County looks to tap into stimulus plan
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Since the beginning of the year, commissioners have been working on a list of “shovel ready” projects that could be included under the bill, which still needs to pass in the U.S. Senate. “Shovel ready” means that engineering is done on the project and it is ready for construction, but has probably been put on hold until funding can be attained.
Projects discussed by commissioners for stimulus consideration include Ohio 850 expansion, broadband/fiberoptics capabilities, Green Township sewer and the Farm Road project, to name a few.
After discussing the Farm Road project with City Commissioner Sam Davis and getting an okay from City Manager Joe Woodall during Thursday’s regular meeting, the commission passed a motion to send letters of intent to U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson, Sens. George Voinovich and Sherrod Brown, and Fred Deel of the Governor’s Office of Appalachia to inform them of potential projects that are in need of funding, including Farm Road.
Woodall and Davis were concerned that any federal funding may require a 25 percent local match, but the county contended that due to the current economic climate a match may not be required of local entities and this may be a unique opportunity that is not likely to come back around.
If the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act passes in the Senate, Ohio could receive billions of dollars in federal funds. The idea behind the stimulus plan is to provide investments in local infrastructure and workforce to encourage job creation and retention during an economic downtime.
In other action, commissioners:
• Approved sending a letter of intent to Nyla Potter of the Ohio Department of Development about the removal of the current fuel system at the Gallia-Meigs Regional Airport and the installation of a new fuel system.
• Approved and signed a letter of support for a federal appropriations request for the Airport Fuel Farm project for fiscal year 2010.
• Approved a letter of support for the fiscal year 2010 federal appropriations request for the Mercerville sewer project.
• Approved a letter of support for the fiscal year 2010 federal appropriations request for the Green Sewer Phase 1 project.
• Approved and signed an agreement of public right of way with Norfolk Southern Railway Co. at a cost of $1,000 for crossing the railway due to the Kanauga/ Addison sewer project.
• Approved and signed a railroad license/permit letter for Kanauga/Addison as is required by USDA.
• Signed the 2009 Community Development Grant for the Solid Waste District.
According to the animal shelter report for the week ending on Jan. 25, four dogs were reclaimed, 26 were euthanized, and three were rescued.
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« jrobe wrote on Friday, Jan 30 at 09:23 AM »
That's just great that our elected officials are writing letters and sending them higher up. Why and how is a sewer system, farm rd extension and broadband system going to help local business and the local economy? More times than none these politicians award the contract jobs to contractors outside of gallia county for these projects. that means that our money does not get spent back here in gallia. especially the tax dollars. New schools were voted into the area along with the promise of attracting new business and growth, where and who have we attracted? Taxes once again have been raised by gallia county because the auditors office claims that gallia county home sales have not suffered. who are they trying to fool, not us taxpayers! Keep raising our taxes and depleting our local jobs. gallia county is one of the most suppressed areas for jobs and yet the cost of living is higher than most bigger cities. here's a challenge for ya, check your property taxes and take a comparison with another county in ohio.
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