United States Senator Tom Coburn United States Senator Tom Coburn
United States Senator Tom Coburn United States Senator Tom Coburn
Text Only version link Text Size label Default text size link Large text size link Extra-large text size link  
 
Waste of the DayEmail Dr. Coburn
Press Room - News Stories


Print this page
Print this page


Norwalk, Mayor Moccia turn to D.C. for $78.5M


By ROBERT KOCH

The Hour (Rhode Island)


December 6, 2008


NORWALK -- As talk in Washington, D.C., turns to a multibillion-dollar economic recovery plan to create jobs and rebuild infrastructure, Norwalk already has put in a request for $78.5 million in federal funding.

The Norwalk request is among a number of such requests being channeled through the South Western Regional Planning Agency. The city seeks $1.5 million to replace six traffic lights, $25 million to repave streets, and $52 million for infrastructure related to Waypointe, Stanley M. Seligson Properties' planned redevelopment of West Avenue.

"(President-elect Barack Obama) has said that his commitment is to create 2 million jobs by funding infrastructure needs," Richard A. Moccia said. "The Conference of Mayors supports (infrastructure investment). I support it. You put people to work and you rebuild the country."

The $52 million sought for Waypointe would represent half of the $104 million, which Seligson Properties has asked the city to float in municipal bonds to pay for public infrastructure improvements related to the development.

Under the bonding plan, still under review by the Common Council's Planning Committee, a special services tax district and parking revenues, not taxpayers, would repay the bonds.

"We're talking about $104 million for the Waypointe project," Moccia said. "I suggested that we would like $52 million of that through the infrastructure (package), and we would provide $52 million matching (funds)."

Harold F. Alvord, the city's director of public works, said his department submitted its five-year plan for road repaving ($25 million), as well as the replacement of six traffic signals ($1.5 million) for federal funding.

"SWRPA wanted to know what projects we had shovel-ready that we could submit for infrastructure funding," Alvord said. "My sense is that Congress is considering putting together some kind of a package now, and if the Bush administration doesn't get it passed, then Obama is going to submit it."

Talk of investing billions of dollars nationwide to fix aging roads, bridges and other infrastructure, and perhaps halt the deepening recession, is advancing in Washington and elsewhere.

Last Tuesday in Philadelphia, Obama told governors, including Gov. M. Jodi Rell, he wants their help in designing an economic recovery plan. Obama vowed to work with Democrats and Republicans alike.

Obama and Democrats controlling Congress are fashioning economic recovery legislation that could cost $500 billion or so. The measure is virtually certain to contain help for states struggling with slumping revenues and difficult budget cuts as the recession deepens.

Moccia isn't banking on federal help, though. "How (Obama) is going to fund it, I don't know," he said. At the same time, both Moccia and SWRPA Executive Director Floyd Lapp believe municipalities must be ready if an economic recovery plan emerges in Washington.

Lapp said SWRPA is serving as the conduit for federal funding requests for its eight members communities. So far, the requests have followed along two lines.

On Oct. 31, the state Department of Transpor-tation asked the agency to provide a list of "shovel-ready projects." On Nov. 7, SWRPA submitted a list of $182 million in such projects to the DOT, including the Norwalk projects.

At Rell's request, SWRPA now is preparing a list of shovel-ready projects in the areas of housing, economic development and public buildings, according to Lapp.

"This would be the southwestern Connecticut collection of ready-to-go projects. The places that have the lion's share are Norwalk, Stamford and Greenwich," Lapp said. "All we know is that there is likely to be (an economic recovery package). We don't know how much, we don't know what the criteria for funding will be. We don't know any division between highway and transit (projects)."

But "when lighting strikes, we want to be ready," Lapp said.

On Thursday, Rell announced the state is providing $5 million to support Norwalk's downtown redevelopment effort, including the Waypointe project. The grant, which Rell anticipates the state Bond Commission will approve Dec. 12, will be used for master planning, surveys, and engineering and design services for the revitalization of the West Avenue corridor.



December 2008 News



Right Now! link
Oversight Action
Your Tax Dollars At Work
Subcommittee link
Stop Secret Spending
Health Care Reform
Pork Busters link
National Debt title
$9,702,931,142,110.00
$31,684.39 Per Citizen