Milwaukee Rising » federal stimulus

Barrett on stimulus money: fix the potholes

Gretchen Schuldt — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:23:30 +0000

Mayor Tom Barrett on stimulus funding: “People in this city are much, much more interested in seeing potholes and local streets repaired than expanding Interstate systems…That’s a message we have to deliver both to the state and the federal governments. … Continue reading →

The city’s wish list

Gretchen Schuldt — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 02:02:18 +0000

Vliet Street, Lisbon Avenue, Bolivar Avenue, and a whole lot of other eligible streets are on the city’s wish list for stimulus funding. Proposed project costs total $77 million.

Nothing for the shoddily-rebuilt Hawley Rd. viaduct, darn it.

The wish list, recommended for approval last week by the Common Council’s Public Works Committee, is here. City Engineer Jeff Polenske told the committee that projects selected met funding criteria and could be done quickly.

“We’re not looking at projects where we’re looking at taking any kind of real estate,” he said.

The urbanized area qualifies for $38.7 million in stimuls funding for transportation projects, plus $15 million for a transportation enhancement program, he said.

“These are projects that we feel can meet the very tight criteria, the very tight timelines” established for the funding.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation and an advisory committee established by the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission will review the proposed project to ensure they qualify for stimulus funding, Polenske said. Local residential streets do not qualify for funding.

Not all of the proposed projects will be funded, he said.

“We do have a fairly comprehensive list,” he said.

Just another day at the office for SEWRPC

Gretchen Schuldt — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 12:27:39 +0000

Just another day of really, really impressive arrogance and really, really bad public involvement and outreach at the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission.

Who needs to involve the public when you’re spending $67.2 million in public money? Not SEWRPC.

Postings here and here.

Scott Walker, pretzel man

Gretchen Schuldt — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 11:49:22 +0000

County Executive Scott Walker is twisting himself all around trying to get away from his own stupid statements regarding the federal stimulus package.

Earlier this week he said he wasn’t interested in federal stimulus money except when it might magically be delivered, without his having to ask for it, for infrastructure projects.

In today’s JS he says he might be interested in federal stimulus money if it is for “programs where we have legitimate needs,” but only on certain conditions: the funding not require any unusual local match; that it not go for a service that would require county taxpayers to pick up the bill in the future; and that it not have hidden operating expenses.

He won’t help prepare a list of projects that could use the funding, though. That would be beneath him. Walker, then, will graciously take the cash that could help the county climb out of the deep hole he’s dug for it, but he will only take the money under certain conditions, and he won’t help identify the projects that meet those conditions.

What a doofus.