We are living through not only an incredibly sad time, but also a historic time. Without doubt, we'll be talking about how we survived COVID-19 for the rest of our lives.

As businesses throughout the world scramble to find their footing, the SPI Team is working harder than ever. We are totally focused on helping clients continue to provide goods and services to public entities ... but we are also preparing for a return to normal.

There's no doubt that better days are coming, so we are building a new section for our website and developing training modules of all types to help government contractors.

This site will be the place where we'll deliver customized research for companies interested in pursuing projects of all types - upcoming projects that will be funded through federal recovery allocations to governmental agencies. We also will monitor public-private partnerships where private capital funding will be used to launch new infrastructure projects.

The American economy will have to be stimulated as soon as the COVID-19 virus is contained. That will be done by sending federal dollars to governmental agencies to launch projects that will create jobs and put people back to work. Our researchers will track that funding to every state and local governmental entity and then to specific projects. Not only do we intend to identify the projects, but we also will provide an abundance of background detail. We did this in 2008, and we're ready to do it again.

Along with the tracking of funding and identification of projects, the site will feature training modules for government contractors. We've been covered up with requests for government sales training, so it seemed appropriate to make some of those services available now.

The public-sector marketplace, which has represented a multi-trillion dollar arena in the past, will be even larger in the future. Companies that never diversified into selling to government in the past will surely realize that diversification has been a lifesaver for many companies during this time. Governmental agencies don't shut down during disasters. Government ramps up during disasters and public officials will always need private-sector partners.

Almost every type of product and service that can be found in the commercial sector is purchased by the government. And, government offers huge contracting opportunities for companies that can provide good products and much-needed services. 

It's hard to understand why any company would not be involved in selling to government.

So, watch this space because the new section of our site will go live within the next few weeks. Even seasoned government contractors will find guidance for success. With 80-plus consultants and an incredible research team, the SPI Team felt it was incumbent on us to help make collaboration between public and private sector partners easier and more successful.

Take care and stay well. We will get through these sad days together, and we will be stronger for it.

Massachusetts - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) decided on April 3 to pursue the replacement of the Bourne and Sagamore Highway Bridges over the Cape Cod Canal for an estimated $1 billion total.

The assistant secretary of the Army for civil works approved the final project report that will allow the bridge design and funding efforts to begin after a multi-year major rehabilitation evaluation study determined replacement would be more cost effective than rehabilitation. 

Both bridges will remain as their new, wider replacements are erected alongside them with four vehicle lanes and an auxiliary lane on each side. The new bridges also will feature medians and bike and pedestrian lanes.

Once the new bridges are complete, the existing ones will be demolished.

North Carolina - The city of Raleigh extended its deadline for a request for information (RFI) as it seeks project options to develop a downtown convention center hotel and an office tower.

Acknowledging the uncertain times of the COVID-19 pandemic, city officials said they are committed to exploring project options for the development on two vacant downtown lots on 2.5 acres.

Based on RFI submittals alone, the city may elect to negotiate with one development team on the hotel or hotel-office project.

However, it is expected that the city will select a short-list of project development teams from the RFI responses to be invited to participate in a more detailed request for proposals (RFP) and interview process. Only those development teams that submit an RFI response would be eligible for consideration, should the city pursue a RFP.

The RFI deadline is 5 p.m. EST May 1.

Washington, D.C. - Six of the 10 counties with the largest population gains this decade were in Texas - Harris, Tarrant, Bexar, Dallas, Collin, and Travis - according to the U.S. Census Bureau's July 1, 2019, population estimates released on March 26.

The statistics provide population estimates and components of change for the nation's 384 metropolitan statistical areas, 542 micropolitan statistical areas, and 3,142 counties.

Among the nation's counties, the top 10 with the largest numeric gains since 2010 are all located in the South and the West. The other four counties on the list are: Maricopa County, Arizona; King County, Washington; Clark County, Nevada; and Riverside County, California.

Texas counties also occupied the most spots of any state in the top 10 fastest growing since 2010, where Hays, Comal, Kendall, and Williamson all made the list.

Three of top 10 metro areas with the largest gains in population between 2010 and 2019 were in Texas. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington had the largest numeric growth, with its population increasing by more than 1.2 million (19 percent) to 7.57 million people as of July 1, 2019. It was followed in second by Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, increasing by 1.15 million (19.4 percent) to 7.07 million people, and eighth-place Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, up by 510,760 (29.8 percent) to 2.23 million.

Among metropolitan areas, Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler's population of 4.95 million in 2019, replaced Boston-Cambridge-Newton's as the 10th most populous for metropolitan areas in the country.

Of counties with a population of 20,000 or more in 2018 and 2019, Williams County, North Dakota, was the fastest-growing county this decade, increasing by 67.8 percent (from 22,399 to 37,589) between 2010 and 2019.

Out of 3,142 counties and county equivalents, 1,610 (51.2 percent) gained population between 2018 and 2019. Nine counties experienced no change in population during this time, while the remaining 1,523 (48.5 percent) lost population. 

Pennsylvania - The state's Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced it would resume work on 61 emergency and critical highway and bridge projects on March 31.

On March 17, PennDOT paused all construction projects statewide in response to Gov. Tom Wolf's COVID-19 mitigation guidance to minimize exposure to state and private-sector employees.

The emergency work that continues addresses specific safety needs, such as landslide repairs, or critical bridge, tunnel and drainage repairs, and work needed to eliminate roadway restrictions that could impede transport of emergency personnel and life-saving equipment.

PennDOT's annual highway and bridge construction budget averages $2.2 billion.

Louisiana - The state has created a new webpage to connect Louisiana businesses to valuable resources for COVID-19 economic and safety issues.

Louisiana Economic Development (LED) developed the Resources for Impacted Businesses webpage with links to coronavirus information and business assistance resources, an interactive Resources by Region map, arts and entertainment resources, and more. Links are updated as soon as any new information becomes available. Business owners also may sign up for COVID-19 business updates.

Gov. John Bel Edwards and LED Secretary Don Pierson also announced the opening of an LED help desk that provides email and hotline support for Louisiana businesses impacted by COVID-19.

For COVID-19 business questions, LED may be reached at LEDbiz@la.gov or via the toll-free hotline at 833-457-0531. The COVID-19 hotline is staffed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. High call volumes might result in delays. Callers are encouraged to keep trying, leave a voicemail or contact LED via email.

Louisiana businesses seeking federal financial assistance are encouraged first to contact the U.S. Small Business Administration at www.SBA.gov/Disaster to apply for COVID-19 disaster aid. The SBA Customer Service Center may be reached at 800-659-2955.

Massachusetts - The city of North Adams' Community Development Committee is preparing an Urban Renewal Plan to recommend to City Council that could include plans to sell surplus city properties.

The city owns about 200 properties several of which are unused vacant lots and parcels zoned for commercial and residential use.

Options for sale are auction, sale to adjacent property owners, or through requests for proposals (RFPs).

In one area, eight city-owned parcels have been deemed nonconforming lots that abut residential and commercial-zoned properties. City ordinances allow for nonconforming properties to be merged with conforming tracts to gain compliance. Such an action would increase their marketability through potential RFPs.

The recommended Urban Renewal Plan is set to be presented to City Council on the next available meeting agenda. 

New York - The town board in Keene voted unanimously to award a design contract for its community center project to combine several city functions into one building.

Spurred by a $100,000 state grant, boardmembers selected a consultant to upgrade the town's aging community center to be able to host more activities and programs. A countywide needs assessment also identified a lack of space for services.

City documents outline the town's vision for the expanded community center to allow for a library expansion, visitor center, meeting space, preschool and training classrooms, employment services, and office rental space.

The consultant will be tasked with developing preliminary designs, construction cost estimates, and an operations plan.