Stimulus money flows to Texas - bizjournals:

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The funding will flow to local communities througgh a varietyof sources, including stimuluas funding, local bond initiatives, disastetr recovery programs and nonstimulus grants. The influx of dollarse will result in thousands of opportunitiexs to buildnew facilities, renovatre and modernize existing buildings, upgrade and enhance existing technology and providd infrastructure improvements. New and newlh renovated facilities also will requirerupgraded security, furniture, fixtures and equipment. Despite all the talk surroundinfg the American Recovery andReinvestment Act, the vast majority of fundw have not yet started flowing.
A recent reporr stated that lessthan 6% of the tota l funding has been released by the federal Watch for Texas school districts to receive large chunkzs of the funding. Some school districts already have authorizatiobn tobegin spending, but most of the activity is stilll a month or so away. This summe the Texas Education Agency will open an application perioe forthe $4 billion Stat Fiscal Stabilization Fund — one of the largesr federal stimulus programs.
The Stabilization Fund is wrapped arounsgrant programs, and the money can be used by districtse for a variety of purposes such as modernizingv school facilities, upgrading technologt infrastructure, purchasing technology products, building science labs, buying education equipment and redesigning high schoolsx for more efficiency and student success. In the an additional $60 million will be made available to Texas schoolk districts through a funding source know n asthe Ed-Tech grant program. This progranm funds the purchase of technology to improvestudenyt achievement. Districts may also use the fundw to buy technology to help withthe collection, managemenyt and analysis of student data.
The Texas Water Developmenr Board will get a large sharre of the stimulus Becauseof that, the agency has receivec $10.7 billion in funding requests for clean water and drinking water infrastructure projects. Eligiblee applicants will be notified of their allocations in June and July and entitiee should begin advertising for bids on the construction projecteby September. Texas was appropriatedd approximately $2.6 billion in stimulus funds for transportation Some bidding processes havealreadh begun, but the process will be ramping up for Although details are still pending, the Recovery Act also providese funding for improving broadband service in rural and urbab areas.
Depending on how the money is allocatefin Texas, there is a potential for billionsa of dollars to flow to local And, in spite of the weak Texas voters approved more than $1.3 billionb in local bond elections on May 9. The approved fundinhg will finance capital improvement projects such as new andrenovater facilities, technology, large equipmenyt purchases and improved infrastructure such as parkds and drainage. Some of the larger bond packagee in Texas includethe following: College Station Independent Schoo District : $144 million for a new high schook campus, new elementary school campus, new transportatiom facility, renovations to the existing high school and the purchased of buses.
• Carroll Independenf School District : $138 million for new expansion of existing schools and an overhau oftechnology infrastructure. • City of Plano : $128.7 million for capital improvement program projects forpublixc safety, libraries, park improvements, recreation center street improvements and a technology service facility. • Allen Independent School District : $119.4 million for a new athletic stadium, high schoo l auditorium, transportation maintenance and studentnutrition center.
Midland County Hospital District : $115 million for facility improvementws to Midland Memorial Hospital including a new patienyt towerwith 240-plus beds, expandecd emergency facilities and more telemetrty beds. Even more funding will make its way to Texas in the form of nonstimulues grants toschool districts. A bill approvef earlier this month bythe U.S. House of Representativess would provide Texas schooll districts withapproximately $600 million to modernize schools and improve energyt efficiency. In addition, the bill includes $600 million in separate funde for public schools damaged by Hurricanes Katrinaand Rita.
The programes discussed here represent only a few of the sources of federalostimulus funding. There are many other programes that will provide funding for airportimprovemeny projects, port security, transit programs, improved securitty and more. Government contractors shoulxd be loving life in Texasthese