The City of Knoxville has been approved to receive $12.2 million in American Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding and is actively seeking nearly $27 million in additional ARRA funding with grant applications currently pending before several federal agencies.
The ARRA is often referred to as the federal "stimulus package."
To date the city has been awarded $12,188,813 in ARRA funding - though it hasn't received the money yet - for a variety of projects ranging from construction, road resurfacing, traffic safety and energy efficiency efforts to a grant aimed at combating internet crimes against children.
The city learned earlier this year that is eligible to receive approximately $10 million in stimulus funding in what are referred to as formula grants, provided it submits the necessary applications, project plans and/or other required documents by specified deadlines. The city has submitted those documents and is awaiting formal award of the funds.
The city is also seeking additional, competitive grants that could total millions of dollars more.
So far the city has been awarded a little more than $1.51 million in competitive grants.
The ARRA - passed by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama in February - is a $787 billion measure designed primarily to stimulate the economy and create new jobs while saving existing ones. It also aims to address infrastructure needs and improve domestic energy production and use.
A little more than $575 billion of the funds are supposed to be injected into the economy with much of the money flowing through state and local governments. There are at least 75 major federal stimulus programs offered through more than a dozen agencies ranging from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The funding will be obtained through a combination of block grants awarded on the basis of various formula - for example a city's population or foreclosure rates - or in the form of competitive grants that various cities and other government entities will compete for.
The City of Knoxville is seeking these one-time funds for projects ranging from improving mass transit and energy efficiency, to upgrading neighborhood housing stock and economic opportunities, to numerous capital projects.
To date at least $7.5 million of the funds awarded to the city are for construction or renovation projects that will be completed by area contractors, creating new jobs or maintaining existing ones at those companies.
The City of Knoxville's Purchasing Department is administering the ARRA effort for the city's different departments, helping determine which opportunities the city should seek and managing the application process with the different federal agencies.
Boyce H. Evans, a retired U.S. Army officer, is the City of Knoxville's Purchasing Agent and directs the city's ARRA activities.
Evans was the financial director for Fort Campbell, Kentucky - home of the 101st Airborne Division - where he managed multimillion budgets and programs before retiring from the service.
The page will display, funding the city is applying for, or has received current status of those applications what the city has received and what it plans to do with the money.
The city's plans for the funds received will move from the general to the more specific during the late summer and fall months as the distributing agencies develop their guidelines for using the money.
The lists - which are divided by city department - will be updated regularly.