Giffords also announces that one-time payments to veterans and survivors will begin in June
WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords today announced $28 million in federal funding for 34 military construction projects at Fort Huachuca, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and the 162nd Air National Guard
The projects - ranging from the installation of cooling systems and water meters to the repairing of a wastewater treatment plant and a leaky roof - are among approximately 3,000 military construction and facility improvement projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Twenty-five projects with a budget of $13.8 million will soon get under way at Fort Huachuca, and eight projects with a budget of $13.2 million are slated for Davis-Monthan. The 162nd Air National Guard in Tucson will receive $900,000. A full list of projects is below.
Signed into law by President Obama on February 17, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act allocates $7.4 billion nationally for defense-related projects. The bulk of the defense-related funds, $5.9 billion, will be used for military construction and facility improvements. These investments are aimed at stimulating the economy and improving the quality of life for service members and their families.
Giffords also announced that eligible veterans and their survivors will receive a one-time payment of $250 to help mitigate the effects of the economic downturn. The payments, which are part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, are estimated by the Veterans Administration to cost $700 million nationally. They will begin in June.
To be eligible for the payments, beneficiaries must have received compensation, pension, dependency and indemnity compensation, or spina bifida benefits at any time between November 2008 and January 2009. Beneficiaries must reside within the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.
No application for the payment is necessary. The VA will use its existing payment records to determine eligibility for the $250 payment. Beneficiaries will receive their payments in the same way they receive their monthly VA benefits. The payment will not be counted in determining eligibility for VA pension and the Internal Revenue Service cannot tax this payment.
The VA beneficiaries who also receive benefits from the Social Security Administration or Railroad Retirement Board will be paid through those agencies.
Davis-Monthan AFB
1.) Repair Windows - $76,000
2.) Construct (Extend) Central Chiller Loop - $148,000
3.) Repair Parking Lot Lighting (LED) - $159,000
4.) Repair (Upgrade) HVAC Controls - $307,000
5.) Construct Water Wells/Waste Water Systems - $636,000
6.) Repair HVAC - $3,006,000
7.) Repair Roofs - $4,218,000
8.) Repair Water Wells - $4,749,000
Total - $13,299,000
162nd Air National Guard
1.) Repair Munitions Shop, Building 27 - $900,000
Total - $900,000
Fort Huachuca
1.) Paint Water Tank - $11,000
2.) Repair Roof, Museum Annex - $75,000
3.) Construct Mezzanine-Barnes Field House - $100,000
4.) Calibrate Production Well Meters - $100,000
5.) Replace South Plant Chiller - $150,000
6.) Repair Concrete Stairs - $150,000
7.) Repair Leaks, Access Ladders, Roof of 3m Gal Reservoir - $150,000
8.) Replace Cooling Tower, Greelet Hall, Building 61801 - $160,000
9.) Repair Roof, Sisler Hall - $200,000
10.) Repair Roof, Alvarado Hall - $200,000
11.) Repair Lift Station #9 - $250,000
12.) Repair Wastewater Treatment Plant Digester Lid - $250,000
13.) Replace Evap Cooling with A/C, Buildings 55332-55338 - $288,000
14.) Install New Waste Reduction Units in Dining Facilities - $350,000
15.) Repave Smith from Arizona to Cushing - $385,000
16.) Repipe 1.5mg Reservoir Overflows to Sewer, Bldg 22201 - $403,000
17.) Install Water Meters - $405,000
18.) Replace Evap Cooling with A/C, Building 50010 - $500,000
19.) Repair Roof, Davis Hall - $600,000
20.) Rebuild Squire - $981,000
21.) Repair Waste Water Treatment Plant Drying Beds - $1,023,000
22.) Repair 4160v Electric Line - $1,200,000
23.) Repair H Avenue Drainage - $1,303,000
24.) Replace Evap Cooling w/A/C, TMAC Building 70525 - $2,150,000
25.) Replace Evap Cooling w/A/C - $2, 500,000
Total - $13, 844,000