Jackson Hole, Wyo.-With dozens of unfunded public projects in the chute, Teton County leaders are eyeing the Obama administration’s proposed economic stimulus package as a way to get important infrastructure in the ground, and stimulate the local economy during an economic downturn.

In early December, county commissioners decided Teton County should start looking at ways to attract money for projects like a new START bus facility, pathways, an expanded library, a new justice center or workforce housing, among other possible projects, Commissioner Ben Ellis said.

But Charlotte Reynolds, a county grant writer, reported to commissioners on Monday that Gov. Dave Freudenthal already requested $1 billion in infrastructure improvements for Wyoming, with highways topping the list. Though they were pleased that the governor’s wish list includes about $9.5 million in improvements for Teton County, plus another $10 million for Jackson Hole Airport expansion, commissioners hope the governor will hear their plea for other projects that might fit Obama’s bill.

Commissioner Andy Schwartz on Monday asked Board Chairman Hank Phibbs to find out how the governor came up with the list, and if it could be expanded to include other projects.

Later that day the governor’s press secretary, Cara Eastwood, told PlanetJH that the Obama administration requested the list from the governor, who then contacted heads of state agencies like the Wyoming Business Council and Wyoming Department of Transportation, which submitted to him their own wish lists. 

 “The list is not exhaustive, but is illustrative of the projects in Wyoming that might be considered for funding,” Eastwood said in an email.

That should come as good news to commissioners. They will send a letter to Freudenthal as soon as next week, including their own list with prioritized county projects. 

Commissioners have asked county department heads to figure out which infrastructure projects are ready to go, how long they will take and how many new jobs might be created by those projects. 

 

Though no specific criteria has been set by the incoming administration, the Obama camp has suggested that there should be shovel-ready projects that could quickly begin stimulating the economy, Reynolds said. The idea, Ellis said, is to find projects that would help stimulate the economy in the short term with new jobs and wages, and in the long term by making the community more economically viable for the businesses operating within it.

Michael Wackerly, head of START, was disappointed to see zero funding for public transit on the Governor’s wish list, he said. START has seen ridership grow consistently, and demand for START’s services has far outstripped its infrastructure, but services can’t be expanded until a new bus terminal is built, Wackerly said.

So far, START’s efforts to find federal funding for a new terminal have failed, but Wackerly thinks it would be a perfect fit for the Obama economic rescue.

“It would be a great stimulus to jobs, not only during the construction of the project, but also once the project is completed,” Wackerly said. “We would be able to do the service expansions that have been demanded in our area for some time, and stimulate the local economy in the long term by providing access to jobs and by hiring more drivers.”

A video on the Obama Web site, Change.Gov, says that public transit, “green” industry growth and road improvements were some of the things the administration hopes to stimulate with the package.

Reynolds, who has been researching online, making phone calls and participating in  “webinars” to get info on the stimulus package, said it is too early to tell exactly how projects will be selected for funding, but that money will likely go through the state. Though she knows of no other Wyoming counties investigating the money, she said local governments around the country are.

“This is certainly a hot topic, and we’re not unique as a local government looking at ‘can we?’ and ‘how would we?’ go about getting our community on someone’s radar,” Reynolds said. “But as of now, there are no clear answers from the federal government as far as how much, who or where the money will go. … As things start to solidify over the coming couple of weeks we’ll get a better sense of how this might work.” PJH