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A Newsletter by the City of Saco, Maine	March, 2009	Return to newsletter index

Saco and the president's economic stimulus funding

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When the House and Senate pass the Economic Stimulus Bill, now known as The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, this month, the state will receive a substantial amount of funding to invest in infrastructure improvements for both the State and the City. While the exact terms of the package are still in flux, Maine is expected to receive approximately $138 million in additional highway funding alone.

The City has provided various state agencies and public associations with a needs list of projects that the City feels could be "shovel ready". Shovel ready refers to projects that have essentially been engineered already or are at least at a point where we could bid them for construction within the coming construction season. Saco has a number of these projects such as:

• Route 112 from the Rocky Hill Road to the City line
• Stackpole Creek Bridge
• Public Works Garage
• Wastewater Treatment Plant Control Building
• Fire Station
• Transfer Station

Because the particulars of the funding mechanisms have not been worked out, the City is not certain which state agency will be responsible for deciding which projects will move to construction. Currently, our understanding is that all of the funding will be channeled through the state, with agencies like the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (MEDEP) being allocated portions of the state funding package. Their task will be to determine need and how ready the projects are for construction.

As an example, the Route 112 project has been designed and permitted by the MDOT since 2001. This project has been deferred a number of times over the years due to the cost of the project and shortfalls in state funding. The MDOT has this project on the list of projects that should be done with the stimulus funding.

The City is hopeful that some of these projects will merit an approval for construction. However, the infrastructure needs statewide greatly exceed any stimulus funding that the state will receive, so the gap between funding and need will still be substantial despite whatever the state receives in the stimulus package. The Governor has established a website to track and monitor the funding and distribution of the stimulus funding at http://www.maine.gov/governor/baldacci/policy/Recovery2009.html. The news is updated daily and the state is committed to making this a transparent process.

Saco Projects

Beach Street/Ferry Road	3/4 inch overlay beginning at Main Street and extending 1.11 miles to the Pine Ridge Road	$313,185
Route 1/I-195 to Cascade Road	Highway resurfacing and lane reconfiguration beginning at Interstate I-195 and extending northerly 2.69 miles to the Cascade Road.	$2,131,000
Route 112	Highway improvements phase II .25 mile northesterly of Rocky Hill Road extending 3.38 miles to U.S. Route 202 n Buxton.	$5,527,600

A full listing of state projects for consideration can be found on the State of Maine website at: Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP) Amendment Candidate-List to Make Eligible Certain Projects for Economic Recovery Act Funding