Federal stimulus for highway projects tangled up in Albany
NORWICH - The clock is ticking on getting any federal stimulus money to trickle down for shovel-ready highway projects in Chenango County because the application procedures keep changing.
Department of Pubic Works Director Randy Gibbon complained to lawmakers last week that the rules have changed four times since March 3 when he applied for $1.3 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds.
DPW departments in the region and around the state are no doubt having the same concerns about meeting Washington’s mandated, 120-day deadline, he said.
“We submitted our projects as fast as we could, and Albany keeps sending the pages back with changes. They’re still figuring out how to proceed to get your documentation that’s necessary so we can get the federal money,” he said.
The county DPW director said he wasn’t sure where the hold up was. He suggested either the federal highway department, New York’s transportation department or Governor David Paterson’s Special Task Force were the culprits.
A spokesperson for the NYSDOT in Albany said he knew of one application change that was originally intended to simplify and expedite the signature process. “The county’s projects are on schedule and eligibility has not changed,” said Skip Carrier, communications director.
As an example of the tangled web of regulations, Gibbon said a federal and state requirement for ARRA funds calls for right-of-ways to be appraised before purchasing them. For one of the two shovel-ready projects submitted for Chenango County, that meant spending more for the appraisal than the value of the property itself.
What’s more, Gibbon said he was prohibited from talking to the property owner until approvals come in. “I can’t talk to them about the price or when we are going to do it (the project) until I get approval from the state,” he said.
The funds would be used to replace the bridge on county Rt. 34 (or Polkville Hill) in the Town of Norwich, estimated to cost $1.1 million, and also to purchase 500 traffic signs for the portions of federal highways that are in Chenango County. The federal government has required new signs with better reflectability and larger letters by 2015. Gibbon estimated the signs would cost $200,000.
Members of the county’s Public Works Committee discussed making application for ARRA funds to help pay for town-level highway and bridge projects.
Department of Pubic Works Director Randy Gibbon complained to lawmakers last week that the rules have changed four times since March 3 when he applied for $1.3 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds.
DPW departments in the region and around the state are no doubt having the same concerns about meeting Washington’s mandated, 120-day deadline, he said.
“We submitted our projects as fast as we could, and Albany keeps sending the pages back with changes. They’re still figuring out how to proceed to get your documentation that’s necessary so we can get the federal money,” he said.
The county DPW director said he wasn’t sure where the hold up was. He suggested either the federal highway department, New York’s transportation department or Governor David Paterson’s Special Task Force were the culprits.
A spokesperson for the NYSDOT in Albany said he knew of one application change that was originally intended to simplify and expedite the signature process. “The county’s projects are on schedule and eligibility has not changed,” said Skip Carrier, communications director.
As an example of the tangled web of regulations, Gibbon said a federal and state requirement for ARRA funds calls for right-of-ways to be appraised before purchasing them. For one of the two shovel-ready projects submitted for Chenango County, that meant spending more for the appraisal than the value of the property itself.
What’s more, Gibbon said he was prohibited from talking to the property owner until approvals come in. “I can’t talk to them about the price or when we are going to do it (the project) until I get approval from the state,” he said.
The funds would be used to replace the bridge on county Rt. 34 (or Polkville Hill) in the Town of Norwich, estimated to cost $1.1 million, and also to purchase 500 traffic signs for the portions of federal highways that are in Chenango County. The federal government has required new signs with better reflectability and larger letters by 2015. Gibbon estimated the signs would cost $200,000.
Members of the county’s Public Works Committee discussed making application for ARRA funds to help pay for town-level highway and bridge projects.
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