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| Galesburg City Manager Says Plenty of Stimulus-Eligible Projects Exist |
If a published report gave you the impression that there aren't any shovel-ready projects in Galesburg that are good enough for President Barack Obama's $800 billion stimulus bill he'll sign into law today, think again.
That's according to Galesburg City Manager Dane Bragg, who told the Galesburg City Council Monday night there are plenty such projects that could begin within 90 to 180 day time frame set out by the stimulus bill -- from any of a number of road resurfacing or sidewalk projects, to projects to improve the city's water supply.
Bragg says however, yes, there are projects that the city would love to get stimulus funding for, but likely can't. "Projects like the (Railroad crossing) grade separations, the National Railroad Hall of Fame, quiet zones, some of those," Bragg said. "Those projects aren't yet designed. They're not permitted. In some cases, the property acquisition is not yet complete. They cannot be funded by the Stimulus Bill, because we cannot meet the time restrictions put on that bill."
Bragg says, however, that doesn't mean money can't be made available for such projects later, through -- for example -- any sort of state capital bill or federal transportation bill, or any future stimulus bills.
All told, the city is hoping for roughly $5 million out of the over billion dollars that could be coming to the state, and Bragg says he'll be meeting with state officials later this week to make sure they know what the city can do now.
The Galesburg City Council Monday night approved starting a grant program for local business innovation and will contribute $50,000 to the pot, approved $50,000 plus in engineering design work for a new water tower to be located near Logistics Park Galesburg, and tabled $250,000 in purchases for wiring and other equipment for all city-owned buildings to make them ready for a transition from traditional phone service, to voice-over internet protocol communications.
(A map of the "shovel-ready" projects the City of Galesburg says are ready for the economic stimulus bill. Graphic courtesy City of Galesburg.) |
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| 02 16 09 by Newsroom |
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