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Danville projects benefit from federal stimulus dollars
Mayor hints that a town stimulus package is in the works

by Geoff Gillette

On the same day that President Obama signed the federal stimulus bill into law, members of the Danville Town Council approved a resolution that will bring some of those dollars to work on two road projects.

At their Feb. 17 meeting, council members unanimously approved the resolution, which will bring nearly $1 million into Danville to help fund a road improvement project on Diablo Road.

Town Manager Joe Calabrigo said the council has been working on the resolution for the past several weeks in conjunction with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Contra Costa Transportation Authority.

The resolution authorizes the MTC to file an application with the federal government for funds to be released through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

The transportation authority worked with representatives from local governments to put together a list of 23 projects in the county with a combined value of $39 million; $21 million of that cost would be funded by the stimulus package.

Because of the nature of the stimulus package, governments had to find projects that were "shovel ready." In other words, projects that could be awarded and begin in the next 90 days.

"They don't want projects that are going to sit on the drawing board," said Calabrigo. "They want projects that are going to create jobs."

The project submitted by Danville will improve Diablo Road from Green Valley Road to Avenida Nueva and Green Valley Road from Diablo Road to Stone Valley Road. The project cost, revised to show an estimated $960,000 in federal funds, is expected to come in at $1.039 million.

Mayor Newell Arnerich said he was pleased with the resolution and with the effect that the stimulus bill will have both locally and statewide.

"I think personally the package is going to help. This is going to be good for California," he said.

He added that Town officials are currently working on their own version of a stimulus package for Danville itself.

"We asked ourselves, 'How can we help?,'" said Arnerich, "and I think we've got some pretty good ideas."

Arnerich was unable to give details of how the proposed package will help the town during this economic downturn but said he is expecting to unveil it within the next few weeks.