KANSAS CITY, Mo. - As Congress works on an economic stimulus package, local cities are scrambling to make their own wish lists.
The list is still being updated.
So which would you pick?
Upgrade a Blue Springs golf course clubhouse?
Add bus rapid transit to Metcalf or Shawnee Mission Parkway?
Restore the grounds of the historic courthouse in Independence?
Almost every city in the metro will be asking for money. From large suburbs to small municipalities, each project is important to each city. Project details are available for most cities, but not Kansas City, Mo.
The mayor of tiny Westwood, Kan., hopes to cash in on federal stimulus money, just like everyone else.
Westwood could use $200,000 dollars to renovate its playground at a city park and it needs a half million for its share of fixing its main road, Rainbow Boulevard. That might be spare change to the feds, but a big relief for the 1,400 residents here.
"Well, it means we can keep our taxes low, and with as tough as the economy's getting, I think that's important. If we wait much longer, it could be three times the cost, then we're talking about multiple millions of dollars,” Steve Stubbers said.
Overland Park has one of the biggest items on any metro wish list- a $99 million dollar project to widen U.S. Highway 69.
Cities across the metro are submitting nearly 1,000 projects to the federal government. They’re hoping to get funding as part of the economic stimulus package. Most are road, bridge and sewer repairs.
The
Mid-America regional council has compiled the list, and will help coordinate some of the requests.
"In some cases we may be more effective in sort of pooling our efforts and approaching the state or the federal government as a region,” Mell Henderson of MARC said.
