LAKE COUNTY ? An online map showing where federal economic stimulus money is being spent in Congressman Mike Thompson”s Northern California district is available, Thompson”s office announced Monday.
The map can be found at Thompson”s Web site, www.mikethompson.house.gov. It shows the locations of agencies and projects in Congressional District One that are receiving American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) money. Icons representing various types of projects appear on the map and can be selected to show how much money is available and how it will be spent.
“This is a great way to track where the stimulus money is making a difference in our communities,” Thompson said Monday. “So far, we”ve learned of nearly $80 million that will go to important projects all across our district, and we”ll continue to update our Web site to keep everyone informed. By making the funding process as open and transparent as possible, we can all track how the American people”s money is being spent to jumpstart our economy and put folks back to work.”
The latest update on Thursday showed more than $9.3 million in stimulus funds were expected to come to Lake County. The largest chunk of that is $5 million for the Sulphur Bank Mercury Mind Superfund cleanup site, one of two hazardous waste cleanup projects in Thompson”s district.
Lake County”s school districts are set to receive more than $4.1 million, the second-biggest slice of the county”s stimulus pie. Clicking on a green schoolhouse icon in Lower Lake shows $1.9 million estimated for Konocti Unified School District. Another $753,000 is estimated for Lakeport Unified School District.
More than $135,000 is available for tribal organizations. Approximately 64 percent of that will be invested in energy efficiency and conservation projects at the Robinson, Big Valley and Middletown rancherias. More than $48,000 is available to Inter Tribal Council of California for health and human services programs.
Another $120,000 is available through the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant for the county”s law enforcement agencies. Of that, 74 percent is designated for agencies covering the county”s unincorporated area, the rest for agencies covering the City of Clearlake.
A brief explanation says the law enforcement funding will be used “to help communities keep their neighborhoods safer with more cops, prosecutors and probation officers; an increase in radios and equipment; and help for crime victims and more crime prevention programs for youth.”
Thompson also created a guide to obtaining ARRA grants for local government agencies and non-profit agencies. The guide is available online at http://mikethompson.house.gov/issues/ARRA%20Guidebook%20Custom.pdf. The guide will also be updated as more information becomes available.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com, or call her directly at 263-5636, ext. 37.
