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Wasteful stimulus spending report worth reading

"The American people have a right to know how their stimulus dollars are being spent. In too many cases stimulus projects are wasting money we don't have on things we don't need," Dr. Coburn said.

Ten examples of wasteful stimulus projects in the report include:

1. $1.5 million in "free" stimulus money for a new wastewater treatment plant results in higher utility costs for residents of Perkins, Oklahoma.
2. $1 billion for FutureGen in Mattoon, Illinois is the "biggest earmark of all time" for a power plant that may never work.
3. $15 million for "shovel-ready" repairs to little-used bridges in rural Wisconsin are given priority over widely used bridges that are structurally deficient.
4. $800,000 for little-used John Murtha Airport in Johnstown, Pennsylvania airport to repave a back-up runway; the ‘Airport for Nobody' Has Already Received Tens of Millions in Taxpayer dollars.
5. $3.4 million for a wildlife "eco-passage" in Florida to take animals safely under a busy roadway.
6. Nevada non-profit gets $2 million weatherization contract after recently being fired for same type of work.
7. $1.15 million for installation of a new guard rail for the non-existent Optima Lake in Oklahoma.
8. Nearly $10 million to renovate an abandoned train station that hasn't been used in 30 years.
9. 10,000 dead people get stimulus checks, but the Social Security Administration blames a tough deadline.
10. Town of Union, New York, encouraged to spend a $578,000 grant it did not request for a homelessness problem it claims it does not have.



100 Stimulus Projects:
A Second Opinion
United States Senate
111th Congress
Senator Tom Coburn, M.D.
June 2009
coburn.senate.gov
Table of Contents A Second Opinion on the Stimulus .................................................................................................................................. 1
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Top Ten Projects ................................................................................................................................................................... 5
1. “Free” Stimulus Money Results in Higher Utility Costs for Residents of Perkins, Oklahoma ................ 6
2. FutureGen: The Stimulus Earmark that Wasn’t, Becomes the Costliest Pork Project in History ........ 7
3. Little-Used “Shovel-Ready” Bridges in Rural Wisconsin Given Priority Over Widely Used
Structurally Deficient Bridges ...................................................................................................................................... 9
4. $800,000 for little-used Johnstown, Pennsylvania airport to repave a back-up runway; the “Airport
for Nobody” Has Already Received Tens of Millions in Taxpayer dollars ...................................................... 10
5. $3.4 Million for Wildlife “Eco-Passage” in Florida; Project Still May Take Years to Finish .................. 11
6. Nevada Non-Profit Gets Weatherization Contract After Being Fired For Same Work ........................ 12
7. Non-Existent Oklahoma Lake in Line for Over $1 Million To Construct a New Guardrail .................. 13
8. Taxpayers Taken for a Ride: Nearly $10 Million to be Spent to Renovate a Century Old Train
Station that Hasn’t Been Used in 30 Years ............................................................................................................... 14
9. Ten Thousand Dead People Get Stimulus Checks, Social Security Administration Blames a Tough
Deadline ............................................................................................................................................................................ 16
10. Town of Union, New York, Encouraged to Spend Money It Did Not Request For a Homelessness
Problem It Does Not Have ........................................................................................................................................... 17
Projects by Region .............................................................................................................................................................. 18
Midwestern Region ...................................................................................................................................................... 19
Northeastern Region ................................................................................................................................................... 25
Southern Region ............................................................................................................................................................30
Western Region ............................................................................................................................................................. 35
Appendix – Quick Reference of Projects ...................................................................................................................... 40
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
1
A Second Opinion on the Stimulus
Earlier this year, Congress was quick to pass the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or stimulus
bill that promised to jumpstart the economy and put Americans back to work by spending $787 billion
on “shovel-ready” projects across the country.
There was no question that the nation’s economic condition demanded bold action. Nor is there any
question that the massive amount of stimulus spending so far has created some new jobs. Yet, as recent
statistics have shown, the jobs that may have been created or saved from the stimulus are not offsetting
the millions of jobs that our economy is still hemorrhaging. In my estimation, Congress chose the wrong
approach to stimulating the economy by spending money we don’t have on things we don’t need. Real
stimulus includes lowering the tax and regulatory burden on hardworking families and businesses,
which creates good jobs for the long term.
Unemployment soared to 9.4 percent in May 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS),
with 14.5 million Americans now out of work. These numbers are staggering, but may actually be too
low. BLS also reports that “true unemployment” could be as high as 16.4 percent when adjusted for all
workers that would like to work full time but are discouraged from doing so.1 Behind these statistics are
stories of families trying to make ends meet without a steady pay check, and even those who have not
lost their jobs are anxious about their own financial situation, as well as the future that they can expect
for their children and grandchildren.
It is fair to say that these statistics do not tell the full story of the stimulus. Taxpayers have a lot of
questions about how the stimulus is working and they deserve answers.
For example, what kinds of jobs are being created? Are these permanent jobs or seasonal and temporary
jobs that will soon be gone when the project is completed? What are the merits of projects being funded
with stimulus dollars? Will these projects make real improvements in the lives of taxpayers and
communities or are they simply pet projects of politicians and lobbyists that never got off the ground
because they are a low priority? Are some stimulus projects actually making matters worse for ordinary
Americans?
Taxpayers would not be shocked to hear that millions of dollars of stimulus money are being wasted, but
they might be shocked to learn the answers to these questions. After a review of thousands of projects, it
is fair to claim that there are some successes, but there are also places where we need to do better.
Earl Devaney, head of the Recovery Act Accountability and Transparency (RAT) Board, estimates that at
least $55 billion of the money may be lost to waste, fraud and abuse.2 Unfortunately, we all have come to
expect waste and mismanagement when Washington spends money. But this time the expectation must
be different. When ordinary Americans are laid off or lose their jobs, they are losing more than just
income. They are losing their health insurance, as well as their ability to pay their mortgages, to send
their kids to school, or even provide necessities like food and shelter.
This report is an attempt to look beyond the statistics of jobs created or even money wasted. It, instead,
provides a closer examination of 100 projects, programs and missteps – worth $5.5 billion – some even in
1 Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Table A-12. Alternative measure of labor utilization,” June 5, 2009,
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t12.htm.
2 King Jr., Neil, “Watchdog Over Stimulus Spending Toes a Delicate Line,” Wall Street Journal, March 9, 2009,
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123627399401341865.html.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
2
my own home state of Oklahoma, that are likely to fail the expectation of out of work Americans who
were hoping this bill would create good jobs that they are desperately seeking so that they can provide
for their families once again.
I plan on issuing additional reports on stimulus projects in the months to come in the hope that by
keeping government accountable, we can provide the most value for taxpayers.
Tom Coburn, M.D.
U.S. Senator
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
3
Introduction
By offering 100 examples of questionable stimulus projects, worth $5.5 billion, this report does not
attempt to prove that the stimulus is not working. Rather, the intent is to educate taxpayers,
policymakers and the media on lessons that can be learned from some of the early missteps and prevent
other questionable projects from moving forward.
As Congress debated the stimulus bill in February, there were significant concerns that billions of dollars
would be wasted and the bill was rushed to passage without a single member of Congress reading it.
Even Vice President Joe Biden, who was charged with heading up the stimulus implementation, said on
June 2, “Some people are being scammed already.”3
Shortly after it passed, the Vice President warned of the challenges facing the government in the shortterm
when he said, “Six months from now, if the verdict on this effort is that we’ve wasted the money, we
built things that were unnecessary or we’ve done things that are legal but make no sense, then folks don’t
look for any help from the federal government for a long while.”4 All around the country, just such a
pattern is starting to develop, making some Americans think twice. A new Rasmussen poll released on
June 10 shows that 45 percent of taxpayers want to halt all of the remaining unspent stimulus funds,
while only 36 percent want to continue.5
In Florida, local officials are using $128 million in stimulus money for a bridge project that has been hotly
debated for more than 20 years by locals who see it as unnecessary and a waste of money. Known as the
Indian Street Bridge, it would connect the communities of Stuart and Palm City even though an existing
bridge connects the two only a quarter of a mile away. Even the bridge’s shovel-ready status has been
called into question since construction cannot begin until the needed parcels of land are purchased,
which is not expected to happen until 2011.
In Perkins, Oklahoma, residents are literally paying the price for the “free” stimulus dollars provided by
the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Perkins is receiving $1.445 million from a federal stimulus
grant for new wastewater treatment plant. As a condition of accepting those funds, the town must
comply with a number of federal requirements. These federal restrictions have increased the total cost of
the project from $5.26 million to $7.2 million, offsetting any financial benefit from the grant. As a result,
utility rates for local residents have risen by 60% to pay the costs for accepting the stimulus money. City
Manager Pete Seikel said residents don’t understand why their sewer rates have to be increased if the city
is getting federal grants to build the new wastewater treatment plant.
In Ypsilanti, Michigan, half a million dollars will go towards renovating a historic freighthouse that
closed its doors in 2004. Supporters of the project envision the new space being used for yoga classes or
a coffee shop. This is not exactly what most taxpayers had in mind when they were sold the stimulus.
Supporters of the stimulus said that the key to preventing the misuse of federal money was a strong dose
of transparency. If the details of every project were posted online, they said, including where the money
3 Nicolaci da Costa, Pedro, “Biden says some waste inevitable part of stimulus,” Reuters, June 2, 2009,
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE5516HE20090602.
4 Superville, Darlene, “Obama to states: Spend stimulus wisely or else,” Associated Press, March 12, 2009,
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008820634_apobamastimulus.html.
5 “45% Say Cancel Rest of Stimulus Spending,” Rasmussen Reports, June 10, 2009,
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/business/economic_stimulus_package/45_say_cancel_rest_of_stimulus_spend
ing
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
4
is spent and for what, a natural system of accountability would develop. Unfortunately, this has not
happened. It is nearly impossible right now for the average taxpayer to find out where his money is
going. It was recently revealed that Recovery.gov, a new website being developed to bring
“unprecedented transparency” by tracking the money “down to the penny,” may not even be ready until
spring 2010 – a full year after the stimulus was passed. Taxpayers who will be left paying for every
wasteful stimulus project deserve a full accounting of where their money is going.
This makes the report being released today all the more important. It highlights 100 projects out of
thousands that have received stimulus money but are not poised to stimulate the economy, create lasting
jobs, serve taxpayers in the long term, or use taxpayer money in an appropriate way. Some may be
reasonable if funded through private investment, or state and local government. Some would even be
worthy federal projects. The vast majority of the projects, though, are not appropriate uses of taxpayer
money at any time or in any context.
The beginning report consists of the ten most questionable stimulus projects I have encountered until
now. Following that are ninety additional projects, for a total of 100, listed in no particular order, but are
broken down by region of the country.
This waste is troubling both for its short-term failure to put Americans back to work and for its longterm
fiscal impact on the nation. Our current national debt exceeds $11 trillion and the Congressional
Budget Office projects more than $1 trillion will be added per year to it for the next decade, in large part
due to stimulus spending.
As we move forward with the stimulus, it is vital that the public know how and why taxpayer dollars are
being spent and the impact of the projects that are being funded.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
5
TOP TEN PROJECTS
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
6
1. “Free” Stimulus Money Results in Higher Utility Costs for Residents
of Perkins, Oklahoma
In Perkins, Oklahoma, residents are literally paying a price for accepting “free” stimulus dollars.
Perkins' wastewater treatment plant is outdated and the town had planned to build a new one for $5
million. To help with the cost, the town applied for, and received, $1.5 million in “free” stimulus money.
“We were shovel ready. The
engineering was done. We were ready
or getting ready to advertise for bids,”
said Perkins City Manager Pete Seikel.6
Then came the catch.
The Perkins Journal reported, “The good
news: Perkins is receiving money from
the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act for its new
wastewater treatment plant. The bad
news: ARRA funds come with strings
that will increase project costs by 25
percent.”
As a condition of accepting those funds, the town must comply with a number of federal requirements.
These federal restrictions have increased the total cost of the project from $5.26 million to $7.2 million,
offsetting any financial benefit from the grant.7
Additionally, the state tied the federal dollars to the Oklahoma Water Resource Board’s (OWRB)
revolving loan program in a 70 percent loan/30 percent grant arrangement. Perkins will be borrowing
$5.875 million from OWRB and receiving $1.445 million from a federal stimulus grant.
As a result, utility rates for local residents have risen dramatically to pay the costs for accepting the
federal assistance. To pay back the loan and the increased cost of the project, the town raised residents’
utility taxes by 60 percent this year.
The City Manager acknowledged that residents don’t understand why their sewer rates have to be
increased if the city is getting federal grants to build the new wastewater treatment plant.
“I thought the stimulus money, I thought that was going to pay for it. I don't understand why we have to
pay for it, too,” said Robert Allensworth of Perkins.
“It is to stimulate the economy, to (get) people back to work, inject some cash into the system,” said
Seikel, but even he says, at best, getting the stimulus money for the new wastewater treatment plant will
be a wash.8
6 Smith, Jeffrey, “Stimulus Money For Perkins Put To Reality Check,” The News On 6, June 2, 2009,
http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=10466616.
7 Charles, Michelle, “Stimulus funds increase cost of wastewater plant,” Perkins Journal, May 21, 2009,
http://www.thejournalok.com/atf.php?sid=18734.
Current wastewater plant in Perkins, Oklahoma.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
7
2. FutureGen: The Stimulus Earmark that Wasn’t, Becomes the
Costliest Pork Project in History
When President Obama announced his economic stimulus plan, he stated unequivocally that no
earmarks for pet projects of members of Congress would be funded as part of the program.
The Capitol Hill newspaper The Politico wrote “The Obama administration wants it known that it’s
serious about keeping earmarks out of the stimulus package. How serious? Administration officials say
they won’t include funding in the massive bill for an Illinois energy project that would create hundreds of
downstate jobs and that the state’s congressional delegation, including then-Sen. Barack Obama, had
lobbied hard for.” Brendan Daly, a spokesman for the Speaker of the House, emphasized that it was
Obama’s decision to exclude an earmark for an energy project called FutureGen and that Speaker Nancy
Pelosi had ensured it was not in the House version. “It shows that we’re serious about it,” Daly noted.9
But even the best intentions of a new President often are not enough to deter the craftiness of
Washington lobbyists and politicians when
hundreds of billions of dollars are being doled out
within a 400-page bill rushed to passage so quickly
that there was little time for anyone to read it.
“Deep inside the economic stimulus package is a $1
billion prize that, in five short words, shows the
benefits of being in power in Washington,” reported
The Washington Post. Everyone familiar with the
subject knew that there was only one shovel-ready
project in the entire country that met the criteria for
“fossil energy research and development” listed in
the bill: The FutureGen plant in Mattoon, Illinois.10
And while proponents insisted throughout the
debate that the stimulus bill contained no earmarks,
these carefully selected five words guaranteed the
largest earmark in pork barrel history.
To the surprise of few, on June 12, the Department of
Energy announced FutureGen would be receiving
$1.073 billion from the taxpayers, $1 billion of which
will be provided from stimulus funds.11
Earmark opponents can say “I told you so,” but what taxpayers haven’t been told is the real reason why
FutureGen supporters had to go to such extraordinary measures to secure its funding.
8 Smith, Jeffrey, “Stimulus Money For Perkins Put To Reality Check,” The News On 6, June 2, 2009,
http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=10466616.
9 Martin, Jonathan, “Obama team wants earmarks out of stimulus,” The Politico, January 27, 2009,
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/18013.html .
10 Kindy, Kimberly, “New Life for 'Clean Coal' Project; Illinois Plant Was Abandoned by Bush; Now Its Backers Are in Power,”
The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/05/AR2009030502138.html.
11 “Secretary Chu Announces Agreement on FutureGen Project in Mattoon, IL; Paves Way for First US Commercial Scale Carbon
Capture and Storage Project,” U.S. Department of Energy press release, June 12, 2009,
http://www.energy.gov/news2009/7454.htm .
FutureGen received the largest earmark in pork barrel history as a
result of clever wordsmithing. Impeached Illinois Governor Rod
Blagojevich, one of the biggest FutureGen supporters, is pictured here
speaking at the announcement that Mattoon, Illinois, had been
selected for the project.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
8
“New technology makes FutureGen a waste of tax money,”12 concluded the immediate past Secretary of
Energy and scientific experts and other officials concur.
Just last year, then-Secretary Samuel W. Bodman stated that “FutureGen was announced in early 2003 as
a $950 million initiative to create a single coal-based power plant where new technologies, then
revolutionary, would be demonstrated. Since then, the project's estimated cost has almost doubled and
innovations in technology and changes in the marketplace have created other viable options for
demonstrating carbon capture and storage on a commercial scale. … It became clear the Department of
Energy could not, in good conscience, continue to support the program. The likelihood that it would fail,
leaving the American people with hundreds of millions of dollars in sunk cost and none of the benefits, is
not acceptable.”13
Secretary Bodman noted , “As secretary of energy, I must spend taxpayer dollars wisely and make
difficult decisions. To confront the energy and environmental challenges before us, we must achieve
meaningful results for the American people. That means continually reassessing our national
investments. We continually must ask if we are using government resources efficiently to achieve a
cleaner, more sustainable, more affordable and more secure energy future. Where we are not, we must
make changes. That’s what we are doing with FutureGen,” Bodman said when the Department decided
to end the funding for the project that will now receive over $1 billion from the federal government.14
A 2007 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) report showed that the FutureGen approach was
not the best way to go about such an experimental new technology. According to the MIT report, there
are “concerns about this particular project” including a “continuing lack of clarity about the project
objectives.” The MIT analysis concluded “It is important that the U.S. government begin thinking about
such a portfolio of demonstration projects and not be singularly focused on any one project, such as
FutureGen.”15
The success of FutureGen is a failure for the stimulus program. Instead of directing $1 billion towards
promising new energy technologies that hold the promise of providing cleaner and cheaper energy for the
future along with the creation of jobs to support such breakthroughs, these resources will instead be
sunk into a project that is expected to be a costly failure.
12 Honorable Samuel W. Bodman, then-United States Secretary of Energy. “New technology makes FutureGen a waste of tax
money,” St. Louis Post Dispatch, February 6, 2008,
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/editorialcommentary/story/FED1EF50F9C186CA862573E70017463B?OpenD
ocument .
13 Honorable Samuel W. Bodman, then-United States Secretary of Energy. “New technology makes FutureGen a waste of tax
money,” St. Louis Post Dispatch, February 6 2008,
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/editorialcommentary/story/FED1EF50F9C186CA862573E70017463B?OpenD
ocument .
14 Honorable Samuel W. Bodman, then-United States Secretary of Energy. “New technology makes FutureGen a waste of tax
money,” St. Louis Post Dispatch, February 6 2008,
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/editorialcommentary/story/FED1EF50F9C186CA862573E70017463B?OpenD
ocument .
15 “The Future of Coal,” Massachusetts Institute of Technology, March 14, 2007,
http://web.mit.edu/coal/The_Future_of_Coal.pdf.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
9
3. Little-Used “Shovel-Ready” Bridges in Rural Wisconsin Given
Priority Over Widely Used Structurally Deficient Bridges
Wisconsin has 1,256 structurally deficient bridges, which more than the number in Florida, Colorado,
Arizona and Alaska – combined.16 Instead of repairing these bridges, $15.8 million in transportation
stimulus money will be used repair 37 rural bridges that hardly anyone uses.
On average, the 37 rural bridges carry little more than
500 vehicles apiece each day, with several that typically
see fewer than 100. One bridge along River Road in
Iowa County carries no more than 10 cars a day, but
will receive nearly $430,000 for repairs.17 Puzzled
residents are wondering why these bridges will receive
the state’s first wave of stimulus money when other
more pressing needs are getting nothing.
The answer is that many repair projects for the worstoff
bridges cannot begin quickly, and so are not
considered “shovel-ready.” Shovel-ready projects were
pushed to the front of the line, whether they were high priorities or not, and as a result, the only projects
available for immediate repairs in Wisconsin were those that almost nobody uses.
Commenting on the difficulty of operating within the stimulus rules, Beth Cannestra, director of bureau
structures for Wisconsin, conceded, “Smaller, lower-volume roadway projects are easier to get out.”18
One small bridge is receiving $840,000, though it only carries 260 vehicles a day on average. It primarily
provides access to a golf course and Rusty’s Backwater Saloon, which boasts pontoon rentals and a
Steak-A-Rooni for just $5.25.19 In contrast, the Journal-Sentinal found that half of all Milwaukee streets
have not been repaved for forty years and 20 percent of them are past their intended lifespan.20
Another small project receiving money – much to the astonishment of town chairman Dave Lucey – is a
40-foot bridge over Blue Mounds Creek that leads to a recreational site and private camping ground. “I
was surprised as anyone when I got the call that the bridge was going to be fixed,” Lucey said. “I can tell
you that bridge is a low priority for us.”21
16 Website of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, “Deficient Bridges by State and Highway
System,” as of December 2008, accessed June 15, 2009, http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/BRIDGE/nbi/defbr08.cfm.
17 Poston, Ben and Tom Held, “Rural bridges targeted,” (Milwaukee) Journal-Sentinal, March 29, 2009,
http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/42103902.html.
18 Poston, Ben and Tom Held, “Rural bridges targeted,” (Milwaukee) Journal-Sentinal, March 29, 2009,
http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/42103902.html.
19 Poston, Ben and Tom Held, “Rural bridges targeted,” (Milwaukee) Journal-Sentinal, March 29, 2009,
http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/42103902.html; Menu of Rusty’s Backwater Saloon,
http://www.rustys.net/graphics/menu1.jpg.
20 Marley, Patrick, “State approves 49 road, bridge projects funded by stimulus,” (Milwaukee) Journal-Sentinal, March 17, 2009,
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/41411607.html.
21 Poston, Ben and Tom Held, “Rural bridges targeted,” (Milwaukee) Journal-Sentinal, March 29, 2009,
http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/42103902.html.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
10
4. $800,000 for little-used Johnstown, Pennsylvania airport to repave a
back-up runway; the “Airport for Nobody” Has Already Received Tens of
Millions in Taxpayer dollars
The John Murtha Airport in Johnstown/Cambria County will receive $800,000 in economic stimulus
funds, despite the fact that virtually no one uses the airport.
According to ABC News the airport will receive money for an, “$18 million runway made of reinforced
concrete that's big enough to land any airplane in North America. The airport also has a $7 million air
traffic control tower, a $14 million hanger and $8 million radar.” However, “most of the time, the only
thing the airport doesn't have is
airplanes.”22
Last year, Rep. John Murtha asked
Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) to pay to build a backup
runway. But with less than 10,000
passengers using the airport or close to
20 passengers per day, it didn’t meet
the agency criteria for support, so the
request was denied.
The stimulus bill had no such rule, so
with only 9,733 passengers per year23,
the FAA allocated $800,000 to Murtha
Airport for repaving the backup
runway.
Since 1990 this airport has received $150 million of federal money.24 The airport also receives other
annual subsidies. For every flight into the airport, they receive a per passenger subsidy of $100. However,
there “are plenty of empty seats.”25
The airport offers only three commercial flights and gets about 20 passengers per day. In between the
arrivals and departures, airport officials admit there are few faces around the facility.26
Local resident, Bill Previte, asked, “Doesn't it seem kind of ridiculous to have a motorized carousel for the
baggage claim when 15 people get off the airplane?” he said. “It's obvious: There's not enough population
to justify this place.”27
22 Karl, Jonathan, “Welcome to the Airport for Nobody,” ABC News, April 23, 2009,
http://abcnews.go.com/m/screen?id=7412160&pid=80.
23 Federal Aviation Administration Website, “Passenger Boarding (Enplanement) & All-Cargo Data,”
http://www.faa.gov/airports_airtraffic/airports/planning_capacity/passenger_allcargo_stats/passenger/media/cy07_primary_np_c
omm.pdf, accessed June 3, 2009.
24 Leonniq, Carol, "FAA Approves Plan to Give Stimulus Funds to Airport Named After Murtha,” Washington Post, May 12, 2009,
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/12/AR2009051202679.html
25 Karl, Jonathan, “Welcome to the Airport for Nobody,” ABC News, April 23, 2009,
http://abcnews.go.com/m/screen?id=7412160&pid=80.
26 Acosta, Jim, and Rodriguez, Janet, “Remote Murtha airport lands big bucks from Washington,” CNN, April 23, 2009,
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/23/murtha.airport/.
There are only three departures and arrivals per day at the Johnstown Airport, all flying
in or out of Washington, D.C. The board above displays the schedule at the airport.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
11
5. $3.4 Million for Wildlife “Eco-Passage” in Florida; Project Still May Take Years
to Finish
Why did the turtle cross the road? To get to the other side of a stimulus project. The Florida
Department of Transportation is planning to spend $3.4 million in stimulus cash for a wildlife crossing,
otherwise known as an “eco-passage.” It will serve as an underground wildlife road-crossing for turtles
and other animals that live in Lake Jackson, Florida.28
When a local columnist described this project to a friend, they said that, “FSU (Florida State University)
is talking about laying
off 200 people and we're
protecting turtles?”29
Over 60 species have
become road kill on U.S.-
27, the road that the ecopassage
would go under.
Alligators, otters, snakes
and lizards and even
beavers have been killed
on this stretch of road.30
Turtles seem to get
squished more than any
other species. The area
has the highest road-kill
mortality rate for turtles
in the world31
Local community
activists have put up a temporary fence for the critters that reportedly works pretty well. It saves a lot of
our four legged friends.
The eco-passage will consist of a series of fences that will direct all the animal traffic to a 13-foot tunnel
that will go under U.S.27.32
But, even though they are getting millions in stimulus funds, the permanent eco-passage is only in the
design stage, and is not fully funded. It needs $6 million and it is unclear how long it will take to get the
project built.33
27 Leonnig, Carol, “Murtha’s Earmarks Keep Airport Aloft,” Washington Post, April 19, 2009, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/
content/article/2009/04/18/AR2009041802128.html.
28 The Florida Office of Economic Recovery, “List of State of Florida Transportation Enhancement,”
http://flarecovery.com/_resources/documents/fdot-hwys-enhancement-list-4-15-09.pdf, accessed June 2, 2009.
29 Hohmeister, Mark, “Lake Jackson Ecopassage Advances At A Turtle's Pace,”Tallahassee Democrat, January 10, 2009,
http://www.lakejacksonturtles.org/tdo010909.htm.
30 Hohmeister, Mark, “Lake Jackson Ecopassage Advances At A Turtle's Pace,”Tallahassee Democrat, January 10, 2009,
http://www.lakejacksonturtles.org/tdo010909.htm.
31 http://www.lakejacksonturtles.org/
32 Hohmeister, Mark, “Lake Jackson Ecopassage Advances At A Turtle's Pace,”Tallahassee Democrat, January 10, 2009,
http://www.lakejacksonturtles.org/tdo010909.htm.
An eco-passage like the one above will be built under U.S.-27 in Florida.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
12
6. Nevada Non-Profit Gets Weatherization Contract After Being Fired For Same
Work
Getting fired is not typically a strong resume builder, but for the non-profit Community Service Agency
(CSA), it landed the organization a $2 million promotion. Nevada-based CSA was terminated for
bungling a federal weatherization program, but will receive nearly $2 million in federal stimulus funds to
resume its program.
State officials gave the Community
Service Agency (CSA) a $1,849,627
contract with federal stimulus
funds for Nevada’s low income
weatherization program.
However, according to an
evaluation of Nevada’s
weatherization assistance
programs, the State of Nevada had
several problems with CSA, and
“after first trying to work with
CSA. . .[Nevada’s] Housing
Division found it necessary to
move toward termination of CSA
and replacement of its
weatherization services.”34
Five major problems for CSA were
outlined in the investigative report:
1) deficiencies in work completed;
2) management problems; 3) lack of executive interest at CSA in continuing to provide weatherization
services; 4) managers assigned to weatherization did not appear fully qualified by experience in the
weatherization or housing area; and 5) failure to follow accountability and reporting requirements even
though “the Housing Division had provided clear direction.”35 None of these failures prevented the state
of Nevada from hiring the organization back on to do weatherization work under the stimulus.
The stimulus bill provides $5 billion to weatherize home for low-income families, well over the $227.2
million for the weatherization last year. The increase has been described as contractors “winning the
lottery.”36 For CSA, it certainly has been a lucky day.
33 The Florida Office of Economic Recovery, “List of State of Florida Transportation Enhancement,”
http://flarecovery.com/_resources/documents/fdot-hwys-enhancement-list-4-15-09.pdf, accessed June 2, 2009.
34 Peaceh, H. Gil and Mark Thompson, “State Fiscal Year 2007 Evaluation of the NRS 702: Energy Assistance Program &
Weatherization Assistance Program,” H. Gil Peach & Associates LLC, December 2008, page 32.
35 Peaceh, H. Gil and Mark Thompson, “State Fiscal Year 2007 Evaluation of the NRS 702: Energy Assistance Program &
Weatherization Assistance Program,” H. Gil Peach & Associates LLC, December 2008.
36 Feherenbacher, Katie, “Weatherization Stimulus: Lots of It, Fast,” Business Week, January 30, 2009,
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jan2009/tc20090129_222846.htm.
Weatherization contractors, such as this one pictured above, will get to work soon on
Nevada stimulus projects.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
13
7. Non-Existent Oklahoma Lake in Line for Over $1 Million To
Construct a New Guardrail
Built in the 1960’s to help improve the water supply of Oklahoma’s panhandle, Optima Lake has suffered
from one unfortunate problem: it never filled up. In 1997, Alan Riffel, then-City Manager of nearby
Woodward, Oklahoma, called the lake, “one of Oklahoma’s greatest boondoggles.” Twelve years later,
Optima Lake is in line to receive $1.15 million in federal stimulus money to construct a new guardrail for a
lake that does not exist.37
The guardrail is needed for “public safety,” says the
Army Corps of Engineers, but there is not much of the
public around to protect. Because the lake has never
filled with water it is all but useless to potential
visitors.
The Army Corps website paints an unflattering picture:
“The water level in the lake has never reached normal
pool. Visitors should be aware that the lake's level can
be very low. Depending on rainfall and evaporation
rates, the lake may offer no water-based recreation and
may not be suitable for swimming, fishing, boating or
other activities. Visitors should come for the quiet
natural setting-with or without water in the lake area.”38
According to the Geological Society of America,
Optima Lake “loses 100 percent of its inflowing water
to evaporation.”39 Conditions became so bad that in
2006, University of Texas-Dallas profession of
hydrology, Tom Brikowski, argued for letting the
lake’s water drain underground to save it from
evaporation. He said, “you get to the point where you
can’t afford to lose that much water.”40 In a small bit of
irony, one of the streams feeding into the lake is Dry
Creek. One thing is sure, if visitors are clever enough
to get past the new guardrail they will not have to
worry about falling into the water.
Guymon city manager Ted Graham, whose town is the home of home of Optima Lake, said, “We all feel
the county could use a million dollars in a lot better places than the Optima Lake....personally, I don't
think it should be done.”41
37 Website of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Civil Works Projects List: Operations and
Maintanence, p. 197, accessed June 3, 2009,
http://www.usace.army.mil/recovery/Documents/FY09%20CW%20Operation%20and%20Maintenance%20ARRA%20-
%20FINAL.pdf.
38 Website of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, “Optima Lake: Oklahoma,” accessed June 5, 2009,
http://www.swt.usace.army.mil/recreat/OPSField.CFM?tblOPSField__LakeName=Optima%20Lake.
39 The Geological Society of America, “Droughts and Reservoirs: Finding Storage Space Underground,” News Release, September
18, 2006, http://www.geosociety.org/news/pr/06-39.htm.
40 “Scientists study ways to safeguard water,” UPI, September 18, 2006,
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2006/09/18/Scientists-study-ways-to-safeguard-water/UPI-46471158589190/.
41 Lester, Amy, “Senator: Oklahoma Stimulus Project Wasteful,” NewsOn6 (Oklahoma), June 9, 2009,
http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=10480942.
Boat dock jutting into the middle of Optima Lake.
Existing guardrail running alongside Optima Lake.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
14
8. Taxpayers Taken for a Ride: Nearly $10 Million to be Spent to
Renovate a Century Old Train Station that Hasn’t Been Used in 30
Years
Elizabethtown, located in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, will spend more than $9.38 million of federal
stimulus funds to renovate a 97-year-old train station building that has sat vacant for more than 30
years.42
“I think from far away, it looks fine, but as soon as you get up closer and realize that it's not actually a
station, it’s kind of depressing,” said train rider Maegan Demko.43
When the renovation is complete,
State Transportation of Secretary
Allen Biehler provides
reassurance that taxpayer money
will be well spent. “(The
station's) not just going to be a
little monument that someone
can look at on a museum tour —
it's going to be used,” Biehler
said.44
The station’s platform currently
serves more than 80,000
passengers a year along Amtrak’s
Keystone Corridor, meaning
taxpayers will subsidize up to
$117 per passenger to pay for the
renovation.45 A one-way ticket from Elizabethtown to New York City, by contrast, costs just $45 per
passenger.46
The U.S. Department of Transportation is providing two grants for the project.
The first grant of $7.97 million will pay for the renovation of the building, including installation of
elevators and raising and extending the boarding platforms.47 Officials also hope to include a coffee shop,
restaurant, newsstand or market inside the station.48
42 Yoder, Michael, “Elizabethtown Amtrak project feted,” Lancaster Newspapers, April 4, 2009,
http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/235910 .
43 Kehm, Amy, “Stimulus Money to Help Elizabethtown Train Station,” (Pennsylvania) ABC 27 News,
http://www.whtm.com/news/stories/0309/602882.html.
44 Yoder, Michael, “Elizabethtown Amtrak project feted,” Lancaster Newspapers, April 4, 2009,
http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/235910.
45 Pennsylvania Department of Transportation press release, “Secretary Announces $9 Million In Stimulus Funds For
Elizabethtown Station,” April 2009,
http://www.dot.state.pa.us/Internet/pdNews.nsf/SecretaryScrapbook/BB1C8432D6DFE7A28525759200638DF2?opendocument
46 Amtrak website, search for one-way fare from Elizabethtown (ELT) to New York Penn Station (NYP), on June 15, 2009,
http://tickets.amtrak.com/itd/amtrak/FareFinder?_tripType=Return&_origin=New+York%2C+NY+%28NYP%29&_depmonthye
ar=2009-06&_depday=15&_dephourmin=&_destination=elt&_retmonthyear=2009-
06&_retday=15&_rethourmin=&_adults=1&_children=0&_infants=0&_searchBy=schedule&x=19&y=15.
47 Larison, Dennis, “E-town station on fast track to renovation,” Lancaster Newspapers, May 31, 2009,
http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/238232 .
Abandoned train station planned for massive overhaul with stimulus money.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
15
The second grant, for more than $1.41 million, will provide additional off-site parking at an as-of-yetundetermined
site.49
The $7.97 million being spent on the renovation is nearly twice the cost of the $4.8 million that had been
estimated for the project before federal stimulus dollars were involved50 and more than three times the
estimated $2.5 million cost estimated just four years ago in 2005.51
While the refurbished
station may provide
increased comfort for
area Amtrak riders,
spending stimulus
money intended for
transportation
improvements on this
project probably will
not comfort residents
who drive on the
county’s dilapidated
roads and bridges.
Pennsylvania has more state-owned bridges in critical need of immediate repair than any other state in
the U.S.,52 and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell noted that “Lancaster County has 163 structurally
deficient bridges, representing 22 percent of the 737 state-maintained bridges in the county. In addition,
172 miles – or about 16 percent – of state highways in the region are in poor condition.”53
But as Drew Galloway, a representative from Amtrak, points out “the shovel for the shovel-ready part (of
this project) was bought about a decade ago.”54
48 Knapp, Tom, “Plan lurches forward for train station revamp,” Intelligencer Journal, June 13, 2007.
49 Larison, Dennis, “E-town station on fast track to renovation,” Lancaster Newspapers, May 31, 2009,
http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/238232 .
50 Knapp, Tom, “Ridership soars at E-town station; Borough reports an additional 10,000 passengers boarded trains in each of
the past 3 years,” Intelligencer Journal, December 5, 2007.
51 Knapp, Tom, “Pitts hears E-town Amtrak station woes,” Intelligencer Journal, December 4, 2007.
52 “Pa. Bridges Among Nation's Worst,” WGAL Channel 8, August 2, 2007, http://www.wgal.com/news/13805604/detail.html.
53 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania press release, “GOVERNOR RENDELL URGES IMMEDIATE ACTION ON
TRANSPORTATION FUNDING PLAN,” March 21, 2007, http://www.state.pa.us/papower/cwp/view.asp?A=11&Q=460981.
54 Yoder, Michael, “Elizabethtown Amtrak project feted,” Lancaster Newspapers, April 4, 2009,
http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/235910.
An artist's rendition of what the renovated Elizabethtown Amtrak station would look like.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
16
9. Ten Thousand Dead People Get Stimulus Checks, Social Security
Administration Blames a Tough Deadline
Whoever said you can’t take your money with you when die clearly never anticipated the stimulus.
Millions of Americans on Social Security are receiving $250 from Uncle Sam, including dead people. The
Social Security Administration (SSA) blames a strict mid-June deadline for mailing out 10,000 checks to
deceased persons.55
James Hagner, of Orchard
Beach, Maryland received
a stimulus check for his
mother who has been
dead for four decades.
SSA admits to sending
out at least $2.5 million
in stimulus cash to other
dead people.56
A Long Island , New York
woman received a $250
check from the U.S.
Treasury, but it wasn’t
for her. When Antoniette
Santopadre got her
stimulus check that she
was expecting, she
quickly realized it was
for her dead father, Romolo Romonini, an American citizen who passed in Italy 34 years ago.57 The SSA
later discovered that he had never even participated in the Social Security system.58
The SSA says that they didn’t review all the Social Security records, though it raises questions about how
long it must have been since the agency last reviewed its rolls. Santopadre’s father died 34 years ago and
Hagner’s mom died 40 years ago and neither received a Social Security check since the Johnson
administration. According to SSA, the problem was that they didn’t have a record of death.
55 “Dead Woman Gets Federal Stimulus Check: Son Wants To Keep Check As Souvenir,” WBAL-TV, May 12, 2009,
http://www.wbaltv.com/news/19435100/detail.html.
56 “Dead Woman Gets Federal Stimulus Check: Son Wants To Keep Check As Souvenir,” WBAL-TV, May 12, 2009,
http://www.wbaltv.com/news/19435100/detail.html.
57 “Dead People Being Sent Stimulus Checks,” Fox News, May 15, 2009, http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/05/15/deadpeople-
sent-stimulus-checks/.
58 Pavia, Jim. Memo to Government: Dead People Don’t Spend,” Investment News, May 24, 2009,
http://www.investmentnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090524/REG/305249992/1008.
“I see stimulus checks . . . “
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
17
10. Town of Union, New York, Encouraged to Spend Money It Did Not
Request For a Homelessness Problem It Does Not Have
The Town of Union, New York, was surprised when it was notified that it would be receiving a $578,661
stimulus grant to prevent homelessness for several reasons. First, the town never applied for the money
and second, it doesn’t have any homeless problem.
“Union did not request the money and does not currently have homeless programs in place in the town
to administer such funds,” said town Supervisor John Bernardo, according to the Binghamton Press & Sun-
Bulletin. “‘We were surprised,’ Bernardo said. ‘We've never been a recipient before.’ Bernardo said he
isn't aware of any homeless issue in the largely suburban town.”59
The money is coming from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program to pay
for homeless prevention and emergency shelter programs.
Adam Glantz, a HUD spokesman, said the homeless funds were distributed based on population,
housing needs and some poverty statistics. "We hope and encourage these new grantees to develop
creative strategies for the funding," Glantz said of Union's homeless grant.
Regardless of how creative local officials get when developing strategies to spend this unrequested
money, it does not appear that new jobs will be created as a result because the town has stated its
intention to utilize existing employees. In a May 12 report to HUD, Paul A. Nelson, the planning director
of Union stated, “to the extent possible, the Town intends to operate the program with a combination of
existing employees and” an agency “which is already under contract.”60 That doesn’t sound very creative
and the only problem it seems to solve is how to spend money that the town did not ask for and did not
need.
59 Nancy Dooling, “$578,661 for Union Homeless Questioned,” Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin, March 5, 2009,
http://coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=LatestNews.NewsStories&ContentRecord_id=cf9742de-802a-23ad-
4c83-d4b5b82fc924
60 Nelson, Paul, “Final HPRP Substantial Amendment Form HUD-40119,” Town of Union, New York, May 12, 2009,
http://www.townofunion.com/pdfs/CDBG/FFY%202009/FINAL%2040119%20TOU%20HPRP%205-12-09.pdf
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
18
PROJECTS BY REGION
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
19
Midwestern Region
11. Illinois county to spend $173,824 weatherization grant on eight pickup trucks. Having
received $400,000 for a federal weatherization program, Madison County in Illinois will be
spending nearly half of it on eight new Ford F-150’s. One member of the county board, Bill
Meyer, raised concerns about how fast the county is being forced to spend the money, noting
that “it looks like this is being crammed down our throat.” Fellow council member Bruce Malone
responded that they have little choice: “They are saying, ‘Get out and spend it.’”61
12. South Dakota fish hatchery to spend half of a $20,000 grant on a freezer for fish sperm.
Gavins Point National Fish Hatchery already has three cryo freezers for storing sperm from pallid
sturgeon, but stimulus money has given it the to purchase another one. “The insulation on the
side that holds the liquid nitrogen is breaking up,” explained Jeff Powell, a project manager with
the hatchery. The new refrigerator will be used “to hold sperm samples, hormones and ice
packs.” The hatchery plans to use the other $10,000 portion of its grant to replace lighting,
which is expected to save the hatchery $713 per year – meaning it will take only 14 years for the
savings to outstrip the cost of the grant.62
61 Schmidt, Sanford, “Panel calls for spending stimulus funds on weatherization,” The Telegraph, June 8, 2009,
http://www.thetelegraph.com/news/money-27636-county-federal.html#.
62 Johnson, Nathan, “Stimulus Funds To Light Up Fish Hatchery,” (Yanktown) Press & Dakotan, June 9, 2009.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
20
13. Wisconsin nursing home receives $2.8 million in stimulus money it didn’t need or request.
Prior to the stimulus funding, the Knapp Haven nursing home was on track for a loan from the
USDA. When stimulus money came available, the funding source was simply shifted to a new
source of federal assistance. “It's kind of a joke as far as I'm concerned,” said Carmen Newman,
Chetek's city clerk-treasurer. “I don't understand how they can say this is stimulus.” Chetek
Mayor Dianne Knowlton added, “I don't see how the project benefited.”63
14. Iowa state legislators are using money freed up by federal stimulus cash to buy $11 million in
new cars the State does not need. About four dozen brand new cars owned by the state are
already sitting unused in a parking lot near the capitol. According to state representative
Christopher Rants, “"Some of them have the stickers on them. None of them have license plates.
Some of them still have the seats wrapped in plastic.”64
15. Road signs costing $300 each are being placed at construction sites to alert motorists that
the project is being paid for by stimulus money. Signs are popping up all across American. In
Illinois alone, the signs are expected to cost $150,000, according to the Illinois Department of
Transportation (IDOT). According to an IDOT spokesman, “It's difficult for us to determine
how many signs there will be.”65
16. Stimulus grant may cost Dayton, Ohio 1,200 jobs. NCR Corp., an automated teller machine
company based in Dayton, may consolidate all of its operations in Duluth, Georgia, possibly with
the help of a $5.5 million stimulus grant that Ohio legislators claim would help pay for the NCR
factory. Ohio state senator, Jon Husted, complained that it was not fair. “The use of stimulus
funds means that Ohio taxpayers were forced to pay for NCR's move to Georgia,” he said.66
17. The governor of Michigan is using $500,000 to renovate the Ypsilanti Freighthouse, which
may house a “yoga or children's movement class” and a full-time tourist information center.
“We envision in our business plan a full-time tourist information and hospitality center where
neighbors, as well as commuters and visitors arriving or departing on the rails, can grab a bite or
a cup of coffee,” Bonnie Penet, co-chair of the Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse, said. “At the
same time a yoga or children's movement class may be in progress in the great hall, giving way to
a catered event in the evening.”67
18. Critics question whether the much-hyped 2000th transportation stimulus project is
necessary. Much was made of the 2000th stimulus project, though one local critic did not have
much good to say in response, “We’ve got a lot of things to deal with out here, but traffic isn’t
63 Umhoefer, Dave, “Stimulus money for Chetek project is just a funding shift”, Journal Sentinel, May 30, 2009,
http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/46555547.html.
64 Henderson, O. Kay, “GOP lawmaker: state should stop buying new cars,” Radio Iowa News, April 16, 2009,
http://www.radioiowa.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=AB9C379F-5056-B82A-37CE88059F05EE9C.
65 Erickson, Kurt, “Stimulus money paying for signs announcing funded projects,” Bloomington Pantagraph, May 12, 2009,
http://coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=LatestNews.NewsStories&ContentRecord_id=41274695-802a-23ad-
412f-52b64399c2f9.
66 Pierog, Karen and Lisa Lambert, “Ohio worries stimulus grant will help rob it of jobs,” Reuters, June 4, 2009,
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/afx/2009/06/04/afx6506569.html.
67 Laughren, Christine, “Freighthouse awarded federal stimulus grant,” Ypsilanti Courier, April 16, 2009,
http://www.ypsilanticourier.com/stories/041609/loc_20090416012.shtml.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
21
one of them.” Local officials in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, plan to spend $43.9 million68 to
widen several miles of I-94 and rebuild the interchange at south Westnedge Avenue.69 The
county, which has only had 3 percent growth since 2000, doesn’t seem to need the project.70
“Rush hour lasts 10 minutes, maybe 15 on a Friday” said Kalamazoo resident, Yvonne Zipp.71
19. Parking lot that no one wants. In Macomb, Illinois, $643, 945 was spent on a Prairieview
public housing parking lot that no one wants. Many of the residents that the parking lot was
supposed to benefit have protested it. Explaining his concern, a local resident said, “The kids
love the grass. We’ve got enough pavement here.”72
20. Ohio state legislators oppose the governor’s plans to use $57 million for “planning and
preliminary studies instead of bricks-and-mortar construction." State transportation officials
passed over several shovel-ready projects to steer nearly seven percent of the state’s $774 million
to planning and preliminary studies. Among the larger studies are $20 million to examine a
highway project on the eastern corridor of Cincinnati and $20 million to examine a three-mile
“opportunity corridor” that would connect the city of Cleveland’s university district to Interstate
490. An additional $10 million statewide would go simply toward “project plans/design” for the
Ohio Department of Transportation, while $7 million more would go toward project
development for the Ohio passenger rail corridor.73
21. Minnesota theater wins millions over bigger job producers. The Minneapolis City Council
has chosen to give $2 million to the Schubert Theater, making it the city’s largest recipient of
discretionary funds. The theater will be used for “dance and music events,” and is expected to
create 41 full-time jobs. Council Member, Paul Ostrow, the only member to vote against the
project, objected that the theater was given higher priority over a solar panel manufacturing
facility in a low-income area would create 360 jobs. Noting his displeasure with the Council’s
decision, Ostrow said, “this is frankly not a jobs project.”74
22. Illinois will spend $350,000 to build a four-person bunkhouse at Crab Orchard National
Wildlife Refuge.75 The median price for a home in Marion, Illinois, the site of the park, is
currently $71,000.76
68 Russon, Gabrielle, “Cost of I-94 project drops by 35%,” Kalamazoo Gazette, June 12, 2009,
http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/news-34/1244818248163290.xml&coll=7.
69 State of Michigan website, “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Funded
MDOT Trunkline Projects,” http://www.mi.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_ARRA_Trunkline_Projects_280623_7.pdf.
70 Laurent Belsie, “Obama Speeds By His Stimulus Critics,” Christian Science Monitor, April 13, 2009,
http://features.csmonitor.com/economyrebuild/2009/04/13/obama-speeds-past-his-stimulus-critics/.
71 Belsie, Laurent, “Obama speeds past his stimulus critics” The Christian Science Monitor, April 13, 2009,
http://features.csmonitor.com/economyrebuild/2009/04/13/obama-speeds-past-his-stimulus-critics/.
72 Steelman, Lainie, “Parking under protest at Prairieview,” Macomb Journal, June 10, 2009,
http://www.macombjournal.com/news/x2085756847/Parking-under-protest-at-Prairieview.
73 Wehrman, Jessica, “Republicans oppose Strickland using stimulus dollars for studies, Dayton daily News, April 20, 2009,
http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/republicans-oppose-strickland-using-stimulus-dollars-for-studies-
87414.html.
74 Brandt, Steve, “Mpls. fixer-upper theater will get stimulus funds,” Minneapolis Star-Tribune, June 2, 2009,
http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/onstage/46768652.html?elr=KArksD:aDyaEP:kD:aU2EkP7K_t:aDyaEP:kD:aUiD3aPc
:_Yyc:aUU.
75 Crab Orchard refuge gets federal stimulus money.” The Southern, April 27, 2009,
http://www.southernillinoisan.com/articles/2009/04/27/breaking_news/doc49f5b5b1d94f7615566167.txt.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
22
23. Police jobs in Columbus, Ohio saved by stimulus could still leave officers getting pink slips.
Earlier this year, President Obama went to Columbus, Ohio to speak about the benefits of the
stimulus bill at the graduation of 25 local police recruits. The stimulus was intended to pay for
them to work until the end of the year. However, new cuts announced by Columbus Police
Department mean that the 25 graduating recruits will likely lose their jobs at the end of the
year.77
24. The Fort Wayne, Indiana airport will spend $1.27 million in stimulus cash for runway signs.
Some signs will be posted along runways and taxiways while others will be painted directly on
pavement “to help pilots and ground crews find their way without confusion.”78
25. Akron, Ohio will use up to $1.5 million to erect a suicide-prevention fence. The city plans to
use more than a million dollars to build a fence to keep people from jumping off the All-American
Bridge despite concerns such a project would be wasteful, ineffective, and ugly.79
26. Rather than help welfare recipients obtain jobs and escape poverty, $1 million will be used
to study whether 300 people in Chicago are healthier when living in “green” public housing
facilities. The study will evaluate whether building green housing is healthier for people and
will focus on 300 residents at a Chicago public housing facility. Researchers expect to find that
residents living in these more energy-efficient facilities will have much lower healthcare costs.
This study will create interviewing jobs.80
27. The National Institute of Health gives Indiana University professor $356,000 to study how
kids perceive foreign accents. The grant was given to the University of Indiana, which has an
endowment of more than $1.5 billion, to “test how children perceive foreign-accented speech
compared to native-accented speech.” It will also determine how such accents might influence
speech development in children.81
28. Detroit Public Schools will reap massive benefits from stimulus despite a $150 million
deficit. According to The Intelligencer, financial management problems became “so tangled the
state recently appointed a manager to take the financial reins.” The Detroit Public School
System stands to get $530 million, which $355 million would have “no strings attached.”82
76 Zillow.com, search for “Marion, Illinois,” accessed June 12, 2009, http://www.zillow.com/homes/map/marionillinois_
rb/#/homes/for_sale/map/marion-illinois_rb/37.75301,-88.886657,37.678324,-88.968197_rect/12_zm/.
77 “Police Officers Saved By Stimulus May Still Lose Their Jobs,” CNN, May 26, 2009,
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/26/ohio.stimulus.police.cuts/.
78 Caylor, Bob, “Airport gets $1.27M from stimulus to install signs,” The News-Sentinel, April 9, 2009, http://www.newssentinel.
com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090409/BUSINESS/904090316.
79 Cooper, Michael, “Soul-Searching in Akron, Ohio, Over Stimulus Use,” New York Times, May 5, 2009,
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/us/06akron.html?_r=1&ref=global-home.
80 Sachs, Peter, “UIC gets $1M grant to study ‘green’ housing,” Chi-Town Daily News, May 08, 2009,
http://www.chitowndailynews.org/Chicago_news/UIC_gets_1M_grant_to_study_%E2%80%98green%E2%80%99_housing,2651.
81 Study focuses on how kids perceive accents,” United Press International, May 13, 2009,
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2009/05/13/Study-focuses-on-how-kids-perceive-accents/UPI-56061242227066/.
82 Christoff, Chris, “Michigan schools set to win big in stimulus,” Detroit Free Press, March 10, 2009,
http://coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=LatestNews.NewsStories&ContentRecord_id=f2418e16-802a-23ad-4dca-
5523267e6857>.
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29. Michigan will spend $983, 952 for streetscaping in Ann Arbor. The city plans to install
“decorative sidewalks and crosswalks, planters, landscaping, decorative lighting, trees, trash
receptacles, benches and bike loops.”83
30. “Dead” project in Leelanau County, Michigan gets new life in stimulus aid. In March, the
governor announced that the Solon Township would receive $1.3 million in grants and loans to
help pay for construction of a wastewater treatment plant. Unfortunately, the locals do not
want it and have declared the project “dead on arrival.” According to one local newspaper, the
stimulus money will now be used “to build a wastewater treatment plant for which there is no
plan, and for which local support is questionable at best.” Zoning administrator Tim Cypher
summed it up, “The good is that there is, and there will be, more money available to work on
these projects. The bad news is that it will be a while before any kind of water or wastewater
treatment project is ‘shovel-ready’ in Solon Township.”84
31. Visitor center and a pedestrian bridge Kansas chosen for “aesthetics” over economics. The
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve’s new visitor’s center and a pedestrian and bike project over
U.S. Highway 75 were some of the first projects approved for stimulus funds in the state. Failing
to cite an economic benefit from the projects, officials noted that they chose “projects that
strengthen the cultural, aesthetic or environmental value of our transportation system.”85
32. A National Forest in Missouri will receive $462,000 to replace toilets. The Mark Twain
National Forest will purchase 22 new concrete toilets to replace existing toilets.86
33. Stimulus funds will be used to demolish a sauna and build showers in the women's locker
room at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota. According to the solicitation for bids
for the project, the project will cost between $25,000 and $100,000.87
34. Federal stimulus cash paying for a fish hatchery and a new visitor center in Missouri. $2.9
million will go to a new Mingo National Wildlife Refuge visitor center in Missouri, and an
additional $940,000 will go for solar power at a Fish Hatchery.88
35. $10 million will be used for school lunch equipment and education technology in Oshkosh,
Wisconsin. “It doesn't seem hopeful, does it,” said one superintendent. “We're not seeing it as
an opportunity to retain teachers.” According to The Northwestern, “Local school administrators
have warned that temporary money designed to expand programming would only cause more
83 Shea, Bill, “Area projects get $16 million in federal transportation funds,” Crain’s Detroit Business, April 10, 2009,
http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20090410/BRIGHTSIDE/304109991#.
84 “'Dead' project gets stimulus aid,” Leelanau Enterprise, March 25, 2009, http://www.leelanaunews.com/drupal/?q=node/6001.
85 “Chase, Osage counties get federal stimulus projects,” Emporia Gazette, April 1, 2009,
http://coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=LatestNews.NewsStories&ContentRecord_id=672542a6-802a-23ad-
444a-0ce6b27c1812.
86 “RECOVERY - Precast Concrete Toilet Buildings - Mark Twain National Forest,” U.S. Department of Agriculture, Solicitation
Number: AG-447U-S-09-0021AY,
https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=c6106fb75fb99cd10b5cfccccc2e2716&tab=core&_cview=0&cck=1&a
u=&ck=.
87 “RECOVERY -Repair Women's Showers Fitness Center,” U.S. Air Force, Solicitation Number: JFSD200827,
https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=23c1a76dfe80dbed7a00db130a58652d&tab=core&_cview=0.
88 “Missouri fish and wildlife areas to get $4.5 million in federal economic stimulus grants,” Associated Press, April 29, 2009,
http://coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=LatestNews.NewsStories&ContentRecord_id=f8e76031-802a-23ad-4bc3-
f98a2cad36e0.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
24
harm to future budgets when the funding dissipates and districts can't maintain the new
services.”89
36. Missouri plans to spend $500,000 of federal stimulus money on fish food. Governor Jay
Nixon has earmarked half a million dollars to pay for the feed costs for state fish farmers.90
89 Rodewald, Adam, “Oshkosh schools still waiting to receive stimulus dollars,” Northwesterner, April 4, 2009,
http://www.thenorthwestern.com/article/20090404/OSH0101/904040405/1987.
90 “Missouri outlines plan for $156 million in stimulus funds,” Associated Press, April 8, 2009,
http://coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=LatestNews.NewsStories&ContentRecord_id=cf95ebba-802a-23ad-
4497-508be2ba7ef4.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
25
Northeastern Region
37. Pawtucket, Rhode Island spending $550,000 on a skateboard park. According to the
Providence Journal, the skatepark is being funded in the place of much higher priorities: “In this
city burdened with one of Rhode Island’s highest home foreclosure rates and a $10-million
current-year budget deficit, $550,000 in federal stimulus money is coming to build a
skateboarding park and renovate tennis and basketball courts at Jenks Junior High School.”
Construction will not begin until September, but Ronald Wunschel, the city’s finance director,
believes that the skatepark is, in fact, a top priority for the city. Asked why? “So that young
people don’t skate on other public property,” he said.91
38. Yale and the University of Connecticut are receiving $850,000 in stimulus for research “to
study how paying attention improves performance of difficult tasks.” Yale, which had the
second-largest endowment in the country in 2007 ($22.5 billion), is getting funding for research
on a project to study how paying attention improves performance of difficult tasks.92
39. Gloversville, New York is using $175,000 of stimulus money to pay for a trolley bus to take
tourists to festivals and a farmers market. The trolley is intended to give tourists rides within
resort communities, to festivals in the region, and to a local farmers market. According to
91 Michael P. McKinney, “Pawtucket using stimulus money for skateboard park,” Providence Journal, March 17, 2009,
http://www.projo.com/news/content/PAWTUCKET_STIMULUS_SKATEPARK_03-17-09_VADM6E0_v119.36af019.html.
92 “Yale, UConn Win Stimulus Cash,” Associated Press, May 6, 2009, http://www.courant.com/health/hc-stimulus-research-grantuconnmay07,0,3795787.
story.
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26
reports, the trolley “will have an old-fashioned style and will be painted in colors similar to those
used in the 1930s, but it will have modern features such as air conditioning.”93 City transit
director, Al Schutz, is excited about the project. “It’s endless what you can do with this trolley.
It will definitely contribute to the ambiance of our city,” he said, adding, “which we need.”94
40. $3.1 million will turn a canal barge into a floating museum. In 1921, a 259-foot barge was built
to haul agricultural goods on the Erie Canal, but was turned into a museum in 2005 after it was
abandoned for more than a decade. The stimulus money will make sure the motorized barge is
converted into “a floating museum that would travel the canal.” While it may not have economic
value, Clifford Siegried, director of the New York State Museum, says, “It is of such historical
significance we could not let it go to the scrap heap.”95
41. Three million dollars will pay for corporate jet runways in Massachusetts despite
opposition of local leaders. Hanscom Field, the site of the project, has received criticism from
local representatives who say it is a “waste of money.” State Representative Jay R. Kaufman,
from Lexington, one of the towns bordering Hanscom, said using federal stimulus money for this
project “reinforces bad corporate behavior, not good corporate behavior.”96
42. Maine to spend over $1.3 million on “government arts jobs,” including $30,000 for basket
makers, $20,000 for story telling, and $12,500 for a music festival. Old Town-based Maine
Indian Basketmakers Alliance was one of nine Maine arts organizations to receive stimulus
funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.97 Maine Arts Commission Director Donna
McNeil defended the spending, saying, “I think the government arts jobs are real jobs.” But,
according to the Bangor Daily News, “The grants are designed to subsidize the preservation of jobs
and may not be used for the creation of a new position or for previously unscheduled work.”98
43. New York City will spend $15 million to rebuild sections of the Coney Island Boardwalk.
“It's Christmas in April as far as the Boardwalk is concerned,” said Parks Commissioner Adrian
Benepe. Borough President Marty Markowitz, who [in April] called for the city to use stimulus
money for the project, said the investment could jumpstart more development of the Boardwalk,
though it is not clear if the project will accomplish as much as hoped since there is only enough
money to rehabilitate 15 of its 42 blocks. Despite the stimulus money, Coney Island activist,
93 Karutis, Kayleigh, “Gloversville to Get Downtown Trolley,” The Leader Herald, March 24, 2009,
http://www.leaderherald.com/page/content.detail/id/511030.html.
94 McGuire, Jim, “Gloversville can get trolley bus with federal stimulus money,” Daily Gazette, March 24, 2009,
http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2009/mar/24/0324_glovetrolly/.
95 Williams, Stephen, “Old barge joins historic, scenic rehab plans,”Daily Gazette, April 3, 2009,
http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2009/apr/03/0403_barge/.
96 Michael Levenson, “Hanscom Runway Repairs Opposed,” Boston Globe, April 9, 2009
http://coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=LatestNews.NewsStories&ContentRecord_id=8ca1ff0f-802a-23ad-4a4b-
9192a8d7c05e.
97 Bloch, Jessica, “$1.3 million in arts funding coming to Maine,” Bangor Daily News, April 29, 2009,
http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/104764.html.
98 Bloch, Jessica, “Maine arts groups to receive stimulus funds,” Bangor Daily News, March 24, 2009,
http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/102242.html.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
27
Dianna Carlin, thinks a lot more money is needed if “they want to make this a world-renowned
amusement destination.”99
44. A New York laboratory is receiving $150 million in stimulus cash for “world’s brightest xray,”
but it won’t be available until 2015. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced in March
that the Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island would receive $150 million to construct
an x-ray 10,000 times brighter than its current equipment allows.100 According to Secretary Chu,
the project will “provide critically needed short-term economic relief,” though it is not clear how
quickly the scientific community will see the benefits. The x-ray is not anticipated to be
operational until 2015.101
45. Milford, Massachusetts plans to use $3.5 million for a three mile bike/walking trail despite
its failure to spend $80 million in federal funds for other pedestrian paths. Massachusetts
has received $135 million from the federal government for bike paths since 1991, but has not used
more than $80 million that still remains available. Having spent only 37 percent of its share of
the funding by Congress for such projects, Massachusetts has a far lower rate than in any other
state, according to federal statistics.102 Milford is spending an additional $3.5 million in stimulus
funds for a three mile trail with groundbreaking on Phase II of this three-part project set for this
summer.103
46. Stimulus funds pay for a hybrid car to be used by Vermont student drivers. Students drivers
in Colchester, Vermont could be learning to drive in a Hybrid car courtesy of the stimulus
legislation. The city plans on spending $71,200 to purchase a hybrid car for driver’s education
classes as well as a plug-in hybrid car for town employees that would display a sign explaining
its fuel-efficient features.104
47. Rochester, New York is getting millions to extend an art trail. The Art Walk 2 extension of
the Urban Art Trail will get $3.8 million.105 The project calls for, “Artistic designs and medallions
[that] would be set into the walk. Other pedestrian elements include a pedestrian-level light
system adjacent to the ArtWalk, sculptures consistent with an arts district and litter
99 Hays, Elizabeth, “Chunk of stimulus will only fix 15 of 42 blocks of Coney Island Boardwalk, Daily News Brooklyn, April 2, 2009,
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2009/04/01/2009-04-01_chunk_of_stimulus_will_only_fix_15_of_42.html.
100 Frank Eltman, “Energy chief doles $1.2 billion in stimulus cash,” Associated Press, March 23, 2009,
http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=dailyrecord&sParam=30405467.story.
101 Patrick Whittle, “Brookhaven National lab gets stimulus funding,” Newsday, March 24, 2009,
http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-postim246081344mar24,0,6830555.story.
102 Wirzbicki , Alan, “$80m in US funds for bike projects unspent in Mass.; State ranks last, tapping 37% of grants since 1991,”
Boston Globe, April 14, 2009,
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/04/14/80m_in_us_funds_for_bike_projects_unspent_in_mass/.
103 Ameden, Danielle, “ Second Stretch of bike trail to be built in Milford,” The Milford Daily News, April 27, 2009,
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x289631771/Second-stretch-of-bike-trail-to-be-built-in-Milford.
104 Matt Sutkoski, “Grant Could Provide Students With Hybrid,” Burlington Free Press, May 29, 2009,
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20090529/NEWS02/905290310/Grant+could+provide+students+with+hybrid.
105 “ArtWalk to Get $3.8 million in Federal Stimulus Funds,” Associated Press, April 2, 2009,
http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:xUZpX54EORUJ:www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article%3FAID%3D20099
0402024+%243.8+million+for+%E2%80%9Curban+art+trail&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
28
containers.”106 According to the ArtWalk website, “ARTWalk is a permanent urban art trail,
connecting the arts centers and public spaces within the Neighborhood of the Arts.”107
48. The National Institutes of Health is giving Yale University $680,100 in stimulus funds to
study the effectiveness of diet and exercise at reducing obesity. The study will focus on the
effectiveness of a diet and exercise program at reducing obesity and related illness in mentally ill
patients.108
49. No. 1 priority for Bethlehem, Pennsylvania’s share of the stimulus cash: A parking garage.
John Callahan, mayor of Bethlehem, has said that the city’s number one priority is a parking
garage and that the $500,000 stimulus grant necessary for the project was “locked up.” He is
hoping to drive more traffic to the city’s “quaint shops” that are “housed in Victorian
buildings.”109
50. Rochester, New York to spend $1 million grant on “green” upgrades, but will not create
new jobs. The grant will include $360,000 for “energy efficiency street lights” and $25,000 on an
energy audit” of a building. Commenting on the situation, one local columnist noted,
“Unfortunately, the city council, as the last step in the process of fulfilling the promise of new
jobs, is poised to spend the money in ways that do not do so.”110
51. City favors stimulus money over other federal grant to avoid matching requirement.
Officials in Windham, Massachusetts have decided to accept a $174,000 stimulus grant to
enhance the town's historic train depot despite having already received a federal grant for the
same project. The town decided to let the first grant lapse when it discovered that the stimulus
money would not require the town to provide matching funds, but that the first grant did.111
52. Altoona, Pennsylvania is getting $819,000 for a homelessness prevention program despite
local reports that the town may not have enough of a homelessness problem to use it.
Mayor of Altoona, Wayne Hippo, says there is “an awful lot of waste . . . It'd be nice to have more
local control . . . It's impossible to have one-size-fits-all.”112
53. $2 million in stimulus cash will be used to monitor scallop reproduction and habitat. The
“Nantucket's Marine & Coastal Resources Department is pursuing a grant totaling $2 million
106 Arts and Cultural Council of Greater Rochester Website, “Rochester’s ArtWalk Receives State Funding,”
http://www.artsrochester.org/news/wr0003walk.htm.
107 Rochester ArtWalk website, “Home Page,” http://www.rochesterartwalk.org/index.php, accessed June 1, 2009.
108 Dethy, Florence, “Briefly: Yale gets nearly $800,000 in grants,” Yale Daily News, April 27, 2009,
http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/28994.
109 Radzievich, Nicole, “Bethlehem eyes adding parking spaces on Main Street,” The Morning Call, April 2, 2009,
http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:7kNixBZraPkJ:xml.mcall.com/broadband/allb1_
4park.6840031apr02,0,2382169.story+Callahan+said+the+city+has+all+but+locked+up+another+%24500,000+grant.+The+cit
y+listed+the+parking+garage+as+its+No.+1+priority+on+the+list+for+federal+stimulus+money.&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us.
110 Schmitz, Ray, “Stimulus grant should be used to create jobs,” Post-Bulletin, June 4, 2009,
http://news.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=12&a=402544.
111 Date, Terry, “Windham to use federal money for depot repairs,” Eagle Tribune, June 11, 2009
http://www.eagletribune.com/punewsnh/local_story_162022948.html?keyword=secondarystory.
112 Kibler, William, “Officials question stimulus wisdom,” Altoona Mirror, April 5, 2009,
http://www.altoonamirror.com/page/content.detail/id/517765.html/.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
29
over two years from the National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration” to study,
“scallop spat bags, propagation and habitat monitoring in Madaket Harbor.”113
54. Nantucket, Massachusetts will spend $5.6 million in stimulus cash to resurface 6.4 miles of
road and bike path, or roughly $875,000 a mile. The funding comes from the $437.9 million
that the federal government has authorized Massachusetts to spend on highway projects as part
of the stimulus bill.114
113 Brace, Peter B., “Town applies for $2 million-grant for eelgrass, scallop restoration,” Nantucket Independent, April 8, 2009,
http://www.nantucketindependent.com/news/2009/0408/other_news/018.html.
114 Shemkus, Sarah, “Nantucket road project now open for bids,” Cape Cod Times, April 8, 2009,
http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090408/BIZ/904080312/-1/NEWS.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
30
Southern Region
55. The Tennessee Department of Transportation plans to use money to create the Clement
Railroad Hotel Museum. Executive Director Cate Hamilton said the $200,000 was a surprise,
but that it would help the museum be able to open with a complete set of exhibits. “Definitely
this would help us tell our story here in Dickson Tennessee,” said Hamilton.115
56. Despite a history of mismanaging federal funds, D.C. Metro will receive hundreds of millions
to close its budget deficit. The agency will receive $200 million in stimulus funds despite having
a poor track record of handling federal funds and tracking its inventory. According to a recent
report of the inspector general for the D.C. Metro, it “found sloppy accounting, a lack of internal
controls and poor oversight.”116
57. $77.5 million will be used to extend the consistently over-budget D.C. subway to Dulles
Airport in Virginia. The project to extend the Washington, D.C. Metrorail system 23 miles to
connect downtown with Dulles International Airport will receive $77.5 million in stimulus
115 Arnold, Sky, “Transportation Projects Funded by Stimulus Money,”Arnold, Fox 17 News (Nashville),
http://www.wztv.com/newsroom/top_stories/wztv_vid_5579.shtml.
116 Sun, Lena H., “Metro reports cite accounting and security gaps,” Washington Post, March 23, 2009,
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/21/AR2009032102088.html.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
31
money.117 Taxpayers recently agreed to pay an additional nearly $1 billion toward the project,
despite its rising costs and schedule delays. Phase 1 of the project, which will provide 11 miles of
track, was originally expected to cost $1.5 billion, but has since soared to $2.6 billion and is not
expected be ready until 2013.118
58. Wheeling, West Virginia will use almost $400,000 to renovate a downtown music hall.
This comes on the heels of already spending $715,000 to purchase nearby buildings that remain
empty. Local officials are hoping “his additional project will “create a domino effect” to finally
produce results. City councilman Vernon Seals is hoping for the best: “You're not going to see
the retail like you have in the past. But we could be surprised," he said.119
59. Delaware has received a $7.5 million federal stimulus grant to pay for a boardwalk revival.
The federal government has allotted $7.5 million in stimulus recovery funds, which Rehoboth
Beach plans to use for boardwalk reconstruction, including a new pavilion. Storms have
damaged parts of the boardwalk, but, said Mayor Sam Cooper, “it’s gonna be like a rock for the
most part now.”120 Unfortunately, beachgoers should not get their hopes up – the project will
“not be finished in time for this summer.”121
60. Memphis, Tennessee will spend $1.5 million to redevelop fairgrounds and $250,000 to
rehabilitate a dilapidated laundromat. The city plans to use $1.5 million in Community
Development Block Grant Recovery funds to demolish Libertyland amusement park and replace
it with soccer and baseball fields surrounding a 170-acre property. It also plans to spend
$250,000 on rebuilding a “dilapidated laundromat.”122
61. Texas Department of Transportation plans to spend $181 million on a new road opposed by
local environmentalists. Grand Parkway outside of Houston has caused controversy among
local residents upset that a new road would devastate Katy Prairie, the last vestige of a large
undeveloped green space. The highway will commence the construction of a fourth ring-road
around Houston and encourage the urban sprawl opposed by the Obama Administration by
enabling the construction of a new development called Bridgeland. On a trip to Florida taken
earlier this year, President Obama remarked, “The days where we’re just building sprawl forever,
those days are over.”123
117 Cella, Matthew, “Dulles rail project gets stimulus check,” Washington Times, May 8, 2009,
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/08/dulles-rail-project-gets-stimulus-check/.
118 Alec MacGillis, “Dulles Rail Project Faces Cuts as Costs Swell,” Washington Post, March 23, 2006,
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/22/AR2006032202397.html; Emerling, Gary and Sands,
“$900M dulles rail deal back on track,” Washington Times, March 10, 2009,
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/mar/10/900-million-dulles-rail-deal-back-on-track/.
119 Hicks, Ian,” Council Hopes Capitol Will Provide Spark,” The Intelligencer Wheeling News-Register, June 5, 2009, http://www.newsregister.
net/page/content.detail/id/524736.html.
120 Smith, Kristin, “$7.5M federal grant to pay for boardwalk revival,” delmarvanow.com, April 23, 2009,
http://coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=LatestNews.NewsStories&ContentRecord_id=e88d9c6e-802a-23ad-
4768-888ac5d76677&Issue_id=&CFID=11318314&CFTOKEN=48496743.
121 Kramer, Cassandra, “DelDOT to Use Stimulus Money to Finish Rehoboth Boardwalk,” WBOC 16, June 6, 2009,
http://www.wboc.com/Global/story.asp?S=10424558.
122 Andy Meek, “City Seeks Grant to Raze Libertyland,” Memphis Daily News, May 29, 2009
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=42755.
123 Michael Cooper, “Stimulus Ideals Conflict on the Texas Prairie,” New York Times, March 22, 2009,
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/23/us/23sprawl.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
32
62. Despite promises that citizens would be able to track “every dime” of the $787 billion
stimulus bill, the federal website devoted to posting the spending details may not be
complete until next spring. During debate over the stimulus, the administration promised that a
new website, Recovery.gov would provide “unprecedented transparency” to how stimulus
funding was used. Unfortunately, it was recently revealed that the site may not be fully
operational until spring 2010 – a full year after the stimulus bill was passed.124
63. Delaware will spend $400,000 to construct a berth for a historic ship to attract tourists.
According to the Delaware Recovery website, it is hoped the project will “bring about a sense of
community pride.”125
64. Stimulus to pay for housing used by Soyono the Sumatran tiger and Luke the Lion at the
National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Despite federal law that prohibits spending federal funds on
local Zoos, money will go to the National Zoo. The Smithsonian, which runs the Zoo, is spending
$11.4 of its $25 million in stimulus funds on the National Zoo and its Zoo research center in
Virginia.126
65. Washington, North Carolina is using stimulus funds to pay for “project-funding manager”
whose job it is to secure even more stimulus funds. The City hopes to pay the new “projectfunding
manager” to identify available Stimulus money using a $40,234 grant from the Edward
Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program which, in turn, received funding through the
stimulus bill.127
66. Summerfield, North Carolina gets stimulus money for a parking lot. The town of Summerfield
may get $300,000 in federal stimulus funds to build a parking lot, despite the project already
being in the town’s regular budget. “The way I looked at it is it didn’t really matter how you felt
about the stimulus package, which is a reality,” says Town Manager Michael Brandt. “I thought
we might as well seek some benefit. . .If I don’t go for it, somebody else will.” Mayor Mark Brown
concluded, “I think the stimulus money becoming available to aid the Summerfield Rail Trail
parking problem is fabulous and unexpected.”128
67. The Florida Department of Transportation plans to spend $128 million on the proposed
Indian Street Bridge, though it does not yet have all the property it needs. The proposed
funding of $128 million will be used to build a bridge a quarter of a mile away from an existing
bridge, but it is unclear whether it is “shovel-ready.” According to CNN, “the state has yet to buy
all the property it needs for the right-of-way leading to the bridge,” and “challenges from the
124 Kelley, Matt, “Details thin on stimulus contracts,” USA Today, May 6, 2009,
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2009-05-06-stimulus_N.htm.
125 Delaware Department of Transportation Recovery project website,
http://deldot.gov/information/projects/recovery/pages/overfalls/index.shtml.
126 Grabell, Michael,” In the Stimulus Bill, One Zoo Stands Above All Others,” ProPublica, May 4, 2009,
http://www.propublica.org/ion/stimulus/item/in-the-stimulus-bill-one-zoo-stands-above-all-others-504.
127 Sauls, Elizabeth, “Milking the Stimulus: After all, somebody's got to,” Beaufort Observer, May 09, 2009,
http://www.beaufortobserver.net/Articles-c-2009-05-09-234535.112112_Milking_the_Stimulus.html.
128 Smith, Sandra, “Town gets stimulus money for parking lot,” Guilford County Northwest Observer, April 3, 2009,
http://coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=LatestNews.NewsStories&ContentRecord_id=81223bea-802a-23ad-
4b8e-aa8075a1452b&Issue_id=.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
33
current owners of those parcels could delay construction.” The Florida Department of
Transportation has yet to purchase 33 of 63 properties needed to build the project.129
68. USDA Inspector General (IG) raises concerns about a $2.5 billion program for rural
broadband Internet service. The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), tasked with doling out $2.5
billion for rural broadband efforts, has a checkered history of mismanagement and incompetence,
according to a recent IG report. Since 2005, 90 percent of the loans approved by RUS have gone
to communities that already have broadband access.130
69. Miami, Florida will use $2.1 million in stimulus funds to move and relocate an aging
Greyhound bus terminal. The move is meant to facilitate connections between transit buses,
commuter rail, intercity rail, and airport shuttles.131
70. Lexington, Kentucky plans to spend $4.7 million on a trail connecting downtown with a
horse farm. In March, the Lexington Area Metropolitan Planning Organization voted to spend
$4.7 million on the seven-mile Legacy Trail to connect downtown with a horse farm. Stimulus
funds will not finish the trail, but the mayor of Lexington has said it will be important to pursue
additional sources of money to finish the trail in time for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian
Games in 2010.132
71. Steam rooms in the fitness center of Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas will undergo repairs
funded by federal stimulus funds. According to the solicitation for bids on the project, the total
cost is expected to be up to $100,000.133
72. The federal government will provide$300 million in stimulus funds to 61 housing agencies
that have been repeatedly faulted by auditors for mishandling government. Problems have
ranged from “poor bookkeeping to money that was spent improperly.”134
73. Large federal contractors who have paid big fines for violating environmental, safety, and
discrimination rules are receiving stimulus funds. One such company, CACI International,
came under fire in 2004 after its interrogators contracted out to the U.S. Army were caught
abusing prisoners at Abu Ghraib. An Army investigation found that CACI International had
inadequate screening process and had employees with insufficient training. Despite this history,
the company has won three stimulus contracts worth $1.5 million to provide contracting
129 Boudreau, Abbie and Jessi Joseph, “Stimulus-funded Florida Bridge draws criticism,” CNN, May 4, 2009,
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/05/04/florida.bridge.stimulus/.
130 Grabell, Michael, “Rural Broadband Stimulus Program Slammed in Gov’t Report,” Propublica, April 14, 2009,
http://www.propublica.org/ion/stimulus/item/rural-broadband-stimulus-program-slammed-in-govt-report-414/.
131 “Vice President Biden, U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood, Miami Mayor Diaz Announce Availability of $8.4 Billion in
Public Transportation Investments,” U.S. Department of Transportation, March 5, 2009,
http://www.dot.gov/affairs/dot2609.htm.
132 “Newberry Announces $23 Million In Stimulus Funding For Area.” LEX18 – NBC, March 30, 2009,
http://www.lex18.com/Global/story.asp?S=10076131&nav=EQlp.
133 “RECOVERY-Repair Fitness Center Steam Rooms,” U.S. Air Force, Solicitation Number: F2R3C19037A001,
https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=964d87bf562c629704e38b5ff06104a1&tab=core&_cview=1.
134 Heath, Brad, “Housing agencies faulted in audits to get $300M of stimulus,” USA Today, April 8, 2009,
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-04-07-Stimulus-Housing_N.htm.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
34
specialists to the Forest Service. The consultants will help the agency evaluate projects so that it
can spend stimulus money quickly.135
74. Dallas, Texas will receive stimulus funds to build a downtown park over a freeway. Dallasplanned
Woodall Rodgers Deck Park, which will cover part of Woodall Rodgers Freeway, will
receive $16.7 million from stimulus funds earmarked for transportation projects.136 Under the
original agreement with the City of Dallas, the park’s builders would pay for the entire $92.7
million venture with private funds.137 That has changed now that stimulus funds have come
available. Current plans for the project include: “jogging trails, a dog park, a children’s
playground, a restaurant, a performance pavilion, a water sculpture, an area for games and much
more.”138
75. Bathrooms a major feature of $11.3 million renovation at Somerville Lake, Texas. Funds will
be used to fix up bathrooms built in the 1960’s, prompting site manager Ernest Eberle to
proclaim, “It’s Christmas.” The Corps had previously received money to build a bathroom, but
not to raze the old one, which is still standing. Eberle noted that the situation would soon
change, “At Rocky Creek (Park) restroom No. 3, we got some funding and we were able to
replace it. But we ran out of money and couldn’t tear the old one down. Now we’ll be able to do
that.”139
76. Virginia will spend $340,000 on a rural bridge that carries only 20 cars a day. The Rock
Creek Road bridge leads to a gravel road with seven houses. Two residents of Rock Creek Road
said they had not realized the bridge was in disrepair and were not sure that was the best use of
the stimulus funds. VDOT officials say their top priority in choosing projects was how quickly
they could get started.140
77. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources will spend $1.7 million to grow oysters.
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources hopes to restore 15 acres of oyster reefs
with a $1.7 million federal stimulus grant.141
78. Stimulus program paying $2.5 million for beach enhancement studies. Despite recent
concerns about beach restoration projects from the Obama Administration, the Army Corps of
Engineers is spending $2.5 million to study new projects instead of building them.142
135 Grabell, Michael and David Epstein, “Stimulus money going to scofflaw companies,” Salon.com, May 21, 2009,
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/05/21/stimulus_bill_contractors/.
136 Levinthal, Dave, “Woodall Rodgers Deck Park in Dallas will get $16.7 million in stimulus funds,” Dallas News, March 27, 2009,
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-woodall_27met.ART.State.Edition1.4ad1cc7.html.
137 Garrison, Trey, “Woodall Rodgers Park Explained,” DMagazine, October 18, 2007,
http://www.dmagazine.com/Home/2007/10/15/Woodall_Rodgers_Park_Explained.aspx?redirected=1.
138 “Woodall Rodgers Park project in Dallas receives federal stimulus funds,” Pegasus News Wire, March 26, 2009,
http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2009/mar/26/woodall-rodgers-park-project-recieves-federal-stim/.
139 Hahn, Arthur, “Stimulus funding flowing into lake--Somerville receives millions for projects,” Brenham Banner-Press, May 30,
2009, http://www.brenhambanner.com/articles/2009/05/30/news/news01.txt.
140 Haberkom, Jennifer, “Rural bridges first in line for stimulus funds,” Washington Times, May 10, 2009,
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/10/rural-bridges-first-in-line-for-stimulus-funds/.
141 “Officials Hope to Restore Oyster Habitat,” Associated Press, April 19, 2009,
http://www.wspa.com/spa/news/local/article/officials_hope_to_restore_oyster_habitat/16724/.
142 Wood, Anthony R, and Urgo, Jacqueline L., “Budget cuts take bite from beach-fill projects,” Philadelphia Inquirer, April 30,
2009, http://www.philly.com/inquirer/home_region/20090430_Budget_cuts_take_bite_from_beach-fill_projects.html.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
35
Western Region
79. Washington State University (Vancouver) is receiving $148, 438 to analyze “the use of
marijuana in conjunction with medications like morphine.” According to local reports, “this is
the first ARRA funding received by WSU. The project is uniquely qualified to receive these
funds because of its potential to stimulate the economy and create or retain jobs within the
community.”143
80. “Microsoft Bridge” in Seattle will receive $11 million in stimulus funds. Despite having nearly
$20 billion in cash reserves, Microsoft will be the prime beneficiary of $11 million for
construction of a bridge to connect the two campuses of its headquarters.144 Separated by a
highway, the Microsoft headquarters outside of Seattle in Redmond, Washington will now be
linked by an unusual diagonally shaped bridge, once construction is completed. According to
CNN, Redmond Mayor John Marchione “applied for federal stimulus money after costs jumped
143 “Marijuana study receives federal stimulus money,’ WSU Today, June 1, 2009,
http://www.wsutoday.wsu.edu/pages/Publications.asp?Action=Detail&PublicationID=14657&PageID=21.
144 Lai, Eric, “A bridge to Microsoft HQ: Critics slam $11 million federal stimulus for overpass,” Computerworld, March 31, 2009,
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9130833.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
36
on the project from $25 million to $36 million,” leaving the taxpayer to pick up the entire cost
overrun.145
81. California is not encouraging school districts to re-hire laid-off teachers. Following the
layoff of a large number of special education instructors, the California Department of Education
is not encouraging school districts to create or save new jobs by bringing them back on staff.
Heather Carlson, with the Department of Education, noted the reason being “the day after the
money runs out, districts once again would have to find a new way to pay those employees.”146
82. Oregon will spend $4.2 million to raise railroad track 18 inches. In Scappoose, Oregon (pop.
6,200), drivers are tired of taking a detour to get past railroad tracks that are not level with the
main road. To fix the situation, $4.2 million in stimulus money will raise the railroad tracks by 18
inches so that the road and tracks are level. According to city manager Jon Hanken, the stimulus
money was needed because “local voters had rejected a bond issue to pay for the project.”147
83. Portland, Oregon will spend $1 million in stimulus funds for bike lockers. City officials plan
to upgrade 100 bike lockers and build a parking garage that will house 250 bicycles.148 One local
columnist questioned the need for the lockers, noting that Oregon had the fifth highest
unemployment rate in January at 9.9 percent. Raising the question, “is this proper use of federal
stimulus money?” he answered, “of course not!”149
84. Stimulus cash is causing friction between a Colorado county sheriff and commissioner. At a
recent local meeting to discuss how the county would use stimulus money, two officials
disagreed about how to use it. $213,716 stimulus grant for a new crime-response vehicle was seen
as wasteful because the county already has similar equipment. “I just question the need for this
in light of (the Colorado Bureau of Investigation’s) criminal vehicle,” the commissioner said.150
85. A Wyoming town will build a new government building that local officials do not see
helping the economy in the short-term. Instead of leasing existing space downtown to help
revitalize that area. “We're either green and growing or ripe and rotting," said a local official.
The city council authorized an application for a $7 million loan to build a new water department
administration and engineering building. “Long term I see it; short term, I don't,” said council
member Patrick Collins about the facility for Board of Public Utilities engineers and
administrators. “We have an opportunity with these empty buildings to lease space downtown,”
Collins said.151
145 Patrick Oppmann, “Critics slam Microsoft bridge as waste of stimulus money,” CNN.com, March 31, 2009,
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/31/bridge.microsoft/.
146 Phillips, Roger, “Stimulus no cure-all for schools,” Recordnet.com, April 3, 2009,
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090403/A_NEWS04/904030322.
147 Cauchon, Dennis, “Stimulus dollars put to work,” USA Today, April 1, 2009, http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-03-
31-stimulus-sidebar_N.htm?csp=34.
148 “$1M Of Stimulus Will Go To Bike Parking,” KPTV, March 10, 2009, http://www.kptv.com/traffic/18889128/detail.html.
149 Norton, Larry, “TriMet bike lockers,” OregonLive, Old Town blog, March 12, 2009,
http://blog.oregonlive.com/oldtown/2009/03/trimet_bike_lockers.html.
150 Standish, Lee Roy, “Stimulus funds cause friction”, The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, April 27, 2009,
http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/news/stories/2009/04/27/042809_3a_Commission.html?imw=Y.
151 McCarthy, Bill, “City Council OKs applying for $7 million BOPU building loan,” Wyoming Tribune Eagle, April, 2009,
http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2009/04/14/news/19local_04-14-09.txt.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
37
86. The U.S. Department of the Interior will spend $280 million on wildlife refuges and fish
hatcheries, $630,000 on a bridge at the National Bison Range, and $249,000 for solar panels
at Ennis Fish Hatchery. Refuges and hatcheries in Montana will receive about $3 million of the
Interior Department's stimulus spending.152
87. Colorado counties reject stimulus money, but change minds and use to buy an industrial
dishwasher. The four counties that at first rejected the money for senior citizen meals were
hesitant to accept funds for a program they would not later continue. “‘It didn't seem like a wise
decision to take it, so we turned it down,’ said Jo Downey, director of the council. ‘We couldn't
see buying food that we’d waste.’” But they changed their minds when state officials informed
them that they did not have to use the money for meals, but could purchase “a new industrialsize
dishwasher and mixer, plus 10 GPS systems”153
88. Tualatin, Oregon plans to spend $2.5 million on a “train-horn-free” zone. The city plans to
provide $700,000154 and the local transit agency plans to provide $939,000 in stimulus money
towards creating a train-horn-free zone. 155 The money will be for Tualatin to help with noise
issues but is not likely to be finished for two years.156
89. San Diego International Airport will get $5 million to install “energy-efficient” runway
guidance lights.157 Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood called the new signs a “critical
investment” that will get the “U.S. economy going again.”158
90. A Utah sheriff’s office is plans to purchase a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Davis County
Sheriff's in Utah will be adding a brand new Harley-Davidson to their vehicle fleet courtesy of
the stimulus bill. The purchase is part of a Edward Byrnes Memorial Justice Assistance Grant
being shared with nearly a dozen other police agencies in the county. The department will
receive almost $25,000, most of which will be used to purchase the Harley Davidson.159
91. The Phoenix Police Department is expecting to receive $5.4 million in stimulus cash for
new equipment that will not result in job creation. According to local reports, the funds will
“likely include more technology upgrades, such as electronic-citation devices, rather than adding
new boots on the ground.” Phoenix Executive Assistant Police Chief Tom Lannon said the use
152 Deines, Kahrin, “Refuges, hatcheries, to get $3 million,” Great Falls Tribune, April 27, 2009,
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20090427/NEWS01/904270313.
153 “4 Colo. Counties change minds, take stimulus money,” Associated Press, June 4, 2009,
http://cbs4denver.com/coloradowire/22.0.html?type=local&state=CO&category=n&filename=CO--Stimulus-SeniorMe.xml.
154 Schmidt, Brad, “Tualatin May Have to Wait Two Years for MAX Quiet Zone,” Oregonian, March 4, 2009, http://brooklynneighborhood.
org/2009/03/04/tualatin-finds-cheaper-way-to-keep-wes-trains-quiet-safe/.
155 http://trimet.org/pdfs/news/stimulusprojects.pdf. Accessed May 28, 2009.
156 Schmidt, Brad, “Tualatin May Have to Wait Two Years for MAX Quiet Zone,” Oregonian, March 4, 2009, http://brooklynneighborhood.
org/2009/03/04/tualatin-finds-cheaper-way-to-keep-wes-trains-quiet-safe/
157 “Lindbergh runways awarded $5 million,” SignOnSanDiego.com (Union-Tribne), March 28, 2009,
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/mar/28/1m28airport234819-lindbergh-runways-awarded-5-mill/.
158 “2 Local Airports To Receive Stimulus Funding,” 10News.com (San Diego), March 27, 2009,
http://www.10news.com/newsarchive/19030804/detail.html.
159 Saxton, Bryon, “Sheriff’s Office Gets New Wheels,” Standard-Examiner (Utah), April 29, 2009,
http://www.standard.net/live/news/171081.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
38
of the funds will be challenging due to the rules for these law-enforcement grants changing
nearly daily.160
92. U.S.-Canada border crossings that average less than 2 passenger cars per day and 2-3 trucks
a month get millions from stimulus funds. U.S.-Mexico border crossings with 20,000
vehicle crossings per day get nothing. A border post located in Montana sees an average of less
than two passenger cars per day and only two to three trucks a month, according to the Bureau
of Transportation statistics. Despite the lack of activity, it will receive $15 million in “stimulus”
funds for upgrades. Five of the tiny border crossings in Montana will get $77 million in total.161
93. Washington State will spend over $18 million in stimulus cash to grow and hatch fish. This
represents over 15% of the $120 million the state’s funding from the Bureau of Reclamation
received for water infrastructure projects.162
94. Montana’s state-run liquor warehouse will receive $2.2 million in stimulus cash to install
skylights. The project is part of the $27.7 million the state has been awarded for energy
programs.163
95. Eugene, Oregon will spend $2.25 million stimulus dollars to construct a 1,000 foot long bike
path, and an additional $180,000 will be spent on “pedestrian facilities, traffic calming and
bicycle-related components. The project was approved by the Oregon Transportation
Commission for $2.25 million “to construct a 1000-foot-long elevated pedestrian-bicycle path
over the Delta Ponds and Delta Highway.”164
96. A California skate park will get a $620,000 “facelift.” Plans to refurbish the skate park in
Long Beach, California, had stalled for months as local funds put towards higher priority park
projects. With $620,000 in federal stimulus funding available to upgrade the skate park, the city
council decided to move forward. Daniel Johnson, a skater, said, “If most of us weren’t skating
right now, we’d be doing some bad stuff.”165
97. The Bureau of Land Management is using stimulus funds to study the impact wind farms
have on the sage grouse population in Oregon. The proposal would be to “hire people to tag
160 Ferraresi, Michael,“City safety agencies work to meet stimulus deadlines,” Arizona Republic, April 8, 2009,
http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2009/04/08/20090408stim-phxsafety0408.html.
161 Karl, Jonathan, “'GMA' Investigation: Stimulus Waste or Future Investment? Some Enraged as Montana Outpost With Little
Cross-Border Traffic Gets $15M in Federal Stimulus Money,” ABC News, May 15, 2009,
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=7594607&page=1.
162 “Yakima Valley water projects get $40M stimulus boost,” Tri-City Herald, April 17, 2009, http://www.tricityherald.
com/901/story/546888.html.
163 Weaver, Christopher, “Stimulus for Liquor Makes You Snicker,” Propublica, March 11, 2009,
http://www.propublica.org/ion/stimulus/item/stimulus-for-liquor-makes-you-snicker-0311/.
164 “Construction jobs coming to Eugene via stimulus funding,” Daily Journal of Commerce, April 2, 2009,
http://www.djcoregon.com/articleDetail.htm/2009/04/02/Construction-jobs-coming-to-Eugene-via-stimulus-funding.
165 Cuaron, Brian, “Long Beach's 14th Street Skate Park headed for a facelift,” Long Beach Press-Telegram, May 30, 2009,
http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_12487331 .
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
39
sage grouse in areas where wind farms are proposed and track the birds’ movements to figure out
where turbines could be located.”166
98. Durango, Colorado to spend $215,000 for a bike path to keep kids from walking to school
on the street. Construction is scheduled to begin in August on a new bicycle and pedestrian
path on County Road 501 after the project received more than $215,000 in federal stimulus funds.
Town Planner Joe Crain said, “"It definitely will be a very good thing because of the high school.
I see a lot of students walking on the roadway."167
99. $200,000 for restroom and showers at Black Butte Lake, California. The money is for new
restrooms and showers in the group area. According the Corps of Engineers stimulus project list,
the new restrooms “will greatly improve the public recreational experience.”168
100. Big Stimulus windfall for tiny town. A town of 82 residents where the people are outnumbered
“several times over by mule deer and antelope” in California is getting a $3 million stimulus for
build a new water facility. At about $36,000 per person, the Town of Tennant is one of 74 water
districts of California set to share $150 for drinking water projects.169
166 “Wind farms’ impact on sage grouse part of stimulus study,” The Spokesman-Review, June 1, 2009,
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/jun/01/wind-farms-impact-on-sage-grouse-part-of-stimulus/?print-friendly.
167 Buford, Katie, “Federal funds to help pay for path: Bayfield to build route for residents”, The Durango Herald, April 23, 2009,
http://durangoherald.com/sections/News/2009/04/23/Federal_funds_to_help_pay_for_path/.
168 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, “Civil Works Expenditure Plan – Operations and Maintenance,”
http://www.taxpayer.net/user_uploads/file/Stimulus/Corps/Corps_Stimulus_Projects_OperataionandMaintenance.pdf.
169 Sabalow, Ryan, “Big stimulus grants go to tiny north state water districts,”Record-Searchlight, June 9, 2009,
http://www.redding.com/news/2009/jun/09/big-stimulus-grants-go-to-tiny-north-state-water/.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
40
APPENDIX – QUICK REFERENCE OF PROJECTS
State Grant Purpose
Top Ten Projects
Oklahoma $1.5 million
New water
treatment plant
that raises utility
costs of residents.
Illinois $1 billion
Most costly
earmark in history
despite promise of
no earmarks.
Wisconsin $15.8 million
Non-essential
repairs for 37 rural
bridges rarely used.
California $10 million
Eminent domain
kicking families
out of homes to
meet stimulus
deadlines.
Florida $3.4 million
Wildlife “ecopassage”
that will
take years to finish.
Nevada $2 million
Weatherization
contract going to
company already
fired for poor
weatherization
work.
Oklahoma Over $1 million
New guardrail
along bone-dry
Optima Lake.
Pennsylvania $9.38 million
Renovate old train
station not used in
30 years.
D.C. $2.5 million
Social security
stimulus checks
sent to 250 dead
peope.
New York $578,661
Homeless funds go
to town that
doesn’t want the
money since it has
no homelessnesss.
Midwestern Region
Illinois $173,824 Weatherizing 8
pick-up trucks.
South Dakota $20,000 Freezing fish sperm.
Wisconsin $2.8 million
Unrequested
nursing home
assistance.
Iowa $11 million Unnecessary new
cars for State
government
Illinois $150,000 est. Road signs marking
stimulus projects
Georgia $5.5 million
Grant used to entice
company to move
from Iowa, taking
1,200 jobs away
from state.
Michigan $500,000
Renovate historic
building to house
yoga or children's
movement class and
a new visitor center.
Michigan $43.9 million
Unnecessarily
widen and rebuild
road.
Illinois $643, 945
New parking lot not
wanted by local
residents.
Ohio $57 million
Planning and
preliminary studies
of highway projects.
Minnesota $2 million
For theater used for
dance and music
events.
Illinois $350,000 4-person bunker at
wildlife refuge.
Ohio n/a
Police jobs saved by
stimulus funds
could still be lost at
end of year.
Indiana $1.27 million New airport runway
signs.
Ohio $1.5 million
Suicide prevention
fence for a bridge.
Illinois $1 million
To study if people
are healthier in
“green” government
subsidized housing
projects.
Indiana $356,000 To study how kids
perceive accents.
Michigan $530 million
Mostly “nostrings”
funding
for school district
despite record of
poor financial
management.
Michigan $983,952
For decorative
sidewalks and
crosswalks and
streetlights,
planters, and
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
41
landscaping.
Michigan $1.3 million
New wastewater
plant declared
“dead on arrival”
by local citizens.
Kansas n/a
Visitor center and
pedestrian bridge
chosen not for
economic but for
cultural/aesthetic
value.
Missouri $462,000
New toilets at
Mark Twain
National Forest.
North
Dakota Up to $100,000
To demolish a
sauna and build
new showers in
women’s locker
room.
Missouri $2.9 million Visitor center at
wildlife refuge.
Missouri $940,000 Solar power at a
fish hatchery.
Wisconsin $10 million
School lunch
equipment and
education
technology but no
teaching jobs.
Missouri $500,000 Fish food for fish
farmers.
Northeastern Region
Rhode Island $550,000 Skateboard Park.
Pennsylvania $800,000
Backup runway for
airport with only 3
flights a day.
Connecticut $850,000
For studies
including “how
paying attention
improves
performance of
difficult tasks.”
New York $175,000
Trolley to take
tourists to festivals
and markets.
New York $3.1 million
Transform canal
barge into floating
museum.
Massachusetts $3 million
Corporate jet
runways that are
opposed by local
residents.
Maine $1.3 million
For “government
art jobs” including
basket makers.
New York $15 million
Partially rebuild
portions of Coney
Island Boardwalk.
New York $150 million
To build the
world’s brightest
x-ray.
Massachusetts $3.5 million
3 mile bike trail
despite having $80
million of existing,
unused federal
funds for bike
trails.
Vermont $71,200
Hybrid cars for
driver education
classes.
New York $3.8 million Extend an urban
art trail.
Connecticut $680,000
To study the effect
of diet and exercise
on obesity.
Pennsylvania $500,000 Parking garage.
New York $1 million “Green upgrades”
but no new jobs.
Massachusetts $174,000
Duplicates funding
to renovate a
historic building
that is already
being funded by
separate federal
program.
Pennsylvania $819,000
Homeless
prevention despite
the lack of
homeless.
Massachusetts $2 million
Monitor scallop
reproduction and
habitat.
Massachusetts $5.6 million Repave bike path.
Southern Region
Tennessee $200,000
To help create
railroad hotel
museum.
D.C. $2.5 million
Beach
enhancement
studies by Army
corps of Engineers.
D.C. $200 million
For the D.C. metro
despite history of
waste and abuse of
federal funds.
D.C. $77.5 million
To Connect D.C.
metro to Dulles
Airport despite
history of waste
and abuse of
federal funds.
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
42
West Virginia $400,000
Renovate
downtown music
hall despite lack of
interest in
developing the
surrounding area.
Delaware $7.5 million
Renovate a
boardwalk and
build new pavilion.
Tennessee $1.5 million To redevelop old
amusement park.
Tennessee $250,000
Rehabilitate a
dilapidated
laundromat.
Texas $181 million
Expand Grand
Parkway that is
opposed by local
residents and
environmentalists.
South
Carolina $1.7 million Grow oysters.
D.C. n/a
Despite promises
of transparency,
White House
won’t have website
ready until next
spring.
Delaware $400,000 To construct berth
for historic ship.
D.C. $11.4 million
Housing for zoo
animals despite
prohibition on
funds being used
for local zoos.
North
Carolina $40,234
Salary of new staff
position whose job
it is to lobby for
more stimulus
funds.
North
Carolina $300,000
Parking lot already
part of town’s
existing budget.
Florida $128 million Build a duplicative
bridge.
D.C. $2.5 billion
USDA program to
bring internet to
rural areas despite
long history of
misusing funds.
Florida $2.1 million
To relocate an
aging Greyhound
bus terminal.
Kentucky $4.7 million
Build a trail
connecting
downtown to a
horse farm.
Texas Up to $100,000
Steam room for a
fitness center.
D.C. $300 million
Federal funding for
61 housing agencies
with history of
misusing funds.
D.C. $1.5 million
Contractor with
history of abusing
detainees in Iraq
used by Forest
Service to evaluate
projects.
Texas $16.7 million Downtown park to
cover a freeway.
Texas $11.3 million Bathroom repair.
Virginia $340,000
Repair rural bridge
despite no need for
repair and only
carries 20 cars a
day.
Western Region
Washington $148,438
To study the use of
marijuana in
conjunction with
other medication.
Washington $11 million
Create a bridge
that connects two
Microsoft
campuses.
California n/a
State encouraging
school districts to
not rehire teachers
with stimulus
funds.
Oregon $4.2 million
To raise railroad
tracks 18 inches
despite local
residents rejecting
plan.
Colorado $213,716
New vehicle for
sheriff despite
already having
access to an
existing vehicle.
Wyoming $7 million
Town to lease new
office space instead
of using existing
empty office space.
Wyoming $280 million
For wildlife refuges
and fish hatcheries
for such things as
solar panels.
Colorado n/a
Four counties
reject stimulus
money, but then
change minds to
buy an industrial
dishwasher.
Oregon $2.5 million
To create a “trainhorn
free” zone in
town.
California $5 million To install energy
efficient light bulbs
100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion
43
for airport runway.
Utah $25,000
Harley Davidson
motorcycle for
sheriff.
Arizona $5.4 million
New police
equipment but no
new jobs.
Montana $15 million
Upgrades for rarely
used border
crossing into
Canada.
Washington $18 million To grow and hatch
fish.
Montana $2.2 million Skylights for a
liquor warehouse.
Oregon $2.25 million
To construct a
1,000 foot bike
path and
pedestrian
facilities.
California $620,000 A “facelift” for
skate park.
Oregon n/a
Federal program
using stimulus
funds to study
impact of wind
farms on sage
grouse population.
Colorado $215,000 Bike path for kids
to get to school.
California $200,000
Restroom and
showers at Lake
park.
California $3 million
New water facility
for town of 82
residents.