Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, WV

Local News

Discussion

March 3, 2009

Road to allocating stimulus

Legislators work to funnel money toward turnpike

By CHARLES OWENS

CHARLESTON — Area lawmakers vowed to pursue legislative action Tuesday in an attempt to divert $32 million in federal stimulus funds away from the East Beckley Bypass.

Senate Majority Leader H. Truman Chafin, D-Mingo, said efforts to negotiate and reach a diplomatic solution with highway officials in Charleston — who apparently made the recommendation to pump all $32 million of the federal stimulus dollars earmarked for new road construction in the state’s 3rd congressional district into Beckley while opting not to fund other projects such as the King Coal Highway and the Coalfields Expressway — have been unsuccessful.

As a result, Chafin said he was working Tuesday in cooperation with Senate Minority Leader Don Caruth, R-Mercer, to draft a bill that would allow lawmakers to use the federal stimulus funding instead for repairs on the West Virginia Turnpike. Those repairs, according to Chafin, would offset the need for another toll increase on the turnpike that would unfairly burden residents of southern West Virginia.

Chafin said the decision by several highway officials, including Transportation Secretary Paul Mattox, to award all $32 million of the federal stimulus transportation funds to Raleigh County was wrong.

“Absolutely,” Chafin said. “To give one child the entire stipend is just so unfair. It is blatantly unfair.”

Caruth said he is working with Chafin on the proposed legislation, adding the funding earmarked for Beckley could have been put to better use on the King Coal Highway or completing repairs to the West Virginia Turnpike that would offset the need for another toll increase.

“This is one issue that Majority Leader Chafin and myself as minority leader are absolutely in agreement on,” Caruth said. “We don’t want to deny anything that would benefit Raleigh County. That is not the objective of what we are doing. It’s just that we have particular needs on the turnpike and on King Coal that were not addressed.”

Chafin said lawyers were reviewing a proposed bill late Tuesday that would require the federal stimulus dollars be used first for repairs to the West Virginia Turnpike.

As the debate over the East Beckley Bypass heated up, Gov. Joe Manchin announced Tuesday that he was authorizing several of the first projects approved for federal stimulus dollars to be advertised for bid. The governor’s announcement Tuesday didn’t include the East Beckley Bypass project.

It did however include the authorization of bids for 1.67 miles of paving in Bluefield along U.S. Route 460. Several other bridge, paving and slide repairs projects were also authorized for bid in Marion, Pleasants, and Ritchie counties.

Delegate John Shott, R-Mercer, said he and Delegate John Frazier, D-Mercer, had spoken with Caruth, and support the proposed measure Caruth and Chafin are trying to introduce.

“I spoke briefly to Don today, and he told me their plan,” Shott said. “I think it’s a wonderful idea and very innovative. If it gets through the Senate, I think those of us on the House side would certainly support it.”

Frazier said he didn’t know if state officials would be willing to change their mind about the award of the $32 million to Beckley, adding it would probably take legislative action to divert some of the funding from Beckley.

“I’m just not optimistic that the highway department is willing to do that,” Frazier said. “I don’t think there is any chance from the administration. I think if there is anything to be done it will be done legislatively.”

Delegate Clif Moore, D-McDowell, who was appointed to serve on the Select Committee on Stimulus Utilization, expressed frustration Tuesday over the growing debate. The committee was appointed by House Speaker Rick Thompson, D-Wayne, to look for ways to wisely spend the one-time federal stimulus funds. However, committee members apparently didn’t have a say in the award of the $32 million in federal dollars to the East Beckley Bypass Project.

“We had a committee meeting last Friday, and we’ll have another committee meeting (today),” Moore said. “We’ll go into great detail as to why some of those decisions were made.”

Moore said he too was concerned about the decision to send all of the money to Raleigh County as opposed to McDowell or Mercer counties.

“I’m just as frustrated,” Moore said. “I wish we could have gotten enough money in the federal stimulus package to have a significant impact on the King Coal Highway and the Coalfields Expressway.”

— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com

Text Only
Local News