CLYDE, N.C.  – North Carolina’s governor is encouraging local governments to ask for as much money as they can from the federal stimulus funds.

Gov. Beverly Perdue told a conference in western North Carolina on Monday that local governments should move quickly to seek some of the $8.2 billion allocated for North Carolina. She says most of the money is intended to quickly create jobs.

“It’s a pot of money, and somebody in America is going to get it,” Perdue said. “It’s my tremendous ambition and aspiration that North Carolina gets more than our share.”

Perdue also said governments will have to be transparent in how they spend the funds.

“I’ve never seen such an aggressive calendar for putting the money to work, because the goal is to very quickly put America back to work,” Perdue said. “There’s going to be a lot of pressure on you in the next six-12 weeks.”

Bruce Snyder, chairman of the Graham County Board of Commissioners, said his county is interested in stimulus funds because the county has a low tax base from which to draw because so much land is federally owned.

“We’ve got our name on the list for several things when the word first started coming out all this was going to happen,” Snyder said.

Canton Mayor Pat Smathers said he was concerned that emphasis on speed could hamper long-range projects, but that the money would be welcome to help the local budget.

Perdue also says she’s recommending that the Appalachian Regional Commission provide $4.5 million to fund 16 projects in western counties of the state. The projects range from a regional livestock market to local water and sewer projects.

WASHINGTON  – A top congressional Democrat says the White House may have oversold the roads-and-bridges component of the historic stimulus law.

An Associated Press analysis of the first $19 billion in transportation spending showed that communities most in need of jobs are least likely to benefit from the program.

A spokesman for Minnesota Rep. James Oberstar, who leads the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, says the White House shouldn’t have billed road money as the signature component of the stimulus, or as a surefire boost to needy communities.

Spokesman Jim Berard says Washington is limited in how it can tell states where to spend the money. Needy communities might lose out in the short term but he says they’ll benefit from other aspects of the stimulus bill.

FORT BRAGG, N.C. – Officials say Fort Bragg will be getting an additional $81 million in federal stimulus funds to pay for renovations and repairs of offices, runways and fire stations.

The Fayetteville Observer reported Wednesday that the money is in addition to more than $30 million announced in March.

Rep. Mike McIntyre, D-NC, said the funds are important to keep military facilities in shape and will help the economy.

Base officials say the projects have been on a list of needed repairs but there never was money to complete them.

RALEIGH, N.C. – North Carolina’s Department of Transportation is holding a series of outreach meetings to tell
business owners what it would take to land contracts on road and bridge projects involving federal stimulus funds.

One of the meetings targeting businesses owned by women or minorities takes place on Tuesday in Raleigh, followed by Winston-Salem next week. Others will follow in Greenville, Greensboro, Carthage and Castle Hayne.

DOT Deputy Secretary Anthony Roper said the agency is about to start a lot of stimulus-funded projects and wants to get minority- and women-owned businesses involved in bidding for the work. He said the outreach meetings provide information on potential contract opportunities.

RALEIGH, N.C. — Gov. Bev Perdue announced today an additional 64 highway and bridge projects totaling about $209 million that will be funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The projects identified to date total $679 million, more than 90 percent of the $735 million in recovery money North Carolina has received for highway and bridge improvements.

“North Carolina is leading the nation in efforts to expedite the selection of projects and get them under way as quickly as possible to get our people to work,” Perdue said. “Given our current economy, it is critical that we are using our recovery money to help put people to work and create much-needed economic growth for our communities.”

According to the Federal Highway Administration, every $1 million spent on transportation creates 30 jobs, and according to the construction industry, every dollar invested in transportation generates $6 in economic impact.

Based on these figures, the additional projects announced today are expected to help support more than 6,000 jobs and contribute nearly $1.3 billion to the economy. Overall, the projects announced to date are expected to help create and sustain more than 20,000 jobs and generate more than $4 billion in economic development.

The N.C. Department of Transportation had already identified about 70 highway and bridge projects to be let to contract between March and June through recovery funding. Eleven projects totaling $65.1 million were awarded to contract in March. The projects announced today will be let to contract over the next 12 months.

Earlier this month, Perdue was joined by Transportation Secretary Gene Conti and other local officials at a groundbreaking event for a recovery project that will widen U.S. 158 in Camden County. The $6.1 million contract was awarded to RPC Contracting Inc. of Kitty Hawk.

NCDOT has worked with local planning organizations across the state to determine which projects will be funded, taking into consideration the equity formula set by the N.C. General Assembly. Some areas have chosen to dedicate their share of the money to a single large project instead of multiple projects, and other regions are still in the process of determining which projects will be funded. In addition, the state’s largest metropolitan planning organizations have received direct allocations of recovery money and they are working to identify projects to be paid for through this funding.

Gov. Perdue announced in February that she will also pursue discretionary grant money included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to use for the $300 million replacement of the Yadkin River Bridge on I-85 in Davidson and Rowan counties. Perdue and Transportation Secretary Gene Conti are working with Sen. Kay Hagan, Rep. Mel Watt and the rest of North Carolina’s congressional delegation to obtain funding. 

NCDOT is continuing to work with its local partners to identify projects to be funded through the remainder of the available money, including public transportation projects funded through the $103 million North Carolina received for transit improvements.

A list of the second round of economic recovery projects is attached. Additional information about recovery funding for infrastructure improvements in North Carolina  and a list of all projects to date is also available at www.ncrecovery.gov and  www.ncdot.gov.

WASHINGTON  – President Barack Obama says two rare phrases describe how his administration is spending billions in stimulus money on roads: “ahead of schedule” and “under budget.”
 
Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood planned Monday to highlight the administration’s 2,000th project funded through the $48.1 billion allocated for transportation infrastructure in the stimulus package. Administration aides note the six-weeks-old law is already producing jobs nationwide, including the day’s highlighted project in hard-hit Kalamazoo County, Mich.

That $68 million project planned to widen an interchange from four lanes to six along Interstate 94 in Portage, Mich.
 
“The Recovery Act is being implemented with speed, transparency and accountability,” Vice President Joe Biden said in remarks prepared for delivery during a visit to the department. “Don’t take my word for it – just look at what’s happening today. We have the 2,000th transportation project now under way – that’s going to help create jobs, make it easier for folks to get to the jobs they have and improve our nation’s infrastructure all at the same time.”
  
Obama won quick passage of his $787 billion economic stimulus plan shortly after taking office using the argument that the plan would put Americans to work on public projects. Since then, its popularity has waned; thus, administration officials have been highlighting quick progress and efficiency.
 
Transportation department officials say that because so many contractors want a share of stimulus money, competition is driving down costs by about 15 percent to 20 percent. For instance, officials said Colorado’s first five projects were 12 percent lower than anticipated and Oregon’s are 30 percent lower.

“Just 41 days ago we announced funding for the first transportation project under (the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) and today we’re approving the 2,000th project,” Obama said in remarks prepared for delivery. “I am proud to utter the two rarest phrases in the English language – projects are being approved ahead of schedule, and they are coming in under budget.”
 
The president and vice president planned to visit the department late morning.

Poor families trying to juggle working with paying for child care may get a helping hand soon from the federal stimulus package.

The Obama administration said yesterday that North Carolina will receive $67.5 million toward child-care vouchers and $5 million toward vaccination programs.

The money is aimed at families “whose children require care while they are working, seeking employment or receiving job training or education.” The vouchers typically cover children through age 12, as well as older special-needs children.

Families must meet situational and financial criteria to qualify for the vouchers, according to the N.C. Division of Child Development. In most instances, that includes paying a percentage of their child-care costs based upon their gross monthly income and family size.

Child-care providers have to agree to accept the vouchers, said Janice Sain, the acting director for the state agency. The providers would be paid on a monthly basis.
Sain said that the Department of Social Services in each county will handle requests for the vouchers. She expects to have more details next week on how much each county will receive from the money, which is expected to last through 2010.

The money is being made available at a time when the state’s unemployment rate reached 10.7 percent in February. Economists say that the rate could be as much as 3 percentage points higher when counting adults of working age who have dropped out of the work force, are full-time students or underemployed for their level of skills.

“Parents are worried about finding a job or keeping the job they have, and they shouldn’t have to worry about affording quality child care,” Vice President Joe Biden said in a statement. “Safe, affordable, high-quality child care gives working parents the peace of mind they need to be stable, dependable employees.”

The vouchers should have a significant effect for most child-care providers serving low-income families, said Johane Jacamen, the director of the downtown site for A Child’s World Learning Center.

For example, Jacamen said that 90 percent of the 133 children at her center already are covered fully or partially by vouchers. She said that the waiting list can extend beyond a year at times.

Even though her center is at total capacity, Jacamen said that the additional funding “should be wonderful news for families trying to get members back into the work force or back in school.”

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, $58 million is being designated for child-care programs, and $5.5 million is aimed at improving the quality of child care in the state and another $3.2 million specifically toward improving the quality of infant and toddler care.

Most of the $5 million dedicated to vaccinations in North Carolina will be used to buy supplies. It will be distributed through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Section 317 immunization program.

Some of the money will be used to support national public-information campaigns regarding vaccines and support grants to states that demonstrate innovative new ways to ensure more Americans receive the vaccines they need.

RALEIGH, N.C. — Gov. Bev Perdue was joined Thursday by Transportation Secretary Gene Conti and other elected officials in Camden County at a ceremonial groundbreaking today for one of North Carolina’s first highway improvement projects funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The event was held at the George M. Wood Memorial Park on U.S. 158 in Camden County near the Camden/Pasquotank County line.

The $6.1 million project will widen a congested 2.4-mile stretch of U.S. 158 from east of the Pasquotank River to north of Havenwood Drive in Elizabeth City from two to four lanes. The highway is known locally as the Camden Causeway and serves as the main link between Elizabeth City and Camden and Currituck counties.

“This recovery project will make a significant contribution to Camden County and this region now and in the future,” Perdue said.  “It will quickly put people to work and have a significant economic impact.  Improving U.S. 158 helps northeastern North Carolina prepare for future growth and ensures this region is ready when new opportunities arise.”

Last week, Secretary Conti awarded the project contract to low-bidder RPC Contracting Inc. of nearby Kitty Hawk. Subcontractor Sanford Contractors Inc., based out of the Lee County city by the same name, will conduct the project’s bridgework and anticipates purchasing sand, stone and concrete locally, as well as utilizing area hardware stores, fuel suppliers and food establishments. The project will be completed by Aug. 1, 2011.

“Projects of this magnitude offer an immediate economic benefit to local businesses and contractors, which is good news in these economic times,” Secretary Conti said. “We anticipate all areas of North Carolina will see similar benefits as projects begin in those communities.”

The U.S. 158 widening project is one of 11 economic recovery projects awarded to contract in March. The projects are located in Alamance, Brunswick, Camden, Currituck, Forsyth/Stokes, Gaston, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Scotland and Stanly counties.  It is also one of the $466 million first phase recovery infrastructure projects that are expected to create and sustain 14,000 jobs across the state.

The bids on these projects came in more than 19 percent, or nearly $15.8 million, below NCDOT estimates. Work on all contracts can start as soon as April 27, with the exception of the Currituck County bridge replacement project, which will begin no sooner than July 1 due to an environmental moratorium.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, every $1 million spent on transportation creates 30 jobs, and according to the construction industry, every dollar invested in transportation trickles down into the economy six times.

For more information about recovery funding for infrastructure improvements in North Carolina, as well as other NCDOT projects and activities, visit www.ncdot.gov.

FAISON, N.C.  – Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to eastern North Carolina is designed to show how the federal stimulus plan is helping improve health care and public safety in rural communities.

Biden and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack were scheduled to visit Duplin and Wayne counties Wednesday to highlight how funds are being used. Biden is overseeing enactment of the $787 billion stimulus program.

The first stop will be in Faison, where they’ll tour the Goshen Medical Center rural clinic before heading to a fire department in Pikeville that is receiving money to build a new station.

The vice president and the secretary also plan to make an announcement about funding for rural housing