Greencastle to receive first stimulus dollars

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

GREENCASTLE -- Lt. Governor Becky Skillman announced Tuesday, 46 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (EECBG) have been awarded to 37 Indiana cities, towns and counties. The grants will go toward energy efficiency upgrades to public facilities.

For the first time since federal stimulus money became available, some of it will be coming to Greencastle. The state awarded the city $42,687 for traffic signal retrofits.

"These are the first stimulus dollars to come our way and we are delighted to anticipate receiving them with the knowledge that they will allow us to finish changing out all of our street signal lights to LED lights," Greencastle Mayor Sue Murray said.

A total of $3.35 million was awarded statewide for upgrades including LED traffic lights, building lighting upgrades and non-lighting building retrofits. Greencastle was selected for the grant through a competitive bid process.

"These communities have stepped up and are leading by example by making sure public buildings and facilities are not wasting taxpayer dollars through inefficiency," Skillman said. "Grants such as these help Hoosier counties, cities and towns to be good stewards of public facilities by reducing energy consumption."

Skillman will preside over an award ceremony for Round 1 grantees to be held at 2 p.m. on March 26 in the North Atrium of the Indiana State House.

The EECBG program is funded through the U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE) and administered in Indiana by the Indiana Office of Energy Development (OED). Cities and towns less than 35,000 in population, and counties with populations of 200,000 or less were eligible to apply for these grants.

Applicants could submit one application in each of the three areas.

Round 2 of this program opened March 8, with five areas of interest.

The purpose of the Indiana EECBG Program is to assist eligible entities in creating and implementing strategies to reduce fossil fuel emissions in a manner that is environmentally sustainable, reduce the total energy use of the eligible entities, increase energy efficiency, reduce energy consumption and reduce energy costs through efficiency improvements and create new jobs and increased productivity to spur economic growth and community development.

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  • I wonder how many jobs this created? Furthermore, why are federal dollars going to change out street lights in Greencastle? Is that not a Greencastle issue for Greencastle to solve? I am disappointed with the Govenor on this issue for accepting this porkulus waste of money. Remember, our President who told us this bill had to pass to keep unemployment below 8% and it is now 9.7% and has been above 10%. Give the money back! Greencastle, change out your own street lights!!! No wonder this country is going broke!!!!

    -- Posted by Heritage Lake Resident on Wed, Mar 17, 2010, at 9:56 AM
  • Another outstanding example of the stimulus money at work. This will surely create 100 or more jobs. When are we going to take back this country? November can not come soon enough.

    -- Posted by justasking on Wed, Mar 17, 2010, at 4:01 PM
  • Jobs? You have to be kidding! Job creation with stimulus money is a joke! I assume that Indiana took the money assuming that if we didn't take it, someone else would. I know --- let's have a study committee determine how much energy we will save by changing the stop lights. And, while they are at it, determine how many jobs will be "created" or "saved". I agree with justasking --- November cannot come soon enough

    !

    -- Posted by not gullible on Wed, Mar 17, 2010, at 4:16 PM
  • I agree November cannot come soon enough!! However, do not forget about the May 4th Primary!!! I'll just add also I cannot wait for 2012!!

    -- Posted by Heritage Lake Resident on Wed, Mar 17, 2010, at 4:39 PM
  • amen brother!

    -- Posted by justasking on Wed, Mar 17, 2010, at 7:48 PM
  • I can only wonder why the comment thread on this story is up, while the unemployment thread on county government is taken down?

    -- Posted by localman on Wed, Mar 17, 2010, at 8:01 PM
  • WE as taxpayers will 'asorb' this 'free money...' what difference does it actually make as from whence it comes?

    -- Posted by mothersue on Wed, Mar 17, 2010, at 9:42 PM
  • Mothersue, what exactly do you mean? Are you saying that this stimulus bill was good? If so I would say that this money the federal government has taken from the taxpayer would have been better spent by the taxpayer on what they want to spend it on.

    -- Posted by Heritage Lake Resident on Wed, Mar 17, 2010, at 10:03 PM
  • Mr. Paine, you are so very correct. I was one who did comment on the story you talked about and just because one person did not like what was being said they pulled the comments. That is what happens when liberals can't win when discussing the issues they have to shut it down or call you names. Just for the record I called Congressman Ellsworth on Tuesday and told him to vote NO on this travesty of a bill. I am a 26 year old husband and father of one with another on they way and I am so frustrated with what this government has done and will continue to do. My kids are already around $30,000 dollars in debt a piece and for what? Light bulbs, socialist health care, bailouts!!! Elections mean something!! People need to get out and vote on May 4th and in November!!! It is time to put this out of control government in check by voting them out of office. For those of you who voted for Obama, how do you like that hope and change now??????

    -- Posted by Heritage Lake Resident on Thu, Mar 18, 2010, at 9:12 AM
  • Aren't these the lights that have a serious hazardous side effect - they don't produce enough heat to melt snow that covers the lights. There are all kinds of news articles and even accidents blamed on them. Here's one article on the issue: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34436730/ It's too often that the good intentions of activists translate into newer, bigger problems.

    -- Posted by Light in the Dark on Thu, Mar 18, 2010, at 7:28 PM
  • Ok well let's see....hopefully an American company got paid to make the led lights...they paid taxes to their local municipality that supported schools that paid teachers salaries who bought things hopefully made in America...an employee at the factory where the lights were made got paid for the work and bought American made goods or services....the local employee that works for the city still had a job could pay his bills and consume American made products hopefully that is some of this might not be true if the lights were bought in China the employees all bought foreign cars and goods where the money was sent to China who holds a lot of our national debt because the Republicans gave us Bush tax cuts and 2 wars that we will never win and have drained more out of the economy than the cost of the Health Care bill that will actually lower the deficit but according to Republicans is not what the American people want. By the way how many that are posting here in a negative way about the stimulus money bought an import car and sent the money out of the economy forever? If you think that just becasue you bought an American made import it does not count think again.....I'll give you a hint...the profit wnet to Japan, South Korea, Germany or wherever their corporate world headquarters are. How much did you stimulate the economy?

    -- Posted by yeswecan on Thu, Mar 18, 2010, at 10:03 PM
  • Yeswecan, how about some actual facts instead of Obama talking points!The socialist health care bill will not lower the deficit. Fact! It will raise taxes. Fact! Obama has tripled the national deficit since taking over. Fact!The majority of the American people are against Obama Care! Fact! Check the polls!!!! With that said I look foward to the liberal socialist democrats passing health care by hook or crook and then losing in November like no political party has ever lost before. Before you go any further with your worn out talking points, it was the Bush tax cuts that got the United States out of the last recession at the end of the 90's before Clinton left office. Furthermore, when are all of you liberals going to stop blaming Bush? It really is getting old. That's right it's Bush's fault Obama hasnt ended the war in Iraq and Afghanistan! It's Bush's fault Gitmo is not closed yet! It's Bush's fault Health Care isn't passed yet! By the way, I drive a 1996 Oldsmobile with 150,000 miles on it. Before that I drove a 1992 Buick Regal all through college and drove that car until I sold it when it had 298,000 miles on it. I drive American always have. However, as long as Obama and the federal government on 2 of the 3 American car companies I will either buy from Ford which is not run by the government or I will buy foreign. The unions are what ruined the car industry in this country and I will have no part in making the fat cat union bosses richer while sending tons of money to the Democratic Party to help Obama or any other Democrat get reelected.

    -- Posted by Heritage Lake Resident on Thu, Mar 18, 2010, at 11:07 PM
  • And so there you have it, Heritage Lake Resident. My point was proven perfectly.......

    -- Posted by Thomas Paine on Fri, Mar 19, 2010, at 7:25 AM
  • Thomas Paine, you are so very correct!!

    -- Posted by Heritage Lake Resident on Fri, Mar 19, 2010, at 9:28 AM
  • Yeswecan, just a few more things. How can people stimulate the economy when they don't have jobs and the President of the United States is doing nothing to help them with that? Furthermore, those of us who still have jobs cannot stimulate the economy all that much either because we are busy bailing out banks, auto companies, illegal aliens, along with those people who are lifers on social programs like welfare, foodstamps, Section 8 housing, etc... This country is going broke because there is no sense of personal responsability anymore. Give me one good example of something the federal government runs efficently. Post Office? Nope, going BROKE!!! Social Security? Nope going BROKE!!! Medicare and Medicaid? Nope, going BROKE!!!! Education? Nope we had the best public schools 2nd to none before the introduction of the Department of Education and the take over of education by the Federal Government! I got it the housing market! Remember Fannie and Freddie and how Obama, Franks and all their buddies said those two groups were doing just fine in 2006. Then just two years later they collapse and send this country into one of the worst economic downturns in our history! I remeber the liberal democrats pounding their chest with ENRON but when it was Fannie and Freddie where were you then? YOu want to stimulate the economy stop giving handouts to both the rich and the poor! Cut taxes, especically on the middle class. Drill for oil so we are not paying 2.82 a gallon for gas. Build more coal and nuclear power plants! These are the things that create jobs and real stimulus! Not borrowing of trillions of dollars from China. I just have three final words for you "NO YOU CAN'T"

    -- Posted by Heritage Lake Resident on Fri, Mar 19, 2010, at 9:51 AM
  • HLR - You are right on the money and no one will care until it directly impacts them or their family. The hammer is about to drop and when it does it will be too late. GOD help us all.....

    -- Posted by Thomas Paine on Fri, Mar 19, 2010, at 10:00 AM
  • Thomas- The American people are a strong bunch when their backs are up against the wall. I hope you are wrong and that it is not too late. I still believe things can be fixed but only time will tell. All I can say is " How about that hope and change thing." It seems to be really working out for people. The worst part is we are just discussing domestic issues, nobody is hardly talking about the foreign policy failures of this President. Apologizing for America and her greatness. Why? The blood sweat and tears of many men and women fought to protect freedom and fight against tyranny. If there was no America who would have defeated the Nazi's and Imperial Japan. Or, how about the way this administration has turned it's back on allies like Isreal and Great Britan! No President should ever apologize for American greatness. We have given the world more money, food, protection and freedom than any other country in the history of the world. So once again how do people like that hope and change now?

    -- Posted by Heritage Lake Resident on Fri, Mar 19, 2010, at 10:52 AM
  • I know this does not belong here... but I'm not sure where else to place this....

    Can anyone give me information about the Circus at the Armory?! When, what time, how much are tickets, and where do you get the tickets

    Thank you to whoever helps answer my questions!!!! :)

    -- Posted by lockemup on Tue, Mar 23, 2010, at 2:05 PM
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