Stimulated!
Downtown Missoula Snags $1 Million From Feds
Press Release: Federal stimulus money is slated to arrive for bike lanes, beautifying and an economic boost.
By Amy Linn, 6-29-09
The Missoula Downtown Association today announced that the federal government is sending more than $1 million in economic stimulus money to downtown Missoula. The money will be used to beautify and boost user-friendliness on North Higgins Avenue between Broadway and Circle square, providing more safety for cyclists and pedestrians.
The ultimate goal? “Creating a more inviting, attractive and interactive street environment” to stimulate the downtown economy, according to the announcement from the MDA. Another chunk of the allotment money will pay for repaving three blocks of downtown Higgins, the association says. “The result will be a completely new street that will serve our community for many years to come.”
According to the the MDA’s press release, the stimulus money will be used to add bike lanes, parallel parking, bulbs on street corners, historic lighting, travel lanes, and a dedicated turn lane for vehicles, among other items. The project has to be under contract by February 2010. Construction is expected to begin next spring and take four to six months to complete.
To look at preliminary drawings, visit the Missoula Downtown Association, 218 East Main St Suite C. Requests for proposals (RFPs) concerning the project will be issued by the City of Missoula, the MDA says.
[End of article]WTF?
Stimulus is great as long as our grandchildren have to pay for it. Here's a novel idea: how about some legislation that says we live within our means?
I thought panhandlers were enough for an "interactive street environment".
Comment By Montucky, 6-30-09Everyone is lining up for stimulus money like pigs at a trough. After Obama's 4 years we won't be able to afford another president.
Comment By semcat, 6-30-09This is the only thing you could spend $1 million on in downtown??? A strip of Higgins 3 blocks long north of the most travelled areas? I'd be more concerned with Higgins south of Broadway to Brooks. Maybe re-vamping Main and Front Streets. Perhaps doing something with the triangle area on Front from Broadway to Orange. Who is it that decides the priorities anyway?
Comment By Chuck, 6-30-09I'd like to see what percentage of the 1 million dollars goes to paying the City Manger and Public Works director's salary and what the city "charges" the Feds for trumped up administrative fees. My guess at least the first $150,000 out of the 1 million will never make it to the ground. City and State Governments are using stimulus money to pad their staffs and contribute to their General Overhead and private sector jobs are not happening.
Look at the first 800 grand that comes to Missoula for Weatherization. The city immediately started looking to add administrators not weatherization workers to their staff with this money. There are plenty of existing non Governmental programs that can use this weatherization money right now and get people working yet the City of Missoula is using the money to hire Grants Administrators?
One of the great opportunities that comes with this North Higgins project is not only doing the streetscape which will look nice and add bicycle amenities, etc., but the opportunities to address aging infrastructure under Higgins Avenue. By that I mean the sanitary sewers, storm sewers, water mains, gas lines, underground electrical, etc. There may also be some remnants of the old central steam heating system (asbestos!) that could be dealt with. This project will require the coordination of Northwest Energy, Mountain Water, the City of Missoula as well as the business and property owners of Downtown. Does it add cost? Does it add to the length Downtown streets are torn up? Yes and yes, but it will never be cheaper and never less disruptive. It may be the cheap Scotsman in me, but I have always appreciated the opportunity to spend money like this only once.
Comment By Charles, 7-05-09I am betting that this project will break all records for waste. Already the city is advertising for yet another outside consultant for this project to help the city engineers do their job. I stand corrected in my comments that the City engineers and administration will take at least 15% from the Feds just to pad their own budget and add to the general fund.
Follow the money on this one folks as the Administration tries to balance the city general fund and each city department tries to add to their own capital budgets using Federal money intended to fund actual on the ground work.