January 29, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CITY STIMULUS PROJECTS WOULD IMPROVE INFRASTRUCTURE, CREATE AND PRESERVE JOBS
DECATUR - City of Decatur funding requests through a much anticipated economic stimulus bill would go a long way towards helping the city address some of the infrastructure concerns detailed in a report released yesterday by the nation’s civil engineers.
The city has been working with its legislators to put forth a list of “shovel ready” projects which might benefit from stimulus funding. The City’s funding requests totaling almost $17 million, if granted, would bring much needed repairs to city streets and bridges, help to address critical water needs and, perhaps most importantly, also help to put a lot of people to work locally.
The city has requested funding assistance for the following projects and project summary sheets are attached:
- Lake Decatur Basin 6 Dredging ($9.55 Million) — Lake Decatur represents the primary source of water for Decatur, Mt. Zion and many of our largest employers. Sediment has reduced lake capacity over the years by 21% and this project will add an additional 1,258 acre feet of water supply, critical in times of drought.
- Community Street Reconstruction Project ($4.5 Million) — The reconstruction of numerous streets in Decatur has had to be deferred due to a lack of funds. This project would restore severely deteriorated streets to new condition and provide high paying construction jobs to stimulate the economy in Macon County, among other things.
- Garfield Avenue/CNIC Bridge Repair ($900,000) — The Garfield Avenue bridge has suffered some deterioration over the years. While it is safe for normally loaded traffic, heavy loads are not allowed to use the bridge. It is located in the industrial part of Decatur and is important to connect the large vehicles to the interstate highway system and local businesses, which this project would allow.
- Street Restoration Overlay Project ($2.5 million) — This project would provide major maintenance to restore deteriorated asphalt streets, improve drainage and increase the life span of the street, among other things.
According to a report released Wednesday Civil engineers nationally have given work to fix this country’s aging infrastructure a grade of “D” saying that necessary improvements have been slow to come while the cost of making those improvements has increased significantly. Reports indicate that many of this country’s lawmakers — including newly-elected President Barack Obama — want to make infrastructure projects a significant part of the stimulus package both because the repairs are needed and because the work would create jobs for millions of Americans.
The U.S. House of Representatives approved the $819 billion program yesterday and the Senate is expected to begin work on the plan next week. For more information contact Billy Tyus at 424-2753.