State-Journal.com - Stimulus saves, creates about 50 jobs locally

Photo By State Journal/Kelly MackeyA worker uses an excavator to move dirt and rocks as work continues on widening U.S. 421. The highway will go from two lanes to five. The project is being funded by stimulus money.

About 50 jobs in Frankfort have been saved or created because of the stimulus plan, according to recovery.gov, the federal government’s Web site for stimulus spending.

It also shows that between 1,400 and 1,900 jobs were saved or created, but not locally. Frankfort, as the seat of state government, simply funnels the stimulus money statewide.

Overall $787 billion has been allocated for the stimulus plan - officially the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.

As of Oct. 30, the last reporting date, only $206 billion has been spent and 640,000 jobs have been created or saved in the nation.

Most of the jobs saved have been in education and construction - 2,800 teachers in Tampa Bay were retained with stimulus funds. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn says 1,700 jobs were created by spending on highway construction.

President Barack Obama pledged to create or save 3.5 million jobs through stimulus spending by the end of next year, according to the Associated Press.

Kentucky has received $2.2 billion in loans, grants and contracts and 4,200 jobs have been affected, according to the data.
Kentucky is ranked 36th in job creation under the stimulus plan.

Information on recovery.gov indicates Franklin County has received between $964 million and $1.1 billion with 1,400 to 1,900 jobs saved.

Although the state agencies are based in Frankfort most of the jobs are located, across the state, according to several agency officials. Construction jobs for projects in Frankfort have also been awarded to contractors in Lexington and Tompkinsville.

Since Congress approved the stimulus plan in February, the unemployment rate in Franklin County has increased from 8.7 percent to 9.1 percent. The local unemployment rate peaked at 9.6 percent in June.

On Friday it was announced the unemployment rate surpassed 10 percent for the first time since 1983 and is likely to go higher.

However, the economy grew by 3.5 percent in the third quarter this year, according to the Associated Press. That’s the fastest growth in two years and was fueled by government supported spending on cars and homes.

“This welcome milestone is just another step, and we still have a long road to travel until the economy is fully recovered,” said Christina Romer, President Obama’s chief economist.

Education

Most of the jobs created or saved in Frankfort are related to education, including several special education positions at Frankfort Independent and Franklin County schools.

The Kentucky Department of Education received $157.6 million to education services for children with disabilities. The money would create or save 48 jobs. However, only five positions at Frankfort and 12 at Franklin County will be retained.

Frankfort Independent will hire:

>Special education teacher at $53,000 for two years

>Part-time for two years at $15,000

>Special education aide for one year at $9,500

>Part-time library aide for two years at an average of $12,000

>Literacy coach for one year at $48,000

Superintendent Rich Crowe said the stimulus funds allowed the schools to keep several positions that would have been eliminated.

Franklin County will get:

>Certified school psychologist

>Certified mental health consultant

>Three full-time certified special education teachers at Westridge Elementary and Bondurant and Elkhorn middle schools

>Three part-time certified special education teachers at Bridgeport and Collins Lane elementary schools and the Educational Development Center

>Classified instructional assistant at the Early Learning Village

>Certified part-time speech therapist

>Part-time certified teacher for the visually impaired

The certified jobs will pay about $60,000 each including wages and benefits, according to district communications coordinator Wayne Dominick. The classified job could pay between $14 and $17 per hour approximately, he said.

None of the staff have been hired yet, Dominick said.

Construction

Several shovel-ready projects in Franklin County received funding through the stimulus plan, including the U.S. 421 widening and a sewer extension at Jones Lane. However, both projects were awarded to contractors outside of Frankfort.

A grant of $11.4 million will fund the widening of 421 from two lanes to five, including pedestrian and bike paths. The contractor is L-M Asphalt of Lexington and has about 20 workers on the project, according to Andrea Clifford, the Louisville district highway spokesperson.

About 10 sub-contractors are also at the site, she said, and the project reportedly saved 13.2 jobs according to recovery.gov.

Judge-Executive Ted Collins said the project has been a priority for several years because of the development in the area.
The city of Frankfort received $800,000 to fund a sewer line extension on Jones Lane. The contractor, Cleary Construction from Tompkinsville, employs three laborers and two heavy equipment operators, according to company president Darren Cleary.

The laborers earn about $27 per hour, including wages and benefits, and the operators earn about $35 he said.

Cleary said he would have had to lay-off several workers without the contract but was able to hire additional workers after winning the bid.

“We were getting very, very desperate,” he said.

Bob Peterson, senior engineer in the Frankfort sewer department, said the line will allow 25 to 30 residents to connect to the city’s sewer. An aging package sewer plant currently serves them, he said.

Transportation

The Transportation Cabinet also received $19.2 million to enhance public transportation in the state. About 146 jobs will be created, according to recovery.gov, but only one will be located in Frankfort.

Betty Burriss, Frankfort’s transit superintendent, said she’ll hire a driver for the trolley the city will buy with stimulus funds.

Burriss said she doesn’t know how much the job will pay or if it will be full-time.

The trolley cost about $350,000 and will serve as a shuttle for state building and downtown tourism attractions, she said.

Jobs saved

About 1,200 jobs in the state will be saved through an $18.7 million grant to provide employment and training services, according to recovery.gov.

The Kentucky Department of Employment and Training, which will offer career-planning services, training and support such as transportation and daycare assistance, will administer the grant.

Spokesman Lanny Brannock said the program will affect jobs throughout the state - not just Frankfort.

The Cabinet for Health and Family Services has received millions of dollars for a variety of programs, including Meals on Wheels and Americorps.

A grant for $35 million will save 50 child-care jobs in Kentucky, said spokesperson Vikki Franklin. The Child Care Development Fund provides subsidies for childcare and the grant will prevent a reduction in services across the state, she said.

The program was mistakenly listed twice on the recovery.gov Web site.

Many of the projects are less than 50 percent complete, according to recovery.gov.