stimulus
Thursday, February 25, 2010
stimulus Federal Government Gives Idaho Hopefuls Two Thumbs Down
Posted by gavin dahl on Thu, Feb 25, 2010 at 4:20 PM
The Panhandle Area Council's proposal for a fiber optic network was rejected by the Rural Utilities Service, according to project manager Ernie Bray. He's anxious to make adjustments and reapply for round two, but there's a huge problem: The deadline for round two is Monday, March 15, and he doesn't know why RUS denied the application.
"The problem is, we got an e-mail saying we were rejected. We've been in phase two due diligence for weeks and gotten no word," he said. "Just all of a sudden, nope, you're rejected. But we don't have a letter yet."
Bray is frustrated because he knows the two federal government agencies responsible for awarding and distributing broadband stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are going to be getting stronger applications because of more clear priorities for round two. But he doesn't know what RUS didn't like about his round one materials.
"You're thrown out on your ear two weeks before the new deadline, and they still haven't given us the reason," he said. "Plus a lot of stakeholders only meet once a month. How can you make your second application better? You can't."
City of Ammon IT director Bruce Patterson told BW that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration denied its application, as well.
"We intend to revise it and try and comply with the second round priorities and resubmit," he said.
Mary DeWalt, director of Ada Community Library is not planning to reapply for public computer center funds after also receiving a rejection letter from NTIA.
"We'll still have public access computers in the new [Lake Hazel] branch," she wrote in an e-mail. "Just not as many and no special equipment or formal instruction setting, unless we can find another way."
DeWalt previously asked BW to clarify for the record that no one helped the library prepare its application. In a Feb. 10 news feature, I wrote, "According to a loud chorus of applicants, Rep. Walt Minnick's office took the lead in helping the Idaho dozen prepare applications."
However, DeWalt agreed that the Congressional staff was good about communicating information about the process.
While the Utah Education Network was awarded $13 million this week, BW was not able to confirm that any of the 12 Idaho-based applications had been funded. All notifications from the two agencies are expected to be made by Monday, March 1.
BW has been working with RUS to secure an interview with Chairman Jonathan Adelstein. Look for updates on citydesk as the story progresses.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
stimulus Obama recovery funds in Idaho
Posted by Nathaniel Hoffman on Wed, May 27, 2009 at 11:10 AM
The Obama Administration released a report on the first 100 days of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act today. The report claims that 150,000 jobs have already been created across the nation.
But only one Idaho project is mentioned in the document.
91. Recovery Act funding will enable the Epilepsy Foundation of Idaho to keep running, and help clients find jobs. “The Epilepsy Foundation of Idaho has found its second life thanks to the federal stimulus money. After losing its state funding during the recently completed legislative session, the foundation had faced the prospects of closing its Idaho Falls office and cutting services to the 15,000 Idahoans with epilepsy..." On May 8, [foundation director Marcia L. Karakas] learned her nonprofit organization received a $115,000 one-time grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The foundation works with nearly 2,000 people with epilepsy. Its goal is to ensure people who have seizures are able to participate in all life experiences, including working. [Idaho Falls Post Register, 5/20/09]
We asked Mayor Dave last week at his Boise Young Professionals talk what federal stimulus monies had been spent by the city already and the answer was not totally clear. First he ordered another beer from the bar at the Basque Center. Then he spoke about lots of stuff that has been promised—road resurfacing, a footbridge between Garden City and Boise, sidewalks for the eastside of downtown and $2 million for energy efficiency block grants.
But we want to know: where is the cash. Show us the money. Recovery.org is trying to accomplish this, but it's still not clear when it gets spent. Recovery.gov now has info up for whistle blowers, but no contact info for check writers.
Maybe we're still thinking we got some ARRA funds ... Arrrr
Thursday, April 30, 2009
health care / stimulus Biden 101
Posted by Nathaniel Hoffman on Thu, Apr 30, 2009 at 10:48 AM
Lateblogging again, on the 101st day of the Obama administration. citydesk participated in a call for regional reporters with Vice President Joe Biden yesterday. We never got a chance to ask our question, but here are two clips from the phone presser that we found interesting.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Ada County / stimulus / energy Ada County wants stimulus money for garbage-to-fuel project
Posted by Lora Volkert on Thu, Mar 26, 2009 at 8:53 AM
Ada County plans to apply to the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality for federal stimulus package funds, Commissioner Fred Tilman said at a town hall meeting last night.
Ada County wants the funds to expand its landfill, and Tilman said the landfill is a perfect candidate for funds earmarked for renewable energy projects. The landfill has a project under way to produce fuel from the methane gas given off by garbage.
"We have one of the best alternative fuel projects in the whole Pacific Northwest, in my opinion," Tilman said.
Ada County applied for stimulus money from Gov. Otter as soon as Idaho received its funding, Tilman said. "We didn't make the short list," he said. "We didn't even make the list."
But Ada County still has opportunities to apply again. Most of Idaho's aid was sent to state agencies like the Idaho Transportation Department and DEQ, and those agencies will disburse funds to projects around the state.
"Every dollar we can get that way is less money we have to get from you, the taxpayer," Tilman said.
Commissioner Sharon Ullman said Otter's focus on rural Idaho might prevent Ada County from getting funding, however. "I had privilege of hearing the governor speak a week ago," she said. "He was going to focus on rural Idaho. We have some rural areas of Ada County, but we can't submit that and claim we are rural."
The town hall meeting, at Meridian City Hall, was the first in a new effort by commissioners to take their show on the road. Other topics discussed included open space, property taxes, liquor laws, and election consolidation. Not quite two dozen people attended the event.
Friday, March 13, 2009
public transportation / stimulus / bicycles Facebook Idaho wants bike lanes
Posted by Nathaniel Hoffman on Fri, Mar 13, 2009 at 10:00 AM
This just in: A new facebook group is calling for bike lanes to be part of Idaho's stimulus plan.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
stimulus / bicycles Bikes and budgets
Posted by Nathaniel Hoffman on Thu, Mar 12, 2009 at 8:40 AM
Gov. Otter budget director Wayne Hammon just finished addressing the legislative budget committee this morning, but he started a little fight about bike lanes in his opening comments.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
C.L. "Butch" Otter / stimulus Quick turnaround on Otter stimulus dole
Posted by Nathaniel Hoffman on Wed, Mar 11, 2009 at 4:54 PM
Uncle Butch has released his plan for spending $1.24 billion in Idaho-bound stimulus money, five days before his own self-imposed deadline.
It turned out that the only wiggle room he had -- the $44 million in State Fiscal Stability Fund money -- was pretty easy to dispatch.
"Spending the SFSF money for drinking water, waste water, and state highway needs is the quickest way to put the most Idahoans back to work," Otter declared in his report.
Rather than pick and choose projects (many of the 1,000+ requests the governor received from cities and counties were for this kind of infrastructure), Otter chose to give $15 million for clean water and clean water funds, managed by the Department of Environmental Quality and the remaining nearly $30 million to the Idaho Transportation Department for state highway improvements.
"The Governor recommends accepting this one-time federal assistance and that the Legislature review its implementation as part of the routine budget-setting process. Each entity already has in place the necessary structure, governance and reporting mechanisms to ensure the successful and efficient use of these additional funds."The announcement kind of preempts this week's Unda', though we still made some good points, especially for all the poor schmos who thought they might get some from Butch. But, like we said, lots of good ideas folks -- including you Micron -- keep checking that Grants.gov deal.
Monday, March 9, 2009
C.L. "Butch" Otter / stimulus A stimulating bunch
Posted by Nathaniel Hoffman on Mon, Mar 9, 2009 at 12:06 PM
Idaho's Stimulus Executive Committee met this morning to begin advising Gov. Otter on how to spend Idaho's share of the state's estimated $1 billion in Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds.
Stimulus proposals can be reviewed here.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
C.L. "Butch" Otter / stimulus Get yer stimulus, right here
Posted by Nathaniel Hoffman on Thu, Mar 5, 2009 at 5:01 PM
In a rare feat of transparency, Gov. C. L. Butch Otter has put all of the state stimulus proposals online, within about 24 hours of receiving them.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
bailout / stimulus / economy Otter on fed stimulus: It's complicated
Posted by Nathaniel Hoffman on Thu, Jan 8, 2009 at 3:16 PM
Gov. C. L. "Butch" Otter, addressing a media scrum assembled by Boise's Associated Press shop this morning, said that he's not sure he'd vote for an "economic stimulus" package were he still in Congress today.
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