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Highlands Today

County, Schools Go After Stimulus Dollars

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By JIM KONKOLY

Highlands Today

Published: February 19, 2009

SEBRING - Highlands County government and school officials are hoping to obtain federal stimulus dollars, but are still uncertain over how much funding will be available and what it can be used for.

On Friday, the county will submit a list of 27 road and sidewalk projects to the Florida Department of Transportation. The DOT was allocated $1.2 billion from the federal stimulus package and will decide where the money is used.

Michael Wright, county administrator, said the road resurfacing and sidewalk construction projects total about $4 million, but he has no information yet on how much may be available to Highlands County.

"How much will be funded, we don't know," Wright said. "But we're hoping to find out on Friday."

The county's list includes four road projects for Sebring totaling about $900,000 and two sidewalk projects for Avon Park totaling $360,000. The two cities plus Lake Placid will have the opportunity to add projects until Friday's deadline for submission to DOT.

While the county's Road and Bridge department has been handling the annual road resurfacing program, projects funded from the federal stimulus legislation would be bid out to private contractors.

"Our crews don't have the manpower to handle the additional work," Wright said. And, he said, a major focus of the stimulus legislation is putting people back to work in the private sector.

At the School Board of Highlands County, Mike Averyt, assistant superintendent for business operations, said he's hopeful the school district will obtain funding, but no details are available yet.

"The funding will come to our state department of education and they will distribute the funds to the local school districts," he said.

"There is just not enough information at this point to determine what amount Highlands County is going to receive, what it can be used for, or even if we will see funding," Averyt added.

"We have no definite idea yet of what is coming to the local school districts or what the rules will be."

Florida's share of education funding in the stimulus package does include money for maintenance and repair of school buildings, and Averyt said the district will apply for those funds if they are available.

"We have a lot more needs than we have available dollars for maintenance . . . like painting and roof repair and fixing fences and many maintenance projects," Averyt said.

"We have a backlog on those types of projects, and we'd be able to get them done and stimulate the local economy with additional (stimulus) dollars."

Some maintenance projects would be handled by school staff, he said, "but we would have to contract a lot of that out."

In a conference call with state education officials Wednesday, Averyt learned that there are 13 categories of federal stimulus funding allocated for education.

"But we haven't got any details yet, so really it's just too early to tell how much funds we can get and what they can be used for, or whether we'll get any funding at all," he said.

Wright said it appears the county's best chance for stimulus funding is in road and sidewalk projects.

Beyond that, he said, "in terms of the county government having additional money to do things, I think we're going to be limited."

But, Wright said in a memo to the county commissioners, "That's not to mean we won't look at the details (of the stimulus legislation) to see if there are some funds that might be helpful."

Wright said he will check reports that Highlands County may be able to seek stimulus funding for computer upgrades for libraries, fire stations, communications and low and moderate-income housing.

Highlands Today reporter Jim Konkoly can be reached at 8633-386-5855 or jkonkoly@highlandstoday.com

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