Federal money flowing to Texas communities
by Mary Scott Nabers
CEO of Strategic Partnerships, Inc.
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One of the state's larger military contracts went to Fort Bliss. The award was for $30 million for design and construction of new barracks at the base near El Paso.
Millions of dollars worth of contracts have been issued from Dyess Air Force Base for a variety of projects. Repairs to an electrical distribution area resulted in a $2.4 million contract, and another $1.4 million was authorized for repairing hangar doors. Two smaller landscaping contracts - for $140,000 and $108,000 - were also issued.
The largest contract at Goodfellow Air Force Base to date is for $6.1 million for renovation of kitchens and showers in various base buildings. Smaller businesses also have been awarded contracts - such as one for $58,000 to paint officer dorms and suites.
At Fort Hood near Killeen, a $3.8 million contract was awarded for replacement of the medical vacuum system at Darnall Army Hospital and $1.4 million went for repairs on a chiller and cooling tower. Some smaller contracts were approved at Laughlin Air Force Base - $839,000 to repair the roof on the air traffic control tower, $577,000 for a new HVAC system and $121,000 to install an energy capacitor system.
While spending on defense installations brought millions into the state, there are other areas of the state that also benefited from Recovery Act funds. In Comanche, a $174,000 contract was awarded to construct a seepage collection system at the dam on Proctor Lake. Almost $8,000 was spent locally on related building materials.
Nearly $800,000 was allocated for road repairs at the Ralph McCallister and Twin Dikes Parks in Jefferson County and a contract worth $2.5 million was awarded for roadside paving repairs in Jasper at the Piney Woods Regional Office of the Corps of Engineers.
In Waxahachie, a contract with a value of $1.1 million was awarded for repairs to the Chambers Creek Watershed site. A Round Rock computer company received several contracts, including $14,000 for laptops, $11,000 for printers and $10,000 for servers. And in Amarillo, a construction company captured a $430,000 contract for the first phase of remodeling at an Amarillo nursing home.
There's little doubt that the federal Recovery Act is having a positive impact on communities in Texas. Some progressive communities have even managed to leverage stimulus funding by securing matching state and private grants. Now is definitely the time for local organizations in Texas to be diligent about attracting federal funds.
