ALLIANCE SETS CONFERENCE ON HIGHER EDUCATION CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION
    Leaders of higher education in New Jersey will convene in a conference sponsored by the Alliance for Action on Tuesday, June 8, to report on their capital construction plans.  The program is entitled:  "Building for Tomorrow's Leaders."

The session will be held at the Trenton Marriott on West Lafayette Street, with registration beginning at 8:00 a.m. The conference is expected to conclude around 12:00 noon.  New Jersey colleges and universities are anticipated to invest over $1 billion in the next few years on critically need facilities.  Reports detailing those plans will be presented by:

• Curt Heuring, VP of Facilities & Planning, THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY
• Dr. Carlos Hernandez, President, NJ CITY UNIVERSITY
• Dr. Robert Altenkirch, President, NJ INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
• Michael McKay, VP, Facilities, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
• Mike Harris, Associate Vice President for Administration & Finance/Chief of Operations, ROWAN UNIVERSITY
• Anthony Calcado, VP of Facilities & Capital Planning, RUTGERS UNIVERSITY

NEW STATE TRANSPORTATION COMMISSIONER TO FEATURE MEET THE PLAYERS
    James Simpson, New Jersey's new State Commissioner of Transportation will be featured as part of the Alliance for Action's 2010 series of "Meet the Players" on Thursday, April 22.  The program will be at the Alliance's office at Raritan Plaza II, Raritan Center, Edison.

  Registration will be at 9:30 a.m. and the program at 10:00 a.m. Simpson will give his views and answer questions on the State Transportation Trust Fund, NJ Transit, The New Jersey Turnpike Authority and the South Jersey Transportation Authority. 

  Simpson had served as Federal Transit Administrator when he was nominated by Governor Chris Christie and confirmed by the State Senate.  He also was a commissioner for ten years on the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority. To register, Go Here.  

Our second Meet the Players meeting will be held on May 20, 2010 with NJ Transit Executive Director James Weinstein, if you would like to attend, please Go Here.  

MONTCLAIR STATE SEEKS TO MOVE ON PUBLIC-PRIVATE DORMS PROJECT
  Montclair State University is moving ahead with a public-private partnership on plans for a $250 million project to build dormitories for some 2,000 students.  It would increase the schools' residential capacity by more than half.

  The plan would be the first project carried out under the new state law that allows New Jersey's public colleges and universities to form public-private partnerships to develop capital facilities.

Two multi-story dorms and a 25,000 square foot dining hall would be constructed on existing parking lots at the north end of the campus in Little Falls and Clifton.  

CARTERET TO BENEFIT FROM $60 MILLION INDUSTRIAL PROJECT
  Energy company Kinder Morgan has reached an agreement with Carteret to build a $60 million biodiesel blending system and storage facility on 15 acres of the company's property along Industrial Highway.

  Mayor Daniel Reitman said the "monumental agreement" will net Carteret $30.2 million in taxes over the next 30 years, as well as create 150 to 200 construction jobs.  Kinder Morgan is the borough's largest taxpayer.  The project is slated to begin in May, with completion scheduled for June 2011.  

ATLANTIC CITY SOUTH INLET DEMOLITION PROGRAM IS ANNOUNCED
  The South Inlet Demolition Program was approved by the Atlantic City Reinvestment Development Authority.  The program targets unoccupied derelict buildings for demolition in an area bordered by Delaware, Maine and Melrose Avenues and the Boardwalk.

  The Authority negotiated with the City of Atlantic City and Revel Entertainment, developer of the casino/hotel under construction, to structure the investment end of the program criteria.  The program will be funded up to $500,000 via a donation to the Authority by Revel as a pre-payment against their Atlantic City Housing Investment Alternative Tax obligations. The project is a pilot for possible future demolitions in Atlantic City.  

OCEAN CITY HAS $30 MILLION IN PROJECTS UNDER WAY
  Supported by federal and state funds, Ocean City is working to complete more than $30 million in improvements by the summer vacation season.  The projects include beach replenishment, rebuilding the dunes system, boardwalk beautification and a boat ramp.  

The beach replenishment program worth $17 million will have 65 percent federal support and 26 percent from the state, with Ocean City paying the remaining 9 percent.  The centerpiece of the city's project is a $15 million expansion of the community center, plus conversion of vacant land to a marina with 55 boat slips.  

CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON DATA CENTER IN FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP
  Construction has begun to convert a former warehouse and light manufacturing facility in Franklin Township into a multi-tenant data center.  Partners in the project are Sentinel Data Centers LLC and Carlstadt-based Russo Development LLC.  

New York-based Sentinel is building an on-site 69-kilovolt substation at the single-story 230,000 square-foot property it acquired late last year. The facility, which sits on 22.5 acres, is expandable to 330,000 square-feet and ultimately can accommodate 160,000 square-feet of net computer room space for a data center to accommodate large corporate users.  Completion is expected in mid-Summer 2010.  

SPORTS AUTHORITY APPROVED $16 MILLION OFF-TRACK WAGERING CENTER
  A $16 million construction contract for a new off-track wagering facility on Route 440 in Bayonne was approved by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority.  

Called Meadowlands at Bayonne, the two-story facility will comprise 35,000 square feet of racing wagering, dining and entertainment space, including two teletheatre rooms and a 150-seat restaurant.  Construction is expected to take about 14 months, with a possible opening in mid-2011.  

PRINCETON BEGINS CONSTRUCTION OF $180 MILLION SCIENCE COMPLEX
  Princeton University is starting construction of a two-building complex to house the Princeton Neuroscience Institute and the Department of Psychology.  Construction cost is estimated at $180 billion.  

The new complex is part of the Campus Plan unveiled in 2008 and construction is expected to be completed in three years.  It will encompass 248,000 gross square feet and will feature state-of-art research facilities, meeting rooms, faculty offices and instructional space.  

The site will be a 350-space parking lot now used by faculty and staff and is located south of Icahn Laboratory and west of Washington Road.  

STATE SENATE CONFIRMS FIVE CHRISTIE NOMINEES
  The State Senate confirmed five of Governor Chris Christie's nominees to his Cabinet.  They are:  

Poonam Alaigh, Commissioner, Department of Health and Senior Services; Jennifer Velez, Commissioner, Human Services; Tom Considine, Commissioner, Banking and Insurance; Bob Martin, Commissioner, Environmental Protection; Gary Lanigan, Commissioner, Corrections; James Simpson, Commissioner, Transportation, and Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff, State Treasurer.  

BIRDSALL SERVICES PURCHASES CMX ENGINEERS
  Birsdall Services Group announced purchase of select assts of CMX, Inc., of Manalapan, an engineering firm which provides services for public works, site development, environmental management, building structures, planning and transportation.  

Headquartered in Sea Girt Birdsall Services will now have a staff of 400 with annual revenues exceeding $75 million.  

MORRIS COUNTY ALLIANCE FOR ACTION PROGRAM SOON TO BE RELEASED
In the meantime, mark the date and place on your calendar – April 23, 2010, 8:15 a.m., at the Birchwood Manor, 111 North Jefferson Road, Whippany. For early registration:  Go Here.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

• Assemblyman Thomas P. Giblin, D-34th District, will receive the Outstanding Achievement Award on April 22 at the 19th annual Scholarship Gala of the Passaic County Community College Foundation at the Historic Hamilton Club in Paterson.  Giblin is Business Manager of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 68.
• The Trustees of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation have announced that Christopher J. Daggett will assume the position of President and CEO of the Foundation effective June 14, 2010.
• Salmon Ventures Limited announced that Fred Butler, former NJ BPU Commissioner, has joined their regulatory affairs team as Executive Vice President.

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