Fed stim $$$ coming to town

Governor announces initial list

NYS Governor David Paterson has announced an initial list of local projects that will receive funding under the Feds spending bill.

Will a high number of well-paid, permanent jobs that send us on the road to recovery be created with this spending?  I will let you be the judge but in my opinion I see nothing that will have a lasting impact on our community’s economic foundation.

Projects to receive traditional TEP funds:

• $927,446 for the Downtown to School Sidewalk and Streetscape Enhancement in the Village of Medina, Orleans County;
• $896,513 for the Erie Canalways Trail Development Project in the Town of Arcadia, Wayne County; and
• $984, 550 for the Hamlet Connectivity Project in the Town of Marion, Wayne County.

Projects to receive ARRA TEP funds:

• $523,000 for the Lehigh Valley Trail Extension and Enhancement Project in the Town of Mendon, Monroe County; and
• $3,839,000 for the ARTWalk 2, Urban Art Trail Extension in the City of Rochester, Monroe County.

The nearly $4 million for the ARTWalk expansion is one of the largest spending totals in the state.

So anyway, good news for folks who like to take leisurely strolls but it will likely do little to excite the hundreds in our area who have lost their jobs recently.