Volume 14, Issue 43 - Wednesday, October 26, 2022

Officials rush to launch water projects designed to ensure future resources

There is great concern about America’s water resources. Throughout the country, public officials are focused on water resources and sound water management practices because of the scarcity of this resource. As of October 18, 2022, a total of 43 states were experiencing moderate drought or worse. 

Surface reservoirs have traditionally been the ‘go to’ solution for water storage in the past. However, these structures require large tracts of land which makes them extremely costly. Because of that, there is a strong trend toward new kinds of water storage solutions.  

Last week, the Department of the Interior announced it will invest $210 million to stabilize critical water security needs. The disbursement (which will be annual) is designated for water storage projects in areas of the country where drought conditions have been especially punishing. 

This funding, however, represents only the most recent federal funding program for water security. Over the next five years, a combined $1.05 billion from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) will be available to ensure water security. The federal money can be used for planning, design, construction, or repair of water infrastructure. Much of the funding will be used for projects that help communities store impaired water—such as groundwater and surface water—for eventual reuse.

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Reno-Tahoe Airport approves $500M expansion plan called More RNO 

Nevada — The Reno-Tahoe International Airport’s Board of Trustees has approved a $500 million plan, called the More RNO project, that will build two new concourses. This multi-phase initiative includes new road work, a remodeled lobby, and a new consolidated rental car facility. 

The concourse project is the most expensive part of the renovation and will not begin until around 2024 since the airport needs to secure funding. The airport is looking at a mix of federal, state, and private funding such as public-private partnerships (P3s) and grants. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will provide much of the funding along with a $4.50 passenger facility surcharge. 

The airport authority plans to begin work on a new consolidated rental car facility (CONRAC) and ground transportation center. The project, which will be funded through a P3, is estimated to cost about $200 million. Construction is expected to start in July 2023 and wrap up by December 2025. The consolidated rental car facility and ground transportation center will have a four-story garage structure. Once rental cars are moved to the new consolidated facility, this will open up 700 extra spaces for public parking. 

Construction on a $32 million ticketing hall has started and will take about a year to complete. Road improvements are also kicking off the MoreRNO airport expansion that was announced in April. 

(Photo: Courtesy of the Reno-Tahoe International Airport)

MTS chooses land for new Clean Transit Advancement Campus 

California — The Metropolitan Transit System's (MTS) Board of Directors in San Diego has selected a site for its all-electric bus operations and maintenance facility in the Ridgeview-Webster area. MTS estimates the project cost to be $240 million-$390 million for the Clean Transit Advancement Campus (CTAC). The project will be initially funded through MTS’ annual Capital Improvement Program, but MTS will actively seek grants and federal funding participation as the project progresses. 

The design phase is projected to be from 2023-2025 and construction will take place from 2025-2027. MTS and the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) are working collaboratively on the development of the CTAC, which is currently working towards environmental clearances. 

The new facility will accommodate 250 zero-emission buses. The 12.09-acre site on Federal Boulevard was selected due to its proximity to state Route 94, main roads, and a cheaper cost to acquire the property. 

South Dakota airport terminal project in design phase 

South Dakota — The Rapid City Regional Airport Board is ready to move forward with a plan to increase its commercial terminal to 12 passenger gates and to expand in other areas. This estimated $169 million project will take around five years to complete and will be done in several stages. 

The project is currently in the design phase and will transition next into the schematic design phase. Approval of this stage of the project is scheduled for the fall.  

A total of 34,945 square feet of space will be added and includes design changes for the ticket counters, a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security checkpoint, baggage handling, and a relocated administrative office. The TSA area will increase to five lanes and will accommodate additional required TSA equipment. Outside, five additional gates will be added, with space for an additional two aircraft. 

The design of this project will be funded through federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grant funds as they become available. The airport will receive $2,835,000 annually for the next five years. 

Port of Cleveland to begin design phase of CHEERS project

Ohio — The Port of Cleveland Board of Directors has selected a firm to design and seek permits for a waterfront project called the Cleveland Harbor Eastern Embayment Resilience Strategy (CHEERS). The estimated $300 million project would use clean dredged sediment to build a new island, 70 to 80 acres, in Lake Erie north of the city’s shoreline.

The plan is meant to protect the Interstate 90 Shoreway from flooding and storm damage and make the coastline more resilient. Wetlands, hills, lawns, numerous trails, and an area to launch paddle craft would all be part of the project. 

The design effort will begin later this month along with a new round of public meetings. Submissions will take place by July 2023 on the initial permitting documents to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Following the design stage, the project will need to seek construction funding. Construction could begin as early as 2025. The long-term buildout of the project could take 30 years. 

In addition to the Port of Cleveland, other partners include Cleveland Metroparks, city of Cleveland, Ohio Department of Transportation, and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

(Photo: Courtesy of Cleveland Metroparks)

Sarasota planning a performing arts center for completion by 2028 

Florida — The city of Sarasota is teaming up with the Van Wezel Foundation to initiate a performing arts center. The city and foundation have selected a task force to recruit and select an architect to design the facility as part of The Bay, a 53-acre bayfront site downtown.  

The search for an architect is funded by a $1 million appropriation from the state of Florida. The Foundation works in harmony with the Bay Park Conservancy, the nonprofit group chartered by the city to develop and operate The Bay. 

The Sarasota Performing Arts Center will include a 2,100-seat main hall; a 300-seat flexible performing space; and a total of 165,000 square feet of building utilizing inside and outside education, event, and rooftop spaces. The new facility won’t replace the 55-year-old Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall but will be built on the opposite corner of the current parking lot, which will also be converted into green space during the final phase of The Bay redevelopment.  

The Architecture Review Committee is tasked with drafting a request for qualifications (RFQ), which will be posted for 30 days. From that list, it will invite 15 to 20 requests for proposal (RFP) approximately 20 days later. The committee will then pare that list to five or six firms.  

The first meeting of the committee will be October 31 and the selection process should take about six months. Construction on the facility is set to begin in 2026. 

(Photo: Courtesy of the Van Wezel Foundation)

City of Fishers seeks P3 for $170M event center

Indiana — The city of Fishers is seeking a public-private partnership (P3) for an event center. The city’s maximum budget for completing the projects is $170 million. The project site for the facility will consist of a 10-acre portion of an approximately 53.6-acre site on USA Parkway. The project site is currently owned by a real estate firm and the winning offeror will be required to acquire the site and transfer it to the city.  

The P3 awardee will design, develop, and construct the Fishers Event Center to help streamline the process and help shift risk away from the city and allow subcontractors to be directly accountable to the offeror. Although design is approaching completion, the full design process is ongoing, and the winning offeror will be required to collaborate with the city and architect until final documents and drawings are completed.  

The winning proposer also will obtain all permits, provide all professional services, complete all site development (borings, tests, inspections, studies, and more), and oversee day-to-day construction.  

This request for proposals and qualifications is due by November 11, 2022, at 5 p.m. EST. 

IMPO announces planning grants for area cities

Indiana — The Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization (IMPO) is distributing grants to address infrastructure and transportation needs in the cities of Fishers, Greenfield, Indianapolis, and Lawrence.  

Each of the following projects will receive an initial investment of $75,000 to develop a study or a plan.  

City of Fishers Greenway and Trails Study – Fishers will use its grant to produce a citywide greenways study to identify primary pedestrian routes and priority gaps in the pedestrian network. With the new Nickel Plate Trail and Geist Greenway, city leaders want to expand the Fishers 2040 Bike and Pedestrian Map. 

IndyMoves 2.0 – The city of Indianapolis will update the IndyMoves integrated transportation plan, which incorporates the county’s Pedestrian Plan, Greenways Plan and Thoroughfare Plan, as well as the IMPO’s Regional Freight Plan, Regional Safety Plan and others. The updated plan is intended to help the city identify capital needs. 

Charging Greenfield – The city of Greenfield will study and plan for electric vehicle charging stations. The plan will include information needed to pursue public-private partnerships (P3s) for the infrastructure. 

City of Lawrence Capital Improvement Plan & Program – The city of Lawrence will establish a Capital Improvement Plan & Program, which will prioritize infrastructure needs over the next 20 years and develop a revenue-constrained list for the first five years of the plan period. 

Charging Lawrence – Lawrence will also study and plan for electric vehicle charging stations in the community. The plan will provide information needed to pursue p3s for the infrastructure. 

Grant funding helps Detroit exceed lead serve line replacements

Michigan — The city of Detroit has received $100 million in grant funding to replace lead service lines over the next three years. The grants will allow the Detroit Water and Sewage Department (DWSD) to quicken the replacement of an estimated 80,000 lead service lines in the city at no additional cost to customers. 

The additional funding will allow DWSD to go from 700 lead pipe replacements per year to at least 5,000 over the next three years. Instead of just replacing lead service lines while replacing the water main, the additional funding will allow replacement of individual service lines outside of DWSD's capital improvement program. 

The city water department estimates lead service line replacement cost more than $10,000 per house for the required excavation at the curb-stop valve and boring to install a new line. 

The $100 million for Detroit’s Lead Service Line Replacement Program was received from the following entities: 

• $75 million American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds through Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE). 
• $10 million Michigan Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (DWSRF). 
• $5 million Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) grant. 
• $10 million DWSD Capital Improvement Program. 

EPA publishes RFI for $27B Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund 

Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published a request for information seeking public comment on core design aspects of the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reduction Fund. The notice has been published on EPA’s website and the public will have 45 days to respond. 

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 amended the Clean Air Act to create a new program, the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which will deploy $27 billion in competitive grants to mobilize financing for clean energy and climate projects that reduce or avoid greenhouse gas emissions, especially in disadvantaged communities. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund includes:  

• $7 billion for competitive grants to enable low-income and disadvantaged communities to deploy or benefit from zero-emission technologies, including distributed technologies on residential rooftops. 
• Nearly $12 billion for competitive grants to eligible entities to provide financial and technical assistance to projects that reduce or avoid greenhouse gas emissions. 
• $8 billion for competitive grants to eligible entities to provide financial and technical assistance to projects that reduce or avoid greenhouse gas emissions in low-income and disadvantaged communities. 

This GHG Reduction Fund is the product of more than thirteen years of legislative efforts to create a single, national, nonprofit green bank in the United States.  

University of Michigan seeks P3 for child care center

Michigan — The University of Michigan Board of Regents approved a plan on October 20 that will allow the university to enter into a public-private partnership (P3) with an experienced, outside child care provider to design, build, and operate a center. The university would retain ownership of the land and building and be responsible for financing the construction. 

The university will select and contract with the child care service partner, approving the design of the facility and negotiating all other construction and operations-related matters. The $12 million facility will be built on Cornwell Place — east of Ingalls Street and close to Michigan Medicine and the School of Nursing — and will serve up to 200 children. Facilities & Operations will manage clearing the site in advance of construction, which includes the removal or demolition of two existing structures. 

The new center is just one approach the university is developing to address the evolving child and family care needs of employees. A steering group of faculty and staff has been working since May to consider how the university can best support the child and family care needs of faculty and staff. 

Metro Council to allocate $47.7M for mobility projects 

Oregon — The Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Portland region has approved $152.8 million for the 2025-2027 regional flexible funds. This money from the federal government can be used for a wide range of projects. On October 13, the Metro Council approved spending $47.7 million from these flexible funds on 11 projects seeking to enhance access to transit and improve the local street and trail networks to make biking and walking safer.   

Multnomah County will receive $6.5 million to transform Northeast Sandy Boulevard from Gresham City Limits to Northeast 230th Avenue into a complete street. The proposed design will add a center turn lane and turn lanes at strategic locations, and it will fill the pedestrian and bicycle facility gaps. The total project cost is $23 million.  

The city of Portland will receive $4.8 million to complete the North Portland Greenway’s offroad multiuse connection between Kelley Point Park and the Rivergate Trail with 2,000 feet of new trail. The total project cost is estimated at $5 million.  

Additional projects that were approved for funding are located here.  

Metro is authorized by Congress and Oregon to coordinate and plan investments in the transportation system for the three-county area – Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington. The agency's boundary encompasses Portland and 23 other cities.  

New York receives $246M for emergency preparedness/counterterrorism

New York — Gov. Kathy Hochul announced October 12 that $246 million in federal funding will support counterterrorism and emergency preparedness efforts across New York. The funding, provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency through its Fiscal Year 2022 Homeland Security Grant Program, supports regional homeland security preparedness efforts, including planning, organization, equipment, training, and exercise activities which are critical to sustaining and improving community prevention, protection, response, and recovery capabilities. The New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services manages these programs in close coordination with local stakeholders.   

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's Homeland Security Grant Program is comprised of three separate risk-based grants. Those programs are the State Homeland Security Program ($68 million), the Urban Area Security Initiative ($176.5 million), and Operation Stonegarden ($2 million). 

The Urban Area Security Initiative also includes $16.5 million from the state's portion of this grant, in recognition of the New York City urban area partner's unique position in terms of potential threats from terrorist-related activities. Awardees include: 

• City of New York, $136.2 million. 
• Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, $10.5 million. 
• Nassau County, $2.8 million. 
• Westchester County, $2.8 million. 
• Suffolk County, $2.8 million. 
• City of Yonkers, $2.6 million.

North Dakota - Gov. Doug Burgum on October 13, appointed North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) Deputy Director of Engineering Ron Henke to lead the department. Henke’s appointment was effective immediately. He has been serving as interim NDDOT director since September 9. Henke joined NDDOT in 1990, serving as director of operations and project development, as well as in other capacities including design, construction, planning and programming.  

Iowa - Brandon Smiley joined the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) as its chief operating officer on October 17, 2022. Brandon joins us from Kansas City where he worked for more than 17 years in a variety of operations roles ranging from a transit bus operator to director of transportation for the Kansas City Area Transit Authority (KCATA). At DART, Smiley will lead more than 200 employees in the Operations, Maintenance, and Facilities departments. 

California - Ed Clark is the new chief information officer (CIO) for the California State University (CSU) system, replacing Michael Berman following his recent retirement. Clark brings more than 25 years of IT management experience to the role. He previously worked as vice president for innovation and technology services, CIO and chief digital officer at the University of St. Thomas. 

Arkansas - Lyon College has inaugurated its 19th president, Melissa P. Taverner. Taverner became interim president in August 2021 and was inaugurated as president on October 22. She joined the college in October of 2017 when she accepted the position of provost and dean of faculty. Before joining Lyon College, Taverner was an associate professor of biology at Emory & Henry College in Virginia.  

North Carolina - The town of Harrisburg has hired Mallory Hodgson as its new public works director. Hodgson, who has been with the town for four years, was originally hired as a project manager for the town’s engineering department. Hodgson served as the interim public works and engineering director for six months prior to securing the full-time position. 

California - Rohnert Park has tapped El Centro City Manager Marcela Piedra to succeed retiring City Manager Darrin Jenkins. Her three-year contract will begin January 3. Piedra has more than 20 years of experience, most recently serving as city manager in the Imperial Valley city of 44,000 for five years. Previously she worked as deputy city manager, community services director and economic development director. 

Strategic Partnerships, Inc.

Publisher: Mary Scott Nabers

Editors: Kristin Gordon

             Claire Robertson      

www.spartnerships.com