Stimulus and recovery

By FRITZ MAYER

MONTICELLO, NY — “Who’s going to decide which projects get the money?” asked lawmaker Kathy LaBuda. “Nobody knows,” was the response from county chairman Jonathan Rouis.

They were talking about what many are calling the stimulus plan or, as the Democrats on Capital Hill have named it, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009. With it, the federal government is soon likely to hand out billions of dollars to state and local governments for projects that will help get the national economy going again.

County lawmakers have already identified numerous projects that they would like funded by federal dollars when the bill is passed, such as the new county jail, the green technology park at the college and numerous highway projects. But at the meeting on January 15, they identified many new projects that they will put forward to New York’s elected officials as likely candidates to receive federal tax dollars.

These include such projects as an initiative to “Plan and Construct a Natural Gas Processing Facility.” This would enhance the county’s ability to use natural gas locally rather than “sending it all out of the area via the pipeline.” On a related matter on the list of projects handed out to lawmakers, county staffers wondered if it would be appropriate to discuss with state and federal officials about the potential for the construction of local natural gas distribution lines to serve local communities.

Other projects included ones as varied as the retrofitting of the government center with a geothermal heating and cooling system to installing broadband internet access at the Sullivan County Airport.

LaBuda described the list of more than 50 projects as a “wish list.” County manager David Fanslau agreed it was just that, but he said the wish list was necessary because the county needs “to have projects ready to go without knowing where the money will go.”

Rouis said, “We want to have some projects in education, some in government buildings, some in economic development, some in green initiatives,” so when the money is finally apportioned, at least some of the projects will be eligible for consideration.

One of the main requirements, however, is already known: the proposed projects must be able to be completed within two years. Otherwise, said Fanslau, the county would lose the money.

Lawmakers were asked to prioritize the list, indicating which projects should be moved toward the top.

The recovery bill, which Washington lawmakers had hoped would be ready for President Barack Obama’s signature shortly after his inauguration on January 20, now seems as if it will not be passed until at least the middle of February.