By Lori Carlson, Josh Chase, Shannon Fiecke and Nancy Huddleston, Staff Writers 

Local cities, schools and Scott County are lining up at the chance to get any federal stimulus dollars they can, but they’re being cautiously optimistic about how much they would get from an $8.19 billion federal stimulus package that could be ready for President Barack Obama’s signature in the next couple of weeks.

The House of Representatives passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act last week, and it’s currently under scrutiny in the U.S. Senate.

Even if it’s approved in the Senate and signed by the president, there’s a long road ahead before the money trickles down to the local level.

County

Although the Interstate 494/Highway 169 interchange – the top project for Scott County – is on the state’s draft list of metro highway projects, County Public Works Director Lezlie Vermillion said there’s no sure bet it will be funded.She said the county continues to press its message to the state on how important the interchange is to local residents.

The Metropolitan Council’s stimulus list includes projects benefiting Scott County: Adding bus lanes on Highway 169 and decking the BlueXpress parking lot in Shakopee’s Southbridge area and speeding up construction of a secondary transit site nearby.

Other area projects include a bus garage and transit passenger center in Chaska, expanding Southwest Transit’s parking facility in Eden Prairie and expanding the park-and-ride station at SouthWest Village in Chanhassen.

Railroad crossing gates in Scott County are also on a state draft list for possible funding — including warning arms at Scott Street and Agpar Street in Shakopee that total $455,000.

Although it hasn’t formalized an official stimulus list, Scott County is making its priorities known to state and federal lawmakers, said Interim County Administrator Gary Shelton. They include moving forward with the extension of County Road 21, improving the intersection of highways 13 and 5 in Burnsville and “the biggie,” the 494/169 interchange.

The county also is supportive of a fiber optic project in Carver County, including a link to Scott County’s ring, Shelton said.

Such a project is a boon for the state and cities, he said, because it expands broadband access, reduces governmental communication costs and supports economic development.

Schools

While Prior Lake-Savage Area School District officials are hopeful a federal stimulus package passes the senate in the coming weeks, Director of Business Affairs Margo Nash says the district isn’t counting its chickens before the eggs hatch.

“We certainly are reviewing it as updates come out, but because it isn’t official yet, until it is signed and we know we’ll be getting any money, we haven’t decided on what to do with it,” she said.

That doesn’t mean the district couldn’t use the extra capital.

Construction projects and special education are two areas most likely to benefit, Nash said.

As it currently stands, she said, District 719 would qualify for a little over $200,000 for construction.

The five-year capital facilities plan passed Jan. 26 by the School Board would make it easy to prioritize construction projects when the time comes, she explained.

“We’d have to look at what qualifies and use the capital plan as a starting point,” she explained. “That’s already in place and it already prioritizes the building needs.”

As for special education, Nash said it’s unclear how much money the district would qualify for.

“We certainly can use those dollars in special education areas,” she said. “We just need a little bit more information before we can decide … where those funds can be used.”

Nash said she and Superintendent Sue Ann Gruver have been in regular communication with groups like the Minnesota School Boards Association and the Minnesota Association of School Administrators.

School Board member Mike Murray, who also serves on the district’s finance committee, said at this point any board action relating to stimulus funds would be premature.

“I definitely think from an operational standpoint, we’ve been cognizant of what’s going on,” he said. “We really haven’t had a chance to know what would or wouldn’t be available to us as a school district.”

Murray also thinks construction projects would likely rank high on the district’s list of priorities.

But he also said federal funds could help the district go a long way toward reducing class sizes.

“Whatever opportunity there might be to bring on more teaching staff, I would certainly think that if the funds are there, that might be something we’d like to do,” he said.

For now, both Nash and Murray agree, the district is in a holding pattern and still has to plan on making $450,000 in cuts next year.

“We won’t spend it until we know we have it,” Nash said. “We want to know what’s available to us.”

Prior Lake

Prior Lake’s public works director, Steve Albrecht, said this week that the city is not banking on a whole lot of money coming from state agencies via the stimulus package, but he’s “cautiously optimistic” about city-related projects getting funding via Scott County.

The money “is probably going to go through state agencies. With the income levels in Prior Lake, we may be left out on potential dollars,” Albrecht said.

The city could be left out to dry if the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) gets most of the money. “There aren’t any projects in Prior Lake that are a high priority for them … Highway 13 isn’t a high priority for them,” he said.

The League of Minnesota Cities has lobbied to have some of the money sent directly to cities, but early discussions at the federal level indicate that states would get the money to distribute as they see fit.

Prior Lake has given project lists to several state agencies, including MnDOT, the League and the Metropolitan Council, outlining its priorities. But a “recurring theme” of the requests from agencies has been the need for projects that could begin construction in 90 days or less, such as overlay projects.

“They’re looking for projects that can be designed quickly or already are designed,” Albrecht said. “They want the money to be put to work immediately.”

Based on that potential restriction, the city has identified the following projects as priorities:* Bituminous overlays on Wilds Parkway, Carriage Hills Parkway and Franklin Trail;

* The second phase of the Brooksville Hills reconstruction project;

* A signal at County Road 42 and McKenna Road;

* Construction of the city’s 10th well;

* County Road 21 water main lining; and* Water and sewer extension to the city’s industrial park.

Albrecht said he’s heard talk about money for water projects possibly being included in the stimulus package, which he said likely would go through the state Department of Health, which has its own list of priority projects.

Savage

Savage City Administrator Barry Stock is known for his conservative budgeting style, so when asked if the stimulus package will have any local impact, he promptly shakes his head back and forth and says “nope.”

That said, Stock points out that some state transportation projects planned in Savage could see some upgraded funding.

That one project is a tough one – upgrading the intersection of County Road 101 and Highway 13. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has money set aside for the project, but it is not expected to get under way until 2012.

Stock said it’s possible that project could be put on an accelerated schedule, but the earliest it might start is 2010.

Another transportation possibility is upgrading the interchange of 494 and 169 in Eden Prairie. While that is outside the city limits, the backup to get to that intersection often starts in Savage – at the 13/101 intersection – so upgrades further north would have a positive impact south of the river.

“I’m not optimistic that we’ll see any federal money at the local level,” Stock said, “It’s just not realistic.”

Shakopee

The city of Shakopee also has its hands out, although begrudgingly. The city has proposed three “shelf-ready” transportation projects that could qualify for any stimulus dollars that might be left over for cities. City councilmen last month approved an approximately $4.7 million list – two Highway 169 pedestrian bridges and streets scheduled for overlays this year – with a bit of consternation. The projects in the queue aren’t the ones Councilman Terry Joos said he’d consider of highest priority if the City Council could choose how to spend the dollars. Rather, they’re being selected on a matter of expediency.

“Ultimately, we’re paying for this anyways, whether it’s coming from the fed, or the state, or from the taxpayers on the houses here,” Joos said.

Other councilmen argued that the pedestrian bridges are a state obligation because of Highway 169, and the city has tried previously to secure federal funding for them.

While Minnesota can expect about $800 million in federal stimulus dollars, the city has been told the majority will go to state projects, including $125 million for transit (probably the central light-rail corridor).

Legislators

U.S. Rep. John Kline, R-Lakeville, joined his fellow Republicans in Congress in voting no on the bill.

Kline issued a statement, saying, “A trillion-dollar borrow-and-spend bill will not bring us back to prosperity.

“This bill creates at least 32 new federal programs at a cost of more than $136 billion. Rather than jumpstarting the economy, this bill saddles our children and grandchildren with more debt and bigger government,” Kline stated.

Republican State Rep. Mark Buesgens’ reaction to the possibility of federal stimulus money is to ask what would happen if every elected official in Scott County banded together to send a message to Washington.

That message, said the District 35B representative, would start out by “respectfully asking” that federal officials “reduce the amount of your planned debt by the amount proposed for our area.”

Furthermore, according to Buesgens, that letter should say: “Yes, we are facing some tough times now, but we are committed to making the tough decisions today so as to ensure a prosperous tomorrow. Saddling our children and grandchildren with a crushing debt because we were too timid to do the right thing now would be an awful legacy that we as elected representatives of a wonderful people will not participate in. And so, we respectfully ask you to keep your borrowed money and pork spending and we will keep our pride, honor and dignity.”

 Contact the writers at editor@plamerican.com, editor@savagepacer.com, jchase@swpub.com or sfiecke@swpub.com.