The NY State Commission on State Asset Maximization (SAM), a subsidiary of public agency Empire State Development, "was established by Executive Order 11 in 2008 to study potential public-private partnerships for the State of New York. SAM's mission is to more efficiently leverage the State's physical and human capital resources to better serve its citizens."[xi] Unfortunately, as reported in May 2010 in Infrastructure Investor Magazine, any actual projects resulting from the SAM program are "on-hold", at least until the next administration takes control.
The ambitious State Asset Maximization final report highlights the following potential PPP projects:
• Package several separate bridge projects as one overall bridge improvement program through a public-private partnership
• Transit-Oriented Development through PPPs
• Pilot program to enable school districts with major anticipated capital construction programs to utilize alternative delivery approaches currently unavailable through existing legislative authority
• Examine and define the conditions under which new sources of private capital might be accessed to support needed capital construction programs for healthcare facilities
• Initiate a targeted pilot program for a select number of SUNY schools, such as five, to lease campus lands to private entities
• Support and encourage public-private partnerships in the development of electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure, including "smart-grid", technologies, using State-owned lands and right-of-ways
• Utilize long-term power purchase contracts with renewable energy developers to incentivize green businesses to locate in New York
• Support the development of a process for installing renewable energy technologies on State facilities, particularly those that are energy intensive, and have open space and/or compatible roofing
• Evaluate the potential for reducing the energy use and costs of aging properties, which may not be currently optimized for energy efficiency, through the implementation of energy management strategies
• Pursue a public-private partnership with the telecommunications industry in which the State identifies and leases building rooftops, land holdings, and other fixed assets for all wireless carriers to expand their commercial network
• Finance new construction and consolidation of the State's data centers
• Disposition of surplus property should not be the only option for revenue enhancement from underutilized assets. Creative public-private partnerships, which utilize joint ventures, license agreements, ground leases, and other transaction alternatives, should be advanced to fulfill the State's short-term needs while building long-term value.