of June. Dozier has been president of the university since 2011, after working the prior 17 years as an administrator at the University of Georgia. Kimberly Ballard-Washington, currently associate vice chancellor of legal affairs at the University System of Georgia, will take over as the interim president effective July 1. 
- Tricia Foster is the new director of the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget. The announcement follows the departure of David DeVries, the former chief information officer (CIO) for Michigan, who also served as director of the state's Department of Technology, Management and Budget. It is not yet clear if Foster will also serve as CIO for the state. Foster is the former senior managing director and chief operating officer of a real estate investment firm, where she worked for more than 20 years. 
- Christina Callahan, executive director of the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority, will take a job as deputy general manager of LaGuardia Airport. She will start the new job in March. Prior to her role as executive director, Callahan led the Syracuse airport as aviation commissioner of the City of Syracuse. When the Federal Aviation Administration approved the creation of a new Syracuse Regional Airport Authority in 2014, Callahan became the authority's first executive director. 
- Simone Marstiller has been chosen to serve as secretary of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. Marstiller was a judge on the 1st District Court of Appeal for nearly six years before retiring in December 2015. Timothy Niermann has served as interim secretary of the Department of Juvenile Justice since August. Niermann replaced former Secretary Christy Daly Brodeur, who resigned and has taken a job with a lobbying firm. 
- Nancy Kerry has been selected as the new city manager for Frisco. Kerry is the former city manager of South Lake Tahoe, Calif. The move to hire Kerry comes just over three months after former Frisco town manager Randy Ready announced his resignation from the position. Frisco's director of recreation, Diane McBride, stepped into the role of interim town manager during the town's search for Ready's replacement.
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