With some $56 million in infrastructure projects, the city of Orangeburg has added its name to the list of municipalities across the nation seeking the federal economic stimulus package funding that's expected to open up following the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.

"Hopefully, we'll be on the recipient of some of the 'Obama shovel-ready project money' that will enable us to accelerate some projects that have been on the drawing board, but we don't have enough money to complete," said Orangeburg Mayor Paul Miller.

"These are shovel-ready projects for consideration. Everybody and his brother are sending in requests," he said.

As part of his proposed $800 billion stimulus package, Obama is recommending providing money for "shovel-ready" infrastructure projects -- that is, projects that can start and create jobs rights away.

"We were made aware that money would be available for shovel-ready projects that can go out to bid in the next 90 days after the inauguration. We've got $50 million to $60 million in projects at least," Miller said. "We found out about it and submitted them by the due date to the Lower Savannah Council of Governments to be forwarded. ... Hopefully, some of it will stick."

Some of the projects submitted are ones the city would do anyway with other funding, Miller said.

However, if "we can get the government to fund it, we'll have money to use on other projects. ... These are projects we can go to bid with in a 90-day time frame. ... Some of those things on the list are things we'd like to move forward with."

City Administrator John Yow said, "We have some other projects long term that we didn't include because they weren't shovel-ready." An example would be at the Municipal Airport, where an extended runway is on the city's wish list. But, with much of the airport project still in the planning phases, Yow said that's not included in the stimulus funding request.

"We're on the list. We submitted some projects and no one said we can't add more later," Yow said. "And no one said we'd be penalized if we didn't exactly meet the criteria."

Key projects that are on the ready-to-go list for federal funding are the continuation of streetscape projects and new parking for the downtown area. Not only would construction jobs be provided during the initial building, but "with the downtown projects, we'd create longer-term jobs in the commercial district," he said.

"We want to complete our streetscape to the corner of Russell and Magnolia/Boulevard, the railroad corner," Yow said. "We also want to do two or three more parking areas downtown. If there's money for commercial redevelopment, we'd like to come back and revisit the railroad corner."

Also, a funding request was made for the recreational complex planned on the North Road, with softball fields and walking trails among the amenities. The money that the city has available for that project, as well as the proposed sports center, Yow said, can be used as leverage to get the federal money.

"We currently have a little less than half the money we need to complete the project. If we get the money from the stimulus package, it will help us," Yow said. "We'd like some money to go toward a city gym/recreation center. We have most of the money needed to build it; but, to build the level of facility we currently have architectural drawings for, we need more money."

Most of the $56 million in projects are for the city, with about a dozen slated for Orangeburg's Department of Public Utilities.

"We plan our (projects) out years in advance," said DPU spokesman Randy Etters. "They're engineered, but not funded. We had to prioritize. Three are for gas, four for wastewater and five for water."

Although the project requests were submitted to Sixth District Congressman James Clyburn's office by the Dec. 22 deadline, Etters said that, "to be safe," the paperwork was also sent to the Municipal Association of South Carolina and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham's office.

"They'll start awarding this money the end of January," Etters said. "Every one we have could start in 90 days. If we get one funded, that's one unfunded project we can get off the table."

As itemized by Yow, the $56 million includes: $8 million for the downtown streetscape and parking; $13 million for the outdoor recreational complex on the North Road; $4 million for the multi-purpose sports center/gym; $4 million for drainage and stormwater improvements throughout the city; $7 million for the removal of slums and blight, or the redevelopment of commercial areas around downtown's railroad corner; $4 million for a pedestrian bridge to connect Claflin and S.C. State universities to the downtown area; and $15 million in various sewer, water line and natural gas line rehabilitation projects.

T&D Government Writer Tucker Lyon can be reached at tlyon@timesanddemocrat.com or by calling 803-533-5545.

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