Officials take high road on stimulus spending

Local officials aren't ready to outright criticize the way Ohio has distributed federal stimulus funds so far, even if $57 million are going to projects less ready to immediately jolt the economy than their own.

According to an Associated Press report, 7 percent of the state's $774 million allotment of stimulus funds is going for planning and preliminary studies - an unusual strategy considering President Barack Obama said those funds should be used to give the economy an immediate jump.

Several officials in smaller municipalities indicated they were infuriated over the move, but not in Washington County, where at least 18 road and bridge projects were submitted for stimulus funds. The $11 million worth of projects ranged from expanding the bike and walking trails in Marietta to building a bridge spanning the Muskingum River and connecting Oak Grove and Marietta.

Washington County Commissioner Cora Marshall, a Democrat, said just because the projects might not immediately create the number of jobs as other transportation projects doesn't mean they're any less important to the state's economy.

"A lot of times we're geared to look at the short-term return, but we're lacking the focus for the long-term that would involve more jobs for the state," she said. "(Strickland's) looking for more than a quick fix."

The overall approach to Obama's $787 billion stimulus package is to get money to projects that can be started right away, but planning is a legitimate use of economic stimulus money, said Jill Zuckman, spokeswoman at the U.S. Department of Transportation.

One local official willing to disagree with the state's use of stimulus funds was Ohio Sen. Jimmy Stewart, R-Athens.

"I'm disappointed in Gov. Strickland," Stewart said. "All we've heard from folks in Washington that passed this was this was supposed to go out and get job creation immediately in the next few months. In my district alone there are plenty of projects that could get started this summer with just a small fraction of that money."

In announcing Ohio's economic stimulus projects in March, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland estimated 21,257 jobs would be created or retained and most of the money will be used to repave roads, reconfigure streets and repair bridges across the state. Some of the work is expected to begin in May.

The state has targeted 149 projects to get a piece of the stimulus money, including $200 million to help build a new five-lane Interstate 90 Innerbelt Bridge in Cleveland and $150 million to complete a bypass of Ohio 33 around Nelsonville in southeast Ohio.

The projects were selected by a special team within ODOT that reviewed 4,600 applications from cities, businesses and individuals. Priority was given to those that would maximize job creation and economic growth, with agency director Jolene Molitoris having the final say.

Of the $57 million going to projects that are not "shovel-ready," $40 million will go to two separate projects in the Cleveland and Cincinnati areas.

One project will spend $20 million for a two-year study of a highway and rail project on the east side of Cincinnati. That study will lay the foundation for a $1 billion highway, bus, bike and rail system that is intended to open up economic development in the city and its eastern suburbs, leading to 10,000 new jobs.

The other project is a $20 million design of a three-mile road connecting Interstate 490 to Cleveland's art and museum district.

Mike Stocky, Marietta's development director, wasn't ready to offer an opinion.

"I haven't seen the list of ('not-shovel-ready') projects... and I don't want to bite the hand that feeds me," he said.

But he pointed out that the state looked at a variety of criteria when deciding which projects would get stimulus funds.

"There were a lot of criteria besides 'shovel-ready,'" he said. "They were also trying to get some geographical variety in the mix."

Marietta City Councilman David White, R-1st Ward, was also reluctant to criticize the move.

"We have lots of shovel-ready projects at this point that are not funded," said White, chair of council's streets committee. "Some of them still may get an opportunity so I don't want to jump the gun and say we're unhappy with that. I don't intend to plan on anything much from the stimulus funds anyway.