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STIMULUS FUNDING COMES TO A BUS STOP NEAR YOU

By Erin France/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Tuesday, July 21, 2009 3:28 PM CDT

Some of Pine Bluff’s federal stimulus funding will come rolling through town in the form of three city buses.

Vicky Williams, bus driver for the Pine Bluff Transit, awaits riders Friday afternoon at the Second and Main Street bus stop. PINE BLUFF COMMERCIAL/RALPH FITZGERALD.

Pine Bluff will receive more than $900,000 for transportation improvements, according to a Friday press release from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“We’re very grateful for the stimulus program,” said Mayor Carl A. Redus Jr.

The three 30-foot buses will help develop the transit system which is using older model buses, he said.

“It will help our citizens as they move around the community,” Redus said.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law in February.

Since then, Jefferson County has received more than $24 million in stimulus funds in transportation, safety and education grants, according to the Arkansas’ Web site recovery.arkansas.gov.

Nationally, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has presented more than $3.5 billion for transportation improvements, the press release stated.

Besides the city, local organizations also applied for stimulus funds — but not all requests were met.

“We already got our letter saying that we were not chosen,” said Karen Palmer, director of the Committee Against Spouse Abuse Women’s Shelter.

“It was a competitive process, anybody could apply,” she said.

Vickie Hooker, executive director of the Children’s Advocacy Center, said her program received about $50,000 in funding for hiring a forensic interviewer.

“A forensic interviewer is someone who is able to interview children,” she said.

They calm and question without further traumatizing the younger victims of crime, Hooker added.

“This was an excellent addition so that we could expand,” she said.

Though the grant expires in March 2011, Hooker said she likely will be able to find other ways to pay the interviewer’s salary.

“We’re going to be able to do some fundraising,” she said. “When you operate off of grants ... you definitely have to apply for anything and everything you can get.”

The Southeast Arkansas Economic Development District was granted about $3 million in funding for three different programs.

“The biggest thing we’ve got going .... we’ve got about 500 youth working throughout Southeast Arkansas,” said David Dempsey, deputy director of SEAEDD.

The summer youth program received more than $1.5 million in stimulus funds.

Dempsey said the program would help the economy, especially those entering or about to enter the work force.

“It’s effective — a lot more kids are able to be involved, a lot more families are able to be involved,” he said.

The district also received about $500,000 and $800,000 for two other work force development programs.

Local school boards also have voted on how they would like to use their stimulus funds: