- John MacKinnon, the head of the Associated General Contractors of Alaska, will lead the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. MacKinnon was the department's deputy commissioner of highways and public facilities from 2003 to 2008. He also served on the Juneau Assembly and the Juneau Planning Commission.
- Alicia Welch has been hired as the new fire chief in Golden. Welch retired in 2017 from the Los Angeles Fire Department after 26 years and moved to Colorado. She replaces Chief John Bales, who retired after serving as chief for 17 years. Welch was sworn in Nov. 26. Golden is a mostly volunteer fire department.
- Jim Gill, president and CEO of Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GFIA) has stepped down after less than two years. Gill plans to transition immediately to a consulting role to pursue opportunities in the public sector. The GFIA Airport Authority Board will select a national search firm to identify CEO candidates. The board expects the search process to be completed in 2019. Brian Picardat, airport vice president, and chief financial officer and treasurer of the airport authority, is serving as interim CEO.
- Irene Spanos, Oakland County's director of economic development and community affairs, will soon be leaving for a job at Oakland University. She has served in this position since November 2011. Spanos' final day with the county will be Dec. 7. Deputy County Executive Tim Meyer, tasked with overseeing all economic development and community affairs matters, will continue to lead the department as the search for a department director gets underway.
- West Virginia's chief information security officer, Joshua Spence, has been promoted to chief technology officer, the state's top information technology role. Spence has 18 years in IT positions with the U.S. Air Force and joined West Virginia state government as its top cybersecurity official in 2015. He replaces John Dunlap, who retired in November. Spence will maintain his position as a guardsman and cyber operations officer with the West Virginia Air National Guard.
- Tommie Reese, the director of public safety for Demopolis, has been appointed to law enforcement coordinator with the Alabama Attorney General's Office. He will begin his work in the new position in January. In 2017, Reese was appointed director of public safety, expanding his oversight to include both the Demopolis police and fire departments. Reese replaces former Attorney General law enforcement coordinator Chris Carden, who retired in September.
- Theodore R. Delbridge has been named executive director of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems, a state agency that coordinates the emergency medical system, including ground and air transport and emergency services policies. Delbridge is an emergency physician and has been a professor and chair of emergency medicine at the East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine since 2006. He takes over a position, beginning in February, which had been filled temporarily with co-acting directors.
- The College of Charleston Board of Trustees ended a year-long search for its next leader by electing University of Toledo provost Andrew Hsu as its 23rd president. The board unanimously approved Hsu, a former aerospace engineer whose work in academia has mostly focused on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), to lead the liberal arts college. His start date has not been determined. Since July 2016, Hsu has served as the provost and executive vice president of academic affairs at the University of Toledo in Ohio. He will succeed Glenn McConnell, who announced his retirement in January.
- Loudoun County has promoted Alaina Ray to director of the Department of Planning and Zoning. Ray has served as the department deputy since October 2017. Prior to joining Loudoun County, Ray served as planning, zoning and building director in Longboat Key, Fla. As the director of Loudoun planning and zoning, Ray will oversee the department that works closely with the Board of Supervisors, the Planning Commission and the public in developing plans that guide land use in the county.
- Kauai County Planning Department Deputy Director Kaaina Hull will take over as planning director starting this week. Hull replaced Michael Dahilig, who vacated the position Dec. 3. Hull has been with the planning department for more than a decade. He spent over seven years as a planner with the county before being appointed deputy director three years ago. Hull requested that the commission allow him to return to his position as planner with the county after his term as director ends.
- Debra Campbell began her duties as the new Asheville city manager on Monday. Campbell comes to Asheville from Charlotte, where she has been the assistant city manager there since 2014. Campbell will replace Gary Jackson, who was let go in March.
- Mark Rothert is the new Pekin city manager. He has been serving as the interim Pekin city manager since the departure of his predecessor, Tony Carson. Rothert, who had been Carson's assistant, was named Pekin interim city manager in August. Rothert was hired in Pekin in June 2017. Prior to that, he spent five years as Peoria County assistant administrator.
Looking for engineering and construction opportunities? Look no further than ports! 
Pennsylvania- The Pennsylvania Public-Private Partnership (P3) Board approved a proposal to reconstruct 15 bridges and two interstates in Luzerne County. The bridges are located along a 25-mile section of Interstate 81 and a 10-mile section of Interstate 80. The proposal is part of an adjusted bid, design-build that will allow the designer and contractor to work in close collaboration. The method also allows the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to put greater weight on a contractor's qualifications in addition to cost factors. 
Missouri- Union R-XI School District officials announced that a bid for a new elementary school will go out later this month. In April, voters approved a $27 million bond for improvements in the district, including a new elementary school. The school's current estimated cost is over $21.5 million, and the district board approved a pitched roof design for the building. The design process for the new building is coming to a close and the building will be located near East Central College. 
Minnesota- The Federal Transit Authority (FTA) has approved $74.1 million for Metro Transit's Orange Line, a 17-mile bus rapid transit route that will connect Minneapolis, Richfield, Bloomington and Burnsville along Interstate 35W. This is the region's busiest express bus corridor that now sees more than 200,000 cars and trucks daily. The FTA's Capital Investment Grant (CIG) contribution will be added to the total cost of the $150 million project. The FTA decision was expected after the agency issued a "letter of no prejudice" last year indicating it would likely fund half of the project. The remaining cost is being covered via state bonding and money from Hennepin and Dakota counties. 
Louisiana- If voters approve 
Washington, D.C.- The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is expected to issue a request for proposals (RFP) this month seeking conceptual designs for coal-based power plants and an option to conduct a preliminary front-end engineering design. The proposal comes as part of the Coal FIRST (Flexible, Innovative, Resilient, Small, Transformative) Initiative started by the department to fund competitive research and development of future coal generation technologies. The DOE plans to issue three competitively-funded research and development efforts in fiscal year 2019. These efforts may ultimately culminate in the design, construction and operation of a coal-based pilot-scale power plant. 
New Mexico- Santa Fe Public Schools, the city and county are discussing the possibility of creating a joint request for proposals (RFP) format in hopes of enticing private developers to build affordable housing projects on land each entity owns. The county is considering adding 6 acres to the project that is adjacent to the 68-unit low-income Camino de Jacobo Housing Neighborhood near Cerrillos and Airport roads. The county also has old public works property on Galisteo Street that could be provided for the housing. The school district has numerous undeveloped lots that could be considered but has not yet approved the land for usage. 
Florida- The Miami International Airport (MIA) currently has a 270-room hotel at Concourse E in the pre-security area at the airport. The airport's master plan calls for the construction of a 400-room hotel, which will be presented to the Board of County Commissioners in early 2019. The nearly 100-foot-tall hotel has three potential locations: at the entrance; at the center of the airport; or near the South Terminal. 
North Carolina- The city of Wilmington wants to further its rail realignment project and needs a qualified manager. The new, full-time position would exist within the city's planning, development and transportation department and would aid in its plan to create a more efficient freight route to the Port of Wilmington and to repurpose the existing city railways. The rail realignment project would provide a more direct rail line between the Davis Rail Yard and the Port of Wilmington without having to cross 32 streets in the city. 
Washington State- The city of Kennewick is mulling a 
Hawaii- The University of Hawaii issued a request for proposals for a public-private partnership (P3) with a developer to build family-oriented rental housing for graduate students and faculty. New housing would be located on a 2.21-acre parcel that is adjacent to the university's Manoa campus. The land was acquired by the university from the federal government three years ago after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration agencies moved to a new facility on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor. 
Delaware- A project is in the works to preserve Milford's historical Vinyard Shipyard as well as the Mulholland Spoon Factory. A task force has been formed to preserve and promote the shipyard area, the last of seven shipyards in Milford that has a wooden ship building facility on the Delaware Bay. With the assistance of Downtown Milford, Inc., an economic development organization, the task force has contracted with an architecture firm to begin the process of determining possible uses for the shipyard and how its assets can be integrated into the Milford Riverwalk, Bicentennial Park, Goat Island and other nearby property. 
Tennessee- Columbia's growing and prosperous downtown lacks parking spots. The city plans to partner with Maury County and initiate a comprehensive study of on-street parking and designated parking lots. City and county officials anticipate having short and pragmatic recommendations that might be implemented immediately, such as better signage, lighting or partnerships with local businesses and government on using existing lots. 
Alaska- Gov. Bill Walker has approved the release of $3.6 million to complete the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process for the Ambler Mining District Access Project. This large-scale project was one of several halted by executive order in December 2014 so the Office of Management and Budget could review discretionary spending. The Ambler Road Project is a proposed 200-mile road that would connect the Ambler Mining District in Northwest Alaska with the Dalton Highway and Fairbanks. The decision is in response to an Aug. 24 request from the Alaska Industrial and Development Export Authority (AIDEA) to release the funds. No additional state funding is expected to be needed for completion of the EIS process. 
South Carolina- The United States Department of Energy will soon issue a request for proposals for the paramilitary security contract at the Savannah River Site (SRS). Duties of the site security contractor include responding to emergencies and protecting the site, its personnel, its national security interests, its nuclear material and sensitive information. A 10-year contract with the current SRS security contractor expires Oct. 7, 2019. A new security contract will likely be awarded late 2019, early 2020. 
March 4-6
