Earmark Requests for FY10

*Appropriations Requests are listed alphabetically

• Agriculture Subcommittee
• Defense Subcommittee
• Energy and Water Subcommittee
• Interior and Environment Subcommittee
• Labor-Health and Human Services-Education Subcommittee
• Transportation, Treasury, and Housing Subcommittee

Agriculture Subcommittee

Project:  National Drought Mitigation Center

Amount Requested:  $600,000

Proposed Recipient:  University of Nebraska-Lincoln located at 202 Agricultural Hall, Lincoln, Nebraska  68583

Description:  The National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) conducts research and educational programs on drought mitigation and planning for drought.  The project has assisted numerous states and municipalities in developing drought plans and implementing drought response action teams.  The Center has received national visibility for providing information on the severity of drought throughout the United States.  Both print and electronic mass media routinely use Center produced materials in their news stories on the drought.  

The NDMC’s program is directed at lessening societal vulnerability to drought through a risk-based management approach.  The NDMC works with local, state, and tribal governments, federal agencies, and non-governmental organizations.  The objectives of the NDMC are: (1) to develop and evaluate existing drought policies and plans in the United States and elsewhere with the goal of improving drought-coping capacity and (2) to develop and evaluate new techniques and methodologies for monitoring drought severity and its impacts, identifying and classifying users in the United States and elsewhere. 

Project:  Novel Oils for Biofuels and Biomaterials

Amount Requested:  $1,273,360

Proposed Recipient:  University of Nebraska-Lincoln located at 202 Agricultural Hall, Lincoln, Nebraska  68583

Description:  This funding would be used for metabolic engineering research focused on development of next generation novel oils from soybean, camelina, and algae for transportation fuel and petrochemical use.  Fatty acids from plants hold potential as renewable sources for petroleum-derived products such as biodiesel and jet fuels, as well as petrochemical-derived materials including plastics and lubricants.  Significant progress has been made in understanding plant and algal fatty acid metabolism, which can be applied to metabolically engineer the next generation novel oils from soybean, camelina, and algae for transportation fuel and petrochemical use.  The work at UNL will develop strategies to engineer feedstocks and design and implement approaches to maximize total oil production in plants and algae.  This will ultimately translate into higher value products and new opportunities for Nebraska agriculture.

Project:  UNL/ARS Research Service Facility

Amount Requested:  $5,000,000

Proposed Recipient:  University of Nebraska-Lincoln located at 202 Agricultural Hall, Lincoln, Nebraska  68583

Description:  This funding would be used toward construction of a University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL)/Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Research Facility.  This facility would provide critically needed space for UNL and ARS research addressing two areas of national concern: renewable energy and water resource conservation and management.  Agriculture is expected to provide almost 40 percent of the nation’s liquid fuels within 30 years. This will further intensify demands on our soil and water resources. UNL and ARS scientists have been collaborating at UNL since the 1930s.  Very strong collaborative programs continue today, including the ARS program at UNL that has been developing improved switchgrass varieties for 30 years and is the leading program in the world on the use of switchgrass for cellulosic ethanol.  These scientists are scattered across the UNL campus and the proposed building will enable them to share collaborative, cutting-edge research space that will move this important research forward more rapidly.  This project would advance major research focused on essential national efforts.

Defense Subcommittee

Project:  Safeguarding End-User Military Software

Amount Requested:  $5,000,000

Proposed Recipient:  University of Nebraska-Lincoln located at 302 Canfield Administration Building, Lincoln, Nebraska  68588

Description: Military software increasingly is being created by “end-user programmers,” who use programming tools such as spreadsheets, military planning systems, and Matlab simulations to create software. This unvalidated software runs critical day-to-day operations and often is not dependable. The funding would be used to develop advanced software engineering safeguards that can be embedded in software programmed by military personnel to help them prevent and detect errors and produce more dependable military systems that save lives and money. Prototype safeguards implementing algorithms and mechanisms will be built and validated through carefully designed studies. These safeguards will be convenient for users and help them reason through the dependability of software as they develop it, protecting programmers and operators from errors and saving millions of dollars in programming development costs.  This project will also build on the University of Nebraska – Lincoln’s strength in the field of software engineering. 

Project:  Understanding Blast-Induced Brain Injury

Amount Requested:  $6,000,000

Proposed Recipient:  University of Nebraska-Lincoln located at 302 Canfield Administration Building, Lincoln, Nebraska  68588

Description:  Most of the head and brain injuries occurring in current combat situations result from roadside explosions, but there is currently only limited understanding of blast-induced traumatic brain injury.  This funding would be used to model how blast waves from explosions cause short- and long-term brain injury to warfighters and to develop devices and equipment to mitigate the damage. This research will lead to devices for improved detection and optimized equipment designs to protect against multiple insults to the brain from the blast impact and blast waves.

The University of Nebraska - Lincoln is a national leader in modeling the effects of blast on materials and offers extensive expertise and facilities for modeling and testing materials.  This project builds on the University of Nebraska – Lincoln’s expertise in bio-nano materials and computation and simulation.

Energy and Water Subcommittee

Project:  Antelope Creek Flood Damage Reduction

Amount Requested:  $5,697,000

Proposed Recipient:  Lower Platte South Natural Resources District located at 3125 Portia Street, Lincoln, Nebraska  68521

Description:  The Antelope Creek Flood Damage Reduction Project is a critical element of a flood control, transportation and community revitalization project know as the Antelope Valley Project.  The project is being constructed in central Lincoln adjacent to the University of Nebraska Lincoln main campus to improve flood control, transportation networks and community well-being in the city’s downtown area.  Essential to progress on the entire Antelope Valley Project is the completion of the flood damage reduction component. 

This multi-purpose project is a partnership of the City of Lincoln, the University of Nebraska Lincoln, and the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the federal Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development.  The project reduces flooding threats to over 800 dwellings and businesses and 1,200 floodplain residents and removes 100-year floodplain restrictions on 400 acres.

Project:  Deadmans Run Flood Control Study

Amount Requested:  $1,000,000

Proposed Recipient:  Lower Platte South Natural Resources District located at 3125 Portia Street, Lincoln, Nebraska  68521

Description:  The City of Lincoln and the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District recently completed a two-year evaluation of the Deadmans Run Watershed in Lincoln.  The Deadmans Run Watershed Master Plan found that there are 982 buildings within the floodplain and that estimated flood damage to those structures would be approximately $2.2 million annually.  The Master Plan identified a comprehensive set of improvements.  The next step is for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a formal General Investigations study on flood damage reduction, environmental restoration, recreation, water quality improvements, wise use of floodplain lands, and other associated environmental enhancements and protections in the Deadmans Run Watershed.

Project:  Fremont Section 205 Flood Control Study

Amount Requested:  $611,000

Proposed Recipient:  Lower Platte North Natural Resources District located at 511 Commercial Park Road, Wahoo, Nebraska  68066
Description:  The funds would be used to complete the Fremont South Section 205 Flood Control Study.  Funding for this Section 205 project will continue urgent feasibility planning to strengthen an existing flood control levee in order to keep a portion of South Fremont, Inglewood and the Dodge County Industrial Park out of the 100 year flood plain.  Due to remapping this Fremont South area will be soon identified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as within the designated flood plain.  The total cost of the study is split equally between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the non-federal sponsor. 

Project:  Lower Platte River Watershed Restoration

Amount Requested:  $1,000,000

Proposed Recipient:  Lower Platte South Natural Resources District located at 3125 Portia Street, Lincoln, Nebraska  68521; Lower Platte North Natural Resources District located at 511 Commercial Park Road, Wahoo, Nebraska  68066; Papio-Missouri Natural Resources District located at 8901 S. 154th Street, Omaha, Nebraska  68138

Description:  Establishment of the Lower Platte River Corridor Alliance (LPRCA) in 1996 was the initial step towards coordinating local and state efforts to protect water resources and infrastructure in the Lower Platte River basin and the developing corridor between Omaha and Lincoln. 

The Alliance includes three Natural Resource Districts and six state agencies: the Nebraska departments of Environmental Quality, Natural Resources, Health and Human Service, and Military, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, and the University of Nebraska’s Conservation and Survey Division.  The LPRCA is also cooperating in programs and projects with the counties and communities in the basin and is partnering with federal resource and infrastructure agencies. 

The mission of the Alliance is to: “Foster the development and implementation of locally drawn strategies, actions, and practices to protect, enhance, and restore the vitality of the river’s resources.”  The Alliance’s goals are to: “Promote increased understanding of the Platte River’s resources; support county and community efforts to achieve comprehensive and coordinated land use; and facilitate cooperation among and between private and public sectors to meet the needs of the many and varied natural resources interests in the Corridor.”

The Alliance’s initiatives focus on (1) water supply and other natural resources assessment, (2) river and stream restoration, and (3) assistance to land use management.   

Project:  Missouri National Recreational River

Amount Requested:  $1,000,000

Proposed Recipient:  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers located at 106 S. 15th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68102

Description:  This funding is for the Missouri National Recreational River (MNRR), located on the Missouri River from Gavins Point Dam downstream to Ponca, Nebraska.  Federal activities pursued within the MNRR must protect and enhance the values for which it was designated – scenic, recreational, fish and wildlife, historic, and cultural.  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ FY10 funding capability would be used for bank stabilization, easement acquisition, and fee title purchase.

Project:  Sand Creek Environmental Restoration Project

Amount Requested:  $3,700,000

Proposed Recipient:  Lower Platte North Natural Resources District located at 511 Commercial Park Road, Wahoo, Nebraska  68066
Description:  The Sand Creek Project will restore several types of historic wetlands and add to the national wetlands inventory in support of the Administration’s “net gain” national wetlands policy.  A quantitative analysis of all environmental outputs by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in addition to the Feasibility Study demonstrated a significant level of benefits for this wetland restoration project for the Lower Platte River watershed which serves the North American Central Flyway. 
The Sand Creek Project supports the national goal of a net gain in American wetlands.  Active pursuit of this goal also provides for improvements in water quality and water supply to achieve watershed improvement.  Flooding in Wahoo along the U.S. 77 Expressway corridor occurred three times during 2008.  Completion of the wetlands restoration structure will also provide flood damage reduction benefits and the highway upgrade of US 77 to expressway standards.  This is a key segment of the expressway and construction is critical to the Nebraska Department of Roads project completion schedule. 

Project:  Schuyler Section 205 Flood Control Study

Amount Requested:  $130,000

Proposed Recipient:  Lower Platte North Natural Resources District located at 511 Commercial Park Road, Wahoo, Nebraska  68066
Description:  This funding under the Section 205 authority would continue the Schuyler, Nebraska Flood Control Study.  The purpose of the study is to plan for mitigation of flooding in 40% of the city which is anticipated to be placed in the flood plain for the first time when designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.  The total cost of the study split equally between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the non-federal sponsor. 

Project:  Sustainable Energy Options for Rural Nebraska

Amount Requested:  $2,645,000

Proposed Recipient:  University of Nebraska-Lincoln located at 202 Agricultural Hall, Lincoln, Nebraska  68583

Description:  This funding would be used to research the most effective sustainable energy options for rural Nebraska and to establish demonstration sites which will include the UNL Panhandle Research and Extension Center in Scottsbluff, the West Central Water Resources Field Lab near North Platte, the Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory near Whitman, and two sites in eastern Nebraska. Alternative energy technologies to be considered include wind, solar, anaerobic digestion (methane generation), gasification, direct burning of biomass, fuel cells, diesel engines converted to high compression ethanol engines, hybrid vehicles, and flex-fueled engines. Fuels to be considered include gasoline, diesel fuel, ethanol, biodiesel, dimethyl ether, butanol, and syngas.

At each of the demonstration sites, the objectives will be to:1) model energy sources and consumption,2) install and demonstrate optimal sustainable energy production technologies, and 3) establish alternative energy crop demonstration plots. These technologies can be especially useful to farms, ranches, and rural communities, which can provide the feedstocks and resources required. Well-designed projects demonstrating the cost-effectiveness of green technologies can support the growth of energy-related industries in Nebraska, enhancing the state’s rural economy. Demonstration projects will promote alternative energy use by providing dollars and sense information on the viability of the technologies.

Energy independence is one of our highest national priorities. This project addresses the need to pursue development of diverse, sustainable alternative energy sources.

Project:  Switchgrass Biofuel Research:  Carbon Sequestration and Life Cycle Analysis

Amount Requested:  $2,000,000 

Proposed Recipient:  University of Nebraska-Lincoln located at 202 Agricultural Hall, Lincoln, Nebraska  68583

Description:  The funding would be used to establish a production-scale switchgrass carbon sequestration and life cycle analysis research program. Research will focus on optimizing switchgrass production for use as a biofuel and developing improved life cycle analysis tools to determine greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for federal compliance certification of refineries processing switchgrass into ethanol.

In the Midwest, switchgrass appears to be the most viable cellulosic feedstock for biofuels because it is a highly productive native grass species. The 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) requires that switchgrass biofuel systems meet a threshold reduction in GHG emissions of 60% compared to gasoline, and the Environmental Protection Agency will establish regulations based on the best available science. Initial life cycle analyses suggest switchgrass systems will only meet EISA thresholds if they sequester a substantial amount of carbon in soil. This analysis could be altered if switchgrass producers increase inputs (water, fertilizer, etc). Quantifying switchgrass carbon sequestration under varying input requirements is vital to developing this source of cellulosic ethanol.

Project:  Western Sarpy-Clear Creek Flood Damage Reduction

Amount Requested:  $7,585,000

Proposed Recipient:  Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District located at 8901 S. 154th Street, Omaha, Nebraska  68138

Description:  The Western Sarpy-Clear Creek Flood Damage Reduction Project is vital to the health and well-being of a large number of Nebraskans.  It is planned to protect vital drinking water resources that supply up to 50% of Nebraska’s population in the eastern part of the state from flooding due to potential ice jams on the Platte River.  Elected officials at local, regional and state levels in Nebraska have been long committed to this project’s construction because of risk to water supplies and other infrastructure. 

In 1993, flooding in the Lower Platte severed one-half of the City of Lincoln’s water supply and catastrophe was again threatened in 1997 from ice-jam induced flooding.  That portion of the new Omaha Metropolitan Utilities District well field on the western side of the Platte River now under development south of U.S. Highway 92 will also receive vital protection from this project.   Additionally, this project is needed to provide protection to critical public infrastructure, including I-80 and U.S. Highway 6, military facilities the National Guard Camp at Ashland, and national telecommunication lines. 

Project:  Woodcliff Section 205 Flood Control Study

Amount Requested:  $100,000

Proposed Recipient:  Lower Platte North Natural Resources District located at 511 Commercial Park Road, Wahoo, Nebraska  68066

Description:  Lower Platte North NRD and Woodcliff SID are requesting initiation of a new Section 205 Study to keep the Sanitary and Improvement District out of the 100-year floodplain.  Currently the area is not in the floodplain; however updating of the Federal Emergency Management Agency D-FIRM maps will place the entire area into the 100 year flood plain.  Woodcliff is located in northeast Saunders County, Nebraska.

Interior and Environment Subcommittee

Project:  Lincoln Wastewater Treatment Facility Upgrades

Amount Requested:  $3,500,000

Proposed Recipient:  City of Lincoln located at 555 S. 10th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska  68508

Description:  New and stricter wastewater treatment National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) effluent discharge permit limits were issued in January 2004 to the City of Lincoln for both the Theresa and Northeast Wastewater Treatment Facilities.  Over the last five years, more than $61 million in improvements have been made to these facilities to meet the new NPDES permits.  The last of these improvements is nearing completion.   The City continues to make improvements to the treatment facilities and collection system pipelines and pumping systems to be more cost efficient; reduce overall energy use; control and reduce odor emissions; reduce greenhouse gas emissions by further utilizing biogas generated by the treatment processes, and minimize the overall carbon footprint of facility operations.   The City's six-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) identifies $17.7 million in treatment facility improvement projects and $84.9 million for maintenance and improvement projects to the collection system.  These improvement projects – which include grit removal facilities, solids handling equipment, emergency generators, and energy efficiency projects -- are essential for assuring air and water quality, protection of the environment, public health and safety of the community.   The City expects to incur the majority of the costs to make improvements to the collection and treatment facilities through a capital construction program funded by user fees and federal assistance.

Labor-Health and Human Services-Education Subcommittee

Project:  Biomarkers Database of Rural Diseases

Amount Requested:  $6,400,000

Proposed Recipient:  University of Nebraska Medical Center located at 987835  Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska  68198

Description:  The funding would be used by the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) to create a biomarkers database of rural diseases to assess environmental influences on the development of diseases by collecting health information from at least 50,000 Midwesterners.  Currently most information about the relationship between disease and the environment is generated by major databases located in large urban areas on the east and west coasts which tend to be regionally specific and generally not applicable to rural areas.  This database would be the first research cohort in the Midwest to study the relationship between rural populations, the environment, and disease development.  This project could reveal environmental factors responsible for birth defects or lymphoma, a cancer with high incidence in Nebraska.  The data will provide valuable information on the factors influencing development of deadly diseases like cancer and position UNMC Eppley Cancer Institute to be designated a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Comprehensive Cancer Center. This high distinction will allow for the most advanced patient care and research to be available in Nebraska.  UNMC is the ideal institution to spearhead this database with its numerous resources, well-established statewide hospital network to collect data, a state-of-the art cancer research team and facilities, and comprehensive database capabilities to collect and assess acquired data from this project.

Project:  College Center at South Sioux City

Amount Requested:  $500,000

Proposed Recipients:  Wayne State College located at 1111 Main Street, Wayne, Nebraska, and Northeast Community College located at P.O. Box 469, Norfolk, Nebraska

Description:  To adequately address the higher education and workforce development needs of Dakota and Thurston Counties, Nebraska higher education institutions Wayne State College and Northeast Community College are collaborating with the city of South Sioux City to build and equip the South Sioux City College Center to offer academic programs specifically designed to meet the needs of Nebraska and the tri-state region.  The new College Center will serve the area by creating a “one-stop” consolidated service center offering community and economic development resources in addition to providing educational opportunity for area residents at an affordable price.  This funding would assist with the purchase of distance learning equipment, nursing/health/science lab technology and equipment; business and industry training technology equipment; and general classroom equipment.

Project:  First Hope Initiative

Amount Requested:  $1,486,592

Proposed Recipient:  Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital located at 5401 South Street,
Lincoln, Nebraska  68506

Description:  The First Hope Initiative is a technology and research initiative aimed at increasing the functional independence, quality of life, and outcomes of patients with severe disabilities arising from such conditions as stroke, brain injury and spinal cord injury. The First Hope Initiative creates a model program that can be implemented at other rehabilitation facilities around the country including VA and military hospitals to ensure improved outcomes and independence for individuals recovering from catastrophic medical events.

Project:  Special Olympics

Amount Requested:  $3,500,000

Proposed Recipient:  Special Olympics 2010 USA National Games located at 7600 North 70th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska  68517

Description:  The 2010 USA National Games for Special Olympics will be taking place July 18-23, 2010, in Lincoln, Nebraska.  This will be the largest sporting event, to date, in the state of Nebraska and offers a great opportunity to make an economic, humanitarian, and educational impact upon Nebraskan communities as well as on the national landscape.

Special Olympics offers year-round sports training and competition opportunities for both children and adults with an intellectual disability, giving them the opportunity to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and become integrated and valued members of our society.  There will be 3,000 athletes, 1,000 coaches, 8,000 volunteers, and an estimated 15,000 family and friends in Lincoln and Omaha during the week of the games.  The games are projected to generate $40 million in local economic impact and an additional $5 million in tax revenue alone.

For six days there will be vigorous, Olympic-style sporting competitions for the athletes. In addition, there will be a number of non-sporting events, including a leadership program and free health screenings and services.

The estimated budget for these games is $9 million dollars with the expected revenue coming from several designated areas including Federal and State appropriations, as well as local community support.  From the time the athletes arrive in Nebraska, the Games Organizing Committee is responsible for all costs including the athletes and coaches’ accommodations, meals, transportation, and security.  In addition, funds will go to promoting the games, building venues for competitions, renting venues, and for communication needs.

Transportation, Treasury, and Housing Subcommittee

Project:  Antelope Valley Community Revitalization

Amount Requested:  $1,700,000

Proposed Recipient:  City of Lincoln located at 555 S. 10th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska  68508

Description:  The Antelope Valley project in Lincoln, Nebraska is a comprehensive, multi-purpose approach involving a broad federal-local partnership.  One of the key components of the project involves community and economic development and affordable housing initiatives to reverse blighted trends in the flood plain area.  Plans involve the purchase and relocation of properties in the flood plain project area to increase the vitality of residences; property acquisition in East Downtown to encourage private sector reinvestment that will stimulate job creation and commercial development, and the creation of Union Plaza in East Downtown to increase recreational and trail opportunities in the area and complete the flood channel.  Federal assistance in FY10 would be used toward the $7.9 million Union Plaza project, the centerpiece of the City’s efforts to tie together the results of the flood control and transportation components of the Antelope Valley project into an open space opportunity for the entire community. 

Antelope Creek will flow south to north through the center of the six-acre park, and approximately half of the area will be reserved for “passive” recreational opportunities, including a major link to the City’s trail system.  In addition, the active park area is expected to include a plaza for community activities and festivals, an amphitheater, an elevated overlook, several fountains, and a children’s play area and educational features that will provide opportunities to low and moderate income neighborhoods in close proximity to the park.  It is anticipated that the park will showcase alternative energy generation features as models for private residential and commercial uses in the community.  The requested funds will be used to perform the basic improvements in the area needed to create the park.  They include grading and constructing retaining walls, channel and pond liners, well irrigation, turf, and landscaping.  Federal funding for the community revitalization portion of the project has been provided in FY06 and FY08.

Project:  Antelope Valley Project Transportation Improvements

Amount Requested:  $4,000,000

Proposed Recipient:  City of Lincoln located at 555 S. 10th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska  68508

Description:  The City of Lincoln is committing significant resources for road and pedestrian improvements associated with Antelope Valley.  Some of the important projects that remain in the $125 million transportation component of Antelope Valley Project include: construction of 3.35 miles of roadway (including the  Antelope Valley Parkway from Vine Street to Capitol Parkway) to improve traffic in the City’s central core and Northeast Lincoln; reducing through traffic congestion on the University campus and on downtown streets; eliminating two dangerous mainline at-grade rail crossings, and providing a new overpass (16th Street Overpass) to the State Fair Park, Devaney  Sports Center, state military areas, and surrounding neighborhoods.

Project:  Blair Bypass

Amount Requested:  $2,500,000

Proposed Recipient:  Nebraska Department of Roads located at 1500 Highway 2, Lincoln, Nebraska  68502.

Description:  This funding would be used for the Blair Bypass project.  The bypass will start on the south side of the city at U.S. Highway 30 then run east and north to U.S. Highway 75 on the north side of the city.  The purpose of the Blair Bypass is to serve as a bypass route around the City of Blair, Nebraska, to reduce through traffic, especially truck traffic, in the downtown urban area of the city and to alleviate significant traffic congestion and safety problems. 

Project:  Boys Town Expansion

Amount Requested:  $1,250,000

Proposed Recipient:  Boys Town located at 14100 Crawford Street, Boys Town, 
Nebraska  68010

Description:  Boys Town, Nebraska (a non-profit, non-sectarian organization) would use this funding to serve an increased number of at-risk girls and boys, and their families, at Boys Town USA home campus in Omaha, Nebraska. The funding would help fund the construction of a new totally comprehensive child and family services facility with increased capacity to serve more then double the population of children and families currently served of approximately 1,000. Boys Town will be providing at least $7.25 million in matching funds towards the requested federal share of the project. This multi-dimensional service facility will include the broad range of medical and juvenile justice delinquency services so that at-risk girls and boys (and their families) can have all child related disorders and care provided. Some of the services included, but not limited to, in this facility will include juvenile justice evaluations, services to prevent delinquency and school failure,  and parenting skill building services to help parents become more effective at dealing with a variety of child disorders and issues. It is expected that through these services, youth recidivism of criminal behavior will be greatly reduced as will the need for further out-of home-placement, including that of a correctional or prison facility. Youth will be prepared to be productive members of society. 

Project:  CEDARS Children’s Crisis Center

Amount Requested:  $1,500,000

Proposed Recipient:  CEDARS Youth Services, Inc., located at 620 North 48th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska  68504

Description:  The funding will be used for construction of a new Children’s Crisis Center for abused, homeless, and runaway youth in Southeast Nebraska. CEDARS Youth Services plans to build a children’s crisis center to provide short-term emergency shelter, immediate professional assessment of each child's needs, intense family-centered therapeutic services, and an environment that inspires a rapid return to stable and enduring family living. The 18,000 square foot facility will not only provide immediate safety and protection for vulnerable children and youth across the Midwest, but also a comfortable family-friendly setting for them to begin reunification or to meet prospective foster parents in a safe, professional supervised setting. While primarily helping persons from the Midwest area, the Center has recently served youth from the states of Tennessee, Georgia, California, Michigan, Texas and others.  CEDARS is the only emergency shelter provider for children and youth in Southeast Nebraska, and this children’s crisis center will expand the current service capacity by as many as 12 children each day. This is a 50% increase.

Project:  Cordova North Paving Project

Amount Requested:  $1,000,000

Proposed Recipient:  Seward County Road Department located at 320 South 14th, Seward, Nebraska  68434

Description:  The Cordova North Paving Project was programmed for Federal Aid in 1993.  The Seward County Road Department spent $500,000 in 2006 to grade 5.5 miles to paving design standards and $250,000.00 in 2007 to get bridges to paving design standards. The project still needs additional funding to complete the concrete paving surface. This road will provide a safe corridor for agricultural commodities and economic stimulus to the area.  The project would greatly improve access for the Cordova community to I-80.

Project:  Nebraska Highway 35

Amount Requested:  $5,000,000

Proposed Recipient:  Nebraska Department of Roads located at 1500 Highway 2, Lincoln, Nebraska  68502

Description:  The intent of this project in northeast Nebraska is to develop the most efficient route from Norfolk to South Sioux City.  Currently, the route is comprised of several short segments of highway winding its way to the northeast.  This project has significant regional and national importance.  It would provide substantial safety and economic development benefits.  The Nebraska Department of Roads has classified the Highway 35 project as a planned expressway.