Indiana - The Fort Wayne International Airport needs a $44 million expansion to accommodate its continued growth within the current 100,000-square-foot terminal. Plans are in motion for a two-phase project on the west and east parts of the terminal. This year, preparations are underway to expand the first and second floors of the west terminal by about 30,000 square feet. The expansion of the first floor includes additional circulation space around airline ticket counters and a new outbound baggage system. The second floor will have expanded holding room space and an additional jet bridge. Passengers will also see updated finishes, furnishings and signs. 

Fort Wayne International Airport Authority officials would like its board to select an architectural design firm for the west terminal phase in May, following another hearing on the project next month. The board plans to work with the Transportation Security Administration this summer with the hope of getting a grant application for that part of the project approved so design work on it can start in the fall. Construction on the terminal improvements could start next year. The airport had a record 381,139 outbound passengers in 2018. Parts of the building date back to the 1950s and in January construction wrapped up on a $3.35 million upgrade, including a new terminal entrance road.  

Indiana- The Federal Transit Administration has provided a favorable rating for the South Shore Line's West Lake Corridor extension project to receive $440 million in federal funding. With a positive outlook on potential funding, the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) Board of Trustees has approved issuing a request for qualifications (RFQ) to interested engineering and construction firms that can take on a design-build approach for the 9-mile rail line. 

The RFQ will be due in May, a committee will identify the top candidates to proceed and NICTD will issue them a request for proposals asking for more detailed plans for the project. A grant agreement is anticipated by next spring with the federal government to pay half the project's cost, after which construction would begin. The goal is to begin operations in 2024.   

Hawaii - Hawaii officials are exploring public-private partnerships to help cover the $525 million funding for a new detention center on the Island of Oahu. The Department of Public Safety has urged state officials to find a way to increase the capacity of the state's jails and prisons. The agency is pursuing plans to add additional cells on Kauai, Maui and the Big Island. The state is preparing draft environmental assessments in preparation for such plans. 

In August, Gov. David Ige announced the state had completed its review of an environmental impact statement that calls for relocating the Oahu Community Correctional Center (OCCC) from Kalihi to the site of the Animal Quarantine Station in Halawa, a cost estimated to be $525 million. Ige hopes to redevelop the former OCCC site for redevelopment because it is located on the rail route. The state is also moving forward with the design and construction of an expansion of the Women's Community Correctional Center in Kailua, to prepare for the transfer of women there from OCCC. It was reported in October that state officials had set aside $40 million for the project, which will allow for construction of a new 180-bed facility there.  

Tennessee - Overton Park will need new tenants by next summer for 186,000 square feet of space and the city of Memphis is looking to find someone that can creatively reimagine what can be done with this blank canvas. This week, the city launched an open call for "creative reimaginings" for two buildings called "Create Your Space." A selection committee will choose respondents to expand on their ideas as part of a request for proposals (RFP) process. 

The two buildings include the Memphis College of Art (MCA), which closes next summer, and the relocation of the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art to the downtown area in 2023. The ideas, which can be for both buildings, just one building or part of either building, must be submitted by April 30. The city owns both the Brooks building and land it sits on. The city also owns the land that the MCA was built on and that building will revert to city ownership once the college closes.  

Ohio - The Ashland County Recycling Center could be outsourced if county commissioners choose that option. All recycling operations, including collection and processing, would be handled by an outside company. The second option would outsource some, but not all, of the services currently offered. This option would change the operations at the Ashland County Recycling Center, likely by converting it from a processing facility, where recyclables are sorted, to a transfer facility, where materials are collected and then sold to brokers prior to sorting. A firm was hired recently to assist the county in further assessing options, performing a feasibility study and putting out a request for proposals from recycling companies. 

The county plans to take into consideration the need for compliance with Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations and the impact any changes might have on the county. According to EPA rules, the county must either provide sufficient access to recycling opportunities to 90 percent of residents or ensure that 25 percent of residential waste and 66 percent of industrial waste is recycled.  

Florida - The Jacksonville Downtown Investment Authority (DIA) is taking bids from developers interested in the old city hall and Duval County Courthouse redevelopment. The DIA's Strategic Implementation Committee agreed to begin the process of issuing a formal notice of disposition, which triggers a new search for development ideas for 220 and 330 E. Bay streets. 

Before a notice is issued, the DIA is expected to hire a real estate consultant to help market the search, identify criteria and act as a liaison to the development community. The consultant could identify uses the city wants incorporated in proposals, like creating greenspace, engaging with the waterfront, being sensitive to retail needs along Bay Street and parking.  

Illinois - The village of Schaumburg plans to issue a request for proposals (RFP) for a 20-acre entertainment district and is hoping to find a developer for the project by the end of the year. The area to be included in the RFP is located on the east side of Meacham Road between the Interstate 90 tollway and Algonquin Road. 

The project aims to redevelop areas around the Schaumburg Convention Center with restaurants, hotels and entertainment venues, as well as a proposed initiative to design a multistory parking deck. A 2,800-seat performing arts center is also on a long list of initiatives.  

Massachusetts - Middleton town officials plan to issue a request for qualifications to conduct a master development study of the recently purchased golf course. The town would like to add municipal facilities to the 52-acre property and the study will look at whether to combine or separate a fire and police public safety building and whether a new town hall should be combined with a community center. 

Once a firm is hired, the master development plan will take five to six months to complete. The plan is to put a proposal to voters at a special town meeting in the fall of 2019 and possibly break ground for development in late 2020. The Middleton Golf Course will be closing at the end of March and there is a possibility that the town could lease the golf course to another entity so it could stay open until ground is broken.  

California - Fountain Valley City Council members have agreed to issue a request for proposals (RFP) to update the 142 Orange County Transportation Authority bus stops scattered throughout the town. An outdoor advertising firm owns and maintains the shelters, but the city has reservations on the firm's upkeep. Of the Fountain Valley's bus stops, 56 are fully outfitted transit shelters, with a covered bench and trash can beside two large advertising panels that function like street-level billboards. 

The contracts between Fountain Valley and the advertising firm have been short, six-month terms since 2011, making long-term capital investment difficult. The upcoming RFP will assist the city in weighing options on whether to choose a new contractor to maintain the shelters that were installed in 1996.  

Ohio - Gov. Mike DeWine has announced a newly-created state agency being developed in Ohio called Innovate Ohio. The first step of the program, which is being led by Lt. Gov Jon Husted, is to create the SmartOhio Operating System. The system will require departments to use data sharing tools, to improve the efficiency of services across state government and give the capacity to provide for predictive analytics to solve problems before they occur. It will provide training programs for industrial workers to learn robotics, will assist state agencies to share their data with each other and incorporate blockchain technology into government functions. 

DeWine wants to create a public-private partnership to allow the private sector to bring data sharing solutions they create into government to improve the way public services are delivered. The goal is to attract innovative ideas, new investment, create jobs and support the Ohio businesses of the future. Another proposal involves accelerating the push from paper to digital records by using blockchain technology to create secure digital records and improve convenience. This would cover documents such as car titles, proof of insurance, vehicle recall notices and license plates. Innovate Ohio also will create an advisory council of Ohio business and technology leaders to offer ideas on how the administration can improve customer service.