Wish lists in hand, state awaits money

There's money for highways, clean water and housing. For school computers, displaced workers, senior feeding programs, and emergency food and shelter. And for law enforcement.

About $6 billion in federal money is targeted for North Carolina in the economic stimulus bill signed by President Obama last week. As fast as you can say handout, officials from cities and towns to arts groups are combing through their wish lists for projects that might qualify for a piece of the $787 billion pie.

"We're really drilling into this every which way that we can to make sure we get every dollar that we can for Winston-Salem," said Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines. "Whether or not you agree with the reason it was passed, the fact is there that if the city of Winston-Salem doesn't take advantage of it, then some other city will take advantage of it."

Already, Winston-Salem's list includes several items -- from road improvements to new sidewalks.

There's reason for Winston-Salem officials to feel hopeful. Some cities and towns have already gotten money.

King's mayor, Jack Warren, was all smiles last week when U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., was in town to announce that a $21 million project to widen Main Street and rebuild the U.S. 52 interchange was moving forward, thanks to money from the stimulus package.

The state had planned to award contracts for the project, which has been in the works for 11 years, in January. The state's budget shortfall, however, delayed the project and it appeared -- until last week -- that the work would have wait another year.

"We didn't ever think it would come," Warren said. "We will now finally realize the improvements that so many of our citizens have waited for so long."

Hagan said the improvements there demonstrate that the federal action really will bring dollars back to North Carolina to aid the economy.

"I hope the Department of Transportation will be mighty busy here over the next year," Hagan said.

Part of Interstate 40 may be repaved

Pat Ivey, the division engineer for the N.C. Department of Transportation's Division 9 -- the one that includes Forsyth County -- said that the initial road spending here will include $2 million to repave Interstate 40 between its crossing with Clemmonsville Road and the U.S. 311 interchange. More projects will come later on, as the division has another $26 million to spend from the stimulus package. The division includes Forsyth, Stokes, Davie, Davidson and Rowan counties. Ivey said he isn't sure how the state will decide to spend the remaining money.

One project in Ivey's division that's not on the list is the much-needed replacement of the Interstate 85 bridges over the Yadkin River between Davidson and Davie County. But Gov. Bev Perdue said last week that she would try to get money for that project from a discretionary fund in the stimulus package.

Assistant City Manager Greg Turner said that Winston-Salem is applying for stimulus money for every project that has a chance at qualifying. The city's list of possible stimulus projects is still a work in progress as officials learn more about the package.

The Winston-Salem City Council started in January with a "wish list" that totaled $618 million. That list was sent on to the U.S. Council of Mayors, which compiled lists from other cities around the country and forwarded them to Congress. The point was to show that city governments had ideas for spending any stimulus money that came their way.

Although most of Winston-Salem's wish-list projects won't qualify for stimulus money, some do. Those projects include everything from resurfacing streets to repairing sidewalks through Old Salem to upgrading the heating and air conditioning systems at recreation centers and fire stations.

The city is hoping to get money to fix the sewer lines that run under Winston-Salem State University, to buy new public-transportation buses, and collect stormwater run-off throughout the planned Piedmont Triad Research Park.

Joines said he's pleased that Perdue's "stimulus czar," Dempsey Benton, is the former city manager of Raleigh. That means he has a good understanding of how readily a city government can get things done.

Services that help people included

County officials said that the biggest effect at the county level will not come in the form of bricks and mortar, but through services that help people.

Joe Raymond, the director of social services, is already predicting that higher payments for people getting food assistance will substantially help the economy.

Raymond said it appears that people getting food and nutrition assistance will see a 13.6 percent increase in the amount of money they get because of the stimulus package. The average recipient gets $117 per person now, and with a 13.6 percent increase would get $133. The money is all federal money, so there wouldn't be any direct cost to the county.

"A food-stamp dollar is one of the strongest economic stimulants out there," Raymond said, noting that projections showed that people in Forsyth were set to collect $44 million in food benefits in the current fiscal year, not counting any increase expected from the stimulus package.

Raymond said that every dollar spent by recipients of food assistance has a multiplier effect, so that every dollar spent results in a $1.73 benefit to the local economy. That means the $44 million paid out should have a $76 million impact locally. With a 13.6 percent increase, the local economic increase could rise to $86 million.

Raymond said that an expansion of the number of children covered by Medicaid will also have a local economic effect, but just how much remains to be seen. The Medicaid program is paying $300 million in benefits to county residents during the 2008-09 fiscal year.

Improving housing, helping homeless

Jane Cole, the county's director of external communications, said that the county should also benefit from money allocated to improve housing, help the homeless, and provide other services.

Although the county has needs that range from a new Hall of Justice to a new Central Library, the federal stimulus package is not focusing on bricks and mortar, said Leslie Mozingo, a lobbyist who works for the city and county at the federal level.

Money for new school construction was cut out of the stimulus package during negotiations, but Cole said, there's speculation that a new push for school construction money will come.

Gary Green, the president of Forsyth Technical Community College, said he hopes that he can get $13 million to build a center for emerging technologies in Winston-Salem's Piedmont Triad Research Park.

Other aspects of the stimulus package will help Forsyth Tech indirectly, Green said. They include increases in Pell grants, tax credits for tuition and money for training.

Meanwhile, no one can accuse the City-County Utilities Division of being shy in asking for money. It has put together a wastewater-treatment wish list that totals $141.6 million and a separate water-project list totaling $121.5 million.

Some of the larger projects include phase two of the modernization of the Neilson water-treatment plant at a cost of $44 million, the replacement of Salem Lake Dam for $25 million, and $10 million for the rehabilitation of the Ardmore neighborhood water system. There's also a $90 million request for future sewer-treatment plant upgrades.

"We intend to apply for all that are deemed eligible," said David Saunders, the division director.

■ Wesley Young can be reached at 727-7369 or at wyoung@wsjournal.com.

■ Laura Graff can be reached at 727-7279 or at lgraff@wsjournal.com.