Ohio

To: Interested Parties
Fr: White House Communications
Da: April 22, 2009
Re: The Obama-Biden economic plan: creating jobs, strengthening the economy for Ohio families

 

Facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, President Obama started his Presidency with decisive action -- proposing and quickly passing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Since the bill went into effect, the ARRA has already helped put money back in the pockets of 95 percent of working Americans, created and saved jobs across the country and made key investments in our community to help kickstart the economy. To ensure that the funds are spent efficiently and effectively, President Obama tasked Vice President Biden with overseeing the implementation of ARRA, and projects have already begun to come in under budget across the country. As the President prepares to introduce the details of his budget and further plans to revitalize the economy, here’s a look at how his policies have impacted Ohio in the first three months of his administration.

IMPACT OF PRESIDENT OBAMA’S ECONOMIC POLICIES ON OHIO

Working Families:

  • Making Work Pay: The President’s tax-cut – which covers more Americans than any in history – is putting more than $2.2 billion back in the pockets of more than 4.5 million hard-working Ohio families.
  • $68,140,840 to support child care for working families.

Energy:

  • $84,183,300 in block grants to foster energy efficiency in building, transportation, and a wide range of other improvements.
  • $266,781,409 to support the weatherization of homes, including adding more insulation, sealing leaks and modernizing heating and air conditioning equipment.
  • $96,083,000 to the State Energy Program, available for rebates to consumers for energy saving improvements; development of renewable energy projects; promotion of Energy Star products; efficiency upgrades for state and local government buildings; and other innovative state efforts to help save families money on their energy bills.

Education:

  • 2,796,582,095 dollars potentially available to Ohio to lay the foundation for a generation of education reform and help save thousands of teaching jobs at risk due to state and local budget cuts.

Health Care:

  • $6,362,316 to fund 5 new Community Health Centers, which will serve an estimated 25,940 patients and create a projected 190 jobs
  • $8,036,510 to expand services at 32 existing Community Health Centers, which will expand service to an additional 51,039 patients and create or save a projected 147 jobs.
  • $3,734,651 to provide meals to low-income seniors.
  • $500,169,636 made available in Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) to protect health care for the families hit hard by the economic crisis and some of the nation’s most vulnerable citizens.
  • $7,500,366 in vaccines and grants to ensure more underserved Americans receive the vaccines they need.

Transportation:

  • $935,677,030 in highway funds to help build and repair roads and bridges.
  • $179,808,408 to repair and build public transportation infrastructure.
  • $4,950,000 to address airport safety and security, infrastructure, runway safety, increased capacity, and mitigation of environmental impacts.

Law Enforcement:

  • More than $61.6 million for state and local law enforcement assistance available through the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program. The JAG Program supports a variety of efforts such as hiring and support for law enforcement officers; multijurisdictional drug and gang task forces; crime prevention and domestic violence programs; and courts, corrections, treatment, and justice information sharing initiatives.

REAL RESULTS IN OHIO

Thanks to the Obama Administration’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, real impact is already being felt across the state.

Stimulus Funding Will Allow Armory To Reopen As Community Center. "A $320,000 federal stimulus allocation for Marietta's Armory Square project announced Thursday means there will be extensive work on the property this year and there are now enough funds to guarantee that the doors to the planned facility will soon open. U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson, D-Ohio, made the announcement of the funding on the lawn of the former National Guard Armory on Front Street Thursday. The $320,000 is in addition to about $2 million already raised in grants and donations over the last five years to restore the armory and turn it into a visitors center, transportation hub, marketplace and site for community meetings and concerts. ‘I'm very proud of the jobs this will create in Washington County and that the people here will have something beautiful to show for it,’ Wilson said. ‘I know this has been a dream... for many years, to see something done with this building.’ The city had requested $500,000 in stimulus funds for the armory restoration and predicted that would lead to the creation of 50 jobs. Marietta Mayor Michael Mullen said funds will still be sought for the project but the money secured now will be enough to get the doors open. ‘We have enough money to get this up and operating with at least the basics,’ he said, after Wilson's press conference Thursday. ‘We can fund the HVAC, the elevators, the roof - we've got that funding. Maybe we won't get some of the fancier things we want right at the beginning but we can get the doors open and make this available to the community.’" [Marietta Times, 4/17/09]

Ohio Appoints Recovery Act Watchdog; Vows to Publicize and Post Any Instances of Fraud. "The man appointed to oversee how Ohio spends its $8.2 billion share of federal stimulus money said he'd like to prevent wasteful spending before it happens, instead of just exposing it after the fact. Winston Ford, a deputy inspector general, said his job as watchdog is to balance the need of getting stimulus money out quickly with the need to make sure it is done properly. ‘It's just something we have to get right,’ said Ford, who began his new job Monday. Ohio's economy is struggling, and people expect the state to spend the stimulus money in a way that creates jobs and avoids malfeasance, he said…Ford, an attorney whose 13 years in state government includes heading internal investigations, is quickly trying to put together a team of about five auditors and investigators. The state's transportation bill, signed by Gov. Ted Strickland earlier this month, created the position of a deputy inspector general to act as a watchdog of stimulus spending…Any cases of fraud will be publicized and posted on the inspector general's Web site, in keeping with Obama's goal of transparency, Ford said." [WLWT (Ohio), 4/16/09]

Columbus Mayor Announced Laid Off Police Recruits Will Be Rehired Because of Stimulus Funding. "The Columbus Police Training Academy will welcome 26 recruits to a refresher course today after their jobs were saved by a grant from the federal economic-stimulus package… Mayor Michael B. Coleman delivered the news yesterday morning to the recruits, who were told Jan. 27 that they would not be sworn in as officers and would be laid off at the end of February because of the city budget crunch. They have been on paid leave since. A new graduation date for the class members has not been set, but police officials said they will be on the streets soon to do 15 weeks of field training. ‘The stimulus package is already working,’ the mayor said at a news conference with most of the recruits standing behind him. ‘It will save this police class.’ The city learned Sunday that it will receive $1.25 million to pay the officers' salaries from March 2 to Dec. 31, but it didn't get the confirmation in writing from the Justice Department until Tuesday." [Columbus Dispatch, 2/26/09]

Ohio Announced 149 Projects Would Receive $774 Million in Stimulus Funding, Creating or Saving 21,257 Jobs Across the State. "Eleven highway construction and other transportation projects in central Ohio are among the 149 projects that made the cut for $774 million in federal stimulus funding, Gov. Ted Strickland announced today. Those local projects include $14 million to widen Rickenbacker Parkway around the airport and cargo center and $25 million in upgrades to Parsons and Livingston avenues as part of the Nationwide Children's Hospital expansion. The expectation is the Ohio projects will create or retain 21,257 jobs as part of what is being billed by the Obama administration as the largest new investment in America's infrastructure since the creation of the Interstate Highway System… As part of the state's $774 million stimulus investment, $603.5 million will be spent on 113 separate projects, including 30 bridge projects and 83 pavement projects, Strickland said. The state also will invest $34.5 million into five water port projects; $68.9 million for 22 separate railroad projects, mostly targeting the state's busy freight rail system; $50.9 million to support improved intermodal connections, including the Rickenbacker project; and $16.2 million for additional planning and engineering." [Columbus Dispatch, 3/26/09]

Ohio Department Of Transportation Official: Stimulus-Funded Road And Bridge Projects Will Create ‘500 Or 600 Construction Jobs Right Off The Bat.’ "More than 650 roadways and bridge projects will get underway this year with $1.9 billion of your tax money. ‘All the people who build things that matter are going to be out there. They are going to be our Ohioans and they're going to be going to work,’ said Jolene Molitoris, Ohio Department of Transportation Director. They will work on highways, bridges, railroads, airports and along the state's waterways. ‘I would imagine 500 to 600 construction jobs right off the bat,’ said Tom Wester, Ohio Department of Transportation District 6 Department Director. Ohio Department of Transportation officials said some of the projects include $24 million going toward upgrading state route 315 in Columbus, the road thousands of Ohio State fans take every football season. $30 million will go to create a safer Port Columbus International Gateway. $10 million will go to structural steel repair on I-90 bridge into downtown Cleveland. $144 million will go to add a lane on I-75 between Cincinnati and Dayton." [ONNtv.com, 4/7/09]

Clean Fuels Ohio Launching Road-Ready Electric Vehicles Project Designed to Attract Stimulus Funding & Put Ohio in Position to Manufacture Electric Trucks & Passenger Vehicles. "Clean Fuels Ohio is launching its road-ready electric vehicle projects, designed to bring up to $10,000,000 in federal stimulus money to Ohio. This represents the first round of projects from the Ohio Electric Drive project. Clean Fuels Ohio is working with Smith Newton Electric Vehicles and the Ohio State University Center for Automotive Research. The plan is to apply for the stimulus money, and if approved, 150 electric vehicles would be available for purchase by the end of the year. The city of Columbus is considering four to five vehicles for its fleet. The vehicles cost two to three times more than the vehicles the city is using now, but Fleet Operations Manager Bill Burns says it will save money in the long run in lower fuel costs & maintenance…The stimulus money and grants would help pay for each truck. ‘If Ohio can be one of the leaders in the country in terms of deploying these trucks, we’ll be in a great position to be making these trucks in Ohio and creating jobs,’ Sam Spofforth, Clean Fuels Ohio executive director. Those jobs include making trucks that have a regenerative braking system that can reduce brake wear nearly 85 percent and reduce carbon emissions by up to 45 percent. Smith Electric Vehicles hopes the trucks are just the starting point—and that passenger vehicles aren’t far off." [NBC 4 News (Columbus, OH), 4/14/09]

Federal Stimulus Money Could Result In Tripling The Number of Homes Weatherized In 2009 By Community Action Agency of Columbiana County; In Preparation For the Work, the CAA Has Hired Additional People. "Federal stimulus money could result in tripling the number of homes weatherized this year by the Community Action Agency of Columbiana County… In the case of the federally-funded Home Weatherization Assistance Program, which provides dollars to insulate homes and make them more energy efficient, the agency received $367,503 last year, was permitted to spend up to $3,200 per house and completed work on 81 houses. This year's program, which began April 1, increased to $528,757 and increased the amount to be spent on homes to $6,500 plus an additional $650 for repairs, for work on at least 66 homes, but on June 1, they'll stop spending the base money and switch to the stimulus fund which could provide enough funds to do up to 400 homes in a two-year period, according to [CAA Emergency Services Director Ruth Allison]… In preparation, CAA has hired six people to make up two additional three-member work crews, with two more people to hire as crew chiefs and an additional person to hire as assistant production manager. The agency purchased two more vans for the program, along with more equipment, so the economy has already been affected. As for the effect on people whose homes will be weatherized, Bretz pointed to a couple in Wellsville whose home was weatherized last year and had other energy-saving improvements made with funding from utility companies. James and Anna Woyan went from a $324 gas bill in December 2007 to a $119 gas bill in December 2008. Their electric bill also decreased. ‘They’re going to be paying less to heat their home – that’s money in their pocket,’ Bretz said, noting with more homes weatherized, some residents will have more income for other needs." [SalemNews.net, 4/12/09]

Stimulus-Funded Project to Expand an Intermodal Terminal in Toledo Is Expected to Create 900 Jobs. "The metropolitan Toledo area will get nearly $35 million from a federal stimulus windfall - about half of which will be used to continue modernizing the Toledo Shipyard. ‘We are incredibly pleased to be able to move the timeline on these projects up significantly due to this funding,’ Paul Toth, the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority's interim president, said in a statement announcing the grants. ‘These projects will modernize the Port of Toledo, and we are particularly enthused because this action directly creates jobs.’ In addition to $21.8 million for the port authority, Toledo has been awarded $6.5 million to be combined with local, state, and private funds to improve the Airline Junction Intermodal Terminal in South Toledo at the center of Norfolk Southern's Toledo operation… [Toledo’s] intermodal yard, which is where Norfolk Southern Corp.'s main east-west line meets the line to Detroit, is planned to undergo a $13.2 million expansion to create more sidings so more trains can be stopped and unloaded without slowing down east-west traffic on the line. The project is expected to create about 900 jobs, according to the mayor's Joint Task Force for Intermodal Transportation and Logistics… The largest single appropriation in the Toledo region is $15 million for renovations, construction, and equipment at the Toledo Shipyard that port authority officials had identified as needs, but until now had no funding for." [The Toledo Blade, 3/27/08]

Recovery Act Will Help Speed Up Toxic Contamination At Mound Atomic Plant And Create 40 Jobs. "The federal government will provide $20 million in economic stimulus money to finish cleaning up toxic contamination at the old Mound atomic plant, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown announced this morning, March 31. The move will finally enable the Mound to shake off its reputation as a contaminated Cold War weapons site and reinvent itself as a high-tech industrial park, said Mike Grauwelman, who heads the Miamisburg Mound Community Improvement Corp., which operates the park. "It positions the park to truly achieve its full potential," Grauwelman said. "If that material had been left behind, it would've been a legacy that would've been a detriment. It allows us to close that chapter and move on — and, quite frankly, I'm very excited about that."… Brown said the project will create 40 jobs and reduce the possibility of contamination to the Buried Valley Aquifer." [Dayton Daily News, 3/31/09]

Ohio Will Receive Stimulus Funds To Help Poor and Working Families With Child Care And To Get More Of The Underserved Population Vaccinated. "Ohio will receive $75.6 million in federal stimulus money to help poor and working families with child care and to get more of the underserved population vaccinated. About $68.1 million of the funding will go toward child care and $7.5 million for immunizations, officials said… ‘I think it’s going to improve access for families in terms of being able to get that child care,’ said Deb Downing, assistant director of social services and the income support division at Montgomery County Department of Job and Family Services. ‘I’ve personally heard families say how this has been a real struggle for them.’ States will provide vouchers to families for child care or give access to care through contracts with child care centers. The Recovery Act dollars will support a wide range of child care providers, including child care centers and home-based programs." [Dayton Daily News, 4/12/09]

Construction of a New Intersection Intended to Move Traffic More Efficiently Is Being Made Possible by Stimulus Money. "On Austin Boulevard, construction will begin soon of a radically different intersection design that will be the first of its kind in Ohio, and one of the first in the country, according to local transportation planning officials. The four-way continuous flow intersection at the junction of Ohio 741 and Austin Boulevard (formerly Austin Pike and Miamisburg-Springboro Pike) is being made possible by $6 million in federal stimulus money, the biggest single stimulus expenditure for transportation projects in the Miami Valley. ‘A continuous flow intersection is capable of moving more traffic more efficiently than a normal intersection,’ said Sherry Wampler-Ley, a project manager for the Ohio Department of Transportation, District 7… Local officials hope that construction of the new interchange sparks development in the area, and the new intersection at Austin and Ohio 741 will help handle increased traffic volume in the area, she said." [Dayton Daily News, 4/20/09]

WKYC: "Health care receives first shot of stimulus money in NE Ohio:" The first jolt of federal stimulus money is making its way to Northeast Ohio. On Monday, $1.3 million stimulus dollars were approved to help fund the Lorain County Health and Dentistry. The health clinic for low income residents expects to add services, medical staff and expand their facility. The money should be in their account by the end of the month. "Along with providing health care and services needed, this package offers potential for job creation, which Northeast Ohio certainly needs," Congresswoman Betty Sutton (D-OH) said. LINK

Ohio Will Receive Nearly $1 Billion for Highway Construction from the Stimulus. "The Obama administration said yesterday that $935.7 million in stimulus money is coming to Ohio for highway construction and other transportation projects, but many of those seeking funding are likely to be disappointed… The transportation department is creating a priority list of about $774 million in projects by March 17. The remaining $161.5 million will be awarded by the state's major metropolitan planning organizations during the next year." [Columbus Dispatch, 3/4/09]

Ohio Will Receive $276.5 Million in Stimulus Funding for Sewer Lines, Wastewater Treatment and Drinking Water Facilities. "Meanwhile, communities hoping to get some of the estimated $276.5 million in stimulus money being allocated to Ohio for sewer lines, wastewater-treatment plants or drinking-water facilities have until 5 p.m. Friday to submit their projects to recovery.ohio.gov for consideration. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency already has received project funding requests worth about $4 billion, the state said yesterday." [Columbus Dispatch, 3/4/09]

Campbell Will Receive $3.75 Million in Stimulus Funds To Combat Neighborhood Blight. "The city is getting a long-needed financial boost from some $3.75 million in federal stimulus package money and other state and federal grants. ‘This is the best news I’ve had since I’ve been mayor,’ said Mayor John Dill. Dill said $720,000 in Neighborhood Stabilization Program money will be used to erase a significant portion of the city’s blight by demolishing vacant homes and commercial buildings. The city recently received $30,000 in Community Development Block Grant funding for structure demolition, which it will use to get the project started. Also under the stabilization program, Campbell is slated to receive $45,000 for home rehabilitation and $50,000 for a Habitat for Humanity project, Dill said. Of extreme importance to the city’s future is another federal grant worth $700,000. The funds will be used to replace sanitary sewer lines and a lift station, thereby furthering the city’s work on preparing the former Youngstown Sheet & Tube property for redevelopment, the mayor said." [Youngstown Vindicator, 3/23/09]

Cincinnati’s Metro Bus System Will Purchase 15 Hybrid Buses and a New Radio Control System with Its Stimulus Award; Metro: None of the Purchases Would Have Been Possible Without Stimulus Funds. "Cincinnati’s Metro bus system will receive $17.5 million in federal stimulus funding for a variety of capital projects. Metro General Manager Marylin Shazor celebrated the funding by participating in photo opportunity with Vice President Joe Biden at the New Flyer bus factor in St. Cloud, Minn. Metro is purchasing 15 new hybrid buses with its stimulus award… Metro will also use stimulus funding for a new radio-control system and equipment upgrades to improve fuel efficiency on buses. Metro said none of the purchases would have been possible without federal stimulus awards." [Business Courier, 3/20/09]

Licking County Seeks Stimulus Funds to Finish Highway To Connect Pittsburgh and Columbus, Drawing More Business to Counties on The Corridor. "‘The Licking County Economic Stimulus Task Force, composed of both elected officials and private individuals, has recommended the Cherry Valley exchange be a top priority for stimulus money,’ said David Brenner, corridor committee co-chair and vice president of administration of White Oak Partners, a Granville business. The focus of the group since it formed late in 2007, is to push forward the completion of a 160-mile stretch of highway that would directly connect Columbus and Pittsburgh. The Ohio 16-Cherry Valley Road intersection is one focus, as well as a 10-mile stretch of Ohio 16 from Ohio 60 to Coshocton; a 28-mile stretch from Newcomerstown to Cadiz; and Ohio 22 near Cadiz needs part of it completed to four-lane… ‘My concern has been and continues to be that Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati get all the attention, and if we can join for $250 and have voice I think it would be worthwhile,’ said Jerry Nolder, executive director of the Zanesville-Muskingum County Port Authority." [Coshocton Tribune, 3/14/09]

Vindicator: WRTA will get $3.51 million of the $4.65 million in funds for systems in the region: Three area transportation systems will receive $4.65 million from the federal stimulus package. Of that amount, the Western Reserve Transit Authority, based in Youngstown, is getting $3.51 million. Some $2.2 million will be spent to renovate and expand the bus services’ administration office on lower Mahoning Avenue in Youngstown. The agency will use $1.08 million to buy 12 smaller buses — 28 feet long — and five minivans to expand service, probably in Boardman, Struthers and Campbell, said Marianne Vaughn, WRTA’s secretary-treasurer. WRTA is also receiving $230,435 for maintenance costs needed at its facility, Vaughn said. LINK

 

Wayne National Forest Solar Energy Program Will Be Expanded Thanks to Funding From the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. "The Wayne National Forest Solar Energy Program will soon be expanded thanks to funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The forest project is one of several recently announced by the U.S. Forest Service to receive funding for national forests across the country. It is estimated four jobs will be created by the Wayne National Forest six-month project that gives business to Ohio’s growing solar industry. Up to 200 additional solar panels will be installed on the rooftop of the forest headquarters building and Athens Ranger District office located off Highway 33 between Nelsonville and Athens in southeastern Ohio." [Ironton Tribune, 3/12/09]