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County 'still in the running' for help with broadband project
Nov 06, 2009 (The Leader-Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Upset that their $18.7 million grant application to update 911 broadband communications didn't make the state's list of funded projects, county officials didn't hesitate to take it to the next level.
So they took their case to Washington, D.C. to pay officials a visit, and came back feeling better about the status of their project.
"We're still in the running," said county Commissioner Chairwoman Patty Kirkpatrick. "What the state does, does not mean we don't qualify. We do qualify. We found out that the federal government has the project at the next phase -- on its due-diligence list, despite what the state did."
The application was submitted by Armstrong County in August for a joint project by Armstrong and Indiana counties. The two counties were seeking federal stimulus money through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The state administers the funding.
The grant was to bring broadband service and its infrastructure to unserviced and underserviced areas in the counties.
Armstrong County had hoped it would also help support a large part of an estimated $15 million project to replace radio equipment in the 911 dispatching center to meet a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandate to counties to upgrade their systems and become narrow band compliant by 2013.
"We sent in a very good application," said Kirkpatrick. "We know our project is 'shovel ready' to go."
County officials took their concerns for the project to officials with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), an agency under the U.S. Department of Commerce.
"We meet all of the qualifications," said Kirkpatrick. "NTIA is looking at unserviced and underserviced rural areas and not relying on the state's list. We're glad they're looking at our application and have rated it as good. All we ask is fairness."
Kirkpatrick said the county appreciates the support in Washington, D.C. of elected officials, and acknowledged testimony before Congress on the county's behalf by U.S. Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper, D-Erie.
"It is a federal process," said Commissioner Jim Scahill. "Hopefully the funding will be there for this project."
Commissioner Rich Fink thinks maybe their trip will have an influence on how the federal government awards the funding.
"Maybe we stirred the pot and the dollars are going to go where they should," Fink said.
Mitch Fryer can be reached at mfryer@tribweb.com or 724-543-1303, ext. 1342.
To see more of The Leader-Times or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/leadertimes/. Copyright (c) 2009, The
Leader-Times, Kittanning, Pa. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information
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