Delmarva projects gain from stimulus money

The lower Delmarva Peninsula is starting to reap the benefits of President Barack Obama's stimulus plan. Across the peninsula, towns, cities and counties have plans and projects -- large and small -- either under way or ready to go upon receipt of funds.

The city received a $147,000 grant from the Department of Energy, which City Administrator John Pick said, for starters, will help exchange fluorescent fixtures for more energy-efficient models.

Pick said the city will also use the grant to change energy controls in the engine bay of the new Station 16, replace aging air-conditioning units at various buildings and retrofit sections of the Neighborhood Services and Code Compliance building.

"Not only do we save on energy costs, we reduce our carbon grant," Pick said.

In Wicomico County, $2.9 million in stimulus funds will help the county pave roads this year. Otherwise, such a task would have been impossible, as the county's road budget had its typical $10 million in department funding slashed to about $300,000 because of Maryland budget cuts.

"Without the stimulus money, we wouldn't be doing any paving," said Jim Fineran, the county spokesman.

Worcester County

In Worcester County, the effects of the Recovery Act were first felt by drivers on its main north-south highway. Dualization of Route 113, a state-funded project that's been going on for years, was given a shot in the arm of $220,000 in stimulus funds last spring, not long after the bill was signed into law. It was a sliver of the $1.4 million in highway safety improvements that Maryland says is being funded in Worcester County with stimulus dollars.

Schools have also benefited from the Recovery Act. Worcester County public schools spokeswoman Barbara Witherow said that after stimulus dollars were approved, "new SMART board technology has also been installed at three Title I schools and special education supports have been funded at the high schools and one elementary school."

At the same time, some have warned against accepting too many stimulus projects because they will make local governments dependent on the funding.

"I don't think that's the way to bail out the state," said Michael James, a hotel partner and Republican who will run for either a House or Senate seat in 2010.

Still, Worcester officials hope to get stimulus funding for an overhaul of the Mystic Harbor wastewater treatment plant and are expected to advance an application for the funds Tuesday.

Somerset County

Of all the stimulus projects approved for Somerset County, none are more refreshing to the inhabitants of tiny Rhodes Point than their $860,000 grant for water.

Word arrived by e-mail Wednesday that the community's 30 households -- where drinking water often slows to a trickle -- had won an additional $400,000 needed for a new well, pump and water storage tank, water main and pipelines to each residence. Now, the economically struggling hamlet on the offshore Smith Island has 100 percent funding for a basic resource most people take for granted.

"If not for the stimulus package, Rhodes Point could not live in the current century; the last few years have been like living in a Third World country -- no water," said Sharon Marshall, who operates a boatyard in Rhodes Point.

Months ago, she penned the proposal that won an initial $207,000. Recently, the state threw in another $200,000, enough to cover half the cost.

In all, Somerset County won a $24.5 million stimulus package for improvements in seven categories. The Rhodes Point well grant is part of a $6.8 million environmental award, which all goes to various projects involving drinking water.

"When we break ground on our new well, we're having a celebration," Marshall said. "I've got the ladies lined up to feed everybody -- crab cakes and Smith Island cake."

Eastern Shore of Virginia

Visitors to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge will be able to literally taste American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding it recently was awarded.

Refuge Manager Lou Kinds said a $550,000 contract will fund a new, larger waterline from Chincoteague to the refuge, providing a more consistent source of fresh water for operations and visitor services.
"In addition to creating local jobs, this project supports the tourism industry that is so important to the economic vitality of this community," Hinds said.

It is one of five projects funded by the stimulus bill on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

The total investment is $13.4 million, with as much as $10 million earmarked for the NASA Wallops Flight Facility.

It will soon announce the award of a bid for the construction of a massive Horizontal Integration Facility equipped with 60-foot bays and a 70-ton crane for rocket construction.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced its the Virginia Seaside Bays Restoration project will support 55 jobs that will restore oyster reefs, scallops and seagrass beds on the Eastern Shore, a $2 million project.

The project will occur from Wachapreague Inlet to the Chesapeake Bay mouth, including Burton, Bradford, Swash, Hog Island, Spider Crab, Ramshorn, Mockhorn and Magothy bays.

Over an 18-month period, 24 acres of functional oyster reefs, 100 acres of seagrass and 2.4 million scallops will be created or introduced in the seaside bays.

Also funded is the dredging of Chincoteague Channel and improvements to the visitor center at the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge.

Refuge Manager Susan Rice said the stimulus project, now in the design phase, will fund a geothermal heating and cooling system and install a new air-lock foyer.

Sussex County

Municipalities across Sussex County are taking advantage of federal funds for a number of costly projects.

From establishing a new sewer district in Angola, to installing improved water mains in Seaford, to reconstructing the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk, the Recovery Act has undeniably had a presence in Delaware.

And that presence has been felt for good or worse.

"I don't know what to think about some of it," said Rehoboth resident George Lowery. "It's good that we get these (projects), but it's not as if we're getting them for free. We still have to pay for them sometime."

Some towns, like Seaford, have found their projects will cost less than originally anticipated. As a result, they are broadening the scope of their projects to take advantage of available funds.

"Because we look at the cost of these things well in advance, we can't tell what the bidding climate is going to be," said Charles Anderson, Seaford's assistant town manager.

Since the nearly $1.5 million project is more than $1 million less than originally expected, and because the town is eligible for up to $2.7 million in federal stimulus funds, he said officials are looking to expand the project's scope beyond the West View development.

Other municipalities like Lewes, which is trying to replace the berth for the Lightship Overfalls, are hoping to utilize stimulus funds to offset major costs. While a final cost is not yet known, officials said stimulus funds will cover $400,000.

"We've still got a lot of work to do, but we've done a lot already," said Bob Humes, president of the Overfalls Maritime Museum Organization. "We've been raising funds to get this going (for some time)."