Marion city officials are hoping to get a piece of the multi-billion dollar pie as lawmakers on Capitol Hill debate a federal stimulus package.
Mayor Wayne Seybold went to Washington, D.C., two days last week, meeting with legislators and urging them that the federal stimulus needs to be used for job creation.
"There's too much craziness in that bill that doesn't mean anything for job stimulation," Seybold said.
Seybold joined with the mayors of Fort Wayne, South Bend, Evansville, Portage and Bluffton to find out more about stimulus money and let them know that they have shovel-ready projects eligible for a monetary boost.
Seybold's list of projects for Marion included the sewage overflow project and Charles Mill Dam improvements. Exactly who will get the money and how it's dispersed has yet to be seen, Seybold said.
"I think what you're probably going to see is a little bit of everything," he said. "Everybody has their own ideas at this point what that money should be used for."
He said, by going to the nation's capital, he was able to learn more about how to receive the money and he hopes Marion would be in line for grants. The trip cost an estimated $600, out of the mayor's department travel budget.
Seybold also encouraged lawmakers to consider sewer overflow projects - like the $62.7 million project slated for Marion - to be eligible for federal dollars. He said not only would that create jobs, but it would also help local residents by keeping money in their pockets they would have paid in increased sewer rates.
Bill McElhaney, superintendent of Marion Municipal Utilities, said there is only preliminary engineering done on the sewer project so it may not be shovel-ready. Still, he said it could be eligible for federal dollars.
The utility is in the process of submitting applications to the Indiana State Revolving Fund loan program, so the sewer project and a water tower project could be in line to receive federal money. They are also following legislation closely.
"It's just a little early in the stage to act to know what exactly is going to come out of it, so it's very difficult to know how to react to that in the best interest of Marion," McElhaney said.
Other projects for the city that could fall in line for stimulus dollars include the Charles Mill Dam improvement project, fixing a river levy near Ballard Field to prevent flooding, and several road projects, said Mike Graft, city engineer.
One of the road projects is to lower 33rd Street at the Cardinal Greenway to make it safer for motorists and pedestrians. All of those projects are engineered and ready to go, Graft said.
Jay Julian, Marion director of development services, said long-term projects Marion could use federal help with include additional trail systems, improvements to Junction Park and downtown riverfront improvements.
"We do have a lot of infrastructure projects," Julian said. "Part of the issue is waiting and trying to determine the parameters of what the stimulus package will be."