February 26, 2009

Sidewalks? Storm Water Management? Hello? Comments (8)

Can anyone let us know what these important projects are on Drake Street, Lakewood Drive and Walker Circle?

Vienna Officials Hoping for Slice of Stimulus Pie
by BRIAN TROMPETER
Thursday, February 26, 2009

Vienna officials hope that President Obama’s economic-stimulus package will pay for at least three road rebuilding projects in southwest Vienna.

The projects, located on Drake Street, Lakewood Drive and Walker Circle, already have gone through the engineering phase, but the town has not been able yet to finance their cost of more than $1 million each, said Town Manager John Schoeberlein.

“We could get these projects going probably within 60 days,” he said. “We don’t need any right-of-way.”

Town officials have submitted “a whole plateful” of potential stimulus-package projects to Gov. Kaine’s office, Schoeberlein said. Vienna leaders hope at least some of the stimulus money will be granted directly to municipalities. If the money flows first through the state government, localities likely will receive less, he said.

Town officials selected projects that were ready to go, but just lacked financing, Schoeberlein said. The idea was to minimize bumps in the stimulus decision-making process, which changes daily, he said.

“You have to wonder, if the tap is turned on in Washington, will it be dry by the time it gets to us?” Schoeberlein asked.

Vienna Town Council member Michael Polychrones, who also serves as president of the Virginia Municipal League, said the town’s stimulus projects would have to adhere to federal procurement laws.

The town would have 120 days to put projects out to bid and get them started. The stimulus money would have to be spent by Sept. 30, 2010, Polychrones said.

Jostling for stimulus-package money has become quite spirited in Richmond, said Mayor M. Jane Seeman.

“It’s like throwing those dollar bills down there and everybody saying, ‘Get out of the way,’” she said.

Polychrones said the stimulus package might keep some people, who otherwise would have been laid off, on the job and buying products and services.

“It may give the economy a shot in the arm,” he said. “I hope so. Is it the panacea or the cure-all? I think the jury’s still out on that.”

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