Spending the stimulus

LIMA — Federal stimulus dollars are beginning to trickle into the area as the government tries to heal the economy through infrastructure improvements, education initiatives and job training. But tracking the money — and in some cases spending it — isn’t easy.

The numbers are daunting: More than 27,000 applications were filed in Ohio. Most weren’t approved, but those that were account for more than $7 billion. Some funding is distributed directly from the federal government to local agencies. Some goes to the state, which then passes it along. Other money is funneled through the state to smaller districts that ultimately distribute the funds.

Each award also has its own criteria including a specific timeline by which the money must be spent. And despite the government’s promise of transparency, as of yet there is no master list of how and where every dollar is being spent.

“I’m not surprised with how people are viewing it as fragmented and difficult,” said Howard Elstro, Lima’s public works director. “It’s just an incredible task that the federal government has tried to move on in trying to turn the recession around.”

Driving the funding

Elstro and the city of Lima did well, securing about $17 million, including $11 million for the Vine Street underpass, the area’s largest stimulus project. The project, which will alleviate traffic problems around the CSX, Norfolk Southern and Indiana Ohio rail lines, should go to bid late this year with contracts awarded in early 2010.

Aside from the underpass, however, the area got little for transportation projects. The Ohio Department of Transportation’s District 1, an eight-county group that includes Allen, Putnam, Van Wert, Hancock and Hardin, received $19.6 million — about 2.5 percent of the total American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds marked for transportation projects throughout the state.

Allen County Engineer Timothy Piper said not a single dollar has come to his office or to any other county engineers in District 1. Projects to restore the Elm Street bridge deck and for joint repair and resurfacing on Lincoln Highway were denied.

“I thought they were trying to try and target the failing bridges ... and the county engineer association has by far more bridges in Ohio than ODOT,” Piper said.

But statewide, less than 3 percent of transportation stimulus money was awarded for county projects. Most went to larger cities. Cleveland alone is getting $85 million for an inner-belt bridge project.

“I really think there is a larger need there and there are larger structures, bridges or road projects, but there’s also political aspects,” Piper said.

The city of Delphos did get one transportation project, a $1 million endeavor to install new lights, gates and controllers at five rail crossings in the city, addressing a problem that can shut down the entire town when a train stops.

“When one signal goes down, they all go down, regardless of whether the train is moving or not” said Safety Services Director Gregory Berquist. “And that is problematic for fire and rescue issues and just people commuting throughout the day.”

District 1 spokeswoman Rhonda Pees said ODOT’s central office worked with district offices and others in deciding how to dole out the $770 million the state got for transportation.

Decisions, she said, were largely made based on how economically distressed the areas were, and how well they could be completed within the allotted time frame to spur economic growth and maximize job creation.

Help wanted

Being able to create new jobs has long been one of the most heavily championed aspects of the stimulus package. The federal government projects 133,000 jobs saved or created in Ohio over the next two years.

Just how well that is coming along is difficult to say. Allen County Job and Family Services received about $550,000 for job programs. Working through area schools, the money gives both training and employment to low-income people age 14 to 24. Executive Director Lynn Shock said participants make about $8 an hour.

But how many youth and young adults are employed by the program isn’t known. Shock said the program has been going on for about a month and she didn’t have any numbers on how many people were employed. Job and Family Services also does not have a complete list of where the youth are being employed.

Putnam County Job and Family Services received about $170,000 for the same program, and the director there also did not know immediately the number of people employed.

Though there is no tally of how many jobs infrastructure projects will bring in, Elstro said it’s clear it will make a positive difference.

“Sixteen-and-a-half million dollars of new money is to be invested in our infrastructure. It is certainly beneficial, it is going to create jobs,” Elstro said. “For every dollar that does get spent in this community or this state, we know those dollars turn over multiple times in our county and multiple times in the state.”

Serve and preserve

On the other side of that, several social service agencies have been able to use stimulus funds to save jobs. Stimulus funds saved 10 Help Me Grow jobs with the Allen County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities and four jobs with the Allen County Regional Transit Authority.

Law enforcement also has benefited. About $290,000 in Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Program money is coming to Allen County; of that, $130,000 will go to the Allen County Sheriff’s Office.

“In all essence it’s probably going to keep us from having to lay a few people off,” Chief Deputy Jim Everett said. “Two deputies and one corrections officer may have lost their jobs if it weren’t for the grant.”

The Sheriff’s Office receives the JAG grant every year, though Everett said the amount has been decreasing — the regular portion this year was about $28,000 and is limited to covering overtime and purchasing equipment. The stimulus grant comes on top of that and allows them to pay salaries, preventing the layoffs.

“At this point, everything you can get helps,” Everett said.

The Lima Police Department is getting an additional $790,000 award that will allow it to hire or retain four officers. Everett said the Sheriff’s Office applied for the same grant, but was not successful. Russells Point and Van Wert, however, were successful. Each received funds for one officer.

Investing in the future

Schools are also receiving stimulus funds through additional annual grants that go above and beyond their normal allotments.

Nearly every public district in the area received extra grants for both Title 1 Part A and the Individuals with Disabilities Act. Funds for that ranged from about $218,000 for Bluffton Exempt School District to more than $1.4 million for Lima schools.

Wapakoneta schools received about $683,000 for IDEA and about $207,000 through Title 1 Part A.

“We weren’t surprised that they funneled some stimulus money through that so it could get to your most needed high-risk schools and high-risk students,” said Amy Golden, director of instruction for Wapakoneta.

The money is a one-time distribution and schools must spend it within two years. There are also limitations on how the money may be spent.

“They do not want you to replace school district dollars that you already spend for special education. This is for above what you already spend,” Golden said. “That’s all well and good, but with the stimulus money, that’s a lot of money to spend to not be able to use any of it to pay for staff.”

One thing Golden said the district is looking forward to is being able to update computers and purchase high-end hardware to assist hearing and visually impaired students.

Because the high school and middle school haven’t met Adequate Yearly Progress, the district is required to spend 10 percent of the stimulus Title 1 Part A dollars on further training teachers.

“Spending $20,700 for teacher training in one year is really quite an incredible task. Even though good speakers run around $1,500 to $2,700 a session, that’s a drop in the bucket of a $20,000 (grant),” Golden said. “But we are required to (spend it.)”

Reclaiming and rebuilding

Navigating through the red tape has also been an issue for community development types like Amy Odum, who is overseeing a project to demolish abandoned or foreclosed properties to make way for new development in Lima.

“It has been a challenge not only for our community but for communities across the country to effectively apply for these funds, target them, manage the project and get it all done within the timelines they’re putting out there for you,” said Odum, Lima’s community development director.

First up for her project is a $1.7 million neighborhood stabilization grant for the demolition of more than 200 homes throughout the city and subsequent rebuilding and redevelopment. Among the early targets are about 30 homes on Pine Street, with demolition possibly beginning as early as this month.

“The reality is most urban cities are shrinking,” Odum said. “Populations are not what they were and you need to remove buildings so you can repurpose the land to draw people back. And that’s what (the neighborhood) stabilization grant] is going to do for us. We’re very excited.”

The new housing, though labeled as low to moderate income, could benefit a large population of the city — the income limit under the grant is $68,000 for a family of four. Still, Odum said the regulations tend to favor larger cities.

“They want you to partner with organizations that specialize in building homes for low to moderate income persons,” Odum said. “If you’re in Toledo, Cleveland, Chicago, there’s all kinds of free-standing nonprofits that do that kind of work.”

Despite the challenges, Odum said the money is a godsend to Lima, which has needed to take on a demolition project for years but lacked the funds.

“Bottom line is we’ve got to do all this and get these houses built,” she said.